Cas stared down at the gates across the abyss. Tall, black, heavy, strong. He never wanted to come here, never thought he would end up here. But here he was, and he had to find a way to get inside. Those were the orders. He would not- could not- fail.

He turned away from the gates and summoned his brothers and sisters. They were the fastest, quietest, most lethal warriors. "Listen," he began. "Our mission comes from God himself. The apocalypse has not been stopped. But there's a weapon we can use that may help prevent it. Our job is to find and retrieve the weapon and bring it to Earth. His name is Dean Winchester, and he's somewhere in hell."

"We are supposed to retrieve a human from hell?" One of the angels, Levi, snorted. "That goes against all of the protocol."

"Yes. But those are the orders." Cas said, and met Levi's gaze. Levi turned his head away.

"The plan is simple. We go in fast and quietly. If you find Dean Winchester, take him and tell the rest of us. Leave quickly. Understood?" The angels nodded in agreement.

Cas nodded once and turned back to face the abyss. For a brief moment, he wondered why this Dean Winchester was so important to his father. Then, he shook his head. It did not matter. It was now or never. He took a step forward, then another, and then with a flap of his wings, Cas dove into the abyss and plunged into Hell.

Five bright burning figures of light fell after him. One after another, they landed at the gates and made their way inside. Each went their own way, blades drawn, lights now extinguished.

Cas crept down a hallway and paused at a turn. Voices came from up ahead. He pressed himself against the wall and waited. Two demons stepped around the corner and he quickly dispatched of them both, giving them no time to shout a warning. He left the bodies on the floor and hurried on.

Corner after corner, room after room, and still, no Dean. Cas was beginning to worry. He didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be. Suddenly, he heard a shout and a voice in his head screamed. What is happening? Cas demanded. The voice of Rebecca bounced in his head. Castiel, we need your help They've slain Levi! He found the room where they're keeping Dean Winchester, but there were more demons than we expected guarding the place. Castiel, come quickly! We… Rebecca's words dissolved into a silent scream.

Cas turned and ran, all caution gone. A siren blared and he sprinted towards the room Rebecca showed him in his mind, commanding his team as we went. Everyone, to me! We must attack. They know we're here. We must rescue Dean Winchester!

Answering voices floated to his mind and he turned one last corner just as the other three angels emerged from a different passageway. "Come on!" Cas yelled over the screeching sirens. The four raced down the final corridor, blades at the ready. Cas was in the lead, and the sight at the end of the hallway made his heart jump. There was a single, large door, and in between he and it was a cluster of demons. Go, Castiel! Elijah, one of the three, signaled We'll handle this. Rescue the human!

Then, the two groups collided. Cas stabbed and slashed at the bodies around him, his warrior instinct taking control. Elijah, Mary, and Elizabeth did the same, carving a pathway through the mass of bodies. They were all trying to find an escape, a weak point, anything, but the demons just kept coming.

One of them reached to stab Elijah as he fought off two more, and Mary swung her blade to counteract the strike, leaving herself exposed for just a moment. Three demons jumped to take advantage of her movement, but Elizabeth and Cas turned and sliced them down. And for just a moment, there was an opening between the angels and the door. GO! Each of the others screamed at the same time.

Cas surged towards the gap, door in sight, almost there. But the demons were fast, and the hole started to shrink. The angels tried to cut their way through the final few steps, and with a last, powerful effort, Cas pushed free.

Just then, the gap closed. Cas turned back to see Elijah, Mary, and Elizabeth completely surrounded, and more demons were coming for him. GO! The angels shouted again, We've got this! Find Dean Winchester!

Get out of here! Cas shouted back. Then, he ran for it. He made it to the door, demons closing in fast. This was it.

He paused for a split second to gather his strength, and then blasted through the door, scattering the demons around him. He found himself in a space crisscrossed by heavy chains and hooks. Skeletons and rotting corpses were entangled in some of the chains, and the place smelled of death.

His eyes darted around, scanning the space, looking for any sign of life. Elijah's screams sounded out, then Elizabeth's.

He saw it. A living body in the center of the space, suspended in the chains and held there by giant hooks. It was Dean. It had to be. In a split second, he untangled the chains and grabbed Dean by the shoulder. Dean was unresponsive

I've got him! Get out of here! He commanded, looking around for an escape. The door was now blocked, and he looked up, hoping for a way out, just as Mary's last shriek echoed in the chamber.

No! Cas shouted.

But there was no answer. Terrified, he glanced back once just in time to see the bodies of his companions overrun by demons pouring into the room. Then, he spread his wings and pulled Dean close. He shot upwards, blasting his way out of Hell. Faster and faster he went, beating his wings and pounding out energy. He could not fail. He would not fail.

And then, he was free. He was surrounded by empty, black space; the abyss. Without stopping, Cas flew upwards, pushing himself to go faster than ever.

He did not stop until he reached Earth, but then, he was going too fast. He started to fall, uncontrolled, and knew he was going to crash. He wrapped his wings tightly around himself and Dean and prepared for impact.

With an explosion of dirt and rock, he landed on Earth, flattening every tree nearby. Cas breathed heavily, not moving for a moment, and then carefully unwrapped his wings. Dean Winchester was alive.

Cas laid Dean's body on the grass. It was torn and bloody. With a touch, he healed the wounds.

Then, he realized that he'd left a mark on Dean's shoulder. He was so desperate to save him that he literally grabbed his soul. Cas gazed at the mark and decided not to tell the archangels.

For a moment, Cas wondered what all the fuss was about. Why this human? Was he worth the lives of five of this brothers and sisters? He stared at the lifeless form for a moment more. Then, he finished the mission. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished Dean underground, to the place he knew Sam Winchester buried him. Then, he sent a message.

DEAN WINCHESTER IS SAVED

He shouted it out, as loud as he could, so that every angel would hear it. He succeeded.

Maybe Heaven would win after all.