Chapter 2.

The sight that awaited Castiel when he arrived in Heaven, was strange to say the least. Angels of every kind were lined up in single file lines according to rank everywhere he turned. Before he could puzzle on this phenomena for very long, he could hear his name being called and he turned to find that Gabriel was in one of the lines, gesturing hurriedly for him to file in behind his brother.

Used to following orders, Castiel did so as quickly as he could, looking around once again only after he was in line. "Brother, what is going on?" Gabriel laughed and Castiel furrowed his eyebrows. Nothing he had said seemed to be particularly funny to him, but he didn't question it because he knew that his question, if spoken aloud would only cause more humor in his brother and he would never get any answers.

"We are to wait in line, and when we reach the end of the line we are to be told who our mate is." Castiel tilted his head to the side and stared at Gabriel for a few moments. "Father said that our numbers were too low, and to insure the survival of the Kingdom, we must all find a suitable mate amongst each other, or a similar creature." Gabriel did not seem very phased by this prospect, but he was not often phased by anything.

"They're being chose for us?" After everything they had fought for, to keep the Kingdom of Heaven in power and to keep free will just as it was (free), they were going to have their life partners chosen for them?

"We don't have to comply. They're just going to tell who is most compatible with us. Father knows all of us very well, I'd say that I'm going to trust his choice." Gabriel was then silent and Castiel was left to brood. Would his mate keep him away from the Winchesters? He saw many situations during his time on Earth in which one or both members of a partnership were limited and hindered by each other. What if the angel that was chosen for him did not agree with his viewpoints on orders? On free will? On the Winchesters? Oh Lord. What if his spouse did not want him to visit the boys? To be friends with them? To hunt with them? It was a foreboding and very frightening thought.

Castiel was so deeply lost in his speculations that he had not noticed that he and Gabriel were now at the front of the line. He was broken out of his thought only when a name was spoken. "Samuel Winchester." Castiel's head snapped up. Sam? They were able to pair with humans? He looked to his brother who had paled considerably. Gabriel turned from the table silently but did not go far, waiting for Castiel to get his mate, his perfect match his-

"Dean Winchester." Castiel stared at the man for a moment, unsure whether he should sag in relief or cry in despair. He would not be ripped away from the Winchesters, away from the mission that he had grown to love so deeply. But he would also be denied a mate. Yes, he supposed, one could say that it was not true, he would have a mate. But not in the most basic ways that he so yearned for. Gabriel clasped Castiel on the arm and suddenly the two of them were in the dingy hotel room that the Winchesters were staying in. Only they weren't there, neither of them were, they were probably still out eating with that woman.

That woman. Castiel closed his eyes and would have fallen from the weight of his realization if Gabriel had not still been gripping his arm. Dean was not only not interested in him, but he was currently unavailable, and there was no guarantee that he would soon or ever be available, there wasn't even any guarantee that he would ever be available. His stomach dropped. His mate would never be his, wasn't really meant to be his. He couldn't even properly call him his mate, could he?

"They're not in here Gabriel. You can tell him at a later time-" Castiel was cut off when the door swung open and two people, firmly wrapped in each other's embrace burst through, completely oblivious of the other two people in the room. It was Dean, Castiel realized with a sharp stabbing feeling that withered and then intensified to the feeling of a caustic liquid filling his entire body and eating him from the inside out. He was… making out, Castiel believed the term was, very vigorously with that woman, Cassandra.

Gabriel was the first one to do anything. He coughed pretty loudly and Dean turned with his gun drawn. Castiel moved in front of his brother, first instinct. "Shit Cas, you can't just pop in here without telling me, especially not with him." He gestured wildly to Gabriel with the gun and Castiel stepped forward with a placating hand up.

"I know, we were just leaving, our business was with Sam, carry on." He murmured before ducking past them and out of the door, leaving behind a self-satisfied Cassie, and a bewildered Dean.

I would love it if you guys would review and tell me what you think I should do with this, any ideas, comments or concerns are very welcome. (: