So I want to thank everyone who's followed the story so far and thankyou for all your lovely reviews. I'm really hoping you will enjoy this next chapter, turns out planning the story out is easier than writing it all down so im sorry if this chapter doesn't give my idea any justice. ;) But anyway I hope to update very soon and thanks again.
Time never really bothered Castiel that much, why would it? He was an angel, they existed before time ever came to pass. He had always thought he had forever to exist. Yet now here he was realising for the first time, nobody can really have forever. Look at his brothers and sisters, they were all meant to live forever, yet they didn't, He had even killed many himself. He only now began to see that his time would soon be up. How long would it be before the real darkness overtook him. The same darkness that would soon consume everything now that Raphael was in charge. He'd never thought about how little time he had left until now and all the mistakes hes made only now just surfaced. He was sorry that he didn't have enough time to fix the wrongs he'd made. To be able to correct the mistakes that have happened. Theres no doubt he would do things differently now, he can see that. For fact he knows he would definitely stand side by side his new brothers, the Winchesters and help again to save this planet he had actually grown to care for. He never really felt like he'd belonged up in heaven, he had always had his doubts. Down here it was different, he saw what living was really about. Love, hate, belief he would take it all because this world really was worth the pain, it was worth all the efforts they had made, the sacrifices. Most importantly it was worth fighting for.
Castiel had no idea how long he'd been tied up against that post in this dark, gruelling place. All he'd actually been aware of was the fact they kept taking the Winchesters away for what they would call "human needs". After all they weren't the ones being punished here. It suprised Castiel how he dreading the time when the Winchesters would be lead away. Yes he hated them seeing him like this, but the worst torment was his loneliness. He hated being left alone in the dark and knowing his brothers were near by almost comforted him. He saw the darkness as a weapon towards him. He would never walk into it by his own choice, so it surrounded him instead.
The First few weeks were bearable, his angelic powers allowed him to heal slowly but effectively, although this did mean the torture would start all over again from scratch. Now however it was different, the first day Raphael had actually come back to see him, that same sense of overwhelming power inside him, you wouldn't actually believe they used to fight along side each other as equals. He hated Castiel for rebelling against him. He was meant to be the king of heaven and this meant everyone should bow down to him, however there was the exception of Castiel. He continually picked not to kneel down in front of Raphael and this angered him greatly. Who did this stubborn angel think he was, he was no better than Raphael, how could he be when Raphael was now God. No he couldn't have this angel making an example towards others, so he would make the example. The example of punishment and what will happen if anyone dares to cross Raphael. Heaven was his now, he kept all the angels in line and they all got to see the torment Castiel had been through, this allowed them to keep their heads down and do as they were told.
Raphael came back with something that not even Crowley was expecting. A weapon that they all believed was to be extinct. The grace of Heaven itself. After Balthazar had raided the treasures of Heaven, he'd been very clumsy to not even realise it was there. Yet of course he would have, only true powers can see heaven's grace, a true power like God. However this wasn't any part of heavens grace. This was the grace that had first witnessed the banishing of Lucifer from Heaven. This was the piece of Grace that had been used along with many parts of Heavens Grace to create the existenceof Hell itself. This was the damaged grace, a dangerous and deadly weapon. Used against any angel would damage their own grace. So this was it, the final bargain to Castiel, he would have to bow down to Raphael now, I mean he wouldn't actually die for this corrupt planet, would he?
It had been exactly two weeks since Castiel had refused Raphael's last and final offer. He still remembers the guilt on Dean's face when he refused. He still remembers the first time he felt the fire around his grace, the way his insides were burning. He replayed it over in his head now. The way Raphael had just glided in and shoved the glass bottle containing heaven's grace in his face. Of course he didn't actually believe it could really be heaven's grace at first, yet the way he couldn't take his eyes off it and the beautiful complexion against the glass made him understand it was the beauty of Heaven itself. Yet darkness overcame the bottle and the longer he stared the harder it became to escape it.
Dean and Sam were both in the room now, they had come back from whatever Crowley had taken them to do. Crowley also suprised Castiel, it seemed he didn't always agree with what Raphael was doing. Well that was understandable, after all Crowley was so used to making the decisions himself and now he was being bossed about by an Angel of the Lord, well except now he was The Lord. Yet it almost seemed to be a small chance that they could perhaps convince Crowley to help them. After all he was looking for the better deal, so if they could come up with a bigger offer than what Raphael had, he would surely accept it.
" Well this is it Castiel, My final offer. If you accept me as your king and bow down to me, I will let you and your friends go. You can live your life in heaven under my command as if nothings ever changed."
" And If I don't" replied Castiel in a graspy voice, you didn't have to see his pain because you could hear it.
This is when Raphael had first showed Cas the bottle of Heaven's Grace. He explained how his new sense of power allowed him to find it.
