Authors Note: I think turning Cas evil was total BULL. That's all I have to say about that. I just had to get this idea out of the way since it (and the season finale) seems to have stalled my other story 'When Our Prayers Go Unanswered' to a complete and utter halt. Even though I have the outline of the damn thing it just fried my muse and my plot bunny had to be buried in the backyard this morning. Forgive me for the major angst this story may bring. I was watching Constantine when I wrote it. Who ironically was the inspiration for Castiel's character in Supernatural. So let me know what you think. Enjoy, I hope.

Written: 22 May

Soundtrack: None

Word Count: 2700+

Category: Castiel

Content: NO SLASH. (God knows I read it though.) Violence and adult language. (Just warning those in advance who wish not to read such material.)

Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not possess any legal rights to anything to do with this series especially its characters. I'm sure we are all aware of that but this fact must always be noted due to this websites guidelines.

Genres: Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Family

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Bobby, Gabriel, Michael

Rating: T

ooo

Title: The Walls That Hold Can Set Us Free

Author: anonymous-unknown

Summary: Post 6.22 One-Shot, a 'What Happened Next'. Simply because the finale has me reeling from Cas becoming evil and I feel that it is total BS and my duty as a fanfiction writer to redeem our angel. What made Cas choose the option he ultimately took?

"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still."

Lao Tzu (604 B.C. – 531 B.C.)

ooo

"I'm your new God. A better one. So you will bow down, profess your love unto Me, Your Lord. Or I shall destroy you."

Sam, Dean and Bobby simply stood there gaping.

What were they going to do now? This wasn't Cas, at least not the one they knew. This was not the Cas Dean told once upon a time to never change.

This Castiel was simply a soul filled, power hungry replication of him. Of their once naïve and innocent angel. And worst of all, he was their friend, their family once. Dean let him know, told him that, hoping that it could get the angel to understand what he meant. How he felt. To somehow pull him out of whatever this was. And the only reply the angel gave back was that he no longer had a family.

Dean felt those words sink him.

Just looking into those eyes, the now cold, dark eyes. Dean couldn't understand what had turned Castiel this way. Why he did what he did. The trust he had in him was now pretty much shattered and Dean didn't know how to handle it. He knew that his recent attitude towards him probably had something to do with it, and he simply felt broken. The angel remained loyal to him even after Dean constantly pushed him away, and he wondered, maybe he had pushed the angel enough for him to take things this far. He knew that what he had said was wrong. What he had done was wrong. But he was trying to help him. Trying to get him to see what he was doing and what could come out of his actions. He was being a friend, even if the angel couldn't see that.

Dean just stared at him sadly, wondering what he could possibly do to help him. But it was too late. He could see that now. Castiel was corrupt, a lost cause now and the hunter felt nothing but pain. He had lost so much already. And now, he didn't have a choice but to obey his instinct, no matter how much hurt it would cause him.

His disheartening thoughts were interrupted however, when a flutter of wings and a familiar angel appeared behind the new God.

He recognized that cold stare immediately. He had last seen it stand up against Lucifer and the question he had burning in his head besides how it was even possible for him to be there, was why he was there.

"Gabriel." Castiel slowly turned around to face his brother, the look on his face a blank and unreadable stare. "Hello brother."

"Hey bro." The smirk he gave was small at first but his brow suddenly furrowed and his expression was quickly replaced by sheer anger and disgust.

"Gabriel. What are you doing here?" Castiel slowly took a few steps towards him, only to put just mere feet between them. "How are you even alive?"

"I think you know the answer to that question." Gabriel slowly pulled out his blade and gripped it tight in his right hand. "Maybe you should ask the real God."

Castiel eyed the angel sword and smirked quietly. "That blade won't work on me."

"It's custom made. Just for you. A gift from Dad." Gabriel tightened his grip around the hilt, a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Our Father is dead. I'm the new God."

"You know as well as I that that's not true." Gabriel said flatly. "I also know, that you're not Castiel. Are you."

Castiel made no expression. He simply tensed his shoulders ever so slightly, aggravation clear in his posture. Dean and Sam could only stare between the former angel and formally dead archangel. Bobby focused his attention on both hunters, their thoughts rummaging through their frail minds. Trying to understand what was unfolding before them. Sam simply looked at Gabriel standing just feet in front of him while Dean focused his attention on Castiel. Or not on Castiel as the archangel had pointed out. If this wasn't his angel, then who the Hell was it?

"I know it's not him." Gabriel sighed softly in sadness before his anger returned once again. "I can hear him screaming in there."

The only response he got from Castiel was a small grin tugging at the edge of his lips. Dean, Sam and Bobby could only continue to watch.

