Dean plopped down on Bobby Singers couch, ice cold beer in hand, and rested both his head and feet on the ugly red floral cushions. He was in a really good mood for once.
He, Sam and Bobby had just finished a really big hunt; a group of Black Dogs had been terrorizing a private nude beach in California and despite the fact that these animals were vicious even for their kind neither he, Sam or Bobby had gotten seriously hurt.
The story was all over the news as the beach belonged to some B actor who was milking the whole thing for all it was worth. Still, even with all the publicity they'd also managed to keep their faces off the television, another thing that made him smile as he'd not been particularly lucky in that aspect in the past.
If Dean never saw his face on a TV screen again it would be way too soon. He remembered briefly the lonely desperate weeks of hiding the last time he'd been "wanted" and he shuddered.
Those days were long behind him and he and his brother and Bobby and Cass had tackled much bigger problems since then. Still, he would take supernatural problems over human ones anytime.
Cass had not been with them on the last hunt which was ok with Dean. The day he needed an Angel just for a few Black Dogs was they day he'd hang up his leather jacket.
Dean was a bit worried about Cass though. He'd been acting a bit dodgy since they'd taken down Eve and he was suddenly hard to summon again.
"Man I swear", Dean Thought, as he took another swig of his beer, "If it turns out that bastard is working with Crowley he is in for such a beat down".
Dean wasn't quite sure how he would deliver said beat down as all his previous attempts had failed miserably but this time, he would put some effort into it.
But before he could set his mind to how best to punish Cass for his bad behavior they'd have to figure out how to clean up the mess and that meant going after Crowley.
Crowley, Dean's lust for the hunt began to sing just at the thought of going after that douche-bag again.
While it's true the demon had been invaluable in helping them put Lucifer back in his cage he'd been nothing but the biggest pain in the ass to the Winchesters since.
Finding him alone was a problem, especially if they couldn't trust Cass to back them up. Yep, Cass was going to get it all right. Then they would actually have to destroy Crowley.
I guess burning his bones was no longer an option and they couldn't stick him in Lucifer's cage, too risky… Before Dean could finish his musing of how best to gank Crowley the light bulb on the ceiling blew out in a dramatic shower of sparks and the ambient light in the room seemed to flicker as a loud burst of thunder exploded in the background.
Dean was off the sofa in a second. He'd had much experience in the arrival of Angels and had no doubt what was coming. Of course they kept both the Angel killing blades and the Holy Oil, unfortunately not under the living room couch. Dean had to wait only seconds before he heard the familiar flutter of wings and saw none other than Raphael standing before him.
He recognized Raphael's female vessal from their last encounter only now, trapped alone in the dilapidated old house, the stately black woman was every bit as terrifying as her male counterpart had been.
She was on him in a flash; with nowhere to turn Dean prepared himself for death, again. Death, however, never came. Instead of smiting Dean or even hitting him Raphael ran behind him and crouched at his knees weeping.
Dean, never able to resist a damsel in distress, even if she was the psychotic Arch-Angel who'd terrorized them for months, bent down to her level to try and see what was wrong with her.
"Are you ok?'' he asked cautiously, still wary of tricks.
She answered by burying her damp face in his neck and wrapping her arms tightly about his torso.
He allowed her to cry wildly into his chest for a few moments before he laid what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder to calm her down enough to talk.
"It's not fair." She sniffled in her deep rich voice. "I was only doing what I'm supposed to do. He steals, he cheats, he consorts with Demons and Fallen and Abominations and still I'm the one who get's punished? It's not fair."
And with her last word all the windows on the bottom floor of the house blow out.
"Great" Dean thought. Bobby is gonna love this.
"Please Dean you have to save me from him, you have to hide me, he's coming."
Dean stood up and looked around having no clue who "he" was but sure that if he had Raphael cowering on the floor he couldn't be anything good.
Just then he heard the gentle flutter of mighty wings and turned to see Castiel standing right beside him.
"Cass, what the hell?" he exclaimed, not even bothering to try to increase the inch of space between their noses.
"It's ok Dean, I'll take it from here." Cass said and with those words he reached down and dragged Raphael up by the front of her shirt.
Raphael was sniveling and looking more terrified than ever and Castiel was looking downright predatory.
"Cass!" Dean said, trying to get his attention so he could explain what was happening. "Dean" He said firmly with a glance telling Dean he'd explain later right now he needed to focus on the matter at hand.
The matter at hand had finally stopped crying and was beginning to speak.
"Man, Dean thought absently, I know Raphael's new vessal is a chick but come on, I thought he'd face his death with more balls than this.
"Please, Castiel, please, have mercy" she begged, limp in Castiel's iron grip.
"Mercy?" Castiel intoned with disbelief, "Mercy?" he added again for emphasis.
"Raphael, you know your orders, you're coming with me right now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she spat at him trying to sound defiant yet only managing to sound even more pathetic.
Dean was embarrassed for her.
"Raphael, if you don't come with me back to Heaven than I'll do it right here."
"Yes, yes, right here, please Castiel I can't return to Heaven like this I couldn't bear it."
