When it came to most things, Castiel's perspective differed drastically from Crowley's. Originating from separate ends of the religious spectrum, the angel and the demon rarely agreed on anything. But despite their varying opinions, Castiel found himself forever in Crowley's debt. If it had not been for Crowley's generous act of transporting Dean to Rufus's cabin all those years ago – allowing Dean to kill Metatron and save Castiel and their newborn son – none of them would be where they were today. Their family would have been hollow and broken without his seemingly uncharacteristic, selfless actions. Castiel owed his very life to the king of Hell.
And that fact made Crowley's slow and painful crawl toward a grisly demise even more painful for Castiel to witness.
The demon was no longer able to speak. The black, plague-like curse had finally reached his throat and had begun to dissolve his vocal chords. Rowena was doing everything in her power to combat the ever-quickening curse; bandaging his body with medicinal herbs, chanting healing spells, assuring him that everything was going to be okay. But Crowley seemed to be in too much pain to even comprehend the help she offered. Though he couldn't speak and his eyes were closed for the most part, Crowley clung to Bobby's hand with an unwavering grip. At this dire point, Bobby was refusing to leave the demon's side, and Castiel understood his reasoning. If – for some unholy reason – Dean had been the one dying slowly and painfully on the couch, and the only help Castiel could offer was simply holding his hand, no manner of heavenly armies could separate the angel from his husband...
"Enough."
Castiel turned around at the sound of Gabriel's anxious voice. The archangel was looking anywhere but at the blackened demon on the couch, seeming distraught.
"I can't watch this shit get any worse. We need to go gank Death right now," Gabriel huffed, speaking mostly toward Sam.
"We are, Gabe," Sam assured comfortingly, "Dean went down to the basement to get the rest of Rowena's supplies and we'll leave as soon as he comes back up."
"Jessica, dear," Rowena breathed, brushing some of her own frazzled red hair from her forehead, "Go and help him, would you?"
Jessica nodded once, handed Oliver her things, and got up to sprint passed Castiel to get to the basement. The realization of their impending departure caused Castiel to remember his son and Clarence. The two young men had been avoiding the crowd of their family since their encounter with the warlock. Jude told Castiel, Dean, and Bobby about everything that happened while they were away. And while the thought of Clarence being subjected to the corrupted influence of his father and the sight of his intoxicated mother both hurt and angered Castiel, the angel wanted more than anything to comfort both boys. Unfortunately, he could not comfort them right away, because as Gabriel so painfully pointed out, time was of the essence at the moment...
Wanting to at least inform his son that they were about to leave, Castiel ventured further into Bobby's house to find him and Clarence. The young demon's bedroom was strangely vacant, but luckily, it only took a few minutes of searching for Cas to find the two boys outside on the back porch. Jude and Clarence were perched together on the porch steps as the first few rays of daylight began to shine through the stacks of cars in the distance.
"Jude," Castiel called quietly.
Both young men turned to look toward Cas and the angel could see hints of emotion on their faces. Had Castiel accidentally interrupted them during a private talk? The angel glanced away shamefully. Perhaps he should have waited a few extra seconds before speaking... Though he was momentarily caught off guard, Jude whispered a small assurance to Clarence and gave him a kiss before climbing up to meet Castiel at the back door.
"Hey, Pop. What's the matter?" he asked.
Castiel attempted to keep his voice very quiet so that he could spare his next words away from Clarence's emotionally-fragile ears.
"Crowley can no longer speak," the angel informed, staring boldly down into the ocean orbs that mimicked his own, "His health is highly compromised and Rowena has estimated that she can only hold off the curse for a few more hours..."
Jude, of course, took this information with great sorrow. His lips snapped shut and he glanced away with a gulp. Castiel hated to upset his child in this way, but he knew that Jude needed to be informed.
"That is why your father, Gabriel, Sam, and I are leaving immediately," Cas explained, "We plan to summon and kill Death within the next twenty minutes, and then..."
