When it came to shit-storms and drama, Clarence considered himself a pretty good navigator of his own feelings. In the past, he was able to keep a flawless poker face during almost any situation; being interrogated by police for thieving, being made fun of by other kids his age, being abandoned by his birth mother twice, being raped by a middle aged soccer coach in an alley behind a Walgreen's – you name it, Clarence lived through it. He wasn't scared of Darkness because he had been living with his own brand of Darkness for most of his life.

But when it came to Jude... Clarence couldn't handle himself at all.

As much as he hated him, Clare had to give props to that denim-jacket-wearing asshole – the same douche bag that 'accidentally' burned down Clare's house and slaughtered his adoptive coven. The dude gave a pretty good speech about how important and strong Jude was. Everything he said was true. Jude really was loyal, selfless, and courageous. But Clare didn't need to hear any of that shit from an archangel; he already knew it from personal experience. There wasn't a soul in the universe that understood and accepted Clarence the way that Jude did. The kid was a walking bundle of love and light. He made Clare feel warm just by being near him. Jude was the gravitational pull that kept Clarence grounded on Earth. Clare didn't deserve him. He really didn't.

And now that Jude was stuck in limbo with that evil Darkness shit, Clarence couldn't help but feel responsible. He was the one who gave Jude that dumb courage potion. Remembering the sight of Jay gulping that entire bottle of red liquid made Clarence feel sick. Ugh, why the hell did he give that kid such a strong potion?! Maybe Jude would have let Clare come with him if he didn't feel so brave, and maybe Clarence could have stopped this from happening. But it was all screwed up now...

After Michael's speech, Jude's parents hugged each other and started praying again, on Bobby's kitchen floor this time. Sam and Gabriel whispered to Bobby and Crowley near the fridge about protecting the house. Rowena had come over to sit with Jane and comfort her at the table. And carrot-top was holding onto Jess, trying to comfort her. Of all the heartbroken people in the room, Clarence felt like Jessica could relate to his pain the most. He found himself inching closer to her chair and wishing that he could figure out what to say. But what could he say? He was the reason Jude was all alone out there.

"It's not your fault, Jessica," Clarence mumbled, sparing a side-glance her way, "It's mine. I'm the one that gave Jude that stupid potion..."

The blonde girl sniffled a little and shook her head in protest. But Clare nodded in defense of his statement.

"Yeah, it is my fault," he quickly said before she could argue, "It's all my fault. Everything that happened to him since I came along... I should have never let him fall in love with me... I'm bad for him... He's Superman and I'm kryptonite..."

"No."

Clarence raised his head to finally look at Jess. Her voice was soft and comforting when she interrupted him, and her watery eyes were full of a certain type of wisdom when she looked at him.

"You're not Kryptonite, Clare. You're his sunshine," she corrected, "You're not his weakness, you're his strength. Jude never fought for anyone until you came along, not even for himself. He loves you more than anything. And he always will."

Clare was tempted to dismiss Jessica's statement for just another comforting lie. Honestly, he didn't feel worthy enough to be loved so much by someone. Who the hell in their right mind would fight for a homeless teenage drug-addict from Chicago? But then, as he stared at the consoling smile of the blonde girl near him, Clarence slowly realized that she was right. Jude would never hurt a fly... unless that fly hurt Clare first. The only time Clare ever saw his boyfriend power up like a real angel was when something was happening to him; like when his old supplier tried to touch him, or when Michael had him by the throat. Jude came to his defense every time; threatening to take out anyone who hurt Clarence. There was fire down in his soul that burned for Clare.

And if Jude was still in his body, Clare could fan the fire to help him burn out the Darkness.

Without another word, Clarence quickly jumped up from the table and spun around to get to his room. He had to maneuver around Dean and Cas, who were kneeling on the floor praying – a pretty useless thing to do, Clare thought – but was eventually able to reach the hallway. No one else seemed to notice him leaving and he was glad. He didn't want anyone to stop him from doing this...

Inside his room, Clarence was met with the view of his messy bedsheets and the memory of what happened there only a few hours before. Clare tried his best not to think about having sex with Jude as he stumbled to his closet door and ripped it open to dig inside. The only light in the room was the flickering candle on the dresser that barely had any wax left. But he was still able to find the object he had been looking for. His very first guitar; the same he had when he first met Jude. Clare had stashed it in the back of his closet for safe keeping because he had a new one to play on. But since that new one was currently stuck somewhere in Kansas next to Dean's Impala and Jude's uneaten birthday cake, his old one would have to do.

With his original guitar in hand, Clarence bolted back out of his room and down the hall, only pausing to grab one of Bobby's folding chairs out of the storage closet. The sound of his family's hushed voices were still coming from the kitchen and he was glad that they were all distracted. This little fight was going to be between Clare, Jude, and the Darkness; no one else. As quickly and quietly as possible, Clarence opened the front door and slipped out with the chair and the guitar, shutting the door behind him to keep everyone else safe inside.

