"Dean."

"Dammit Cas, I told you! Don't sneak up on a man like that!"

The angel took a step back, the furrow between his eyes deepening. "Apologies. I forgot in my haste to bring you news."

"Okay, Cas, alright- what news?"

"I believe my Father is going to destroy the world."

Dean opened his mouth, closed it, cocked his head to the side, blinked, and finally managed to ask, "What?" He had one eyebrow raised, his eyes focused on the rumpled angel.

Castiel sighed. "Perhaps it would be better if I explained it to all of you from the beginning."

Dean turned and walked along the corridor towards the library where Kate and Sam were reading. They were sprawled in opposite armchairs, Sam's long legs stretched in front of him, Kate's dangling over the arm of the chair.

"Hey. Listen up," barked Dean. Cas stepped into the library to stand beside him, and Kate scooted until she was facing the men in the entrance way, interested in what was going on. Dean rarely used that tone outside of a hunt.

"I believe God is going to destroy the world." Castiel repeated in his low, husky voice. "I am seeing omens that last appeared before Noah's flood."

Sam leaned forward in his chair, hair flopping over his forehead. He brushed it back impatiently, asking, "Noah's flood was real?"

"Really, Sam?" asked Dean caustically. "That's the first thing you ask?"

"Yes. It was real. Of course, it was not a global flood, it merely flooded Mesopotamia and portions of what is now Asia Minor. But yes, a catastrophic flood did occur, wiping out much of humanity. My father can be…capricious."

"Tell me about it," Sam said, face deadpan.

"Wait, wait- what omens are you seeing? I thought God was off somewhere meditating or, or doing yoga and ignoring the whole lot of us." Dean's jaw was set.

"The Lord does not answer to anyone. I have been seeing… patterns. Natural disasters, mass deaths, viral breakouts. Such massive and controlled disasters that they could only have been the work of a higher power. The highest."

"And you never saw omens like these at any other time?" Kate asked, the implications of such a thing finally sinking in.

"No. It is happening again," said Castiel, eerily calm under the circumstances.

"Well, what do you want us to do about it?" asked Dean, voice raised and face flushed. "We've already stopped the world from ending how many times? Not even you could find God!"

"I know. I know all you have done, and I wish I did not have to ask for more. But as you have stated, I was unable to find my Father on my own- you are humans, you do not think as angels think. You may be able to find him."

"You were using the amulet Sam gave me, and uh, well, I don't have it anymore."

Castiel's face fell just slightly. "I see."

Sam cleared his throat, his eyes avoiding Dean. "Uh, I still have it. I grabbed it out of the trash before we left that day. It's in my room, I'll just go grab it, then." Unfolding to his full height, he walked out of the room, the most innately graceful man that Kate had ever seen.

Dean slumped into one of the chairs at the work tables, his elbow resting on the cool surface, his hand over his eyes. In that moment, with Castiel waiting patiently and Kate looking on, Dean considered just stopping. Just getting in the Impala and driving away with Sam and Kate and hiding where no one would find them, where he could keep his family safe. He didn't know how much longer he could keep doing this- even Jesus only had to walk the earth preaching for three years, right?

Sam walked back in the room, the amulet tight in his fist, just the cord hanging down. Dean felt a twinge of remorse- he hadn't meant to hurt Sam that day, he had just been unable to deal with the past. The fewer ties he had to it, the better. He hadn't meant to hurt Sam- yeah, story of his fucking life. Scrubbing his hand down his face, he looked to Castiel. The angel met his gaze with a level blue stare.

"Where do we start?" he asked in a voice strangely free of emotion. "How do we go about this?"

"Ah. I can help there," said the angel, fidgeting with the ends of his tie. "The omens have been shifting slowly- they started in the Himalayas, deep in Nepal, moved south through Africa, over to South America, and now seem to be centrally located in Mexico. Perhaps my Father is touring his creation one last time."

"So we head for the border," said Kate, fingers working absently. "See if we can meet up with him before he knows what we're doing?"

"He is God," said Castiel, as though that explained everything. At their blank looks, he added, "The Lord is omnipotent. He will know we are looking for him."

"So this is useless," Kate replied, slouching back into her seat.

"No. Why would I come to you if this were a pointless errand- as you would say, a 'wild goose chase'? I do not think God will flee us if we find him. It is more likely that he would kill us."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Perfect. Just fucking perfect."

Castiel screwed up his face before enlightenment dawned. "Ah. Sarcasm. This is indeed far from an ideal situation."

"Castiel, what happens to angels if God decided to wipe out all of humanity?"

"We go on. Unless God decides to end us as well," he added as an afterthought. "But yes, during the flood we just continued to serve our lord."

Dean thumped a fist on the table. "Do you think he will spare part of humanity again? Like he did last time?"

"I don't know, Dean. My job is to protect humanity, not just a specific subpopulation."

"Fine, Cas. Tomorrow morning we'll make for Texas."

After a few hours in the quiet Impala Cas began to fidget. Kate watched him out of the corner of her eye before turning to watch him squirm. "You okay over there?" she asked.

