The Castiel Mistake

The Angel with a Grudge

It's been a while since Castiel had seen the Winchester brothers. He's been alone now, ever since Hannah left her vessel and the whole demon Dean problem has been resolved, temporarily. Cas just needed the solitude. Being an angel, he's never really had the full opportunity to be alone. His garrison, Uriel, Sam, Dean, Meg, Hannah, Naomi, Metatron, they've all stuck by his side. The only time he has been alone was in the prison cell in Heaven, but even then Gadreel was in the cell right next to him. Considering he is extremely old, Cas is entitled to his alone time.

He doesn't even know where he is, exactly. Some town in the northwest near the Canadian border. Castiel has lost his sense of direction for the time being, just using what grace he has left inside him to travel wherever he pleases. This is a cute town; population is about a little over 10,000, no major cities in a 50 mile radius, and everyone is very friendly. Walking along the tan concrete sidewalk with the sun positioned high in the sky, Cas enters a small family owned restaurant, Four Star Diner

I wonder where that other star has gone. Cas thought as the small bell of the doorway chimed.

"Hello sir, just you?" The hostess asked the trenchcoated angel.

"Yes it's just me," Cas said with his usual monotonous tone.

"Right this way."

Settling in the small booth in the corner of the diner, Castiel look out the glass window to his left, admiring the humans as the went about their daily lives. He was always fascinated by humans, their ability to have free will and make their own destinies. As an angel he wasn't gifted with that liberty. It was always his duty to follow God's plan, or the mission. Sam and Dean were the first people to expose freedom to Cas, and he has been getting the hang of it ever since. A woman with her toddler walked by, the little girl asking for a balloon from the nearby shop. A teenager with music playing near full volume in the headphones strolled along with absolutely no care in the world. They all have choices to make, from what song plays next, to whether the young child should get the balloon or not. Cas could never grasp that feeling of independence, but he feels he's just about there. Putting a stop to his thoughts, the waitress, a small thin woman looking to be about in her early twenties, approaches his booth.

"What would you like to drink sir?" She asks in a flirtatious tone, hoping to get a reaction out of Castiel, but failed.

"Uh, I would like to have a water, please," Cas replied, completely oblivious to the blonde woman's attempts.

Writing it down, the waitress walks away with her ego deflated. Cas may be near human, but flirting doesn't reach his angel head. Sipping absentmindedly on his glass of water, he returned his attention back to the window, finding that the number of people enjoying the frest air and quaint shops diminished. But one person among the small jumble stood out to him. He leaned closer to the window, squinting his eyes to try to get a better look at this strange woman.

"Are you ready to order?" The same blonde waitress asked Castiel, causing him to slightly jump back at the sudden remark.

Ignoring her question, Cas kept looking at the woman across the street, a look of recognition on his face when he spotted a slender blade on the inside of her blazer. Not wanting to make the young girl more impatient, he ordered the only thing he knew what to order from being with the Winchesters so long, "A cheeseburger would be nice."

As the server walked into the kitchen to relay his order, Cas made sure he knew what he was looking at. The blade was longer than a dagger, but not as long as a sword, silver, and slim. This exactly fit the description of a typical angel blade, one that every angel that has existed carries with them. Cas hasn't seen another angel for weeks. Most of them have gone back to heaven or completely integrated into the human lifestyle by giving up their grace.

I must speak with her, Cas thought as he continued to watch the angel.

"Here you are. Enjoy," The waitress spoke quickly, catching on that Castiel isn't in the mood to acknowledge anyone.

Cas eyed his food, questioning wether he should stay and eat or pursue the mysterious angel. Choosing the latter, he pulled the money needed to pay for his food plus a small tip out of his trenchcoat pocket and haphazardly placed onto the table. He rushed out the door of the diner, making sure he wouldn't draw attention to himself along the way. Blending in with a small group of young adults, he made his way over to where the unnamed angel was standing. Noticing a man approaching her, she started to run into the nearest alley and unfortunately found that it was a dead end. Cas knew he had the upperhand and used his advantage to interrogate the angel.

"Who are you?" Cas questioned her as he slowly started to corner her, the light starting to expose her face clearly to him, "Anika."

"Castiel, what, have you come here to take my grace? Haven't you done enough to us?" She shot back at Cas with more questions.

"I-I don't understand. What do you mean take your grace."

"Don't play innocent, Castiel. You and I both know that your hunger for power hasn't stopped and that is why you made every one of us fall from heaven!"

"That was Metatron, not me, trust me. He's taken my own grace from me to finish the spell that made all of us fall."

"You liar!" As she said this, Anika pushed Cas away from her.

Cas landed a few feet away from where he was standing, dirt spots forming on his once clean coat. She had pushed him with inhuman strength, much more than what Cas could muster due to the grace inside him not being his own. He looked at the blurry Anika as she was running around painting something on the dead end wall. Just as she finished whatever she was creating, Cas stood up, knowing he would have to fight her to get out of this situation. Anika was already prepared for this, however, stopping his punch inches before it would hit its target area. Cas watched in astonishment as Anika twisted his arm and positioned his body in a way so that he couldn't grab his blade or smite her.

"Goodbye, Castiel," Anika spoke, shoving Cas's body towards the concrete wall.

He crashed into the building full force, but not before noticing the symbol drawn on it in blood.