A/N: Oh you guys are so lovely, thanks for your reviews. *blushes* As a thank you, I wrote you a new chapter today instead of doing my college work :L xxx
"Bring them here?" Castiel asked, his voice sounding strained. It made Gabriel's shoulders ache just hearing it. "Do you really think that's wise, Gabriel?"
Gabriel wriggled his shoulders and sank further down into the bubbling water, sighing softly as the tension in his muscles slipped away. "Yeah! It's Heaven, Cassy. I doubt they're gonna find it too terrible."
Castiel aimed a troubled look at the back of Gabriel's head. Sighing, he swung his legs out of the hammock and stood up, walking round the new 'jacuzzi' Gabriel had created until he was able to look his brother in the eye. "I don't know…"
Gabriel squinted up at him and let out a weary sigh. "Holy Hell, Cas would you just get in here please?"
Castiel immediately stiffened, looking down at the Jacuzzi as if it would eat him. "Why?"
"Well, I seem to have made the innocent mistake of thinking a night of heavy drinking and a long make out session with the guy you're crushing on would have loosened you up, but apparently I got that wrong. So climb in to the hot tub, Cas, and we can discuss this reasonably."
Castiel raised his eyebrows at Gabriel and folded his arms wordlessly. Gabriel, seeming to take this as a challenge, smirked and clapped his hands once. Immediately Castiel staggered forwards as though pushed, and fell, flailing into the steaming bubbles opposite. Gabriel chuckled as he watched Castiel resurface and shake droplets out of his hair furiously.
"Gabriel! What on earth-"
"Simmer down, Cassy." Gabriel interrupted, already bored with the whole situation. Castiel scowled. "Look, you're in now, might as well talk it out with me."
"We were talking it out anyway!" Castiel yelled, pinching his sodden tie between two fingertips and holding it up for inspection.
"Yeah, but now hopefully you'll be a little more relaxed about it." Gabriel explained as if that was perfectly reasonable.
Castiel stared at him, wondering if he could really actually believe that throwing someone fully clothed into a Jacuzzi would aid their relaxation.
"Anyway," Gabriel continued, "I'm not talking about taking them here necessarily. Just to some select locations. And it's not like we have to worry about Michael hounding our asses anymore either."
Castiel looked down at his hands, submerging them under the water, considering. "Raphael." He pointed out.
Gabriel shrugged, making the water ripple. "Last I heard he's patrolling the Earth."
"Perhaps…" Castiel began, his lips pursed thoughtfully, still staring into the water. Gabriel's heart leapt at the word. "…perhaps I do see some potential in your idea. We could take them to the Heavens of departed souls that were dear to them in life. I think Dean would like that."
Gabriel grinned and gave Castiel a playful splash, which he didn't seem to appreciate. "Of course he will! See, it's a fabby idea! Okay, let's go tell them hot shot. I'll bet they're awake by now. I wonder how much they'll remember from last night…"
"You're drying me off first." Castiel said firmly, and Gabriel rolled his eyes, but obliged.
The hardest part of the plan is informing Castiel that technically speaking he'd have to kill Dean for this to work. Gabriel has already had the discussion with Sam when he realises he needs to tell Cas this, and Sam seemed a little wary at first – quite rightly – but Gabriel promised he'd be gentle and that he'd bring him back after they'd had a little fun.
Castiel is immediately horrified as soon as Gabriel takes him into a corner for a private chat. "What?! I did not agree to that, Gabriel! I will not just kill Dean Winchester after everything I have done to keep him safe!"
Gabriel rolls his eyes, about to explain that for Christ's sake it's only temporary and how did he get such a drama queen for a brother when Dean interrupts them, fully dressed now and prepared for the imminent voyage.
"Cas," he says gently, placing a hand on the Angel's shoulder, swallowing down the awkwardness he still feels from last night's shenanigans. He tries to push the memories of Cas's tongue twined with his own to the back of his mind. Gabriel slinks away, sensing this is a private moment. "it's okay, man. Gabriel already talked it over with Sammy, you guys can bring us back. And…" Dean smiles sheepishly, glancing down at the floor for a second. "I'd like to see where you live. I mean, with you there too this time."
Castiel is silent for a long moment, staring at Dean. Then he glances down at Dean's hand, still resting on his shoulder. "Okay, Dean."
The Angels instruct the boys to lie down on the double bed in the guest room. They are all about to traipse upstairs when Bobby suddenly walks in, oil smeared on his hands and face, fresh from the scrapyard. He pauses, eyebrows raised as he takes in the sight of the two Angels and both Winchesters all together. He sighs, shakes his head and grabs a cloth from behind the sink.
