Heaven.

Heaven was, as humans would call, a mess. And in this mess, the masses of Angels that was left with no leader when Michael fell looked to Castiel for direction. It should have been Raphael, but Raphael left Heaven as soon as Michael feel, he left just like how Gabriel left and Heaven is reeling with no direction. And so, in the absence of any others, Castiel became the acting leader of Heaven. It was hard. The soldiers in the garrisons warmed up to him enough, and the secretarial branch remains indecisive and neutral, but the worst part was dealing with the intelligence branch.

They ignored most others, answering only to each other and spoke a particular dialect of Enochian that only they knew. It was frustrating. Castiel was Heaven's acting leader, and yet he could not even keep his brothers and sisters, his family, from falling apart. At this point, he has already tuned out from anything other than Angel radio, and prayers. Talking of prayers, and Castiel thinks of Dean. Cutting himself off from Dean was a choice that hurt.

Castiel did not know why it hurt. He was not programmed to understand. But still it did, and all he knows is that he did not want it to hurt again. Dean did not want him there, because Castiel was a failure.

Because Castiel could not find Sam. Because Castiel did not save Sam. Logically, he knew he could not, but somehow it was all his fault(is that what Dean thinks?)

He should not be able to feel anything. But he does(oh he does), and once again, Castiel is left with the conclusion that human emotion is volatile and hard to grasp and ultimately a painful experience. There is a part of him that wants to give it up just give it all up, but something in him holds on to a thin thread.

Michael closed his eyes and leaned against the tree. He is, after all this time, exhausted. No signs of Lucifer(is he hiding from him? Why?) And no signs of his father(father why have you forsaken me so?). Adam's soul reached out for him from the back of his mind. Michael almost pushed him back, the small, fragile thing, only half-bonded to him, not even his true vessel. But it's so lonely in the cage. For once in his long life, Michael was alone.

All by himself. Even when his father's voice quietened down in his mind, his brothers and sisters filled the void and it lessened the hurt(but not the pain from Lucifer's fall- that will never go away). So he pulls his grace away a little, so that it would not burn the only other being in here with him, even if it is just his part-vessel's almost broken soul. Adam's soul, as Michael finds out later, is surprisingly resilient. It reached out to him, brighter than anything else in their immediate vicinity(save for Michael himself)

The thin tendrils of soul-light grasped out for Michael's grace, and he closes his eyes and finds himself face to face with himself. Or rather, his vessel. A second later, and Adam Milligan's fist lands in his face. The first thing Michael learns about the cage is that his powers are useless here, despite being able to feel his grace and Adam's soul. The second thing is the face that Adam had dared to even strike him.

"What do you think you are doing." Michael burns hot with the sheer humiliation that this inadequate vessel stood up against him. If he had been stronger then Michael would've been able to pull Sam Winchester out of the pit and carried out the prophecy as it was always meant to be.

"Socking you in the face, you asshat." Adam glares at Michael. It was because of him the Adam was stuck here, instead of being up in Heaven with his mother. It was entirely Michael's fault that he landed ass-first in hell. Adam never wanted anything to do with the supernatural, yet time after time he finds himself caught in the web, even after he died. And that pisses him off the most, because the Angels(fucking Angels, really?) would not even let him rest in peace. Michael exits his shock, face twisting into something ugly. It has been too long since he gave in to his temper.

He snatches Adam up by his neck and pins him onto a nearby tree, holding him so that he did not reach the ground. Seeing the human thrash and curse gave him some sort of perverse satisfaction.

"Listen, you ignorant child."

Michael's voice did not sound like Adam's voice. It was colder, harder, more impersonal.

"You do not understand who I am. What I am. I was here before you creatures were even a single thought in my father's mind. I was here, before all Archangels and all other Angels, and creation itself. I have existed long before the universe itself came into being, and I will continue to exist long after it is gone. You cannot comprehend the sheer scope of my power or my age. You are an insignificant speck of dust compared to me, andI will have respect!"

"Despite all that."

Adam drawls after a long silence.

"You are still a massive douche bag, and a childish one, at that."

Michael's hand closes in on his throat as his face(or Adam's face) twitched. Normally, he's be dead. But considering that Adam is already dead, and the fact that he is not dead yet, he decides that he really, really want to give the Archangel that screwed over his life a piece of his mind.

"My time is better spent elsewhere."

Michael snarls, and shoves Adam away, disappearing out of his consciousness. Breathing hard, Michael stands and roars, ripping the tree out by it's roots. His strength is back after leaving the subconscious plane, but the urge to swing the tree at the insolent child has not left.

Winchesters, Michael decides, are a stubborn, annoying lot.