A SHORT ONE SHOT EXPLAINING DEAN'S ESCAPE FROM HELL AND HOW CASTIEL FIRST MET THE WINCHESTERS, HOPE YOU ENJOY! THIS IS PRE LAZARUS RISING. NO FUTURE SPOILERS INCLUDED.

Castiel stood over the gaping doors, he sighed as he thought of this task that lay at hand. Not only was it a mission, but it was a mission from God himself. He had never been given a direct order from the one and only father.

He had been to Hell a few times, mostly for battles, this was no battle, this was a rescue mission. He stood there in the crowd of the army ready to fight their way through Hell's gates. So few had been picked for this war.

He couldn't believe the one King had singled him out for such an important task. Castiel had heard of the legends surrounding Dean and Sam Winchester for a long time. Everything they were meant to become. The angel warrior also knew how they were, when he was sent to guard someone he would always check up on the pair, just to see if the legends were true.

Sam was faithful, he believed in the father and tried everything to do good, but he was being steered the wrong way and let his emotions cloud his judgment.

His brother, Dean was arrogant, strong and loyal too, but hard and cold. He would hide his feelings which would build up and explode at desperate times. But he was a force for good and that was obvious.

His emotions had built up so much that when Sam was killed, Dean had made a deal to sell his soul to Hell in a year. Castiel and the others had been fighting for four months and now they were finally here, ready to save him.

The Angel took in a raged breath as he took that step through the gates. There was a flash of light and suddenly Castiel was there.

The angel flew his way through the chains. Screams and lightning flashed everywhere, just as it had when Castiel had came for his first battle as a young child. Lost souls hung from the chains that were bound through them.

All the other angels worked their way through as well when a sudden screech went off. Thousands of demons made their way after the angels, and so the real battle began.

Unsheathing his sword, Castiel swung at the closest demon. Fighting off 3 at a time, the angel watched demons and angels collide on the battlefield in search of one soul.

Castiel pulled his bloody sword from the monster he had just slain and went on to the next. He became so focused on smighting the one demon that he didn't notice the one that dived in from behind, knocking all the wind from the angel's body. Slowly Castiel fell, down, down, until he smashed into the ground. Pulling himself over in the dirt he swung his blade across the creature's neck.

Castiel flinched at the screams and flashes as he looked around to find where he was.

He could tell the difference by those souls who have been there for centuries and those who have just came fresh from earth.

Those who had been there forever just hung there, without making a sound, as if they just gave up. Or they would be screaming, not screaming in pain but in madness, on the verge of becoming a demon.

Those who were just plucked were screaming and crying out for someone to save them from this darkened, chained world.

Suddenly there was a cry from behind the angel that broke through the others, Castiel stopped and turned, the warrior didn't know exactly what Dean sounded like but something stood out about this one cry.

"SAM!"

Sam? Could it be? The angel focused on the soul that hung from the chains, beaten and bloodied, the male screamed.

"SAM! PLEASE SOMEONE! SAMMY!"

The closer he got the quieter the voice seemed to get, for a while the angel thought he was going the wrong way but where he was going was the loudest.

Finally the voice stopped all together. Castiel looked around, trying to figure out where else to look when there was a flash of light.

The light had only been for a second but he still knew where it had flashed. Feeling that direction call to him, Castiel raced off towards the lightning.

At last he found him, Dean. Castiel turned to go and tell the others but the battle over his head was too ferocious. The warrior knew one of his superiors were supposed to be the ones who flew the young hunter away but all the other angels were distracted, if they didn't get out soon Dean might be left behind because of the few of numbers.

Castiel shook his head and raced up to the chains, just as they were almost in reach, a demon flew over Dean's feeble body and stood protectively over it.

"Looking for something angel?" It smiled as it held up one of the angel blades.

"Yes I am," The warrior held up his sword. "And you're in the way of it."

The demon ran arrogantly at Castiel, quickly the angel ducked under the sword and spun around to the side. Caught in confusion, the demon flung his arms wildly. Castiel smiled at the sloppiness, griping onto the creature's arm and flipped him to back. Swiftly the angel slit the demons throat and stood back on his feet.

Castiel turned to see a wide eyed human looking down at him.

"Dean, Dean Winchester?" The angel asked him in a deep voice.

Dean quickly nodded.

The warrior raced up to the chains, Dean flinched, thinking he had come to torture him as others had.

"It's alright," Castiel reassured him, "I have come here to save you."

"W-who are you?" The hunted said in a cracked voice as the angel pulled the chains apart.

