Castiel was furious. He had been lied to, led on, toyed with and now taken to some remote location by something that he at one point thought he had known.

"What's going on?"

"Whoa, don't set your phasers to kill! Relax already, I told you that I saved your sorry asses, isn't that-"

"No. What have you done to him?"

The priest gestured to the now sleeping form in his arms. Deflating a little, Gabriel sighed.

"Look, bro –"

"I am not your brother."

"That's a bit harsh coming from a –"

Then Gabriel looked at him as if for the first time, realization and disbelief washing over his face.

"Wait, you still don't remember?"

"You are the second person to ask me that today. Remember what, Gabriel?"

"Oh you've got to be kidding me. It wasn't...Oh, this is just rich."

A snap of his fingers and he was holding a chocolate bar while he paced the room, eating it between mumbling to himself. Castiel cautiously laid Dean on the floor before approaching him, half afraid of him now that he witnessed some extent of what he could do. If he really was an Archangel as he said, what did it mean? Why was Raphael after Dean? Just as he was close enough to tap Gabriel on the shoulder the smaller man spun around. Eyes twinkling excitedly, he snaked a hand to Castiel's forehead.

"It'll be like riding a bike."

That was all the warning he received before images began flooding his mind, flashing before his eyes. The day he was born, truly born and not birthed; the beginning of the sun, the moon and the planets. He remembered being at a shoreline watching a little gray fish heave itself up on the beach, an older brother saying, "Don't step on that fish, Castiel; big plans for that fish." He remembered Cain and Abel, David and Goliath, Sodom and Gomorrah. Finally, Castiel remembered the night Michael came to him with his mission.

He watched as Michael, in his true form, pulled the beautiful star from his robe and explained to him that he must stay close to this child no matter the cost. This star, this soul was to be the Righteous Man, the human who was destined to save creation. Reverently, Castiel held the brilliant soul in his hands, reveling in how small it seemed by comparison, and he whispered to his brother, asking its name.

"His name is to be Dean Winchester and he will be your charge."

Gabriel watched and waited as the light slowly faded from his brother's eyes. He hoped he had made the right decision, done the right thing waking up this sleeper cell. From what he knew of him, Castiel had always been a good soldier. Even now, with no recollection of his past position he fought the good fight and vanquished evil. Of all the Archangels, Gabriel had always prided himself with being the closest to everyone – Archangels and Seraphs alike. He still blamed himself for Michael's disappearance, for Castiel having to fall to save the Righteous Man. Stealing a glance at Dean; he couldn't believe that he'd missed it before.

Castiel came to feeling infinitesimally older and more confused than he had felt in a long time. All those years spent in service, working for a cause bigger than anything and even now he couldn't escape it – just following blindly and believing in his Father. The priest, ex-Angel gently rubbed the bridge of his nose. Somehow being human had been much simpler when he thought his life was just a mess and not something so much more.

Looking at Dean, part of him hoped the Angelic Man would open his eyes and just take them both back to the morning he last remembered. Shifting in his spot on the hardwood floor, he finally took in his surroundings. Castiel had to give Gabriel credit, for a spur of the moment shift he had picked an ideal location.

"Well, I may not be the most responsible but I do know how to hide out with class."

"I would appreciate it if you refrained from –"

"Cass, no offence, but I didn't even need to do any Jedi mind tricks for that one. You're just a huge open book. Seriously, it's pathetic."

"Gabriel."

"Oh calm thy tits – we've got shit to discuss."

"How long until Dean awakens?"

"I dunno, an hour maybe?"

"Very well, that should suffice."

Dean dreamt of creatures, bizarre, beautiful and breathtaking in their elegance and the sheer amount of power radiating from them. Each was different in size, shape and design. Some were mixes of discernible creatures – zebras, monkeys, lions – while others were made of entirely new creatures altogether. Together they sang, their voices ringing out and molding into the sounds the world made like wind through trees rushing water. Yet, despite the uniform nature of their voices joined in this ceremonious noise, Dean still found himself drawn to one in particular.