"I find this mode of transportation quite tedious," Castiel complained. "It is one of the things at which angels are far superior."

"Would you really want the job of keeping a handle on humans if we could fly?" asked Kate, amused. "Just imagine all the stealth-flight serial killers, and the demons who could hide behind cloud-cover, vampires building actual nests and swooping down on victims."

Castiel's face went still, Kate could almost see him inspecting the argument for flaws. "Point well-made," he conceded. "I would not want to be a nursery guard of a winged infant human."

From the front seat, Sam laughed. "Really Cas? Kate thinks of actual vampire nests and you have reservations because of flying two-year olds?" he turned back around, chuckling.

"Can I not meet you there after your arrival?" the angel asked plaintively.

"No," said Dean in a voice that would book no argument. "You dragged us into this, so we are doing it our way. You don't just get to fly off this time."

Castiel sat back, his face turned to the window. Comfortable quiet descended on the car once more as they rolled further and further south. Kate had always wanted to see the country growing up, but she never imagined it would be from the backseat of a classic car with a pair of outcast brothers she would come to love as family. They laughed at her when she wheedled to be allowed sightseeing trips on the way home- "Hey, it's Texas, and I don't care how many times you have already seen it!" she protested when they laughed at her request to see the Alamo.

That was what it was like for Winchester and Company- they'd been in the hot seat so many times it was no longer a foreign feeling. When one spends every day thinking they could bite it at any minute, peace becomes the unusual sensation. The boys had lived through a demonic house-fire, neglectful parenting, opening the gates of hell, hell itself, the apocalypse, purgatory, Leviathans, vengeful angels, and psychotic humans. By now it seemed that God was the only thing they hadn't dealt with.

They made it to southern Texas as the sun set, painting the sky a deep violet-red. Even at night, the heat was enough to make the lungs wither. The air was still, too still- nothing rustled, not the dry leaves on the low shrubs, no birds flying overhead, not even the dry silt that crunched under their feet. Castiel looked up at the sky, the expanse of stars brilliant in the wide sky. Sam fidgeted with the amulet- he still hadn't given it back to Dean; neither of them mentioned it.

"Now what?" asked Sam, scanning the dark landscape.

"Now we pray," said Castiel solemnly.

It was too stuffy to stay in the car, the spring heat still uncomfortable enough to drive them outside. Kate spread a couple blankets beside the Impala and they sat down, Sam and Dean sharing a skeptic, what the hell look. Castiel folded his legs neatly, his hands resting palm-up on his knees. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Dean squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before cracking one open to peer around. Kate was leaned against the smooth paint of the car, her face tipped up to the sky, lips slightly apart. Sam had his head bowed, hair falling over his face like a curtain.

Sam had mentioned once that he prayed every day. Dean had teased him about it, but really, he'd never understood it. A life without a god made more sense- bad things happened, life fucking sucked, and you got on with it. But if God was real, if he was really the omniscient and powerful being that the Bible and Castiel described, then he was a class A dick. He had ignored the cries of the needy, good people died horrific deaths, and nothing made any damn sense. Dean closed his eyes and listened for motion around them; it was in his nature to protect those he loved, he didn't even think of it anymore.

When he opened his eyes, Dean was standing on the surface of the ocean. He grabbed his gun out of his jeans, spun around, and then stowed the weapon- he didn't know what good it would do him out here. "Sam! Sammy!" he yelled, desperation tinging his voice.

Hearing a rustling behind him, Dean looked around. Sam and Kate and Cas were there, looking puzzled. Kate was crouched down on her heels, fingers playing in the water, a speculative look on her face. Castiel was looking all around, like he expected to see something else. Sam strode forward and hugged his brother tightly, thumping him on the back.

"Well, this is pretty symbolic," he said, gesturing around them. "It's right out of the gospels.

"Very good, Sam Winchester," someone said. Behind the little group was a figure of shining white- no obvious features, no clear traits, just a bipedal hominid of glowing light. His voice sounded like the clamoring of distant bells echoing over a harbor or valley.

Castiel took one step forward, seemingly unaware of his actions. His eyes were wide and electric blue, full of wonder, his lips slightly parted. "Father?" he asked, eyes unblinking.

"Castiel, my child," God boomed, head turning towards the angel. "I am so pleased to see you. I have felt you seeking me for some time now."

"If you've felt him seeking and heard Sam praying, why didn't you answer? Why were you gone?" Dean's anger outran his common sense as it sometimes did. He just didn't understand- family was the most important thing; family was the only thing, goddammit! After living without a mother, years of being left behind by his father, watching Sam go off to college, and trying to protect the whole world, Dean had had enough. He stepped towards the radiant figure once, twice. "How could you?" he thundered, fists clenched in anger. "If we are your children, how could you leave us?" he asked, quieter now, his shoulders slumped.

"Oh, Dean Winchester. I was here, I was always here. But like my mortal creations, I can feel despondent and without hope." He spoke slowly and deliberately, like a great orator of old. "I created humanity to keep me company, to populate the beautiful world that I had created. But like those in Noah's time, your people have turned away from the Lord. They have changed my words to them; they hate and hurt one another. It makes me wonder if there is still good in the world."

