Dean, Sam, Bobby, and Castiel were standing over the grave, staring at the smoldering ashes. Large drops of warm summer rain plunked against their skin and the ground.

Wham!

The demon smashed into Sam before anyone could react. Five others quickly followed. Apparently, they were smarter than most, because the first thing they tried to accomplish was tying Castiel's hands together before he could smite them. He was pinned down by three demons while the other two took on Dean and Bobby. Sam was already deep in combat with the first assaulter. He was trying to shout an exorcism, but obviously it wasn't going very well.

It took only moments for Dean's eye to develop a bruise, and for Bobby's lip to split. Sam's face was covered in blood. Castiel was stronger than just about every demon, but three at once weren't easy. He was trying to tell the others to shut their eyes so he could burn the demons with his heavenly presence, but his "opponents" were making it difficult for him to speak, trying to shove cloth into his mouth.

A chrome something flashed over the lead demon's skin, and blood oozed from the cut. A small, delicate hand grabbed the gnarly forehead. In a bright flash of light, the demon that had been attacking Sam crumpled to the ground. The younger Winchester sank to his knees in exhaustion.

There came a lot of skin-on-skin noises as a small girl with a long brown braid—who couldn't have been more than five-foot-two—attacked the demons on Castiel. She took all three on at once. Expertly subduing and smiting them, they all ended on the ground. A whirl of her braid and she was on top of Bobby's demon—as she assumed Dean could take care of his pretty well until she managed to get to it—and smashing him into the soft earth of the cemetery. Castiel watched her with his eyebrows contracted, like he was confused. She was fierce and almost brutal; but most of all swift. One arm locked Dean's demon in a headlock and the other hand grabbed the forehead. One last flash of light, and the last demon crumpled to the ground in a dead heap.

The girl's eyes were a disturbingly pale gray. She twisted one last time and knelt next to Castiel. A flash of the silver stiletto of a blade that had disappeared into her sleeve and the bonds on his hands were lying on the ground, limp as the demon bodies around them. She stood and offered the trench-coated angel her hand. Castiel took it and allowed her to help him up.

A flash of lightning from the incoming storm showed a brief shadow of her wings lashing the air triumphantly.

Castiel wrapped his arms around the girl's shoulders, hugging her. Dean cocked his head in confusion. The blue-eyed angel wasn't exactly Huggy Bear. He was even more confused when Castiel planted a kiss in the brown hair. "You're not as I remember you Azariah," he remarked, holding her at arm's length to examine her. The gray-eyed angel smirked almost sadly.

"I grew up," she replied. Her voice was desolate.

Castiel smiled sadly. "You promised me you would never grow up," he said.

"Didn't have a choice after the only friend I had—after the only angel I looked up to and was kind to me—rebelled and got himself cast out. And I don't blame you for it. I know why you did it. But a little warning would have been nice. So I could have braced to spend the next year all alone."

"I am sorry," Castiel murmured. He sounded genuinely like he meant it.

"Okay. Sorry to break up this happy little reunion, but what in Hades is going on?" Bobby demanded. Castiel turned and wrapped one arm around "Azariah's" shoulders.

"Sam, Dean, Bobby, this is Azariah. She's the youngest angel in the host. She was in my garrison. Azariah, this is Sam and Dean Winchester, and Bobby Singer. They're the friends I—"

"I know why you rebelled, Cas. And it all makes sense to me now. It's okay." She gave him a hug.

"Why does she have emotions?" Dean whispered to Sam. The younger Winchester shrugged.

"She's the youngest?" Sam suggested. "She's… a girl?"

"We need to get out of here, it's not safe," said girl was telling Castiel and Bobby right as the Winchester brothers tuned back into the conversation. "And then I need a quick word with my brother—alone." Castiel shrugged and in a moment they were all back in Bobby's living room. Dean instantly went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of brown bottles. Castiel looked down at Azariah's Vessel out of the corner of his eye. She was small. Nothing higher than five-two.

"Should we go somewhere else to talk?" the older angel asked. Azariah nodded briefly.

The wheat field was several miles away from Bobby's home in South Dakota, and remote enough that no one would—hopefully—hear them. "What do you want to speak with me about?" Castiel asked. Azariah took a deep, cleansing breath and sighed heavily.

"I want to tell you what happened after you left."

"O… 'kay?"

Azariah's hands curled into fists. "Do you know how many times I considered rebelling just so I would be cast out and not have to be alone anymore?" she ground out through clenched teeth. Castiel's hand prepped to let his blade fall into it should his baby sister turn violent. She had amazing control over her own wrath, but he had seen her fight. Heavens, he had taught her how to fight. He had trained her. And by her show only minutes ago, he had done his job well.

Still, her statement confused him. "You would be even more alone here on Earth without the entire host to look after you," he pointed out.

