- Chapter 4: Back in White -


Days went by. Days went by and Castiel still didn't wake up, Chaos never returned, and the two archangels Raguel and Ramiel refused to answer the prayers the brothers reluctantly sent their way. They researched Chaos but found little other than what she had told them – that she existed before everything and was the primeval void before even God's creation. A being that truly could not be killed, it seemed. She existed in Greek mythology, but there was still nothing about how to kill her, and the brothers doubted that they would be able to kill her in a similar manner to other pagan gods. The only way to turn this whole thing around and to avoid this catastrophic war that she had spoken of, they thought, was to throw her back into the prison from which they had sprung her. It was five years ago all over again, but somehow on a much larger scale.

Only problem was trying to figure out exactly how to trap her again. And since no angel of heaven was answering their calls, and no demons would likely know about this particular entity, they were stuck.

And when they were stuck, the Winchesters did what they did best: they found jobs and worked.

Something about this darkness caused much more activity among the supernatural than normal, as cases seemed to appear everywhere. It seemed as though for every monster that they took down, another two became bolder and took its place. And they were stronger, all of them. Not only that, but this eternal night seemed to affect humans also – normal crimes of human on human violence were increasing steadily. Murders, especially, seemed to be more commonplace, with people – mostly kids – going missing faster than ever. What kind of destructive hold did this Chaos have over everyone?

So far, Sam and Dean didn't think they themselves were experiencing any changes. But they did not know if it was because the Darkness was acting slower on them than others, or that Chaos herself was actively not affecting them due to her 'gratitude.' The brothers couldn't help but hope it was more the former – they hated the idea that this monster was thankful to them, even though she did owe her freedom to them. That conversation was one that Sam and Dean kept avoiding; five years ago, their love saved the world. Now, it seemed as though their love may end up contributing to its destruction.

It was not a path they liked to think about.

Dean still had his thoughts – that evil followed them wherever they went, and thus, they must be at least somewhat evil themselves. Sam, on the other hand, clung to his idea of goodness; that they helped people and wanted to do the right things and yeah…they made mistakes but those mistakes did not make them evil. It made them human.

It was an argument neither one of them was interested in having again for the time being.

So they worked.

They worked for about two weeks, carrying Castiel from motel room to motel room. Dean insisted that they still could not return to the bunker just yet, and while Sam disagreed, he allowed Dean to continue to pick the places to go. Sam had a feeling that this was not about the bunker being safe or not, but something different; something deeper, which Dean would not be so quick to disclose.

The most recent case involved a trio of skinchangers in a small remote town in Wisconsin. When the brothers had finished, it was the sixteenth night since Chaos had visited them in South Dakota. Castiel still hadn't woken up, but Dean was constantly checking to make sure the angel was still alive. He was obviously still worried, and was beginning to lose hope that Cas would wake up any time soon.

At around midnight, while Sam and Dean were searching for a new case for them to tackle, there was a light flutter of wings and suddenly the two archangels they had previously encountered were standing in the room. The brothers jumped – no matter how many times Castiel used to do that to them, they still were not used to the whole teleportation thing. Plus they hadn't had to deal with it in around two years.

"Winchesters," the one they now knew was Raguel greeted them when she appeared. "We are here to bring our brother back to Heaven." Ramiel kept her eyes on said brother as her sister spoke; she was looking much better than the last time Sam and Dean saw her, but she still looked tired at best.

At Raguel's statement, Sam was about to protest, but Dean was the first to speak, rushing toward Castiel's body. "Like hell you are!" Dean just didn't want them to take Cas anywhere, but Sam was doubly nervous due to the fact that they broke into the place, busted out their most dangerous prisoner, and then subsequently lost him somewhere. And now, Metatron was running around with the demon tablet only God knows where and Sam knew that the angels would probably want to punish Castiel in some way.

"Step aside human," Raguel hissed, her eyes showing the true depth of her anger. There was something behind it; something personal. Sam felt as though this particular archangel had a vendetta against him and Dean specifically.

Suddenly, Dean had pulled out his angel blade, with Raguel following suit. Sam was sure it was about to come to blows if her sister did not intervene. "Stop this. Violence isn't necessary." Raguel looked back at Ramiel, who gave her a stern look, as if she was silently telling her to back off. Surprisingly, Raguel obeyed. It was clear who the older sibling was in this relationship. "We are under direct orders from our Father. He also has told us that He wishes to speak with the two of you."

