(A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful Guardians of Information who keep our public libraries running. If you're one of them, thank you for all you do!)


Little by little, as he grew older, Castiel noticed that he needed to sleep and eat less and less. Sometimes he would eat dinner, but sometimes he wasn't that hungry. He would do his homework at the table, and when it was done, if he was sleepy, he would go to bed. If he wasn't, he would sit up and read for a while, and sometimes he would go to bed anyway even if he never went to sleep. He would lie there and wait until it was time to get up for school.

"What will I do all day and night," he asked Gabriel, "if I don't have to eat or sleep?"

"Oh, they'll find stuff for you to do," Gabe said. "You'll be Assigned."

"To what?"

"Wherever they need you. Where would you like to go?"

"I don't know . . ." The boy swung his feet under the table. He had grown enough to be able to touch the floor now; he had to lift his feet up to swing them back and forth. "Maybe the garden. I like helping things grow."

"Maybe. We'll see. You know, the last four or five of your classmates to be Assigned wound up in Michael's army. How would you feel about that?"

Cas studied Gabe's face. His brother looked worried, and not at all like he thought that would be a good thing. "If that's what they need me for, then I'll do it. But maybe they'll have everyone they need by the time it's my turn to be Assigned. Can you get me more books?"

"I'll do better than that." Now Gabe was smiling. "I'll show you where the Library is. It's about time you had your own account there. Do you want to go now, or tomorrow after school?"

"Are they open now?" Though there was no true day or night in Heaven, it felt late to Cas. Middle-of-the-night late.

"They're always open! As long as you have an account. So we go now, then?"

"Sure !"

"You're not sleepy or anything, are you? If you're too tired, we can wait till tomorrow."

"No, I'm fine!" He really was. He might be able to sleep for a few hours when they got back, but right now he was wide awake.


The Library was located in the central complex of Heaven, where all the important offices were. Across from it was a huge open building with tall columns across the front.

"That's the Convocation Hall," said Gabe. "That's where the Assignments are given out."

"I've never been to a Convocation before," Cas said. "What's it like?"

Gabe grinned as an idea struck him. "Tell you what," he said. "I'll see if I can get you into the next one. But it's a very solemn occasion, so you gotta promise to behave."

"I will. I'm not a baby anymore. I can sit still for an hour. Is that how long it takes?"

"Usually. If there's a big group, sometimes it can take longer. I think there are only six in the next group, though."

They reached the front door of the Library. Gabe pulled it open and held it while Cas went through. He stopped halfway through and stared around at the place, awe-struck.

There were so many books! Books and books as far as the eye could see, on shelves which seemed to stretch to infinity (and possibly beyond). But there was no one there apart from the librarian, seated behind a big wooden desk, and a young angel in the robes of a scribe, who sat at a table a short distance away.

"You gonna just stand there all day," Gabe said from behind him, "or do you want to go inside?"

Cas took a step forward. Then another. He could just stand there for the rest of his existence. He would be perfectly happy with that. But then he'd never get to read any of these wonderful books, so he went up to the librarian's desk.

"Hello," he said.

The librarian looked up. "Well, hello there! And what can I do for you?"

"How do I get an account here?"

"Well, let's look you up in the record," she said. "My name is Narael. What's yours?"

"Castiel."

"Castiel . . . should be easy to find." Narael opened a big book and began flipping pages. "Hmm . . . no . . . no . . . you'd think it would be right in the front here."

"What if I'm not in there?" Cas asked nervously.

"Of course you're in here, dear. Everyone's in here. How old are you?"

"Um . . . not very."

"Oh, well, then. Under the new system you'd be back here." She closed the book and opened it again near the back. "My assistant rearranged the whole thing about a month ago. Still getting used to it-ah, yes, here you are. You're the very last one."

"So it's true, then." Cas was sad to think that there would be no more angels, ever.

"It's not such a bad thing, sweetheart. There's a saying: save the best for last. That means you're the best."

"But I'm not the best at anything!"

"You will be. Once you've finished growing up, you'll be the best angel that ever was."

"It's true," said Gabe, putting an arm around Cas' shoulders.

The scribe threw down his pen and sighed. "I am trying to work here!" he grumbled.

"If we're bothering you, Metatron," Narael said, "you can move to my office, as long as you don't touch anything."

"Gladly!" Metatron gathered up his things and, without looking at the newcomers, stalked across the library floor to the glass-walled office. He slammed the door, opened it, and slammed it again.

"Don't mind him," the librarian said. "He's a bit grumpy because he's behind on his transcriptions. Let's get you entered into the system, and then you can check out some books."

"How many can I take out at one time?" Cas wanted to know.

"Most people stick to one at a time. Some can keep three or four going at once. You don't want to overwhelm yourself. Why do you need so many books, anyway? Not that I'm complaining-I'm just curious."

"I'm not sleeping as much as I used to," Cas told her. "Sometimes when it's late but I'm not sleepy, I sit and read for a while. I can read a whole book in a night."

"Really? I wish I could. I wish I had the time." Narael made some notations in the book beside Castiel's name. "Sign right here, please."

