I was alive, or fixed, I should say. There was no more pain in my body and I felt all my muscles flex experimentally then relax, testing their new life. There was blood pumping through my veins, my heartbeat wasn't pounding in my ears, and my skin seemed to feel more alive than before, like minty gum.

"Chuck?" The word was soft, repeating in my mind over and over until it faded away. Not that I minded the eerie sensation—I could listen to that voice for an eternity.

"Adam?" I mumbled, finding that I could use my voice for something other than screaming again. I blinked my eyes open which took a lot more work since they felt all sticky and strange. "It worked?"

I felt his warm body hug onto me and my skin buzzed like that feeling of stepping directly from a cold pool into a hot tub. I wondered if that was supposed to be normal. But then everything was made better when he whispered "I love you" right into my ear, making my skin tingle for a completely different reason. His arms wrapped around my torso and gently lifted me into a sitting position that made my stomach roll.

"Adam, I—oh, crap…" He must have seen me turn green or something because a moment later, he had dragged my body over to the kitchen sink just in time for me to puke.

"Crowley, is something wrong?" I heard him shout. "I thought you fixed him!"

"Adam," I gasped when my stomach calmed down for a moment. "J-just and aftershock. Fine…all's fine, really."

I turned on the sink faucet and rinsed away what I had thrown up. I didn't think that taste would be easily forgotten. Adam placed a hand on my cheek and forced me to face him. He examined everything that I couldn't see, obviously not convinced that I was working properly.

"Oh, Chuck," he whispered mournfully. "What happened to you?"

"You know as much as I do," I scoffed, straightening up. I was glad to find that it didn't affect my stomach.

"We can save the big questions for later," he said with a reassuring smile. "You want a drink? I could really use a drink. How's whiskey?"

"No, I'm good," I shrugged, moving to sit at the table where Cas was watching with interest at the scene laid before him.

"What about the headache?" Adam asked. "I thought it would be killing you by now…again."

"No," I said with a confused frown. "That's a new one…no headache at all."

"You sure you're feeling…normal?" Adam asked worriedly, kneeling in front of me. "Don't think I don't know about Sam coming back different than he was before."

"Trust me," I said, attempting a smile. "If there's anything different about me, you can blame Chloe, not Crowley, for once."

"Chloe?" Castiel said with a thoughtful frown. "Your old babysitter?"

"Yeah…" I said slowly, narrowing my eyes at him. "How did you know?"

"Whenever any of my brothers or sisters had a chance, they would spy on the prophet of the century," Cas said as though he was talking about watching television. "You made for much entertainment in heaven. I myself caught a glimpse now and then. But Chloe was mortal, how could she be to blame?"

"Apparently I'm going crazy," I nodded. "Or she's a spirit guide…I haven't figured it out yet. But whatever it is, it's wearing her face."

"I would go with spirit guide," Cas nodded, staring off in thought. "They are one of God's many unexplained mysteries…not that he's ever felt the need to explain anything before. But if you do have a spirit guide, why would it lead you to your death?"

"Maybe…we should save these questions for later," Adam cut in, probably seeing my face show signs of stress. I looked up at him and nodded thankfully. He pulled me to my feet and led me out of the kitchen. "Let's get you into some clean clothes; a hot bath, too. Man, you're freezing!"

"Really?" I said. "I thought that was just me…"

He laughed softly and pulled me upstairs and into the bathroom.

"I'll go get some of your clothes," Adam said. Then he cringed and held up a finger. "Might take a while, though. When I'm drunk and…kinda emotional, I get a little crazy."

"Crazy?" I asked. "Like how?"

"Like build a shrine of all your things crazy?" he said, offering a shy smile. He quickly left, closing the door behind him.

I ran the tub full of hot water until it was steaming, then poured in half a bottle of bubble bath, not wanting to think on why Bobby would have bubble bath. When the door made a clicking noise, I hurriedly jumped into the tub just before Adam walked in, carrying a pile of clothes. I tried to ignore how my skin crawled with that same hot vs. cold feeling that seemed to not want to go away.

