Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! Sorry for not updating the last few days, but I kind of had to write it first. Now I've gotten written all the way through Monster Movie and have started work on the first OC arc, so I am now capable of typing up a few chapters for you. Thanks to everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed.

SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT!: grapejuice101 for providing the excellent plot twist for Monster Movie!

Brief Recap: Artimes and the hunters discussed the counter spell to send the Witnesses back. They ventured forth from the ghost proof panic room and started playing spirit roulette to try and cover Bobby while he was casting the spell. Things turned dicey when Meg got a hold of Artimes's heart and well, pretty much killed her. After the ghosts were gone and the spell was complete, somehow Artimes came back to life though she really wasn't dead long to begin with. The brothers were relieved that she's back and so was Bobby.

Looking Forward: Castiel pays a visit to Dean and the elder Winchester becomes pretty hostile when he believes the trench coat wearing angel is going to hurt Artimes. A bit more talking, seriously there is a lot of talking in this chapter. Castiel finally pays a visit to Artimes and discovers that her heart was severely damaged by Meg and was causing her horrific pain. He heals her and reveals that she is what is called a 'Chosen' and thus more talking ensues. Lots of talking. *grins*

Now on with the show!

Chapter Four: God's Chosen

Castiel appeared in the kitchen, standing next to the sink. He was waiting for Dean to wake up, but he felt a tug to be somewhere else. It was not his superiors calling for him, but something else entirely. He was hard pressed not to follow the pull and disregard his orders to tell Dean about Lilith and the seals. The blonde finally stirred and first looked over at his brother, sleeping on the couch, and then at the trench coat wearing angel. He got up quickly but quietly and joined Castiel in the kitchen.

"Excellent job with the Witnesses." The angel complimented.

"You were hip to all this?" Dean asked more than a little agitated.

He didn't really want to tell the elder Winchester, but he wouldn't lie to him either.

"I was…uh…made aware." Castiel answered hoping that would calm the blonde.

"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance. You know, Artz almost got her heart ripped out of her chest." Dean informed highly pissed.

Artz? He must have been referring to the woman, Artimes Blaine, who had recently been placed in Bobby Singer's care. He didn't understand her significance to all this but when the leader of the Celestial Guard, Benedict Strathem, asked him to keep an eye on her, he did not refuse the archangel's request.

"But she didn't." The blue eyed angel replied.

Dean had to stop himself from tackling the dark haired angel and beating the crap out of him.

"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos…you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks." The elder Winchester snapped hotly.

Castiel understood why Dean was so angry. By disregarding the safety and welfare of those close to him, one could easily enrage the blonde to the point of violence, but he needed make something very clear to Dean. Although he was a guardian…a shepherd at times to humanity, he was a soldier that followed orders whether he liked it or not. He became whatever heaven needed him to be, despite his personal preference.

"Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier." The angel replied.

"Yeah? Then, why didn't you fight?" Dean demanded.

He didn't fight because his superiors had ordered him not to. He would have been there to help them and to keep his promise to Benedict. His anger was raging at Dean's implied insult of being a coward but he kept it in check.

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns." The angel replied forcing his anger to subside.

"Concerns? This wouldn't have anything to do with Lilith and the sixty six seals to 'The Cage', now would it?" Dean asked.

Castiel was genuinely surprised. How had the elder Winchester come by such knowledge? What means had he used to attain it? How would the consequences of their attainment effect his charge?

"You know about that?" The angel asked.

"Yeah, Artz told us all about it. Lilith is trying to bring on the apocalypse, set Lucifer free, and the Witnesses were the start of it." Dean answered kind of smug that he had shocked an angel.

How could Artimes possess such knowledge of things that had not yet happen? He would have to speak with her. He had been meaning to do so in the first place, but his superiors prevented him from meeting her sooner. They had kept him busy, so busy that he had to go down to Hell to save Dean. His first meeting with his charge was long overdue and he had the time now to rectify that.

