Author's Note:

I have some time, thankfully, so have another chapter!

Thanks to aliengirlguy, hpfreak1993, SnarryMoreidLover, aLoggedInReader, Annie, and ToxicTenshi for their reviews on chapter 34!

Chapter 35 - Not Done Yet

Dean accepted the sword from Gabriel without hesitation, testing the weight approvingly and spinning it a few times in his hands. Firming his grip on the handle, he locked eyes on the demon pinned down in front of him. "Just so we're clear," he began, looking at Lilith but addressing the others in the room. "I don't regret making that deal."

Sam made a soft noise of protest behind him, but didn't interrupt.

Hearing him anyway, Dean turned to face Sam and added, "What I do regret is what it did to you," he admitted. "You should never have had to go through that. God knows I should've figured that out after Dad."

Sam nodded, feeling choked up but trying not show it. He would never have brought up the comparison between the situations, but knowing that Dean had realized it and was acknowledging it was a huge relief to him.

Turning back to Lilith, Dean tightened his grip and continued, "So, this isn't revenge for taking me when my deal came due. This is revenge for all the planning and manipulation that led to this stupid apocalypse, because if all of that hadn't be fixated on us, Sam wouldn't have died I'd never have made the deal. Yellow Eyes is dead, so that just leaves you." He took one step forward, standing next to Gabriel, and looked Lilith dead in the eyes. "Sorry to send you off with a monologue, but there are some things that have to be said."

Lilith's eyes narrowed harshly and she looked like she was about to spit venomous words at him, but the sword pierced her throat before her lips could form the words. Her entire body flashed with the crackling orange light of a dying demon, then she was still.

After a pause, Gabriel retrieved his sword and made it vanish, pushing himself up off the dead demon with distaste. He eyed the woman Lilith had been inside sadly, knowing that there was now a victim to be buried. Thankfully he hadn't had to cause an innocent pain to destroy the demon. He was sickeningly greatful that she'd already been dead.

Sam strode forward and pulled Dean into a hug with no preamble, ignoring his older brother's mild noise of protest. "Shut up," he muttered, gripping him tightly.

Dean chuckled softly and hugged back, resting his chin on Sam's shoulder. "You big girl," he teased affectionately.

Pulling back after a moment, Sam made a face at his brother and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Excuse me for being happy that it's over," he said pointedly.

"It is not over," Castiel contradicted, striding forward with Bobby in tow. "We now have to handle the wrath of Heaven."

Dean deflated almost immediately, looking weary. "Dammit! Why do we have to do that now?"

Gabriel looked up from the woman on the floor, about to respond, when he froze and apparently changed what he was going to say. "Because apparently Heaven has come to us," he announced, his tone hostile.

Everyone turned to follow Gabriel's eye line, spotting Uriel standing across the room, watching them with distaste.

"Uriel," Castiel called to him. "This is over, and we need not fight further."

"I am here with a message from Michael," Uriel announced, moving closer and completely ignoring his former superior. "You have interfered with God's will."

"Bull," Sam and Dean sad in unison.

"SILENCE!" Uriel thundered, his expression murderous. When he was not promptly interrupted again, he continued. "As punishment for this sin, this entire team of yours is banned from Heaven for eternity, even unto the end of the age. Until a way is found to bring about what must pass and you participate as you are meant to, none of you shall step foot inside the gates." Having delivered his sentence, Uriel smiled at them all in a sickening manner, then vanished immediately.

"Care to fill me in on who that cheery fella was?" Bobby asked wryly.

Sam moved over to Bobby's side to quickly explain their last run in with Uriel, which Bobby hadn't heard about in great detail at the time. Dean only listened with half an ear, watching Castiel with concern.

The angel looked horrified, an expression of something resembling terror fixed on his expression. "Gabriel," he said desperately, unable to form a sentence.

"Hey, buddy, calm down," Gabriel urged him immediately, reaching forward to steady his brother. "You aren't cut off or fallen, okay? You're like me now, and it's not as bad as it sounds. We'll make it, I promise."

