He thought he would be prepared for the inevitable, but when it happened, Castiel panicked. He'd stayed with Hannah, held her in his arms, felt her slowly slipping away all night. But somewhere close to dawn, her heart finally stopped, her breath stilled, and Castiel tried to deny it all.

He shook her, calling her name, over and over again. He laid her down on her back, leaning over her on the bed, shaking her shoulders, willing her to wake up.

"No, don't do this to me," he begged desperately as he peered into her pale, ashen face. "Hannah… Hannah!"

He knew it was in vain, he knew she was gone, but he couldn't let himself believe it. He refused to accept it. He let himself fall forward, laying his head on her torso, and just zoned out. He felt numb to the world as if he was no longer in his own body. It was if he had just shut himself down, unable to move, to see, to be aware of the world around him, except for the feeling of the soft fabric of her gown, and her body underneath him.

As Castiel lay there, at the very depth of despair, drowning under the sea of grief and sorrow that seemed to be swallowing him up, he almost didn't feel the twitch underneath him. It didn't register in his mind until he felt it again, stronger now.

Puzzled and hoping against all hopes, breath caught in his throat, he lifted himself up to gaze into her face. There was nothing. No movement… except for the slight glow in her skin. Castiel wasn't sure at first until…

Suddenly the familiar blue light of angelic grace erupted from her body, surrounding her in the brilliant illuminance as it started in her torso and quickly engulfed her. And then suddenly, she was sitting up, light shining out of her eyes as she took in a deep breath.

Castiel could hardly believe this miraculous turn of events. As the grace faded, Hannah was sitting there in front of him, completely healed. The color returned to her face as she looked down at herself, then at him.

"Hannah?" he said reluctantly, wondering if he was dreaming, if this was somehow his imagination, or if this was really happening.

Hannah only responded by smiling at him. "Castiel…" she murmured. "My grace it's… recovered."

"Completely?" he stammered, his voice raw. She shook her head.

"No," she said thoughtfully. "Not completely. But enough. I healed myself. I'm an angel again."

"I saw you… die…" he told her, looking away, the painful emotions still raw. "Felt you…"

"It wasn't me," Hannah replied. She glanced down at her casted arm and tried to pull it off. Castiel moved to help her, yanking the casting off of her arm and her leg and watching as she stretched the limbs as if trying them out for the first time. He waited for her attention to return to him.

"During the worst of my fevers I lost control over my vessel," she said. "But I was still locked inside of her. I didn't have the strength to leave her; I was trapped."

Castiel winced as he realized then what had happened. "Caroline…"

"When I could no longer protect her from the illness, she suffered so much. We were both trapped inside her body." Hannah sighed. "I realized she wasn't going to make it, so she gave me her permission to remain and I just… waited. It was…" Hannah looked down, her lip quivering slightly.

Castiel gripped her on the shoulder comfortingly. She winced, glancing at him with tears filling her big eyes.

"I could do nothing to help her," she said, sucking in a tearful breath. "I could just watch her suffer… die… it was so terrible, Castiel… I was in her mind, and she was so frightened…"

Castiel pulled Hannah into his arms, holding her tight as she wept into his shoulder. He held her quivering body and thought of his own vessel, Jimmy. What he had been put through and it made Castiel feel guilty to believe he hadn't treated Jimmy with kindness when he was alive, inside of him. He realized that Hannah and Caroline had formed a bond through their torture and that the angel had bravely endured the worst of it to shield Caroline, but when her strength gave out, she was no longer able to protect the woman whose body she shared.

"It's just me in here now," Hannah sobbed into Castiel's shoulder. "I'm alone."

"At least you were there with her in her final moments," Castiel told her as she sat up, her eyes red and watery. "She didn't have to die alone."

"And you…" Hannah stammered in between breaths. "I heard you… and she did too."

Castiel clenched his jaw a little at that. Hannah had been in there the whole time, trapped by her own human vessel, listening to him beg for her. "Then you heard what I said…" Hannah nodded.

"I didn't think I could enlist such emotions from another angel," she said softly as she brushed the tears out of her eyes. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused."

"Trouble?" Castiel squinted at her, flabbergasted. "I'm the one who should be sorry, Hannah. What you did for me… what it cost you. I don't deserve it."

Hannah only responded by moving back into his arms, snaking her arms around him and holding on for dear life. And he squeezed her tightly as if he could convey to her all the emotions by pressing her body against his.

They stayed like that for a while, locked in one another's embrace, Castiel was just happy she was alive. He'd held her, thinking she had died in his arms, and preparing himself for the pain of having to live on without her. As he thought on it all, he couldn't remember when he'd let these feelings become so intense. In all reality, he'd only known her for a year, and it had taken this trauma for him to realize that perhaps the feelings had been there all along, but he had denied them because he didn't know how to face them.

After a long moment, Hannah sat up again and met his eyes with hers. He looked at her with all the seriousness and sincerity he felt. "I'm sorry about before," he said. "About the things I said. And I'm sorry that I ignored your feelings so much that you felt you needed to act… to make me see."

"Your grace is still fading," she said, concern on her face. "What I gave you won't hold out forever."

"It doesn't matter," Castiel explained, holding up a hand before she could try to offer what little she had left. "I won't let this happen again. I can't. I almost lost you; I won't risk that again."