Castiel looked around the room as if checking to see if anyone else was there before turning to give Dean an embarassed shrug.
That was confusing. Dean wanted to ask what was up but knew better than to interrupt a kill.
Just as he expected Cass to let his killing sword fall from his sleeve he instead grabbed Raphael's shirt even tighter and began hauling her up the stairs to the second floor of Bobby's house.
That was too weird for Dean, Cass had never been embarrassed to do a kill in front of him before, even if it was one of his 'brothers'.
At least he fixed all the windows. Just as Dean had decided to treat himself to another beer he heard an ominous rhythmic thudding sound coming from upstairs.
"No, no, no, no" he thought. "That can't be…" but before he could even finish the thought an unmistakable squeaking of bed springs confirmed his suspicions.
Dean decided right then and there that he would be having whiskey instead of beer, but first he needed some backup. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed for Sam.
Sam and Bobby wasted no time returning home from their errands once they'd gotten Dean's bizarre message. They didn't even make it to the porch before they too could hear the obvious sounds of vigorous sex that was still going on upstairs in the house.
Dean was sitting on the stairs of the front porch drinking what was definitely not his first glass of whiskey.
"Dean" Sam shouted when he saw his brother, "You said Raphael and Cass where here, is that?" he asked gesturing to the thumping, squeaking, groaning noises coming from inside the house.
"Yes, that's what it sounds like, Cass upstairs, banging the crap out of Raphael." Dean said.
"How long have they been at it?" Bobby asked a look of concern on his face.
"Over an hour," Dean said, smirking "Boy you gotta hand it to Cass, he goes from virgin to stud in his first try."
"Dean, this is not funny, did you even try to stop this."
"I ain't going up there," Dean said shaking his head vigorously, "you should have been here earlier to see the light show, it looked like a Prince concert up there.
Besides, before Cass hauled her up he said something about this being 'orders'."
"Orders?" Bobby repeated, "From who?"
Just then the noise from upstairs stopped and Cass appeared in the door frame looking very exhausted and very happy.
"Hello." He said calmly wearing a silly grin.
"OK, Cass, none of your bullshit, you're going to explain this and explain it right now!" Dean said with some heat.
Cass merely sighed and looked at Dean. "Dean" he said, "I've seen Him." "Him?" Dean said, "You mean God."
Castiel was nodding and his grin growing even wider. "Dean, I saw Him." A beatific look of bliss and serenity crossed Cass's face before he forced himself to drag his attention back to his companions.
"Did He speak to you?" Sam asked, Cass nodded enthusiastically, "What did he say?"
"He gave me my orders." Cass answered
"I mean did he explain all this?" Dean asked obviously losing his patience.
"Ahh of course He explained Dean, He said 'I am God that's why."
Tempter completely lost Dean grabbed Castiel by the shirt. "So God told you to rape Raphael?" Dean asked angrily gesturing towards the inside of the house with his free hand.
"Dean" Cass murmured calmly wrapping his hands around the wrist of the hand Dean was using to grip his shirt. He did not attempt to free himself from Dean's grip, he just kept talking.
"It wasn't rape, it was my orders, and hers too." He said also gesturing to where Raphael was presumably still in the house. "She's just being a child about the whole thing. Believe me, if I had been Michael or the one ordered under confinement she would be more than willing."
"Under confinement?" Sam asked, twisting his brow in confusion.
"God, is returning." Cass said, "He has decided that too much of the Host perished in the last two wars and He was going to rebuild it." "He'd gone off to think and decided he would try something new this time. Instead of bringing the Angels full grown into existence he would have us gestate and be born as Humans are." "Raphael and I were ordered to begin the process."
"So when you say Raphael is 'under confinement, you mean..?"
"Yes, I mean Raphael was ordered to carry our child." "She is humiliated because she believes me to be unworthy as I was not born an Arch-Angel and I am far younger than her." For the first time Cass looked a bit serious and sad.
"So is she still here?" Bobby asked in annoyance.
"Yes, she is, she's upstairs resting.
"Are you taking her back to Heaven now?" Sam asked,
"No, Castiel said. "She stays here."
Cass looked guilty, defiant, and begging all at the same time. The look he always gave when he really needed to get what he wanted. He knew they never said no to it but he was really pushing his luck this time. He could tell by the way they paced and let the last sip of their beer go stale in bottles they still had in their hands, but he didn't care, he really needed this, he would make them understand.
"So what you are saying is that we have the Arch-Angel who hates us, pregnant upstairs? "Dean asked in incredulity,
"For how long?" Bobby asked in rising strands of panic.
"Until the birth maybe, forever perhaps, I can't answer that question." Cass continued to both look and feel extremely guilty but he already knew they would agree to this, it was written in their eyes as they struggled to figure out how they could possibly pull this one off. And to think, he'd once cursed their crippling empathetic response, it was the only part of them he ever really had. "There's more…" he said, held tilted to the right, eyes straight up, the way he always looks when he's really going to lower the boom.
He didn't finish his statement but rather walked purposely back into the house. The three other men followed him. He walked up the stairs and entered the room he and Raphael share without knocking. She was sitting on the bed in the squalid little room like a queen, reading a book. She looked up to glare at them all without speaking and quickly went back to her reading as if she were still alone in the room. Cass stared down at her, a riot of unreadable emotions on his face.