"So, begs the big question here." Gabriel could feel the sword growing hot in his grasp. "How did you get out of the cage…Michael."

The air around them suddenly felt intense, like gravity was weighing heavily down on them. Dean could literally feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the name of the archangel who was once meant to possess him rang through his head. How was this possible? How was it possible that he had even returned?

Before another word could even be said, the small sad sound of Sam's voice disrupted the silence.

"He killed Lucifer."

Dean and Bobby simply stared at him as a small smile creaked from the corner of Castiel's lips.

"You killed Lucifer, and you were set free."

Sam could only look at him as the memory of their battle flowed freely behind his eyes. All those memories of Hell that he himself had warned him of were seeping in his brain and remembering the sad look in Lucifer's eyes before Michael struck him down, Sam almost felt sorry. Sorry for the Devil who wanted nothing of the fight. A fight that he ultimately lost.

"How long have you been screwing with Cas you son of a bitch?" Dean snarled, taking in the look Sam had written all over his face. "Damn it HOW LONG?"

Michael waited a moment before even bothering to respond.

"Not long at all." He whispered, as he slowly turned back to Dean. "You see, Castiel here was starting to have some doubts so, he asked the only person he thought could give him any answers. He prayed to God."

The mimic on Michael's face only pissed Dean off more. Even though he claimed to be the most loyal towards God, he mocked the faith any other angel had towards their Father. It made Dean feel physically sick.

"And guess what? God didn't answer him. I did," he grinned. "And all it took was a little push, to get Castiel to give in."

He brought his attention back to Gabriel who had yet to move, the hilt around his blade glowing white hot against his palm.

"I'm gonna kill you."

"You can't kill God Dean. No one can."

"Yeah well, you're not God. You're just a dick. You screwed with Cas, so I'm gonna screw with you." Dean didn't know how but he suddenly found the strength to actually walk up to him even though he was well aware of what he was capable of, putting mere feet between the two. Sam and Bobby stared down at the older hunter as if he had lost his mind. Even Gabriel thought the same. "If you did anything, anything to hurt Cas then I swear to─"

"Castiel is dead." Michael interrupted, a look of abomination clear on his face before he smiled a hard grin again. It was nothing like the way Cas smiled, Dean thought. "Or at least, he will be." He turned his head to look at the youngest hunter. "Thanks to you Sam."

Dean suddenly froze in his steps and Sam just looked hurt at the archangels words.

"A stab in the back, literally; it's so sad it's almost poetic. Don't you think?" Michael taunted him. "As a matter of fact, I think you hurt his feelings. You too Dean." He looked back at him. "He was doing all of this for you. For you. And you didn't care."

Dean simply pulled back the guilt he could feel rising within him. "Cas, if you can hear me," Dean started, pleading that the angel locked inside could hear his words. "I'm so sorry."

"He can't hear you." Michael said cooly, clearly trying to upset him. "It doesn't matter anyway. No matter what you say to him, it's never going to make a difference." His next words entered Dean's veins like a burning venom. "He doesn't trust you anymore, Dean Winchester."

Dean nearly exploded in anger. It was bad enough toying with him and his friend and now he was toying with something greater than the friendship they had. Even though he knew that he had no power against him as a human, Dean knew that he wasn't going to let him take the last thing between he and Cas away that stood even the slightest chance. Dean still trusted him even if it didn't show, even after everything the two had been through. He hoped that the angel still felt the same.

"It doesn't matter." Gabriel said as he lifted his blade and Michael turned back around to face him. "I'm gonna take you out here and now. So that your ass can go back to the Pit you piece of shit."

Michael wasn't even amused. "You can try little brother, but I must warn you. If you attempt to release these souls then Castiel will perish with them as well. And considering his," He looked down at the wound still pooling around his stomach and down his shirt. "Current condition, it's pretty safe to say that he's done for."

Michael's mocking only caused every one of their angers to rage. Gabriel's especially was quickly becoming violent.

"If anyone is going to be God, it's going to be me."

Gabriel merely stared at him, the air around them quickly growing thicker. "Yeah well, not if I've got something to say about it."

Before anyone else could even flinch Gabriel (who in their eyes, was completely out of his mind to be fighting the newly God Michael) quickly lunged at him with his blade. Michael easily flew out of the way and threw Gabriel across the room like a rag doll, causing heavy destruction and the air to fill with choking dust.

Gabriel quickly got up, his grasp around the blade growing tighter as his adrenaline surged.

"Foolish little brother." Michael simply raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

The hunters waited for the bloody explosion but got nothing. Even Michael was surprised as Gabriel simply stood there smiling. "Sorry bro, but I got the real God on my side."