The outside of Bobby's house looked like a damn sci-fi movie gone wrong. The ground was jagged and uneven everywhere, making trees stick out in awkward positions. A few stacks of his junk cars were overturned and sprawled all over the ground, and some of the ones parked along the street had been smashed by downed trees and power line poles. All of it was barely visible in the lights from Bobby's windows. The entire scene would have been pitch black otherwise. The wind was heavy, cold, and full of debris, but Clarence braced a shoulder against it and kept on trudging. He had a job to do and a little change of scenery wasn't going to stop him.

Though it was dark as hell, Clarence eventually found a piece of ground flat enough to put the folding chair down. The wind tossed around his hair and clothes and threatened to knock over his seat, but he quickly put his ass in it and leaned back with his guitar in hand. Other than the sound of rustling breeze, it was eerily silent out here in the dark; the perfect setting Clare needed. After tweaking his strings to tune them a little, Clarence cleared his throat and gently started playing a song. Jude's favorite song. Something that Clare knew would bring Jude home to him.

'Hey Jude' had always been one of Clare's favorite tunes to play, ever since he picked up the guitar for the first time. But hearing it come from his own fingers in that moment made tingles inch up both of his arms. Damn, he really loved this song. And he loved Jude. God, he hoped Jude would be able to hear how much passion and heart he was pouring into it; how forcefully he was plucking each string, how tight he was holding the chords, how every note echoed out into the dark like a mating call. Clarence wasn't going to stop playing until he saw Jude's face again... But, luckily, he didn't have to wait very long.

When Clarence raised his head, he saw Jude standing a few yards in front of him.

Though he was, once again, startled by how lifeless and creepy his boyfriend looked with black eyes, Clarence didn't stop playing. He kept strumming his guitar and smiled at Jude's face. It worked. Jude must have heard the song and made Darkness fly toward it – toward Clarence.

"I knew you'd come, Jude," Clare smirked.

Jude's head tilted down and shook back and forth.

"Jude is gone."

The reply came from Jude's mouth, but it wasn't his voice. It was too harsh, too low, and didn't have any emotion in it. Obviously, Clare had to talk to Darkness in order to get through to Jude. But that was fine. Clarence's smirk only shined a little brighter.

"Really?" he mused, "Then what are you doing here?"

Darkness didn't like when Clare pointed out the fact that he was in Bobby's yard instead of ending the world. It was clear that the asshole would rather be destroying the universe than standing there in front of an idiot with a guitar. But Darkness didn't have much of a choice if Jude's heart pulled them there. And with Jude finally near him, Clarence knew that it was time to talk. Clare stood up and strummed one last note from the song before turning around to lay his instrument on the chair.

"Jay," Clare began, turning around to face his possessed boyfriend, "I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. You saved my life once – Hell, you save my life every day – and now it's time for me to return the fav -"

A hard, strong fist flew out of the dark and smashed into the side of Clare's face, nearly knocking him to his knees. His head spun and his sight blurred from the impact, but he was able to remain standing. Shit, that was a hard hit.

"Ow," Clarence snipped angrily, spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth, "That hurt like a mother -"

A swift uppercut came from nowhere, making Clare's jaw clack together and his head snap back. The force was enough to make him woozy and lose his sense of direction, but still, he stayed standing. Clare wasn't sure where Jude was in the dark, so he held his own hands over his face for defense.

"Jude," he said a little louder, hoping his voice could pierce through the fog of Darkness and reach his boyfriend, "Y – you never gave up on me... Remember that? … You never stopped fighting for me, and I'll never stop fighting for you," Clare promised, "C'mon, Superman... The world won't make it without you... My world won't make it..."

A streak of lightening raced across the dark sky, briefly revealing Jude's silhouette positioned toward Clare. It looked like Darkness was coming toward him again and Clare didn't have much time to get his message out.

"I know you've got fire in there somewhere, Jude!" Clare nearly shouted, "I've always known it was there! You just have to use it, man! You just have to -"

Even though Clare saw it coming, he still wasn't ready for the massive blow that made him crumble like a piece of paper. Darkness, using Jude's body, delivered a vicious punch to Clare's stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs and making him double over and drop to the ground. Clarence barely had time to rest on his knees when a foot came flying through the air to kick him in the face. The solid kick was hard enough to crack his nose and send him flying onto his back. A wheezy groan was the only sound he could make as he laid and looked up at the dark sky, feeling hot blood run from his nose down his mouth. Holy shit. Clarence had been beaten up quite a few times in his life, but damn. Never like this. The fact that the blows were coming from Jude's hands seemed to make it hurt worse somehow.

When Clare finally blinked his eyes open, he saw Jude's face hovering over him. He was kneeling on the ground with his hands clinched into fists, ready to punch Clarence in the face again – but he wasn't moving. He was just kneeling there with a scowl and a shaking fist. It wasn't until the black eyes glared toward Jude's balled hands that Clare realized... It was Jude. Jude was starting to take control over his own body again, and he wasn't letting Darkness hit Clare anymore. Laughter started bubbling out of Clare's mouth because he couldn't help but feel amused. The sound of his giggles, though, seemed to piss Darkness off even more.