"Cass," Dean said approaching him, "What are we going to do with her here, we can't…"
"She won't hurt you Dean" Cass cut him off before he could finish his list of reasons an angry, pregnant Arch-Angel could not remain in Bobby's guest room. "She's…restrained." He said simply.
"Well I guess I have to unpack the good linen" Bobby's sarcasm was not lost on Cass.
"Bobby you don't have to do anything just sort of avoid this room for a while."
"Oh come on, Cass, we can't just leave her up here like this, I mean someone has to take care of her."
"Yes, Dean, someone will be taking care of her it just won't be you." Cass replied,
"Yeah Cass who?" Dean asked.
Castiel looked extremely shifty "I will and others".
"Others?" all three of the human men asked at once.
"Perhaps it's time for more whiskey." Castiel suggested before turning to leave the room, the others following him and closing the door on Raphael.
Castiel had barely poured the servings of whiskey before Dean was on him again.
"Others? Cass?"
Cass used the serving of whiskey he'd poured for Dean to waylay any physical confrontation Dean may have been considering and side-stepped him to hand Bobby and Sam their glasses. It was not lost on any of the men that he'd poured a share for himself.
"I guess I have a lot to explain." Cass said before taking a sip from his drink. Satisfied that they were finally going to get some straight answers from the Angel the three men all found seats with their drinks.
Cass took a seat by the fire and stared into the flame, obviously remembering. He tore his eyes away from the fire to glance at each of the others before continuing his tale. "Angels are different from Humans, very different, in so many ways. Not least of which is our capacity to experience pleasure.
For Humans pleasure is rare, sharp and fleeting and usually tied to other sensations like accomplishment, food, relaxation or sex. You deal with the physical so you only get enough to motivate and not distract. A person could go his whole life satisfied with less than an hour of true pleasure.
Not so for our kind. Angels were made for only three things; Love God, love each other and tend to our function. It's true that very few of us ever actually faced Him but all of us could feel Him, every one of us all the time. And do you know what God feels like, pure love and pure pleasure.
Try to imagine a really good orgasm, the best you've ever had, try to imagine that one lasting for five minutes." At that Dean gave a wolfish grin and took a heavy swig of his whiskey. Sam looked at his feet grinning and blushing and Bobby stared at the ceiling with his arms folded over his chest. Cass continued. "Imagine it lasting for an hour, or three days?" As he kept talking the men were starting to get noticeably less comfortable. "…or ten years?" Cass went on.
"Alright Cass we get the idea." Dean who'd obviously had the least trouble imagining Cass's scenario was looking annoyed and pained.
"Right" Cass said satisfied that he was getting his point across. "For us the experience is so much more profound."
"And why is that Cass? Because Angels are so much better than us 'mud monkeys'"
Dean was not even sure why Cass's explanations was making him so angry he just knew that sometimes those smug bastards just really pissed him off.
"No Dean." Cass replied with some heat of his own, he loved Dean he truly did but sometimes the shear density of the man was a trial to him.
"It's not because Angels are 'better' than humans it's because our perception of pleasure isn't tied to specific body parts or the skill of our lovers or even cause and effect, all of us, all of our bodies and our minds and our grace is just a motor for receiving and giving love and pleasure.
Most Angels have lived their entire, endless existence swimming in an ocean of sensations there are no words for. The higher order of Angels are required to perform adaptive thought and are therefore given some reprieve but for the rest there is no cessation and no defense.
While God abided with us this wasn't a problem for His Love perfectly balanced the pleasure and we all lived in a state of perpetual Bliss."
Cass again paused in his narrative to indulge in a moment of nostalgia before continuing. "When the war started and my Elder Brothers began inflicting pain on each other and death it terrified the Lower Orders and when Our Father left they were devastated.
We could all still feel the pleasure but it was so dim without the Presence, and the Love…" Cass's eyes wandered about the dark room as if he could find an adequate description of his memories among Bobby's dusty bookshelves. We tried to adapt we really did. For us the giving of pleasure is even better than receiving it so the strong among us would give to the weak."
"Against their will I'm guessing?" Dean cut in and Castiel nodded, his head hung in shame.
"The weak ones took it, they could not help it but they gave back, every chance they got to their superiors and each other and even unsuspecting humans, animals and plants. For a while it was chaos. Then the strongest among us began to also dole out love, from themselves and from humans. You are terrible at giving each other pleasure but you love better than we do. Some of you to a very great extent and for a while it worked and Heaven was stable, but it was a strain and even Angels are aware of the passage of time.
The longer we went like this the more Angels began thinking about the Apocalypse and how Paradise was promised at the end. We interpreted Paradise to mean the return of the Divine radiance we'd once known and the easing of our struggle. And now we have this."
"That's a lovely story Cass but why are you telling us all this?"
At these words Cass stopped his dreaming and gave Dean a hard stare. "The reason I'm telling you all this, Dean, is because both Raphael and I have been in the Prescence. We have the marks of Divinity all over us. The Other's know and they'll be coming."