"Seventeen other hunters are dead." Castiel informed getting back on topic.

"Artz said it was twenty. Looks like she saved some people after all. She said Lilith picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us, but what I want to know is why the ghosts that attacked us seemed so dead set to get Artimes away from us? They were trying there damnedest to get her to run away and turn her back on us." Dean countered.

Why would the spirits wish for Artimes to abandon the Winchesters? What purpose did the crimson haired woman play in the destinies of the Winchester brothers? The elder Winchester was only raising more and more questions about his charge and he needed answers. Castiel was curious about not only the ghosts' fixation on Artimes but Dean's as well. He wondered how far that fixation went.

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor, but I will have to investigate this Artimes of yours. With the amount of knowledge she has given, she is highly dangerous and may need to be dealt with." Castiel replied allowing his threat to hang in the air.

He had no intention of harming his charge, but the blonde didn't know that and reacted accordingly.

"Don't even think about hurting her, you winged son of a bitch. She's just a girl from a parallel world, who has no idea how she got here. She's just wants to help us, that's all." Dean defended immediately becoming hostile.

Interesting. The elder Winchester has taken up the mantle of protector for Artimes. He had mentioned that she had been injured, perhaps that injury had frightened him into being more defensive of the ginger. Understanding humans was difficult at times, but he was getting better. He was, however, surprised by the information about his charge being from a parallel world. Benedict had neglected to mention that particular fact and he wondered why.

"Passage between parallel dimensions is extremely difficult and not many would have the knowledge to do it." Castiel informed.

He knew Balthazar could do it and possibly the archangels if absolutely necessary, but there wasn't much of a need to travel to parallel planes.

"Can demons do it?" Dean asked.

"No and the only angels with that knowledge are either in seclusion or have no use for parallel travel. I will speak to Artimes and find out more. I give you my word that she will not be harmed in any way, but you should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in." Castiel answered giving the blonde a look that meant he was deadly serious.

With a fluttering of wings, the trench coat wearing angel vanished, leaving Dean alone in the kitchen to think.

0o0o0

Artimes was currently outside, laying on the hood of the Impala, and gazing up at the stars. She was trying desperately to forget the pain that ached in her chest. Her right hand clutched the fabric of her shirt, right above her heart. She was definitely in some serious pain and she hadn't bothered to tell the others about it. She had just played it off, knowing there was nothing they could do. She couldn't go to a hospital because she didn't exist in this world and she was pretty sure that Meg had severely damaged her heart. Knowing her luck, she was in need of a heart transplant.

In her musings, she had given serious consideration to praying to Castiel, but she was so early in the time line that she was almost certain that he wouldn't help her. There was another reason she hadn't called on the dark haired angel. If the other angels were to discover her existence and more importantly her knowledge, there was no doubt in her mind that they would torture her for information and subsequently alter the entire chain of events.

Pain lanced through her chest and she turned onto her side, curling into a ball. Tears fell as the pain intensified substantially. It felt like she was having a major heart attack. She whimpered in pain as she silently prayed to God for the pain to go away. She cried out slightly and nearly rolled off the side of the car, but was caught by someone. She felt two fingers press against her forehead and a strange yet somehow familiar warmth flowed through her body. It centered around her damaged heart, easing the pain away until it vanished entirely. The warmth receded and left her body, but she still felt all tingly inside.

She slowly uncurled herself, the arms supporting her never leaving. They always held her in place until she was ready to move. She opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards, seeing as how she was stilling laying on the Impala. Her mouth fell open slightly as her gaze fell upon her favorite blue eyed angel, Castiel.

"Castiel." She breathed as she slowly sat up, her eyes never leaving his.

She was further shocked when he brushed away the tears from her face, a soft and worried expression in his eyes. Why was he here? Why did he heal her? Had he talked with Dean yet?

"Dean told me you had been attacked by the Witnesses, but he did not tell me that you were so severely injured." He stated taking a step or two back, slightly confused by his own actions.