"God wants to speak with us? Wait a minute…you have seen God? He's alive?" Sam had so many questions he wanted to ask. Dean just stood where he was, protectively guarding Castiel, while he too looked both shocked and confused.

"Yes, to all three of your questions," Ramiel replied. "Father never left. He has been respecting your choice and hasn't chosen to intervene."

"Respecting our…our choice?" Dean couldn't believe what he just heard. How dare she-

"Yes."

"You think we chose to go through all this shit? To have these miserable fucking lives?"

"Yes."

At her very matter-of-fact response, Dean had no response other than a silent and shocked moment before bitter laughter. Ramiel sighed. "We have no time for this right now. These are issues you may discuss with Him, if He allows it of course."

"No." Sam stared at Dean after his brother said that. Really? Dean was going to let this get in the way of meeting God Himself?

"Dean-"

"No, Sammy. Look, the guy doesn't give a shit about us, alright! He's obviously an uncaring asswipe. No," he countered, before looking down at Castiel. "Respect that, you winged bitches."

Sam looked back at the two angels; Raguel looked almost livid, obviously not happy with the blasphemous things Dean was saying about her lord Father. Ramiel, however, had a neutral expression. Behind that blankness though, Sam could swear she felt sorrowful in this moment.

"We cannot. All three of you are coming with us." She disappeared from her spot and instantly reappeared behind Dean. Before he could do anything other than turn around, she had two fingers pressed against his forehead, and he passed out immediately next to Castiel. She then turned to Sam. "I don't need to do the same to you, do I?" She sounded more like a scolding parent than a powerful archangel, but Sam didn't let her tone of voice fool him from whom she truly was.

"No."

"Good. Come take my hand." Sam did as he was told. Before Ramiel left, however, she waited for Raguel to grab hold of Castiel and then disappear. Once her companion was gone, she held onto Dean's arm with her other hand, and then Sam all of a sudden felt a serious case of whiplash.


They landed in water. Under water to be more precise. Dean had woken up at once, and he and Sam raced toward the surface. When they did, they gasped for air, having to deal with not only the nausea from the flying, but also suddenly being unable to breath and being submerged.

"What the fuck!?" Dean shouted when he was finally able to catch his breath. He and Sam looked around; the water was clear and almost looked like it was sparkling, and they saw a beach in the near distance. The sands were pure white, and there were two figures standing there. Only…

"Holy shit."

Both brothers could see the six large wings that each archangel had – Ramiel's were mostly white with a teal tint, while Raguel's were white with a navy tint; the two had very similar styles. The brothers stared in awe for a moment – even with the distance, and despite the fact that neither one of the sisters had stretched them out – those wings were magnificent.

After recovering from their sense of wonder, both Dean and Sam swam toward the shore. Once they got close enough, they could also see that both Ramiel and Raguel were wearing more traditional angelic garb – each adorned in white robes.

"So is there a reason why you decided to dump us in this lake?"

"That lake is our Father's holy waters. You had to be cleansed before you could walk in His sanctuary," Raguel practically spat, still obviously bitter about the fact that the two Winchesters were even in this sacred place.

"Where is Cas?" Sam asked before Dean could; he knew that Dean was going to continue being antagonistic, so he softened his tone so as to not anger the archangel any more than she already was.

"He is in the pool." She offered nothing else, as if that answer alone was going to be enough description for either of them.

"Come, we must take you to our Father," Ramiel then ordered, cutting off any other possible questions that Dean or Sam could have had.

It seemed like they were walking for over an hour before they hit anything other than beach. Not that Dean really minded – he had wanted to go to a beach and have the sand in between his toes. Just…he did not ever think that the first beach he would end up at would be one in heaven, and that he would be walking along it with two archangels who refused to acknowledge any questions that he and Sam tried to ask. The brothers had been ordered to remove their shoes while walking on the sands, so they carried them while sometimes feeling the cool tide rush over their feet.

The archangels finally turned and beckoned the two humans to follow them. They entered what looked like a rainforest; it resembled the garden that Dean and Sam met Joshua five years ago. The trees were bright and green, and vibrant flowers and other plants adorned the area in colors.

Again, they walked for a long time in silence.

"Wait here," Ramiel suddenly said, drawing Sam and Dean out of their respective trances. They did as they were told, as the two angels walked forward and out of sight. Luckily, this time, the brothers were not kept waiting for very long before a guide returned to them. But this guide was not one of the two that they had been following for so long now.

