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For months now, since he rebelled and Lucifer rose, Castiel had been slowly losing his powers. He could no longer hear the voice of the Heavenly Choir. He could no longer heal those he cared for; at times it was even difficult to heal himself. He still had his wings and his Grace remained strong, but he knew it couldn't go on like this forever.
One day it would all change, and he had no idea what that would mean.
Less than a month later, Lucifer had been defeated and he found out, at least he thought he did.
He had been called back to Heaven by his Father. A call he would not ignore, despite his charge's vehement protests.
"Dean, I am going to see our Father. Nothing bad will come from it, I swear." The angel's deep blue eyes burned with devotion and trust for both Dean and his Father.
In a flutter of wings Castiel was gone.
------
Three long, nerve-wracking days later Castiel popped into the passenger seat of the Impala- Sam having opted to stay at Bobby's while Dean had his little angelic crisis, which basically meant driving until the gas ran out then tanking up and doing it again... eventually he'd come back, well he always had before- the tell-tale beating of wings masked by the full sound of Styx's Crystal Ball thrumming from the speakers.
"Hello, Dean."
The hunter jerked the wheel at the shock of his angel's voice. "Cas," he chastised.
"My apologies," Castiel's deep gravel voice soothing any perceived annoyance coming from Dean.
"It's okay, just wasn't expecting you," he left out the ‘to ever come back, but I'm glad you did, you stupid angel!' Something deep inside told Dean he already knew that part.
Trying to lighten the mood, "So? How'd it go with Dad?" Dean wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but his angel was here, with him, so he hoped that meant it hadn't gone too badly.
"I... am uncertain. He praised me for believing and not losing faith. Then he said my time on Earth was not over, that I had a mission yet to complete. I asked him what my mission was." Castiel hung his head as if he thought he should be ashamed.
"Well, what'd the Big Guy say?"
"He said it would reveal itself when the time was ready. Until then, I am at a loss."
Dean lay a hand on Cas' shoulder, "Well, you're welcome to hang with us while you're waiting."
"Dean it could be millennia."
"So, Sammy's bound to have kids. You'll be like the Winchester uncle that never dies. The one constant in our family's fucked up life," Dean smiled reassuringly, hoping the angel hadn't picked up on his implying only Sammy would have kids. Dean didn't think right now was the best time to have the ‘I'm in love with an angel... a very real, very male, smite you where you stand if you piss him off, angel' talk.
Of course, Castiel had noticed, but he let it slide- something about the way his heart skipped a beat at realizing Dean want the white picket fence and 2.4 children. In that moment, Castiel also realized that he was dangerously close to, if not already passed the mark of, falling in love with the man with emerald eyes that sparkled with mischief, yet held the secret depths of the darkest forests.
"Thank you, Dean," he replied, and if there was a small hint of a smile he couldn't be bothered to worry- Lucifer was defeated, the world was as it was before, he was no longer an outcast and he was with Dean. Nothing truly bad could happen now.
Unfortunately for Cas, it seems angels were never taught about Murphy's Law.
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Several weeks had passed since Cas' tete e tete with God and in that time the angel's powers, rather than returning, were diminishing faster and faster. He could no longer teleport great distances, nor could he teleport others and his ability to heal was growing ever slower, he required rest and sustenance, though not as often or as much as a human. With everything that had happened Castiel was starting to wonder if his ‘mission' on Earth was to suffer banishment and an eventually purely human existence. Castiel tried to take comfort in being allowed to be with Dean during his punishment, but still he could not understand how his Father could praise him and send him this punishment simultaneously.
Worse still was Dean. More and more, Dean was going off without him for hours on end and that, more than the lose of his powers, was killing him and his faith.
------
They were at Bobby's, where they usually wound up between hunts- just because Lucifer was defeated, didn't mean there were no longer monsters to fight.
Cas had fallen asleep on the couch; his head resting on the tattered arm, legs pulled close, arms crossed like he was preparing himself for an Egyptian burial.
As stealthily as he could, Dean lay Cas' trench over the sleeping angel causing a soft murmur to fall from his angel's lips.
Dean smiled at the beautiful creature on the sofa, resisting the urge to kiss his forehead.
"I'm going out. You keep an eye on him?" he asked Bobby, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Course I will," the older hunter assured. Adding once Dean was opening the back door, "Stupid idjit should just tell ‘m, not like wings over there isn't doing his own pining- should open a wood shop at this rate."
Dean shook his head fondly, understanding what Bobby was referring to, but knowing it couldn't be true.
---
An hour or so later, dean was sitting dejectedly next to a pile of wheels and axels, his knees pulled to his chest, arms crossed over his knees, and his head bent to rest on his forearms. He had been offering the same plea since he arrived, the same plea he'd said every chance he got since Castiel's powers began their rapid decline.
---
"Hey! Angel-boy. Time to wake up," Bobby chided.
With blurry, sleep soaked eyes Castiel awoke and pulled himself into a sitting position, "Forgive me, Bobby. This need for sleep is most difficult."
"Hmph," the old hunter snorted. "Well, you've got more important things to worry about."
Castiel quirked his eyebrow in his ‘you are a curious creature, but not as unfathomable as a Winchester; therefore I should be able to comprehend' way.
"Dean, ya idjit."
Castiel perked up at the mention of Dean, "Is something wrong?"
"I'll say there is. That boy's about worn a whole in the ground by the axels out back."
A furrowed brow met Bobby's statement.
