Jody was at the door the second she heard the soft rap. Claire and Alex were beside her in a moment, waiting as Jody unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Heya Jody," Dean Winchester said, grinning. Leaning on him, looking pale and unsteady, was also-

"-Cas," Claire whispered.

Jody covered her mouth, feeling tears in her eyes. Nobody bothered to mention the other two men, nobody cared. "Dean," she whispered. "Come here."

Dean stepped into her arms squeezing back tightly. He felt thinner, weaker, but his heart was pounding and his breath was coming out marred by tears. "It's okay," he whispered as Jody clung onto him, sobbing. "It's okay Jody, everything's okay."

"How?" she asked.

Claire felt a shriek rise in her throat as she propelled herself onto Cas as hugged him. "How the Hell are you alive?" she whispered, clinging on to him.

Cas gently returned the hug, letting her bury her teary face in his shoulder. "I'll explain later," he whispered as she unlatched herself. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Claire replied. "How are you?" She glanced at Jody who was now embracing Sam tightly and grinned.

"I'm fine." Cas smiled as Dean came over. "My Grace...it's a little weak right now. Amara's darkness lingers in it so I cannot do anything Angelic. I should be back to full power soon."

Claire smirked as Cas immediately leaned gently against Dean. "Are you two finally together?"

Dean stiffened for a second, not sure what to say. He felt Cas gently rubbing his back, up and down where the scars were, reassuring him that whatever he would say was one hundred percent fine.

"Yeah," Dean said. "Yeah, we are."

Claire nodded and smiled. "I knew it. Alex! It happened!"

"I knew it!" Alex said loudly from across the room.

Sam glanced over at Cas and Dean had covered a laugh.

Sam gestured Gabriel and Lucifer in after everyone had hugged everyone. "Okay," he began in response to Jody's tense position and confused look. "Jody, Alex, Claire, not to alarm you because you should meet them, but these are two of the four Archangels. Guys introduce yourselves."

Lucifer looked around warily, not wanting to scare these people. You go first, he told Gabriel through Angel radio. It might unsettle them if I tell myself first.

Good point, Gabe thought back. Fine, I'll go.

Thank you.

Gabriel stepped forward. "Hello," he said. "Remember me? I'm Gabriel, nice to meet you."

Jody moved back and Dean stepped forward. "They won't hurt us," Dean said. "Believe me, alright. The only reason Cas or I are standing here right now is because of them."

"Who's the other one?" Claire asked, standing closely to Alex.

Lucifer stepped forward. "Please don't be alarmed. My names Lucifer."

Lucifer felt his heart sink as Jody gasped and shrank back. He wasn't going to hurt them, he didn't want to scare them. "It's okay," he said. "Listen. I am going to explain everything. I'm not bad, promise. Sam, Dean, Cas, a little help would be nice!"

"Sorry brother," Cas said. "Listen to me. Claire, do you trust me?" He crouched so that he was her level.

"Is that even a question?" she asked.

"Answer me," Cas told her.

"Of course," she said surely. "I'd trust you with my life."

"Then trust me when I tell you Lucifer is not going to hurt you, that he is simply...misunderstood. We're going to explain why in a bit."

"Okay," Claire said slowly, standing up. "Alright."

Alex and Jody rose too. "If Cas says you're good that's enough for me," Jody said looking at Lucifer. "I just need a general explanation."

Gabriel cleared his throat. "We can tell you," he said. "Lucifer, you don't need to relive that again."

"Relive what?" Alex asked. "And I'm sorry but what is going to justify trying to end the world?"

"Just listen," Dean growled.

Gabriel began to talk, weaving the imagery of the cage, of Michael and Adam and Sam and Lucifer crowed, locked and bleeding in Hell. He explained how Michael had used his powers to control Lucifer, deceive him into torturing Sam.

"You good?" Dean murmured into Sam's ear.

Sam nodded shakily. "Yeah."

"If you need to sit down just tell me. Lucifer went outside, you can go too," Dean offered.

