Author's note: this is based off the 2003 movie The Haunted Mansion, so it's probably gonna be a bit cheesy. For those reading Storybook Love, I will be finishing it soon, I just have some ideas for Halloween. This will be a Destiel story, with a side of Sabriel, and Michael/Lucifer, who are not brothers in this. I'm using Matt Cohen Michael. Just a warning, Dean is going to be a little more like Dean Smith at the beginning, so he's gonna be a bit OOC. I hope you all enjoy.
Warning: talk of past suicide, murder.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, or The Haunted Mansion.
Dean smiled at the couple touring the house, "It's love, isn't it? Sometimes, you walk into a house, and you take one look around…and you say, 'This is for me.'"
Mrs. Bess Fitzgerald was looking out the large bay window in the living room, "It's perfect!" she exclaimed, turning to Dean, "I think it's just what we've been looking for!"
Her husband, Garth, on the other hand, didn't seem impressed, "There aren't enough plugs."
They had looked at house after house, and Garth had found something wrong with each one, "Now, Mr. Fitzgerald, that place I showed you over on Sycamore Street was loaded with plugs."
"That's right," Bess said, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice, "There were plenty."
"Yes, but the steps were too high. When we get older, we could trip!" Garth tried to reason. Dean liked Garth. He was a kindergarten teacher with a great sense of humor…he just refused to pick a house! and Bess was getting over it.
"Every house we look at, you find something to pick at."
"I just know what I like."
"Would you like a divorce?"
Dean decided to interrupt, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, no need for that! Listen to me, I am going to find this house for you! I am totally committed to finding the perfect house for you, no matter how long it takes. Because at Winchester Realties, we want you to be happy," before he could say anything else, his phone rang, "Pardon me please. Winchester Realties, Dean Winchester."
"Hello Dean," Dean smiled at the gravely voice on the other line. It was his husband, "How is it going? Do they like the house?"
As much as he wanted to talk to him, he had an idea, "Yes, this house is still available."
"I knew it. I told you they were going to be difficult."
Dean turned to the Fitzgerald's, and whispered, "An interested party, excuse me."
"Listen, I'm on my way home to get ready for dinner. I'm really looking forward to tonight."
"Are you preapproved?"
"Yes. The reservation's at 7:00, so please don't be late."
"7:00 is perfect! We'll get together at seven, and we'll go over your offer." He snuck a glance behind him just in time to see Bess hit Garth with her purse.
"Okay, I'll see you later."
"Do you see what you did?!" the angry wife asked, furious. She turned back to Dean, "We love the house!" he turned back to her, "We do. We love it."
Dean smiled at the pair, "Well, Mrs. Fitzgerald…taking that into consideration, there's only one thing left to do," he walked over to his clients, and handed them a pen, "Let's sign some papers."
The deal was made.
It was 8:00 and Dean knew he was in trouble. He had tried, he really did! He had gone to the owners of the house to have them sign the final papers, so the Fitzgerald's would be the official owners, and they had not stopped talking long enough to sign. And then, when he was trying to leave, he was stopped by another couple looking to buy. He just hoped Cas would understand and forgive him.
He had bought him a stuffed bumblebee on the way home as an apology, and after ringing the bell, held it up to his face. Maybe if he tried to be cute, he would get off easily. When the door opened, he started talking, "Hi Cas, my name's Bumble. Your husband sent me to tell you he loves you very much, but sometimes he loses track of the time," with that, he tentatively peeked his head around the bee, and hoped Cas would be smiling. No such luck, he had his normal, stoic expression. At least it wasn't a glare, "I'm sorry I'm late… Happy anniversary," he held the bee out like a peace offering.
"Happy anniversary," Cas said. He was mad, but he still accepted the bee. When he wrapped his hand around the small neck, he felt something hard. Looking down, he noticed a beautiful, and obviously expensive watch. Dean unfastened the watch from the bee and put it on Castiel's wrist. This, at least, he had bought weeks ago, "It's beautiful," he said, honestly.
"It's actually Bumble's fault that I'm late. He was a little buzzed and made a mess of honey in the back seat."
"That's all right. I forgive Bumble," Cas emphasized the name before walking away. Dean groaned in frustration.
"Don't be like that Cas! I'm on a roll here! We've sold seven houses this month!"
"What about the three soccer games, two birthday parties, and barbeque you missed?" Dean's eyes widened.
"Have I missed all that stuff this month?" Cas nodded. Dean groaned. He knew he had been absent, but that was just ridiculous, "All right, I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're all gonna take off this weekend."
"What?" Cas asked, smiling. This was so sudden.
"We're gonna take off, we're gonna go to the lake. Just like last year, just us and the kids. The whole weekend, how's that sound?"
"Can we really close on this?"
Dean leaned down, and gave his husband a soft kiss, "How's that for a contract? I'm gonna go tell the kids."
"All right," Cas said, smiling. He loved how driven his husband was, but it was getting a bit ridiculous. Hopefully, this weekend would help.
As Dean hurried up the stairs to tell the kids, he heard a panicked screaming. He raced up to see his ten-year-old son, Jack, come running out of his bedroom. The young boy ran into his father's arms, screeching.
"What is it?" Dean asked, terrified for his boy.
"There's a spider in my room! There's a spider in my room, he's on the window!"
"Well, why didn't you kill it?" Dean asked, incredulous. This reaction over a spider?
Jack looked up at him as if he were insane, "It's a big spider!"
"Come on, Jack, it's just a spider. How big could it be?" he took his son's hand and walked him back down the hall to his bedroom. Sure enough, crawling on the window, was a spider, a little smaller than a quarter, "Come on, you're acting like it's Shelob, or something," he pulled the small boy over to the window, "Look, you're ten years old, I think it's time you learned how to kill a spider. The most efficient way to crush a spider," the father picked a magazine off his son's bedside table and rolled it up, "You take a good magazine, and roll it up good and tight. You get an eye on that spider and take a good side swing to kill it. That's all you have to do."
Jack looked at the spider, then at the magazine, then at his father before shaking his head, "I don't want to."
"You've gotta kill the spider, Jack."
"Dad, I'm afraid of spiders, I can't kill it!" Dean rubbed his temples and knelt in front of his son.
"Look, all your life you're going to be facing spiders."
Jack's eyes widened, "I am?" he asked, fearfully.
"What I'm trying to say is, you should never be afraid. Don't be afraid of anything! People are just gonna end up using it against you. I'm not scared of anything, I'm your dad, right? You're my son, you kill that spider."
"I can't kill the spider, dad."
"Yes, you can, come on now, whack it."
"I can't kill it!"
They went on like this for another minute before another small hand grabbed the magazine and killed the spider on the window with one quick whack.
"There," his thirteen-year-old daughter, Claire said, handing him the magazine, "Happy?"
"No, I am not happy, Claire. I was trying to make a point to your brother about how important it is to kill your own spider!"
"Whatever," she said, walking out of the room.
After Dean went upstairs to tell the kids about the lake, the phone rang. It was someone looking to sell their house. Cas quickly took down their information and listened to the young sounding man on the other end talk.
"It's an old house, Mr. Winchester. My employer is anxious to move on. Would it be possible for you to come alone, so we can discuss the situation?
"My husband and I work as a team," Cas replied, shaking his head even though he knew the other man couldn't see it.
"The master usually does not take visitors, however, from your photograph, he thought you to have a trustworthy face…But your husband, he feels differently."
"Oh…you got our flier," Cas knew the pictures were a bad idea.
"The master wishes to meet with you tomorrow evening."
Dean was coming back downstairs, "Oh, I'm sorry, but tomorrow I've got plans that can't be broken."
Dean quickly clapped his hands to get his husbands attention, and motioned to the phone, obviously asking what was going on.
"Excuse me a second," he turned to Dean.
"Who is it?"
"Just someone calling about selling a house," Cas explained.
"What's the address? Where is it?"
He handed his husband the paper with the address, and Dean's eyes widened.
"Cas, do you know where this place is?!"
Cas raised his brow and shook his head.
"All the places up here are big multimillion-dollar mansions!" he exclaimed, excited, "This could be big!"
"And what about our big family adventure?" he asked, disappointed, but not surprised.
"We'll just drop by for twenty minutes on the way up to the lake. I swear, we'll just talk things over. Nothing more."
"It's just a little detour," Dean explained to the kids, on their way up to the house.
"How long is this gonna take?" Claire asked, not happy.
"No more than twenty minutes," he promised, "Twenty minutes tops. You should be excited, you finally get to see daddy and papa in real estate action!"
The kids shared a look. Just what they've always wanted.
Before they could say anything, Dean's phone rang, "Hello, Dean Winchester of Winchester Realties. Crowley, how're you doing? What's up? Really, the Singer property? Tomorrow? I'm kinda out of town right now…but maybe I could come home early…" he looked over at Cas, who didn't look happy at the suggestion, "No, no, I can't come back early. Maybe we should just take care of this on Monday? Fantastic, okay, I'll talk to you on Monday," he hung up.
