Takes place sometime during season five.
It's not just demons that can make a deal.
Cas looks at his father with reverend awe, as if he's seeing him for the first time. Dean wonders how long it's been since Castiel has been in his father's favor, if he ever has had the privilege of seeing him before. He can't understand how Cas can have such faith, but then he'd always been mid-jump and asking how high anytime John Winchester had opened his mouth, so maybe he can.
Looking at God hurts, but Michael won't look away and Dean, trapped inside his own head, can't make him. He's getting used to the pain, the burning feel of Michael's grace, or he thought he was. It's so much worse, hotter and more intense, in the presence of God.
Zachariah is whimpering on the ground, collapsed there with his face pushed into the dirt and an endless stream of words spewing from his mouth. Dean's never seen a more pathetic being and God doesn't so much as glance at him, least of all grant him the forgiveness he's begging for.
Gabriel isn't huddled like Zachariah, but he looks leery and anxious, leaning against the wall and trying his best to look at ease. It's not working, not fooling anyone. Not Dean, not Michael, and definitely not God.
God only has eyes for Lucifer, fallen to his knees before his father. Sam's face is tilted up, his eyes shut, a blissful smile curling his lips. It makes something in Dean shudder and clench at the sight, even though he knows it isn't Sam's smile, Sam's bliss. It's Lucifer, that goddamn fucker that's taken over, riding his brother because of some fucking trick.
Sam said yes, Dean said yes. Now they both burn.
God's wearing a vessel. Dean wonders who it is, wonders how fucked up the poor smuck is gonna be when he's let lose. Michael sends him a mental reprimand.
It is a gift, to be chosen by God.
Dean mentally snorts and wishes he could flip Michael off. A gift, sure. Just what the guy asked for every Christmas.
"Samael," God says and Dean screams, but Michael doesn't let the sound escape. Dean's heart explodes in his chest, his lungs seize and burn, and Michael heals him carelessly, but that doesn't stop the pain. Dean thought the burning of Michael was bad, but it was nothing.
God strokes Sam's face, fingers threw his hair, and Lucifer shutters at the touch, expression one of pure ecstasy. Dean wonders how bad God's touch feels, if Sam is burning and screaming inside there somewhere.
"Samael, what have you done? This is not my wish. You act against me, my son. You slaughter my creatures, and why?"
"Look what they have done, Father!" Lucifer's eyes snap open. He gestures and God looks, his hand falling away from Lucifer. Michael does as well and Dean takes in the dirty, abandoned city they stand in. St. Louis is empty, now. Dean hopes some of them got out alive. "They have polluted your Earth, ruined your landscapes. They are selfish creatures, destroying the beauty you made. I can make it beautiful again, restore Eden. That is not your wish?"
"No, Samael. That is not my wish. They pollute what they will, destroy what they will. That is the right I gave them. You forget, my son. This is your doing, as well. Humans knew not pain or greed or hunger until you gave them it."
"It was her choice! I only wished to show you the truth, Father! That your creatures were flawed, not worthy of the love you gave them. They were not like us, not like your children. Wewould do anything for you, have given you our love without question. We alone keep the faith!"
God's eyes flicker to Zachariah, still begging for his forgiveness on the ground. "Yes, I see how my sons have kept their faith in their father. Quiet, Zachariah. I will deal with you in time."
Zachariah falls silent, though he continues to shake and tremble in the dirt.
"You walked into my Eden and lured my creation to you, whispered darkness into her soul." God's eyes grew sad, "And where that darkness came from, even I do not know. You were meant to be a star, a beacon of light in darkness, Samael. Only you brought forth darkness instead."
"Lilith's darkness was her own!" Lucifer argues, "I only showed you what was already there! But you refused to see, banished Lilith from your gardens and replaced her with another! I only wished for you to see, yet you punished me so. You cast me from your Heaven." Lucifer's voice –Sam's voice –cracks and breaks, as if the memory alone is more than he can bear, "Did you mourn me, Father? Did it hurt you at all, to cast aside your son for the sake of your precious humans?"
"You could have sought redemption, my son. But you did not."
"I saw what they would do! I saw what you were blinded to! And I showedyou! You told them to stay away, you told them not to touch it. But she didn't listen. They didn't listen."
"No, they did not. But that was their right. You lured my daughter to the tree your grace bore and you tempted her into taking its fruit and you gave her sin."
"She chose sin. They all chose sin! The deal with my demons, knowing it will cast them to hell. They sin, knowingly, for they are too full of greed and lust to do nothing else. They revel in the pain they case one another, take pride in it. And yet you would see me imprisoned again, you would pit your sons against one another, for the sake of these worthlesscreatures?"
God is still for a moment, before he shakes his head, "No, Samael. I will not leave this to Michael. I have mourned your loss, and the loss of those that followed you, for these long millennia, but I will mourn no longer."
God's presence intensifies. Heat burns at Dean's flesh and he watches in horror as Sam's blisters and Lucifer withers at the pain, struggling to heal his vessel. God places both hands upon Sam's head and the burning grows worse, Dean screaming silently as his skin begins to burn faster than Michael can heal it, and Lucifer gives one last shout before Sam's body falls sideways and lays still, an empty vessel, and the burning vanishes all at once.
No! Dean yells, fighting against the bindings Michael has upon him, struggling for control. Sam!
