"Dean," Castiel says quickly as he notices the man on the porch. His bright blue eyes flit between the human and the woman beside him as if he had been caught in a crime. His mouth hangs open for a moment as he seems to stumble for something to say, before he finally gets it out. "Dean, please come here. I'd like to introduce you to Hannah."

Hannah? Dean thought as he took the first step down from the porch, hearing only the creak from the worn down wood beneath his bare feet. Who is this woman? Did she and Castiel know each other well? And if so, when had they had the opportunity to meet with Dean spending most of his time with the angel?

As he slowly approaches the two in front of him, many of these questions are answered by the slight turning of the woman's body. Behind her, as Dean could see a pair of white and grey wings.

"Dean Winchester," the female angel says, in a voice that is much softer and more kind than the human had been expecting, "It's very nice to finally meet you. Castiel has told me much about you."

She steps forward, extending her hand toward Dean in what would be a polite handshake if Dean were to return the gesture. The exchange so far seemed all too much like a business deal, which gives the blond a feeling of dread in his stomach. And so he only stares down at the hand that has been offered to him before looking back up to the woman's face with a frown, keeping his hands at his sides. "What are you doing here?"

"Dean," Castiel interrupts, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder and glancing worriedly at the woman as she lowers her hand. "Hannah is a good friend of mine. She is a guardian angel as well and she takes her job very seriously. She is a very caring person," he explains, stepping a bit closer to Dean.

"But why is she here?"

"Castiel has called me here through prayer," the woman speaks up again, tucking a strand of dark hair that the wind had blew in her face behind her ear, "He asked me to look after your brother for him, since he could not do it from here."

"You're watching Sam?" The blond asks worriedly, "How is he? Were you able to find out what he's hunting?" Though Sam has stayed in touch with his older brother for the past few months, Dean was never able to get Sam to tell him what he is hunting. So, he is never really able to quiet his worry for his brother. For all he knew Sam could be off chasing after another powerful demon like Azazel. However, Dean likes to think that if it really is that important and dangerous, his brother would not be hiding it from him.

The woman stares at Dean with a look of confusion for a moment, mouth hanging slightly open as if she does not know what to say. Her eyebrows furrow and she looks between Castiel and Dean. "He-" she says slowly and then pauses for a moment. "He asked me to watch Sam," she begins again, "But I cannot find him."

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Dean asks, raising his voice slightly in disbelief, "Aren't you guys suppose to be all knowing or whatever?!"

"Dean-" Castiel says softly, letting his hand drop from the hunter's shoulder.

"He is shrouded by powerful magic," Hannah explains with a hard frown, "We do not know what is controlling it, but Samuel Winchester seems to invisible to angels."

Dean narrows his eyes slightly. What would want to hide Sam from the angels? Is he in danger? The blonde cannot help but scoff slightly, crossing his arms in front of him. "You came down here to tell me that you lost my brother?" he asks in frustration.

"I didn't come here to talk to you at all," Hannah says coldly, having had enough of the human's temper. Her grey speckled white wings flutter slightly as a breeze pushes through the yard and she turns to face the other angel, taking a step nearer to him. "Castiel, please consider-"

"Not in front of-" Castiel cuts her off, immediately stopping in his tracks as his eyes catch Dean's.

"What?" Dean asks, looking at the other man, "What can't be said in front of me?" He finds that Castiel will not meet his eyes. The angel's head is turned toward the ground, making him appear guilty of something, though Dean could not decide what that was. "Cas?" he asks again, quieter this time as he steps closer to his friend.

When the fallen angel does not respond, it is Hannah who answers the human. "I have been talking to some of the other angels in heaven," she explains, "They are worried that Castiel's existence, as an angel on earth, may cause trouble for the celestial chain later on. Some believe that this will encourage other angels to act out if Castiel is not punished accordingly. They may start to think that there will not be strict consequences for insubordination."

"Insubordination?" Dean asks worriedly, "What does any of this have to do with him? He's already down here. They can't just-"

"They can," Hannah says calmly, her expressions unreadable, "They have been threatening to take action." Here she pauses, looking over at the other angel who still remains silent. "I managed to convince Michael to compromise," she says, turning her head to look back at Dean, "Castiel is being allowed to choose. He can return to heaven and continue his duties as a guardian angel, starting from where he left off. The higher ups will ignore his past mistake, and yours," she adds on, "Or, he will be made an example of for the other angels."

The silence that lingers after Hannah's explanation is almost suffocating. Neither he nor the angels say a word.

Castiel could go back to heaven. After all of this, he could go back. He could return to his work without facing the consequences of his actions. And if he chose not to-

"Dean-"

"You should go," The blonde cuts Castiel off quickly, turning to face him.

The angel's blue eyes widen in surprise. "Dean, no," he replies, stepping closer to the human.

"Cas," Dean interrupts stubbornly, narrowing his eyes slightly, "You need to go. You heard her. You can go back and it'll be fine. If you stay here-"

"I don't care," Castiel says hurriedly, stepping even closer to the taller man, "We can figure this out together. It'll be alright." He tries to push up a comforting smile, but only succeeds in looking more nervous. His hands finds its way up to rest on the mark on Dean's shoulder. "I love yo-"

"Stop it!"Dean says loudly, knocking the angel's hand from his arm. "You're not that stupid. There's only one real option. And-" he stumbles over his words for a moment before narrowing his eyes at the angel and raising his voice even more, "And stop saying that you love me! I don't love you, okay? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

What was he saying?

The air goes silent once again, this time much heavier than the last. Castiel looks as though Dean had just slapped him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Dean's eyes are glaring daggers at the angel and Hannah looks as calm as ever, as if she had expected this.

"Just," Dean stutters slightly, taking a step back, "Just go." Another step back and then Dean is forcing himself to turn around and make his way back toward the house. He will not allow himself to stop and he will not allow himself to look back.

"Hannah," the fallen angel's voice is hollow now, watching as the man that he loves walk away for the last time, "I have made my decision."

Thanks again for reading and please leave a comment.

I'm really not ready for this to be over but next week's chapter will be the last. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me.

I may add an extra chapter at the end in dedication to the few people that have drawn fanart for this work. It really means so much to me that you all enjoy this. Thank you!