Note: If you haven't heard, we will have a season 15 of Supernatural! I wonder who the big bad with be this time? Everyone say Amen! NC


Chapter 53

The house had grown quiet as darkness crept in chasing the day away. Only Charlie and Bobby enjoyed Missouri's gumbo and homemade bread, since Cas wouldn't allow them to wake the brothers who were still sleeping. Everyone had gone to bed and Cas sat vigil by the bed guarding and watching. He perked up when Dean stared to move as he woke himself.

It took time to dispel the darkness from his mind as Dean began to wake up. He could feel he was lying on something soft and he could sense there was someone beside him. He tested his muscles before finally getting his eyes to open into slits trying to see where he was. Nothing looked familiar until he saw the blurry shape sitting by the bed. He raised a hand to swipe down his face and blinked rapidly trying to clear his vision. His entire body ached, but he didn't feel as weak and helpless as before.

Dean remembered waking up in the back of his Baby but no one else was around. He had gotten out and stumbled to the clearing to see Lucifer trying to pull Sam into the Cage with him. With every last ounce of strength he had, Dean raced toward his brother and tackled him hard, knocking him out of Lucifer's grasp and away from the opening. Things went fuzzy after that, but thought Death came for his ring, but he wasn't sure. Dean tried to sit up and the world started spinning making him groan softly.

"You need to take it slow and easy Dean." Cas said softly going to his side.

"Where are we?" Dean got out as he fought to not throw up. Bitter bile tickled the back of his throat and he swallowed hard.

"Missouri's house. Bobby brought us here."

"Sam?" Dean asked and realized he was laying beside him on the bed asleep. "He okay?"

"Yes, he needs rest and so do you. What you did almost killed you."

"I get that, but I feel better..."

"We had a visitor, Gabriel. He restored some of your energy and Sam did too." Cas told him. "I don't know if you should be getting up yet." Cas warned him as Dean swung his legs off the side of the bed.

"Can't help it nature calls." Dean said shifting his body and carefully standing up.

"Let me help." Cas offered taking his arm and steadying him.

"Thanks. Is everyone else alright? Bobby and Red? Things are a bit fuzzy in my head."

"I'll let Sam tell you about it, but they are both fine." Cas said as they walked down the hall. He didn't want to tell him about Bobby's death and Death bringing him back. Cas thought that was Sam's place to do.

"I can take it from here." Dean told him when they reached the bathroom door.

"I'll wait here for you." Cas replied as Dean shut the door.

spn

Cas looked down the hall as Sam came rushing out of the bedroom, grabbing the wall for support so he wouldn't fall.

"Cas where's Dean?" he asked a hint of panic in his voice.

"He had to use the bathroom." Cas explained looking to the bathroom door.

"Yeah, okay..." Sam sighed as he let the anxiety drain from him. "When I woke up and he wasn't there I got concerned..."

"He is better Sam. Gabriel visited and restored more of his energy that I took."

"I'm surprised he came. Last time we met he didn't want to have anything to do with stopping Lucifer."

"Maybe he saw how bad it would be and changed his mind. That's why he gave you his grace to help you fight Lucifer."

"Well, I'm glad he did..." Sam started but stopped when the bathroom door opened and Dean stepped out. "Hey...How ya feeling?" he asked looking his brother over for any ill affects.

"Better." Dean grunted. "What time is it?"

"It's four in the morning." Charlie said sleepily as she stepped from the bedroom she was using to look at the three.

"Sorry Charlie, didn't mean to wake you." Sam apologized.

"I'd say that's close enough to breakfast then." Dean stated. "I for one could use some chow."

"Let me use the bathroom and I'll join you." Sam said, stepping around him to get into the bathroom.

"There's gumbo from dinner last night in the fridge along with rice and carrots. Breads on counter..." Charlie mumbled before turning around to go back to bed. "Don't wake me for breakfast..."

"Sorry Red." Dean called to her seeing her wave a hand before crawling back in bed. "Guess we need to be quiet."