Though Castiel didn't finish his statement, Jude seemed to understand. Their next course of action was to put an end to the warlock at any cost. Cas wasn't sure how Jude or Clarence would take this information. The warlock was Clarence's father, but he was also an evil man. A man full of hatred and cruel intentions, with no room for compassion. He deserved a fate worse than death, but with time quickly slipping away, all the Winchesters could do was end him as soon as possible. Surprisingly, Jude took the news of the warlock's coming death as a good thing. A brief smile of relief appeared on his lips as he nodded.
"Yeah," he agreed, "Just do it as fast as you can."
Castiel was a bit surprised by Jude's sudden willingness to kill Clarence's father. Relieved, of course, but still surprised. Had he spoken to Clarence about this? Was this also how Clarence felt?
"We plan to," Castiel agreed, glancing toward the demon over his son's shoulder, "How is he, son?"
Jude glanced back toward Clarence as well, who was staring toward the junk cars in the distance.
"His dad messed him up pretty good. Tried to get him to do things that he didn't want to do. Made him think he was bad..." Jude admitted, turning back to Castiel with large, innocent eyes, "Pop?"
"Yes?" Castiel prompted.
Before he spoke again, Jude reached out to wrap both of his arms around Castiel's shoulders. The angel was momentarily confused by his son's sudden affectionate gesture, but quickly hugged him back. Castiel adored holding his child, no matter the time or reason.
"I'm proud to be your son," Jude whispered sweetly.
A surge of emotion burst through Castiel's chest, causing moisture to rise in his eyes and his heart to flutter. His arms swiftly and tenderly slid tighter around his son's large back, where he held Jude as softly as he did when the boy was only an infant.
"I am proud to be your father," Cas breathed happily in return.
Jude gave his angelic parent one more tight squeeze before letting go and raising up to meet eyes with him. Castiel gazed at his child with humbleness and appreciation, but also curiosity. Why did Jude feel the urge to voice such a loving statement? Perhaps the events surrounding Clarence and the warlock had stirred his own emotions. Before Castiel could ask his question aloud, Jude turned to walk toward Clarence a few feet away. The angel watched his son kneel next to the upset demon as he backed into Bobby's house to join the rest of their family once more.
On his way back to the study, Cas could feel a twinge of guilt beginning to surface in his own chest. The way Clarence was acting – so confused about his parental lineage and how it effected his current relationships – heavily reminded Castiel of his own husband. From the moment he laid eyes on Dean, Castiel was fully aware of the man's inner turmoil. And seeing Dean as a child, laying in that bed with his little brother back in 1988, made the angel realize just how long Dean had been dealing with the 'demons' that had been passed down from his own father. John Winchester had molded Dean's entire life with his actions. Just as the warlock was molding Clarence's. Just as Edward Thompson molded Oliver's. Just as Castiel had molded Jude's...
All the souls of these men were forged by the care – or lack of care – from their parents.
With this new epiphany swirling in his heart and mind, Castiel reentered the study to find Dean kneeling next to the couch. He had resupplied Rowena and Jessica with the items needed to keep Crowley from being in too much pain, and was now speaking directly to the demon himself.
"Hang in there, Crowley. I've got a few bets riding on you making it out of this," Dean playfully encouraged.
Though he couldn't speak, Crowley was able to form a faint smile through the grimace of his pain and blinked once. Dean patted Crowley's clinched hand and Bobby's shoulder before standing up and turning to face Castiel, Sam, and Gabriel.
"Let's go," he prompted.
Castiel quickly reached out to take his husband by the arm and also grabbed onto his own brother. Cas wasn't sure where Gabriel planned to stage Death's murder, but it came as no surprise to him when the archangel flew the four of them back to the diner they were in hours prior. It was the same place they first met Death; a small restaurant that was still closed, due to the extremely early hours of the morning. Upon their arrival, Gabriel instantly walked over to the counter to reassemble the summoning ritual they had left behind. Sam was quick to join him, but Castiel deliberately held Dean back. The angel was anxious to speak to his husband about all the emotions in his heart.