"How many 'Others'?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know, Cass replied truthfully, "How many of us can dance on the head of a pin?" "Shit!" Dean exclaimed.
"And there's more, it's not just their numbers, they are called Lower Orders because their purpose is fixed. They cannot inflict harm or smite but many of them have power to rival the Arch-Angels and they are not to be trifled with." With this he looked significantly at Dean.
"Alright so what do we have to do?" Sam asked. Sam's face held a look of acceptance, even excitement and Castiel was happy that his charges were accepting and even embracing his plight.
"You don't have to do anything just be calm and respectful and accepting and you may even come to enjoy this experience." Cass said giving an encouraging nod to Sam.
"Yeah this is all well and good Cass but this is Bobby's house, we live here."
"I know Dean but it's also the site where the Divine will of God has been carried out, it is Holy. Raphael will not leave and neither will I and furthermore I can do nothing to remove the Angels that are coming. Also you should know that while God told us when He was coming back, around the time of the first birth, He did not specify where, it could be Heaven or it could be here."
"What!" Dean shouted. "You mean to tell me that when Rosemary upstairs pops we are going to get a visit from the Almighty?"
"Not likely, Cass said, steeling himself for Dean's response, but possible."
Dean's expression reminded Castiel forcibly of all the times Dean had accused Cass of having a stick up his ass. He briefly considered asking Dean the same thing but luckily his good judgment warned him off.
Bobby was next to speak, "Ok Cass so you've given us an idea but we need some specifics, what do Angels consider 'respectful and accepting'?"
At this Cass licked his lips and started looking guilty again but the Boys were so overwhelmed by what he'd already told them that they couldn't bring themselves to care. How many more bombs could he lower on them?
"Well, Castiel continued having gotten out what he considered the worst of it, he would finish his duty to his friends. "Angels are very…" he searched for the right word for a moment, "Gay"
"You want to explain that Son?" Bobby asked leaning forward with a studious look on his face.
"What I mean is that the Lower Order of Angels do not take vessals, they merely create forms for themselves when they need to manifest. They have no concept of gender or the physical limitations the confines of gender impose. They are the very definition of what Dean would call, 'Gay'. Remember that Cupid we encountered when we fought Famine? Well he was 'weak' and accustomed to humans." Judging by the groans that erupted from all three of the humans, Cass did not feel the need to elaborate.
"That's just lovely Cass, Dean put in, so what you're saying is that a bunch of your Angel buddies are going to descend on this place and turn it into Rajneesh Puram?"
For once Cass actually understood one of Dean's references as it was based on an actual religious group and an event that had actually happened. Castiel smiled briefly and nodded but quickly sobered at the obvious agitation he was causing with his Charges.
"Look, he said seriously, I know what I'm asking; I've instructed Balthazar to bring a cask of Heaven's gold to put at your disposal. If ever you decide you have had enough you'll have the means to remake homes for yourselves anywhere on Earth."
Bobby stood up. "Thanks Cass but no thanks, Angels or not, this is home."
Sam and Dean's twin expressions told Castiel that they were in firm agreement with Bobby's sentiment and Cass felt a deep swell of happiness and contentment. He had truly not wanted to go through this alone.
At that Dean stood up, clapped his hands loudly one time and then rubbed them together.
"Now for the fun part." He announced to the room in general. "Cass, ya gotta get us ready."
"Get you ready?" Cass repeated true confusion in his eyes.
"Yeah, Dean said, were gonna have a bunch of clueless dicks walking around here who are gonna wanna 'give us pleasure' everytime we find ourselves in disagreement with them, am I right?"
Castiel nodded, a bloom of shame appearing on his cheeks. "At the very least." Cass replied.
"Wait a minute, Sam asked, is that what they did to you when they dragged you back to Heaven?"
many had accused the Winchesters of being slow but not for the first time Cass knew they were too perceptive by far. His earlier blush of shame deepened until it was almost a physical sensation of pain, but he'd already revealed so much, he would not lie to them now just to spare himself some humiliation.
"Yes, Sam, that's what they did to me. My brothers gave me a great deal of pleasure for a very long time."
At these words the brothers looked away from him in disgust.
"But what about Anna, and Us? When we were in Heaven they tortured us properly." Dean asked,
"Dean, Anna had fallen and gestated as a human, lived nearly a full human life, the Higher Orders of Angels know that you cannot threaten Humans with pleasure. They would not even understand it."
"Which brings me back to my point, Dean cut in, you've got to make us understand it Cass or we'll be at their mercy."
"Dean, am I to understand that you are asking me to give you pleasure?"
"Yeah, Cass, that's what I'm asking." Dean replied, his voice and stance screaming with challenge.
Cass's eyes were evasive.
"What's the matter Cass? Getting your freak on?" Dean asked.
With that Cass looked directly into Dean's eyes, his own full of defiance. "Yes Dean, I am, I've longed to give you pleasure since I met you. All of you." He said, his eyes sweeping the room. "It's my nature."
"Cut the shit Cass and just do it already Dean said.
