Chapter 9: Shield of Betrayal – Unwanted Advice

Castiel tried to focus on transporting himself to Heaven's Door, an entrance only the Garrison soldiers could use in times of trouble. Try as he might though, he couldn't even start flying there, despite the presence of his wings. His wings moved in annoyance and he focused again on leaving Bobby's place.

The sounds of wings flapping alerted him to the presence of another Angel and he grimaced at the thought of having to fight an Archangel so soon after their close brush with Samahia. He turned and was shocked to see Anna standing there, an amused grin on her mousey face.

"I see the rumours were true then," she smirked and Castiel groaned at how bad news spread like wildfire in the Garrisons.

"What do you want, Barachiel?" Castiel's tone was unintentionally harsher than he expected, but she had bad timing in seeing his struggles. Barachiel shrugged off her former subordinate's question and she walked around the living room, taking in the unkempt state of the place with amusement.

"When I was living with my parents, my mother always told me to clean my room," she turned to face Castiel. "If she were still alive and here, this room would have been the death of her, not some freak accident."

Her finger brushed off some dust that clung to one of the books stored on a broken bookshelf. She had never seen anything this messy before and if she were Anna again, she would literally have thrown up at the sight of broken beer bottles everywhere, the stench of alcohol stinging her nostrils. Yet she did not come to berate Castiel on his choice of having messy friends. She had grave news to tell him and most of it Castiel already knew. It was just going to be hard hearing it from a former superior officer. She let out a heavy sigh and proceeded in doing what she set out to do.

"Michael is Father's right hand," Barachiel started to say, "and if he is in the battle, then nothing will stop the events from unfolding. Sam and Dean will be on the opposite ends of the battlefield. Dean taken in as a meatsuit by Michael. You know what happens when an Archangel takes a vessel. Michael is a lot stronger than Raphael and Dean will be lost forever."

"You think I don't know that?"

Frustration welled up inside Castiel and he began to worry about Dean. He can't let Michael take him! Even if it is to win the war, Dean must not be taken!

"And he won't be if you do as I say," Barachiel interrupted his thoughts rather coldly and Castiel glared at the Angel, something he would never have done before this whole Winchester fiasco started. Barachiel grew concerned at how quickly Castiel was becoming human and she mourned his fall. Yet, at the same time, she herself knew that there was something more to just following orders and she felt it in her heart that Castiel was right in taking Dean's side.

"Archangels can't take a vessel that has been taken by another angel."

"I am already possessing a vessel," Castiel pointed out.

"That's not what I meant,"

Castiel could be so dense sometimes and she had to deal with him for four millennia. She sighed and said it slowly,

"You have to become one with him,"

"No. No, I can't do that to him. He doesn't even…No." Castiel shook his head, wanting to deny what Barachiel was suggesting. In all the years of watching over his charge, Castiel had never seen Dean couple with another man. It had always been females. Always.

"If you don't do this, you will lose him."

"There has to be another way."

"Just like there's another way of finding Father? No, Castiel, there is no other way."

She loved her brother, but again, he can be so single-minded, so focused on one thing that it blocks all other possibilities. Perhaps that is why Father specifically chose him to watch over Dean. She had never experienced the wonders of her Father but she knew that He was there, watching over all of his children. When she was out on a reconnaissance mission, news of Castiel's talk with Father came to her on fast wings and in a flutter of gossip. From the jumble of angelic songs, she could make out that Castiel was personally told by Father to look out for Dean. But why had He talked to him? He was just a foot soldier, an excellent one but a common soldier nonetheless. She wasn't jealous. Angels couldn't feel anything except the supposed devotion to their Father and a righteous ire to their demonic brethren. However, she felt something stir in the depths of her grace and after she fell, she had to come realize that the feeling at the time was indeed jealousy. Now though, she almost felt sorry for her brother.

A low moan was uttered and the two beings that glared at each other suddenly looked into the direction of the moan. Barachiel saw her brother race to the elder Winchester's side and she could see how tender he was to him. The way he rubbed his thumb across Dean's cheeks and how he would look longingly at him. She approached the two but was stopped by Castiel's stern glare.

"Look at him, Castiel," Barachiel attempted to sound authoritative, "he may be weak, he may be human, but at least he's Dean. If Michael gets a hold of him, you will still see Dean, but you won't be able to feel him, to interact with him just like you are now. Would that be worth it? Would this be worth to win the war? Think about it, Castiel. When you make a decision, you should talk to Gabriel,"

Castiel's head whipped around at the mention of the Archangel. Gabriel was notorious for doing whatever Father wanted to do, but in his own way. He was also well-known for being so antisocial that even the other Archangels have started to avoid him. There was a saying in the Garrison that talking to Gabriel was akin to being tortured by Alistair, a high-level demon with a penchant for torture.

"Why should Gabriel care about the going ons of man? He never expressed such interest before," Castiel asked his sister and he was a little unsettled to see some confusion cloud over her pale features. Barachiel rarely looked confused.

"You're wrong, Castiel," she replied in a sad tone, "Gabriel had always been interested in humanity, although not in a healthy way."

Castiel felt his human charge shift underneath his hand and he peered down at Dean, to see if he was waking up. Dean's eyes fluttered open and Castiel saw the jaw being clenched. It appeared as if Dean was in pain. He sorely wished that he could take his pain away, like he used to before. He wasn't allowed to heal without Father's permission but there were no rules against comforting a human charge.

Anna stepped closer to the bed, now ignoring Castiel's warning glance. She placed a hand on the man's chest and Castiel saw the wounds close up, the bruises disappearing into the skin, leaving behind unblemished skin.

"He will sleep into the night without nightmares. I have to go now, brother," Anna said and Castiel was shocked that he could see her thousand wings expanding outside of her vessel. "Gabriel will come to you if you call for him. You have always been his favourite."

What is that supposed to mean? Castel had never met Gabriel first of all and he was the Archangel's favourite? Before he could ask Anna what she meant by her remark, she disappeared in a flutter of wings. Now he knew how Dean felt whenever he pulled off that move. Speaking of Dean, he would have to find a way to 'persuade' Dean into doing a certain thing. The question is not how though, but would Dean hate him for it, especially if the hunter didn't like him in that odd human way.