"Dean," he whispered.
Dean, of course, turned to give Castiel a questioning look.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I – I'm sorry that you had such a difficult upbringing," Castiel carefully explained, "It wasn't fair of your father to place his personal burdens on you at such a young age. I understand that you would not be the person you are now if you had not gone through all that suffering, but still doesn't justify what happened -"
"Cas," Dean interrupted, appearing lost, "Babe, what are you talking about?"
Castiel swallowed the rest of his sentence and could feel a slight sense of panic rising in his awareness. He had to tell Dean what happened. Cas couldn't keep anything from his husband; not when those beautiful jade eyes were so full of worry...
"I visited you, Dean," he finally admitted, "The other night, I went back in time to 1988... to retrieve the summoning spell to catch the warlock... and I visited you..."
Castiel partially edited the truth to spare Jude and Jessica from Dean's wrath. The angel was expecting to take on all of Dean's anger in that moment. But, to the angel's surprise, Dean only blinked in confusion. The man glanced away in thought before looking back to Castiel in bewilderment. Perhaps Castiel needed to keep talking.
"You were asleep, so I doubt that you remember my presence," the angel assured, "but seeing you... You were so young, Dean. Too young to be holding a weapon. Your father should have never -"
"Dad?" Dean breathed, eyes suddenly widening with fear, "You saw Dad? Wh – what did he say to you?"
"Nothing," Castiel answered, glancing away shamefully, "I didn't speak with your father, Dean. I only saw him from a distance. I didn't trust myself enough to get close to him, because I was afraid that I would hurt him... And after seeing you that way, I'm glad I didn't chance it..."
The angel paused to study Dean's reaction, using it to judge whether or not he should continue. Dean seemed a little upset, but still curious. Castiel slowly reached up to cup the side of his husband's warm, freckled face, wanting to comfort him.
"Hey! Love birds!"
Dean and Castiel both flinched out of their deep stare to look to Gabriel.
"Can you postpone the make-out session until later? We're kinda running out of time here," the archangel grumbled.
Dean coughed before casually turning toward the other men in the room. Castiel was a bit disappointed that their conversation had to be cut short, but he knew that Gabriel was right. Crowley didn't have much time left.
"Okay. Here's the plan," Gabriel announced, "When Death shows up, we are going to tell him that Dean has chosen to give up his soul -"
"What?!" Castiel instantly gasped.
"Whoa, relax, Cassie. Dean's not actually going to give up his soul," Gabriel assured, "We just need Death to think that he is so that we can get his scythe."
"And how, pray tell, are we supposed to get it?" Dean demanded.
Gabriel let out an exhausted sigh.
"Why don't any of you ever pay attention to me when I'm talking?" he groaned, "Death keeps his scythe on his person at all times. The only way we're going to get the damn thing is if Death hands it to us himself. Which means that we have to convince Death that Dean is actually on the chopping block, and then demand that the only way Death can have his soul is if he lets one of us kill him."
"And instead of using the scythe to kill Dean, we use it on Death instead," Sam concluded.
Castiel took a very deep breath. As long as Dean wasn't actually in harm's way, he could deal with this dangerous plan. But what if it went astray? What if Death didn't believe them? What if Death caught onto their charade and killed all four of them as repercussion? Cas shared a look with Dean and could see his equal reluctance.
"Alright. I can do that," Dean carefully admitted, "but who's gonna take out Death?"
"Me," Gabriel shrugged, "I doubt he'll believe that Sam or Castiel could kill you."
"That's a good point," Sam nodded, "Now we just need to make it believable."
"Exactly," Gabriel agreed, "which means you guys are going to have to whip up some tears. We've gotta make it look like a funeral parlor in here."