After another half hour of driving through a thick forest without any sign of civilization, they finally drove up to an old, iron gate.
The gate didn't move when Dean honked the horn, and nobody came out to open it, so he reluctantly got out of the car to look for a call box, all the while complaining about ruining his new shoes. Cas rolled his eyes and got out with him. They walked up to the gate and looked in awe at the mansion behind it. It was old, and a little decrepit, but still beautiful.
"Wow," Cas said, before looking back at the gate, that was chained shut with a rusted padlock, "How are we gonna get in?"
Dean chuckled, "Why don't you give me a boost, and I'll go in around back and surprise them."
Cas laughed, "You'll probably scare them to death. Let's just go, it's getting late."
Dean shrugged, and they began to walk back to the car. A screeching stopped them.
The two men froze before turning around. The gate which had definitely been padlocked was swinging open, as if of its own accord.
Cas was nervous, and confused, but Dean just clapped his hands together, "All right, we're in business. Let's go!" they hopped back into the impala and drove up to the entrance.
As they climbed out of the car, Claire slammed her door behind her, "Hey, now. Don't slam the door like that. She's sensitive," Dean said, walking over to Baby.
"…It's a car, dad," Claire said, looking at him like he was the biggest fool she had ever met.
"It's not just a car! She's a very delicate piece of machinery," he turned to Baby, and wiped a smudge off the black paint, "Shh. She didn't mean what she just said," he cooed. Jack and Claire rolled their eyes.
"Come on, let's see what's around back," Cas suggested, already walking away. His family was quick to follow.
"I'm getting hungry," Jack whined.
"Me too," Claire agreed.
Dean shook his head at them, "Don't worry, we'll be twenty minutes tops."
"Hey dad," Jack asked Dean, "when we get to the lake, can I go to that pizza shop where I ate an entire pizza, and when we got to the cabin I threw up pepperoni? Can we go there?"
Dean shuddered at the incident, "Yeah, we can go there if we can avoid a repeat performance…wow… now that's something you don't see every day," they reached the backyard.
There was a massive cemetery. It spanned far out towards the forest, with elegant tombstones as far as he could see.
Claire walked over, "Oh. My. God. Dead people?!"
Dean had to agree. He looked at Cas, "Hey, angel…you know they have dead people in the backyard…"
"Well…" Cas started, walking over to his family, "Some people have pools…others have private cemeteries…it happens."
Claire gave him an incredulous look, "You're gonna sell a house, with this!" she exclaimed, motioning to the cemetery.
"You mean this historical sprawling manor with spacious grounds? Yes," Dean said.
"That's good," Cas nodded, "We'll put that on the listing."
"And leave out all the dead people!?" Claire couldn't believe it.
"We'll just stick to the bright side," Dean muttered as thunder roared across the sky. They hadn't noticed before, but there was definitely a storm on their way. Dean grabbed his husband's hand and began to usher them all around to the front door.
They made it right when the sky opened up and ran immediately began to fall in noisy sheets of water.
"Do you think it's gonna stop," Claire asked, concerned.
"I don't know, but I hope it's not raining at the lake," Cas said, glad he thought to wear his trench coat as he took it off and held it above his Claire and Jack's heads. They were only wearing light jackets, and he didn't want them to get sick.
Dean pounded on the door with the heavy knockers, and turned to his kids, "All right, kids, you know that when you work with dad and papa you have to be on your best behavior, right?" they nodded, and he looked at the elegant door, "Look at the size of these knockers," he muttered. They would have to get nice pictures taken of this. He turned to Cas, "You ever see anything like that before?" Cas shook his head as the door creaked open.
The family stood in the doorway but didn't enter. Nobody was there. The door seemed to have opened on its own. Dean shared a look with his husband, and hesitantly stepped inside, "Hello," he called, "Is anybody home? Hello! It's the Winchester's, from Winchester's Realties! Hi!" there was nobody. It was as if the house was abandoned. He shrugged and motioned his family inside. They could at least get out of the rain.
The inside of the mansion was magnificent! There was a double staircase above a darkened entrance to another room, lush red carpets covered the floor, and lit candelabras were placed every few feet to give a soft glow.
Claire was not impressed, "It smells like grandma's house," she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Worse," Jack replied, "It smells like grandma."
"It's just a little dusty. We'll get a cleaning crew to come in, polish it up. There won't be a speck of dust," Dean explained.
Jack noticed something he didn't like, "Papa!" he said, going over to Cas, "This place has spiders!" Cas gave him a hug and a comforting pat on the head. Before he could say anything, a door opened from the hallway under the stairs. A man walked down the hall towards them. He had short, dark hair, and was wearing a tuxedo. He looked like he was in his mid-forties but was unhealthily pale.
"Castiel Winchester?" he asked. Cas recognized his voice from the phone.
"Yes, I'm Castiel," he said.
"My name is Roman."
Dean shared a look with Cas, something about this guy didn't seem right, but what could they do. Dean went into real estate agent mode, "Hello, Roman. I'm Dean Winchester from Winchester's realties. At your service," he offered his hand, but Roman just looked at it as if he had been offered to hold a snake and didn't take his gaze away from Castiel.
"We were not expecting…others," he said.
"Yes," Cas began, apologetically, "We were on our way out of town."
Roman's eyes narrowed, "Very well…I suppose we will just have to place other settings," he said, before turning around and heading back down the hallway. Cas held Claire and Jack's hands as they followed. Something about this man made him very uncomfortable.
"Other settings for what?" Dean asked.
"Mr. Morgenstern wishes to discuss things over dinner."
"I'm afraid we have plans," Cas said, polite, but firm. He looked at Dean, "Honey, we can't stay for dinner."
"We can't be rude, Cas," Dean said.
"What about our family adventure?" Claire asked.
"Yeah dad?"
"We'll just have some soup and then we'll get going. Okay?"
Cas wasn't happy, but he didn't argue. They looked around the hallway, which was decorated with real suits of armor. It made a very intimidating effect, and Dean didn't really like it.
When they finally reached the double doors at the end of the hallway, Roman pushed them open, revealing an enormous dining room with a fireplace to match.
"Wow," Dean exclaimed, "Nice, very nice. Hey, Claire, how'd you like to eat like this every day at home?"
"The master will be with you shortly," Roman said.
Dean gave an awkward nod, before saying, "Carry on," it just felt like the only thing he could've said. Roman gave a small bow and walked away. Cas walked over to the mantle.
"Have you ever seen a fireplace this amazing? It's incredible."
Dean walked over to get a closer look, "Yeah," he laughed, "you could have one hell of a weenie roast in that thing."
Cas smiled at the joke, but stayed on subject, "Seriously, look at this detail. I've never seen anything like it."
"Haven't you?" Cas and Dean couldn't help their yelps of shock at the sudden voice. Standing at a nearby window was a ruggedly attractive man, only a few years older than them. The stranger continued, "My grandfather spared no expense when he built this mansion."
Recovered from the fright of his sudden appearance, Dean walked over to him, winning smile firmly in place, "Your grandfather had really good taste," he complimented, "I'm Dean Winchester of Winchester Realties. Charmed to make your acquaintance, Sir," he greeted, holding out his hand.
"Lucifer," the man introduced, ignoring Dean's hand, "Lucifer Morgenstern."
Dean frowned as Mr. Morgenstern stared over his shoulder. He turned around to see what he was staring at and found his husband. The green-eyed man bit back a scowl and told himself that Mr. Morgenstern was only curious. He motioned Cas over while saying, "This is my husband, Castiel."
"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Morgenstern," Cas said, with a kind smile, "And this is our daughter, Claire, and our son, Jack."
"You have very beautiful children, Mr. Winchester," Lucifer was focused on Cas.
"Thank you," Castiel replied.
"Children," Roman called them to their seats, "Sir."
The family walked over to the elaborately set table, and Roman pulled a chair out at one end, and motioned for Castiel to sit, "Thank you," the father said, politely.
Roman gave a dignified nod, before moving to help the children to their seats, "The master was very pleased you could come on such short notice. Normally, we would not have called you here so abruptly, but we had no other choice."
"What, do you have termites or something?" Dean asked, seating himself, "A big house like this must have a lot of termites."
"No, but lately there have been more…disturbances."
Dean raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask.
"What do you think of the house, Mr. Winchester," Mr. Morgenstern asked, focusing on Castiel.
"Oh, I think it's absolutely incredible," Cas said, honestly. The normally stoic man was unable to keep the awe out of his voice. Mr. Morgenstern looked very pleased that Cas was impressed with the home. He went on, "The Italian influence, the renaissance vibe, the molding, the attention to detail, it's stunning! You never see houses like this…or at least, I don't."
