CHAPTER 1 – I HAVE CHOSEN MYSELF

Castiel no longer knew where his place was in life. He was an angel that Heaven no longer wanted and the Winchester's no longer needed. They would tell him that they needed him but it was only for their own gain. They needed Castiel when it was convenient for them. They needed healing, the needed answers, they needed him to obtain something for them. It was never just them needing him to be around because they needed him as a friend. At least, that is how Castiel saw it.

Though it pained him greatly, Castiel took the information he assumed to be true and made a decision about himself. He was going to venture out into the world and figure out where he belonged. He was going to find something for himself, outside of Heaven and the Winchesters. Who is Castiel? Where does he belong?

Dean and Sam tried to stop him from leaving. Castiel was slightly happy about this, because in a way, it showed that they do care for him, even if it is in their own way. But he needed to do this. He needed to find his own way in life. He was not going to be gone forever, but since nothing major was taking place, he felt he had the time to take and he deserved it.

"You have to let me go," Castiel told Dean, placing his hand on his shoulder. "You will do just fine without me."

"I hope you are right," Dean whispered in the moments that Castiel disappeared. Castiel's heart hurt at the words but he knew it was for the best. This was for the best, right?

He could not turn back, as much as Castiel had dedicated his life to the Winchesters, he could not turn back now. They would expect him to come running whenever they called, which they continued to do, over and over again. But this time he could not answer. He had to learn how to live without them, just as much as they had to learn to live without him. Their need to rely on each other has brought about some good, but it has also brought about a lot of bad as well.

Eventually, Castiel was able to block out their calls, or maybe, they just stopped calling for him. The sorrow he felt in his heart was deep but also, there was a great weight lifted off of his shoulders. There was no crisis. The entire world was not as dark as it had seemed when he was fighting the forces of evil. He was finally able to see the world again for all of its beauty.

Castiel travelled all over the world. He stood atop the pyramids in Egypt, ran with the bulls in Spain, ate many foods from where they originated. Watched people fall in love in the cities of romance, knowing all too well that it would not stay that romantic once they left, but admired the beauty in it anyways. Occasionally, he would come across things of a different nature, and though he knew that he should do his part to stop it, he would simply walk away. This was no longer his battle. He was no longer a warrior. He was just an onlooker to the ways of human life.

With all the things, he had seen, his favorite was admiring the talent of humans. He went to poetry readings and dance clubs. But his favorite were the ones who sung in the dark. Clubs with few souls watching one single soul show all that they were. Their words and the ways they saw life were truly beautiful. Some saw the world as a dark place and other saw the world as a beautiful gift that was given to them. Some would overcome struggles and some were losing the battle. Billions of people on this earth and now one story the same. How could you get any more beautiful than that?

This is when he found it. The most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed and surprising to him, it was a human. He had stumbled upon her in a night club she was performing at in the city of New York. The city was vast, too big for any one person, yet she seemed to be the light that shown through. He could see her soul and it was bright. The only other soul he had been able to see this brightly was Dean, the righteous man, so what did this say about her? One girl, trying to hide in the dark but failing. She had to be something amazing.

Castiel would normally only stay in one place for a day or so, but this time he could not bring himself to leave. Every night he would return to "The Hollow," a dim lit nightclub for the hidden artistic talents of New York. It was a place of beauty and also, from what he was told, the drinks were cheap. But he returned for her, the hopes that he would get to see her again. And no matter how long he had to wait for her, he was going to wait. Luckily for him, he did not have to wait long.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Greg, the manager of the nightclub ran up on stage and began to speak into the microphone. "Welcome back, one of our favorites, Piper Graham."

There she was. The entire time he had been here, he was waiting for her. He did not know her name but it was Piper. Piper seemed to fit her perfectly. If he was to think about the story of the Pied Piper, she would fit that bill. She would sing her words and the entire audience was drawn into her. He could see them following her into the shadows, if that is where she chose to lead them. He would follow her …