"Whip up some tears?" Sam nearly scoffed, "Gabe, I can't just cry on command. I'm not -"
Gabriel interrupted Sam's statement by reaching out to tap his glowing fingers against the man's forehead. Sam blinked down at Gabriel several times before letting out a sudden, loud sob. His large eyes swelled with tears and he groaned out with heartache and pain. When Gabriel finally let go of him, Sam spun around to grip Castiel's coat and rest his head on Cas's shoulder.
"What the hell did you just do?" Dean breathed, looking angrily to the archangel responsible for making his brother cry.
"I flooded the link between his amygdala and hypothalamus. He'll be alright. I'll make him feel better later," Gabe promised, turning his attention to Castiel, "Cassie? You've got to pretend to be angry with me."
"I am angry with you," Cas hissed as he pat Sam's large, quivering back.
"Good. Then Death won't see through our plan," Gabriel nodded, "Alright. I guess it's showtime. Everybody ready?"
No one answered Gabriel. They were all very upset with the way he had haphazardly tossed this plan together. But the archangel took the lack of response as a favorable sign. He turned and began the summoning ritual, repeating the Latin phrase that Castiel had spoken less than twenty-four hours prior. In the meantime, as they waited for Death to appear, Castiel and Dean shared another look with each other. Neither of them agreed with this method of killing Death, but what other choice did they have? It was too late to change the course of events, now. All they could do was go along with the ill-conceived plot and pray that it would work out in their best interest.
After Gabriel's call was sent, the four Winchesters waited quietly in the diner for Death to arrive. Sam was trying his best to keep his sobs to a mere whimper and Cas couldn't help but feel terrible. The angel wished that he had the capacity to sob uncontrollably. Castiel had plenty of reasons to weep – for Clarence, for Crowley, for Dean – but his vessel couldn't display what his grace was feeling. By the time Castiel managed to conjure some moisture in his eyes, Death had already appeared.
The dark figure manifested in the far corner of the room, the only part of the brightly lit diner that had any shade. He lingered in the shadows and observed the scene for a moment before calmly stepping into the center of the room. His cane lightly clacked against the floor with his casual footsteps.
"I take it you've reached a decision," Death pointed out.
Sam sobbed and quietly tossed his head back down to Castiel's shoulder again. Even Castiel was moved by his acting. Sam was doing a very good job of pretending that Dean was about to be sacrificed.
"Yeah," Dean answered boldly, "It's me..."
"Excellent," Death purred smugly, his thin lips curving into a horrid smile.
"But I have some conditions," Dean quickly added.
Death's smile faded as he stared at the hunter.
"You're in no fit state to be making demands, Dean Winchester," he hummed coolly, "but I suppose since you are about to meet your demise, I can humor you..."
The dark figure arched an eyebrow to prompt Dean to continue. Dean took a large breath and glanced around at all the other faces in the room with pain.
"Alright. If I'm gonna die, I want to stay dead," he explained.
"And so you shall," Death nodded, "I plan to use my scythe to end your life. It will keep your soul from returning to the world of the living... Will that be all?"
"No," Dean quickly denied, "Gabriel has to be the one who kills me."
Death very nearly laughed. He shook his head and the sound came out as a weak scoff.
"If you think I would allow that petty child to come anywhere near my weapon, you're sorely mistaken," Death spoke as if Gabriel wasn't standing three feet away from him.
"Look, I'm not gonna let myself get killed by you," Dean denied, firmly shaking his head, "I don't care if my head gets chopped off with a scythe, but someone else has to do it."
Castiel cringed at Dean's gory depiction, but turned to stare at Death. The dark figure paused to take a large breath and deliberate on Dean's requests. Castiel was very fearful that this plan was on the verge of falling through. Surely Death could see that they were trying to take his scythe from him, couldn't he? Was he merely toying with them at this point? Sam's whimpering was a constant background noise, and it filled Castiel with heartache and dread as he waited for Death's response.
"... Very well," Death carefully conceded, "I believe Castiel will be a fitting replacement."
Death's gray eyes slid to stare straight at Castiel and the angel found it hard to draw breath. What? Death wanted Castiel to kill Dean? His own husband?
