Dean and Arael were cuffed to a piece of pipe above them, their weapons removed by Dean's alternate self.

Needless to say they were irritated.

"So why should I release you?" asked Dean.

"Because you either let me go or I'll melt these damn things off, and frankly I don't want to deal with molten metal on my clothes. Blood's a big enough bitch to get out," said Arael. Until they got home, she was in control.

"What?"

Arael rolled her eyes before she melted the hand cuffs around their wrist.

Dean jumped back, his gun in hand.

"Idjit. I'm an angel, not a damn demon...not that there's much difference between the dicks with wings and the ones who live below," snorted Arael, shaking off as much metal as she could.

"Who or what are you?"

"We're the Rider. The Ghost Rider. Only instead of making a demon deal Dean went and agreed to become the vessel for the angel that powers him."

"The Rider's an angel vessel?" said Dean. This explained a hell of a lot.

"Most Riders are containers. People who are forced to shoulder an angel's grace thanks to Mephistopheles. But Dean's different. We've learned to share the body instead of possession. He only recently took on the mantle of the Rider though," said Arael.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Astarael, second-in-command of Gabriel's garrison and the one who was betrayed by the Host of Heaven. And if you want our help dealing with this bullshit the angels started, then you're going to have to trust us," said Arael flatly. Blinking, Dean took over.

"I am so glad she quit it with the stupid voice effects."

"How is this possible?"

"When Johnny Blaze gave up the Rider's power, he allowed me to be able to see her in the pit next to mine. Micheal sent her on a suicide run and didn't have the balls to rescue her when she screamed for help for over a week. When the angels stormed the pit, I offered to let her to join me out of there. When I came to she was in my body with me. She's kept the nightmares away from me and Sam ever since. Not all vessels have to deal with an angel stealing their body," said Dean.

Arael and Dean walked out of the hut rather irritated. Their alternate was an asshole the likes they hadn't seen since John Winchester was alive.

Still, there was an interesting surprise in the camp they weren't expecting.

Johnny Blaze was still alive.

"Blaze?" said Dean.

"What's up Dean?" he asked.

"You still fighting for control with the Rider?" asked Dean, an idea forming in his head. If he played this right, Astarael's alternate would be free from the pit twice.

Blaze's eyes glinted.

"Why do you need to know?"

"I can arrange it so you never have control issues again. All you have to do is say yes when we need you to."

"We?"

"The angel, the one that fuels the Riders... She's still down in the pit because Micheal didn't have the balls to come help when she screamed for him. I plan to get her out and give you a semblance of control. No more worrying about the Rider killing the people you're working with."

Blaze blinked. This wasn't his Dean. His Dean wouldn't give two shits about an angel in the pit with the world gone to hell.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"Because unlike your Dean, I'm already a vessel instead of a container like you," said Dean. And to Blaze's eternal shock, Dean proceeded to bring out a ball of blue fire in his hand...which turned skeletal. Exactly like he did in the presence of evil.

"You're a Rider too?"

"I'm the vessel for the angel that fuels the Riders. And if you want to be free of Mephistopheles, then all you have to do is agree to the same terms I did when I partnered up with Astarael. Of course we'll have to go get her first."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I'm going to drag Gabriel's ass here and make him come with me. But you might need to cover for me while I go find his cowardly ass," said Dean.

Arael located Gabriel easily enough. It was dodging his sword that proved to be an issue.

"Dammit Gabriel, knock that crap off! We didn't come here to fight!" shouted Dean.

Gabriel looked at Dean shrewdly. This looked like the Winchester, but last time he checked Dean wasn't a vessel.

"How did you find me?" he growled. He wasn't putting his blade away yet.

Arael took over and did the one thing Gabriel wasn't expecting.

She grabbed his ear and twisted it rather painfully.

"Now is that any way to speak to your second-in-command, you sugar crazed jerk? Father you are such a child sometimes Commander," said Arael rolling her eyes.

Gabriel winced at the action, but his eyes were wide.

"Astarael?"

