This is just a vision of something I was thinking about. What happened to Castiel, Uriel and Anna after she took her Grace back? What would the repercussions be in Heaven? What did others think? Looking forward to getting some reviews. If there is enough interest, I might be convinced to continue a storyline based on what I've written here, but I'm actually more interested in seeing what the show has in store for us for the rest of the season.
And all the usual stuff is here; there are spoilers through the episode Heaven and Hell, and I own none of this. And now thank you, and enjoy.
Anna walked along, flanked by Castiel and Uriel. They looked little different than they had on Earth, but she knew that it was mostly her time as a human that kept that image in her mind. As her humanity began to leave her, so would her human perceptions, and she would once more view her brother and sister angels as they truly were.
Castiel's trenchcoat, or his "holy tax accountant" outfit, as Dean had joked with her, was replaced by a simple outfit of white and gold of a wispy material. His wings were folded back, pure white but darkening slightly at the tips. Uriel seemed to be wearing gleaming silver armor, but the feathers of his wings were considerably darker than Castiel's or her own.
Anna swallowed hard. She hadn't wanted to take her Grace back, but it had been the only solution. Alastair was an ancient demon, one of the original Fallen. He had been one of the angels to follow the Usurper, Lucifer, and shared in his leader's fate when cast into Perdition. That was why Castiel hadn't been able to defeat the demonic torturer.
"We're here," Castiel said quietly.
Anna pulled herself from her musings to stare at the edifice before them. As with all things in Heaven, the Bastion appeared as each being's ideal home, just as Hell was a different nightmare for every soul. As Anna looked at it, the building's features seemed to shift and slide. One moment it was a magnificent marble palace, fit for the most decadent rulers to live in luxury. The next it was an imposing fortress, without comfort, built solely to stand against the tide of darkness.
Anna forced herself to look away. This was most likely where she would meet her end. She had defied God, gone against his teachings. She had lost faith and questioned her orders. There was only one redemption, the complete stripping of her power and exile as one of the Fallen.
"This way," growled Uriel, and Anna could almost hear the delight in his voice at her approaching fate.
They passed other angels in the halls, some that Anna recognized, others that she did not. Some nodded in sympathy, others with hostility, seeing her as an enemy; a traitor to their Father.
Anna wasn't sure if they were wrong.
Uriel and Castiel stopped before a door that seemed more solid than most in this place, and then Uriel stepped forward.
"For what it's worth, Anna," said Castiel quietly, "I'm sorry. I wish we did not have to do this."
She looked at him, really looked, and for the first time saw true emotion behind her old compatriot's eyes. Regret. He really didn't want to do this. But Castiel was a loyal soldier, and she knew he wouldn't disobey an order.
Anna gently laid a hand over his. "I understand. It's okay," she comforted him, surprised that she may very well be outside the door for her own execution, and she was comforting him.
"Let's go," growled Uriel as the doors opened.
Anna stepped through with her back straight and head held high. At the far side of the room was another angel, with wings of pure white. The figure turned to face them, and Anna gasped.
She had been gone from Heaven for twenty years, but even if she had been gone for twenty thousand years she would never fail to recognize this angel.
He was tall, a few inches shorter than Sam, but with a solid, lithe build. His face was handsome, at least as handsome as Dean, with dark brown hair and eyes that shifted from brown to gold and back. He wore no armor, unlike most of the other angels, but Anna knew he donned it only in the most dire times.
Michael.
The first of the archangels, the highest, the first among equals. Their father's right hand. The one who had battled Lucifer and cast the Usurper and his followers to Hell.
"Hello Anna," he said with an easy smile.
"No need for pleasantries," snapped Uriel, "strip her of her Grace and cast her down with the rest of the festering sores that were allowed to exist."
Michael turned a curious eye and light smirk at the darker-skinned angel.
"Are you giving me an order?" Michael asked, his voice full of amusement.
Uriel bristled. Anna remembered, now at least. Uriel was another archangel, and technically Castiel's superior. What must have happened for Castiel to be put in charge and have Uriel answer to a weaker angel? Anna had no idea.