"H – he won't let you kill me," Clarence pointed out with a bloodied grin.

Darkness howled with rage before jumping up from the ground. Clare rolled to sit up and watch him, worried that he might fly off somewhere. But he only hovered nearby with a scowl.

"I don't need a body to kill you," Darkness spat.

Clare thought that was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. How the hell was it supposed to kill Clare if he didn't use a body to touch him? Unfortunately, the answer to this question came when a vision appeared before him. A figure manifested out of the dark and came crawling toward Clarence like a deranged lunatic. Once it was close enough, Clare was able to recognize its face and he nearly gasped. Oh shit. It was Meg.

"Filthy parasite!" the vision of his birth mother shrieked, pointing a crooked finger at him, "You were a mistake! I never wanted you!"

Clare knew what the Darkness was doing. It was trying to use his past trauma to haunt him; to weaken him to the point that he would give up. But the joke was on Darkness. Clarence relived this nightmare all the time. It couldn't possibly hurt him anymore.

"Oh, what else is new, bitch?" Clarence casually shouted toward the dark vision.

With that attempt dashed, Darkness created a new one. Meg faded away and was replaced by Alfie, Clarence's old drug supplier from Chicago. He looked the same way he did when Jude tossed him through a window; dirty clothes, alcoholic stench and all. The evil vision of him stumbled forward with his hand in his own pants, groping himself like he always used to do.

"Hey, baby boy," he slurred, his grin nasty and vulgar, "Lemme play with you a while... Come on... Shh... I won't tell anybody..."

"Go play with yourself, you cheap, child-raping asshole," Clarence barked back, turning his sight to Jude's black eyes in the distance, "Is that all you've got?"

It seemed like no matter what past memory Darkness threw at him, Clarence was able to shrug it off. And that fact really seemed to piss the guy off. The haunting vision of Alfie faded away and it was just Clarence and Jude again. Darkness seemed perplexed and angered by Clare's calm responses. He only stared at Clare for a minute before trudging forward and speaking frankly.

"You are unloved," Darkness reminded coolly.

"I used to be. Not anymore," Clarence argued.

"You are pathetic," Darkness continued.

"Only in bed, but Jude and I are working on that," Clare smirked.

"You are a disgrace," It spat.

"Nah, my coven would be proud of me for sticking it out this long," Clarence nodded.

Darkness paused to reach down and grab Clare by the throat. It lifted him up off the ground and held him toward the sky, making him gasp for breath and kick his feet. Blood poured out from his broken nose and slid down to paint streaks on Jude's white hand.

"You are alone," Darkness growled forcefully.

Clare opened his mouth to argue again, but he only gargled. Darkness's grip was super tight around his neck. Shit, this looked like the end. What if Darkness was able to kill him? What if this was the last time Clare got to see Jude's face? Luckily, just before Clarence started to lose consciousness, he saw a flash of yellow light bump into Jude's chest. The Darkness dropped Clarence to the ground and Clare was finally able to suck in a huge gasp of breath.

"No, he's not."

The sound of Gabriel's determined voice was followed by multiple sets of footsteps. Clare blinked to focus his blurry sight, watching his entire new family flood Bobby's front yard. He was partly happy that they were able to show up and save his sorry ass, but he still didn't want them getting in the way. He was so freaking close to having Jude free just now! Clare didn't want anyone to ruin it!

"Dammit, kid," Gabe breathed, kneeling down to him, "Are you crazy?!"

"Partially," Clarence admitted, wiping the blood from his face, "D'you mind giving me a quick magic touch? I've got him on the ropes and I'd like to keep it that way."

Though the archangel rolled his eyes, Gabriel snapped his fingers, healing Clarence in an instant. Once he had his complete health back, Clare stood up to see that Darkness was standing idly in Jude's body nearby, watching everyone group near him.

"Jude," Castiel's voice sounded so broken as he looked to his husband, "Wh – what do we do, Dean?"

"Good question," Dean muttered, turning to Clarence in the dark, "What the hell are you doing, Clare?"

"Saving your son," Clarence answered.

"Really? Because it looks to me as though you were trying to get yourself killed, boy," Crowley hissed, his angered tone tainted with underlying worry.

"If Darkness is here, then we should try to get it out of Jude," Jessica squeaked.

"I was working on it!" Clarence groaned, spinning to face his family, "Look, guys, I was able to get Jude here by playing his song. He heard me and he came to -"

"His song?" Michael interrupted, sounding lost.

"Hey Jude," Castiel guessed, his tone much more hopeful than before as he reached out to tug Dean's arm, "He – he always responded to that song, even before he was born. Especially when you sang it, Dean. Perhaps if we sing it, then -"

" - it'll let Jude know that we're all here and he can kick that thing out of his body," Dean finished with a nod.