Cas took the pen and signed his name in blocky Enochian symbols. They were a little crooked, but perfectly legible.

"There we go! I'll just get you a card and then you can go pick out some books. Wait right here."

She went through a door marked STAFF ONLY. Cas looked around, trying to decide which books he wanted to read first. There were so many!

"What should I start with?" he asked Gabe.

"Whatever you want. Whatever interests you most."

"What do you mean?"

"Pick something you really, really want to know about. There's got to be a book about it. Especially in this place." Gabe made a sweeping motion with his arm. "This isn't like any ordinary library. Ordinary libraries only have some books. This Library has every book ever written-past, present, and future."

Cas' eyes widened. "You mean I could read books that haven't been written yet?"

"Maybe. Depends on the subject."

"Do you think they have anything about . . . humans?" He lowered his voice on the last word to barely a whisper.

Gabe shook his head. "I don't think so. Not yet. I mean, since no one's supposed to know about them-"

"Oh. But they will?"

"They will. Just not yet."

Narael came back, clutching a small square of thick paper. "Here we are. Just one adjustment." She waved her hand, and Cas' name and signature appeared at the bottom of the card. "There we go. You're all set now. Just present this when you're ready to check out your books, and we'll enter them in the record for you. Where would you like to begin?"

Cas thought about it. What did he really want to learn about?

"Do you have any books on animals?" he asked.

Narael smiled widely. "Of course! We'll have to narrow it down a bit, of course. What kind of animals? Small ones? Big ones? Ones with hooves, or paws, or claws?"

"What about dinosaurs?"

"Dinosaurs? Oh, we have lots of books on dinosaurs! How about something simple to start with?" She waved her hand, and a book appeared on the desk in front of her. The title, translated into Enochian, was A Beginner's Guide to Dinosaurs. On the cover was a picture of a huge reptile with lots of sharp teeth.

"Look, Gabe!" Cas said excitedly. "I think that's the one I stepped on!"

"Stepped on?" Narael asked.

"The tip of his tail," Gabe explained. "We went on a field trip to see dinosaurs when Cassie was just a little guy. We met this one up close and personal."

"Michael scared him away," Cas said.

"Oh, I see. Well, enjoy the book. Bring it back when you're done and you can have another. As long as you obey the Rules."

"Rules?" Great, there were rules. There were always rules.

"Don't worry, they're fairly simple. Rule One: all books must be returned in the same condition in which they were lent out. No scribbles, no dribbles, no torn pages, no damage whatsoever."

"Who'd want to hurt a book?" Cas asked her.

Gabe looked away and whistled nonchalantly.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Narael told Cas. "Some people think it's okay to play catch with them. Which is all right as long as they actually catch it, and not let it end up in a mud puddle."

"It was Luci's fault!" Gabe protested. "He threw it too hard!"

"The book doesn't care whose fault it is. If it's damaged, it needs to be repaired or replaced. You won't be able to take out any more books until that's done."

"Oh," Cas said. "Okay."

"Rule Two: the Library is a place of quiet study and learning. Respect others and don't cause a ruckus." Again she seemed to be looking at Gabe, who said nothing this time. "No running, no shouting, no rough games, no falling into a chair and breaking it."

Gabe rolled his eyes.

"I can do that," said Cas. "I can sit perfectly still and not make any noise at all."

"Well, you're one up on your brother, then. And finally, Rule Three: the section of books over there," she said, pointing to a stack of books behind a golden rope, "is Restricted. They cannot be checked out, only read inside the Library. No part of them may be removed, copied, or otherwise reproduced without permission of a librarian."

"What sort of books are they?" Cas wanted to know.

"The sort that will cause trouble if the wrong people get their hands on them." She came out from behind the desk and led them over to the golden rope. "Notice anything unusual about the divider?"

Cas peered at it up close. "What are all these symbols?" he asked.

"Those are barrier spells, designed to keep out the curious. They are impenetrable and unbreakable. As certain people have discovered."

"Well, what did you expect?" Gabe protested. "You tell a kid that something's forbidden, that only makes it more tempting! Seriously, squirt, don't try getting past the rope. Those spells hurt."

"For a reason," Narael said. "The books in this section are not light reading. They contain some of the darkest knowledge of our kind, and only the strongest minds can handle them. For now, keep away."

Cas nodded. "Thank you for the book, Miss Narael. We'll be back soon!"

"All right, child. If I'm not here, my assistant, Darathiel, will help you. Take care now."

"Bye!"

Cas looked over his shoulder and saw Metatron watching him through the glass. He waved, but the other angel just went back to his work. Oh, well. He was very busy, and surely hadn't meant to be unfriendly.

"Can we come back here any time we want?" he asked Gabe.

"Sure you can! Just make sure you always have someone with you. I don't want you wandering out alone. Ask a grownup-everyone knows where the Library is."

"Did you really break a chair?"

"It was an accident! Okay, so maybe . . . I wasn't as careful as I could have been. But I've learned from my mistakes. I'd never break a chair now, even accidentally. And you shouldn't either."

"I won't," Cas told him. He was already looking forward to his next visit to the Library. There were so many books to discover, he'd never get through them all!