"I brought one of your notebooks," Adam announced, sitting on the closed toilet seat after setting everything down on the counter. "Just in case you get a random headache…safety net and all."

"Thanks," I said. "But really, no headache. Like all my prophet powers suddenly disappeared or something."

"Chuck, seriously?" Adam said, raising an eyebrow. "Prophet powers?"

"What?" I said defensively. "I thought it sounded kinda comic book epic…"

"Just sound it out for me," he said, looking me in the eye as though there was something wrong with me. "Prophet…Powers."

"Okay, a little lame," I admitted with a weak smile. "But still, I feel kinda normal. You know, before that thing with Sami's face…did that to me, she said she was giving me a gift. Maybe this is it. No more powers."

"She tried to kill you," Adam said. I could see the anger on his face, plain as day. "How is that a gift to anybody?"

"Well, Chloe's got this twisted sense of destiny," I shrugged. "Maybe she knew you would bring me back."

"Well, I'd like to give her a piece of my mind," he growled. I saw his hands clench into fists, his knuckles quickly turning white. I reached out and covered his hands with my own and smiled up at him.

"You are very manly with your vengeful ways," I joked. He laughed and unclenched his fists so he could hold my hand.

"Sorry, it's just…the thought of you dying, for real…it scared me," he said quietly, looking off into the distance. "I've never felt so terrified in all my life. Except, maybe when I was being eaten alive by a ghoul, but…you get it."

I cringed and shivered, remembering the vision of him being killed in such a terrible way. On cue, my brain tickled in a strangely, like there was something it wanted to tell me. My vision suddenly went blurry, like a film being placed over my eyes.

"Chuck?" Adam said worriedly, gripping my hand tightly. "Chuck, wake up!"

"I'm awake," I said, frowning. "Something's…weird."

"Dude, your eyes are dead," he said, a quiver in his voice.

I was suddenly ripped into my vision world, the back yard. There was a small structure made of wood in the form of a bed and everybody was gathered around it, a few people I didn't even recognize. A body covered by a white cloth lay on top of it all. By the form, I saw that it was a woman. Maybe it was a backwards vision of the past…

"Chuck, what's happening?" Adam's voice was so small, just in the back of my mind like a second conscience.

"It's a funeral," I said, though when the words came out my mouth, it felt like just another thought in my mind. I barely even registered that my body existed anywhere other than the vision. "I think it's Sami's. Why would I have a vision of the past?"

"How many bodies are there?" he asked.

"Just the one," I replied, shifting my angle of the vision to get a view of the whole scene.

"Then that's not it," he said. "We burned Jen that day, too."

"It's been a sad time for all of us…" Vision Bobby said. I repeated the words to Adam and barely heard the shuffle as he began writing in my notebook for me. "We try to survive…God knows we've tried. But we can't all be so fortunate. Our small excuse for a family may have grown over the past few days, but…we've lost another who deserved to live, may she rest in peace."

He held up a small box, striking a match against it before throwing the small flame at the structure. It instantly was set ablaze, the flames licking at the sky. Then it all disappeared and I was back in the bathroom where Adam was scribbling away at my notebook.

"Well, that was extremely uncomfortable," I mumbled.

"How's your head?" Adam asked, looking up from the paper.

"Fine," I said, my confusion growing. "Maybe that was the gift Sami was talking about. Won't it be nice? No more pain…"

"Kinda makes you wonder, though, doesn't it," Adam said thoughtfully. "Who could have possibly sent her with something so powerful? How could they convince her to commit suicide?"

"It could be someone dangerous," I shrugged, considering the possibilities. "Or it could be Michael's way of sending a fruit basket. We can ask Cas and Crowley later. But now I'm all pruney…" I held up my hands to show him my wrinkled fingers. He chuckled and went to grab a towel from one of the cupboards.

As I stood up, he wrapped the towel around me. I didn't miss how he promptly kept his eyes forward, a pink blush rising to his cheeks. Once I was completely out of the tub, he pulled me into his arms and held me close.

"I missed you," he whispered into my ear. "So much…"

"It won't happen again," I promised. "At least I hope not, because that really hurt."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop her," he sighed. "I just feel so angry every time I think about it."