"Are you idgits ever gonna get outta my house?" He grumbles, turning back towards the door from which he came.
"Err, Bobby?" Sam says hesitantly, causing the old hunter to stop and turn slightly. "If… we're asleep on the bed upstairs… and we're kinda difficult to wake up… don't worry, okay?"
Bobby's eyes flick between the four people standing in his study, one eyebrow cocked suspiciously. "Riiight." He says, and turns away again. "I'm pretty sure I don't wanna know."
Dean breathes a sigh of relief as Bobby heads out the door.
"I like that guy." Gabriel says, cheerily, a grin plastered on his face.
Lying on the bed next to Sam, their eyes tightly shut, trying not to think about their very imminent death, Dean finds it difficult not to be a little nervous. He wills his heart to stop beating so loudly, repeating to himself that Cas will be nice about this, and just cause every other death he's ever had hurt like hell, doesn't mean this one will.
Castiel notices the rise in Dean's temperature and the quickening of his pulse as he leans over him, ready to stop his heart with one touch. Dean won't even feel it; he'll blink and he'll be in the Heavenly Garden, but it appears his friend is nervous nonetheless.
"Dean?" Castiel says very softly, and even Gabriel politely averts his eyes, choosing instead to play with Sam's hair until Cas is finished. Dean grits his teeth a little but nods to show he acknowledges Cas's words. "Don't be scared Dean, it won't hurt, I promise."
Dean nods curtly and lets out a shaky breath. He opens one eye to look at Cas, and smiles. "Be gentle, okay?" He says jokingly, trying to cover his fear. Castiel smiles back warmly, and covers Dean's eyes with one hand.
He nods over at Gabriel, who is having a thumb war with Sam, and is losing despite Sam's eyes being closed. Gabriel lets Sam pin down his thumb and laugh triumphantly, and then he breaks free of the bigger man's grasp. "Ready Sammy?" He whispers, smoothing down Sam's hair. Sam gulps, but nods trustingly.
The Angels exchange a single wordless glance, and then they reach out to their Winchester's foreheads.
"Waaaakey wakey!" Gabriel cries, jumping on Sam and tickling him for all he is worth.
Sam screams and struggles, fighting Gabriel's impossibly strong hold, considering he is so tiny.
"Dean, we are in the Heavenly realm now, if you would like to open your eyes." Castiel says, crouching down next to where Dean is laying in the grass next to Sam. Dean blinks his eyes open quickly, taking in the sight of Cas, who looks exactly the same in Heaven, much to his delight, except maybe a little... brighter.
"Cool." Dean says weakly, lost in the same blue eyes he has been for the last two years. Again, he is reminded of the kissing, and finds himself somewhat frozen in place. "Nice job, Cas."
Castiel smiles and holds out a hand to Dean to help him up. Sam calls a helpless 'time out' to Gabriel, who hasn't ceased the tickling, and flops back onto the grass as Gabriel relents, and stands up.
Dean seems far too fascinated by the shock of seeing Castiel's hand in his own to be able to contemplate looking around, so Sam decides he'll have to take on that role. He gets up, checking the backs of his legs for grass stains and shoves Gabriel, who is watching him, amused.
"Thanks for helping me up, asswipe." Sam grumbles, and Gabriel chuckles, pretending to be insulted. "So, uh, where's this s'pposed to be?" Sam asks no one in particular, gesturing at the large, mint green painted house, quite suburban-looking with a greyish awning over the porch. The boys and the Angels are standing in the front yard, and the house appears to be the only thing for miles around, except for a long stretch of empty road leading off into the horizon behind them.
Dean turns, looking to where Sam is pointing and he sucks in a gasp, eyes wide. Subconsciously he squeezes Castiel's hand tightly, having not let go, and gets a vague feeling of familiarity, as though he has done it before.
"Sammy, don't you recognise it?!" Dean asks, turning to his brother in equal parts dismay and joy. Sam shakes his head, looking apprehensive.
Dean wastes no time, marching up to the front door and knocking thrice, pulling a fairly pleased-looking Cas along with him. Dean's breath is coming short and fast, and he quickly smoothes down his hair, anxious. He feels Sam and Gabriel pad up the steps behind him, but he hardly notices, he can't believe-
The door swings open.