"Wh – what?" Dean breathed.
"Castiel will kill you," Death announced, "He will end your life, give your soul to me, and in exchange, I will break my contract with the warlock... Do we have a deal?"
Before anyone in the room could firmly dispute this arrangement, Death opened his hand – and the scythe appeared in his palm. The long, black weapon shimmered in the warm rays of sunlight that stretched in from the windows, reminding the four Winchesters of their true plan. That weapon wasn't going to be used on Dean. It was going to be thrust into Death's unholy body. And Castiel was going to be responsible for delivering the blow...
"You can't make him kill his own husband!" Gabriel shouted angrily.
Death stared forcefully at Castiel with his weapon outstretched, paying no mind to Gabriel's presence at all. The angel purposefully met eyes with his husband, who seemed extremely pained by the news. But Castiel did his best to comfort Dean through their stare alone. After so many long years full of love, Dean knew that Castiel would never hurt him. Perhaps the man was only upset because he feared that it would be difficult for Cas to be put in this situation...
After carefully shifting Sam off of his shoulder, Castiel stepped forward to reach out for the scythe. By now, the tears that had been building in his eyes had finally broke free and were sliding warmly down his cheeks, which was a good thing. Perhaps his tears gave Death the impression that this situation was killing him inside. Cas didn't meet eyes with Death. He only took the weapon from the horseman with a shaky hand and turned to face his most beloved human.
Dean had already knelt down on the floor. He was staring up at Castiel with glistening jade eyes, but there was no fear in them whatsoever. Dean wasn't afraid at all. He trusted Castiel wholeheartedly; even when the angel was holding the single most powerful weapon in the universe. Dean's eyes oozed confidence and trust, and perhaps a bit of encouragement.
"Castiel... You're the love of my life," Dean whispered, "If I had to pick a way to die, it would be just like this," he smiled a little, "For our family. With my head held high. Staring up into those beautiful blue eyes of yours..."
Castiel's fingers trembled around the weapon in his hands as he blinked away a few more tears. Though Dean's goodbye wasn't real, Cas could still feel the heartache from it.
"This thing we've got, all this love between you and me," Dean murmured, gesturing back and forth with his left hand, making his wedding ring sparkle in the morning light, "Death can't touch it. There's not a damn thing that could stop me from loving you, baby... So don't worry. You do what you gotta do, okay? Just remember that no matter what separates us, my heart will always belong to you... I love you, Cas..."
Castiel was not prepared for the tidal wave of emotion that Dean sent his way. Warm liquid was rushing down the angel's cheeks as he gazed down at his husband kneeling on the floor in such a prepared stance. That was such a beautiful and sentimental thing for him to say. How could Dean act out this heart-wrenching scenario so passionately? With Death's eyes still on him, Castiel knew he needed to say something.
"I love you, Dean," Cas replied, his voice cracking perfectly.
Dean nodded and gave Castiel one more look of encouragement before closing his eyes. With Dean prepared, Castiel reared back the large scythe and swung it as forcefully as he could. The angel deliberately missed the top of Dean's head and spun all the way around to plunge the sharp end directly into Death's torso. Death never moved, even when the weapon entered his body. But Castiel forced the curved blade as far as it would go, glaring at the horseman through the blur of his own tears. Though he never said a word, Castiel projected all his blatant wrath through his lethal scowl alone.
To the angel's tremendous surprise, when Death looked down at the scythe in his own body, a calm smile of relief blossomed across his frail lips. When the horseman raised his head, Castiel could see genuine reprieve and gratefulness in his gray eyes.
"Thank you," Death breathed.
Before Castiel could fully register the phrase, the horseman promptly faded to dust. His entire body collapsed in on itself, floating down to create a soot pile on the floor. Castiel's mouth fell open in shock as he witnessed the phenomenon, and was left holding the most powerful and deadly weapon in the universe.