Mr. Morgenstern gave a soft smile, "Great care and love went into the building of this mansion. This house is my inheritance, my birthright, but lately it's become too much to bare," he explained, before finally turning to Dean, "Tell me, Mr. Winchester… do you believe in ghosts?" he asked.
"Ghosts?" Dean asked, "Sure, yeah, I believe in ghosts. I don't think that's a good idea to put that on the listing, though."
Before he could say anything else, Roman, who had been standing by one of the many dining room windows, spoke, "The storm has swollen the river."
"How's that?"
"The storm has flooded the road. I'm afraid there will be no leaving the mansion tonight."
"What?!" Claire angrily exclaimed.
Mr. Morgenstern offered, "Of course, you are more than welcome to spend the night here."
"Oh no, I really don't think we should. We have plans," Cas said with a pointed look at his husband.
Mr. Morgenstern frowned, "I'm afraid there's no other way. Roman will show you to your rooms."
Seeing no other alternative, the family stood up and followed the pale butler out of the dining room.
"I believe the children will be comfortable in this room."
Claire and Jack walked into the room. It was beautiful and elaborate, but Claire honestly felt as though the room was sad. She was uncomfortable in there, and said, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Yeah…real homey."
"You'll be fine," Cas said with a comforting smile, before leaning down to kiss his children on the cheek.
Dean went to hug them, "Pay attention to how cold the room gets, and if there are any leaks."
Claire rolled her eyes, "Goodnight dad."
Roman led Dean and Cas down the hall to yet another gorgeous bedroom, "I hope you will find this to your liking."
"It's beautiful, like a fine hotel," Dean said with a wide smile.
"Will there be anything else that you require?" Roman asked.
"Are you gonna put little chocolates on the pillow?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Chocolates, like they have in a hotel?" Dean laughed. Cas rolled his eyes, and thanked Roman, who left. He glared at his husband, "What's the problem?" Dean asked.
Cas's eyes widened, "In the first place, we weren't even supposed to be here! We were supposed to be at the lake!"
Dean threw his hands in the air, "What am I supposed to do? Control the weather?"
"That's not the point," Cas said with a groan, "You couldn't resist, you just had to come!"
"Excuse me, but this is a big opportunity for all of us!"
"Not for us, for you!"
"What do you mean?"
"All you seem to care about anymore is work," Cas said tiredly. This fight was a long time coming.
"Oh, but when I'm working hard like this it doesn't matter so long as I'm bringing home expensive gifts, right?" Dean coldly said, motioning to the watch he had given Cas for their anniversary. He immediately regretted saying that when Cas's eyes filled with hurt. Before he could apologize, Cas was removing the watch, and throwing it onto the bed before stalking off to the bathroom and locking the door. Dean hurried after him, "I didn't mean to say that, okay? Angel, please open the door, I'm sorry," there was no response, and Dean couldn't blame him. He decided to give him his space and turned to leave, only to jump at the sight of Roman standing right behind him. He hadn't even heard the door open.
"Pardon the intrusion, Sir," Roman began, "the master was wondering if he might have a word with you in the library."
"Okay, yeah, I'd love to have a word with him, sure," he turned back to the closed door, "Angel, I'm going to go have a word with Mr. Morgenstern! I'll be right back!" he walked over to the door, "Let's go talk some turkey."
"…Yes…turkey…Very good sir. If you will kindly follow me?"
"Of course," Dean said, trailing after the butler.
They were walking down the elegant staircase, and Dean couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Roman, I was wondering, have you ever been to a tanning salon? I sold the house of the owner of a really good salon, and they could get you a nice, even tan," he knew it was rude, but the man was so pale he looked dead!
"Yes," Roman muttered, in an unimpressed voice, "Sounds wonderful," he pulled a set of curtains aside to lead the way into the library, "Would you care for a drink, Sir? While you're waiting?" he offered.
"Don't mind if I do," Dean said, looking around the impressive library as Roman poured high quality whiskey into a gorgeous crystal glass, "Thank you very much, Roman," he said, taking the glass, and drinking the whiskey. He didn't drink all that much nowadays, but this was probably some of the best he'd ever had. He gave an appreciative hum, as he continued to drink, savoring the taste, "So Roman, how long have you been a butler?"
"A long time."
"What are the most important qualifications?" he asked to kill time until Mr. Morgenstern arrived.
"Attending to every detail, understanding priorities. And above all…knowing one's place."
Dean nodded, and lowered his voice before asking, "What about your boss? What floats his boat?"
"The master likes a great many things. Art, literature, beauty."
"And all that stuff about ghosts? Did he have a bit too much to drink one night, or something?"
"You don't believe in ghosts, Sir?" Roman asked, sounding almost amused.
"No, I do not, Roman. The way I see it, you only go around the track once. So, do the entire thing, and don't waste a second."
Roman nodded, "Mr. Winchester, may I confide in you?"
Dean nodded, "Please do."
"The master is not well," Roman said, in a hushed voice, "He needs to leave this place. He needs to move on. It is of the gravest importance, I assure you. Or else I fear the very worst."
Claire was pacing her room, frustrated, "I can't believe they don't have any WIFI! We just had to take that little detour. 'Twenty minutes tops' what a joke."
Jack looked over from the window seat, "Do you think it's gonna stop raining soon?"
"How do I know? I'm not the weather man," Claire said, sarcastically, before walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Dean poked around at Mr. Morgenstern's desk. There were some truly beautiful antiques, as well as a small bust. He picked up a cigar box, and accidentally bumped the bust, knocking the marble head forward.
Before he could fix it, a bookshelf on the nearby wall slid aside to reveal a hidden staircase. Dean's eyes widened in excitement. A secret passageway! He looked around to see if Roman, or Mr. Morgenstern were coming in, and when he saw the coast was clear, he couldn't stop himself from heading to the passage. He wasn't going to see where it led, he just wanted to peek inside real quick. How many times would he be able to see an actual secret passageway?
"I wonder where this leads?" he said, taking a few steps into the passage. His eyes widened when he heard the bookcase rolling closed behind him. He quickly turned around but didn't make it in time. He was trapped.
While Claire was brushing her teeth, Jack was exploring the room. It really was the nicest room he had ever seen. There was a nice vanity with expensive looking bottles of cologne on it, along with a silver hairbrush. He opened one of the cologne bottles and inhaled. He liked it, it almost smelled like his papa. He picked up the hairbrush and dragged it through his brown hair. After setting the brush back down, the inquisitive boy looked around for something else to do.
After spotting a small box on the dresser, he opened it up, and smiled at the tune that emerged from what was apparently a music box. Two carved figures were dancing in the box. Two men, one blonde, one with black hair, wearing fancy suits. His smile widened when he noticed how much they looked like his dad and papa. They hadn't danced in a while.
As he listened to the music, he noticed something unusual. The room looked like it was getting brighter… he quickly turned around, and screamed, "Claire!"
His sister came rushing out of the bathroom, and her phone fell from her hands. Floating in the middle of the room, was a wispy blue ball of light, "What do you think it is?" Claire asked, frightened.
Jack ran over to his sister, and grabbed onto her arm, "It's a ghost ball," he whispered. The kids jumped back as the ghost ball rushed at them, before stopping and moving back to the door.
"I think it wants us to follow it…" Claire said, taking a few hesitant steps forward.
Jack's eyes widened, and he rushed up to grab his sister's arm, "I think you're crazy!"
She ignored him and kept watching the wisp as it floated through the door, "It does! It wants us to follow it!" she said, excitedly before chasing after it.
Jack groaned. Of course, she would want to follow the mysterious glowing spirit. He considered staying in the room, but he really didn't want to see another ghost appear. He ran after his sister.
Dean flicked open his lighter. He had been pounding on the door for the last few minutes, but nobody had come, and he couldn't find any way to open the passageway from this side. He saw no other alternative but to go through it, "Where's that scary albino when you need him," he muttered to himself.
Cas had given up on waiting for Dean to come back, and just decided to go find him. He was walking down the hall to check on the kids when he saw someone come out of one of the bedrooms. It was a very short man wearing an apron, and holding a stack of towels, "Oh, hello," Cas greeted, politely, "Have you seen my husband?" the man stared at him with wide eyes, before turning around and scurrying off down the hall, "Excuse me," Cas tried to stop him. When the man didn't stop, Cas hurried after him, "Wait!"
Cas followed him down the hall that led to the staircase. He had only been a few steps behind, but the short man was nowhere to be seen.
Confused, Cas walked down the staircase, trying to find any sort of sign of where the man had gone, but there was nothing. Cas shook his head and told himself it was just his imagination. He turned around to head back upstairs, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Roman standing behind him, "Oh, Roman, it's you."
"May I help you?" Roman asked, politely.
"I was just looking for my husband."
"I left him in the library, right through there."