"An alternate of her at any rate. From what we've been able to tell, Uriel dropped us off in the wrong damn alternate future, likely on Micheal's orders. Coincidentally, if I see that asshole again I am going to kick him in the balls."

"How is this possible? Last I heard you were dead!"

"Micheal(she spat the name out like a curse) thought it would be a smart idea to replace you after you left. I was stupid enough to volunteer, and on my first assignment the bastard sent me to Earth right into the hands of Mephistopheles. The Astarael you're familiar with is still in the pit, which is why we came to find you. We would need an arch angel to rescue her so that she can either recover or at the very least be put out of her misery."

Gabriel popped in a sucker.

He cared about Astarael, she had a wit to match his own and she had always been good at keeping him from having to deal with the more irritating crap.

"So why did you need me?"

"We needed an extra hand in getting her out, and since none of the other assholes are going to help us we figured you might at least give us a hand, or at least let us borrow your sword. Should have seen Zachariah's face when I use the Penitence stare to kill his sorry ass."

Gabriel thought it over. On one hand, if Astarael was still in the pit then as her commander he was duty bound to retrieve her, cover be damned. On the other, if she was too far gone that meant he would have to end her and that was something he wasn't looking forward to.

"We have lined up a possible vessel for your Astarael. Johnny Blaze."

"The Rider?"

"The Ghost Riders are fueled by her Grace. Who better to act as a vessel than the one who's acting as the container for her power?" said Dean.

Gabriel looked appalled. He knew the Riders were fueled by an angel, but he had never known it was her.

"So will you help us get her free?"

"If she's still down there, yes. But if she's too far gone I don't know if I can help kill her," said Gabriel honestly.

"Leave that to us. We can at least end her humanely."

Arael and Dean worked as a team while Gabriel kept the majority of the demons off their ass. It had taken very little time to find Astarael, and they were relieved to learn she wasn't entirely too far gone.

She would be weaker than before, but once she was in a willing vessel and her wings returned, she would heal. And perhaps, so would Johnny.

Arael stuffed what was left of Astarael into a Grace Vial...her true form was so shredded that it fit snugly inside.

Gabriel followed the two out of the pit and to the camp, where 'alternate' Dean was waiting...and he was pissed.

"YOU!"

"Missed you too jackass," said Gabriel flipping him off.

"Why the hell did you bring Loki?!" yelled Dean.

Arael looked at Gabriel, who was ignoring the hunter completely.

"Commander, you can do one prank and that's it. Make it count...oh, but don't kill him until I've had a chance to chew his head off," said Arael rolling her eyes.

"Commander?" said Dean.

Gabriel grinned a little too evilly as he snapped his fingers. Dean suddenly became a Deana.

"What the... TURN ME BACK DAMMIT!"

Castiel, who had wondered what the shouting was about, came outside still rather doped up. The second he saw Gabriel, he sobered up in a hurry.

"Gabriel. I thought you were dead," he said in shock.

"Cassie? Jeez, you really let yourself go. Was being away from heaven that bad?"

"This is Gabriel?" said Deana in shock.

"Gabriel, the sugar-crazed angel who decided to go pagan," said Arael rolling her eyes again.

"Where did you go?" asked Deana.

"We went to find my alternate self. No way am I leaving my alternate in the pit until the end of days happens," said Arael flatly.

Blaze walked up. He could sense Astarael from halfway across the camp.

Arael handed him the vial.

"Remember, just say yes and you won't have to fight for control again."

"What do I do?"

"Break the vial you idjit!"

Astarael was released from the vial, and like he promised, Johnny Blaze let her into his body. He could hear sobs of relief from the angel as she was no longer being torn into pieces. She quickly agreed to share the body if it meant not being broken again.

"Where's Sam?"

"Haven't seen him since River Pass," bit out Deana.

"Seriously? What the hell happened?"

"We had a fight and I haven't seen him since."

"A fight? Just how the hell did you chase Sam off after all the crap we've been through?" said Dean incredulous.

Arael had helped him work out some trust issues. Plus the entire Apocalypse thing was the angel's fault, not Sam's.