From what Dean could gather, it was roughly the size of the Chrysler Building with cracks filled with light stretched over its skin like veins in hues of blue. Its skin, or what appeared to be skin, was less white than pearl in color as different shades danced as it moved. Despite its size, it almost seemed willowy and frail in comparison to the others, its lower half shrouded in a robe or sash of some sort while it stood bare from the waist(?) up.

Dean allowed himself to slowly climb with his vision, finding the duel sets of midnight wings almost jarring in contrast to the rest of the pale form. The arms were grotesquely thin and yet fit the form of it, the veins of light making way to its hands where the fingers were long and thin and the backs had piercing pools of blue – only realizing as he continued to observe that those were eyes. It wasn't until he finally looked upon its faces, those piercing blue eyes brimmed with light from within and looking at him from three different faces entirely – a ram, a monkey, a zebra and then there was the blank mask with nothing but a gaping maw at the low center of it – that his stomach turned into a chasm that threatened to swallow him whole.

"Cass?"

"Now that you're up to speed, Mr. Quad, you do know what happened to make Dean-o become this bastardized Angel of the Lord, right?"

"Yes, but why would Michael place his grace into the cavity that houses Dean's soul rather than claim his vessel and prepare for Lucifer's inevitable return? Surely he knew the possible-"

"Now that is the question of the century – why? He had to have known something we don't."

"What do we do now? What can we do?"

"I'd say find Michael, but I have a feeling a week old baby will be pretty useless."

"Indeed."

The immense form of the creature – Castiel, Dean reminded himself – leaned closer to him until he realized that he was not himself but some kind of ball of energy that was more him than he could ever convey. There was no way in Hell he would be able to wrap his mind around that.

"You should not be here, Dean. This is no place for a human soul."

"I didn't want to stay there without you."

He surprised himself when the words rang true. Fondness flooded it-his features as it-he gingerly cupped him in it-his warm fingers. Reverently, it-he lifted him until he was cupped to it-his forehead and Dean couldn't help but feel the entirety of this version of him flare with light and feeling.

"I will miss you when we can no longer stay like this."

"What d'ya mean?"

A soft chuckle escaped Castiel that sounded like rain in spring, warm and inviting.

"Your day of birth is mere days away, Dean."

Terror spread through his being, the emotion encompassing until he felt his self shift smaller.

"I don't wanna leave you, Cass."

"Do not fret, little one."

Waves of warmth and affection lapped over him as Castiel spoke, it-his eyes closing as it-he held Dean closer still.

"I will always be with you."

Dean woke feeling safe and warm, basking in the feeling of being held. His eyes fluttered open to find his eyes level with Castiel's belly button, his body curled towards him as the priest sat above him while looking off in the distance, absently running his fingers through Dean's hair. The priest did not seem to notice him waking, seeming too lost in thought to notice much of anything.

"Look, I know it isn't ideal, but if we can beat Lucifer to his vessel and stop him from claiming it –"

"Then the Apocalypse can be averted."

"Bingo."

"But what about Dean?"

"What about him?"

"Yeah, what about me?"

Fierce blue eyes snapped to his, the same and yet so different from the man he had come to know. Something was different, something Dean couldn't place and yet wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Dean."

Castiel's voice was deeper than he remembered, like an old car on gravel roads while possessing other worldly weariness. What if…

"Cass, are you…are you not human?"

He regretted asking as soon as sadness touched the ethereal blue orbs of his comrade. Wistfully, the cleric looked away while he continued to gently run his hands through his hair.

"I was an Angel…once."

"How long have you known?"

A chuckle.

"You never ask the questions I expect you to."

"Cass…"

"About an hour."

"What…what happened, man? How did you become like the rest of us?"

Dean thought he saw affection in his eyes then, but he couldn't be certain as they did not meet his own.

"You did, Dean."

"…what?"

He couldn't breathe as Castiel turned to him at last.

"Let me tell you my story. Let me tell you everything."