*Sorry for the wait guys! Kim was on vacation and just now got back. The scene with God and the Fates is hers :-)

Author's Note:

If anyone goes into a very deep depression after reading this, don't panic: I did the same thing after writing it. I actually cried writing this. I think this is the most emotional piece I have ever, EVER done, and I don't think my mental health can handle doing it ever again. I couldn't even proofread it without crying. But this was a key factor in Suzy's plot…so I had to write it, no matter how badly I wanted to stop, crawl under my desk, and sob myself to death.

Proceed with caution.


"Sometimes there are no words

No clever quotes to neatly sum up what's happened that day...

Sometimes the day just...ends."

~Aaron Hotchner

Dean was having an extremely weird dream about Cas creating a Twitter account and using it to take over the world when the angel in question urgently shook him awake. He blinked groggily and opened his eyes, though he immediately became alert when he saw the pain in Castiel's eyes. He knew right then that his husband was in labor. Cas had paled to the point of appearing gaunt, his eyes pained and feverish. He looked far worse than Gabriel had when the archangel had gone into labor, but Dean figured once God showed up he could make this labor just as painless as James' birthing had been.

"Gabriel! Get your ass over here!" Dean yelled, knowing the archangel could hear him.

Gabriel's arrival was announced with a soft fluttering of wings. Any snarky greeting he had planned was cut short when he saw his brother, whom he quickly laid out on the bed and stripped from the waist up. Little James was bouncing around excitedly, knowing this meant that his little sister was on the way. Dean instructed him to go get a blanket for Mary, and James didn't waste a second before taking off for the linen closet down the hall.

Dean clasped Cas' hand in his, starting to panic as the angel screamed out in agony. "Where the hell is God?"

Gabriel was starting to panic too. "I think he's at a bakeoff in Michigan!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I wish I was!"

Dean shot to his feet and looked skywards. "God, get your pansy ass down here! Cas is in labor and he's in pain, dammit!"

God appeared wearing his usual clothing, though this time he also sported an apron. Any other time, Dean would be laughing his ass off by now. But all he could focus on was Cas, and the way his angel's eyes were rolling back in his head, his back arching off the bed as he screamed. Light fixtures started exploding and windows started cracking in response to the angel's frayed grace. Dean was trying to whisper words of comfort to him, but Castiel didn't even seem to hear them.

"Help him!" Dean screamed.

Something flickered in God's eyes, regret maybe, but he rested his hand on Castiel's stomach and slowly soothed the pain away. Cas' body went slack, his eyes starting to glaze over. He whimpered in pain still, but the screams had faded away, thank the man in the apron. Dean sat next to him and brushed his hair out of his eyes, kissing Cas' forehead and telling him he loved him and that everything would be okay. God remained silent as he eased Castiel through labor.

"The pain's gone…" Cas whispered, his voice tired and drug out.

Dean smiled. "I'm glad."

Gabriel hovered nearby, keeping a close watch on his little brother. God looked almost heartbroken as he worked his power through Castiel's body, painlessly opening a birth canal just like he'd done all the other times his angelic children had gone into labor. This time was different though. Now even he, the being that created the ground he stood upon, was struggling to hold it together.


The three Fate sisters watched with cool contentment as the little angel boy started slipping away, unseen to all but God. He projected his thoughts into them whilst he worked hard on keeping Castiel and baby Mary alive.

"Fates, it has been a long time. May I inquire the reason of your visit?"

The sisters all raised an eyebrow. The little girl, the woman and the old woman all in sync responded with, "We have merely came to receive a payment worthy enough of the price not yet paid."

Castiel was fading quickly; God worked harder. "And what would that be?"

The Fates turned their attention to Castiel. "Many ripples have been made, those who were lost are still living and those who are found do not understand the balance. We may not meddle the extent you do, but we can, so we accept this token instead."

God gritted his teeth, his energy no longer being able to sustain Castiel alone. "You have no right to take him!"

The Fates' eyes glowed a dangerous shade of pale blue, as did their hands. "Oh? In that case should we right the course and put things back to how they should be?"

God was horrified to watch Gabriel become transparent along with James, and his mind was plagued with similar images; Mary, John, Ellen, Jo, Nicholas, Kerberosel, Adam, Anna, Kali, Loki, Isadora, Lily, their unborn sibling, as well as many others faded into a ghost like state; Lucifer and Michael were locked in the cage fighting constantly to rip each other to pieces.

It was horrible.

So many losses, the children never existed, so many loves not together.

The Fates could do that with a wave of their will.

"No. Please do not do that."

The glowing faded. In its place, the youngest Fate produced a shining white cord, and the old woman brought out a pair of silver scissors. "Then he shall be the one."

"At least give him some time to say goodbye," God requested, his final plea.

They frowned thoughtfully. "A few minutes only."