Against all odds, they had done it. The Winchesters had killed Death itself. But his last sentence was a bit haunting...
"Did – did he just say 'thank you'?" Gabriel broke the silence to ask aloud.
"Yeah, I think he did," Sam sniffled.
"Wait, did he want us to kill him?" Dean also questioned, rising up from the floor.
"Yeah. Maybe that's why he picked Cas," Sam suggested as he wiped his own tears away, "He knew Cas would kill him instead of Dean."
"Well, that's a load of bullshit!" Gabriel shouted, "If the bastard wanted to die, why didn't he just ask?! I would have killed him years ago!"
"He is dead, right? He can't come back, can he?" Sam asked.
"Not after being stabbed with that scythe. The dude's dead-dead," Gabriel reassured, his tone suddenly turning soft, "Come here, moosie. Lemme turn off those waterworks for you."
Castiel didn't realize how frozen he was until he felt Dean's warm hand on his wrist. The man had stepped over to carefully lower Cas's arms and the weapon with it. Once Castiel turned to fully face his husband, he released the heavy scythe, letting it 'thunk' to the floor next to the pile of ashes. Dean was nodding slowly and wearing a look of understanding.
"It's okay, Cas. It's over," he promised softly.
No. Dean was wrong. It was most certainly not okay... Feeling his heart on the verge of bursting with sadness, Castiel reached up to wrap his arms tightly around Dean's broad shoulders, holding the man against his own painful chest. Hearing Dean say that loving goodbye had cut the angel to the core. Castiel could never imagine actually having to kill Dean. He could never end his soul mate's life! He would never subject Dean to such a death!
"I – I would never harm you, Dean," Castiel breathed against the man's ear, "I would never make you say goodbye like that -"
"Shhh, Cas, I know," Dean replied, his warm hands softly rubbing up and down the length of the angel's back, "I'm sorry I drew it out so long, but I wasn't lying. I meant every word."
"I know," Cas nodded, "I could feel it, Dean."
Instead of replying with words, Dean simply shifted Castiel around in order to capture his mouth with a gentle kiss. It was different from their usually passionate and lustful kisses. This kiss was soft, meaningful, and apologetic; meant as a way of calming the emotional tension between them and restoring peace to Cas's mind. And, of course, it worked. The angel mellowed carefully into his husband's loving embrace. Dean pulled back after a few moments to blink down into Castiel's eyes with a smirk.
"One soulless monster down, one left to go," he reminded happily.
(Author's Note: I'm so sorry for all the drama, folks. I really didn't plan to make this chapter so darn feelsy, but it just kinda happened. And I'm also very sorry that I sort of copied the show when it came to Death's death scene. Though, I like to think that I refined it a little, by having Death voice his gratitude for being killed. To me, he didn't really love his job. He seemed kind of stuck doing it, even in the show. So the boys were right in this chapter when they assumed that Death picked Castiel for a reason. Of course he knew that Castiel was going to kill him instead of Dean. (And he figured that Gabriel would have done it just for spite, not actual love, and Death wanted to save himself some dignity there. Lol) To be honest, I think he had his own murder planned out way back when he told the Winchesters he wanted one of their souls. (He knew they would never willingly give up that easy. They're Winchesters!) XD I really hope that I brought his character some justice in his untimely passing. :) Also, I know Castiel and Dean didn't get to have a proper conversation about Cas's trip to the past, but it is coming. ;) We're in the final stretch, dear readers! Thank you so so so much for reading, reviewing, and being generally awesome! :) And I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week! The thing I'm most thankful for is you! :D The next chapter will be out soon! :)
Classical E Centric, Haha! You're absolutely right. Jude definitely sounded like Dean when he mentioned spanking Clare, but I just couldn't help myself. Like father, like son, I suppose. XD AS for your question: Yes! Although Jude is a nephilim, he is still able to carry children in his grace, just like his papa. (Though, I don't know if he realizes that yet. Hehe.) ;D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, darlin! I hope you have a wonderful week! :D