Bobby rolled his eyes, "Featherbrain. Just go see for yourself." Under his breath he added, "Damn angel's blind as that boy out there."
Sliding into his trench coat , a still confused Castiel headed out into the junkyard, in search of his charge.
The angel came up to Dean silently, the hunter unaware of his presence. He heard his hunter's rough voice murmuring something he couldn't quite make out. Concerned he made his way closer until he could easily hear Dean's words- it almost seemed as if Dean Winchester was praying.
Alone in the bowels of the salvage yard, Dean let himself beg aloud, not believing anyone he could trust would answer, but it was Cas and he had to try. The words were softly spoken, they were worn, tripping on his tongue. Both his tongue and voice were tired from the repeated mantra, but Dean didn't care, he would repeat it as often as he needed to for someone, something to answer him. He needed his angel to be safe, what happened to him didn't matter. Cas didn't deserve this. "Stop punishing Cas. Take me, punish me. I'm the one who convinced him to rebel. Take my body, my soul- send me back to Hell, anything, just let Cas go. Please, please, let him go. I'll do anything, just stop this."
Castiel fell to his knees, unable to believe how wrong he'd been. He'd thought Dean was avoiding him, when all this time he'd been praying for him. It was enough to make an angel weep.
"Dean," he ground out in a harsh whisper, "no." He reached out a hand to his hunter's still lowered head, "Never make such offers, not for me."
Dean raised his head small traces of tears along his cheeks glistened in the light. "Cas, it's my fault. My doing, I have to fix it."
The pleading and sorrow in Dean's voice cut through Castiel.
Cupping Dean's face, he growled, "I chose to follow you and I would do the same again. And if God is punishing me, at least He has allowed me to stay with you." He pressed his forehead to Dean's, "Allow me to stay. Allow me to stay and whatever punishment will be worthwhile."
"Cas?" Dean's voice hitched, "I never want you to go."
The angel gave in and kissed the fresh droplets of salty tears from Dean's cheeks, "Then I will always be here."
As Dean looked up he saw the quiet smile on Castiel's lips and he had to taste them, right then, and there was nothing to stop him.
Pressing his lips to the angel's was like nothing he'd experienced or could've imagined. It felt like bliss, rapture, all the things Heaven should be.
He leaned into the kiss guiding them to the ground, bodies wrapped together.
The next thing he knew, they were no longer in the salvage yard, hell he couldn't be sure they were in the western hemisphere, but Cas was there so it really didn't matter.
As they pulled apart from that most tender of kisses and Dean got a look at their new surroundings, he asked in awe, "Where are we?"
"My home," Castiel replied in matching amazement. He had not seen this place since taking Jimmy Novak as his vessel, and had since resigned himself to never seeing it again.
"Your home? Like Heaven? Or..."
Castiel smiled at his hunter, "Yes and no. It is where I would come to contemplate, it is not known to many."
Dean smiled back, propping himself on his elbow, "I can see why."
"You can?"
Dean nodded and went in for a quick kiss, "It's like when I just gotta go. Hop in the Impala and just head out, clear my head, help me remember what's worth fighting for. That's what this place feels like, so yeah, I can see it."
The angel stroked Dean's cheek, loving how his hunter thought.
"What I don't understand is how we got here."
"You mean you didn't bring us?"
"No, I haven't been able to cross to the Heavenly plane for many months."
There was a rumble that split the air, and instantly Cas' wings were wrapping protectively around Dean. There may have been creatures that knew of this place, but very few could actually enter it.
Suddenly, a voice that wasn't a voice in a pitch that was all pitches at once laughed. "Oh, my precious Castiel. I was beginning to fear you would never find your mission. But here you are." The ‘voice' seemed to smile as it spoke.
"Father?"
Dean squirmed in Castiel's wings, he couldn't see and could barely hear anything that was being said, other than knowing there was a conversation of some kind going on.
"Let the mortal go. Stubborn child that he is will wind up hurting one or both of you, otherwise."
Castiel did as his Father instructed, believing he would not command something that would hurt Dean.
"Dean, don't do anything... rash. Please?"
Before he was entirely released from the protection of Cas' wings, Dean was on the attack. "You, you're God?" he glared at the shapeless being.
"Yes."
Taking a deep breath, Dean launched into a tirade, "Where do you get off? You almost killed HIM! Never giving us any idea of how to help him, and you call yourself benevolent! UGGGGHHHHH!" Dean growl, he'd faced Lucifer more than once, and Zach... so he wasn't gonna let this uber-angel make him back down without answers.
The voice chuckled merrily, "You are a true wonder Dean Winchester. And I am glad Castiel choose you. As for not helping him, I gave you both everything you needed. You only had to see it and act upon it."
"Father?" Castiel asked as the pieces clicked into place in his mind.
"Yes, Castiel."
Cas smiled brightly, pleased, as if he'd been given the best gift in the Heavens.
"Cas?" Dean asked concerned and suddenly feeling like he'd missed the pivotal moment in a movie.
"This is my mission," he announced in wonderment.
"This?" Dean was no less confused.
Castiel took Dean in his arms, wrapping his wings around him once again, and kissed him. This time, deeply with all the passion of a fully powered Angel of the Lord. When he broke the kiss, he nuzzled Dean's ear repeating his words, this time huskily with an intent that an angel should not be familiar with, "This is my mission."
"Oh," Dean gulped as realization kicked in. "Um, should I apologize?"
Full rolls of laughter sprung from Castiel, "I believe He understands."
"Good."
Dean blushed before asking, "Any chance we could get back to what we were doing?"