"I would advise it. Missouri doesn't seem like a woman to anger." Cas said thoughtfully.

"You got that right." he agreed as he moved slowly down the hall to the stairs. Dean clutched the railing tightly and took his time descending the stairs. He heard Sam behind him close enough to help if needed and Cas was a step in front.

spn

"Do you want breakfast or left over dinner from last night?" Sam asked opening the fridge to see what was in there.

"I'll take anything right now. Gumbo just has to be reheated, go with that." Dean decided taking a seat and letting Sam heat the food.

"You remember which cabinet has pots in it?" Sam asked opening up cabinets to look inside.

"Nope, just keep looking."

"They are here." Cas pointed to a cabinet by the stove.

"Thanks Cas." Sam said kneeling down to search for a pot to heat the gumbo and rice in.

"You wanna start a pot of coffee Cas? Maybe the caffeine will help." Dean asked thinking that was simple enough for him to do.

"I will." he nodded going to the coffee pot and looking at it for a moment before taking the pot to the sink to fill it with water.

"Should I toast the bread?"

"Whatever makes you happy."

"Yeah, think I will." Sam decided pulling out a pan for that. Another metal pan fell out of the cabinet rattling on the floor and Sam froze with a frightened look on his face as he listened to see if it woke anyone. He waited for a couple of minutes before quietly putting it back and dishing out the gumbo and rice to heat.

"I don't see filters. Shouldn't there be a filter in here?" Cas questioned looking around.

"Try the cabinet in front of you. Missouri probably keeps them close to the coffee pot." Dean suggested.

"Good guess." Cas replied pulling a stack of filters from the cabinet. He peeled one off and added coffee before putting it in the machine. After checking the buttons, Cas pushed start and waited to be sure it was going to work.

"You can get some bowls out of the cabinet by the sink Cas." Sam told him as he looked for a knife to cut the bread. He turned on the oven to heat up and got butter from the fridge to put on the sliced bread. "Won't take too long, it smells good." he said to no one in particular.

After the food heated and the bread toasted, Sam dished three bowls out and brought them to the table along with the bread. They were just starting to eat when someone clearing their throat had all three turning to see Missouri standing in the doorway in her bathrobe looking at them.

"Sorry if we woke you." Sam said pathetically, trying to apologize for being so loud.

"It's okay Sam, I'm glad to see you two are up on your feet. Just be sure to clean up after yourselves." she told them.

"Don't worry we will." Dean told her. "The gumbo's good by the way."

"Thank you Dean. You boys enjoy it. I am going back to bed." she huffed before turning and heading back to her bedroom.

"We'll be quieter." Sam assured her as she disappeared back down the hall.

"So tell me what happened in the cemetery bro, my mind's a bit foggy." Dean asked Sam as they ate.

"Long story short, Lucifer and Michael are both in the Cage and we all walked away from it. Well you were carried, but that's beside the point. We did it, we stopped them from destroying half the planet." Sam said not wanting to mention what happened to Bobby right now and giving Cas a look not to mention it either. He wanted Dean to be stronger when he learned Bobby died, but at least they got him back.

"Wasn't Death there or did I dream that?"

"Yeah, he wanted his ring back."

"And nothing more? There wasn't some kind of loophole he didn't mention that would screw us?"

"Nope, plan and simple."

"Good to know something worked out in our favor. Pass me another piece of bread it's good."

"Don't be a pig, save some for us." Sam said.

"You can fix more. My body wants nourishment." Dean shrugged thinking it was no big deal.

spn

Bobby wandered into the kitchen later in the morning to find Dean, Sam and Cas sitting at the table drinking coffee and talking.

"Well you two look better than the last time I saw you." he commented going to the pot for his own cup. He noticed the washed dishes and pots and figured they had raided the fridge like they did at his place. "How ya feeling son? You were pretty out of it when we brought you here." he asked looking at Dean.