"None of us actually know what this could do to an angel, do you really want to be the one to find out Castiel?"
Castiel couldn't even think straight, through the pain he felt now and the pain he might later endure, why should it matter. He couldn't let Dean and Sam down again, he already had and saying yes to Raphael would be the worst possible thing he could do. He would be under his command and this meant helping to bring on the apocalypse. He couldn't do that, not after everything they had been through. The only reason he wanted to open Purgatory in the first place was to stop Raphael and if he agreed this would have all been in vain. No he couldn't accept Raphael's offer.
" Are you really willing to die for this sad, pathetic little planet? Theres nothing but greed and pain here, why sacrifrice yourself for it?" Raphael continued, he was starting to get really inpatient now, He couldn't understand what Cas saw here and he certainly couldn't understand how Castiel was still treating him less than the God he now was.
Castiel looked up at Dean and Sam, they were staring at him, as if they were talking with their eyes, he saw desperation and despair. There was nothing they could do, not against God himself and they looked like they were almost ready to give up all hope.
Dean hating the way Raphael put Castiel on the spot like that and he hated himself for not wanting Cas to accept Raphael's offer. He hated the way he would rather see Castiel end now as their friend rather than later where he would be working against them as their enemy. He would stick by Cas whatever Raphael did to him, but he couldn't stand being betrayed by him even if that wasn't by any fault of his own. He'd already lost so much and trying to stop Castiel opening Purgatory was hard enough. He'd already been questioning whether it really was the right thing to do.
Castiel was looking right into Dean's eyes now, as if he could read his thoughts. He was already sure of what he was going to do but he had to be sure. He looked deeper trying to find something, anything. And there it was that glint in his green eyes, the one he'd become so use to, the one he'd started to admire Dean for. It was a tiny glint of hope. It was at that moment he knew. He knew wherever this heaven's grace would take him, his brothers wouldn't give up on him and ofcourse he would rather die trying to protect this planet rather than dying in battle trying to destroy it.
That was the exact moment Raphael injected the heavens grace into Castiel neck. That was the same moment Cas could feel his own grace burning, sizzling away. Its been two weeks to the day and his mind and grace have been gradually breaking away. He can no longer feel his vessle, his arms, even fingers. Hes left with just his mind, tied up against the post. After all the heaven's grace was designed as a torture weapon, there would be no quick way to reveal what will happen to Castiel next. Two weeks its taken, again time plays on his mind. He remembers the two weeks he spent at Bobby's with Sam and Dean. Well he didn't stay there repeatly for two weeks but he came down everyday. He would never admit it but he enjoyed the familiarity of it, the company. He'd sometimes pictured what it would be like to have an actual family who cared for him and here its like he did. He felt like he belonged with them and that made him feel emotions he had never felt before. It was a memory he would cherish, yet at the same time it felt as if he was losing it. More memories began to take over, like when he lied to Dean, straight to his face, the pain when he found out, the betrayal on Dean's face. He hated knowing he had caused it and he only hoped there was going to be a time when he could make up for it, he would show Dean exactly how sorry he truly was and this was one way to begin to do it, he had sacrificed himself. The physical pain he was feeling was nothing, his mind on the other hand was showing him things he no longer wanted to see. The faces of the people he had killed, betrayed. Dean, Sam, Bobby, Balthazar, Anna and even Gabriel who even he knows would never had made the same mistakes he had made.
But now his time really was up, but he wasn't afraid because there was still a part of him who believed he would be saved. Whether he deserved to be saved or not, there was still a part of him that believed he would correct the wrongs he had made.
He could hear Sam and Dean outside of the room, they sounded as if they were about to return. He felt a moment of peace, hearing their voices. They meant more to him than anyone ever had. At that moment he knew his brothers would never give up on him, because thats what family is for, and with that he welcomed the darkness, his mind and grace finally gave in. Darkness over crept him and with that he was gone.
There was suddenly a bright light and Dean felt his stomach ache. He almost didn't want to re enter the room, he didn't want to see what he would find. Sam looked at Dean in shock before quickly running back into the room, Dean followed behind with Crowley of course. They saw Castiel's vessle, his head was hung down and the bright light had already evaporated by then. There was blood running out of Cas's mouth and down his ears.
Sam and Dean looked on in shock and anguish.
"What's happened to him" Sam eventually asked, not sure if he really wanted to known.
" Im afraid Castiel's gone" Replied Crowley, who looked actually rather sorry himself, "Its finally happened" he continued.
" What the Hell are you talking about" Dean yelled back. " Gone where!"
"They've taken him, hes gone" said Crowley.
"Castiel's gone to Purgatory."
Reviews are treasure to me ;) I really enjoyed reading the ones I have so far so please let me know what you think, criticism is always welcomed. :D