Dean pinned his alternate self with a disbelieving gaze, and Gabriel was very surprised. He hadn't thought Astarael would make that big a difference in the Winchester's life that they could work out half the crap they had between them.

"Exactly where is Sam? I know myself well enough that you would have at least kept track of him just in case," said Dean firmly.

"He's not here anymore. He said yes to Lucifer," Deana bit out.

He/she was shocked when Dean slapped him on the back of the head.

"You fucking idiot! Ruby did nothing more than manipulate him because of dad's crappy teachings and our own bad luck! The least you should have done was made him get a separate car and a room instead of driving him away! Have you forgotten what Zachariah tried to do to force us to say yes to Micheal?! The angel who didn't have the balls to rescue one of his own when it was his fault that they were in trouble to begin with?!" yelled Dean.

Gabriel looked at Dean in surprise as the 'past' Dean chewed out his alternate self but good. With each word 'Deana' flinched as Dean called his alternate future out on the bad choice he had made abandoning his own brother when both heaven and hell were dead set on tearing them apart.

No one said a word as Dean left his future self behind to see how bad the damage had been done to the Impala. In any time line, that car had always cooled his hot head off.

Dean looked at the burned out shell of his baby sadly. What the hell had his alternate been smoking to allow this to happen?

Gabriel looked at him oddly, but still offered a Snickers. Dean accepted it without hesitation.

"So what was your alternate like?"

"Can angels share memories?"

"If they're close enough, yes," said Gabriel cautiously.

"Then ask Arael to share hers. The last thing I want is to be anywhere near that asshole," said Dean.

Gabriel hmm to himself before he cautiously extended the same question. Arael shared her memories of Dean from the pit to the present, and to say the arch angel was surprised was an understatement.

"You two are acting like some sort of spiritual super-glue for each other... why didn't any of my dumbass brothers try this sooner?" wondered Gabriel aloud.

"Out of all the angels they only ones I trusted with Arael were you, Castiel and Annabelle. And the only one who bothered to help her was Castiel until we found you."

"Coincidentally could you help me clean out the nerd in a trench coat? Seeing him drugged up like that really bugs me, especially since Heaven was closed off by that asshat Micheal," said Gabriel.

Seeing the truth of how his lieutenant ended up in the pit had really pissed him off. If he saw his older brother he would punch him, no questions asked.

Dean leaned against the Impala's shell and felt a deep pang of sadness looking at his Baby.

Deana planned to use the Colt against Lucifer (Gabriel refused to undo the transformation stating 'Dean' had deserved it) and Dean had given up trying to get it through his alternate's head that it was a stupid plan.

So here he was in the place he felt best. With his baby, no matter how bad she looked at the moment.

"You know you could try turning her into the Rider's mount. That might restore her," offered Arael.

Dean looked at the shell. It was worth a shot.

Channeling soul fire into his hand, he placed it onto the hood of the car.

Blue flames sprang from the Impala's burnt out husk, and Dean watched in amazement as it reformed. Everything that had been destroyed went back into prime condition, and he could see the damage reversing before his eyes. The engine revved under his hand, like a purring kitten.

Dean's weird-shit meter nearly went to ten when the car actually rubbed against him like a cat wanting to be petted.

"What the hell did you just do?!" said Gabriel, having felt that from where he had been napping. He took one look at the Impala and his jaw dropped.

"You fixed it?" said Deana in disbelief.

The car revved angrily at Dean's gender-bent self.

"More like he brought it back to life, literally," said Gabriel, "Certain objects, when given enough love and attention can develop souls of their own, even personality. Objects like cars."

"What happens to it when I leave?"

"It'll probably die again. After the damage done to this car it would take a miracle to bring it back to life."

"Anyway I could take it with me? The soul I mean?" asked Dean.

The car revved up and Dean felt something attached to his soul. Somehow he got the feeling it was the car's spirit.

And when he found himself back in his own time after the run-in with Lucy (who didn't take kindly to Dean's description of his fall...or the Grace-filled punch to the face) the first thing Dean did was hug his car.

Then he went to find Sam.