Well that answered one of her questions…okay, so maybe sort of all three of them.

"That's because he didn't know. They already lost me once and I barely came back. I didn't want to worry them. There was nothing that could be done to help me." She replied still trying to sort out her head.

Castiel's presence confused her. Why would he be talking to her at all? Why did he care that she was injured?

"Why did you not pray to me? As one of the Chosen, it is my duty to help you." The angel stated angrily, not happy that she hadn't summoned him immediately.

She stared at him in confusion. Chosen?

"Wait, what? What's a Chosen?" She asked confusion etched deeply on her face.

She had never heard of a 'Chosen' before, especially in regards to anything angelic or Enochian, and she knew quite a lot about Supernatural. This was not something she had seen, heard, or referenced to in the show, so what exactly was it and how did it apply to her?

"The Chosen are humans specifically selected by the Creator for special purposes. As a Chosen, no angel can harm you or they will face the wrath of the most powerful archangels of heaven." Castiel explained.

Archangels? What like Chuck and Raphael? She did not want a douche bag for a protector…unless it was Gabriel. She liked Gabriel and really wished he had had more screen time. Gabe was the funniest angel she had ever seen on Supernatural and certainly did know how to have a good time.

"I thought the archangels protected only the prophets?" She asked trying to understand.

Castiel looked impressed by her knowledge if the look on his face was any indication.

"The prophets are protected by the archangels, yes, but they are not as powerful as the ones that protect the Chosen. The Celestial Guard protect only the Chosen and will serve no other angel, not even Michael, the commander of the Heavenly Host." He explained.

Artimes swung her legs off the Impala and placed her hands on either side of her to balance herself. Her brain felt like it was overloading from the amount of information she was getting and she wasn't buying that even half it pertained to her.

"You said that it was your duty to help me." Artimes stated getting back to the original thing that had sparked her interest.

"Yes, if a Chosen requires assistance of any kind, all angels are duty bound to help them until they are dismissed by the Chosen." Castiel elaborated.

There was no possible way for her to be a Chosen. She just couldn't be. There was nothing special about her. She wasn't important…just an insignificant and expendable side character.

"How can I be a Chosen if I'm from a parallel world? How does one even become a Chosen? There has to be a specific criteria for this sort of thing, right?" She questioned trying to understand why God would choose her and why she was brought to this world in the first place.

"It doesn't matter what plane you come from, parallel or not. As for the specific criteria, a Chosen is selected for their heart and their soul. Commonly, they have great knowledge or great imagination, but it is not a requirement." The dark haired angel answered honestly.

That really didn't help her. It just made it feel like an even bigger mistake was made.

"So I was brought here for a reason. Do you have any idea what that reason might be?" She asked still trying to get answers despite believing herself unworthy of being a Chosen.

"I do not know for certain, but I believe that God brought you here to help the Winchesters. Dean mentioned that the Witnesses were trying to separate you from them, force you into abandoning them." He answered.

"I was really wondering about that because they were so insistent that I leave and turn my back on them. Why spare my life? Why talk to me in the first place? Why…" She started but stopped when she realized something, "Wait, hold on, how did you know I was a Chosen?"

"The Chosen radiate a particular kind of energy referred to as the Crest of Purity. It's very similar in nature to that of an angel's grace and all creatures, whether living or dead, can sense this energy in some way or form." He explained.

"Even humans?" She asked.

"Especially humans. Humans will perceive it more as a feeling of contentment or peace. Angels are drawn to it and become driven by the desire to protect and heal the Chosen. Demons will be partially purified, allowing some of their human emotions and desires to reassert themselves." He answered explaining it bit further before she could ask and she was going to.