"I'm fine."

"You look like you're going to pass out."

Sam didn't reply and Dean gave up, still standing close enough for their shoulders to brush, to let Sam know he was there despite not having a doubt Sam already knew.

Lucifer kicked a stray pebble, waiting for Gabe to finish his story. The sun was partially obscured by clouds, sending a cool, grey light down on him. He was tired, tired of people fearing him. Was it so wrong, what he had done, that no one would ever fully see how much he just wanted to be redeemed? To go back to old times with his brothers and sisters who loved him but now feared him?

There was still an eternity left for him. Cas could grow old and die with Sam and Dean, Michael would never escape the cage, God, most likely, would never speak to him directly. He wondered if it would be him and Gabriel forever, Gabe and Cas being the only Angel to have forgiven him completely, and Gabe being the only of the two who would live forever.

"Luci!" came a shout from the house.

Lucifer looked up. "Gabe?" he called back.

"You can come back in now."

Lucifer slowly walked up to the front door which he had left open and hesitantly entered the room. Almost immediately he was pulled into a hug by Claire, the blonde girl.

Surprised, he almost stumbled backwards as she said, "thank you for protecting Sam in the cage and now for protecting all of us. Thank you." Before Lucifer had a chance to respond she released him.

Cas watched with amusement as Claire released his brother and walked back to her sister. Lucifer looked shell shocked, not exactly knowing what to do or say. Gabriel was looking on from the side, shaking with laughter. Sam and Dean stood close together, grinning.

"Okay," Dean said, rescuing the Angel. "You wanted to know how the heck we're alive?"

"Yeah," Jody said, grinning at Claire who shrugged and smiled.

Dean clapped his hands. "Seeing as I'm really the only person who knows I'll tell you. So I died, obviously, and Billie reaped me. I went to Heaven and my first clue something was wrong was that despite Cas being, well, dead too, he wasn't in my Heaven so when three Angels shows up- Lucifer, Gabriel, and Asmodei-"

"-who's Asmodei?" Alex asked.

"He's dead," Lucifer said softly. "It doesn't matter. Dean, you were saying?"

"Right," Dean cleared his throat. "They showed up and asked if I had seen Cas. I said no, they tried to find him, couldn't. We realized something was wrong, that even though he was dead and had died a human, he wasn't in Heaven so the only other places we thought he could be at the time was Hell or Purgatory. They brought me back to help find him. That's how I'm alive right now." Dean glanced at Sam, cueing him to continue the story.

"Okay," Sam started. "He came back, explained what the situation was and Billie dropped by because Dean was alive again. She told us Cas was in The Garden of Eden, which was corrupt after Eve are the apple. She took us there to find him. Cas, if you want, could you explain what happened in Eden?"

"Alright," Cas said. "The Garden put me through a series of tests to destroy my 'humanity', to make me a monster. The tests tried to remove my human qualities and even my Angel ones- strength and love being the two they focused on. After that they made me hate everyone, Sam and Dean in partic-" He stopped talking as a wave of pain crashed over him again.

"Castiel?" Claire asked worriedly.

Cas heard Dean move towards him, felt steady hands on his waist and shoulders, pulling him up against him. "It's okay," Dean whispered. "Ride it out Cas."

Cas closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into Dean until the pain fled. "I'm okay," he said softly. "This is what I was talking about when I said Amara's darkness damaged my Grace. It's not as bad anymore."

"But your sure you're okay?" Jody asked worriedly.

"I'm getting better," Cas told her. "Until the next one hits I should be fine."

Dean didn't say anything, just reassuringly kept Cas next to him, knowing that comfort was the only thing Dean could provide him as he continued to recount the events of Eden. Dean held the Angel tight, not caring about Claire, Alex, Jody, or any of their brothers because, for once, he wasn't afraid of people seeing who he loved because finally the scars on his back and his heart were healed.

AN: Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was really busy! Thanks for reading, I know I keep saying its going to end soon but I cannot wrap stories of easily, sorry!