"May not be a hundred percent, but better than I was." Dean replied.

"Good enough to head home today?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Maybe we'll take some downtime." Sam suggested hoping Dean would agree. He knew it would do all of them good to relax for a couple of days and let things settle down now that the threat was gone.

"Hey guys." Charlie greeted them as she walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Hey Charlie, you sleep okay?" Sam asked.

"Yes until it was interrupted around four this morning." she noted eyeing Sam for a moment.

"Sorry we woke you. Since Dean is better, we'll be heading home today."

"My goodness, everyone is up I see." Missouri said clapping her hands together in delight as she made her way into the kitchen. "I see you are better honey and I know that means you'll be heading home."

"We were just discussing that." Bobby said getting up so she could have a seat.

"Sit still Bobby, no one's leaving without a full belly. I'll get some breakfast going for everyone. It may be midmorning, but I don't think anyone minds do they?" she said going to the sink to wash her hands and heard several 'nos' to her question. "How's eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy sound?"

"You don't need to go to all that trouble Missouri; we can get something on the road." Sam started but was interrupted by her.

"And let you eat that god awful stuff they call fast food. Nothing doing young man! So I don't wanna hear anything else about it. I'll have something thrown together in no time. I know you boys ate earlier, but it wouldn't hurt to have something else. You need to put a little more meat on those sexy bodies." she chuckled. "What? I'm not blind." she laughed when Bobby gave her a strange look.

Dean and Sam both jerked their heads up and couldn't help the blush creeping onto their faces. They ducked their heads glad she didn't say more.

"Can I help?" Charlie asked.

"Thank you child, why don't you get the eggs cracked and ready to scramble and I'll get the biscuits made up."

"I can do that." she said happily, glad she could help.

"So, what's on your agenda now that this crisis had be adverted?" Missouri asked her as she got out the makings for her biscuits.

"I don't know. After all this my life seems sort of mundane and boring." Charlie sighed.

"Well if you hang around those two I don't think it'll be boring at all." Missouri chuckled.

spn

"Well old gal, thanks for letting us stay here and feeding us." Bobby said giving her a hug.

"You need to visit more often you ol' coot." she replied in her soft, soothing voice. "And you boys are welcome any time."

"Thanks Missouri." Sam told her before stepping out on the porch.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." Dean added and joined his brother and Cas.

"Young lady, you take care of yourself and if you need anything call me." she said hugging Charlie and pressing a slip of paper with her number on it into her hand.

"Thanks Missouri, it was good to meet you." Charlie said tucking the paper into her pocket. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Drive safe." she called to them as they headed for the Impala.

Sam convinced Dean he should drive first and got behind the wheel while Dean got in the passenger seat with a huff, not liking he didn't get to drive his Baby. Charlie, Cas and Bobby climbed into the back and settled down for the trip back to Sioux Falls.

"No riding the brakes, she doesn't like it." Dean told him as slumped down pouting in the passenger seat.

"I don't ride the brakes." Sam fussed back. He cranked Baby and let her idle for a bit while he checked the mirrors and got settled in the seat. He turned on the radio and turned the dial to a station he liked and slapped at Dean's hand when he stated to change it. "Your rule, driver picks the music."

"Screw you." Dean grumbled sagging back and crossing his arms over his chest in anger. "Couldn't you have found something better than this shit?"

"I happen to like it." he stated backing out of the driveway onto the road and heading for the interstate.

"Is it going to be like this the whole way back?" Charlie mumbled under her breath as she listened to the brothers arguing.

"I could take us..." Cas started to explain but Bobby shushed him.

"Might be better we hung around." he whispered not wanting to leave his boys just yet.

"Alright, I understand." he nodded, sitting back and tuning out the voices in the front seat. He took Charlie's hand and took her with him to a quieter, more peaceful place.


A/N: One more chapter and this journey will be over for you. Thank you for all the support and reviews for this story. Your thoughts are appreciated if you can please review. NC