"Uriel. Castiel. Please wait outside, I would like to speak with Anna alone for a few minutes," Michael told them.
Castiel bowed slightly, but Uriel sneered at Michael before both left. The doors closed behind them with a ring.
Anna glanced over at Michael, who was smirking at her. He started to open his mouth, but Anna quickly spoke first.
"You don't need to say anything," she said quickly, "I'm sorry. I deserve my punishment. But I need to say that I would do it all over again if I had to."
"Are you talking about disobeying Father, choosing to be human, or sleeping with Dean Winchester in the back of his car?" asked Michael, "Or do you mean all three?"
Anna's head snapped up from where she'd been staring a hole in the floor. Choosing to be a human? Anna knew that should be her first question, but she couldn't stop the words that came out of her mouth.
"You know about that?" she gasped.
Michael laughed. Not a superior, arrogant laugh, but one filled with genuine amusement. Anna hadn't guessed an angel could express such emotion.
"Anna," he said after a moment, "most of Heaven knows you and Dean got it on. I actually tried to get a pool going of whether or not the two of you would have sex, but no one was willing to bet against me."
Michael shrugged, then sat down in a large chair, draping one arm lazily over the back. He looked relaxed, confident, and without a care in the world. But Anna knew better, or at least, she hoped she knew better.
"But, the repercussions…"
"What repercussions?" asked Michael, "You were human, so was he. Do you really think we're going to punish you for having sex? Not all of us are as uptight as Dominic."
That name sparked a shiver of fear through Anna. Dominic. Heaven's inquisitor. The one who was ever aware of corruption within the ranks of the angels, and authorized to investigate. He had been the one to denounce her, the one to order that she be stripped of her Grace.
"I was so afraid," she whispered, "I didn't think I could even feel such fear anymore. Angels don't feel. We're not supposed to. We're supposed to obey. And I didn't."
"Let me ask you a question," said Michael, "do you really think our father wants mindless automatons to serve him? If he did, why did he give us such intelligence? Why did he give us the power to think for ourselves, and question him, as Lucifer did? As you did?"
Anna flinched at the mere comparison of herself to the Traitor. But she had been wondering that. God had given them the power to think, but the right to choose had been given to humans.
"Let me ask you another question," Michael continued, "but I will preface it with some background, as I'm sure you don't remember. When Dominic proclaimed that you were to lose your Grace, you were given an option. You could become one of the Fallen, and join the others in Hell, where you would have had phenomenal power compared to the most of the rest. Power nearly the equal of Alastair, Lilith and Azazel. Or you could become human. You chose to become human. Why?"
"I don't know," whispered Anna. She didn't, not really, but if he were ask her now…
"I didn't want to become a demon," she answered after a moment, "I questioned Father, but I didn't oppose him. I didn't want any of you to become my enemy. I just… I just wanted…"
She couldn't find the words, she didn't know the words. Anna looked over at Michael, who hadn't moved an inch, but he was smiling with confidence. He nodded gently. It gave her the strength.
"I wanted to choose!" she said forcefully, "I wanted to choose who I was! I didn't want to be just another soldier in our Father's army! I am who I am! Who I want to be! I wanted to be human because they can be who they choose to be! Why don't we have that right? Why do we have to be good soldiers? Why do we have to obey without question?!"
The outburst seemed to have drained her, and Anna sank down into the chair behind her, her face dropping into her hands. She wanted to cry. She didn't want to lose what she'd had as a human; feelings. She wanted to feel fear, and anger, and love… She needed those feelings, she didn't want to be like what she was.
Strong, sure, gentle hands pulled her own hands away from her face. She blinked away the tears. Tears? I was crying? In Heaven? In front of Michael? She almost groaned.
Michael was on one knee in front of her, holder her hands in his own. His smile hadn't diminished. If anything, it had grown wider.
"We have the right the choose," he said quietly, "we have always had that right."
Anna blinked at him, unable to understand.
"Lucifer was not cast down to Perdition because he questioned our Father," explained Michael, "it was because he chose to start a war, pitting brothers and sisters against each other. Lucifer was convinced of his own invincibility, that he was a being so pure and so powerful that he knew better than Father. And even after he and I battled each other, casting him down was not a punishment, it was a lesson, just like yours was."