Dean had no idea what to expect and could not hide his nervousness, but he trusted Cass, with his life, he knew that he could trust Cass with this new experience too. He tried desperately not to remember the look he saw in Castiel's eyes as he dragged the weeping Raphael up the stairs.
Cass approached Dean slowly, he wanted to say something to comfort Dean but he recognized his mood and thought it's best to just proceed. He reached under Dean's jacket and rested his hand on the middle of Dean's back and relaxed and let his power flow. He wanted to be careful and not spook Dean so he restrained himself and let just a bit of power out at first.
Dean waited patiently as Cass pulled him into a one armed embrace. He could feel the warmth of Cass's hand on his back and just a bit of a tingle. It took him a moment to realize his headache was gone and he wasn't hungry anymore. His mind drifted in the sweet haze and he felt like he didn't have any of the aches and pains in his body and he was floating.
The pure velvet sensation was flowing from Cass's hand on his back and he was forgetting to hate Crowley or Ruby or Alastair. He was remembering his Mother's death and his Father's and his time in Hell but the fear and the pain would not come because they could not get through the wall of bliss Cass was beaming into him from the hand on his back. A massive orgasm came and went but he hardly registered it as it drowned in the flood of light he was experiencing. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Cass and pulled him closer and the pleasure increased.
It was wonderful, it felt like a hug from his brother only so much more. He'd been afraid that it would be sexual and invasive but he was no longer even able to complete the thought that had been so important to him only a moment before. If it felt like this how was he even supposed to care? Again the pleasure increased and his heart started to race and he was panting and trying to remember hearing somebody call his name.
Dean regained awareness of his surroundings lying flat on his back on the floor with his brother standing over him. Cass was still sitting next to him but he was looking away and his expression was guarded. Sam helped Dean up asking over and over if he was ok.
"I'm fine Sammy, Dean said, now it's your turn."
"Dean, I don't think I want" but Dean was not interested in what Sam wanted. He grabbed his brother by the ear and shoved him into Cass's lap. Cass lost no time in wrapping his arm around Sam who then immediately let out a long sigh and melted into Cass's embrace.
Dean woke up in a very good mood. He had gotten a really good night's sleep for what felt like the first time in years and he could still feel the after effect of his session last night with Cass.
Mostly the absence of a crippling ache in his chest and right shoulder that he didn't even know he was carrying. He dressed and left his room, not even bothering to be annoyed at the renewed sounds of Cass, fucking Raphael into oblivion. He made it downstairs into the kitchen for some coffee.
Bobby and Sam were already in the kitchen and he could tell by their introspective silence that they were also still floating on the experience they'd had with Castiel the night before.
After a particularly loud squeal, Sam, who'd been the least comfortable with Castiel and Raphael's activities gestured vaguely in the direction of the upstairs saying "Can you believe that? What's funny Dean?" Sam was losing patience with his brother who was trying to stifle a giggle.
"I mean, Dean started; don't you think it's a little funny? Raphael the biggest Dick in the universe and now he's getting fucked to death by Castiel? The Trickster was good but I think God has him trumped by a country mile."
"Dean, Sam said, we need to get serious, those Angels are coming."
"I think they may already be here." Bobby said quietly.
He was leaning over the kitchen sink and staring out the window.
The Winchesters leapt out of their seats and were out the door into the junkyard outside. Nobody was there and everything looked the same but they knew Bobby had been right. It had to be the air.
Usually the air around Singer Auto smelled of rust and motor oil and animal excrement but today it smelled fresh, like it had just rained but the sky was sunny and blue. A bit too sunny and blue and what was making the junk yard so suddenly attractive to brightly colored birds and beautiful insects.
The next morning was exactly the same except Sam and Bobby weren't drinking coffee or listening to the symphony of love making coming from upstairs they were staring at an ancient looking basket and two old jugs on Bobby's dinner table.
"What? No coffee?" Dean asked as he strolled into the room.
"No food" Bobby replied. "When we came into the kitchen every scrap of food was gone, even the beer and whiskey I keep around the house. All that was left was this basket and these two jugs.
Dean looked at the jugs, they each had a slightly different shape but they were otherwise identical to the jugs the Holy Oil came in. There was a platter next to the jugs with six identical matching cups and in the basket was a stack of light, flakey, white wafers. Dean leaned over and looked suspiciously at the wafers.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes Dean it is." Castiel's voice came from behind them.
He was wearing just his shirt and dress pants and his shirt was poorly buttoned. He walked up to the table in bare feet and picked up one of the wafers and put it into his mouth. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he slowly chewed.
"Mmmm, Manna." He said in his gravelly voice. I almost forgot what this taste like."
Dean, Sam and Bobby each reverently picked up their own wafer and lifted them to their mouths, pausing to prepare themselves for the taste of the ancient treat.
Cass had upturned four of the six little clay cups and was pouring a deep red liquid that smelled strongly of fermented fruit into the cups.
"This jug holds the wine and this one the water, when you are thirsty drink from one of these two jugs." Cass instructed as he served the drinks.
None of the men had bitten into their Manna so he gestured with his chin to indicate they should eat. As they ate a delicate honey flavor coated their tongues. The wafers were sweet and crispy and melted in their mouths. They all sat in silence savoring their meal. No one was surprised that the jug and the basket stayed full.