No, this angel had a familiar face and a mischievous smirk, his slicked back light brown hair looking only slightly longer than the last time they saw him. His six grand – significantly larger than his sisters' – wings were bright and golden, almost glowing. "Hey boys," he greeted them, as if they hadn't believed him to be dead for so many years.

"Gabriel?!" Sam's mouth was agape when he saw the archangel, his eyes darting back and forth between his face and those magnificent wings. Dean's eyes were wide in shock, and the two of them couldn't get over the feeling of surprise to be angry. "I…we…"

"Thought I was dead? What, you think Luci stabbing me in the chest with an archangel blade was enough to kill me?" Gabriel laughed as he spoke, almost as if all of this was something to find amusement in.

"Well. Yeah!"

"Honestly, I thought so too," Gabriel replied, suddenly becoming more serious. "But I guess Daddy decided that He wanted to rescue me and brought me here to heal and all that junk. Lucifer did do a number on me, I'll admit. But I'm almost back to being fit as a fiddle!"

"Wait," Sam said, as Gabriel was about to turn around. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Oh this place? This is Dad's personal sanctuary. Only He knew about it for a while, and then He brought me here. Raguel and Rami were already here, but they were asleep for a long ass time. They've only woken up kind of recently. So now only we know about it. It's still heaven; just a remote corner that no one knew existed." Gabriel outstretched his arms and wings, almost as if he was showing them off to the brothers. "Kind of cool that the waters let you guys see these bad boys."

"The water did that?" Sam asked, curiously. Gabriel nodded.

"Yep, that and cleanse your bodies and souls and all that fun stuff. Can't walk around here and can't look at Daddy without the cleansing. You two are the first humans to be allowed here." The archangel then turned his back to them and waved his hand, beckoning them to follow him.

This time they were not walking for very long, and unlike his sisters, Gabriel talked to the Winchesters, which made their journey feel a bit faster. He explained how he thought he was going to die at Lucifer's hands, but somehow God rescued him from that eternal darkness. He was apparently in stasis for around two years, and woke up in the pool with his Father looking over him. "Tears were shed, reunions had, yadda yadda yadda all that sappy junk." Admittedly, Gabriel had been incredibly angry at God when he came to, but that anger came from hurt and it really wasn't long before he was crying and asking for his Father's forgiveness for everything. Somehow God had that effect on people, he clarified, especially angels. Since he came to, Gabriel explained, he had still been recovering, hence why he hadn't been able to return to Earth.

"Wait, he couldn't instantly fix you?" The brothers were confused; Cas had been brought back almost instantly from death a few times now. Why was Gabriel a different case? The archangel just shrugged, however.

"Nope, and don't know why. He wouldn't tell me anything, for some reason. He just said it was complicated and had to do with my being an archangel and stuff. I stopped asking."

They came across a small pool with a large waterfall that seemed to extend forever into the sky. Ramiel and Raguel were standing at the edge, speaking with each other in Enochian. Sam and Dean could see a man's figure on the water. He was dressed in white and looming over a familiar person floating unconscious in the pool.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, recognizing his angel immediately; he jumped into the pool without a second thought. Unlike the man in white, Dean fell into the water, finding it to be much deeper than he had originally thought. But before he could swim over, Raguel had stretched her wings and flew over him, grabbing his arm and pulling him out. She dropped him down hard on the ground before landing, glaring at him. He returned that glare wholeheartedly. He really did not like that one.

"Dean…" Sam said his brother's name to get his attention. "Look…" He pointed out toward the man, who had started walking over to them. In lieu of a face, the only thing the brothers saw as He walked toward them was a bright white light, and said light got more intense as He got closer and closer. The two had to close and shield their eyes with their arms, waiting for the light to die down a little. Meanwhile, the three archangels knelt down, showing respect to their almighty Father.

"Rise," He commanded the angels, who did as they were told. "Sam. Dean. Open your eyes." God spoke gently to the humans, and when they did as they were told, the light faded, revealing His face.

"Chuck…?"

The man they once knew as the prophet Chuck Shurley stood in front of them, though instead of the haggard mess that he appeared to be the last time they saw Him, he appeared well-kept and rested. Though that rested look betrayed how He actually felt, especially with Chaos now released back into the world.

