Uriel and I head back to Earth. Dean had just left the gas station in an old car he found nearby. Cars and other vehicles humans used always struck me as slow and useless - nothing compared to wings - but much later I was to find out how valuable they actually were, especially if you were a human. We followed Dean in silence until finally, tired of staring at endless fields of dried grass and trees, I turn to Uriel,

"How is the rest of the Garrison?"

"They are doing well. Except…" Uriel pauses, suddenly uncomfortable. I narrow my eyes,

"What?"

"We lost one. Raguel. How he perished is a mystery, but we believe it to be the work of a demon."

"Who was it?"

"We don't know."

No demon that I knew could physically overpower an angel…unless it was a very powerful demon. An angel could only be slain with an angelic blade, which meant that only an angel could take another's life…

"Well, was there any evidence?"

"No; not even a trace of sulfur. But I have put a few of our angels on it."

I am about to reply when I notice that Dean has parked his car beside a house. Nearby is some kind of yard, full of scrap metal and junked cars. The whole place reeks of rust and alcoholism. Why would Dean come here, of all places?

We watch as Dean makes his way to the front door, cautiously knocking on it. I can see the man inside the house give a start, as if surprised that there was a visitor, getting up to open the door. As it swings open, both stare at each other in silence. A wave of mixed emotions, too many to discern, washes over me. There are few words spoken, but the warning signs soon become glaringly obvious. The older man, who Dean calls "Bobby", suddenly lunges forward. I see the flash of a silver blade and start towards them as well, nearly revealing myself then and there, when Uriel's hand falls heavily on my shoulder.

"See, Castiel, here is your fault. Watch," I stop, still tensed and ready to send Bobby flying through the wall if need be. I didn't even realize that my angel blade was in my hand, which was clenched so tightly that it hurt. The memories of fighting in Perdition flashed past my eyes.

"Bobby, it's me!" Dean exclaims.

"My ass!" The two continue to grapple, and I am filled with confusion. Why do they fight? Did Dean come here just to be killed? They pause suddenly, appearing calm again, before Bobby puts a hand on Dean's shoulder and slashes once more at him. I cast a glance at Uriel, who is watching the fight intently. I must have imagined it, but I thought I saw a shadow of a smile on Uriel's face, as if he were amused. As if this was a game to him.

"I am not a shapeshifter!" Dean yells, frantically trying to evade the other man in the small space there was.

"Then you're a Revenant!" He roars back, and dives at Dean. I began to understand why they were fighting- this Bobby was a hunter as well, and he thought Dean was a monster. I nearly forgot how distrustful hunters were of other people, and of their habit of striking first and talking later. I kept it in mind for when I was to meet Dean, as he would no doubt probably try to kill me as well.

Dean manages to disarm Bobby, but in a rather ungraceful fashion. Then, he takes a step back and slices his upper arm with the edge of it…to prove that he was not a monster. I wondered why he couldn't have just touched the silver instead, as it would have burned monsters the same way. They hug, when Bobby deftly slips a container from his pocket. I tense, but it is merely holy water that splashes across Dean's face.

"I'm not a demon either, you know," he goes, spitting the water from his mouth. Bobby shrugs,

"Sorry. Can't be too careful."

They talk some more, something about "Sammy" and burying Dean's body, but what I understood from it was that they believed Dean had been raised from Perdition by a demon. It was a logical misconception, but a foolish one nonetheless. It was hard enough for a demon to manage to escape from Hell, but bringing another soul along with it was just about impossible. Not even Lilith herself could do it, with her long-broken wings. Uriel and I watch the two for a while longer, and when I am sure that Dean is safe, we leave.

Uriel takes me back to our Garrison, and we have a short exchange of greetings. It was nothing near to how humans did it, with hugs or kisses or tears of joy. The closest to that I received was when Balthazar stepped up and clapped me on the back, a wide smile on his face. I tried not to think of Sabrael's smile, so similar to his. No one asked me what had happened down in the pit, but all knew that the other angels that had gone with me were not coming back.

Next, I am shown the site where Raguel had been murdered. It was on an empty lot of land overgrown with weeds, a rotting building to the side. Raguel's body had been found by the humans the day before, and now there was no trace of…anything. No struggle, no sulfur, not even wing imprints to mark the death of an angel. Whoever had killed him had been very careful, almost too careful, and had taken the time to make sure it looked like a normal human murder. They had intended to lure him here, alone and unaware.

I remembered Raguel from the time we had seen Lucifer's Fall, to when we had laid siege to Hell, side by side, in search of Cain, to when we watched Earth together for two thousand years. He would be missed. Uriel is standing quietly beside me. I take a moment longer to survey the area before addressing him,

"Let the others know that I want no angel in the Garrison to go off unaccompanied, understand?"