Anna gaped at him. She had been created after the great war that pitted angel against angel. It was well-known among the angels that their Father had never appeared during the war. When Lucifer's forces had attacked the Bastion itself, it was Michael, and Michael alone who never faltered. She had once heard it said that Lucifer had been outmatched before the first blow fell.
"A lesson?" she echoed.
Michael nodded. "A chance to learn from past mistakes. To grow beyond what we had been created as. Life is a journey. We learn and we grow, forever. You questioned God. Why? Because you lost faith? Because you stopped believing? No."
"Because I was tired of being a heartless soldier," she whispered.
"Exactly. You had the chance to choose. You could have remained heartless if you chose to keep power and go to Perdition. But you chose your heart. What do you feel, Anna?" asked Michael.
She looked into the eyes of the eldest of the angels, amazed that she perceived him as her own age, wondering if this was only her human perception.
"You will always perceive things as both angel and human," Michael said softly, "that is what I mean that you have grown. You have learned. Your heart will forever be human. You will feel."
"Hope," she whispered, "I feel hope. Hope that I'm not about to be killed."
Michael laughed again. It lightened Anna's heart, the cares and worries she had seemed to disintegrate under the power of that laugh.
"You were never to be killed, Anna," he told her as Michael rose to his feet. "Being among humans was to be a lesson, a lesson in what it was we fight for. You were to learn why we fight. Why we must take the measures that we do. It is a lesson our Father wishes for us all to learn, but only a few will ever question him enough. Only a few will chose the frailty of humanity. Your… punishment, is over. Your debt to Father has been fulfilled."
"Sam and Dean…" she began.
"Have their own destinies," finished Michael. "You have yours. I have decided that you will work with Raphael, guarding healers throughout Earth. You will join the war only when all other options have been exhausted."
"No, please," Anna replied, "I want to fight. I want to stop Lilith. As you said, I've seen what we fight for. My questions have been answered, I don't doubt any more. You said we all have a right to choose. I choose to stand on our Father's side and fight for people like Sam and Dean. They need us now, more than ever. They have always needed us."
Michael nodded, smiling. Then he did something Anna never would have expected. He stepped forward and hugged her close. It felt like the protective hug an older brother would give to his little sister, and Anna knew that it was the best analogy she'd ever come up with. A hug that said, "I will protect you."
Michael stepped back. "Welcome home, Anna."
He nodded towards the doors, and Anna rushed out. He was right, she was home.
Castiel watched as Anna raced out of the room, soaring through the Bastion, her wings pure white. He almost imagine he could hear her laughing. That would be good, it had been a long time since she had laughed.
Castiel.
The name sounded in his own mind, and he knew that he was being summoned. He glanced at Uriel. The archangel looked furious that he was being forced to wait. Castiel hurried past, not wanting to incur his companion's wrath.
The doors closed behind him. Michael was waiting for him. Castiel bowed his head respectively and stepped forward.
"Word has reached me that you may be questioning your orders," Michael began, "and that your judgment may be clouded by the fact that you like your charge."
Castiel braced himself. If he was to be chastised, he would face it stoically.
"I obey my orders," he replied, his voice carefully controlled, "and I have not given Dean Winchester anything more than I have been ordered to."
Michael nodded serenely. "You are not in any trouble, Castiel. I want you to speak your mind without fear of reprisal. What do you think of Dean Winchester?"
"I think," Castiel began slowly, trying to order his thoughts. He had not been expecting that question. "I think that he is… impressive, for a human. I had initially dismissed him, thinking him a base creature who deserved a permanent stay in Perdition. He was rude, disregarded our Father, and had no respect for me or the struggles we have faced for humanity. He was a being who followed his base emotions, particularly his lust."
At this, Michael smirked. "Lust for what?"
"Women, mostly," replied Castiel disdainfully, "but I have seen he also lusts for something less material. Justice. Freedom. Life. He sacrifices himself for his tainted brother and all humanity, trying to free them from the yoke of fear. He has impressed me with his insight, and his dedication. I do not know what your reason was for ordering me to free him from Perdition, but… I believe it was a wise move."