"So Cass, no more cheeseburgers huh?" Dean asked indicating the basket and jugs.
"I'm sorry Dean. If you want to eat that you'll have to go out, only Heaven's food can be served here."
Cass, whom none of them had ever seen without his full suit and trench coat was unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off.
"What are you doing?" Bobby asked, staring at Cass's naked torso.
"It's too confining. I need a stretch." Without warning Castiel completely unfurled his massive white wings and let them hang folded from his shoulder.
"Cass?, Sam said excited, we can look at your wings now?"
Cass nodded. "You've been touched by the Divine Will; none of our manifestations can harm you anymore."
Dean knew that despite their negative encounters with Angels, Sam still cherished a deep seated belief in them and was still moved by any sighting of the great wings.
Without another word Cass turned, his wings still visible on his shoulders and walked into the living room. A little girl was standing stock still in the living room. She stared at each of them and showed no surprise at the site of the Angelic wings.
"An Angel?" Bobby asked and Cass nodded.
"Why doesn't she talk, you said the manifestations couldn't hurt us anymore so we can hear her voice right?"
"You can hear her voice Sam but she only speaks Enochian, you wouldn't understand her."
"Well then, Bobby said. Perhaps it's high time we learned Enochian."
Cass considered his words for a moment and then nodded. He said something to the girl in the broad, flat language of his kind and she vanished, only to reappear immediately with a large stack of books. Castiel walked over to the girl and picked up the top book on the stack and briefly leafed through it. He then looked up at the other three men and said, "I will teach you the language of my Brothers."
True to his word Cass diligently set himself to teaching Bobby, Sam and Dean his native language. Bobby and Sam were in raptures, Dean had a bit more of a struggle but he applied himself and learned nearly as quickly as the others.
Learning their language was a real eye opener as far as understanding the Angels went, as more and more of them arrived and the men were able to see them interact.
Dean had never understood the long flat words of the Angelic language thinking it sounded rather ugly and boring, until he was around them enough to realize that they didn't speak it they sang it, usually in a chorus.
He had to admit, it sounded much better then. He would find himself hypnotized in hallways and corridors listening to the spontaneous concerts groups of them would sing to express the most everyday thoughts and conversations. If he listened long enough the beauty of the music would transcend sound an go directly to images in his mind.
The Angels were as innocent of gender as Cass said they would be.
They seemed to like showing their wings as often as not.
Though invariably beautiful they also had no preferences to race, height/weight proportion or age. They would appear as Nairobi Plainsmen dismantling wrecks in the auto yard one day and heavy set Hispanic mothers in the garden the next. Sometimes they would be a group of Elders roasting an animal on a spit and sometimes a group of kindergarteners weaving cloth in the living room.
He did not know if it were the same Angels delighting in mimicking a new human form or if it was an entirely new group altogether. They seemed to enjoy appearing as children or teenagers the most, which sometimes really freaked the boys out as they didn't seem to understand the concepts of personal space or clothing. It seemed there was always a naked teenaged boy or girl coming up to them and trying to sniff their shirts.
They were most fascinated with Dean's handprint scar and the men's genitals which they had but didn't seem to use. They would find themselves dragged off to be bathed by the seeming children or wake up under a pile of naked winged bodies.
They grew to love the strange creatures and whenever Dean, Bobby or Sam was feeling a particularly strong burst of the emotion the Angels would sense it and flock to them.
They were undyingly grateful to Cass for giving them the pleasure taking lessons as the other Angels were quite generous in giving the men this gift and none had been nearly as gentle as Cass.
He delighted in conversing with them in Enochian and soon even Raphael started coming down from her haunt to take meals with them. Raphael actually liked Sam and would spend hours talking to him. She liked Bobby too but he still had trouble with Dean.
She was growing large with her pregnancy and was at first shy of the other Angels. Dean didn't know what reaction she was expecting but the Lower Orders stood in awe of her. They'd never seen a pregnant Angel before and could feel the hand of the Father all over her.
The Angels were always working and soon Singer Auto was completely unrecognizable. The dilapidated old house had been completely torn down around them and replaced by a golden temple. The Auto yard was gone replaced by a lush garden.
Most of Bobby's beloved books had been confiscated by the Angels. He fought for them but the Angels were adamant that the books were unclean and locked them away. The devils traps, the panic room, all the vestiges of their lives as hunters were being swept away. They were just lucky the Angels couldn't get into their heads and do some housecleaning there or at least they hoped that was the case.
Every once in a while, one of the people they would run into in the garden would turn out to be actual humans. Cass had explained that there were always a few humans who could sense the Angels no matter where they went or how they chose to cloak themselves.
These people tended to follow them around but not to worry they were harmless, the guardians protected the garden and wouldn't let anyone in who could get into trouble.
That was where Dean's head was when he woke up and pulled himself out from his live Angel blanket. He wandered the massive golden halls and stared at the towering rooms. He walked down an endless stairwell to reach the room at the bottom where they tended to congregate. Words like kitchen and dining room no longer had meaning to Bobby's once humble little home.