"Seriously? That's your game plan? A freaking sing-along?"

Everyone turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. Out of the shadows of a couple of overturned cars, a pair of glowing red eyes slowly made their way closer to the crowd. It was Lucifer, back from where-ever-the-hell he had gone, and now he was waltzing up to the Winchesters like he had never left. Clare was a little pissed to see him. The guy flew off and abandoned the whole mission because he got a little cranky and now he shows up? The balls on that asshole...

"I'm starting to think I should have stayed in the cage," Lucifer hummed.

"Brother," Michael said sternly, "I was sure you finally left for good. What brings you back to this battlefield?"

"Eh. What can I say. I'm a glutton for punishment," Lucifer shrugged, "Besides, all the good vacation spots are pretty much mulched right now anyway, so... I figured if I was going to die, might as well be with you guys, right?"

"Fine. Whatever. You can stay," Dean reluctantly allowed, "As long as you -"

A grunt came from the crowd in the dark and Clare was barely able to see two figures wrestling. It wasn't until another streak of lightening lit up the dark sky that Clare saw Darkness using Jude's body to choke Dean. Everyone else was too shocked – or terrified – to do anything but watch for a second. Castiel and Sam rushed over to try and pull Jude's clamped fingers from off of Dean's neck, but nothing stopped him... That is, until Dean started humming.

It was low and broken at first, but Clare recognized it as the last verse of Hey Jude. 'Nah, nah, nah, nah-nah-nah-nah.' Once he got to the end of the notes, Dean whispered 'Hey Jude' in a warm, comforting way... and Jude's hand slowly let go. Clare smiled warmly at the sight of Jude backing away. It was working! Jude heard it! Luckily, Dean kept humming the song and Cas soon joined in. It wasn't long before their whole family – apart from Lucifer, who only stood by and watched – was singing the last verse of Hey Jude, crowding around Jude in a loving circle.

But while hearing his family's voices seemed to keep him stable, Darkness was still in control of Jude. It kept glaring around at everyone's faces, growling and hissing like some kind of animal. Clarence knew that there had to be some way to pull Jude back into the driver's seat of his own body. If the song wasn't enough to do it, what was?

"C'mon, Jay," Clarence said among everyone's humming, stepping closer to his boyfriend, "We're all here for you, man. We all believe in you. We all have faith in you. You don't have to fight this thing alone, Jude. We're all here to help you."

Pretty soon, Clarence was standing face to face with Darkness. It was giving him a lethal glare, but Clarence tried to ignore it. Instead, he tried to imagine that it was just him and Jude standing there; that the two of them were in a prettier place with no one around but each other. It was just them standing peacefully on a battlefield, with hearts full of affection.

"I love you, Jude," Clarence whispered beneath the hums, for only his boyfriend to hear.

Among the sound of their family singing Jude's favorite song, Clarence leaned forward to press his lips to Jude's mouth. He cradled the back of Jude's head in the process, raking his fingers through Jude's spiky brown hair. Clare put as much passion and love as he could into the kiss, hoping that it would be enough to bring Jude to the surface.

And when Clare finally backed away and blinked his eyes open, there were a pair of ocean blue eyes staring back at him.

"Cl... Clare?" Jude's precious little voice asked.

"Y – yeah," Clarence breathed, feeling a smile flash on his own face as warm liquid filled his eyes, "I'm right here, Jay!"

Jude's baby-blues searched Clare's face for a second, as if he was looking at him for the first time – before they turned jet black again. Darkness clouded over Jude's eyes and it seemed really pissed. It tossed Clarence away, making him stumble back in shock. Jude's head shook back and forth a few times before he shouted and fell to his knees. Some of Jude's neon grace was starting to flicker along his arms as he hit the ground repeatedly. It almost looked like Jude was having an angelic seizure or something. What the hell happened?!

"Back away, demon," Michael called, reaching out to yank Clarence to a safer distance.

"Why? What the hell's going on?!" he asked.

In front of them, Jude howled and raised his head toward the sky, where his eyes glowed white and lightening crackled through the atmosphere. He delivered another Superman-punch to the ground afterward and shook his head violently, his grace flickering on and off like a broken current of electricity. His Superman necklace was even starting to shine a little. Clare tore his eyes away from his convulsing boyfriend long enough to look up at Michael for an answer.

"Jude is fighting the Darkness from within," the archangel explained.


After his prayer-talk with Jessie, Jude sort of let himself fade into the back of his own mind. He was sure that her words were genuine; that Jessie really wanted him to keep fighting that evil being in his head. But what was the point? It was stronger than him and there was no way he could beat it. Jude was toying with the idea of giving up there for a little while, because it seemed like the only option that would give him relief.

But then, he heard that gentle guitar playing his song.