Cas gave him an appreciative smile and headed towards the curtains leading to the library. He smiled when he saw the blonde sitting with his back to the door, "Honey, it's late, let's not fight anymore. Come to bed?" he jumped back when the blonde stood up to reveal, not his husband, but Mr. Morgenstern, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he said, face as red as a tomato as he accidentally knocked over a stack of books, "I thought you were my husband."
Lucifer smiled at the frazzled man, "Let me help you with those," he knelt to help Castiel fix up the books he had knocked over, "Roman hates when I leave things lying about."
"He seems a bit proper."
Lucifer nodded, before turning away to put some of the books on his desk "Yes, he strikes most people that way, but once you get to know him, you'll find that's not the case. He's really very…" he turned back around and lost his train of thought as Castiel handed him the rest of the stack with a sweet smile. Lucifer shook his head, "He's really very sweet. Thank you," he said, accepting the books, "He's been like an older brother to me."
"Mr. Morgenstern, may I ask you something?"
"Of course, anything."
"This house; it's been in your family for generations…it's your home. Why do you want to sell it?"
Mr. Morgenstern's eyes filled with sorrow, "These walls are filled with so many memories…some of them painful," he could see that Castiel didn't really understand, and so he walked over and offered him his arm, "I think for you to understand, I really must show you," Cas was hesitant to accept, and it was easy to see. Mr. Morgenstern was quick to reassure him, "It's all right. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Cas bit his bottom lip, before placing his hand on Mr. Morgenstern's arm and allowing him to lead him away, "Although it might be a bit worn and faded from its original glamor, this house was once filled with so many things…so much life! Grand parties, dancing, laughter! And above all, hope. Being a Morgenstern meant you were denied nothing. The world was yours."
Castiel smiled, he loved stories, "What happened here, Mr. Morgenstern?"
"…He did."
"Who?"
"Michael. His is the story that haunts these halls."
Jack and Claire continued to follow the ghost ball to an elevator…a house had an elevator. As the doors opened, Jack started to walk away. This seemed like a very bad idea. Claire wasn't hearing of it and pulled him back by the collar.
"Come on," she said, stepping into the elevator.
"Claire wait! When's the last time that thing's been inspected?"
"Will you just relax!" she said, exasperated, "Where's your sense of adventure?"
Jack groaned, but stepped into the elevator, "This is against all my better judgement," he said as the elevator began to move.
Dean finally made it out of the passageway, and, seeing no other option, began to walk. He had no idea where he was, but he hoped he would find somebody. He approached the only door in the hallway and pushed it open. The only thing in the room was an ancient telephone, and a beautiful ornate mirror. He took a quick glance in the mirror to make sure he didn't have any cobwebs on him from the passageway and was startled when a crow cawed from outside the window.
He laughed at himself over how jumpy he was being, and turned back to the mirror, only to receive the fright of his life! His skin was rotted, and his teeth were falling out! He had one eye hanging from its socket, and a rope around his neck!
He screamed in terror, and squeezed his eyes shut when he opened them again, his face was back to normal, but that image would never leave his mind. He told himself that he had just been seeing things and hurried out of the room.
Jack and Claire followed the ghost ball up to what must've been the attic. They walked past trunks, boxes, and a mannequin wearing a beautiful white suit with silver embroidery. There was also a painting.
A painting of a beautiful man with pale skin, blue eyes, and dark hair. And although it didn't look exactly like him, Claire could only think of one person while looking at it, "Papa?"
"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be up here! You have to leave!" the children turned around to see a man, a very tall man with long hair, who looked a little younger than their fathers.
"Who is that?" Claire asked.
"That's none of your business, that's who!" the man said, "Now, come on, get out of here! It's way past your bedtimes."
"His name was Michael!" another man, this one short, wearing an apron, and carrying a tray of cookies, "Are you kids hungry? Does anybody want a cookie?"
"Cookies?!" the tall man asked incredulously, "Don't offer them cookies, Gabriel! They're trespassers! Trespassers don't get cookies. This is none of their concern."
"It is their concern, Sam, they're involved!" Gabriel's smile disappeared as he shouted up at the taller man. Before either man could say anything else, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Sam's eyes widened in panic, "Hide! Hide!" he said, ushering the kids behind some large items. Because he knew the two of them had no business being in the attic, he bent down, and pulled Gabriel into a kiss. They'd had plans to marry before everything had happened, so it would surprise nobody if they were in the attic for a rendezvous. Gabriel stood up on his tip toes and had just wrapped his arms around Sam when they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. The two men jumped apart as if they hadn't been expecting it.
Roman was standing in front of them, looking at them with annoyance and thinly veiled disgust, "The children are not in their room. Have you seen them?"
"Children?" Gabriel asked, playing dumb, "What children?"
Roman glared at him, "His children. The ones he wasn't supposed to bring. Along with that brainless husband of his. If I'd had to listen to another word from that insufferable fool, I think I would have burst."
"Of course, Sir," Sam agreed, wanting to get this conversation over with, so they could get the kids back safely, "What a fool."
"Did I not tell him to come alone? Is it really too much to ask for a little cooperation? A little order?"
"Of course not, Sir," Gabriel agreed.
"If you find the children, bring them to me."
"Certainly Sir," the two men agreed.
Roman nodded, sure they would do as commanded, "The final arrangements have been made. Nothing further will interfere with the master's plans."
Without another word, Roman turned and walked out of the attic.
Dean heard muttering, "Thank God I heard your voice!" he exclaimed, walking through the door to find himself at the end of another hallway where a glowing green light came from the room at the end, "Hey, listen I need your help! I lost my way, and I don't know how to get out of here! I'm sorry if I sound a little frazzled, but I just had myself a little freakshow back there! I was supposed to meet with Mr. Morgenstern, but…I got stuck in the wall!" the voice just continued speaking as if he weren't there. When he entered the room, there was nobody there. Just a giant crystal ball where the green light was emanating from, "I hear you, but I don't see you…where are you?"
"I am Pamala," the voice said, and Dean's eyes widened as a woman's face turned around in the crystal ball, "Seer of all, voice of the spirits. Whom do you seek?"
While Dean was trying to understand what he was looking at, a chair rushed at him from behind and slammed into his legs, forcing him to sit and trapping him at the table, "Hey, what are you doing? Let me out of here!"
"Silence!" Pamela demanded, "Whom do you seek?"
"I am seeking a way out of here!" Dean shouted, tired and annoyed.
"Then you must look within," she said, cryptically.
"I don't want to look within, I wanna look without! Are you deaf?!"
"There is an evil in this house, a devil's curse! It seeks to destroy you!"
"Why would something seek to destroy me?" Dean was getting really tired of all of this, "I'm just here to sell the house, okay?"
Pamala ignored him and closed her eyes, "Dark spirits from the grave, come forth! Rip us from the black and show us! Show us the way back!"
Dean shook his head, frantically, "Dark spirits, I don't want any dark spirits! Don't you make those dark spirits come out!"
"Lift us! Lift us up to the light! And lead us through this stormy night!"
The spirits were listening, Dean figured as both the table and chair he was sitting in began to lift off the ground, "Hey, hey!" Dean shouted. He was terrified of flying, and this really wasn't helping, "Hey, I'd really like to stay on the ground, all right?!" as the table began to spin, he began to scream, "Can I stay on the ground, please?!"
"Evil and darkness have fallen this night, but now to survive, you must gain new sight!"
"I must first gain new underwear," he exaggerated. He really hated this.
"Only the light will lead the way! Follow it and find your way home! Go Mr. Winchester, your family is at stake! Your life is at stake for there is no escape for you unless you lift the spell! Go! Save yourself! Save your family! Release him! Release us all!"
With that, the table finally fell to the ground. Dean didn't waste any time to run from the room, and if he was screaming, that was nobody's business but his.
He ran until he couldn't run anymore, and finally allowed himself to rest at the base of a staircase.
"Dad!" he jumped at the voice of his daughter. He turned around to see both of his children standing at the top of the stairs with a very tall man and a very short man.
"Jack! Claire! Are you two okay?!"
"We're fine," Claire was quick to reassure him.
"Okay, get your things, and let's go!"
"But dad, we have a problem!" Claire tried to explain.
"What, because of the rain?" Dean asked, "We're just gonna get a little wet, come on, let's just find your papa, and let's go!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible!" Sam stated, "He can't leave!"
"Yeah? And why not?" Dean asked, angrily.
"Because he can't," Dean yelped as Sam appeared behind him, "If I could tell you, I would, but I can't so I won't, okay?"
"How did you…never mind," he turned back to his kids, and motioned them down the stairs, "Daddy's having a hallucination, let's go, right now."
"They're ghosts, dad," Claire tried to explain, but Dean was having none of that.
"They are not ghosts! We're just having hallucinations from that dinner that we ate! It was the chicken, it didn't taste right."
"Hey!" Gabriel appeared in front of him, looking insulted, "It's not the chicken!" he said, defensively.
"All right, it's not the chicken, but we're still getting out of here."