Instead of furniture the Angels built bathing pools with flowing fountains, open fire pits and live plant gardens. They didn't seem to have any trouble sitting anywhere but because of their wings and their love for touching and holding each other preferred backless benches that were either fixed to the floor or hung from the ceiling.
Long tables laden with Manna baskets, assorted fruit, spit roasted meat and bitter herb salsas adorned every room. Dean found them all sitting around one such table. Bobby was sitting naked on a bench, an elderly Asian male, also naked, was cocooned on his lap with one of his wings draped over Bobby's shoulder. They were sharing a large Manna wafer.
The sight was beautiful, haunting and the gayest thing Dean had ever seen in his life.
Sam, Cass and Raphael were sitting on the other side of the table conversing in Enochian with an assortment of Angelic toddlers eating figs at their feet.
On impulse, Cass brushed his hand across Raphael's distended belly, cupped her breast and gave her a deep kiss.
Dean averted his eyes and prayed he didn't get an erection. He hated becoming erect in front of the Angels, they would always flock to him and start playing with it. He'd learned from experience to simply let things take their course. Once the jets of semen went shooting into the air the Angels would laugh and clap like kids at a piñata party then they would return to work leaving Dean to mop up the mess, along with his dignity.
In the first weeks he used to try to brush them off and hide himself. They would get irritated and put him in pleasure comas for hours, sometimes days.
He remembered sharply one instance when he'd been lying on the floor, covered in Angels and Sam had walked in with his face buried in a book of Enochian. He didn't even take his nose out of the book as he stepped over his brother's writhing, twitching body.
Dean then realized that he'd just pooped Manna into a solid gold toilet and that he hadn't seen his pants in weeks. At that thought Dean decided he had had enough.
"Cass! He said sharply to get the Angel's attention. "What's Crowley doing?" he asked.
Cass looked up at Dean and shook his head. "I don't know Dean, I haven't heard from him."
"What do you mean 'you don't know' Cass? He could have found purgatory by now!"
Cass shrugged. "I seriously doubt it Dean."
"Well do you even care?" Dean asked, tilting his head to the side.
Cass replied, "During my audience with my Father, He seriously straightened me out on that whole Crowley thing. I could only assume he'd taken care of Crowley personally."
"I guess Cass, but that's a lot to assume, don't you think?"
"What are you saying Dean?" Cass asked leveling a stare at Dean.
"What I'm saying is I think it's time we got our heads out of our asses and have a look at what's going on outside."
It took them two hours to find their clothes as the sullen Angels who obviously did not want them to leave had hidden them. It took them another three days to walk through the outrageous garden that had once been the quarter mile of auto carcasses in front of Bobby's house.
Cass had warned them not to try and take the Impala as he'd fought a very hard battle to allow them to keep it in the first place and the Guardians may not let them bring it back in.
When they finally arrived at the entrance to what was once Singer Auto Dean instantly understood what he meant.
The Lower Order Angels they lived and worked with were adorable, Cass and Raphael, naked with their wings out where majestic, but the enormous, towering Angels with huge flaming swords were the most terrifying thing the men had ever seen.
"I thought you said the Lower Orders could not smite." Dean said to Cass as they walked pass the Angels, praying.
"These are the exception Dean. Their function is to smite." Cass answered.
"Why are they here?" Sam asked.
"I summoned them here when the humans started showing up. I don't think more than five or six of them got their eyes burned out before the Guardians blocked the entrance."
"Will we be able to get back in? Bobby asked.
"Of course" Cass answered.
Once they'd gotten over the shock of seeing the guardians, they had to deal with the site of the sprawling tent city that had sprung up around the outside gate. The whole place looked like it was getting ready for a Dead show.
"What the Hell?" Dean asked to no one in particular.
"Angels are not the only ones who can feel God's Presence Dean, everybody can really but some people are just extra receptive. This city will only grow larger as we get closer to the birth."
Cass finally took mercy on the boys and flew them all into the town near Bobby's home. First they needed to get to a television so they could see the news. They couldn't keep a TV. at home because the Angels kept blowing them out.
Bobby led them to a bar in town that featured a TV the older barkeep kept trained on a 24 hour news channel. They all sat down at the booth and watched the news until a waitress came to take their order.
The news was downright boring, full of human interest stories and instructional pieces. The only thing on the news that was even remotely interesting to the four at the table was a speculation story about the tent city that had sprung up around Bobby's House.
The bland, pretty faced talking head reporter informed them from the screen that she'd heard Celebrities where planning a surprise benefit for the endangered sea turtle.
The waiter brought their orders and Dean turned to his beloved bacon cheeseburger and fries and froze.
The site and smell of the food was making his stomach turn. He looked up to see both Sam and Bobby eyeing their own plates with similar disgust.
"So what we can't eat anymore?" Dean asked looking at Cass.
"If you stayed out here eventually you would be able to tolerate normal food again." Cass answered.
"What before or after we starved to death, and are those Angels over there?", Dean asked gesturing to a group of skate punks who were actually poorly disguised Angels sitting inconspicuously at a table next to theirs.