"All in the past," I said. "She's gone for now. And I'm not leaving your side."

I felt his smile against my neck as he pulled me closer to him. "Did I ever manage to say how much I love you?"

My heart fluttered wildly at the thought. "Not technically," I said teasingly.

"Well, I do," he confirmed. "More than anybody in this house…more than my car…differently than my brothers…more than anything I can think of. It's all you, Chuck."

He punctuated each word with a kiss to my neck and then reached my lips, melting me in his arms. He pulled away, gently tugging on my lip with his teeth.

"How is it possible you're still cold?" he said quietly.

"Near death side effect?" I guessed, unable to think more deeply into it when my mind was just mere breaths away from my lips. He grinned and chuckled.

"You taste all minty," he pointed out. Then he leaned down to recapture me, showing no sign of letting go anytime soon.

Adam fell asleep in my room that night. In my bed. Heaven, right? But I couldn't sleep. My mind was fully awake, plagued with odd visions. I knew what they were telling me to do. Adam would probably be pissed if he found out what I'd been following them all day. But I'd been placed on a mission. He wouldn't listen long enough to understand until the deed was done. It's just the Winchester way.

I got out of bed, careful not to wake Adam, and left the room. I managed to slip out of the house after only passing Crowley who didn't care enough to do anything other than roll his eyes and continue on his way. Then I went over to the nearest cabin and went inside. It was pretty basic—one sink above a row of counters, a shelf, a closet, and a few personal decorations. There was one bed in the center of the room, and there she lay. My mission.

"What are you going to do?" Dean asked suspiciously. It surprised me to see him leaning casually against the wall, eyeing me suspiciously the way he'd done since the day he found me. Crazy…right. Hallucinations are just a party favor.

"I'm going to save her life and destroy her children," I sighed heavily.

"Just another day in the life of Carver Edlund," he chuckled, shaking his head. "By the way, you're not crazy yet. You decided on spirit guide, remember?"

"You're…Chloe?" I said slowly. He nodded, settling an undeniable discomfort in my gut. "Well, I'd prefer you being in my head more than her any day. She was always an evil babysitter."

"Hey, same person over here," he said with mock defensiveness. "Just a new face. I can be anybody you want me to be, so long as you've got them in your memory and that was totally not meant to be kinky. Anyway, you're avoiding the main issue here. You know something's not right with this plan."

"But the visions say it's got to be the mother," I said, looking back down at Lynn. "They keep running through my mind like instructions, or a recipe. It says I've got to give it to the decided Eve. So it's got to be Lynn, right? She's the only mother here."

"Oh, Sami," Dean chuckled, shaking his head. It was strange hearing him say the name when not referring to Sam. "That's part of the gift she gave you. The roadmap to your own destiny. But you should trust yourself. Vision-you knew that this was a bad idea, so just go along with it."

"Dean, I think I would know it if I was lying to myself, which I was," I said, pacing the room as I tried to think. It was difficult trying to decide exactly what I had seen during that vision, it was all so confusing.

"She was giving birth," Dean shrugged, glancing at Lynn. "You were freaking out. How would you have been able to control your face?"

"I just…" I ran a hand through my hair as the stress piled up in my mind. "What if she's the only chance we've got?" I pursed my lips and reached into my pocket, pulling out a small vile full of dark, silver liquid.

"Is that it?" Dean asked curiously, tilting his head.

"Yup," I nodded. "The essence of an angel, demon, prophet, Winchester, and human. They all thought I was a little crazy, going around and plucking out their hair. Strange how fate would put all the ingredients under one roof. Wait…that's gotta mean Lynn was given to us for a reason, right? So it could be her."

"You know how it works and what you need to do, so save it for a rainy day," Dean suggested. "You're going to be bringing back a lot more refugees, right? One of them's bound to get pregnant sooner or later or at least be pregnant already. Maybe you'll luck out and get a volunteer."

"It's a lot more painless if they're already pregnant," I sighed. Lynn suddenly whimpered loudly and clutched her round belly. "What's happening?"