And without even realizing it, Jude started to feel kind of excited. Was that... Clarence? Was he playing on his guitar? Oh, Jude loved to listen to Clarence play the guitar! He was so talented and his songs sounded so good! But where was that music coming from? Though he was still blind, Jude used his ears to follow the lovely sound, letting it lead him to a place where it was the loudest. Man, it almost sounded like the guitar was right in front of him.

Then, when the music stopped, Jude could faintly hear voices. At first, he didn't understand what was being said. They were only muffled sounds that were too distorted to make out. But it wasn't long before a full sentence found its way to Jude's soul.

"Jay, I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. You saved my life once – Hell, you save my life every day – and now it's time for me to return the fav -"

Jude knew that voice. That was Clarence! Another surge of excitement coursed through Jude and he felt like smiling for the first time in a long time. But the Darkness didn't appreciate it one bit. Jude could feel its anger trying to shove Jude's happiness out of the way.

"Ow," Jude heard Clare's voice say, "That hurt like a mother -"

Hurt? Clare was being hurt? No! Who was hurting him?! Jude didn't want Clarence to be hurt! He had already been hurt too many times!

"Jude," Clare shouted, sounding like he was in dire pain, "Y – you never gave up on me... Remember that? … You never stopped fighting for me, and I'll never stop fighting for you... C'mon, Superman... The world won't make it without you... My world won't make it..."

Jude was starting to get really upset; not from what Clarence was saying, but from the way his voice sounded. It was almost like Clare was in the middle of a fight or something. That's when Jude realized – maybe Clare was in a fight. Was he... fighting Darkness too?

"I know you've got fire in there somewhere, Jude!" Clare reminded, "I've always known it was there! You just have to use it, man! You just have to -"

Clarence's voice stopped abruptly, and this time Jude was sure that he was in trouble. Again, Darkness's rage was struggling to overshadow Jude's control – but now, it had to compete with Jude's own wrath, too. He wasn't about to let anyone, not even Darkness itself, hurt his blonde guitar player. Though most of Jude's body felt numb, he was finally able to slip back into his own limbs and stop his fists from swinging. Jude had to push Darkness out of the way from the inside, but it worked. At least, Jude hoped it was working. He couldn't quite hear Clare anymore.

In fact, Jude didn't hear anything for a while after that. It was just him trying to hold down the Darkness. Where did Clare go? He wasn't hurt, was he? Oh no, what if Jude stepped in too late? What if Darkness already hurt him? What if it killed him? And what if it was Jude's fault? The moment that worry and anxiety kicked in, Darkness was able to take over Jude's body again. Jude slumped back into his mind in fear, afraid that Clarence was actually gone.

Luckily, more muffled voices entered Jude's awareness, and he was almost certain that Clarence's voice was among them. Though, it was kind of hard to tell because there were so many. Who were all those people? Where did they come from? What were they talking about? Though he was blind, Jude kept his ears open, waiting to hear if he could recognize anyone else...

Then, the sweetest sound in history was able to reach Jude's soul. Just like it did before he was born. It was Dad's voice, humming the tune of his favorite song. Dad was singing it to Jude like he did when Jude was just a baby. And it sounded so nice.

"Hey Jude," Dad sang softly.

Jude all but shoved Darkness out of the way so that he could take control of his own limbs again. He fought the dark stuff from the inside, trying to claw his way to the surface of his own body. But Darkness kept a tight hold on him. Soon, Jude could hear an entire choir of people singing the song to him. That had to be his family! They were all there! The thought of being surrounded by all the people he loved made Jude feel so happy. So safe. So loved. Darkness was angry but Jude was at peace.

"C'mon, Jay," Clare's voice spoke, making Jude's excitement spike again, "We're all here for you, man. We all believe in you. We all have faith in you. You don't have to fight this thing alone, Jude. We're all here to help you."

Those comforting words of reassurance glowed around Jude's soul like a ray of warm sunshine. After having to listen to Darkness say such terrible, evil things, it was so good to hear Clarence say that. Clare was the best boyfriend a guy could ever ask for. Jude loved him so much...

"I love you, Jude," Clare whispered, as if he heard Jude's thoughts.

For the first time in a long time, Jude felt like he had risen to the very surface of his own body. In fact, he was actually able to feel lips on his own, and he realized – Clarence was kissing him. It almost resembled their very first kiss; soft and tender, but full of power. The potent blast of absolute love that surged through Jude's soul was enough to yank Darkness out of the way so that he could properly take over. Jude could finally smell Clare's cologne, and feel Clare's hand in his hair, and taste the delicious flavor of Clare's mouth. For a second, Jude was back in the loving arms of his boyfriend with no Darkness in sight.

When Jude opened his eyes for the first time since he was possessed, the sight of Clarence's pretty forest eyes and soft blonde hair made his heart soar.

"Cl – Clare?" he asked, making sure that this wasn't some cruel dream.

"Y – yeah," Clarence agreed with a massive grin and glistening eyes, "I'm right here, Jay!"

