Before the Winchesters, before his fall, before the apocalypse, before the loss of so many of his brothers and sisters, and before this hopeless war, Castiel remembers heaven as it used to be.
Contrary to what Dean may say -- selfish, stubborn, stunning Dean -- heaven was perfection, at least in his eyes. Heaven was peace. Heaven was home. The souls were happy, and even if some of the angels weren't and Father wasn't there to tell them anything, it was still enough.
It was enough.
Castiel remembers serving beside Anna and Uriel and Balthazar and his other brothers, sisters, friends. He remembers the two-thousand years between angelic presence on earth and how peaceful things were, even with the occasional demon uprising. He remembers traveling down to hell to perform his duty, and seeing how broken and twisted the souls trapped there had become. He remembers the souls of heaven living through their happiest moments and emanating joy so strongly it almost made him envious.
Most of all, he remembers the people of earth.
Watching them was always so fascinating. Being an ethereal being, he didn't have physical eyes to see with, but he would press out his grace, bits at a time in the form of good fortune and tiny miracles, and truly see into the human soul. He didn't understand them then -- though, admittedly, he still doesn't understand them now, even after being one for a time -- and sometimes they did things that confounded him. These humans could hate and murder and destroy on scales even he found impressive, but they were his Father's prized children, and Castiel loved them all.
Before he met Dean and Sam, before his home fell apart, before his Father abandoned him to let him learn that destiny wasn't always right, Castiel wanted every human spirit to join him in heaven and be at peace. He never questioned his orders and he readied himself for the future that was foretold. He ignored the corruption and he trusted his brothers.
But now it's different.
Heaven was once peace, and now it's chaos. It has fallen apart and the carefully constructed balance between heaven, earth and hell is decaying for the first time in all of creation. Dean -- his charge, his friend, his ally -- still needs his help down on earth, and he will do everything in his power to aid him.
But Castiel is going to save his home, and nothing, short of God Himself, will stop him.
supernatural | castiel | heaven wasn't always hell
Contrary to what Dean may say -- selfish, stubborn, stunning Dean -- heaven was perfection, at least in his eyes. Heaven was peace. Heaven was home. The souls were happy, and even if some of the angels weren't and Father wasn't there to tell them anything, it was still enough.
It was enough.
Castiel remembers serving beside Anna and Uriel and Balthazar and his other brothers, sisters, friends. He remembers the two-thousand years between angelic presence on earth and how peaceful things were, even with the occasional demon uprising. He remembers traveling down to hell to perform his duty, and seeing how broken and twisted the souls trapped there had become. He remembers the souls of heaven living through their happiest moments and emanating joy so strongly it almost made him envious.
Most of all, he remembers the people of earth.
Watching them was always so fascinating. Being an ethereal being, he didn't have physical eyes to see with, but he would press out his grace, bits at a time in the form of good fortune and tiny miracles, and truly see into the human soul. He didn't understand them then -- though, admittedly, he still doesn't understand them now, even after being one for a time -- and sometimes they did things that confounded him. These humans could hate and murder and destroy on scales even he found impressive, but they were his Father's prized children, and Castiel loved them all.
Before he met Dean and Sam, before his home fell apart, before his Father abandoned him to let him learn that destiny wasn't always right, Castiel wanted every human spirit to join him in heaven and be at peace. He never questioned his orders and he readied himself for the future that was foretold. He ignored the corruption and he trusted his brothers.
But now it's different.
Heaven was once peace, and now it's chaos. It has fallen apart and the carefully constructed balance between heaven, earth and hell is decaying for the first time in all of creation. Dean -- his charge, his friend, his ally -- still needs his help down on earth, and he will do everything in his power to aid him.
But Castiel is going to save his home, and nothing, short of God Himself, will stop him.