"It's time," Dean said. "13 days early, but who's counting? You better go get baby brother. This isn't gonna be pretty."

I nodded and left the cabin, running back to the house. I burst through the door, earning a startled complaint from Crowley as I flew by him. Then I darted upstairs and stopped once I reached my room, bursting through the door.

"Adam!" I shouted, startling him awake. "It's Lynn; the babies are coming!"

He was instantly on his feet, following me as I made my way back towards the stairs. The whole time, I shouted the newest update at the top of my lungs so that nobody was left out. Bobby, Becky, and Cas quickly joined us as we stumbled down the stairs and ran out of the house. From there, we heard Lynn's distressed cries of pain coming from her cabin.

"What's happening?" Jesse asked, running out of his own cabin, pulling a tee shirt over his head.

"Baby time," Crowley said, appearing at the door just ahead of us.

Four hours, Lynn was in labor. The whole time she clung to Becky, probably since she was the only girl, but I was surprised to see that my caretaker actually possessed some form of human relations skills. She got Lynn to take her mind off the pain, since we didn't have proper painkillers, and kept her breathing as Adam instructed. The rest of us mostly stood back and let them work, occasionally offering words of encouragement. It was around five in the morning when I went over to the corner of the cabin where Cas and Crowley stood.

"Now, it really must be the apocalypse," I said, frowning at them. "An angel and a demon conversing normally. What's wrong with this picture?"

"Strange, you can't sense it," Castiel said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Something is going on here."

"Of course I can sense it," I mumbled in low tones. I bent my head so that I could speak and only the two of them could hear me. "Ever since…coming back, things have been different. I don't get it at all. What's going on?"

"Call it a moment of prophecy," Crowley said. I held my tongue on the subject, but I could have sworn that the demon was angry about something. Well, more angry than usual. "Everyone can sense it when one comes around."

"Except humans," Castiel cut in, nodding slowly.

"Hey," I snapped defensively.

"It's one of those things like you can feel that everything is about to change," Crowley continued, ignoring the disturbance. "The angel can be orgasmic about it all he wants, but I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, here. Something big is about to go down."

"Hmm…for me, it's a kind of…hopefulness," Castiel said speculatively, tapping his chin. "Like we are about to be blessed."

"A curse if I ever heard of one," Crowley muttered.

"I'd like to go with Cas's perspective," giving Crowley an apologetic shrug. "I mean, kids are supposed to be a blessing right?"

At that moment, Lynn let out a piercing screech, echoed by Becky who was delicately attempting to remove her hand from the mother's vice grip.

"Alright, everybody out," Adam ordered, waving his hands towards the door. "Go wait outside; give the lady her privacy. Shoo!"

Crowley rolled his eyes as he and Cas took their leave, quickly followed by Jesse. I was about to join them when Adam suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

"I'm gonna need somebody to work the sink and towels for me," Adam said. I saw the absolute terror in his eyes like the one he got in sixth grade before presenting his first big report. Stage fright on steroids, I called it. "I need you to stay here, Chuck. Please?"

I nodded, placing a hand on his cheek. "You'll be fine. Those kids will be…just fine."

He smiled at me before turning back to Lynn. I went to go stand at her side and hold her hand as she effortlessly crushed it. Then it happened. That scream of bloody murder that had been playing in my head for the longest time. I looked over at Adam who was looked like he was trying to remember his medical training.

"Lynn, you need to breathe," he shouted over her screams.

"Something's wrong," Bobby said on cue. Adam leaned over to check what Bobby was seeing.

"Lynn, I know it hurts, but you need to calm down," he said slowly, and I knew at that moment he was realizing that the twins were dying.

I looked up at that empty corner of the cabin from where I had watched this all play out. The timing was perfect for once and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I didn't say it. Would it work like a time machine and change the past? Or would merely thinking it be enough to get the message across?

"I didn't do it," I found myself whispering. Maybe past-me wouldn't be able to hear it…I knew that was wrong even before I finished the thought. "I didn't hurt them. Lynn can't be our Eve. Trust me, it will be okay."