She was silent for several moments, allowing the information to swirl around her head. This was a lot to take in and she just ended up with more questions and more doubts. Like what was her purpose? Why was she there? Was it really to help the Winchesters like Castiel had said? He said she was God's Chosen, but she couldn't really believe it. She honestly didn't think herself to be worthy of such a thing…hand-picked by God for some higher purpose? Don't make her laugh. She was just a nobody…thrust into a world she had only seen on TV and into a shit load of danger…yet why did it feel so right to be in this world in the first place?

She pushed all those thoughts aside as she looked over at her favorite angel. She wondered what Cas was really like and she wanted a chance to get know him.

"Will you stay with me for a while? I'd like the company." She offered smiling softly.

Castiel tilted his head slightly, a confused expression on his face. Did he not really comprehend her request? Oh God, that was so cute! She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing. Castiel was just so damn adorable at times. She gestured for him to sit with her on top of the Impala and he vanished with a fluttering of wings. He reappeared beside her and she let out a delighted laugh.

Eventually, she asked him about himself and her favorite blue eyed angel told her stories about heaven, the separate heavens he enjoyed visiting, and the many places he had visited while in service to the Lord. Artimes listened with rapt attention, completely in awe. She loved listening to the sound of his voice and his stories transported her to the most amazing and wonderful places. In return, she told him about her world, her family, her life before she had been brought to this world. She even revealed to him the source of her knowledge, the show, but did not tell him any spoilers which he was totally fine with though curious all the same.

She confided in him about her worries about how much she could share with the Winchester brothers about what was going to happen in the future. He advised her that it would be more prudent and less stressful for her to keep her focus on the events of the present and not become weighed down with thoughts of the distant future. That was easier said than done. She knew what was coming and it broke her heart at how much the boys would suffer.

She was pleasantly surprised that this world's version of Castiel was not nearly as rigid or inflexible as the show had depicted him to be in her world. He was a rather kind hearted angel. He cared deeply about humanity and was very curious about them, so many questions. He was also more of a healer…a shepherd than the warrior he was supposed to be. He was still a soldier of heaven and he followed his orders, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

After several hours of talking, Artimes drifted off to sleep, her head resting on Castiel's shoulder. The dark haired angel took notice and gingerly lifted the woman into his arms. He vanished with a fluttering of wings, only to reappear in her bedroom. He laid her gently on her bed and covered her with the bed covers. He brushed her hair out of her face, his eyes soft and warm. Not many humans would have asked the questions she had and he could see why God had chosen her. Her soul was so very pure and her heart was incredibly kind.

He growled slightly as he felt his superiors calling. He had no desire to report in and Artimes had yet to dismiss him. He was caught between his duty to her and his duty to heaven. His superiors called again and he nearly gave way to disobedience. He realized that if he stayed he would alert the others to the fact that there was a Chosen on Earth. Most angels didn't mind that the Chosen held a higher authority than even the archangels, but his superiors along with Michael and the other archangels hated that an imperfect being could have such command over them.

He had to leave, but he could give her some protection at least. He placed his hand on the center of her chest and she whimpered in pain. The pain subsided and she fell into a deeper sleep. He had just carved the Enochian language into her ribs, shielding her from the angels. He couldn't risk them uncovering what she was. She did not currently have the ability to summon the Celestial Guard or her personal protector, Benedict Strathem. She had to discover that on her own for it to work.

His superiors called him again and he knew he could not delay any longer. He cupped her face and she leaned into his touch, a soft smile on her lips. It was so strange that he was considering disobedience so easily. If she asked it of him, then he would rebel without hesitation. She wasn't a normal Chosen…she was far too powerful for that. He stood up and glanced back at her one last time. He wanted to stay, but he had to keep her safe and keep his word to Benedict. He could only hope that the Winchesters would be able to look after his charge in his stead. He vanished with a fluttering of wings, leaving the red head to sleep peacefully.

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 4: God's Chosen is complete! We learned a lot about what is going on but there are still a lot of questions to be answered. So leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 5: A Volatile Morning! Stay tuned and be prepared for a semi sweet Dean moment!

Quick Note: Strathem is pronounced Stra-tem, the 'h' is silent.