A/N: Here we are at the climax of this series! Only two more episodes, and this one's got three chapters.

THEN

"Well, look at you. Captain of your own garrison now. Congratulations."

Anna couldn't help the quirk of a smile as she turned to Gabriel. "I hope to fulfill my duty with all honor and glory."

The archangel snorted and waved a flippant hand. "Save the pomp and circumstance for Michael. Seriously, kid, you'll be great."

Anna beamed at the praise, coming from him. She hoped so.

…

Her garrison began making a name for themselves with their prowess in battle. She was proud of them, proud of their work and devout commitment.

She didn't know that drawing acclaim would also draw closer attention in the worst way imaginable.

…

Anna stormed into Zachariah's chambers. "Why was Castiel removed from the field?"

The seraph gave her a confused look. "He disobeyed orders."

"He did not."

Zachariah rolled his eyes. "Your garrison was ordered to wipe out the vampire colony in Mesopotamia. Castiel not only failed to complete the mission, he helped a group escape."

"Those were humans. Blood slaves."

"They were tainted. And orders are orders."

"I was in command. I take full responsibility for my garrison's actions."

"Unless you were the one who gave him the order to help those vermin escape, you're not the one who needs re-education," Zachariah replied blithely. But he paused to narrow his gaze darkly on her. "Were you?"

Anna gritted her teeth at the threat. If it spared Castiel, she would say that was what happened. But she also knew with sinking certainty that it wouldn't make Zachariah spare him. Nothing would.

She spun on her heel and left.

…

Anna rapped softly on the door before pushing it open a few inches. The 'recovery' room Castiel had been transferred to was more like a cell of cold, sterile walls. There was a single cot in the middle, but Castiel wasn't on it; he was huddled in the corner, dressed in a simple tunic with knees drawn up to his chest and head pressed against the wall. His pallor was as pale as the panels.

Anna's heart clenched. "Castiel."

She swept around the foot of the bed and crouched down beside him, yet when she reached a hand out, he flinched away. Anna froze.

"P-please don't," he said in barely above a whisper, and ducked his gaze in what looked like shame. "It hurts."

Anna furled her fingers into a fist. She could feel the waves of pain radiating from Castiel's grace. Whatever this 're-education' had entailed, it had left him flayed and raw. Why hadn't a healer been sent in? Was the recovery as much a part of the punishment as the torture?

Anna wanted to scream at the cruelty Zachariah had condoned. But there was no one to listen. Gabriel…Gabriel would have, were he still alive.

Castiel shivered. Anna pulled the thin blanket off the cot and carefully draped it over him. She hesitated, but then risked reaching up to softly brush some strands of damp hair away from his forehead. He closed his eyes.

"I know it hurts, but if you can stand, I'll take you back to my quarters." It would be more comfortable than this prison.

Castiel seemed to be focused on breathing for several moments, but then he nodded. Anna tried to be gentle as she helped him up.

Somehow, she had to make sure this never happened again.

…

NOW

Gabriel leaned back in his leather chair, feet propped up on his desk, and sucked on a lollipop as he tapped into the bug he'd planted in Heaven's throne room. That had been quite a feat, given the last time he'd set foot there, dear old Michael had tried to murder him.

But Gabriel had managed it. Too bad most of the conversations he got to overhear were just Michael and Raphael bitching about this and that. Demons taking over Utah. Losing ground against Hell's legions in Iowa. Lucifer being a coward and refusing to show himself so Michael could take him out. Honestly, what did they expect from the flippin' Apocalypse? Everyone to line up and let themselves get knocked down like good little dominoes? And they called Gabriel delusional with his ideals.

"We need to retrieve our two Seals," Michael said abruptly.

Gabriel jerked his feet off the desk as he straightened. Hey now.

"Before the rebel faction manages to get to them."

"You can't think they'd actually find where we've hidden them," Raphael responded. "Or that they could succeed in re-Caging Lucifer even if they did."

"I'm not willing to risk it. Send for Zachariah. I'll tell him where to find the one I hid."

"You're not going to retrieve it yourself?"

"No. I have another matter to see to. The rebel garrison is becoming more than just annoying. This little crusade they're waging is starting to cause doubt among the faithful." Michael paused, tone turning dark and thoughtful. "But I know how to get to our troublesome little brother—I know where the pagan goddess Kali is hiding."

Gabriel's spine snapped ramrod straight. What?

He could practically hear Raphael's sneer. "What good will that vermin be?"

"Gabriel was fond of her," Michael replied. "And he was her paramour. But I'm sure that after some torture, she'll help us locate him, maybe even draw him out."

Gabriel sat there in stunned stupefaction, his sticky lollipop having fallen on the exquisite Turkish rug. Kali was still alive? He'd thought all the pagan deities had perished when they'd tried to launch an assault against Heaven in protest of the Apocalypse. Though if anyone could survive, it would be the goddess of Death and Doom herself.

But now she was in danger.

Gabriel bolted from his chair and out into the hallway, making for the main war room. His mind was awhirl trying to process everything he'd heard, and there wasn't much time to plan a response.