A beautiful, smiling woman stands in the doorway, her face framed by waves of soft blonde hair. Upon seeing Dean standing there, she lets out a cry of pure joy, tears springing into her eyes.
"Mom?" Dean says, his voice faltering already.
She reaches out her arms, smiling widely and Dean rushes into them, dropping Cas's hand and wrapping her up in an embrace, breathing in her soft talcum-powder smell. He can feel her trembling with hysterical laughter in his arms, and he knows she is crying, but he is safe in the knowledge that they are tears of happiness. He wants to stay there forever.
"Dean. My precious little Dean." She murmurs into his chest, her voice a whisper.
"M-mom?" Dean hears Sam stutter out from behind him, and it is only this voice, from his tiny baby brother who never got to meet his mommy, that could make Dean release Mary Winchester from his arms. He catches her wrists as she draws away, still smiling, and just stares down at her for a moment, marvelling at her beauty, the splay of freckles across her nose. He kisses one of her palms and lets her go, moving aside to let Sam through.
"Sam." She breathes, and throws her arms around his shoulders, standing on tiptoe to reach. Sam appears shell-shocked, unable to move for several moments as he just stares down at the golden cascade falling from the top of her head. "My baby."
Sam lets out a tiny whimper, and finally reacts, wrapping his arms around her white, flowery dress, pulling her closely to him.
Castiel and Gabriel stand aside while the boys greet their mother, as they had already known they would have to. It would be emotional, they'd said, when they cooked up this plan, but they'd agreed it would be better for the boys to know she was safe and happy in Heaven, and that they could join her one day.
When Sam has finally gotten his fill of hugging, Mary steps back a little, moving the boys so that they stand together, side-by-side in their old hallway, which is exactly how Dean remembers it. He even notices the drawing he did when he was four, of a bumblebee with a halo, still tacked to the wall.
"Oh, babies. I'm so happy you're here." She says, and she sounds totally, utterly at peace. There is no curiosity in her voice; she isn't demanding to know how the boys managed to get up here, or if they are staying, or why. She is completely content, and it brings tears to the boys' eyes.
Dean opens his mouth, though what he was about to say he isn't sure, and he is interrupted by another voice from deeper inside the house. "Mary? Sweetheart, there's tea in the-"
John cuts himself off as he walks through into the hallway, catching sight of his two sons standing there together. Dean immediately straightens, and his heart leaps a mile. "Dad?!" The boys say together, and John practically runs towards them, embracing them together.
Dean isn't sure how to react; on one hand, his heart is bursting with joy at his father's affections so readily bestowed, but on the other hand, he knows John would never have acted this way in life.
Sam just smiles as though all of his dreams have come true. "Dad, you're here!" Sam exclaims.
"And you boys are here." John says, smiling at them both in turn, again no question in his voice.
Dean is immediately suspicious, and hates himself for it. "Don't you wanna know how we got here?"
John takes a step back, still smiling, to slip an arm around Mary's waist, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Of course." John says simply, his eyes sparkling with wonder. "Come inside, tell us all about it."
Dean glances back through the open front door, at where Cas and Gabriel are waiting. "Actually," Dean says, walking towards the porch and grabbing Cas's wrist, "these guys are the reason we're here. They're Angels." Dean pulls Cas inside.
"Angels," Mary breathes, awestruck, "my goodness."
"Bring them with you boys, by all means. They brought you to us; they must be friends." John says, and turns with Mary towards the kitchen. Sam goes to grab Gabriel, but the Archangel immediately pushes past him, giving a sly wink, and marches forwards to sling his arms around the shoulders of Mary and John Winchester.
"May I just congratulate you folks on the astounding beauty of your combined gene pool?" Gabriel says, and Sam looks so horrified Dean thinks he might faint. Luckily Mary and John just laugh and continue with him into the next room.
Dean starts to follow, pulling Cas towards the kitchen, when the Angel stops him.
"Dean, you must know, we cannot stay for too long." Castiel says urgently, and Dean's brow creases. "As souls in the Heavenly Garden, they are utterly at peace. If they grow too attached to your presence again, then when you leave it could potentially be like watching you die for them. They will become restless, they will grieve you, and Heaven could cast them out."
Dean looks troubled by this news, but thinks he understands. "How long have we got?"
"No more than an hour." Castiel replies, and Dean nods.
As it turns out, John's soul was free for Heavenly transportation as soon as Azazel was killed; effectively breaking any deals the demon had ever made. Mary was able to cross over as soon as Dean and Sam returned to their old house in Lawrence, years ago - the house she loved so much that it had materialised in her own slice of paradise.