Kate finally spoke up. "Why do you have to ask that? You're God. If you don't think there is enough good in the world, do something about it."

"Ah yes, young Kate Monroe," he murmured. "Always one to get to the point. Good and bad are all the product of free will. By allowing humans to make decisions on their own, consequence is born. Every effect has a cause."

"Okay Gandalf, let's just cut to the chase," snapped Dean. "You planning on destroying it all or not? 'Cause you've got your boy here pretty darn convinced you're gonna go medieval on us."

Castiel turned to Dean, his face scrunched. "No, Dean, Noah was not alive during the Medieval-oh. You were speaking figuratively." He turned back to the glowing god-figure in front of them. Dean rolled his eyes.

"I have been contemplating a new beginning," God's voice tolled. "I just see so much pain and hurtfulness in this world. My children have turned away from me, my creation destroys itself. Nothing is as it should be."

"So that's it? Oh, things went wrong, better start over? No!" Dean was yelling at the Lord. Kate looked at Castiel, sure that the horror on his face was reflected on her own. She had the sudden urge to scoot away from Dean just in case of spontaneous combustion on his part, but decided against it. Like he said, family sticks together.

Sam stepped forward, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "What can we do to convince you otherwise? There is still good in the world, people are always trying to be better! If we can try, why can't you?"

"What could you show me that the past four thousand years could not? I know what I created."

"Father," Castiel asked tentatively. "You set my garrison to protect the humans; to safeguard your greatest creation. I do not understand." He gazed beseechingly at the lord, trying to comprehend.

"Neither do I," God responded, voice rumbling like a passing train. "But you seem to have a great love for humanity, Castiel. You have a month. Thirty human days from now, bring me any evidence that the world should be spared and I will listen.

"Thirty days," said Kate, disbelieving. Hell, high schoolers took longer than that to pick a college, and God was giving them that long to come up with a plan to save the entire planet?

In a blink, they were back on the blanket beside the Impala, the marble-hard sea and glowing God gone as though they had never been. For a split second there was only silence, the four of them glancing around and hoping it as not all some weird dream.

There's only a bit more than seven billion people in the world, no fucking pressure at all," said Kate sourly.

"What are we going to do, Dean? How do we change God's mind?" asked Sam, eyes wide, fingers spread and hands up in total disbelief. Castiel just sat quietly, looking around.

Dean sighed, a deep sigh of a soldier too long on the front, a soul with too little encouragement, a life with too little light. He sank his head into both palms, his elbows on his knees. After two deep breaths, he raised his hands. "I don't know, man. I have no fucking clue."

Castiel chimed in, "It in the moments- that is when humanity shines the brightest."

"Moments, Cas?" asked Kate, intrigued.

"Our garrison was tasked to watch humanity," he explained, deep voice falling into a raspy story-telling tone." We watched for millennia as civilizations rose and fell, fashions changed, languages evolved. We saw everything, the plagues and wars and starving times. But the reason that angels envy you, the reason Anna fell, is for the moments. The way a woman looks when her firstborn is laid on her chest, warm and slick. A man's face when he arrives home from a long trip and his little girl runs to greet him. A toddler's look on Christmas morning, the passion of meaningful intercourse. A brother back from the grave," he nodded in Dean's direction. "Moments."

"…fireworks in a field," muttered Dean, his eyes focused on the horizon. "Taste of pie."

Sam nodded. "A dog coming when you call, waking up to hot coffee with nowhere to go."

He turned to Kate, wondering what little things she savored. Several months ago she'd mentioned that all she really hope for anymore were hot showers and the chance to finish a couple books- looking forward to anything else just led to disappointment. "Waking up slowly with someone else and lazy, rainy Sunday afternoons with a good book."

Sam's lips quirked- it was an improvement. "Okay, Cas," he said. "Humans do have good moments, but those don't absolve humanity as a whole- a few moments of pleasure can't erase all the harm we do."

"But there are so many wonderful people," said Castiel earnestly. "The malicious ones are just easier to spot."

Dean stood up, back to business as usual. "Okay, we're on a hunt for good people-whatever that friggin means- and 'moments'. Peachy. Let's hit the road; we got work to do."

Dutifully they piled into the Impala, dust spiraling up as they pulled away, each of them in quiet contemplation. Sam and Dean were facing the end of the world once again, united for the fate of humanity. Castiel was distressed and worried- his purpose, singular and consistent, had been to protect the people, and now God was threatening to wipe it all out. Kate was deep in thought- this wasn't just her death, or even that of the Winchesters. This was about the entire world, everything in it. Everyone, present and future. On a pair of doomed brothers, a mid-level angel, and her- jumpy, disillusioned, and more than a little disappointed in herself.

On the Impala rumbled, headlights shining over the tarmac that unrolled endlessly- unlike the time earth had left. Once again the Winchesters were fighting a war for which they would never be thanked, gathering scars most people would never see, and now, well, now those men were going to bat for a world that didn't even know it could all come crumbling down in one month's time.