"You've always had Angels following you, you all have, it's just that now you can see them." Cass answered simply.
"So I guess were not going to get any answers about Crowley either?" Dean asked.
"God's presence in my Grace prevents me from scouting Hell. When He was among us no Angel was even permitted to perceive Hell unless specifically sent there on a mission."
Sighing in exasperation Dean reached for his water glass. Cass grabbed his wrist before he could pick it up.
"Wait a minute Dean. I'll get you the water jug."
"Don't bother, Sam answered, Just take us home." Cass nodded gladly.
The diner vanished only to be replaced by the roasting pit outside the Temple. A group of Higher Order Angels was standing next to the pit. The three men instantly prepared themselves for battle but Cass held out a restraining hand. "It's o.k., they are submissive or the Guardians would have never let them through."
He turned to the Angels. "What do you want Janiel?" he asked in Enochian.
The leader, a short brown skinned woman with long curly hair answered.
"You know what we want. We demand that you and Raphael return to Heaven at once. We demand you give us orders".
"Raphael will not leave unless directly ordered by our Father and neither will I" Castiel responded.
"We do not care what you and Raphael want, Castiel. How dare you allow your brothers to languish in an empty Heaven while you and Raphael stay down here playing with your humans, and how dare you presume to bring our Father to this toilet?" She said, pointing to the Temple.
"You may not speak of my home in that manner." Castiel barked looking truly angry for the first time in months.
"This is not your home Castiel, Heaven is your home and it needs you." The woman's words were harsh and angry but her eyes were begging.
Castiel averted his gaze and sighed. "I will take the matter under consideration, he said, in the mean time you may have orders."
The small group of Angels looked relieved and stood at attention.
Castial held up his head and unfurled his wings. "The humans in the tent city outside are preparing to lay siege to the Guardians, the sight of a massacre would not best please our Father, go and take care of the Humans. Tell them any story but get them to stand down."
The Angels inclined their heads and flew off.
"Hey wait Cass isn't that something we should be doing?" Dean asked turning back towards the gate.
"They can handle it Dean." Cass said, "Anyway I thought you were hungry."
Cass hid his wings again and walked into the Temple. Shrugging, Bobby and Sam followed him and finally Dean as well.
Raphael was waiting for them when they entered the congregation room. She was in the later stages of her pregnancy and she was constantly eating.
Castiel rushed to embrace her, his relief at being back home and being with her coming off of him in waves. Their relationship was still a bit one-sided for his tastes but Angels lived forever and she was starting to come around. She put down the fruit she'd been eating and looked at him.
"Are they gone?" she asked.
"For the moment, he answered, but they will be back and others as well. I do not know how long we can stall their demands."
She smirked, "I'll tell them where they can stick their demands." She stated.
Castiel laughed outright at this. "I think the Winchesters are starting to rub off on you. He said kissing her cheek. "I think I like it. Seriously though we have a problem, even though those envoys are submissive they can still make a great deal of trouble for us. The humans Dr. King and Gandhi used passive resistance to great effect, just think what they will do with it?"
"I am telling you Castiel it does not matter. Raphael said looking Cass directly in the eye. The child will come long before that happens."
Castiel looked at her face, his eyes wide with worry. "Like when?" he asked.
"Like now. She said and threw her head back and howled.
A great stream of water came gushing out from her thin dress and Dean Sam and Bobby found themselves in an adjacent room.
A few seconds later the sound of Castiel's mighty wings could be heard flapping wildly as a cadre of Angels threw him bodily into the room were the other men were just getting comfortable. He looked as if he were going to try to beat down the doors for a few seconds then he merely turned his back on them and slid to the floor. The three men went over to pick their friend up off the floor when they heard the first wail.
It seems as if the three men and the Angel had been pacing around the room for hours. They sat down and got up started conversations or reached for food abandoning the idea when yet another shriek made them cringe, when before they knew it they could hear a wailing of a different type.
The doors slid open in invitation and the sound of a newborn could clearly be heard.
They raced into the birthing room to greet the newest member of their family. The baby was so small. It was a boy.
He had a light skin with a darkish tinge and tiny wet matted wings. He lay at Raphael's breast nursing greedily.
Raphael looked up at Castiel and smiled and Dean could swear that was the first time he ever saw her give Cass a look that was completely free of contempt.
"So, Bobby said smiling happily, what are you going to name him?"
"Our Father will name him when He comes, as He has named us all." Cass answered.
He was staring dreamily at his son, touching his head and wings.
That night the Angels threw the wildest party the Winchesters had ever seen. The whole Temple sparkled as the Angels all sang with one voice. The beauty of it all was overwhelming and Dean knew a happy ending when he saw one.
Still he had to wonder what the Hell God was doing?
What could have been so important that He would leave them all to this?
"Maybe, a voice behind him said in Enochian, "He'd decided we'd all outgrown this Garden and he went off to build us some more?"
Dean spun around to come face to face with John Winchester in all his middle aged glory holding a piece of fruit. Dean instantly knew the man standing before him was not his father. It was something about the eyes and the way even the air strained to worship him.
Grinning, He put the fruit to His mouth and took a bite.
The End.