"But dad, we have to help them!"
Dean shook his head, "You can't help the dead, honey, they're beyond help. That's the nature of being dead."
Sam nodded, "The man's talking sense, everyone should just keep their noses out of our business."
"But dad we have to help them break the curse!"
"Why is everyone talking about a curse!" Dean was feeling very tired of all of this, and right now he just wanted to be at the lake, cuddling with Cas in front of a fire, "Wait a second, have you been talking to that crazy green medium lady in the giant paperweight?"
Jack and Claire shared a look that clearly said they thought their father was insane while Gabriel looked up at Sam, "The psychic! He saw the psychic!"
Claire and Jack started to run down the hallway, "We've gotta go back there."
"Go back! I'm not going back there!"
"But dad!"
"Hey, she had me floating all around the room! I was strapped to a chair, floating around a room! I'm not going back anywhere! Forget it, Casper!" he said to Gabriel.
"But papa's in trouble!" Jack said.
Dean stopped, "What kind of trouble?"
"He died here," Lucifer explained, "In this house. He was so very young…so very…more than handsome, he was so very beautiful. He was in love with the heir to this mansion, and the heir loved him more than life itself. But they were from different worlds…they couldn't be together…"
"How did he die, Mr. Morgenstern?" Cas asked.
"He took his own life…poison…after that, his life became unbearable. So, without hope, without love, without Michael…he hung himself."
Cas gasped in horror. Lucifer went on, "His soul wanders these halls, waiting for the man he loves to return. If you listen carefully, you can still hear the beats of his broken heart."
Pamala had been showing the group Castiel and Lucifer. After that, she faded the picture and reappeared, "Hold up," Dean said, "You're saying the only reason we were brought here is because he wants my husband?"
"Pretty much," Sam said, not quite apologetic, "Are you upset?"
"The guy is dead and he's trying to get with my husband! And the house isn't really for sale! Yes, I'm upset!"
Gabriel ignored him, "Oh, Pamela, is it really him? Is it really our dear departed Michael?"
"It is true that he walks these halls."
"See," Sam said, "I told you it was him."
"But," Pamala began seriously, "Do not be deceived. All things are not as they appear. For the curse to be lifted, the truth must be known! And for the truth to be known, you must find the key!"
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, "What key?"
"Enter the tomb under the great dead oak, and travel down deep under the ground. And there you will find the key that must be found. Find the black crypt that bears no name, or soon your fate will be the same."
This sounded too easy, "You're telling me all I need to do is find this key, and I can walk out of here with my husband and kids like nothing ever happened?"
"The key is the answer to all."
Dean shrugged, "Well great, I'm in. Let's get this key."
"There's only one problem," Claire started, "How do we get out of here?"
"Yeah, how do we get out?" Dean asked. He was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to use the door, and they couldn't even find it if they were able.
"Well…" Gabriel said, while Sam closed his eyes. He knew what Gabriel was about to suggest, "There's always…my way."
Gabriel's way apparently involved a ghostly horse-drawn carriage going through the walls of the mansion to get them outside. Dean held his children close and prayed. He could be a reckless driver when it was just him, but this was putting his family at risk, and he didn't like that in the slightest. He shouted out the window, "I thought you said you could drive this thing!"
"Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing!" he reassured. Sam merely held onto the seat as tight as he could. He was already dead, but he still didn't want to fall.
"Gabriel! Watch the road!" he screamed, a little too late as a low hanging branch hit the driver and passenger. It didn't hurt as Sam's head and shoulders were brushed away with Gabriel's scalp, but it felt weird and was a really unpleasant experience. He pulled the reigns from Gabriel's hands, "Move over!"
"What are you doing?"
"If you keep driving you'll kill us all!"
"That's where you're wrong," the short man laughed, "Some of us are already dead!"
Sam rolled his eyes, and kept the reigns, slowing the carriage down to a much more reasonable pace. He loved Gabriel, but the man couldn't drive to save his life.
Once the carriage slowed down, Dean Claire and Jack looked out the window into the cemetery.
Jack couldn't resist, "Dad."
"Yeah?"
"I see dead people."
And he did. All of the spirits who had been buried in the private cemetery were roaming the grounds. It didn't look like they were in pain, or miserable, it was more like they were at a park enjoying a picnic. Some were reenacting their deaths, and some were simply talking, or taking a stroll. Dean looked out the window and shouted up to Sam, "Why are all these ghosts still hanging around here?"
"When they died, they couldn't find the light," Sam explained, sadly, "And now they're trapped."
"Doomed to wander the earth for all eternity," Gabriel added, a bit more dramatic, but with the same effect. Dean and the children were sad for the lost souls, but there was nothing they could do but watch as the carriage drove through the cemetery.
Lucifer led Cas up to the attic, and walked him over to the beautiful white suit, "This was to have been his wedding attire," he explained, sadly.
"Oh, it's lovely," Cas said honestly.
"It would've been lovelier still, if he had ever had the chance to wear it. Now, it serves only as a dark reminder of what could've been," he gave the suit a sad caress.
"To love someone so much, and to lose him so suddenly. I can't imagine how awful that must be."
Lucifer shook his head, and gave Castiel a pointed look, "If you truly love someone enough, they never leave you. They remain in your heart forever."
"Isn't that romantic," Claire said, wistfully, "He was willing to throw everything away for love."
"Well, now he's broke, dead, and cursed. Nice move," Dean said, cynically. He didn't want to feel any sympathy for a man who wanted to take the love of his life away. They had gotten out of the carriage a few minutes ago and the three of them were trying to find the crypt while Sam and Gabriel waited for them with the carriage, "Watch your step…where are we? Where is this crypt anyway?"
Jack shrugged, "I think the psychic lady said something about making a left at an oak."
Dean groaned, "I'm glad she was so specific."
Claire snickered, and went ahead. They were too slow for her tastes, "Dad!" she shouted back as she caught sight of the mausoleum, "There it is!" Jack and Dean ran up to join her and stared up at the intimidating structure.
"Okay…we made it."
Claire hesitantly walked up to the entrance and noticed a carving on the door written in Latin, "Look," she said to her dad, "It's a warning."
"How do you know that?"
She looked at him like he was an idiot, "I've studied Latin for three years, dad. You thought it was dumb, remember? Said it was a dead language."
"Well, we see how wrong I was about that."
She squinted her eyes and leaned in close to the carving to make it out, "'Beware all who enter, for here lies the passage to the dead,'" she looked at her dad with fear-filled eyes.
Jack had heard all he needed to and turned to walk away. Dean grabbed him by the collar, "Hey, where are you going?"
"I don't like Latin," he said, calmly, before trying to leave again.
"Hey, Jack, we've talked about this before; you're ten years old, you've gotta start being a man."
"I just turned ten! I'm still getting used to it!"
Dean sighed but nodded. He didn't really want his kids going down there anyway. He turned to his daughter, "Claire, stay out here with your brother."
"What!?" she asked, angrily.
"I'm not gonna leave him out here by himself. You two stay out there, and I'll take care of this," he gave both of his children a hug, and walked up to the crypts entrance. He pulled the rusty latch, and the large door gave a loud creak of disapproval as he forced the door open. Dean coughed as decades worth of dust and cobwebs fell into his face as he started down into the crypt. Before he went to far, he turned back to his children, "I'm gonna be right back, all right?"
"Twenty minutes tops, right dad?" Claire asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Dean chuckled at his daughter's sass, but agreed, "Twenty minutes tops," and without another word, he walked down into the crypt. It smelled like death, that was for sure, but he could honestly say that he had never seen anything like it. There were dozens of tombs lining the walls, with a small bridge over the murkiest water he had ever seen. He looked around the crypt and struggled to remember what Pamela had told him, "Okay, what did the psychic lady say…look for a crypt…look for a crypt…"
"A crypt with no name."
Dean was not proud of the scream he let out, but Claire really shouldn't have snuck up on someone who thought he was alone in a crypt, "What's the matter with you?! You can't just pop out of nowhere like that; you almost gave me a heart attack! I thought I told you to wait with your brother?!"
"I was worried you wouldn't find it," she said, walking up to him, "Besides, Jack's fine. But Pamela said, 'find the black crypt with no name, or your fate will be the same.'"
He nodded, and they began to search for the crypt. It didn't take long, because directly across the bridge, was a shiny, black crypt, "That must be it."
Claire gave him a look, "Good guess dad," she said, sarcastically. The duo started over the bridge to the crypt.
"You know, I'm starting to get real sick of this place."
"And we're here cause of…who?"
Dean flinched, but he really couldn't argue. That that didn't stop him from trying, though, "We're here because I take my responsibilities as breadwinner for this family very seriously. I want you guys to have everything I never had as a child."
"I didn't know you had a bad childhood."
"I didn't have a bad childhood,"
"Then why do we have to have what you didn't have?" she asked, sounding insulted.
