Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural! (no matter how many times I ask for it for Christmas (and my birthday, and Halloween, and st. Patrick's day, and Easter.))

Notes: I always thought Gabriel was Micheal's second in command. And Sam was never seen under the street lamp in front of Lisa's house.

Be warned, this is a one-shot...unless people like it then I can expand it more.

By Mikkal

"Dean."

The Hunter—no, correction ex-Hunter—looked up, startled to the point of his eyes being blown wide and their color draining to a pale green. No matter how blank he kept his face, the angel though fondly, his eyes always told the world was he was really feeling—it just had to know how to decode them.

Dean shot to his feet, leaping from the couch that he was trying to relax on while Lisa and Ben were out shopping. The angel knew this, he didn't want to come it at the wrong time. "Castiel? What, what are you doing here?"

If he was known for it Castiel would have frowned at the use of his full name by his closest friend. Instead he stood there, still trying to find a way to break (and ask) this new piece of information to Dean. "I have come with a...proposition."

"A proposition?" Dean's eyes faded to that dead green they've been since Hell opened up and his entire life jumped in. "What kind?"

There was suspicion in his voice, understandable. The angels (and demons) have done nothing but use him ever since the beginning of his life, even before—at the beginning of time, really. He was suppose to be finished trying not to follow their orders and living a normal life, just like his brother wanted him to do.

"We have a problem...in heaven." Might as well not 'beat around the bush.'

Dean collapsed back on the couch, "A problem?" He ran a hand down his face, "Cas," Castiel brightened at the use of his nickname, "I'm done with problems, of any supernatural kind. Find someone else."

"You have the four Rings of the Horsemen."

The human looked at him, "The three Ring's of the Horsemen, actually."

Well, that threw Castiel off. "What do you mean you only have three of them?"

Dean spread himself out. "As in, I gave Death back his Ring. Nice guy, kinda creepy."

"Very well, you have three Rings of the Horsemen," Castiel took a deep breath, anyone who didn't know him would say he was nervous, but he wasn't, he was bracing himself for the explosion about to come. "Michael's in Hell with his brother." With your brother.

"So?" Dean was trying his hardest not to flinch at that last sentence, that much was very clear. "That just makes you the big cheese up there now. The stopper of the Apocalypse, the killer of that dick, Uriel. Doesn't that mean anything to you angels up there?"

He let a ghost of a smile appear on his face, "The first one, yes. The second one, not many angels are happy with me for killing one of the funniest angels in my garrison, which made him the funniest angel in all of heaven."

The Winchester rolled his eyes, "Right, back to that. I still can't believe how sucky your sense of humor is."

The perfect time.

"Would you like to be the funniest angel in all of heaven?"

Dean shot up to his feet again, his eyes pale green but not the paleness of being startled, the paleness of being surprised, "Angel say what now?" And of just looking for confirmation.

"Angel says, 'Would you like to be the funniest angel in all of heaven?" Oh, Castiel was probably having to much fun with this, but how often was he going to be able to see the utter shock written on Dean Winchester's face?

The ex-Hunter narrowed his eyes, "Are you...are you asking me to be a...an angel?"

Castiel shook his head, earning a sigh of relief from Dean. "No, I am not asking you to be just an angel. I am asking you to be an Arch Angel, to take Michael's place in the hierarchy of heaven."

"Michael's place...in heaven?" Dean's jaw dropped and he was speechless, but the inevitable was yet to come. "You've gotta be friggin' kidding me!" He exploded, almost literally. "After all what you dicks have done I am not going to be working for you!"

"Dean, Dean," Castiel stuffed his ear with his pinky, pretending to be fixing it (and who says he didn't gain anything human while watching over Dean?). "Please stop shouting. And you wouldn't be working for us, we would be working for you. Michael was the most powerful being in heaven, under God, of course, and you would gain all of his power and abilities."

"Michael's powers?" Okay, that might have not been the smartest thing, implying that Dean could use an Arch Angel's powers to save his brother from Lucifer's prison.

"I know what you're thinking, Dean." Aforementioned man shot him a look that said 'oh really?'. "But even with those powers you cannot save Sam, I'm sorry."

His eyes brightened, "But I can at least try, right?"

"Please, don't get your hopes up."

Then, all of a sudden his eyes were dead again. "I don't get it, why do you want me to take Michael's place. Angels don't like me, demons don't like me, I ruined everyone's plans."

"Dean, it is not only I who want you as heaven's Arch Angel." Castiel placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. "God does, as well."

He shoved him off, "Didn't I say I was going to go after God next?" Yes, he did say that. "And how can you be so sure He wants me up there with all you 'pure beings?' Haven't I caused enough trouble as it is? He doesn't want me corrupting all of you."

The angel placed a hand over his heart, "Does that make me corrupted? I have been with you the entire time, you haven't caused trouble for me."

"Kicked out of heaven, lost the angel mojo, killed, loose angel mojo in future," Dean put up a finger for every point he made, "Killed two angel buddies, Hurt Michael, and killed again. That's seven things pointing to one thing: I. Am. Trouble."

"I will force you to be an Arch Angel if I have to." And hopefully I won't have to.

"Oh, now you can force people to be angels?" Dean crossed his arms. "How holy."

"Dean."

"I hate you."

"I know, but please." Castiel put on a pleading look, "You are the only being in the world, in heaven or hell, who is the perfect one for this position. Every angel agrees that you hold something more than what they can comprehend. What you are is so rare that even my Father has never seen your kind."

Dean sighed, "If I say no will you leave me alone?"

"If you say no then I will come back over and over again until you say yes." Castiel tried the hand thing again, thankful when Dean didn't try to shove it off. "This isn't like giving Michael consent. You have free will over this decision."

"It doesn't sound like it."

"That's because I'm making it that way." He smiled at the confused look. "I have been given orders to ask but not force."

All through their conversation—argument—Dean had been angled slightly away from him but now he faced the angel head on. "Why? Why do you want me to be in heaven so bad?"

"Because you are my friend, and you are hurting." Pain flashed across the ex-Hunter's face. "I want to help you heal."

"Why not just heal me?"

Castiel grinned, "Something tells me you would not like that very much."

To his great delight, he got a receiving grin. "And here I thought you didn't know me at all."

"Dean, will you?"

Dean searched his eyes for something, what? He didn't know. "I want to save Sammy."

He nodded, "I understand, you can be given all the freedom you want pursuing that goal, I will even help."

"And I want..." Dean paused, at a struggle to find words. "If I'm going to be Michael's equivalent then I want you to be Gabriel's equivalent. My second-in-command."

"I would be honored."

He looked uncomfortable, "Do we, uh, have to do a ceremony or ritual making me an Arch Angel and you my second-in-command?"

Castiel's shoulders shook, "No. We just need to go to heaven and 'poof' you are an angel."

"Whoa." Dean got a goofy grin on his face. "I thought I'd never have to hear that." He stopped for a moment and dug into his pant's pocket. "What did any of this have to do with these?" In his hand were the three Rings of the Horsemen he kept—War, Famine, and Pestilence.

"With those rings, you're even more powerful than Micheal could ever be." More powerful than Micheal could ever dream of. "If you still had Death's then you would be someone at the top of the list to smite."

"Cool."

The walls began to shake, a glow coming from nowhere—or so it seemed. Castiel looked at his friend. "Are you ready?"

Dean looked unsure, but nodded anyway. "I am."

He smiled at him and an equal one was returned. One step closer to healing.

They began to fade away when Dean popped the ultimate question (second to ultimate). "Does this mean they have to rewrite the Bible?"