Deanstiel's Daughter, Ah, yes, the last chapter was super heavy. Feels for everyone. XD But you're absolutely right. Clarence needed that eye-opening experience with his dad. He needs the full picture to see where he came from, so that he can make clear and conscious decisions about where he's gonna go next. (hint, hint: it's to the altar with Jude. Lol) ;D I'm glad that you can relate to how Clarence is feeling, darlin. I think a lot of us feel like we're trapped in that circle of questioning who we really are. It's hard to see the world the way it was before bad news comes along, and poor Clare is caught in that spot right now. But no worries. His future husband will help him dig a way out. ;D I agree, darlin. I think we all could use a Jude in our lives. :D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, hon! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! :)
Kats1997, Ha! Awww, I'm so sorry! I know those feels last chapter were awful! (And this new one probably didn't make it any better. Lol) but I promise that it will all be worth it in the end. ;D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, darlin! I hope you have a wonderful holiday! :)
Jawn Lennon Aid, Ah, I'm so sorry to hear that you've been in the same dark place that Clarence has, darlin. It's probably true for a lot of us, because life just isn't fair sometimes. (a lot of the time, it seems) But you're right. Clarence has something – someone – to hold onto. For Clarence, Jude represents all of that good stuff you mentioned; the calling to be who you want to be, finding the happiness you deserve, and taking sad songs and making them better. ;) I'm glad that you said that though some people have issues it doesn't give them to right to be mean to others, because that is so true! After everything he's been through, Clarence has more than enough right to be mean to others – but he's not. Because Jude has made him see that everybody needs a little help to be the best they can be. :) Thank you so much for these words of wisdom, darlin. And thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! :)
gothichic, Hello there, my sweet, darling, beautiful, lovely SPN bestie! :D Awww, I am so sorry for bringing up those waterworks! (You probably felt just like Sammy did in this chapter, huh? Stop making your moose cry, Gabriel!) XD And, oh my chuck, you actually made me tear up with happiness at this comment! Thank you so much for saying I'm a good writer! (I do try really hard. Lol!) XD And, yay! I'm so happy that you enjoyed Clare's POV! :D (I actually plan to do next week's chapter in his POV, too!) ;D But, awwww, you're right. Poor Clare was so confused at the start of last week's chapter. When he was a teenager, he didn't have any family at all. And now, Clarence has family all over the place. (Though, he's not too fond of his real dad anymore lol.) Aw, yes, I knew that the part where Clare was thinking that the Singers and Winchesters weren't really his family would be really heartbreaking, but by the end of this story, Clarence will see Bobby and Crowley as his real dads. ;) Ha! Omg, I actually giggled out loud when I saw the (dick!) behind Caldwell's name in your comment! LOL! XD He really is the world's largest dick. (Gabriel: "No, Sam has the world's largest dick!" Sam: "GABE! Stop talking about my dick!") XD And while I know that Clare's meeting with his dad was super painful, I'm still so glad that you noticed how excited Clare was to actually talk to him. Clare really wanted to get to know him, but the guy turned out to be the worst dad ever. :( Ha! You're right! Killing Meg would never bring Clare peace! It would only hurt him. But yay for Superman Jude flying in to save the day! :D HAHA! Nobody puts baby in a corner! Yes! (You're my movie twin, and I love you. Lol!) XD Aww, you're right, Clare does still care about both of his parents, even though they are both crazy. :( And sweetheart, I am so sorry about the part where Clare tried to take back Jude's ring. He was just feeling so bad about everything that happened and he was worried that Jude would have a terrible life with him. But it's not true, Clare! You and Jude are going to have a wonderful life together! :D And don't you worry, hon, Bobby and Crowley will definitely be talking to him later. ;) Darlin, thank you so much for always reading and reviewing! I know I've said it before, but Clarence wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for you! *super big hugs* love ya, girl! I hope you liked all the Destiel feels in this chapter, too! And have a great Thanksgiving! Talk to you again soon! :)