Mysterious Ways

Kripke does a walk on cameo as God. He's dressed like a golfer, putting club slung over his shoulder and meets the boys between tees.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, just love 'em. Wished ta hell I worked for Kripke

wWw

Dean pulled up to the Cavalier motel turned and nodded to Sam. It was a typically seedy place that had seen better times; even the giant neon sign with its logo of one of the Three Musketeers had a hole in it. They sat in the car; both scanned the empty parking lot for any sign of the angel they were supposed to meet there. But there was no trench-coated man lurking in the shadows.

Their sometimes friend and always-frustrating angel, Cas, had told Dean that tonight they would meet God. The angel had given them the name and location of this motel as the meeting place but after waiting a few minutes more in the car Dean sighed and Sam said "Typical." Dean agreed with a nod saying, "We're on angel time dude, we might as well check in."

With a turn of the car keys the Impala roared to life and then settled down to a satisfied purr as Dean turned the car around in a slow arc and drove it up to check in at the opposite side.

They entered the office and the older Winchester passed a fake ID toward the small balding man who was watching a tiny camp TV behind the counter. The man turned his attention away from the TV long enough to complete the transaction then slid the key to him. "Room 13, you break it you pay for it, otherwise we pretty much don't care what you do behind closed doors." He said with practiced boredom.

Dean scowled at him and said hotly, "We're brothers, we're not here to party just crash."

The man seemed to wake up at the tone then looking up and down at the tall and filled out form of Sam informed them that extra large towels were available for an additional $3.50. "No, we're fine." Snapped Dean. "Hey!" Sam protested and dug out his wallet to pay for the luxury of full coverage.

As they headed back to the car Dean chided, "So, what... you expect to lounge around the pool princess?" Sam was clutching the thick but scratchy bath towel to his chest as he slid into the passenger's side. He turned to Dean and argued, "You don't have a problem drying your self off with the postage stamps that they pass off as towels in dumps like this but I'm tired of it." And then he faced straight ahead, lips pursed in frustration, which signaled to Dean his brother was in no mood to pursue the subject any further.

Dean raised his eyebrows and said "whatever dude." as he started up the car and steered them over to the end of the building that had their room.

They opened the motel door and found the room to be orderly and neat if not attractive. The carpet was worn brown shag with flecks of moss green and dark blue. The wallpaper had a fall theme to it. It was designed with orange yellow and curling brown leafs that cascaded down and seemed to pile up on the comforters with a matching pattern. It reminded Dean of sleeping out doors.

"I hate camping." He thought as he tossed his duffle on to the bed closest to the door. Then looking at the key in his hand once more said, "I didn't think motels and hotels had room thirteen's in them. Something about superstitions made them skip the number... Huh?" And he tossed the key onto the nightstand between the beds.

The clink of the key hitting the stand made Sam glance up from unpacking his duffel and he huffed. He looked at Dean saying, "I guess it all depends on whether or not the contractor that built it was the lowest bidder," Then he reached over beside his headboard and pressed a piece of the wall paper back in place that was curling up from the wall adding, "I'm guessing he was."

Both brothers turned back to finish their unpacking when the barest sound of wings alerted them to the angels presence. Dean turned toward the sound and suddenly jerked back. Castiel was standing inches from his face. "SONOFABITCH!" he yelled clutching his heart. "Do you HAVE to do that?" he gasped.

"Do what?" the angel responded in a flat voice.

Dean inhaled and spread his arms wide, "That flapping thing right in my face!" he exclaimed.

Without blinking an eye Cas said, "you should have seen the look upon it."

Sam grinned and pretended to cough to hide his explosive laugh.

Dean scowled back at the both of them. "Well, we're here." He said, "now what?"

"Our Father will appear to you tonight in a dream." The angel said with reverence in his voice. "You do not know how much I would envy you if I was capable of such emotions."

"So you've never seen him?" Sam asked puzzled.

"Never in the thousands of years since I was made." Cas said with a wisp of sadness to his voice.

"Why does he want to see us?" asked Dean.

"Is it not enough for you to know that he does?" the angel answered. "You will be of but a hand full of humans to whom he has appeared."

Sam and Dean glanced nervously at each other. Sam spoke stuttering "We're honored, uh, fer sure...but..."

"Understandably cautious." The angel finished and his lips twitched as if they tried to smile.

"That's putting it mildly." Dean underscored.

The angel raised his hands out to them and bid them rest, "be not afraid for thou art his children in whom he has devoted much care."

And their limbs obeyed the angel's will causing them to lie down on their respective beds and there they fell into an anxious sleep.

And in that sleep they both had the same dream.

They found themselves in a dark woods, they make their way to a clearing that opens up onto a golf course.

There they see a man just teeing off and the shot looks perfect. As they approach him, Dean thinks he's seen him before, some producer guy named Kriply or Kripke, works for a two bit TV station that always cheaped out on the production of its shows. The man motions them over and tells them he'll talk to them as long as they walk with him to the ball.

"Uh, I don't mean to rush you," Dean says to the golfer, "But we were told we were supposed to meet God here are you the local TA that is gonna take us to him?"

"Nah," Says the man as he approaches the ball and lines up for the putt, "I gave the TA the day off." The man grins at them with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and gently taps the ball; it rolls to the cup and just misses the edge, instead it rolls off to the side. "OHHHHH!" the golfer groans then smiles up at their puzzled looks. "You know I could play any game I wanted and I'd win every time, but with golf...you just never know...I like that about it."

Both Winchester's eyes fly wide open.

And Sam stammers, "You...you're...you're God?!!!"

"That's me with a capital "G" the Deity smiles at them again. And he claps a stunned Dean on the shoulder. The almighty gestures at the ball with the putter in his hand and asks, "Say, how would you play the lay of the grass here?"

