Final thanks to Gredelina1 for beta'ing and general awesomeness. Love you, hon xxx

Also to all of you that have read this far. Thank you so much for supporting the story. I appreciate every one of you giving your time to read and share your thoughts.

Epilogue

Sam was talking when Castiel arrived in the panic room. His satisfied voice was spewing forth bile. Castiel could see the strain it was taking on Dean, though Bobby seemed to be faring better.

"Adam was the one that suffered the most at first, but once he was gone, Sammy really took the brunt of it. He was so close to dying when Castiel shoved that grace in him and ripped his soul."

Castiel drew his wings in at his back and moved to Sam's side. "That will do, Sam," he said softly, as he pressed two fingers to Sam's temple and sent him into an unnatural sleep." He caught him with one hand as he crumpled and eased him down to the cot.

"Cas, man, please tell me you did it," Dean said, sounding as desperate as he looked. "Please tell me we're done with Robo-Sam."

"I did it. Raphael is dead."

Dean punched the air. "Yes!"

Castiel smiled, enjoying his friend's happiness. It was a great victory, and seeing Dean's reaction, one of the people he had done it for, was gratifying.

Dean gave himself to his relief for a moment and then his face became solemn. "So we can have Sammy back, too?"

Castiel nodded. "His part has been played."

Bobby breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally."

Castiel placed a hand over his chest, reaching for the soul that burned beneath his breast.

"Hang on," Dean said, and Castiel's hand fell to his side again. "Is he getting it all back this time? I mean, you don't need to protect him anymore, do you?"

Castiel sighed a little sadly. He hadn't considered giving Sam his complete soul back. He had assumed he would continue to have that bond with Sam after it was all over. He didn't want to give it back. He wanted a piece of that completeness he had felt in heaven when fighting Raphael. It was more than that though. He wanted that link with Sam that was more than emotional. He wanted a part of Sam with him when he could not be there in person. He wanted to continue to protect him, even though the threat had passed.

"Well?" Dean probed when he had been silent too long.

"Hold up, Dean," Bobby said gently. "Let's think about this. How do we know Sam would want it back? It's not like we can ask him. He's not himself right now. He wouldn't want his soul back at all."

"Yeah, but—"

"And think of how he was before this," Bobby said. "He wasn't happy for a long time."

"Sure he wasn't," Dean said bitterly. "We were facing the apocalypse."

"But even before that, he's not been happy for a long time."

"'Cause his girlfriend was dead, and then his dad, and then I was going to Hell, and then he was slurping down the demon blood. There's always been reasons for him to be unhappy."

"True." Bobby scrubbed a hand through his beard. "But there were reasons for him to be unhappy since he got back, too, but he wasn't. He's been as close to happy as it gets for one of us."

"You saying you want Cas to keep toting around a bit of him?"

"I'm saying that's what he would want."

"I know," Dean said. "We get him ensouled again and ask him what he wants."

Castiel shook his head. "I cannot do that. It's too dangerous to keep doing this. We were lucky that it did not destroy him when I took his soul. We are risking that again when I return it. I will not do it again. You will have to decide for him. This is not a choice I can make."

It was more than that though. Castiel could not make this choice for Sam as he knew what he wanted and how could he be sure his choice was unbiased. It needed to be Dean, Sam's protector, that made this decision for him.

"What does this mean for him really?" Dean asked. "I don't care if it makes him human or not; I'm asking if he's going to be able to have what he wants. Will he be able to… die, or will he be trapped on earth forever?"

Castiel looked down at the concrete floor, wondering how this would end. Left alone now, Sam would not die. The grace would heal almost everything. He would never weaken with age or disease. The grace would keep him strong and virile.

"Cas?" Dean pressed.

"He will not die a natural death," Castiel said. "He will theoretically live on forever. But he doesn't need to. As Virgil did when he took Sam to Heaven's jail, I can deliver him to Heaven."

"See," Bobby said. "This has to be a good thing, Dean. He get all the life he wants and then he can have some peace at the end."

Dean raked his hand through his hair, looking agitated. Castiel waited patiently, focusing on the warmth in his chest. He knew it could be the last time he would feel this, and he wanted to make the most of it while he could.

"Dean," Bobby said gently. "Think what he would want."

"Fine," Dean said grudgingly. "You can keep it. But only the smallest piece. I don't want him to be anything like… that!" He pointed at Sam lying on the cot and Castiel understood Dean's pain.

"Only the smallest portion," he said softly.

He waited a moment, luxuriating in the feeling of completeness that Sam gave him, and then he pressed his fingers into his vessel's mortal chest and reached for Sam's soul. It was easy to reach for the right amount, leaving the barest sliver of Sam behind. He did not need to reach for his grace too, as that was so closely entwined with Sam's soul that there was no separating it. Sam would always feel his grace. They would always be together.

Cupping Sam's essence in his hand, he drew it out of himself and moved closer to Sam. He looked into the lax features and sent a silent prayer to his Father that this would work without losing Sam. He had no guarantee his Father was listening, but he couldn't not try. Then he pressed the heat of the soul against Sam's chest and pressed down. It slid into Sam easily, as if his body had been waiting to welcome him home. When it was done, he stepped back and nodded to Dean. It had worked and Sam was alive.

As if to prove it, Sam's eyes rolled beneath his lids and then cracked open. "Cas?" he said in a whisper.

"I am here."

Sam's eyes opened and fell on Castiel's face. "Did it work? Is he gone?"

"Yes, Sam. We did it."

Sam smiled and pushed himself around to sit on the edge of the cot, rubbing his chest. Castiel sat down beside him and shifted so their legs and shoulders were pressed together.

Sam rubbed at his chest and then tilted his head to the side. "I can still hear them." He sounded stunned.

"Did you not want to?" Castiel asked, worry creeping into his voice.

"Of course," Sam said, and then his smile grew. "They're singing."

"They are happy." Castiel paused for a moment before asking the question he needed answering. "Are you, Sam?"

Sam looked from Castiel to Dean and then Bobby and then he moved so his head was resting on Castiel's shoulder.

"Yeah, Cas. I'm happy."