Gray eyes rolled sarcastically. "The entire host doesn't care about me. The only angel that ever showed me any kindness was you. And suddenly you ripped yourself out of my life, and I was left completely on my own."

"I've told you I'm sorry."

"And I've told you I forgive you, and I have. But I'm not finished yet."

"Alright. Go on."

"The first few weeks were normal. Nothing happened. It was like you had never left. Even though the Apocalypse was starting, it was like the past four or five thousand years. I know you're a lot older than me, but it was like nothing had changed. As the end of Earth began to pick up momentum, things started getting worse. Orders started flying, but none of them were for me. The entire host forgot I was even there. They forgot a garrison captain trained me and I knew how to handle what was going on. As Michael started getting angrier and angrier at Dean's persistent refusal, the host started getting agitated. Myself included. But I was forgotten. Shoved into the corner. At some point I was stepped on when I tripped. Broke my wing."

"I didn't realize it was that bad. You should have contacted me."

"I couldn't. You were cast out. I couldn't find you. Or the Winchesters."

"That one's my fault. I hid them from all angels with an Enochian sigil carved into their ribs," Castiel offered. Azariah shrugged. The older angel saw a shadow of her wings whispering through the air. Unlike his—which were broad and powerful—hers were slimmer. Made for speed.

"I kind of figured that out when not even Michael could find them." She smiled. "But, Cas. I was so alone. So rejected. I had no one. I was ignored—and even when I was acknowledged it was with an angry scowl and a dark glare. Because I'm the baby of the family and always get in the way—in their eyes." Her voice was bitter and angry, but her emotions were still in check.

"I still don't understand why you wanted to rebel."

"Because then I wouldn't be alone, Castiel!"

"You would be more alone on Earth than you would have been in Heaven," he pointed out, again. And again Azariah rolled her Vessel's gray eyes.

"I would have been with you," she pressed. "I'd rather be on Earth, a reject with a friend and brother, than be accepted in Heaven with the entire host, and absolutely no one at the same time." Her eyes were glistening with sincerity. "I would have been with you Castiel."

"You know that almost sounds romantic?" a new voice remarked. Azariah whirled around to see Dean picking his way through the swaying wheat.

"What are you doing here?" Azariah demanded.

"Well, I wasn't planning on listening," the older Winchester remarked. "I was looking for a box Bobby said he stored out here, but I heard you guys talking and figured I'd come say hi." He gave her a charming smile her eyes narrowed dangerously at. He took the hint from the gleam of violence in those narrowed gray pools. "But you two obviously aren't done, so I'm just gonna go over… that way." He pointed to his left with his right hand and tromped off through the grain.

"If you were so horribly treated… why did you stay?" Castiel asked.

"Duty? Obligation? Maybe I was hoping you'd be accepted back into the ranks and everything could go back to the way it was. I don't know. Pick one." She shrugged. "But I was about two ticks away from getting myself thrown out when you… you know… exploded." Castiel pulled her close and kissed her hair softly, as if it could make her pain from the past year vanish.

"But I was put back together again," he reminded her.

"I know. And you have no idea how grateful I am for that." He thought he felt two hot tears soak through his shirt, but angels didn't cry. And Azariah had made it her goal in life to never cry. But when she pulled away from his hug, there were salt tracks on her face. He brushed at one.

"I thought you were never going to cry," he said. She smiled through the tears.

"You have no idea at how relieved I am to have my brother back," she murmured, burying her head back into his chest.

"We probably ought to get back to the others," Castiel pointed out after simply holding her for several long moments that he didn't quite want to end. Azariah nodded, her cheekbone rubbing against him. She was definitely the youngest of the host. But she had more emotion than any of them, and what could be considered attachment issues. Castiel had often considered her best quality to be her unfailing loyalty. No wonder she'd stayed with the others when she wanted so desperately to join him.

"Okay."

Castiel touched her cheek, erasing the salt stains. With a flutter of wings, they were standing behind Bobby's desk.

"Hello Sam," Castiel greeted. "Dean still in the field?"

"How did you know that's where he was?" Bobby asked from the fridge.

"He happened upon us whilst we were talking," Azariah put in.

End Note: Hello! This story is a setup, based in a slightly AU season 6, for a SuperWhoLock fic I'm writing, and I needed to introduce a major character. I hope you like it. This chapter is a little longer than most of the others will be.

On another note: Castiel was so dark in Season 6 and sad that I wanted to give him a little light. That's where Azariah (as-are-eye-uh) comes from. I don't have an older brother myself, but I always think it's cute when the older brother is portrayed as being protective of their younger sister. I think it's freaking adorable. And I think Castiel is freaking adorable, so it worked perfectly! Feel free to tell me what you thought, but try to be nice - I've never done a Supernatural fic before!

THANKS!

~Cass