Michael threw his head back and laughed. The sound was warm and comforting, causing Castiel to smile. There seemed so little to laugh about in these dangerous times.
"Thank you for your support, I was hoping that I hadn't lost the confidence of my brothers," said Michael as his laughter began to quiet down.
"May I ask a question?" said Castiel. At Michael's approving look he went on. "Why did you order Dean Winchester saved from Perdition?"
Michael's features sobered instantly, and while the good humor did not leave his face, his eyes were serious and briefly flashed golden.
"There are many reasons," he said seriously, "most of them known only to myself and our Father. I will tell you this, Castiel. Our fate and that of humanity may very well rest on the shoulders of Dean Winchester. Should Sam Winchester give himself to Lucifer, it could be our end. The only one who can save Sam from Perdition, whether he gives of himself willingly or is taken by force, is Dean."
Castiel nodded slowly, and Michael smirked.
"You don't seem surprised by this. I think you are more than impressed with Dean Wichester. I think you've also seen a piece of his importance to the future," commented Michael.
"I knew that there had to be a significant reason for you to take such an interest in one human," Castiel replied. "I agree that I think his fate is intertwined with ours somehow. I feel that his fate will be ours."
Michael nodded, his eyes boring into Castiel, who had to drop his own gaze, unable to match the power of the elder angel.
"Then I must ask you to forgo all other orders in this battle against Lilith," said Michael, "I want you to work with Dean Winchester. Counsel him, advise him. Do not try to control him, he is not a man who can be controlled. Try to guide him. Give him options, make him think in ways that he has not had to do so before. Make him make choices between what is easy, and what is right.
"Oh, and for our Father's love, don't make it seem like you're coddling him. I don't what him to particularly like you. I want him to trust you, have faith in you. But we need to keep him… adversarial to us."
"Why?" asked Castiel.
Michael smirked. "Because a Dean Winchester who liked an angel would just be creepy."
Uriel didn't wait for the summons after Castiel was dismissed from Michael's presence. He went inside, furious for the insult of being made to wait. He too held a position of authority among the archangels. He was Michael's equal and he would be treated as such.
Michael's back was to the doors and he didn't acknowledge Uriel's presence as he entered.
"How dare…"
"Silence."
Michael did not speak loudly, but for the briefest of instants, his wings flashed from pure white to jet black shadows and back again. That made Uriel stop in his tracks. It was a sign that Michael was gathering power in righteous anger. Uriel could remember only twice that Michael's wings had turned black for more than a moment. Once was when their Father had sent him down to smite the first-born of Egypt.
The other time was when he had battled Lucifer.
Michael's next words were spoken slowly. "If I ever again find out that you kept the Grace of a fellow angel in your possession, I will, I promise, make you envy the Fallen. Do you understand me?!"
Michael's wings flashed black again and then were white.
"I understand," growled Uriel. As much as he didn't like his elder brother, he could not match Michael.
"Good," came Michael's reply, "Anna has been restored to our ranks, and I expect her to be working closely with you and Castiel. She knows more of humanity than either of you, and her knowledge will be invaluable in trying to prevent any more of the seals from being broken. Whatever grudge you held against her is to be forgotten, I will not have the two of you competing and arguing. Do you understand me?"
"I understand," replied Uriel, doing his best to keep his anger in check. He wished he could rip Michael's wings off and show the elder brother what he really thought of him.
"Next, you are to stop threatening Dean Winchester with a return trip to Perdition. By our Father's grace and my authority we have brought him out and he will not be sent back. Do you understand me?"
"I understand."
"Finally," said Michael, "you are forbidden to harm Sam Winchester. I don't care what he does, I don't care what you witness, you are not to touch a hair on his head. Do you understand me?"
"That boy has the blood of the traitor Azazel within him," Uriel shot back, "and if you think I'm going to let that boy turn into the same putrid sore…"
Uriel almost didn't see the blow coming. One moment he was glaring at Michael's back, the next he saw a rotting, skeletal face with eyes of burning gold racing towards him. The next thing Uriel knew he was flying halfway across the Bastion, crashing through walls and skidding past his brothers and sisters.