Dean soon got over his shock and couldn't help himself. "You son of a-" This guy was there when the apocalypse happened and did nothing to help them! Even when Cas had been searching for Him…what, did He deliberately make sure that the angel wouldn't be able to find Him? Did He not care that they suffered so much? Did He not care that Cas was heartbroken about his apparent abandonment? Dean grabbed Chuck's shirt in one hand and used the other to punch God right in the face. Of course, it did nothing but hurt Dean's hand tremendously, but it did feel at least somewhat satisfying.

"How dare-!" Raguel looked like she was about to smite Dean right there, but Chuck held up his hand to stop her from doing anything. "Father, I don't like-"

"Dean has cause to be angry with me. As does Sam. Though, I do want to tell you, Dean, that five years ago, I was always betting on you. And on humanity. I knew you two would stop Michael and Lucifer. I'm just sorry for how it had to be done," God said, surprising everyone who was standing there. Dean couldn't help but still be frustrated, unfortunately.

"Right, well excuse me if I don't forgive you just like that."

"Dean. Sam. I wanted to see what you would choose. You had the chance to choose peace and paradise and you did not. You chose free will."

"So, what, this is all our fault?"

"Is that why you didn't get involved in anything?" Sam spoke up, wanting to diffuse the obvious tension (despite being angry himself), and also asking because he was genuinely curious. Chuck nodded.

"Yes. You chose free will and with that comes consequences. If I came in and fixed every mistake that humanity made, then free will wouldn't necessarily be free. And since that freedom seeped into the angels as well, I did not want to interfere with their doings either." He looked up for a moment before smiling. "Though I've heard that Hannah has things running even better than I did when I was around. Always had potential, that one." In His head, he made a mental note to promote her to seraph. She deserved it. She stepped up and did something not many other angels had been able to do.

It made sense, really. A lot of the problems that befell them after the apocalypse were the result of choices – Castiel's choices, Dean's choices, Sam's choices, Metatron's choices, Crowley's choices, Rowena's choices…they actively chose to do certain things, and those things had problems attached to them. While both Sam and Dean understood the philosophy behind God's isolationist policy, only Sam was a bit more forgiving because of it. Dean still felt angry.

"So why get involved now?" Sam asked.

Chuck sighed, giving the two of them the look of a disappointed parent. "Chaos is someone who will devour everything. Earth, heaven, hell, other planets…everything. I won't lie; I was hoping you two would do the right thing like you did five years ago, but you are human."

"What, so you wanted me to kill Sam?" Dean angrily interrupted. God sighed.

"In that instant, yes. It is what your choices led to, and instead of doing what was best for the universe, you did what was best for each other. And because of that, you rereleased an enemy that I was lucky to be able to defeat so many millennia ago." When Chuck spoke, that disappointed tone stung both brothers, who felt like they were children whose father was scolding them for doing something bad. "Not to mention you angered Death, and now I won't be able to convince him to help me in this fight."

"Yeah, Chaos said I didn't kill him…"

"You didn't. That scythe he gave you was not the one that could – in theory anyway – kill him. It was a test. A test you failed. Since then, he has left this planet and is spending time elsewhere. He's refused to get involved in this, since he said he won't help the two of you 'clean up your messes anymore'." The brothers exchanged a guilty look. Chuck continued.

"Also, it is why I sent those two," He said, gesturing to Ramiel and Raguel, "to get Cas."

"What did they do to him?" Dean asked this question once again, hoping to now get an answer.

"They performed a spell to give him back his true original grace. I took it from him a long time ago. To protect him." Chuck looked sad as He said it; it was obvious that He hadn't wanted to undo what He had done, but He had His reasons. "Since Raphael is gone, and Michael and Lucifer will choose to not fight with me, I needed him."

Just as Sam was about to ask about Raphael, and why God couldn't bring him back as well (not that he wanted him back; Sam was trying to think strategically more than anything), a bright pulse came from where Castiel still was in the pool. He had woken up, his body stretching as it moved on its own for the first time in weeks. Slowly, the angel used his wings to lift him out of the water.

He had six of them. Six jet black wings filled with starlight, almost as if universes existed within them. Large and powerful, they carried Cas' naked body over, and he landed in a spot where he was easily visible to everyone. Dean wanted to avert his eyes to avoid looking at his best friend's nakedness, but his wings were too mesmerizing, and Dean couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly happy that Castiel was awake, even if it was in this place.

"Do you remember who you are?" God spoke softly to the angel, who, after looking upon his Father's face, knelt down himself, staying on his knees when he answered.

"My name is Cassiel. I am your seventh archangel, Father."