Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Dean and Sam winced their eyes shut in the instant before the Darkness engulfed the Impala, bracing for the worst.
When they opened their eyes, they were sitting on a beach in Florida. They stared each other in bemusement until a nearby portable stereo started blaring 'Heat of the Moment' and a voice behind them said, "Miss me?"
They spun around, hands going for weapons, only to be stunned motionless by the sight of Gabriel standing there, larger than life, smirking at them and sucking a lollipop.
"So you guys broke the world again, huh?"
"Gabriel?"
"Okay long story short, yes Lucifer killed me, no you're not dead and no you're not hallucinating. Good ol' Dad brought me back to help him fight the Darkness you set free. Nice job on that, by the way. The Darkness was defeated before the dawn of time, but I should have known it would be you two who set it loose again."
Sam looked stricken. "We didn't mean to-"
"Oh don't worry. Lucifer was the pride of Heaven and he couldn't handle the Mark, so it's no surprise Dean-o here went a bit nuts. And if writing the Winchester Gospels taught Dad anything it was that the Winchesters will do whatever it takes to save each other, consequences be damned. So this whole 'curing the Mark' thing was hardly a shocker."
"'Dad'? Wait, are you talking about God?"
"The big man himself. Yep."
"Are you friggin' kidding me? Earth went to hell in a hand basket so many friggin' times in the past few years and now he turns up?"
"Yeah well, he gave the planet to you overgrown apes to look after and told the angels to look after you so he could retire – he never intended to come back. Giving you guys free will and free reign and all. But he kept close enough tabs on the state of things to know what was going on. He just trusted you to handle it, and you did."
"We lost a lot of people along the way! Good people!"
Gabriel shrugged. "He's God, he doesn't have to explain himself to you. Regardless, he's back now because the Darkness was his foe originally and you guys are really well and truly out of your league on this one."
"So, what, we just sit here and do nothing?"
"Pretty much. Dad's already on the case, as should be obvious by the fact that you're alive and the Earth is still spinning. He sent me to tell you that, despite screwing up on a planetary scale on more than one occasion, you did pretty alright considering the circumstances. He said you've gone above and beyond what he expected from you and you're well due a vacation. So sit back, relax, have a few beers, enjoy the scenery, watch the sun set and don't be afraid of the Dark. We got this."
"Gabriel-"
But the archangel had already vanished.
Dean and Sam looked at each other. "What the hell-"
"Oh, one more thing!" Gabriel said, appearing again. "Dad wants you to keep an eye on one of his boys. The little rascal is always getting into trouble." He snapped his fingers and Cas was dumped unceremoniously in the sand next to them. "And this guy could really use a few friends about now." Another snap dropped Crowley in on them too.
"Later, kids," Gabriel said. He disappeared, leaving behind a very confused demon, an even more confused angel, and two very confused humans.
"So, wait," Dean said. "The world isn't ending?"
Sam's mouth shrugged. "I guess not."
"Huh," Dean said. "That's different."
"First time in a long time."
"What do we do now?"
"Dunno. Fancy a beer?"
"I could go for a beer. How about you two?"
"Um," Cas said, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened.
"Don't really fancy moving from this beach though," Dean sighed.
"I got it," Crowley said. Three beers and a fruity cocktail appeared in their hands.
"Awesome," Dean grinned. There was a general murmur of agreement.
They watched the sun set.
The world didn't end.
And they all lived happily ever after.