The door bursts open and a beautiful woman in a black sundress and trenchcoat stalks in. She takes purposeful strides, staring straight ahead with bright blue eyes. The lightbulbs above her head shatter in a shower of sparks when she passes them. As she approaches, Dean and Bobby open fire, but the shots do not slow her down. Dean unsheathes a knife as the woman gets closer.

"Who are you?" he asks the woman, once she comes to a stop in front of him.

"I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," she answers, voice devoid of emotion.

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Dean rears back and plunges the knife into her chest, where it sticks. She looks down, unconcerned, pulls it out, and drops it on the floor. Bobby attempts to attack her from behind but she grabs his weapon and uses it to swing him around without turning her attention away from Dean. She touches Bobby's forehead with her fingertips and he crumples to the ground.

"We need to talk, Dean. Alone," she tells him. Dean crouches over Bobby, checking for his pulse. From his position, Dean looks up and glares at the woman. "Your friend is alive, she adds, though it does little to mollify the ferocity of his gaze.

"Who are you?"

"Castiel."

"Yeah. I figured as much. I mean, what are you?" he asks, irritated.

"I am an angel of the lord."

Dean scoffs. "Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing."

Exasperated, the woman almost sighs. "That is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." Lightning flashes and on Castiel's back great shadowy wings appear, stretching off into the distance. The light goes out and they disappear with it.

Acknowledgement dawns on Dean's face but he is still not less annoyed. "Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans, so can my true voice. But you already know that."

"You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" She nods. "Sweetheart, next time, lower the volume."

"That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."

"And what visage are you in now? What, holy housewife?"

"This?" says Castiel, looking down at her form for a second. "This is... a vessel."

"You're possessing some poor woman?"

"She's a devout woman. She actually prayed for this."

"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?"

"I told you."

"Right. And why would an angel save me from Hell?" scoffs Dean.

"Good things do happen, Dean."

"Not in my experience." Castiel stares at Dean and tilts her head to the right.

"What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?"

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because God commanded it," says Castiel. "Because we have work for you."

I watch as Cas talks to Dean. The Jimmy I saw on the show couldn't have described this better. Letting an angel in you was exactly like being tied to a comet would, if that were possible. Yet, thanks to the merge between me and the other world's me, I'm already used to holding two sets of memories. What's another set?

"Cas? Are you there?" I call for the angel when they are done. It's weird to be talking to yourself in your own head, and I wonder if Castiel can read my thoughts. Hopefully not, considering all the information I have about this world's reality.

"Yes," a voice replies. It is hard to describe the voice. It sounds calm and passionate at the same time.

"Be gentle with Dean, please. He may be the righteous man, but he is not a religious man, nor is he a man who will do as you or your brothers say. He puts family, pie, and his impala above all else."

"Even the world?" says Castiel, whose voice is tinged with disbelief.

"If it means they are safe."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you give up the world if God returned and asked it of you?"

"Yes."

"Then, if it's for his family's safety, he would gladly give up the world." He doesn't respond. "Just try to be gentle with him. And praise him now and then."

"I will try."

Dean is asleep on the floor nearby and awakes to find Castiel standing in the kitchen. Dean checks on Sam, sees he is asleep on the couch, and walks slowly over to Castiel.

"Excellent job with the witnesses." Castiel tells him, remembering what her vessel told her about praising Dean and being gentle with the hunter.

"You were hip to all of this?" Dean asks, irritated. Castiel pauses before answering.

"I was, uh, made aware.," she says.

"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance. You know, I almost got my heart ripped out."

"But you didn't," Castiel pointed out, to no avail.

"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos- you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks."

"Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier." She turns more serious, not able to keep her word to her vessel if the man in front of them keeps talking like this.

"Yeah? Then, why didn't you fight?"

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns."

"Concerns? There were people getting torn to shreds down here! And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh, if there is a God?"

"There's a God," she says to him, getting angrier by the second.

"I'm not convinced, 'Cause if there is a God, what the Hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the Earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord-"

Dean interrupts her. "If you say "mysterious ways", so help me, I will kick your ass. So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. It is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse."

"That's why we're here. Big things afoot."

"Do I want to know why?"

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals."

"Okay. I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld."

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith," continues Castiel, not understanding the reference.

"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses."

"Mmhmm. And not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead."

"Of course. She picked the victims that the hunters couldn't save so they would barrel right after us."

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor."

"Well, we put those spirits back to rest."

"It doesn't matter. The seal was broken."

"Why break the seal anyway?"

"You think of the seals as a lock on a door."

"Okay. Last one opens and..."

"Lucifer walks free."

"Lucifer? But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."

"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me. Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2,000 years?"

"To stop Lucifer," realizes Dean.

"That's why we've arrived."

"Well... bang up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."

This was, for lack of a better expression, the final straw. "We tried. And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in." Castiel vanishes, not a trace of the female vessel she posses left behind.

"Well, that started out well," I say (think, really) sarcastically. "And you did praise him, even if he didn't understand."

"I don't see how you can believe he is a good man. He insulted my father, he insulted my brothers and sisters, and he believes we should be helping him every step of the way," responds Castiel coldly.

"He doesn't understand what's going on and he's scared. He wants to know the solution. He wants to know why his brother is so different. He wants the answers, but he's also afraid of them. He still has nightmares of Hell every time he sleeps and so he doesn't. He's a tired man. That's why you're here for him."

"Why am I here for him?"

"Because you... we will be a constant for him. You will always exist."

"How do you know?"

I wonder if I should tell him, but he is going to find out sooner or later. May as well make it sooner. "I have memories of another life. One where Cassie Novak does not exist. And you live. And Dean lives. And the two of you will be there, side by side, together."

"And why did I not know of this before?"

"Because they are the only things I have left. And your brothers do not know about them. God might. I really want to meet him, God. I have a few questions for him, actually. Tell me when you find him."

"You don't know where he is?" Castiel asks, disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Castiel, but I don't have all the answers." And the conversation between the angel and I stops.

Hello reader,

This is my first fanfic on this site and I have no Beta currently. If you notice anything off, even a typo, I would not feel offended if you point it out.

Gabriel's Wings

P.S.

If you have any questions about Cassie, I will happily reply.

AN 2: (Edit 4/16/2016)

Hello,

The above still stands except for the beta part as the position has now been taken over by totallyignorable.

Gabriel's Wings