*Lyrics from Savin' Me by Nickelback

"Prison gates won't open up for me

On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'

Oh, I reach for you

Well I'm terrified of these four walls

These iron bars can't hold my soul in."

Castiel's P.O.V.

I could feel the power building up inside me. It was the most amazing and most terrifying thing I'd ever felt. My body felt like it was on fire. For a few moments, as nothing but the overwhelming grace of an archangel soared through my body, it was so strong that I forgot the events that would forever traumatize me. Those few precious seconds felt like so much longer.

Dean, get Sam out of here and the two of you wait outside, I sent.

But Cas-

NOW.

That one word was spoken with so much volume that he clutched his head from the pain. He wrenched Sam off of my fallen brother and hauled the tall hunter out the door. The house was shaking from the effort of containing so much raw power. Most of that power was coming from my newly strengthened grace. I'd been well on my way to becoming an archangel for quite awhile, but I was finally fully transformed. My archangel's blade was held tightly between my fingers.

Michael made to transport out, but he didn't stand a chance. He'd hurt my brother. He was going to pay. I held my hand up and closed my eyes, and when I ever so slowly brought my hand down, everything seemed to happen at once. Gabriel folded himself protectively in his wings to shield his eyes from the blinding light, Michael's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and a blast of pure white light exploded through the room.

The glass filling the windows (which had been replaced since they'd been blown out almost three decades ago) again shattered. I didn't even notice the pain as several shards tore into my skin. The wounds healed within milliseconds. My wings drew closer to me in a naturally defensive motion as the entire house lit up with the blow. Gabriel was peering out from between his wings.

Finally, the light was gone. And so was Michael. It was over. The massive amount of adrenaline that had been fueling me faded and left me to collapse. I would have been a fallen heap on the ground had Gabriel not moved fast enough to catch me. He laid a gentle hand on my bare chest and suddenly I was wearing whole, non-shredded clothes. I gave him a grateful look but couldn't offer him anything more.

He knew without having to ask what the angels had done to me. He could feel my corrupted, damaged grace. I leant forward, seeking the comfort of my brother's embrace. His arms closed around me without a second of hesitation. Sam and Dean wandered back into the wrecked house and the latter knelt by my side. He reached for me, but I pulled myself closer to Gabriel. Dean had hit me. Perhaps he would even do what the angels had done to me. I was done placing blind trust in anyone. As of currently, my faith was with Gabriel and Gabriel alone.

"We're going to head back to Bobby's. I'll, um, see you later," Sam said to Gabriel. The younger Winchester seemed to understand that I didn't want to be around anyone but my brother right now.

I felt Gabriel nod, and then they left. It could have been minutes or hours that I spent in the confines of my brother's arms. My body was hurt and torn, my mind was contaminated with vile memories, but with Gabriel I felt safe. His massive wings folded around me, a solid mass of warmth and protection. Fingers gently combed through my hair. Eventually, I was pulled down into sleep, rewarding me with blissful unawareness.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked a voice.

The voice that replied was flat and cold. Gabriel's voice. "He was raped, for Dad's sake. What do you think?"

A third, more sympathetic voice added, "Can we see him?" This voice belonged to Sam.

"No." The reply came very quickly from Gabriel. "Dean, you hit him. He's scared of you. Sam, he likes you, but I'm the only one he trusts right now." There was no gloating in the words, only honesty.

I was only half conscious, barely understand their words. My entire body ached. It felt worst below the waist for obvious reasons. My skin was clean, as were my clothes, but I felt filthy. No amount of human cleanliness could erase the taint I would forever hold. My rapists were dead, and so was Michael, but that didn't make it any better. Being an archangel should have brought me reassurance, yet all I could do was lie there and attune myself to the conversation.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" It was Dean's voice. I recognized it.

I heard a bitter scoff. "Why do you even care? Last I checked you were acting like a pissy three year old and blaming my brother for something that happened when he was a kid!"

"I'm not pissed about what happened you douche, I'm pissed that both of you lied."

My mind registered the offensive term against my brother. I opened my eyes and saw the three of them standing at the end of the bed I was laid out on, and a beautiful woman sat in a chair next to me. She had long blond hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a surprisingly warm smile waiting for me when I looked over at her.

It was Mary Winchester.

Worried that the smile was misleading and she was furious with me, I moved away from her, almost falling off the side of the bed. Gabriel came over and gently laid me back in my original position. Both him and Mary gave me reassuring smiles. I was still weak from what the angels had done to me, too weak to protest when Mary gently pushed a lock of hair from my eyes.

"Castiel, you poor thing…" she whispered. It was not mocking. It was sincere.

"Had I been able to save your husband," I started, my voice even rougher than usual.

"Shh," she cut me off softly. "It isn't your fault, Castiel. You were just a child, and I am so sorry those angels did this to you."

I blinked, confused. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Because you are not to blame. And my pigheaded sons need to realize that." She said the end of the sentence rather loudly.

"They have every right to be angered. I should have told them."

Shaking her head, she sat on the edge of the bed and took one of my hands in both of hers. Gabriel was my older brother and sometimes my surrogate father, Jo had become a sister, and Ash was more like a cousin, but I had never felt as if I had a mother figure before. Yet against all odds Mary was treating me like she would one of her own children.

"There are some people here that want to see you," she said.

On cue, Jo, Ash, and Ellen came in. Jo looked like she'd been crying. I sputtered for breath when she wrapped me in a hug so tight that it restricted my breathing. Angels don't have to breathe, but it was a habit. Nonetheless, I hugged her back just as tightly. Ellen gave me a brief hug once her daughter released me. Ash went to rest a hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away. I couldn't stand for another male to touch me unless it was Gabriel.

The obvious worry on Gabriel, Ellen, Mary, Jo, and Ash's faces made me realize just how much my small family had grown. Even Bobby came in and looked a little choked up when he saw my presumably vacant expression. Apparently they all knew what had happened.

"Let's give Castiel and Gabriel some space, we'll all visit our angel later," Mary said, herding everyone out and smiling at me when I gave her a thankful look.

The thankfulness was both for giving my brother and me some space, as well as referring to me as "their angel." It was a small but meaningful term of endearment. Knowing I wanted nothing more than for him to simply be there, Gabriel came and laid down next to me. I rested my head on his shoulder and fell asleep again within only a few moments.

"Heaven's gates won't open up for me

With these broken wings I'm fallin'."