Jude smiled too and studied Clare's handsome face, feeling so glad that he was safe and happy. They were finally together again, with their family all around them, and Jude felt content. He had almost forgotten all about Darkness – until it yanked his soul back into that dark place. Jude was shocked by the sheer weight of total outrage coursing through his own body. Darkness was absolutely pissed that Jude had gained so much advantage over it.

'It is time for you to meet your death!' the entity shouted in Jude's mind.

Those words might have been able to hurt Jude before, but now they were just logs being thrown onto his fire of retaliation.

"No," Jude barked back, "It's time for you to meet yours."

While Darkness struggled to take over Jude's body once more, Jude stood his ground and fought back. He kept trying to stretch back into his own limbs; trying to push Darkness out of the way so that he could slide back into his own body. But Darkness was resilient. It refused to let Jude have his body back without a fight.

'You are nothing!' Darkness groaned.

"Your lies don't hurt me anymore. I know the truth," Jude explained, "My family is waiting for me. They're fighting for me, and we'll never give up."

That comment seemed to throw Darkness into an even bigger rage. It tossed a darker cloud of fog over Jude's mind, probably in an effort to confuse him or weaken him – but Jude just pulled out his grace and let the light break through it. Darkness was no match for Jude's grace. Jude could practically feel it burning on the inside of his body.

With an internal howl of frustration, Darkness briefly used the last of its power to force Jude into the air by using his wings. Jude had no choice but to fly straight up, but he couldn't see where he was going. Everything was dark again and his only sense of direction was the wind that carried him upward. The idea of being so far off the ground terrified him. What if he came crashing down? What if Jude's body splattered right in front of his whole family? What if he died all alone?

Though he was worried, Jude didn't let it get to him. He had a mission to focus on. One way or another, Darkness had to go. Jude couldn't let it hurt anyone else like it hurt him. And he knew that the only way to beat something so bad was with the power of good, just like his parents always taught him. While Darkness attempted to flee Bobby's house with the use of Jude's wings, Jude carefully and quietly slipped back into his own skin. In the meantime, he tried to keep happy thoughts playing in his mind; something that Ollie helped him learn when he was young. The mixture of his internal joy and external grace seemed to be too much for Darkness. The light of Jude's grace physically burned the evil thing; making it scream in pain. Jude could tell that it was close to dying out. And it chose the strangest last words to say.

God has abandoned you, Darkness wheezed.

It sounded like Darkness was bitter about Grandpa Chuck not showing up in person to fight. But the words made Jude want to laugh. It was practically impossible for Grandpa to abandon his children, because he lived inside of them. They took God with them where ever they went. Grandpa wasn't just a physical being. He took many shapes. Light, hope, faith, love... God was everywhere. Jude learned that when he was just a child. And it was a shame that Darkness never did...

"You obviously don't know my grandpa very well," Jude replied pitifully.

With his wings spread out and Darkness cornered, Jude finally let his grace fully shine for the first time in his life. Every molecule of his being lit up, making him shine with the intensity of the sun. And strangely, Jude felt comfortable in his own angelic body. Darkness was no match for the light. Jude's grace burned it away until he was alone in his body again, free from the bondage of fear and sadness at last.

Once Darkness was gone, Jude closed his eyes and returned his grace to the confines of his body. He suddenly felt extremely tired; too weak to even keep his own head up. Cool wind brushed against his face as he fell out of the sky and it made him a little worried about meeting the ground too fast. But soon, he felt a pair of familiar, loving arms wrap around him and he smiled, breathing in the first scent he ever smelled. Papa was there.


When Michael pulled Clarence out of the way and Jude began to hit the ground, Castiel could sense that his child had awoken inside his body. Between the fluctuating grace and Darkness, the sudden howls of discomfort, and the shifting expressions on Jude's face, it was clear that his soul was engaged in internal combat. Jude was fighting the Darkness from within his own body, and the thought both terrified Castiel and made him proud. Cas did not want his child's precious soul to be in any danger. But like his human father, Jude was very strong willed. And now that the entire family helped coax Jude into action, there was no turning back.

"What do we do?" Bobby called from across the circle.

"There's nothing we can do," Michael replied, still holding onto Clarence's arm, "This is Jude's fight, now."

Castiel felt his husband's hand reach up to take his arm. Dean was understandably concerned about their son's distress and was, perhaps, hoping that Castiel could be of some assistance. But Michael was right. This was a spiritual battle between Jude and Darkness. The only thing their family could do was hope and pray that Jude would be victorious.

In front of them, Jude physically thrashed around. Many times, he struck the ground with his fists, breaking the Earth with bursts of grace. His head was always in motion; tossing, turning, shaking, tilting. Grunts of rage exited his mouth and for a brief moment, he knelt to the ground and remained still. Castiel and Dean both took a timid step forward, both yearning to hold their child again. But Jude's entire body suddenly flashed with the holy light of his grace, revealing his wings spreading out behind him. Dean quickly closed his eyes and curled toward Castiel, shielding his delicate vision from Jude's powerful aura. But Castiel's sight remained fixed on their son. Jude had taken his body back for a short time.