"Because— "he stopped after realizing what she had said, "Hey now, don't be tricking me, you Latin speaking thirteen-year-old," he said with a laugh, "Step back, okay?" they had reached the crypt, and he huffed as he pushed the heavy lid aside. His face twisted in disgust at the rotted corpse lying there. He felt nauseated at the stench of death, and really didn't want to put his hands anywhere near the thing. But, of course, the key they needed was clutched in the corpse's hands, "Wonderful," he muttered under his breath before steeling himself, "Excuse me for a second, sorry to bother you," he said to the corpse as he reached down to work the key out of the stiff fingers. He gagged at the feeling of the rotten flesh, but finally managed to grab the key, "There, that wasn't so hard. Let's go back to your brother," they started to walk away, "That gypsy had me thinking that was going to be hard, that was easy."
Just as Claire and Dean got to the bridge, they heard a groan coming from the crypt behind them. They didn't want to turn around, but they wanted to make sure it was just their imagination. No such luck.
"Daddy!" Claire yelled in fear as the corpse turned its head to look at them. Dean jumped and dropped the key.
"Shoot!" he said, leaning down to pick it up so they could get out of there. He couldn't get a grip, and the key fell through a gap in the bridge into the murky water below. He looked up to see the corpse had climbed out of its crypt and was slowly making its way towards them. He turned to Claire, "Go get the key, I'll take care of him!" Claire nodded, before running off the bridge and into the water.
She hurried under the bridge and looked for the key the best she could without putting her head below the water. Dean had run off the bridge on the other side to keep the zombie away from his daughter and looked for something to fight it off with. He grabbed one of the torches on the wall and planted his feet. As the zombie walked closer to him, he started to panic, "Hey now, go back to bed! Back to bed! I'm Dean Winchester of Winchester Realties! What's your name!? I just came cause I needed the key! The psychic told me it was all right to get the key!" he dodged as the corpse lunged to grab him, "Look! I gotta get the key, cause I've got things to do! I've gotta get my husband!" When the corpse lunged for him again, he swung the torch in his hand like a baseball bat and hit the rotted head off. The body stopped and fell into the water. Dean breathed a sigh of relief, "Next time you'll think twice about coming back from the dead, won't you?" he looked down at his daughter, "Did you get the key?"
"I'm looking, I'm looking!"
"Well, take your time. Relax, I've got everything under control up here." A few seconds later, Dean regretted that sentence. The dozens of tombs that lined the wall began to crumble as corpse's began to break their way free, "Claire you'd better look faster!"
Claire groaned, "Oh, I don't want to do this," she plugged her nose and sank down into the water. She swam through the murky water, and finally found the key. The young girl broke the surface of the water and screamed. Zombies were making their way towards her. She backed towards the bank and screamed even louder when a set of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her out of the water.
It was her father, "Come on," he said, pulling her towards the stairs. They ran up and were just a few steps away from the entrance, and a frantic Jack when the door slammed shut in front of them. Dean shouted through the door, "Jack open the door!"
Jack could hear his sister and father screaming from the other side of the door, but he couldn't bring himself to go near it. Huge black spiders crawled through the cracks in the wall, and had covered the door, "Dad, there're spiders everywhere, and I don't have a magazine!"
"Are you scared?!" Dean yelled through the door.
"Uh huh!" Jack replied, preparing himself for his father's disappointment.
"Jack, it's okay to be scared! Everybody gets scared sometimes! Daddy's scared, right now!"
Jack's eyes widened. His dad wasn't afraid of anything, "You are?!"
"Yes, I'm very scared! Now please open the door, son!"
"Jack, open the door, or I'll kill you!" Claire shouted. Dean gave her a soft swat on the head.
"We have to keep him calm. Jack listen! It's okay to get scared! Everyone gets scared every now and then, but you just can't let it stop you!" Dean turned around to see the zombies slowly making their way up the stairs. They had another minute, but if Jack didn't open the door…
"Jack, if you think you're scared now, just wait until the zombies come out!"
"What zombies!?"
Dean gave a frustrated groan. She just had to mention the zombies. He turned back to the door, "Jack please! We're running out of time, just open the door right now!"
"Dad they're coming!" Dean turned to see the zombies only a few steps behind him. He blocked Claire with his body and continued to shout for Jack to open the door.
Jack flinched at his sister and father's screams. He had to do this. With a deep breath, Jack marched up to the door, opened the latch, and pulled with all of his might. Tears filled his eyes as the large spiders began to jump on him. He backed away from the door as his dad and Claire ran through the door and forced it shut before latching it.
Dean gathered his son into his arms and carried him a few feet away from the mausoleum. He and Claire brushed the spiders off of the young boys whimpering body, "Are you okay?" Jack was crying, but he nodded. Dean pulled him into a tight hug, "You're my brave little man."
"You got the key?" Jack asked, once he had caught his breath.
Dean nodded and pulled the large key they had almost died for out of his pocket, "Let's go back."
Dean glared at Pamela as he showed her the key, "All right, we went to Hell and back to get this thing, so where's the door out of here?"
"First you must find the trunk," the psychic said.
"Trunk?"
"Yes, trunk."
"Not door?" Dean was starting to sound shrill.
"No, not door," she sounded amused at his frustration.
"You said all I needed to do was find this key! I got the key, and now you're telling me this story about a trunk!" he was furious. This psychic was playing with him, and his family, and he didn't like it one bit, "'The key is the answer to all,' remember?"
Pamela glared at him through her ball, "Look, I don't make the rules, okay. I just work here."
He had had enough, "Okay, that's it," he said, picking up the crystal ball that held the medium, "That's the last straw, I've had enough of this nonsense."
"Hey, put me down!" the psychic screamed, "This is bad luck! This is very bad luck!"
"I'll risk it."
"I'm getting nauseous!"
"You'll get over it." Dean had Pamela lead the way to the trunk. He was getting tired of playing these games with her, and just wanted to get everything done with, so he could safely get his husband and children out of this house. She led them back upstairs to the attic, just past the painting of Michael. Sitting there, looking just like another piece of attic junk, sat the trunk, "Is that it?"
"That's it," Pamela confirmed. He handed her off to Sam, who in turn, handed her off to Gabriel, who gently set her on a dusty stack of pillow.
Dean knelt in front of the trunk, and fit the key into the old, iron lock. He pushed the heavy trunk lid open, and rifled through the contents, "What am I even supposed to be looking for, it's all junk!"
"Find the thing that must be read, lest your heart be filled with dread," Pamela said.
"Okay," Dean said. He looked through most of the trunks contents until he found a letter in a red envelope. He opened the letter and began to read:
My dearest,
I have given it much thought to our conversation in the garden where we then talked at great length about our "secret."
My dear, sweet Lucifer, you see only the good in the world around you. You give me the strength to give you the answer you asked for. Yes, my dear heart, I will marry you. I will love you for all eternity. And tonight, at last, we will be together. I do!
Forever yours,
Michael
"He didn't kill himself…" Gabriel said, sadly, with his small hand pressed against his mouth.
"He wanted to be with him," Sam muttered, putting a comforting hand on Gabriel's shoulder.
"Somebody gave him the wrong letter," Dean muttered under his breath.
"Yes," the group turned around to see Roman had entered the attic, "Well done, Mr. Winchester. I must say I'm impressed; you are more persistent than I ever imagined."
Dean's jaw dropped, "The butler did it! You've got to be kidding me."
Roman ignored him to glare at Sam and Gabriel, "I will deal with you two later," he said, effectively banishing them from the room.
"Why'd you kill him?!" Dean asked, angrily.
"Because the master would not listen to reason," Roman said, calmly, "He had everything in the world, and yet he was willing to throw it all away…for love," he spat out, "I did tell him it would end badly. I am a rational man, Mr. Winchester. It was my responsibility to the house. My duty, Sir, to see to it that the boy did not make a foolish error in judgement. Running away with that boy would have destroyed this house. It would have destroyed everything, and I could not stand by and watch it all fall to ruin."
"Punch his face in, dad!" Claire shouted, furious.
"Yeah, but first I'm gonna tell his master what really happened."
"The master must never know. Lucifer and his love will be reunited, and this curse shall be broken."
"But that's not him! That's my husband!" Dean shouted. He didn't like this man trying to use his husband to cover his own mistakes.
"And what he sees in you, I'll never know," Roman sneered, "But that is of little importance now. The only thing that matters is that the master's pain must end. And it will end, tonight. The curse will be broken, and we can all, finally, move on."
Dean shook his head, he had heard enough, "All right, that's enough; where's my husband."
"Getting ready for his wedding," Roman said, smugly.
"What wedding!? He can't marry him! Lucifer's dead, Cas isn't!"
"True…but that can be easily corrected. Life, I'm afraid, is such a delicate state."