Michael grew furious and Gabriel flew towards him again, the blade swiftly lunging upwards towards Michael's chest. Again, Michael stopped him with a simple fling of his hand and pinned the archangel against the opposite wall.

"Do you honestly think you can defeat God," he said through gritted teeth. "You can join Lucifer dead in Hell."

"No, I can't defeat God." Gabriel said as he looked down and smirked. "But I can defeat you."

His last words came from behind and Michael quickly turned around to find Gabriel thrusting the tip of the blade into his chest, piercing his skin and temporarily paralyzing him. "You forget Michael." He grasped both hands around the hilt and thrust the blade in further. "I learned a few tricks from our brother. You should remember that."

With one final push Gabriel drove the remainder of the blade inwards and the room quickly filled with his screams, as well as the burning golden light. The power of the blade quickly drew out the millions upon millions of souls harbored inside of Castiel's vessel, leaving nothing behind. The building began to quake from the impact as the blade pulled out and all the souls were taken with it. Gabriel yelled at them to take care of Castiel as the force of the light and the sword grew stronger in his hands and the spirit of Michael was torn out as well. Gabriel quickly took hold of it, his grasp now tightly around Michael's throat and with that he disappeared, taking the souls and the archangel with him.

The last of the extraction faded out and the impact of the attack slowly dissipated along with the blinding light.

Sam, Dean and Bobby slowly uncovered their eyes and looked toward Castiel, the deathly pale angel simply standing there slightly swaying and staring down at the floor with dull blue eyes.

"Cas?"

Dean slowly walked up to him, the angel making no movements except to huff in weak breaths, the blood from his mouth slowly dripping down his chin.

Castiel's knees gave way and he landed hard on them. Dean immediately ran up to him and caught him before he could completely fall face first into the floor. Sam and Bobby quickly crowded them as well, the reality of Castiel's condition quickly unfolding as he coughed up a small amount of blood onto Dean's right shoulder.

Dean tightly grasped the man's waist, the warm sticky blood flowing from his back quickly covering his palm and seeping through his fingers.

The angel only wheezed in a breath from the touch, the pain it caused clearly evident through his half lidded eyes.

Dean looked down to his side where a large pool started to form by his knee. The exit wound was just as gruesome and the hunter held onto the angel tighter, the heavy flow of blood now staining the front of his shirt. He was immediately brought back to the moment where Sam first died, stabbed in the back as well, and the fear he experienced as his brother lay dying in his arms. It was the night he made the deal and it was probably the moment that ultimately brought the two of them into each other's lives.

Dean never imagined history repeating itself like this.

The angel literally trembled in his embrace as Dean continued to grasp his hand tightly against the hole in his back. He had already lost Sam the same way. Even if it sounded selfish, he was going to redeem himself that moment now with Cas. He would not let it end the same way. He would die to save any one of his loved ones, but not today. Dean wasn't going to have to face that today.

"It's okay Cas." Dean whispered softly. "I gotcha. I gotcha, everything's gonna be okay."

The words being exchanged between Sam and Bobby were a complete blur to both Dean's and Castiel's minds and the hunter barely processed them until he could hear Sam rushing up the stairs and Bobby telling him to hurry. He assumed that his brother was getting a car to get them the hell out of there, as he continued to hold onto the angel. Bobby carefully took his hand and wrapped it around Castiel's wrist, feeling the cold clammy skin that shook underneath it. Bobby had pretty much forgiven the angel after what had happened to Robin, knowing that the torture she had been put through was more than likely not under his influence.

Bobby simply put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay son. We're gonna take care of you alright?"

If Castiel heard the old drunks words, he made no indication of doing so. The only thing he gave in return was a lone tear falling down his left cheek and a faint whisper falling through painful, forced breaths. "I'm not an angel…anymore."

Bobby simply froze at the young man's broken words and Dean only tightened his embrace, the words spoken softly against his neck sending piercing jolts of cold down his spine. That, and the fact that his angel was quickly falling into shock from everything he had been through, only made him grasp onto his faith that much stronger.

"Don't worry about it Cas. We're gonna fix it." Dean's voice softly cracked, the threat of tears wanting to fall freely as much as the blood of his friend did between his now heavily stained fingers. "I promise you were gonna fix it."

Castiel huffed out two barely audible words as he closed his eyes and let more tears fall. "Thank you."

The next few moments between them remained in silence.

Dean didn't care that he wasn't God or that he wasn't an angel anymore, or even that Castiel was entirely human now. So long as he got his friend. He got his Cas back, they got their brother back.

And that was all Dean gave a damn about right now.

The End…I think

Authors End Note: I know that I never continued on to see if Cas lived or not because let's face it, he was bleeding to death so, I'm thinking that I may need to go just one more chapter on this to fill in the couple of loop holes. What do you guys think?