"Line up!" he shouted, doing a quick mental count of who was here. Only half of the garrison, and he couldn't wait in order to call everyone back.

"What's going on?" Anna asked urgently.

"I found the last two Seals," he replied. "Or, well, I know who's going to lead us to them. But we have to move now. Anna, Balthazar, Inias, you're going to follow Zachariah the moment he leaves Heaven. Michael's tasked him with retrieving a Seal." Gabriel turned to who was left, and his stomach tightened. "Muriel, Hester, Castiel, you'll follow Raphael to the other."

Each of them gave clipped nods of assent, ready to follow orders.

Gabriel should go with them, he knew he should. Raphael was an archangel and they'd need the extra backup, not to mention Castiel had only recently recovered from an injury that should have been fatal.

But Michael was also going after Kali, and Gabriel had to save her. He had walked out on his adopted family once; he wasn't going to do it again. Yet he couldn't risk his blood brothers and sisters, either.

"Listen to me," Gabriel said sternly. "You grab that Seal and run. Do not engage Raphael, understand?"

The three of them nodded, though with small frowns.

"Where are you going?" Hester asked.

Gabriel felt a pang of guilt. "I have to act on another thing Michael said." He spun toward Anna's group. "Same goes for you. Just get the Seal and get out."

Anna lifted her chin. "We will. Good luck."

Gabriel drew in a deep breath, and swept one last quick gaze around at them all. "Good luck."

With that, they all made their way toward the door to file out of the pocket dimension, and from there they slipped into the ethereal plane and headed for Heaven's gates to wait for their targets to leave.

Zachariah was first, and Anna's group quickly zipped into the celestial current behind him. Next came Raphael, and Gabriel watched Castiel, Muriel, and Hester chase after him, though keeping enough of a distance so as not to alert the archangel. Gabriel prayed they wouldn't.

When Michael finally came through, Gabriel squared his shoulders and dove after him. He would not let his tyrannical older brother take anyone else from him.

Sam made his way through the elongated arch and into the main war room of the angel compound, which was uncharacteristically empty. There were always missions going on, but usually someone was manning the home base.

"Hello?" he called.

He peeked into the sparring room off to the right, but no one was in there. And though he and Dean had been by more often lately to visit Cas when he was recovering from nearly dying, Sam didn't quite feel comfortable enough to just go poking around the place.

"Is anyone here?"

Shuffling from one of the back corridors drew his attention as Hael came out.

"Hey," he said. "Where is everyone?"

"They got a lead on the final Seals," she replied.

Sam blinked. After all this time…well, they were due for a win. "That's great."

Hael nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't know when Castiel or Gabriel will be back."

"That's okay. I actually, uh, came to talk to you."

She furrowed her brow. "Me?"

"Yeah." Sam shifted his weight. "Um, I was wondering if you can heal old human injuries, like a severed spinal cord."

Hael's forehead creased further in thought. "I should be able to. Why?"

Sam felt a thrum of hope begin vibrating in his chest, and he was a little peeved at himself for not thinking of this sooner. But it was only recently that he'd seen first hand how a healer angel's power worked, and that it wasn't the same way as when Cas had healed him, thereby bonding his grace to Sam, and Dean before that.

"Would you be willing to come to Camp Chitaqua to see a friend of mine?" he asked. "He was in an accident several months back, lost the use of his legs."

Hael looked surprised, but not resistant. "Oh, alright." She glanced around the empty base, and Sam realized she was probably the only one here.

"Do you need to stay and man the fort while everyone's gone?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. I should just leave a note." She headed over to the map table and rifled through the stacks of paper before tearing a piece off one and scribbling out a message. "Let me just stick this in the infirmary," she said.

Sam waited until she came back, and then they headed out the door and back into a woodland area. Camp Chitaqua was a ten-minute walk from there.

They made the trek in silence, though Sam spent the time trying to think of a way to strike up a conversation with Hael. She really was very nice, but quiet and almost shy. She was a devoted healer with a compassionate heart, and that was really all Sam knew about her.

They reached the campgrounds, and Sam led the way to Bobby's cabin where he happened to find Dean and Ellen with the older man, going over camp business.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Sam said. "Hael, that's Ellen, and this is Bobby. Guys, this is Hael."

Ellen and Bobby gave acknowledging nods to the angel.

Dean raised his brows in question. "What's going on?"

"I brought her to see Bobby," Sam replied, casting a tentative look at the man.

Bobby's gaze narrowed. "What for?"

Hael had cocked her head slightly, studying him. The armrests of the wheelchair were visible behind the desk he was sitting at.

Sam rolled his shoulder. "To heal you."

Dean's eyes widened in understanding, and Sam could see the moment his brother mentally kicked himself for not thinking of it also.

Bobby crossed his arms. "No offense, but I don't want an unnatural bond with an angel."

"Bobby!" Sam admonished, feeling somewhat stung. He didn't think the older hunter had such feelings against his and Dean's bond with Cas.

"I'm a healer by design," Hael replied, seemingly not offended. "That's what my powers are suited for. It won't create any kind of link between us if I healed you."