"I am an angel of the Lord."

Quickly the angel helped Dean down to the ground to sit.

"An a-angel?" He coughed.

"That is correct," Castiel nodded, "as you are Dean Winchester, the one I was sent here to save."

"You're here to get me out? Out of Hell?"

"Yes, now we need to move quickly before-"

"LOOK OUT!" Dean yelled pointing behind the angel.

Castiel leaped out of the way and grabbed the demon's arm, quickly smiting the monster just as another appeared.

"You are not getting away with that soul, halo boy!" It yelled.

"And you are not going to hurt him any longer." Castiel struck firmly into the creature's chest.

Dean stared in awe.

"You can kill demons?"

"Of course we can," The angel handed his sword to the hunter. "And until we get out you can use this."

"But what about you?" Dean asked.

"It's alright, I don't need the blade to kill demons. Here, this way." Castiel helped the Hell bitten soul to his feet and over to a small cave.

"We'll hide here until the battle clears." The angel told Dean as he helped him sit on the ground.

"So those guys up there," Dean said pointing up at the big cloud of black and white. "Those are your winged pals?"

Castiel turned to the hunter and tilted his head. He hadn't come in contacted with many humans before and it had always been hard to interpret what they said. A few moments passed when Castiel understood.

"Yes, those are angels."

"And they came to rescue me?" Dean looked over to the angel.

"Yes."

"Well that's one hell of a rescue party." The hunter leaned back against the wall.

"No, it wasn't a party and we came to get you out of Hell." The angel tilted his head towards the human.

"No, I meant-" Dean shook his head. "You guys must not get out much." He smiled.

Castiel turned from the strange human remarks and back to the cave wall.

"Are you taking me back to Sam?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Yes indeed."

"But it's been forty years," The hunter's voice grew with worry. "He might be dead now."

"No it has only been four months." Castiel answered, realizing the human's lack of knowledge.

"Four months!?" Dean yelled turning to the angel. "How could it be four months?!"

"One month on Earth is ten years in Hell." Castiel cleared up.

The Winchester sighed, "Well I guess that's good."

There was a long pause before Dean spoke again.

"What's your name?"

"My name?" Castiel was confused on why this human would care for his name.

"Yes, you do have one right? I mean if unholy creatures like demons all have individual names you think angels would too."

"My name is Castiel." The warrior nodded.

"Castiel huh," Dean thought for a moment. "Not bad."

Another wave of silence passed by.

"Do you think it's safe now?" Dean nudged the angel.

"I'll check." Slowly, Castiel stood and peaked around the side.

The hunter gripped the wall and pulled to his feet. "So what's the word Cas?"

The angel squinted at the unfamiliar word until he realized it was the shortened version of his name.

"Safe for now," Humans are so strange, "we can try and leave, but it will take a little while to get back to the gates."

"Well what are we waiting for," Dean smiled, holding the angel blade steady.

Castiel and the hunter made their way across when two demons spotted them and stood in their path.

"Got a plan B. Cas?" Dean yelled.

Before he even had time to respond the demons were on top of them, twisting and slashing about. Castiel pulled his arm free and placed it on top of the demons forehead, quickly neutralizing it.

The angel turned to find the other demon lying on the ground with Dean standing over its body holding the sword.

"Let's go." The angel stated and he ran towards the doors, Dean close behind.

Suddenly Castiel stopped.

"What? What is it?" Dean said looking over to the warrior.

"Here's where we part ways." Castiel took in a deep breath.

"What do you mean?"

"When I bring you back to Earth you will have no memory of this, no knowledge of angels existing or how you got out, we may never meet again."

"So I won't know that you saved me?" Dean looked into the angel's eyes.

"No, you won't."

"Well if we never meet again, I just want you to know, thanks. Really I mean it, you saved me from Hell, and if I do find you again my alter ego might not tell you that, or not believe who you are but thank you, for everything." Dean smiled.

Castiel shook his head. Such strange behavior, thanking someone for their job. The angel decided he would never understand humans, but it didn't matter, he liked it. Quickly the warrior grinned and nodded. Gripping the soul by his shoulder, Castiel pulled Dean through the gates and back into his body.

The wave of light flashed through the trees knocking many of them over. The angel stood a few paces away from the wooden cross that sat in the dirt. Castiel tilted his head slightly as the dirt began to shift.

The angel knew Dean was making his way back out into the open world. A slight sigh came from Castiel as he wished he could meet him again one day. But something deep down told him that this wasn't the last he would see of Dean Winchester.

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