It wasn't long after his wings burst free, however, that Jude began to raise into the sky. His head was far back and his wings inched him higher toward the swirling black mass of dark clouds above. Castiel gulped in fear as he watched his child fly high overhead. Jude never liked flying; not even when he was in the womb. Something about this situation did not add up. Was Jude no longer afraid? Or was Darkness forcing Jude to do something that frightened him?

"Holy shit, he's way up there," Lucifer noted.

"Where's he going?" Jessica asked.

"He hates flying," Dean mentioned, stating Cas's own thoughts out loud, "Cas, what if he can't get back down?"

The fearful tone of Dean's voice was enough to finally push Castiel into action. The angel released his husband before letting out his own grace and flashing up into the sky. Castiel climbed into the atmosphere to hover near Jude's dangling legs. He was afraid to touch Jude at first. Castiel did not want to interrupt the fight, just in case Jude was winning it. For several seconds, Castiel flew nervously in the air; impatiently waiting for a sign that Jude had succeeded in vanquishing Darkness.

And this sign came when Jude lit up the entire sky. His holy, snow-white grace shined from every fiber of his being as he stretched his arms up toward the heavens. Just beyond Jude's finger tips, a small portion of the clouds dispersed, revealing a single ray of pure sunlight. The beam of light shined down on Jude's floating form, bathing him in warmth and perfectly outlining his silhouette. Tears threatened to rise up in Castiel's eyes as he gazed at the breathtaking view of his child defeating the most powerful foe in history.

He had done it. Jude destroyed Darkness.

As he stared in mesmerized wonder at his son's divine victory, Castiel realized that Jude's grace was fading out. The boy had returned his grace to his earthly body – and now, he was slowly falling out of the sky. Seeing this as his opportunity, Castiel quickly flashed up to gently wrap his child into the safety of his arms. Jude, now much bigger than the infant from Cas's memories, had finally returned to his loving possession. The angel curled his teenager's body close to his own chest and slowly descended from the sky.

"I've got you now, Jude," Castiel whispered, "There's nothing to fear."

Though Jude appeared to be slightly unconscious, Castiel still took his distaste for flight into account when returning to the ground. Instead of flying there, Cas simply drifted down to gently land among their family. Everyone swarmed around Castiel and Jude as the angel knelt down to cradle his child's head in his hands. Jude's eyes were still closed, but he appeared to be fine. Dean was the first one to kneel next to Jude, followed by Clarence and the rest of their family.

"Little man?" Dean asked, reaching out to caress their son's face, "Can you hear me, buddy?"

"Wake up, Jay. We're all here," Clarence added, petting the top of Jude's head.

Castiel closely observed his child as well, hoping that their voices would get through to him. At first, Jude's face contorted and his eyebrows scrunched. But then, his eyes slowly flickered open, revealing the beautiful sapphire orbs that Castiel had fallen in love with so long ago. Jude blinked a few times and looked around at all the faces peering down on him, seeming a little overwhelmed. Sounds of gasps, sighs of relief, and soft chuckles filled the area. But Castiel's first course of action was to lean down and give his child's temple a loving kiss.

"Hello, son," the angel hummed.

Jude gulped a little in Cas's arms, raising a weak hand to grab the tan trench coat hanging between them.

"H – hey, Papa," Jude replied warmly, voice raspy but full of joy.

Jude was soon flooded with positive messages; Dean showering him with praise, Jessica scolding him for scaring her but admitting how glad she was that he was okay, Bobby and Crowley warning him to never do it again, Sam and Gabriel relaying their gratitude to him for keeping Jessica safe, Oliver telling him how awesome the fight looked from the outside, Clarence petting his hair and telling him how much he loved him... The whole family spoke over each other in such a happy, blurred conversation, that all Jude could do was lay back and smile at them all. It was difficult to pin point one voice out of all the others, because they blended together so smoothly – that is, until one voice came from outside of their huddled circle.

"I knew you could do it, Jude."

Castiel swallowed a gulp as he raised his head to peer in the direction the voice came from. Everyone slowly turned around to look, giving Castiel and Jude both clearance to behold the person standing a few yards away. His hands were tucked neatly inside his jacket pockets, but his beard was a mess on his smiling face.

"I couldn't be more proud," Chuck praised warmly.