Lynn suddenly screamed again, louder than before, and gripped my hand even more tightly, causing me to wince. So that had been my lying face…

Adam cautiously held up the first child, a boy, and Bobby cut the umbilical cord. I gasped with horror as I watched the baby gasping for air, his tiny features scrunched painfully, that small body spasming just like mine had done before almost dying. Then he took a deep breath and began to cry, high pitched and piercing. Adam handed the baby to me and I went over to the sink, cradling him.

"Was that supposed to happen?" I asked and I cleaned the baby with a wet towel.

"Hell no," Bobby muttered before turning his attention back to Lynn.

I finished cleaning the baby and wrapped him up in a dry blanket. "Hey, Cas!" I called out. The angel poked his head through the door, purposefully avoiding looking at Lynn. "Mind giving me a hand?" He nodded and walked over to me, gently taking the small bundle into his arms with expert care.

The second baby, another boy, went through the same scare routine as his brother before finally crying, letting us know he was alright. As I cleaned off the second one, I noticed that Lynn's screaming had ceased so the only noise was running water and crying babies.

"It's too late," Bobby said quietly.

"No, it's not!" Adam shouted angrily. "We can still save her!"

"We ain't surgeons, boy!" Bobby said, sharing Adam's temper. "We haven't got the proper medical supplies or the training for it. I'm sorry but Lynn's dead. We can't save this one."

I ground my teeth together, trying not to listen and failing miserably. I finished wrapping up the second twin and turned around in time to see Adam covering Lynn's still body with a white sheet. Adam finished and walked over to the sink to get cleaned up. Becky, Crowley, and Jesse entered the cabin slowly, looking all around.

"Oh, Lynn…" Becky whispered, covering her horrified expression with a hand as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Becks, look at me," Adam ordered, his voice calm like it was when he was in hunter mode. "I need you to go to the kitchen and dig up that baby formula you got on the raid, okay? Can you do that?"

She nodded and ran out of the cabin just before we heard her begin to sob from outside.

"I'd better go help her," Jesse said, taking a shuddering breath.

Adam finished cleaning himself up and sat down on the counter beside me as I cradled the baby. He leaned his head on my shoulder and sighed heavily.

"Well…would you look at that," Crowley said quietly, peering over Castiel's shoulder. It was then that I noticed how oddly Cas was staring at the baby in his arms, and the way tears were welling up in his eyes.

"God truly works in mysterious ways," the angel whispered, seeming unable to find his voice.

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked tiredly, not moving his head from my shoulder.

"The Winchesters are reborn," Crowley muttered, walking around the room as though he had a lot going on in that tiny mind of his. It was then that Adam lifted his head.

"You mind saying that for us…one more time?" Bobby whispered harshly, glaring at the demon. Castiel looked up at me and I saw the strangest look in his eyes, torn between love and despair.

"The prophecy moment we were sensing," he said. "It was Sam and Dean. They were in here with us, waiting to claim their new bodies."

"Hold on," Adam said, sliding off the counter. "You mean to tell me that my brothers are trapped in the bodies of newborns?"

"Not trapped," Crowley said loudly. "Those fragile little things belong to them just as much as the vessels once did."

"Fate," Castiel shrugged, looking back down at the baby. "They were meant to be born this way."

I looked down at the baby in my arms just as his little eyes flew open showing the bluest of irises I'd ever seen. Sam's eyes. I nudged Adam and motioned for him to take the baby, which he did.

"Castiel, you mind explaining to us exactly what's going on here, because you seem to have all the answers," I said, unable to hide the note of crazy in my voice. "And not just Sam and Dean suddenly being set back thirty or so years. Explain to me what the hell is going on in this place because I've had just about enough of this blind faith attitude you're still holding onto. I've had enough with the visions, the feakin' spirit guides, and dying, thank you very much." Castiel shut his eyes tightly as the tears began to roll down his face.

"Hey, go easy on the little tyke," Crowley said jokingly as he lifted the corner of the sheet to peek at Lynn's body. Bobby quickly slapped his hand away. Then he looked up and grinned at everyone merrily. "You might burst his little bubble of happiness. Besides, you'll need your calm for what he's about to say next."