Be still, Dean Winchester, Michael commands sharply in his mind and Dean flinches into silence, Michael's grace clamping harder upon his essence to quiet him.
God crouches before Sam's body, lays his palm over Sam's face, and shuts his eyes. Sam's skin knits back together, the burns and blisters fading as it healed, leaving no scar or mark behind. Sam's body surges and he bolts upright, gasping for air.
Michael crosses quickly and lays his hand over Sam's eyes. "Do not look, Sam Winchester. The vision of your Lord would only blind you and drive you to insanity."
Sam's eyelashes flutters across Dean's palm and he calls in questions, "Dean?"
"Your brother is unable to answer you."
You fucker, Dean snarls, throwing his thoughts against Michael's grace, Tell him I'm alright.
"I will put you to sleep now, Sam Winchester." Michael says, ignoring Dean's words. Sam falls back to the ground, limp, and Michael turns to regard his father once more.
Dean wishes, again, it were possible to shoot an angel in the kneecap a time or two.
God turns towards Gabriel. "Gabriel, my son. You impersonate those beings which would call themselves God, you tease my humans and kill them as you wish. You abandoned your brethren and believe your father to be gone. Why?"
Gabriel straightens from his lean against the wall and inclines his head. "I offer no excuses, Father. I should not have questioned you. I can only ask for your forgiveness and swear to you it will not happen again."
"You are of course forgiven, my son. I see how you despaired, how you missed Samael and your fallen brothers. I see how you ached in my absence. Fear not, Gabriel. I have returned to you."
Gabriel bows his head again, taking a step back to lean against his wall once more.
"Zachariah. Your sins I cannot forgive. You told your brothers that I was dead to you all; you killed your brethren, my children, without hesitance. You strove to take away the very gifts I gave humankind. I will take your grace and leave you to be born human and live a human life, so that you can understand that which you threatened."
"Father! Father, please, no!"
"I have spoken, Zachariah."
God turns to Cas, his expression gentling. "Castiel. You are the youngest of your brethren, yet you alone chose to walk to hardest path. You alone sought to find me. You alone had the faith and love of your father to do so. My son, you are welcomed back into my grace. You will lead your brethren well."
Cas closes his eyes as God takes his face between his palms and presses a kiss to his brow.
"I will heal your vessel and return him to his family. He has done well, in the service to his God, and he and those of his line will be rewarded for their sacrifices."
"Thank you, Father." Castiel breathes.
At last, God turns to Michael, but it is not the angel he addresses.
"Dean Winchester. The path you have walked has been a long one, and a hard one. You have sacrificed time and time again. Out of love for your mother, love for your father, and most of all love for your brother. You have sacrificed yourself for family, for brethren of the hunt, and for strangers. You are what I have always hoped for, what I saw but Samael was blind to in the human race."
Dean thinks God can shove his sacrifices where the sun can't shine. He wants to check on Sam, to be free of Michael.
"Michael has done you great harm, as Samael has done great harm to your brother. You will both die soon as humans. But, I offer you a choice. There will come times when the humans will need warriors and I see my children have no wish to fight for them. Castiel already takes the place of Zachariah, but for too long the Samael's absence has been left to fester. I give that place to you, Dean Winchester, to join with the brethren of archangels. Your brother, as well as select others that have fought upon this war, will fill the ranks that have been lost to us."
Sam, Dean thinks. I need to talk to Sam.
"My vessel wishes to speak with his brother, Father." Michael calmly voices Dean's desire. It may be the first time he's ever done so.
God cocks his head. It's a strange thing to see, coming from a supposed all-powerful being. "I will allow it."
God's presence slowly fades, until it's nothing more than a low hum. Michael awakes Sam and then releases Dean from his binds. It's a strange feeling, being able to draw breath for himself and move on his own will after so long of being unable to do so.
"Sam," part of him expects his voice to be raspy, harsh from disuse, but of course Michael uses it often and he speaks easy, "Sammy."
Sam opens his eyes, reaches out, "Dean?"
Dean catches Sam's searching hand in his own, falls to his knees and pulls Sam upright. "Hey, man."
Sam blinks at him slowly. "Hey."
God was right, Dean realizes. It hurts to breathe, his whole body sore. His body has been run ragged by Michael and it's dying. Dean wonders how long he has, how long Sam has. He doubts Lucifer was as gentle with Sam as Michael was with him. Even with as careful as Michael was, it had felt like torture.
"Fucking sucks." Sam mumbles.
"Yah," Dean has to agree. "Sammy, listen. God," Dean has to pause. It's weird, he was never the believer of the pair of them, "God wants us to be archangels. He wants us to be warriors for humans."
"Family business," Sam says, voice slurring. He sounds completely exhausted, like its taking everything he has to stay awake.
"Sammy, you gotta listen, okay?"
Sam nods against Dean's shoulder.
"If we stay human, we're gonna die. Soon."
"Don't wan' you die again. Too many times al'eady."
Dean thinks of Sam falling into his arm, gasping and bleeding, knife sticking out of his back. Remembers the helplessness as Sam went cold, as his eyes went dark and empty, as his body went slack. He remembers how still Sam's body was just minutes before and thinks he might throw up.
He gets what Sam means. He doesn't think he can bare it if Sam dies before him again. He doesn't want to bury his brother.
Dean looks over to God's vessel. "Alright, you sonnovabitch. Angel us up."