Chapter Nine

Sorry for the delay. I've been sitting on this story for the past two days, but they wouldn't let me submit anything until now. Here's the final chapter! Oh, and I threw in some more future story at the end for ya!

Angel lay on her bed, curled on her side and still unconscious. Sam and Dean took turns watching over her, Sam more than Dean. Dean was somewhat preoccupied with watching over baby Angel. At the moment, Sam sat next to the bed and Dean held the baby as he sat at the door.

Angel began fidgeting under her covers, face twisted in anguish. "Pain…" she muttered. "So much pain…" She let a hand fall over the side of the bed and seemed to be clutching for something.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Dean, coming over to the bed.

"I don't know," said Sam. "Maybe she's sensing someone's pain."

Dean's eyes widened. "Nick."

Sam caught his drift. "Go get him."

Dean placed his daughter in her crib and headed for the bedroom next door. It was this room that they had placed Lucifer's vessel in. Dean grabbed Nick, carrying him into Angel's room. He knelt next to her bed, bringing Nick's torso up to Angel's grasping hand. Angel's hand latched onto Nick's heart and began glowing. As Nick jolted awake in Dean's arms, Angel relaxed into a restful sleep.

"You okay?" asked Dean.

Nick stood up. "Yeah…yeah. Where's—"

"Lucifer?" asked Dean. "He's dead."

"Okay," said Nick.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Sam. Nick nodded. "Why'd you say yes?"

Nick looked down at his feet. "He offered justice…for my family's deaths. But to be honest…I'm not sure. He caught me in a moment of weakness, and I caved."

Sam nodded before heading out to show him the way out of here.

Dean sat down on the edge of the bed, running a hand over Angel's head. Angel sensed her father there and curled towards him. Dean eased her up and into his arms. Angel snuggled up to his chest.

"Dad…" Angel muttered.

"I'm here, Angel," Dean told her, wrapping his arms tighter around her. His heart began beating faster as he watched her sleep. She'd been unconscious for two days now, without a sign of waking up. He wasn't sure how much longer he could just sit here and do nothing.

Angel clutched at his shirt, sensing his worry. "It's okay, Dad…"

Dean's mind flashed to the conversation in the hospital three years ago.

John smiled at Dean as he stood by his son's hospital bed. "You know, when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt, and after what I'd seen, I'd be…I'd be wrecked. And you…you'd come up to me and you…you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd…you'd say, 'It's okay, Dad.'" John began crying. "Dean, I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Dean, confused.

"You shouldn't have had to say that to me. I should have been saying that to you. You know, I put—I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy. You took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you."

Dean looked down at his daughter, eyes blurring. He didn't want his daughter to be burdened like he was.

"Don't, baby girl," said Dean. "You're fine. It's okay, Angel." He kissed her head, smoothing his hands down her arms. "It's okay." Angel shifted in his arms, raising her hand and looking up at Dean. Dean smiled. "Hey."

"Hi," said Angel.

"Welcome back," said Dean.

"Good to be back," said Angel. She looked around at the room, spotting herself in the crib in the corner. "Where is everyone?"

"Sam is helping Nick to get back home—"

"Nick?" asked Angel.

"Lucifer's vessel."

"Is he okay?"

"You, uh…you healed him in your sleep."

"I did?"

"Yeah, you were tossing and turning, saying something like, 'pain,' so we put the pieces together and brought him in here. You healed him. And, uh, Bobby's downstairs entertaining Jo and Ellen."

"Everything alright?" asked Angel, looking up at her father again.

Dean smiled as he hugged her close. "It is now."

"Hey," came a voice at the door.

Dean and Angel looked over at the door to see Sam standing in the doorway.

"Nick get home okay?" asked Dean.

"Yeah," said Sam. "Bobby loaned him one of his cars. He's fine. How's everything in here?"

"We're good," said Dean.

"Yep, good," said Angel.

"Good enough for a journey home?" asked Sam. "The sooner, the better, you know."

"You kidding?" asked Angel incredulously. "I need a hamburger and fries before I try anything else. Maybe some pie while I'm at it."

Dean laughed as he let Angel get up. "Like father, like daughter. Pie sounds good."

"Alright, come on, you pigs," said Sam. "My treat."

"It's a classic, come on," argued Angel.

"True, but it doesn't pack a punch," said Dean.

"Oh, come on, it so does," said Angel.

"Please," argued Dean. "There's no way Kansas beats AC/DC."

"For 'Carry On, My Wayward Son'?" said Angel. "That song is the best ever written!"

"Over 'Thunderstruck'?" said Dean. "Yeah, right."