"But you-"

"Hannah," he warned, gazing into her eyes. "You've made me want to live. I know I ignored your concerns before because I wanted to die. I deserved it for everything I've done to those I care about, to Earth, to Heaven… I thought it was a fitting punishment."

"And now?"

"I still don't think I deserve to live," he said honestly. "But I never thought another angel would care enough to do what you did for me. And you've made me realize that I still have something to live for here. If anything, just to explore… this…" he leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers, closing his eyes, savoring the gentle sensations of the kiss.

Castiel broke the kiss and cupped her face in both of his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I love you, Hannah," he said. "I've never felt sensations quite like this. The fear I felt when I realized that man had you, the grief I felt when I thought I lost you, I've never hurt like that before. I know if we continue like this I could risk feeling it again."

"And so could I," she said, frowning at the prospect. "If you die..."

"I can't guarantee I won't," Castiel replied. "If not from this then something else. We're angels, Hannah. Soldiers."

"I know," she nodded. "And the mission comes first, always."

"Yes," Castiel agreed. "But… I can promise you that if you are willing to risk it… this love thing… then so am I. It seems… pleasant. The humans seem to think highly of it."

She answered by kissing him again, deeply, passionately, and lovingly.

After a few tender moments, Hannah broke the kiss and took notice of the room, as if for the first time. Her eyes roamed over all the things Castiel had brought her. On the nightstand was the vase of flowers, which were seemingly still brilliantly blooming. Nearby was the cart upon which were a few empty bowls and mugs, cough syrup, and an empty Slurpee cup. Hannah glanced down at herself and noted the pretty silk nightgown she was wearing.

"You got all of these things for me?" she questioned. He shrugged and nodded.

"Charlie suggested they'd help and I wanted to care for you." He reached behind him and retrieved the stuffed tiger which was wedged in between pillows, and handed it to her. She took it and looked it over.

"I like this the best," she said. "But I don't know if they will allow it in heaven."

Castiel frowned at that. "You want to go back?" Hannah looked away for a moment before turning to him.

"What I experienced… it haunts me," she said. "I'm not sure I want to be among humans forever. But…" she looked conflicted.

"I'd understand if you want to go back," Castiel said, feeling a familiar tightness in his chest as he saw where this might be heading. "Heaven needs you."

"Heaven needs you too," she insisted. She thought about her options then looked at him. "You are stuck here on Earth because you feel an obligation to humans. And I want to be with angels; I want to be home. Is there something in between my life and yours?"

"Perhaps," he said. "I've always walked a line between heaven and Earth, ever since I met the Winchesters. If you can endure being labeled a rebel by your own people, having them hate you, you are welcomed to join me on my tight line."

Hannah smirked. "I want to be where you are," she agreed. "Halfway between heaven and Earth. Working for humans and for angels. Whether they see it or not."

Castiel couldn't believe how happy that made him feel. Knowing she'd stay with him come what may, whatever the humans or the angels had for them. He'd never have to be the lone angel again.

"Come," he said, getting off the bed and offering her his hand. "Charlie and the Winchesters will be happy to see you."

"Charlie has been a comfort," Hannah said as Castiel brought her the thin white bathrobe he'd gotten her. She glanced over at the flowers again. "How have those flowers continued to bloom?"

"Because I healed them," Castiel replied. "I wanted you to be able to look at their beauty when you needed to."

Hannah smiled and took his hand as they walked out the door. When they came into the main hall, they found Sam and Dean sitting at the main table with Charlie, all wearing long faces. Charlie saw them first and gasped causing the Winchesters to whirl around to face them.

"Cas," Dean looked flabbergasted. "What…"

"I'm well," Hannah explained as she looked around at the three dumbfounded faces. "My grace healed me at the last moment. But it couldn't save Caroline."

Charlie rushed over and pulled Hannah into a tight hug. "You scared the shit out of us, girl!" she exclaimed. Hannah cocked her head in confusion at that statement.

"You mean I scared you so much that you-"

"Err, a figure of speech," Charlie quickly corrected herself. "I'm just glad to see you. Hey, that means we can finish our marathon, right?"

Hannah nodded, and Castiel watched the two women interact as Charlie draped an arm around Hannah's shoulders. Charlie paused only to glance at Castiel. "Don't worry Cas; I won't steal your girlfriend."

It was Castiel's turn to cock his head in confusion. "I don't understand," he said, trying to figure out if she was being serious, that she was going to kidnap Hannah, or if this was another one of those human jokes he didn't always understand.

"Hey we're glad you're going to be okay, Hannah," Sam pointed out. "Cas here was a mess without you."

"Yeah it was pathetic, really," Dean teased. "Hey, so how long are you going to be staying at the bunker?"

Castiel and Hannah exchanged glances with one another, then smiled. Hannah turned to Dean, "eternity," she replied simply before Charlie ushered her down the hall, the two women disappearing into one of the bedrooms.

Dean and Sam exchanged confused looks before turning to Castiel for an explanation. "Eternity," the angel repeated before heading for the bunker exit, leaving the Winchesters in his wake. Coming up onto the prairie, he gazed around at the fields around him and took in a deep inhale of breath. Eternity wasn't looking so bad anymore.

The End