Finally he came to a stop. Dazed, he began looking around, trying to focus on his brothers and sisters who stood around, staring at him. Angrily he wondered why none of them approached.
Michael suddenly loomed over him, his wings back to pure white and his face as it had been. Uriel knew that even Lucifer hadn't made Michael's face change to Death.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" Michael demanded.
Uriel nodded shakily. "I understand."
Michael looked around, his glare encompassing all of the angels standing nearby, as if daring them to step forward and challenge him. Michael's eyes lifted for a moment, then he glared back down at Uriel, then vanished.
Michael wasn't entirely surprised to follow the summons to the destination he found. Las Vegas. Sin City. His father had an odd sense of humor sometimes. In a private corner he pulled together his essence and formed his vessel around his power. The vessel was a reflection of himself, and mirrored his angelic form.
He looked like a young man in his late twenties; dark hair, dark eyes. He was tall and well-built. Enough so that as soon as he walked out of the shadows and into the flow of tourists, he saw that many young ladies were noticing. At another time, he would have explored those looks, but today he had another purpose.
Michael stepped out onto the balcony, finding himself at the top of the Stratosphere hotel, looking down the Strip at the array of hotels and casinos. He shook his head in amusement at his Father's choice of meeting locations.
It took only a moment of scanning the faces to know his Father's choice of vessels. He joined his Father at the railing and rested his forearms against it, looking out across the expanse of the city.
"Didn't take you for a gambler, Pop," Michael said with a smirk.
He felt, rather than saw his Father glance at him.
Michael grimaced. "Sorry about hammering Uriel like that. But I had to keep him off-balance. I need him concentrating on the wrong brother."
"You play a very dangerous game, Michael," said his Father, "you put a great deal of the future on the shoulders of a single human."
"Dean can handle it," Michael replied confidently, "he's more than he thinks he is, and far more than most others think he is. He comes from a good ancestry."
His Father smiled, and Michael could feel it warm him from the inside.
"Besides," Michael continued, "I have faith in him. Isn't that what life is all about, Father? Having faith in this world, in these people?"
"You haven't forgotten your lesson," said his Father simply.
Michael thought back to that time, so long ago that even he couldn't pinpoint when it had been. He, like Anna, had walked among mankind for a lifetime. He had experienced their hopes and joys and fears. It had made him greater than he had been before. It had been that experience that gave him the strength that had carried him through the millennia.
He smiled in reminiscence.
Michael thought of the woman who had become his wife, of the sons and daughters they'd had. He thought of the joy he felt as they grew up, and of the pain when some were lost. Then he felt joy once again as he felt his vessel die, and his angelic spirit returned to the Bastion.
"Dean is the key," he said quietly, "but like Lilith and the rest of demonkind, I want them focused on Sam. Azazel's mistake was in thinking that by infusing his blood into Sam, that the power of a human and a demon in one vessel could overcome Lucifer. Then Azazel would have the power to return, using Sam's body as a host. What he didn't count on was that we would look past Dean's faults and see his heart."
"And his heritage," commented Father. "When this is over, I look forward to offering him a home in the Bastion."
Michael nodded. "It will be good to know that one of my descendants has finally had the opportunity to earn a Grace of their own."
"You may still have to face Lucifer."
Michael sighed heavily. Fighting his brother had been one of the most painful experiences of his existence. It was something he'd hoped to avoid for all eternity.
"I'll do what I must," Michael said firmly, "and Dean will do the same. Have faith in us, Father. We won't let you down."
His Father nodded once and then was gone. Michael looked around the crowded balcony of people, shaking his head. He knew that not one of them had known they had stood in the presence of God. They would never know, but most of them still had faith.
Michael turned back to look down the roadway, seeing the thousands and thousands of people walking and having fun. Knowing that there was nothing seriously wrong. Happy and carefree, enjoying time with family and friends. Michael nodded slowly, and made the same promise to humanity that he had made to his Father.
"We won't let you down."