Dean's eyes burned with fury. There was no way this bastard was going to hurt his Cas, "If you put one finger on my husband, I swear I'll kill you!" he took a swing, more than ready to punch this ghost's face in, but before he could make contact, Roman had moved.
The butler laughed before attacking Dean, "How wonderful. You're going to kill a ghost."
"Leave him alone!" Jack shouted
"Stop it!" Claire cried out. Roman barely spared them a glance before pushing the kids into a trunk and locking them inside.
"Let them go!" Dean shouted, going to tackle the ghost. This time, he merely went right through him, and fell to the ground in front of the trunk where his children were screaming and banging on the sides. He glared at Roman, "You're going to let my kids out of here, you're gonna take me to my wife, and you're gonna let us out of here right now!"
"If you want out, why…I'll show you out," Roman bent down to grab Dean by the throat. Dean gasped for breath as the spirit began to levitate until they were far to high off the ground, and dangerously close to the attic's high window, "Now, for the last time; goodnight Mr. Winchester," and without another word, he threw Dean out the window.
Lucifer led Cas back into the magnificent dining room, which apparently, used to double as a ballroom, "This house has waited so long to have it's shroud of darkness lifted. And tonight, for the first time in so many years, I believe it will be possible. The story will finally end. Castiel, do you believe that love is about second chances? About forgiveness?"
Cas smiled softly. Listening to this story had helped him realize that all of his problems with Dean were fixable. Hearing Mr. Morgenstern's thoughts about love resonated in his heart. He loved his husband, even when he could be an idiot, "Yes, I do."
Lucifer's smile dropped, and he said in a low whisper, "Don't you remember?"
"Remember?" Mr. Morgenstern looked almost desperate, "Mr. Morgenstern, are you all right?"
"Don't you recognize me at all?"
"Mr. Morgenstern—" Cas was beginning to feel scared.
"I thought, certainly bringing you back to Morgenstern Manor would help you remember."
"Remember what? Mr. Morgenstern, you're scaring me."
"Where it happened!" Castiel's eyes widened as ghostly figures began to dance around the room. He let out a small scream when Mr. Morgenstern grabbed his hands and looked him in the eyes, "Where we spent our last moments together, where we danced together for the last time before you…before you killed yourself! Now you've returned to me, and at long last, we can be together! Why do you not remember!? You're my world, my life! And I have loved you in death as I did in life!"
"Let me go!" Cas cried, tearing his hands away. He ran away from the spirits and away from the lunatic calling after him.
"Why do you not remember?!"
Cas ran up the staircase, desperate to find refuge with his husband.
"You are him, you are Michael! You must be!" Lucifer said as he appeared before him on the stairs. Cas ignored him and continued to run, with Lucifer showing up before him every few steps, "Can you not sense it? Search your heart, I am your one true love! And now we can finally be together! Don't you understand? Michael, you must listen to me," he begged.
"I'm not Michael!" Cas cried, adamantly as he ran down the hall to his bedroom, and hopefully, his husband.
"Please, Michael, I implore you," Lucifer was near tears.
"Leave me alone! Get away from me!" he finally reached his room, and slammed the door shut, effectively blocking out the pursuing spirit.
Lucifer sadly leaned against the door. He could have followed, but maybe Michael needed a moment to take things in. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Roman appear, "He doesn't remember…" he choked out, "It can't be him…" the thought broke his heart. He thought he had finally found him again.
"It is him, Sir," Roman assured him, "The gypsy woman prophesied his return. And now, the time has come. We'd best get you ready."
"But he doesn't remember!" Lucifer hissed. What was the point of being together when the man he loved didn't remember loving him.
"In time he will, Sir. I assure you, he will," Roman said, kindly.
Lucifer saw no choice but to believe him and went to get ready for his wedding.
When Castiel didn't find Dean, he hurried over to the window and tried to force it open. He didn't want to go back out there, and risk running into him again. He banged on the window for a few minutes, but it was futile. He couldn't open it. He turned around to brave the hallway but stopped at the sight of the pale butler.
"Oh, Roman," he could have cried in relief, "You have to help me! There's something horribly wrong! Mr. Morgenstern, he—"
"Yes, I know my dear, I know. He's expecting you. He's always been expecting you," Roman walked over to the bed where he had laid out Michaels wedding suit from the attic, "And look, you haven't put on your suit yet. The master had it made especially for you. We can't keep him waiting."
"Waiting!? For what!?"
"Why, your wedding of course."
"My—" Cas started, incredulously. Why did everyone think he was Michael?! "I'm not Michael!"
"Of course you are, my dear. You may not see it yet, but in time you will."
Cas's jaw dropped. Everyone here was insane, "You don't actually think I'm going through with this madness, do you?!"
"Oh yes, I very much do. You see, we wouldn't want anything to happen to the children now, would we?"
The father could feel his heart stop. Not his babies! He wanted to believe it was an empty threat, but he hadn't seen his family in hours, and he didn't trust anybody in this place, "You wouldn't," he said, quietly.
"Of course not, my dear…but that is entirely up to you. If not, I really do fear for the children." Without another word, Roman left the room. Castiel plopped down onto the bed. It could just be a bluff, but could he risk it? No, he couldn't risk it. he loved his children more than life itself. He really had no other choice.
Roman left the room to see Sam and Gabriel waiting, obediently. He scoffed to himself as he saw the protective hand Sam had placed on Gabriel's shoulder. Love was ridiculous. It made these two so easy to control all he had to do was threaten to make one of them disappear. He had done it before with other spirits, and he would do it again if these two pulled another stunt like the one tonight. He glared at Gabriel, "Get him ready. And this time, any further acts of insubordination will be dealt with in the harshest of manners."
"Sir," Sam started, wanting to grovel, and beg for him not to damn Cas to this life. Roman didn't want to hear anything. He glared at Sam with a stone-cold face and growled out;
"There are worst things than purgatory. I can assure you."
Dean was lucky. He fell onto a shorter part of the roof, rolled off of that onto the green house, and fell off of that onto the roof of his beloved impala. He was in a lot of pain, but nothing felt broken, and he would live. He definitely needed to go to a hospital, but at least it wouldn't be the morgue. Unlike his husband if Dean couldn't find a way to get back into the house and save him.
Before he could even begin to find a way back inside the house, all of the windows slammed shut, and he could hear the echoing locks from the door. His children were locked in a trunk, his husband was probably going to die, and he was stuck outside.
He started banging on the walls of the greenhouse, the only place that hadn't been shut off to him. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, begging for the house to open up and let him in, but it was to no avail. Eventually he gave up and found something large he could use to try to break the glass. Nothing was working! Wherever he hit would just repair itself, and he couldn't break the glass faster than the repairs. He fought against the windows for a good ten minutes before he tossed the branch to the side and collapsed against the side of his car.
A tear began to roll down his cheek, but he angrily batted it away. People who put their families in danger didn't deserve to cry. This was all his fault. His children were probably hurt, and definitely scared, and his angel was about to die. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the watch he had given to Castiel on their anniversary. He had actually put a lot of thought into picking it out and had been excited to see it on him. Now, he would never see it again. He didn't want the last conversation he had with the man he loved to be a stupid fight.
"What are you doing?" it was Pamela. He didn't know how she got out of the house, but she was a psychic head in a crystal ball. She had her ways.
"Hey, you leave me alone. Get out of here and leave me alone!"
"Oh, I see," Pamela said, sarcastically, "You're just gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself."
"Tell me why not? This whole thing was my fault!" he said, tiredly, "We should never have been here in the first place. We're supposed to be at the lake. We could be sitting in front of a warm fire by now…I made us come here. And now it's too late."
"No," Pamela said, her voice was soft and kind, "It's never too late."
Dean scoffed out a laugh, "Look, I tried to get in there and I can't! I tried, I failed!"
"You try, you fail, you try, you fail. But the only true failure is when you stop trying."
He sighed, "What do you want me to do, huh?"
She smiled, "Try again."
Dean rubbed his temples and leaned into baby. 'Try again.' What could he do that he hadn't already….
Before he could talk himself out of it, he jumped to his feet and picked up the crystal ball. He opened the drivers' side door and buckled the psychic into the passenger seat before turning the car on and backing up until he had a straight shot, "Hold on," he warned.
"With what?"
"Baby, I'm so sorry," he mumbled before stepping on the gas. He and the psychic screamed as they slammed into the side of the greenhouse.
Gabriel walked Castiel down to the ballroom. He truly looked beautiful in the white suite, and his hair had been combed neatly. He was even wearing a very slight layer of makeup to accentuate his angelic features. He was truly breathtaking, but the tears in his blue eyes took away from his looks.
The short man wanted to comfort him, but Roman had threatened Sam. He wasn't allowed to say anything. As he led Castiel past the suits of armor to the dining room, he noticed a large trunk hanging from the ceiling. He heard Cas gasp.