That seemed to affect Castiel's mood slightly, and his horror sudden turned to depression as he turned to the archangel and protested, "You cannot return home either!"

"Cas, I never wanted to go home," Gabriel assured him, even though the words weren't one hundred percent true. "I'm happy on Earth. You can stay with me, and I promise you'll be fine."

Dean moved forward to Castiel's other side, unsure how to comfort him. Bobby and Sam were watching the exchange now too. "Don't worry about it, dude," he urged. "You can stay with us and I'll teach you how to play pool and kick ass in poker. Earth's not half bad."

Castiel looked at him, perplexed. "Why are you not upset? This ruling applies to you as well, even Sam and Bobby." Of the three humans, only Bobby looked even mildly concerned by that, which only confused Castiel further. "Bobby, do you not wish for Heaven?"

Bobby shrugged. "Honestly? Lived my whole life thinking there was no such thing, and I ain't exactly a saint. I can't say I mind the idea of the whole playing a harp in the clouds thing, but it's not like I really got my hopes up or anything."

Perplexed, Castiel turned to Dean. "After being pulled from Hell, do you not want to ascend?"

Dean rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I kinda always figured that once I bit it I was headed back down," he admitted.

Sam made a disapproving noise at that, frowning at his brother. "If anyone deserves Heaven, Dean, it's you," he insisted.

Dean rolled his eyes. "No, that'd be you, Sammy. You've always been the good one."

Sam huffed at him, exasperated. "Dean, I've been earmarked for Hell since I was a baby. I was never going to Heaven anyway."

The conversation came to an immediate halt as everyone stared at Sam, taking in his statement.

"That's a load of horse-" Bobby started to say, only to be cut off by Dean.

"You aren't going to Hell because Yellow Eyes attacked you as an infant!" Dean protested, clearly shocked by the idea.

"Sam," Gabriel said firmly, drawing his attention immediately. "As someone in this room actually equipped with the ability to see your soul," he overemphasized the last part, "you outshine the taint you were made to bear as a child. All of you should have been destined for Heaven." After a pause, Gabriel straightened up and his expression grew determined. "I will make sure you are again."

"Wait!" Sam protested, gripping Gabriel's shoulder. "Say do whatever you're planning to do and manage to pull out three tickets to Heaven for all of us, what about you and Cas? I sure as hell don't want to be in Heaven if you're not allowed to be there with me!" His expression was fierce, daring Gabriel to argue with him.

Gabriel opened his mouth, then shut it abruptly. "We'll think of something," he finally said in response.

Sam sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. You don't have a good plan."

"Someone needs to speak with Michael," Castiel murmured. "I do not believe he would listen to me."

"Then I'll have to do it," Gabriel said grimly. "Which will be hard, seeing as how he doesn't have a vessel and I can't get to Heaven."

"Seems like all of this would be way easier if God would get off His ass and come smite some sense into the management up there," Dean huffed, frustrated.

Castiel looked both offended and amused by the blasphemy, his face torn between the two reactions. Composing himself, he replied with, "Our Father has a plan."

"Yeah? Well I'd love to know what that is," Dean shot back.

Bobby raised a hand and waved it, attracting everyone's attention. "As much fun as our banishment from the pearly gates is to discuss, we've got a body to bury. Plus, this conversation is just begging for beer, and I don't think we all need to stand around in this lobby for the rest of the day."

"Gabriel and I will bury the woman and meet you all back at Bobby's," Sam announced firmly, nodding at Gabriel when the archangel raised an eyebrow at him.

Bobby nodded once in affirmation and started heading towards the door, the backpack with the remaining spell supplies slung over his shoulder. "See you there, then. C'mon, you two. While they dig a grave you can help me clean up my library."

When they had departed, Sam turned back to Gabriel and sighed. "What are we going to do?"

Resting his forehead against Sam's as the hunter bent down to link them, Gabriel sighed in response. "I don't know, but we're going to figure it out, kiddo. Together."