"Cas?" I said expectantly.

"God," he said simply, looking up at me. "You're God."

I stared at him. He stared back. Crowley's eyes excitedly traveled back and forth along with everybody else's. The room was dead silent, alive with anticipation. He said that just to make me even more confused, didn't he?

"Screw you…" I muttered, walking towards the door.

"Chuck," Cas called after me.

I turned around in time to see Castiel toss something small towards me. I caught it and held it up, frowning even deeper than before, if that was possible. It was a necklace with a small horned amulet hanging down. I could only barely see the outline since it instantly began to glow bright white.

"Sam gave it to me after Dean threw it away," Castiel said. He stood up and handed the Dean baby off to Bobby. "I had no use for it, but he asked me to keep it safe, just in case. It only glows like that in the presence of God."

"Dude, you'd better tell me what the hell right now or I may just have to shoot myself and be done with it all," I said threateningly.

"God chooses his prophets," Castiel said slowly, looking away thoughtfully as though trying to decide on how to word his insanity. "When he does, he cuts out a small slice of his divine grace and bestows it upon the prophet."

"That would explain the prophet powers," Adam said, nodding. Then he frowned as he realized what he'd just said.

"In a way, this makes you like a kiddy-sized God," Castiel continued. "You have abilities of your own that resemble his, even if you haven't figured out how to access them all. You have his essence melded with your soul, hence, God."

I stared at him for a long time before finally speaking. "You're saying this just to be mean to me, aren't you? Honestly, Cas, what have I done to deserve this?"

"I always knew there was a reason I didn't like you," Crowley said, smiling contently, perfectly at ease with the situation.

"What about Sam and Dean?" Bobby asked, looking down at the hazel-eyed baby in his arms. "How is it possible for them to be reborn?"

"The boy's already said fate, hasn't he?" Crowley said, sounding a little annoyed. "It was meant to happen, so it has. Someone in a high place believes Sam and Dean deserve another chance at life. Or another painful death, depending on how you look at it."

"We won't let that happen," Cas snapped at the demon, glaring murderously. Then he calmed down and turned back to Bobby. "Since human bodies are mere manifestations of the soul, the boys will grow up looking like they always have, but without that four year height difference. As their minds develop, so will their memories of the Winchesters we know."

"Maybe it's a hallucinogen," I said to Adam, never taking my eyes off Cas. "Now that he's human, he's highly at risk."

"You'll see the truth in my words, just you wait," Castiel said sincerely.

"Right," I said rolling my eyes. "You know, Becky's been a long time. I'd better go check on her."

I quickly ran out of the cabin and walked back to the house, trying to stop my mind from dwelling on the ridiculous conversation. Seeing how the sun was just beginning to rise worked as a distraction until I reached the house. I found beck and Jesse in the kitchen, digging through a bunch of plastic bags, tears still running down both their faces.

"Jesse, could I have a minute alone with Becky?" I asked kindly, not wanting to upset the kid even more. He nodded and quickly left. Becky straightened up, wiping her eyes clean.

"S-sorry it's taking so long," she sniffed. "Lotta bags."

"That's not what I need to talk to you about," I admitted. I could feel myself already begin to choke up. I was glad that I was doing this on a sleep deprivation high—no conscience to stop me. "How opposed to sacrifice are you?"

"Um…depends, I guess," she said, frowning. "Depends on what the sacrifice is for."

"Oh, I dunno," I mumbled, looking down at my feet. "Your life for the human race?"

"Seems fair, I guess," she nodded. Thank God for her insanity! Or would that be thanking myself…?

I took a deep breath and reached into my pocket, pulling out the vile full of the dark, silver liquid. "Well, I've got an even bigger reason to sacrifice, but you'll actually be getting something in return."

"Okay, interested," she said. I could tell that she was just thankful for the distraction from Lynn's death.

"How would you like to be Eve?"

AN: chapter by L. Medora. Good luck to Lynx, you're in quite the confusion