God nodded, gazing at Castiel with nothing less that heartbreak. At least he'd gotten him some time.


White light filled the room for a moment, and Castiel was eased into a deep sleep.

Castiel's dream was peaceful. He recognized his version of Heaven; his beloved eternal Tuesday afternoon. He looked up as a bright kite flew through the air, which was as warm and clear as ever. Cas knew he should feel peaceful, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind, reminding him he had to leave, he had to wake up. But he couldn't remember why, or even what had been going on before he'd fallen asleep. Then he realized that Heaven couldn't be Heaven without one thing…one thing that would make this Paradise complete.

Where was his family?

"Fear not, my son," said a deep voice from behind him.

He turned around and smiled warmly, the summer breeze ruffling his hair pleasantly. "Father."

God stepped forwards and drew Castiel into his arms, holding the angel in a close embrace. Birds sung from the trees; the grass swayed underfoot. It was so beautifully peaceful. Cas relaxed in his Father's arms and returned the embrace, clasping his hands behind God's neck. For the life of him he couldn't remember why he was asleep, but a contentment was filling him that was swiftly blotting out his musings. It was like he could feel nothing but happiness…like peace was all that existed.

Meanwhile, Dean was being handed his beautiful daughter, Mary's cries filling the air. Love filled his chest as he held her close to him, whispering to her how beautiful she was. He looked over at Cas, who God had put to sleep so he could recover. Dean smiled widely, envisioning the pride and love that would be in his angel's eyes when he first saw Mary. Their beautiful Mary Grace Winchester.

Sam had arrived as well and cooed softly to his new niece, Gabriel right beside him, grinning down at the baby. God was still silent. Dean let the very eager Sam hold Mary, turning to Cas and taking the angel's hand between both of his own, squeezing it tightly. He was giddy with anticipation for his husband to wake up; he wanted to hand Mary to Cas, wanted them to hold her together, just wanted to hold Cas. But he knew that his angel needed time to recover and sleep was the best way to achieve that.

He moved one of his hands to Cas' chest, just to feel the strong and steady heartbeat against his palm. But strong and steady wasn't what he found. Surely he was overreacting, surely it wasn't as slow as he thought it was. It was there, but it was offbeat and slowing by the second. His smile dropped, his back straightening as his voice came out in a worried, terrified whisper.

"Cas?"

Castiel heard Dean say his name, somewhere in the distance. He drew out of God's arms and looked around, smiling, searching for the source. "Cas." He heard it, he knew he did, but he couldn't find Dean even though it sounded as if his hunter's voice was right next to his ear. God tried to pull Castiel back, but the angel ignored the summons and wandered off in search of his human.

"Castiel…he's not here," God said.

Cas turned back around and tilted his head to the side. "Then let me go to him. He sounds worried…"

"I'm sorry, my son. You cannot return to him."

Castiel froze, an icy fear creeping through the peace that had been filling him just moments earlier. "What?"

Dean was panicking, his entire body shaking as he screamed, "Wake up! Please wake up! Cas!"

The angel's heartbeat had almost ceased completely.

"Wake him up!" Dean yelled at God.

God's eyes were full of grief. "The sisters of Fate are cruel, Dean, but this angel has a destiny. He shall have two children. But for his youngest child to enter this world…he must leave it."

"No, no, no," Dean was whispering, shaking his head even as his eyes filled with tears. "No…he can't be…no."

"He can still hear you…you should say your goodbyes."

Dean couldn't speak…he could only break down completely, the sobs wracking his body.

Any and all calm Castiel had once felt had vanished. God wouldn't answer him. He only looked away sadly, confirming what Cas already feared more than anything. Castiel tried to fly from Heaven, but his wings refused to lift, to carry him away. He started shaking, trying desperately to find a way out. But his Father grabbed his arms and held him back, the bright afternoon sun suddenly seeming taunting and cruel.

Castiel's anguished scream could be heard by all of his brethren, the angels hanging their heads in a silent vigil as Cas dropped to his knees, convulsing with sobs, his true voice piercing the air. A final, desperate cry. A cry for help…a farewell to a family he could never return to. It was so broken, so heart wrenching, so full of loss.

"DEAN!"

The broken, empty shell of a man that had once been Dean Winchester held Cas close to him, speaking through the tears that were consuming him and pulling him under.

"I love you so much baby…you can't leave us, Cas…we need you…please just come back to me…" he cried, his shaky hand resting against Castiel's chest, feeling his pulse slow with each passing moment.

"Tell my children how much I loved them, that I'll always be watching over them…" Cas whispered brokenly.

Castiel's heartbeat started to fade away until it could barely be heard.

"I love you…"

Castiel sobbed out his final, unheard words to Dean. "I love you too, always…"

The angel's heart slowed to a stop.