Bobby still looked skeptical. "You're sure?"

"Bobby, come on," Dean pressed. "Even if it did create a bond, what's so wrong with that if it means you can walk again?"

"It may be fine and dandy for you two," the man scowled. "But I'd prefer to keep myself to myself."

"I understand," Hael put in quickly. "And yes, I'm sure."

"Bobby," Ellen said, sounding breathless with rising hope. "Let her."

He flicked a defensive look at each of them before huffing loudly. "Alright, fine." Bobby backed his wheelchair up and wheeled his way around to the front. "Is it gonna hurt?"

Hael smiled. "No."

"That, we can confirm," Dean put in.

"So how's it work?" Bobby grumbled.

"If you could lie on the bed," Hael said, gesturing to the small mattress.

Bobby wheeled over to it and then lifted himself out of the chair, having to manually shift his legs onto the bed. He then laid back against the pillow. "'Kay, now what?"

Hael went over and knelt down next to the bed. "Now just relax and breathe normally."

Sam watched as she held her hands out over Bobby and closed her eyes. A bluish-white glow began to emanate from her palms, tendrils of grace spreading out into a gossamer butterfly. Bobby tensed, but held himself rigidly still.

Sam and Dean had seen her do this before, so it wasn't a new sight, though Sam still found it beautiful. Ellen's face was alight with the reflected glow and suspended awe.

Hael's butterfly broke into half a dozen smaller ones that fluttered their way in a spiral around Bobby's lower back and thighs, and Sam could practically envision them mending the severed nerve endings.

It was a slow process, but Sam knew not to think that meant anything was wrong or that it wasn't working. When Bobby's shoe twitched, Sam grinned.

After several long minutes, Hael finally retracted her grace, and the lavender tinged aura faded. She stood up and backed away.

Bobby blinked dubiously several times before sitting upright and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His jaw dropped open in disbelief, and he gaped stupidly at his own legs as he waggled his feet.

Sam was beaming, as were Dean and Ellen.

Bobby finally lifted his stunned gaze to Hael. "Thank you," he said, tone softer than any Sam had ever heard from the grizzly man.

Hael gave him a small smile in return. "You're welcome."

Bobby surged all the way to his feet, then turned and swept Ellen up in his arms and swung her around. She laughed, but also smacked his shoulder to put her down.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Ellen said. "You now get a turn in the rotation to clean the septic tank."

"And chop firewood," Dean added with a cheeky grin.

"And you can get your own bath water from the well."

Bobby scowled good-naturedly. "I think I'd rather go on a demon hunt."

Sam just shook his head as he turned to Hael and lowered his voice. "Really, thank you," he said with all sincerity. She'd given Bobby back more than just the use of his legs, but a part of the older man's identity as a hunter and fighter, which in these times meant everything when it came to wanting to protect your loved ones. Now Bobby could do that again.

Hael blushed. "You saved my brother. I'm happy to help where I can."

Sam decided to ignore decorum, and reached out to pull her into a hug. Granted, he kinda swallowed the small angel whole, so he didn't embrace her for too long. But when he pulled back, she seemed surprised again, a hesitant smile quirking her lips.

Sam grinned back. Even when the world outside was ending, there were still miracles.

Castiel stealthily followed Raphael all the way to Karjiang, a mountain in Tibet. When the archangel exited the slipstream to alight on the summit, Castiel, Muriel, and Hester zipped out around the other side of some jagged rocks. The entire area was covered in snow, and Castiel ducked low, hoping his black attire would at least blend somewhat with the exposed mountain face. Muriel stayed down, too, though Hester's beige cargo pants and brown jacket might let her blend in a little more.

They waited and watched as Raphael stalked around the peak as though looking for something. He finally stopped in front of a boulder and held a hand out over it. Castiel saw the air ripple in response. He tensed, prepared to fly at a moment's notice to retrieve the Seal.

Another angel slipped out of the ethereal currents to land behind Raphael. Castiel recognized the grizzly appearance and dark hair as Malachi.

"Raphael, there's an urgent matter that needs your attention."

Raphael turned a dark gaze to the other angel. "I'm a little busy."

"I'm sorry, sir, it can't wait."

The archangel heaved an irritated sigh, but gave a sharp nod, and the two angels disappeared. Castiel exchanged an uncertain look with the others. What could be more important than the Seal? Though, if Raphael thought it was still safe, he might not have considered the errand so urgent.

Muriel stepped out from behind the rocks. Castiel's nerves were completely on edge, but he cautiously followed, as did Hester. Now was their chance.

Muriel approached the rock Raphael had been looking at. "There's a power signature here," she said. "A protective casing."

She waved her hand, and the air rippled again, like visible waves of magnetism repelling her from actually touching the stone.

Castiel cast an anxious look around, worried Raphael would return at any moment. "Can you get inside?"

Muriel drew out her angel blade. "I think so."

She raised the blade above her head and then drove the point down to pierce the invisible shield. A concussive force exploded outward, slamming into Muriel first, and then the shockwave hit Hester and Castiel. The impact drove the oxygen from his lungs before it flattened him and the others against the ground. Everything went white.