Hello people. I would like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this story since my last update.
So here we are the next chapter. It's quite a long one, but I couldn't split it so, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
Once everyone was fed and watered, or beered, to a reasonable level and Jay and Isobel had been put to bed, Henry and Josie still hadn't worked out exactly whose children they were, it seemed Jay belonged to Gabriel and rose but Isobel would call Rose mum and Castiel and Dean dad, which threw them somewhat, as you could well imagine. But anyway once they had gone to bed all the adults congregated in the front room, it was the only place that was big enough to contain them all it seemed. Once everyone was settled Bobby turned to Rose and Gabriel who were sharing an armchair and spoke before anyone else in the room could.
"Okay you two, out with it." Bobby said with a sigh of exasperation. He just knew that they knew something, Rose and Gabriel always did when it came to big things.
"Out with what?" Rose asked trying really hard for innocence, though she knew she was fooling no one. She knew she would have to say something, but she just didn't want to say too much.
"The story lass. And don't go all 'we know nothing' on me, cos you and I both know I ain't an idjit." Bobby growled at her. Rose always was the easiest to get information out of if it was between her and Gabriel.
"Okay. So what do you want to know?" Rose asked with a sigh. She was not going to make this easy, that was for sure.
"Firstly who the hell are they?" Bobby asked pointing his thumb at Josie and Henry who were perched on the couch looking round with wide eyes at the people around them trying to work out the complicated relationships of the extended Winchester–singer household, and failing miserably at it.
"Henry Winchester and Josie Sands." Rose replied with a shrug. Of course Bobby hadn't been there earlier and he hadn't asked in front of the children. He was very much in the belief of keeping the super crazy away from Issy and Jay it they could help it.
"That supposed to mean something to me?" He asked her with a glare that just demanded she answer him straight.
"Henry is mine, Sam and Dean's grandfather. He vanished years ago and it was presumed that he had run away from his family. The truth was he was cast a spell and was sent here." Rose explained so that everyone was on the same page.
"Why?" Bobby asked, Sam and Dean deciding that he was more likely to get information out of the sister and thus leaving him to it. Henry wanted to interrupt, but he also wanted the answers that the old man was asking for, and well, he was still a little in awe of some of their company. Josie on the other hand just wanted to blend into the background and hope that no one remembered what she had been.
"Why was he sent here? Or why did he cast the spell?" Rose asked back.
"Both." Bobby growled.
"Well he cast the spell to keep the key from Abaddon, a knight of hell who was possessing Josie but isn't any more. In fact she's now back in hell." Rose explained making Bobby file away the reference to a key, the question being a key for what? But first he wanted the answer to the other question he had.
"And why is he here?" He asked.
"That I can't answer." Rose replied turning to him and he saw that she truly didn't know the answer to that one. He was about to turn to Gabriel and try and get the answer from him, he was sure that he knew, but before he could another spoke.
"I can." Castiel said from his position next to Dean, but when he said nothing more just leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at his hands Bobby decided he would need a bit of prodding.
"Well Cas? Why?" He demanded.
At Bobby's tone Dean turned and glared at him. Couldn't he see Cas was upset? With that he leaned over and took one of his hands in his to give him the strength to answer the question that Bobby asked.
As soon as Cas felt Deans hand interlock with his he knew that no matter what he said his husband would stand at his side. His husband, that thought made him smile softly as he looked at Dean and answered Bobby's question to him, hoping that he truly would understand.
"Because I was ordered to send him to a time after the apocalypse had been fought and under no circumstances was he to ever see John Winchester again."
Dean couldn't think of anything to say to that. Yeah he was pissed, it was his family after all. But he couldn't blame the angel he loved, he had just been following orders, and before Cas met Dean that was what he did. Dean was kinda proud that he was the one that was able to change Cas into the man he was today, and as such he just squeezed his hand to let him know that he had no hard feelings for the man he loved. Those giving the orders was another matter, but they were gone now, there was nothing he could do to change the past, he had learnt that the hard way when he was sent to watch his mom make that deal with yellow eyes.
"What do you mean? Where is John?" Henry asked sitting up straight at the mention that he would never see his son again. He had assumed that as these where his grandchildren then his son was off doing some secret warded men of letters business and that was why he had come through here, but the way the former angel had said it made him think -
"Dads dead. He died… years ago." Sam replied after waiting for a beat for Dean to speak, but looking over at his brother he saw that he was busy conforming his husband and as such this part of their history would be down to him to tell.
"How?" Henry asked. Because he couldn't believe that the boy he had kissed goodnight only a few hours ago to him had grown and had three children and died. It wasn't possible.
