"It has come to our attention, brother that you have become dangerously, and, it has to be said, intimately involved with your charge."

Castiel cast his eyed downwards to the earth, where Dean, his Dean was facing his life alone and unprotected. The angel said nothing, holding the hunter in his thoughts and refusing to be convinced of his sin. His brothers surrounded him, disapproval and sadness expressed in their voices.

Suddenly his soul was ripped towards the earth, and they were travelling with him, conjuring their mortal vessels, appearing before him on the earth as human. Castiel could now see the malicious hunger and disappointment in their expressions and the way his brothers held themselves as they spoke with borrowed lips and tongues in a language which was not their own.

Uriel smiled sadistically and stepped forwards to where Castiel was crouched nervously on the ground, coiled to strike like a viper, his mind whirring with thoughts of Dean, consumed with love for his human. "Perhaps you require some persuasion then?" Castiel grimaced as images of Dean Winchester, crippled in agony and writhing helplessly as he was tortured by the angel's family, flashed through his mind, deposited there by his brother to inflict pain upon him. He shook his head to clear the intrusive thoughts. They would not find those precious memories of that night, those were locked away in a private part of the angel's consciousness, and Castiel kept them for himself to carry him through the lonely nights when the two of them were forced to be apart. His brothers would never know the overwhelming sense of fulfilment and utter euphoria of making love, the pleasure of feeling Dean inside him, completing him as they fitted together like pieces of a bizarre and intricate puzzle, and the intense and emotional bond they had shared as Dean caressed his wings and they gave in to their innermost desires.

It was Thursday, the day Castiel had been charged to. Thursday was his day, his initial purpose for which he was created, his very own raison de etre. Although much had changed since the dawn of his birth, and his duties had become more current and influential on the world, Thursday still held a special significance for the angel. It was the day of his creation, the day he received his first mission on earth, and the day Castiel finally lay down with Dean, his charge, and his only love in this world or the next. And if he wasn't careful, it was also going to be the day he died.

Or at the very least, suffered serious physical injury.

Uriel smiled.

Dean wandered the lonely streets, swinging the keys to the Impala in a tiny vortex around his index finger. He turned his gaze absently towards the skies, feeling something pulling his eyes upwards, some kind of secret inkling which made him frown with concern. It was like he was drawn to whatever was up there, perhaps it was Castiel, feeling thoughtful and sentimental about their relationship. The angel seemed to have that effect on him. Dean would often feel when Cas was in trouble, or simply feeling blue. In these circumstances this sensation often occurred seconds before Cas materialised and gave him a heart attack, seeking some human comfort or a bit of simple companionship with the hunter. Others, it was just before a broken, bleeding angel would appear before him and collapse into his arms.

Dean kept a wary eye on the skies, noting any sudden movement around him and idly humming the opening lines to 'Long Long Way From Home' by Foreigner. It comforted him somewhat when Castiel didn't appear, but he still found the feeling unsettling, like having a phantom limb.

Although Dean wouldn't admit it to himself, he loved Castiel more than seemed possible, almost as much as he loved Sam, although in an entirely different context. It frightened him to know the intensity of his emotions, and so the human kept them buried in the back of his mind, flinching away from any opportunity to express such feelings towards the angel. There were many moments that would have been so perfect, like the time they had just finished battling a nest of demons and Cas had taken his hand, not even caring that Sam could see, and leant against Dean in exhaustion after pressing a tender kiss to his cheek. Or there was the time the angel snuck into his room and kissed him awake, and then took Dean to some kind of beautiful tropical beach to watch the stars and make love beneath them on a blanket spread over the hot sand. Yes, there was no doubt that the angel was a true old school romantic, and that Castiel had presented Dean with countless opportunities to tell him how he felt, but Dean just wasn't ready yet. One day, they would be together, and the words would just come to him, but Dean didn't know when that would be. He had never told anyone that he loved them before, and as a private man who made sure not to get attached to the many girls he picked up in the bars he and Sam frequented to blow off a little steam, he didn't know how to, and he wanted it to be right.

Dean chewed the inside of his cheek and stopped momentarily to listen to the dull silence of a street long tucked up in bed. "Cas?" He called, hating that he sounded worried and irritatingly needy. "Are you there? Please, I need to see you," he continued regardless, "Cas I know you're up there, take a minute would ya?" Yeah, thought Dean, take a minute to show me you're not dead.

Castiel lifted his head from the floor, pain throbbing in his skull. Dean's clear voice cut through the fog of his agony and resounded in his head. He loved to hear Dean speak to him. Being prayed to left him feeling elated and happy, like the giddy excitement of curiosity mixed with hesitation one feels upon hearing a doorbell. Dean sounded worried, and inside Castiel was anxious to go to him, but his brothers had trapped him here and he hated the way he couldn't reassure his hunter.

Uriel grinned as the other angels beat Castiel into the dirt, taunting him with the outrage of his actions. All the while Castiel remained emotionless and vacant, as though he had retreated inside himself and detached his mind from the body it occupied.

"If you refuse to see sense we will be forced to take action for your own good." Uriel said. "Humans and angels cannot be together, much less sexually involved. A higher authority can be alerted Castiel, and you know what that means." Castiel lifted his pounding head and looked Uriel in the eyes, blood dripping from his nose and an ugly purple bruise blossoming on his cheekbone. When he spoke his voice was low and threatening.

"I am your superior, Uriel. You have no right in threatening my charge and my chosen mate. We are bonded, and I will fight for him until there is not a single angel left in this world that can bring him suffering."

"Your MATE?" Uriel spat in disgust, "Brother, you cannot have allowed your petty infatuation to control you in this way! It is an abomination for an angel to mate with a human, to become consumed with the pleasures of the flesh. Those lowlife insects are not worthy of an angel's loyalty, much less their love."

Castiel shook his head although it caused him agony. "What I feel for Dean is something you cannot even begin to comprehend." He whispered, his lips quirking into a feint smirk.

"Try me." This voice did not belong to Uriel, or to any angel who had previously been in the room. The voice was deep and fathoming, resonating within the congregation as a figure stepped imposingly out from the gloom. Zachariah passed into the light, offering a nod of recognition towards the other angels. His eyes were cold and calculating, his human body far inferior to his true form.

The angel cast his gaze around the room, pausing as he glanced towards Castiel, who was now a crumpled heap on the floor. Zachariah cocked his head in amusement. "Gee guys, a smidge of dignity for little Cassie please!" He said with mock concern. When no one made a move to assist Castiel, Zachariah flicked two fingers into the air, pleasure dancing in his eyes as Castiel was lifted to his feet. Raw, guttural screams filled the room as the younger angel felt unfamiliar grace tearing at his limbs and worming its way into his body, probing and prodding his insides, tugging at his heart in a frighteningly non-metaphorical sense.

"NO!" Castiel roared, lashing out with all his might, struggling to tear himself away from Zachariah's strangling grip.

"No... what?" Zachariah purred, flinging Castiel's limp body carelessly against the wall. There was a sickening crack as Castiel landed on the concrete, his resolve quickly fading along with the pain, which was now replaced with a comfortable numbness in his limbs which spread throughout his body. He could feel himself slipping away...

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! A review would be delightful if you have the time! x