Dean looks down at the ball and the cup nearby and nervously puts his hand on the back of his neck, "Well I...it looks...(He vaguely gestures with his free hand) the grass kinda breaks to the left, uh er right, Hell, I don't know. Uh, sorry...I don't get much time for the game myself."

God chuckles a little at the awkward attempts to please and says, "It's alright, your guess would have been as good as mine." And he bends down to concentrate on the putt. A gentle tap and it goes in this time.

Sam breaks from his awed reverie and says, "It's just that you don't look like I... uh... pictured...uh... you would."

"What, you mean the long gray beard and the white flowing robes?" God smirks.

Dean shyly adds, "Well, yeah...kinda...sorta biblical."

"That's so Charlton Hesston," says God as he picks up the ball and prepares to tee off again.

The creator swings and the ball sails away in a gentle arc down the distance of the fairway.

"Come walk with me," he gently asks of the two stunned men and he turns to lead them down toward the green.

Sam and Dean visibly shake themselves but follow a respectful distance behind.

When they reach the ball God once again lines up the shot and using just the right amount of swing connects making the ball rise once more into the air and gently fall several feet away from the hole.

"Sorry I haven't talked to you sooner," Says their Father as he bends to line up the putt. "I've been kinda busy what with the Apocalypse and all," and he looked up sideways at Dean and winks.

Dean's eyebrows shot up and he stammered, "I... er, I didn't mean to...that is... when I did..."

God put his hand on Dean's shoulder and said softly, "Not your fault kid."

Dean looked back confused, relieved then confused, "But I...the prophesy said..."

"You did everything according to plan." The Deity soothed.

"But I did those things...!" Dean said his eyes pleading to be understood... and to be forgiven.

"You were my hands, doing my work. MY Will be done." God stressed gently. "And I wanted to thank you."

Dean's mouth twitched just as his eyes filled with burning tears. He had such a flood of emotions all wanting to come out at once. But instead he just stood there not able to say a thing.

Sam stepped up to God. He stood tall and his jaw worked hard to bite out the words that burned in his heart. After a moment of silent struggle he said in a choked voice, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I let Lucifer free." And he bowed his head, closed his eyes tight and prepared to be smited.

God looked at the top of the shaggy head bowed before him and noted that the man's whole body trembled with honest contrition. "Sammy," said God softly, "You did everything you honestly thought was best. And you did it perfectly. I wouldn't have expected any less of you." Sam didn't open his eyes but he stopped trembling. And God continued talking gently to him, "You know I heard every prayer you said and even after you stopped talking to me, after Dean was in hell, I still heard your heart." Then Sam looked up with glistening eyes and listened as the Deity explained, "You see you needed to go through all those experiences so that you could learn from them. And when the time came you did exactly as you were supposed to do. MY WILL. And I wanted to thank you... too."

Sam blinked in disbelief at the smile that greeted him.

"So...you're not mad?"

"Noooo!" the creator chuckled. "I'm proud of both of you. And to show you I want to give you both something."

The golfer reached out and touched Sam on the chest and a light grew inside him and God said, "from this day forward you are cleansed of demon blood and can walk free of the taint that shadowed your life; go now and be once again the man that I made you to be." And just like that Sam looked down at his hands and back to the face of God and was gone.

Dean's eyes spilled over with fresh tears when he saw the look of joy on his younger brothers face and suddenly all the mixed up feelings that had jammed in his heart didn't mean anything if Sammy was 100 percent himself again. And then the realization-hit him-Sammy had never known what it had ever felt like to be normal until now and the relief he felt for his brother brought him to his knees.

God stepped over to the man kneeling before him and said, "I couldn't stop you from having to go through hell but I can stop you from having to relive it." And he put his hand on top of Dean's head and said, "I cast out the memories of your suffering in my name and may the peace of restful sleep be yours again." Warmth spread through out Dean's body and he felt as if a great ache had been lifted from his soul.

Dean lifted his face up to God and said, "Before you let me go can I ask you something?"

The golfer looked down at him curiously and said, "sure kid."

Dean gulped as he looked up but he did not flinch as he met God's gaze and the Creator noted once again the look of innocence that bathed his boyish face, "Is my mom and dad here?"

The light that began to shine from the Deity's smile almost obscured his countenance as Dean felt himself being pulled away and he heard a voice say, "They dwell in my house and the time will come that your family will rejoice together again, now rest for I still have work for you to do."

wWw

Sam woke first from an incredibly sound nap and as he stirred he noted that he must have really needed it coz he was still in his clothes and the duffle was barely unpacked. He blearily looked over to see his brother just waking too. "Dean?" he said in a groggy voice.

Dean yawned out the words "Dude? What time is it?" as he stretched and swung his legs over the side of the bed to face him.

Sam blinked his eyes against the pink sunset that poured into their room from the window next to the door. "Afternoon I guess or early evening." he answered. And he started to get up. But stopped. He suddenly he realized he felt different. Lighter, happier somehow. "Man, I needed that nap!" He said and grinned broadly at Dean as he stretched. "I feel great! Better than, well, EVER!"

"Me too, best rest I've had since..." Dean frowned; he knew he was going to say something, some point of reference like a calendar date but for the life of him it just skittered out of reach of his memory. "Since forever!" he shrugged. If it was important he figured he'd remember it later.

"Well, when do you suppose Cas is gonna show? Sam asked.

"Dunno, that angel is about as reliable as a chip shot out of a sand trap with a four iron."

"Dude, you don't play golf, "Sam smiled at him.

"No, but I outta, I think I'd like the game." Dean mused.

The end

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