"Guys," said Sam. They looked over at him on the other side of the booth. "You're two different people with two different tastes in music. Chill."

Angel and Dean laughed a little.

"Does seem kinda stupid, huh?" said Angel.

"Maybe," said Dean. He picked his fork up, looking down at his plate and muttering under his breath. "Still say AC/DC's better."

"Drop it," said Angel. "This is not how I want to spend my last afternoon with my father and uncle." She looked up at them. "Well, not father and uncle, but, you know…you guys."

"You're really leaving today?" asked Dean.

"Of course not," said Angel. They frowned at her. "I'll still be here. You'll still have me…Just not big me."

Dean smiled. "Yeah, of course. I gotta say, though…I will miss you. It's gonna be hard waiting twenty years to see you again."

"Oh, don't worry," Angel told him. "You'll have plenty of fun in those twenty years."

"I'll bet," said Dean.

"You guys done yet?" asked Sam, waiting for them to finish their food.

Angel scooped the last of the whip cream off her plate and shoved it in her mouth. Throwing down her fork, she talked through her full mouth. "Shag ass, guys." She climbed out of the booth and headed out to the Impala.

Dean laughed as he got up, throwing money on the table. He met Sam and Angel out at the Impala. Angel had gathered her things in front of the car. There wasn't much, just a small bag with the past six months of her life in it.

"So…" said Angel.

"So…" said Dean.

"It's been great," said Angel. "Helping you kill the devil and everything."

"You're headed back now?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, I probably should," said Angel. "But, uh…" She pulled out a camera. "If you don't mind?"

Dean smiled and nodded. Angel set the camera on the roof of the Impala, setting the timer. She came over to her family, stepping in between Sam and Dean. They smiled as the flash went off, and Angel retrieved her camera, stuffing it into her bag.

"I'll send word somehow that I made it," said Angel. "I mean, who knows if I can actually do it."

"Okay," said Dean. He walked forward, embracing Angel in his arms. "I'll see you soon."

"I love you," Angel muttered into his shoulder.

Dean smiled. "I love you, too."

Angel broke their embrace and headed over to Sam, hugging him as well. She walked back over to her bag, throwing it onto her shoulder.

"I'll see you around," said Angel.

"Bye," said Sam, smiling. Dean raised a hand, waving a small goodbye.

Angel closed her eyes, scrunching up her face in concentration. She suddenly disappeared from in front of them, leaving empty pavement next to the car.

Dean sighed. "Ready to head back to our lives?"

Sam nodded. "Hell, yes."

Dean and Sam got back into the car, and Dean's feet knocked into something.

"What the hell…" muttered Dean. He reached down and pulled an envelope from the floorboard. It was addressed to 'Dean.' "What is this?"

"Maybe Angel's message?" suggested Sam.

Dean opened the envelope, pulling out a small letter and reading it out loud.

"Dear Dad and Uncle Sammy: I made it back in one piece to the time that I disappeared from…like I never left. Of course, the two of you knew everything that had happened. It was good to see them again, though. I didn't realize how much I'd missed them.

"I'm writing this letter a year after I got back. I didn't figure out how to send it back by itself until now. But, you know, for you guys, I just left. Dad proposed to Jo a couple days after I got back. They got married December 5, 2034. Uncle Sam and Aunt Sarah had their baby on March 1, 2035. It's a girl: Mary Elizabeth Winchester. She's four months old now. Oh, and…Jo's pregnant. She's three months along, but she looks five. The doctor says it's probably twins. We don't know if it's boys or girls yet, or, you know, a boy and girl.

"And since you were on my laptop, I assume you found my pictures, which includes pictures of a black-haired stud. His name is Kyle; he's a civilian (who knows about hunting), and we've been dating since I ran into him again on a hunt three years ago. We went to Prom in high school together, but he'd always just been my best friend. You'll probably figure this out from the photo, but…he just proposed last week. I said yes!

"I enclosed a picture of everyone. They all send their love. Love you guys!"

Dean opened the envelope again and pulled the picture out. Angel stood in the middle of the group, holding up her left hand. A gold ring with a diamond on top adorned her ring finger. Next to her stood the black-haired stud named Kyle. He was holding up a written sign that read: "The Winchesters (and Kyle)." Dean stood on Angel's left with a pregnant Jo. She was right; Jo did look far along. Sam, Sarah and Johnny stood on Angel's right. Sarah was holding a laughing baby girl.

"Well, what do you know?" said Dean. "Looks like we got our normal lives after all."

Sam smiled. "Yeah…looks like."

THE END

I just had to throw in that letter. Their story just wasn't done. Hope you enjoyed it!