"He sold his soul for me." Dean replied in an emotionless voice. He wouldn't let Sam try to make excuses for what had happened. If this truly was Henry Winchester then from what he had heard he had put some key before his family, and in Dean's mind nothing came before family.
"John is in hell?" Henry asked in a shocked voice, no he couldn't be. Not his little boy.
"NO." the answer came from multiple sources, but the most vehement where those of his grandsons.
"Then where is he?" He asked turning to them. They sounded so sure, they must know the answer to that. But Sam and Dean just looked back at him and he saw that they had no idea, they had theories beliefs and hopes, but no concrete answers.
"He's in heaven, with his soulmate, Sam and Deans mom, Mary." The answer came from the one whom he should probably have directed his question to if he had thought about it. The archangel Gabriel.
Sam and Dean turned to Gabriel when he spoke with a look of astonishment in their eyes at his simple statement. When he saw there look he just shrugged, cos really where did they think their parents where?
"So the apocalypse?" Henry asked into the silence, it seemed the older man had run out of questions for now.
"Never happened." Dean replied resolutely, and before Henry could question that statement more Gabriel continued it in the same tone.
"And never will."
Well that certainty ended that line of questioning. So what next?
"So what's this key?" Bobby asked into the room as the silence stretched after Gabriel's statement, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what that was all about.
"It is the key to the knowledge base of the men of letters." Henry replied. He needed to trust these people he realised, and they included his grandchildren, they were legacies after all.
"The men of letters?" Sam asked sitting up straight. That was a name he hadn't heard in two years, but he still remembered when Melissa had told him he should have been one of them. Maybe she had been more right than either of them knew if his grandfather was one.
"Yes they are-" Henry started to explain, only to be cut off by Gabriel.
"All dead, except for those in this room." He stated clearly making Rose turn to him with a raised eyebrow which made both Dean and Sam narrow their eyes at them both. There was something they weren't being told here, but when Rose turned back to the room her face was a blank mask and she said nothing to contradict her other half.
"All?" Henry asked with pain in his voice, no they couldn't be, they were his friends, his family…
"It's true." Josie whispered into the room not looking anyone in the eye. She above all others knew that to be fact, she had felt them all die at her hand after all.
"Okay, I think that's enough for tonight, let's all go sleep on what we've learned or whatever yeah?" Rose suddenly said before anyone could question Josie's statement.
With that Castiel stood and dragged Dean with him, he didn't want to hear any more. They had a wedding night to get to, this situation would be there in the morning, and Dean catching the look in his husband's eyes decided he couldn't agree more. Bobby and Crowley shuffled off to no doubt do more research and discuss what they had heard, though not before Crowley went over to Josie and spoke to her in a low tone.
"When you're ready to talk, I'm here." He muttered so only she would hear.
Once they had gone Rose and Gabriel got Henry and Josie's rooms sorted, Sam giving up his for one of them, he would sleep on the couch that night.
With that decided Sam found himself alone in the livingroom he had once shared with his brother before everything had happened. With a smile at the memories of simpler times he lay back on the couch with his hands under his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He tried not to, but the conversation this evening had brought Melissa back into the front of his mind, and as such he couldn't help but think of her. He was therefore rather startled when a voice spoke from the armchair across from him.
"You should call her." Rose said softly into the darkness. Sam didn't question what she was talking about. His sister had a strange ability to read what was on people's minds on occasion.
"Why?" He asked instead wanting to hear what she had to say.
"You know why Sam. I'm your sister and I love you, I don't want you to be alone." Rose replied with a conviction that made him wonder if she had some sort of inside information, and being as she was married to Gabriel, he wouldn't be surprised if she did. In which case… did that mean what he thought it did?
"I doubt she even remembers me." He mumbled hoping to get her to deny or confirm his suspicions about his and Melissa's relationship status of the future.
"Oh I think you seriously underestimate the lasting impression you make on people Samuel Winchester." Rose replied humour lacing her tone, she knew exactly what he was asking, but the truth was she didn't completely know. Yeah okay god had implied, but that was god for you, he didn't interfere, he just nudged in the right direction.
"And what am I going to say? It's been two years Rose." Sam said with a sigh as he came back to reality, it wasn't like he could just call her out of the blue without a reason was it?
"That I don't know, but I would recommend you start with hello, how are you." With that Rose pulled herself up out of the chair and made her way back up to her and Gabriel's room hoping that she had got through the stubborn head of Sam, because if not she was going to have to get really creative, hmm, maybe she should ask Gabriel's advice on that. With that thought she entered her room, a humour filled smile on her lips. And on the couch the cogs in Sam's mind where turning as he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why he would be calling Melissa Baeburn after all this time.