Uriel nods gravely. There is silence. I try to think of something else to say, finally coming out with,

"Any news of Lilith?"

"No. We are in the dark as to her whereabouts. We think she is on the move to break more Seals. Demons are amassing in great numbers throughout the Earth." Uriel all but spat out the word demons, a look of disgust on his face. I ignore it,

"Have we been given permission to eradicate them yet?"

"No. But," Uriel says, before I can speak again, "We have been made aware that a group of those maggots-in-meat suits are in town. From what I've seen, they numbered about twenty in all. I believe they might have been sent by Lilith, and could be the suspects of Raguel's murder."

"Have our superiors given us any word on it?"

"Not yet. I will go and seek revelation tonight, but I trust they will finally allow us," he catches himself, seeing the slightly sick look on my face, "…allow me and the rest of the Garrison to crush a few."

"Where are they located?"

"A few miles west of this town, staked out in one of those filthy human diners-" I cast Uriel a cautioning look, and he closes his mouth and sighs.

We go and find the demons that Uriel talked about, honing in to them immediately. They currently appeared to be in hiding, having taken possession of a few customers and the shop owners and staff. They just seemed to be waiting…for orders, no doubt. Uriel and I watched from a distance, careful to stay fully cloaked. We didn't move or speak until night began to fall. I barely realized it. After two thousand years on Earth, this was what I had become accustomed to. I could probably stand in this one position for days. Humans would probably go mad.

Then, I heard the voice in my head. Uriel appeared to hear it too, tilting his head Heaven-wards. It gave us our next instructions, enlightening us to our duties. In a flash, we took flight.

I stand in an old motel room. Cheap furniture is scattered here and there, and it stank of…demon? I glance at Uriel. He sensed it as well, his face contorted into one of utter revulsion. There are voices in the next room over. Soundlessly, we move in to listen.

"-probably want this back," says an unfamiliar voice. Two other men are standing around Dean- Bobby and…Sam. The boy with the demon blood. Dean's brother. Sam finishes speaking, handing Dean a cord with something attached to it- something strange and radiating with power. I narrow my eyes, leaning in to get a good view of it as Dean holds it out in his open palm.

Today, I am not even sure what it is, or how it came to be. It was a very ancient and powerful amulet, and through it I heard the old song of Heaven, back in the days before Lucifer Fell and the Earth was pure. As I watch Dean loop it around his neck, I knew then, instinctively, that the amulet was connected to God.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Sam replies. I frown. Why would he say that if Dean already did mention it? Sam continues,

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" Dean looks up, smile slightly fading from his face.

"What, Hell? I don't know. I... I must have blacked out. I don't remember a damn thing." It was a lie. Uriel scoffed from beside me, muttering "slanderous mud monkeys" under his breath. However, Sam did not seem to have any suspicions,

"Well, thank God for that."

"…Yeah."

I tensed at the mention of our Father. I almost thought they had found out about our existence while we were gone, and that we would have to change all our plans. But then Uriel notified me that it was only a common saying humans often used. They weren't even aware of the truth behind what they said. Dean paused for a second, then cleared his throat and muttered that he needed to go use the restroom.

I followed him… I really did. Though now I realize how awkward that might have been for humans. Only to them was the act of excreting waste a private matter, even though I've seen them watch their pets do it all the time. I never told Dean this, nor will I ever, probably.

Dean flicked on the light inside the tiny room, then leaned forward on the sink to study himself intensely in the mirror. Something was off the moment he came into contact with his own eyes. He was actually trying to break the barrier I had built within his mind, probing cautiously at the dark corners of his memory. His eyes suddenly flickered, and I saw before my own vision a flash of what he was seeing. He was in some dark place, pure terror coursing through his veins. He was remembering. I glance at Uriel, unsure. Should I stop Dean, or-?

He shook his head, watching Dean closely. Uriel had the sudden appearance of a predator, as there was a subtle shift in his features. If I did not know him, I might have mistaken Uriel's expression as one of malice. But instead, I convinced myself that he was simply very interested in Dean's condition.

Finally, Dean blinks a few times, his vision clearing as he pulls away from his own gaze. There are a few beats of silence, broken when from another room Sam's voice calls,

"You coming, Dean?" He swallowed, taking a deep breath before replying,

"Yeah, yeah. Just finishing up," Dean splashes some water over his face, wiping it clean before walking from the room. Suddenly, he stops halfway, as if he sensed something. I tilt my head, standing only a few feet away from him. Did he-? I don't even get to finish my thought when Dean strides back into the room, turning off the light and then leaving once more. Uriel chuckles at my reaction, but I don't see anything funny about it.

Please review! 8D And Cas is going to meet Dean face-to-face in the next chapter, I promise!