Screams were coming from that trunk. Terrifyingly young screams crying out for dad and papa. Castiel was furious and frightened, his children were in that trunk. He wanted to run up and get them out, but the tiny man who had helped him get ready grabbed ahold of his arm.
"Roman will kill them if you try to get them out," he warned, "You have to do what he says."
He marched Cas down the hall. The poor man didn't even have a chance to comfort his children before he was forced into the dining room. Gabriel handed him a bouquet as Sam began to play the wedding march.
As Castiel began to walk down to the other end of the dining room towards his groom, he was unable to keep the tears from falling down his face.
Lucifer was in awe at the sight before him. He had waited so many years to see Michael in that suit, walking down the aisle towards him. And now, it was finally happening. But it wasn't right. There shouldn't be tears on his beautiful face.
He turned to Roman, who was going to officiate the ceremony.
"Tears of joy," he promised. Lucifer nodded, and waited for Michael. When he reached them, he held out his hand.
"Michael," he offered.
Castiel swallowed and looked at Roman, who was giving him a pointed glare. He put his hand in Lucifer's, "Yes, my love," and stood next to him.
It worked.
They were in.
He quickly got out of the car and ran to find his family, leaving Pamela stuck in the front seat, "Okay…I'll just sit here, I guess."
Dean ran towards the dining room, it was the best place to start. As he started down the hallway, he noticed a trunk hanging from the ceiling. There were screams coming from inside, "Claire! Jack!" he started to run to his children, but before he could get far, the suits of armor lining the halls began to move, climbing off their pedestals, and marching towards him with their weapons pointed.
Of course. That was just his luck.
"Dearly beloved," Roman began, "We are gathered together here, in the sight of God, to join these two men in the bonds of holy matrimony. Wilt thou, Lucifer Morgenstern, have this man to be thy wedded husband? To live together in the holy state of matrimony."
"I will," Lucifer said, voice filled with love as he stared at Michael.
"And do you, Michael Godson, take this man to be your lawful husband? To love and cherish in death, as you did in life?"
Cas could barely choke out, "I do," the last time he had said those words it was the happiest day of his life. Now it was the most horrifying.
Roman picked up a glass of wine and poured the same poison he had used to kill Michael into it, "From this day forward, you shall be joined together as one for all eternity. Until the very end of time," he held the goblet out to Cas, "What God has joined together, let no man cast asunder."
Castiel's hands were shaking as he took the goblet. He never got the chance to say goodbye to his children. The last conversation he had with his husband had been a meaningless fight, and now…he was going to die.
Dean charged forward. What else could he do? His family was on the other side of that hallway. He managed to dodge the first two suits but was almost taken out by an axe. He grabbed ahold of it, pulled it from the armor's hands, and started swinging. It got the job done. He managed to get past the armor and slammed his axe into the lock holding the trunk shut. As the door swung open, his kids jumped out and he pulled them into a tight hug.
"If anyone has any objections…" Roman said, just for the sake of tradition, as Castiel put the poisoned wine to his lips. The door swung open as a few drops of wine spilled into his mouth.
"Yeah, I've got a few objections!" Dean said with a glare, his children by his side.
Cas could have cried, "Dean," he whispered softly before dropping the goblet and running to his real husband. Dean wrapped his arms around him tightly.
"The next time I say we're going to the lake, we're going to the lake," he promised.
"Let's go," Cas begged. Before the family could finally leave, Lucifer drew his ceremonial sword and pointed it at Dean.
"Get away from him," he hissed out in a furious voice, "I lost him once, I don't intend to let it happen again."
"This is not Michael! Roman, tell him the truth!" Dean yelled.
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."
"Michael didn't kill himself, Roman did!"
Lucifer shook his head. He refused to believe that his most trusted companion would betray him, "I'm warning you, Sir…step away."
Dean scoffed, "Don't think that just because you pulled out a sword, I'm gonna let you marry my husband."
"My patience is wearing thin!" he looked at Castiel, "Michael, please come to me!"
"I'm not Michael," Cas cried. He was starting to feel a little sick, and just wanted to go home.
"But you must be!"
"His name is Castiel, he's from Illinois. Roman wants you to think he's Michael so this curse will be lifted," Dean was getting really tired of this. He was more than ready to go.
"That is absurd," Roman argued.
Lucifer was tired of this, "Forgive me," he said, before preparing to kill Dean.
"Hey, if you wanna kill me, kill me. But when I come over to the other side, I'm gonna be kicking your ass for all eternity, so maybe you should read this before you stab somebody," Dean said, pulling Michael's letter out of his pocket.
"What is it?"
"Michael's letter. His real letter, the one Roman stole."
Lucifer snatched up the letter and began to read. He could feel his heart breaking as he read Michael's acceptance. He had loved him. It wasn't all a lie. He was furious as Roman said, "Must we continue to listen to the ramblings of a lunatic?"
"But it is written in his hand!"
Roman gave up the lie, "Your union was unacceptable. I tried to warn you, but you wouldn't listen."
"So, you killed him," Lucifer was ready to kill.
"I told you it would be a mistake to run away with that boy," Roman continued as if he hadn't done anything wrong.
"I loved him! Was love my mistake!?"
"Yes! I tried to protect you! All these years I sacrificed for you! but what would you understand of sacrifice, beauty, and honor!? You loved him!? Well damn you! damn you all to Hell!"
The truth was finally known, but Roman didn't realize that with his confession, he had damned himself.
Castiel held his children close as the fireplace seemed to go insane. They all watched in horror as a demonic figure came flying from the flames to pull Roman into Hell. Lucifer and Dean covered their eyes from the flames until it was all over. Roman was gone, and the truth was free.
Dean allowed himself to breathe when he heard Jack scream, "Papa!" he turned around to see Castiel collapsed on the floor, with Jack and Claire hovering over his prone body, "Papa, are you all right!?"
Dean rushed over to his husband's side, and cradled his body to him, "Cas! What's the matter? What's wrong?"
"It's the poison!" Sam realized.
"No! Cas don't do this! Please!" he begged to no avail. The light was starting to fade from Castiel's beautiful blue eyes. He had been too late. The truth was revealed, and Roman was gone, but his husband, the love of his life, his own personal angel, was dead. And it was all his fault, "Cas, please! I love you," he whispered softly as Castiel went limp in his arms.
As Dean's heart broke, the room began to fill with a soft blue light. The ceiling had opened up, and a heavenly light was shining down into the room as the ghost ball that had led Claire and Jack to the attic and started to help them uncover the truth slowly approached. The ball slowly began to change shape until it was in the form of a man. A man with black hair and blue eyes.
"Michael," Lucifer whispered.
Michael gave looked at Lucifer with love, "The truth had to be known for me to be released," he looked at Dean, "he saved me."
Lucifer gave an apologetic and appreciative look at Dean, who gave an understanding nod. He now knew exactly how the man felt. He would do anything for Castiel to return to him, too.
"Oh, Michael. I have waited so long to see you again."
Michael gave him a smile that was filled with love, "And now, only heaven awaits," he said before leaning in to give him a soft kiss.
Michael walked over to where Dean was still holding onto Castiel's body. He gave an apologetic look before leaning down to press a kiss to Castiel's pale lips. He pulled back before Dean could push him away, and said, "My gift to you."
Before Dean could ask what he meant, Castiel began to violently cough. It was the most beautiful sound Dean had ever heard in his life. He hugged his resurrected husband to his chest and rubbed his back until the coughing stopped. Blue eyes looked up at him, "Dean…"
Dean pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth, "I thought I'd lost you," he said as he helped his husband to his feet. Lucifer walked up to him.
"Will you ever forgive me?"
"What's to forgive? You loved him," Dean said. After nearly losing Castiel, he could finally understand why Lucifer had done what he did.
Lucifer smiled, before offering him a rolled-up piece of paper, "Here, take this."
"What is it?"
"The deed to the house. It's yours. Do with it what you will; sell it, keep it, do whatever makes you and your family happy. And thank you…thank you all, so much." And with those final words, he walked over to Michael. It was time for them to go. The two men didn't let go of each other's hands as they were lifted into the light of heaven.
"Wait! Wait for us! Hold on!" the family turned around to see Gabriel running towards Sam with multiple suitcases.
"What's all this?" Sam asked, annoyed, but really not surprised.
"Well, I don't know what we'll need!"
"What are you talking about!? We're going to heaven! You can't take it with you," Sam said, reasonably.
Gabriel scoffed before slamming one of the heavier suitcases into Sam's hands and dragging him towards the light, "The hell I can't!" he declared as they too, were lifted into heaven, along with the other spirits who had been trapped in the house. They were all free.
Dean decided to take Pamela, she was never dead, so she stayed behind. Her premonitions and way of speaking would drive them insane at times, but there was one thing she would say that comforted them whenever they worried about the spirits from Morgenstern Manor.
"Angels in heaven together at last, the tale is well ended for those who are past. Love endures all, no reason, no rhyme. It lasts forever, and forever all time."