Dean nods as John talks him through the logistics of how he and Mary came to be here, a dopey smile on his face the entire time. They are sat at the kitchen table, the boys and the Angels on one side, Mary and John on the other. Dean is still feeling strange about his father and he isn't sure why, but thinks it's perhaps because he has never seen these expressions on John's face before. Or at least he can't remember seeing them.
"So, Gabriel," Mary says conversationally, her cheeks flushing slightly at the casual use of an Arachangel's name, "you're watching over my boys?"
Gabriel smiles amusedly, but hides it well, nodding in response. "Yessir. Mainly Sammy here. Got my little bro keepin' an eye on Dean-o over there."
Mary's eyebrows raise slightly and she moves her attention over to Castiel, who is chewing his lip nervously, thinking of the time. "And you are… Castiel?"
Castiel's eyes meet hers, and she gasps a little at their brilliant blue. Dean chuckles; he knows that feeling. "Yes." Cas replies.
"And you brought Dean here so that he could be with his parents for a little while?" Mary asks, her eyes curious. John stares at her adoringly.
Castiel glances over at Gabriel, which Dean thinks is a little strange, and then back to Mary. "Yes, that's right."
Mary smiles at Castiel, her eyes sparkling with tears. A warm feeling spreads through Dean, and he thinks it's because he always knew Mary would approve- would like Castiel. It makes Dean happy to know that she does.
She flicks her gaze across to Gabriel. "And you did the same for Sammy?"
Gabriel grins back at her. "Sure did. How could I refuse this one anything, eh?" Gabriel ruffles Sam's hair, much to the younger Winchester's embarrassment. Mary laughs and it sounds like bells chiming.
Mary buries her face in John's shoulder, and their father pats her lovingly as she spills a few tears. "Thankyou. Couldn't pay for that kind of love." John says, looking at both Angels in turn, and nobody quite knows what to say.
Dean looks at his parents fondly, vague memories flooding back to him from early childhood; seeing his parents cuddled together this way used to be a regular sight. He feels something tugging at his arm, and he looks down to see Castiel's worried expression, his eyes signalling that they needed to make their exit soon. He sighs and looks back over at his parents, seeing John lift Mary's tear-stained chin and kiss her.
"Right, well I guess we'd better get going." Dean says reluctantly, standing up to the relieved sigh of Cas.
John and Mary look over at the boys, all standing and preparing to leave. For a moment, Dean thinks that they will protest, but he sees the logic click into place behind their eyes, and they smile, getting up to walk them to the door.
The goodbyes are long and teary, and Dean would be lying if he said his heart didn't break upon leaving his Mother and Father's arms again, but he was pretty safe in the knowledge that he'd see them soon this time, so he put on a brave face.
"I love you, Mom." Sam murmurs quietly into his Mother's hair as she hugs him. "I know I didn't know you, but I love you so much."
When Mary breaks away she is crying again, and she tells him over and over that she loves him too, and is so proud of both of them.
Dean hugs John fiercely, in the way he always has, and John hugs back this time, telling Dean all the things he'd ever wanted to hear. Now that he hears them, he can't seem to accept it, and finds it hard to believe his father when he tells Dean how proud he is, after years of being told he was doing everything wrong.
Dean knows it's stupid to hold on to this deeply buried resentment, because John was a bitter shell of a man when he'd told Dean those things in the past, but some things are difficult to let go of. Dean knows that one day he might be able to deal with his at-peace father, but it will take time.
They leave their childhood home, knowing that they will return there someday, which is a strange feeling, as they thought they never would.
Gabriel leads them across the yard, linking his arm through Sam's and practically skipping them in a particular direction. Dean is holding Castiel's wrist again, neither of them are quite sure when it happened, and Cas knows that it's important he doesn't let go.
"So, Sammy, now that I've met your parents," Gabriel says, nudging Sam in the ribs with his elbow, "does this mean I can officially refer to you as my toy boy?"
Sam lets out a sound that's half laughter and half a squawk of protest.
Dean groans and buries his face briefly in Cas's shoulder, moving away quickly when he finds it smells way too familiar, and brings back a lot of drunken memories that are not appropriate to think about when the guy in question's hand is clasped in his - and when exactly did it move from wrist holding to hand holding?, Dean thinks.
"So, uh, where are we going now?" Dean asks Cas, trying to keep his voice low so as not to attract Gabriel's attention. He almost thinks he's got the wrong Angel when he sees Castiel's playful smile.