(Author's Note: Boom! Darkness vaporized. ;D I think we should all give lots of props to our baby Clarence, who figured out a way to reach Jude when no one else could. ;) Clare has been through a heck of a lot of stuff in his time, but he's clearly gotten a better hold on his emotions since Jude, and the rest of the family, came into his life. I guess we all learn to handle Darkness in our own ways. :) And uncle Luci actually came back! He just needed to cool off for a while I guess. Lol. :) I'm sorry if the build up to this chapter was hard for you to get through. I know some of you actually had a hard time with Jude's inner Darkness monologue because it hit so close to home, but never fear. With the help of his loved ones, Jude was able to vanquish the Darkness for good. (And so can we.) :) I've stated this before in an earlier part (I think) but, my Chuck isn't exactly canon. He's more of a mix of 'Chuck' and the classical interpretation of God. Some of you probably got to the end of this chapter and were like, "Really, dude? Now you show up?" Well, I guess my reply to that would have to be, who said Chuck wasn't there the whole time? ;) Like Jude said, 'Grandpa' takes many forms; Love being the most prominent. I know that thought probably sounds cliché and silly, but I love it. :D Some of the characters in the story, on the other hand... we'll see what they have to say next week. ;) Thank you all so much for sticking through the harsh angst to get to this point! I hope that seeing Jude take down Darkness made all the angst worthwhile. ;) The next chapter will be out soon! :)

GeekGirlForLife, Oh my Chuck, you have no idea how glad I was to get this review! Seriously, I was so nervous about the reactions that last chapter was going to get, because I knew it was going to be painful, so I was super grateful to hear your encouragement. (Both for me, and our baby Jude. Lol) :) I don't know if Robert Singer would like me very well, but I would definitely try my best to spice up the canon a little! XD Sweetheart, thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing, and for your reassurance! :) I hope this new chapter made you happy! Have a great weekend, darlin! :)

Deanstiel's Daughter, Hey, darlin, I was so glad to get your review this week. I knew that you would not only see little things I hide in the story, but give me some encouragement (that I desperately needed.) ;) Yep, Adam has changed Michael for the better, but I guess only time will tell if Luci has/will be changed in the same manner. (With Chuck back, things are definitely going to heat up with him, that's for sure. Lol) I'm glad you enjoyed hearing Jude and Jessie talk. In that moment, he really needed someone to talk to. (Don't we all, sometimes?) ;) Yikes! College beach weekend sounds dangerous/scary! I'm glad that you stayed safe at home, though. I'm sure Castiel was watching over you. ;) Chuck knows that if Gabe watched over you, it would have been a lot worse. Lol! XD Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, darlin! :) I hope that you enjoyed this week's very happy chapter! Have a great weekend! :)

Ashley Allen 46, Darlin, you are the sweetest! When I read your review, I actually got a little teary eyed, because the world needs more people who have faith like you! :D You were absolutely right, Jude was able to take down Darkness with help from his family. Because he's a Winchester, and Winchesters never give up! :) Thank you soooo much for all of your amazing support, darlin! I hope you agree that it paid off with this weeks' happy chapter! :) I hope you have a great weekend! :)

Sammy's Rose, There you are, darlin! I'm so glad to hear from you! And at a time when I really needed to hear some positivity, no doubt! You have perfect timing! (Must be a Ravenclaw thing. Lol) XD And, holy-moose-riding-trickster, did you just quote Bucky? From MCU?! I'm still not over Infinity War yet! Wahhhh! :'( But I absolutely love the quote, love, and support, so thank you! Lol. XD Haha! I'm glad that you're proud of baby Clare knocking ol' Luci back into next week! He really deserved it at the time. Lol! XD And I really hope that you enjoyed this week's happy chapter, darlin! I really hope the fluff and joyful feels were worth the angst that led up to it! :D Thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing, hon! I hope you're doing good! :) Have a great weekend! :)

gothichic, Hey there, my lovely SPN bestie! :D Awww, darlin, I know you say sweet things over and over again. But like Jude, every time I hear something positive, I'm one step closer to defeating Darkness. So thank you for being my reason to smile! ;) Gah, I'm so sorry about those waterworks! :( I never thought about it that way before, but you're so right! Cas probably does feel like he keeps losing Jude! First Metatron tried to take him away, then Naomi captured him, then Clarence came along, (Thanks again for that, Clare. Lol) Now Darkness? Poor Cas just can't seem to keep his baby safe! You're right; Dean does feel the same way, he's just better at hiding how worried he is. And way to go, uncle Luci. You managed to piss off an entire room of Winchesters! XD I was very proud when Clarence started hitting him, too. (I bet that he and Ms. Jane can start a club, called the 'I hit Lucifer in the face' club. Lol!) XD oooh, that's true. It probably is good that Luci ran, because Castiel would have definitely hurt him worse if he kept standing there. ;D Ah, Darkness is a very cruel character. It's too bad that Darkness doesn't have an actual body, because Clare probably would have punched it in the face too. Nobody tells Superman to die! ;) Aww, I'm so glad that you enjoyed Michael's speech at the end! I figured that everyone needed a little pep talk, seeing as it was a pretty bleak time; end the chapter on a hopeful note and all. ;) And like you said, Everyone did show up to help him keep fighting! And he did it! Jude finally got rid of Darkness! :D I think we should all strive to be a little bit like Jude Winchester. ;) Darlin, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and for helping me defeat my own Darkness! *hugs* I hope that this new chapter was able to put a giant smile on your lovely face! (especially because of all the Judence fluff!) ;) Love ya, girl! Talk to you again soon! :)