Thank you! Thank you! Thank you everyone for all the wonderful feedback! I'm sorry I've been gone a while. I went on vacation for a few weeks and honestly this chapter was not easy for me to write but I hope people enjoy it.

Sorry I'm posting this so quickly but it's kinda late here and I have to get up for work tomorrow.

Warning - there is some religious discussion in this chapter. I don't think it's anything too heavy handed or preachy, but I do want to let people know.

Please see Author's Note at the bottom.

Thank you and enjoy,

Val

Chapter 14

Jo settled Tony in his bassinet in the corner of the living room while her mom and Rufus went into the kitchen to grab the freshly perked coffee and mugs.

Ellen filled the mugs as Bobby pulled out a bottle of whiskey holding it up towards the room, "Irish?"

Five heads nodded yes eagerly as he began to pour a generous amount of whiskey into each mug. Gabriel made his way over to Jo and Tony, smiling as he looked down at the infant and said, "he's a beautiful child."

Jo accepted her spike coffee and saw the way the others watched the archangel. "Thank you," she murmured as she stepped sideway just enough to block Gabriel from reaching down and touching her son.

Gabriel sighed, "I told you before I would never harm your child and I meant it."

"Look how can you expect us to trust you when you just pop in and drop a bombshell like I'm meant to be a meat suit for some angel," Dean said as he joined Jo.

"Because I'm not like my brothers. I don't hold humans in distain. You think demons have no use for humans...well angels aren't much better. We're not all floating on clouds watching over humanity while playing the harp like the bible tries to sell." He told them.

Ellen took a healthy sip of her coffee before she asked, "what do you mean? The angels are meant to protect us, aren't they?"

"How would you feel if your father decided to push you aside for some creature he created and not only pushed you aside but ordered you to watch over them?"

"Angels despise humans?" Jo asked, horrified at the thought Heaven and Hell had the same attitude about humans.

Gabriel cocked his head slightly, "no…they see humans more as annoying pets that they are responsible for since our father created you and then took off leaving us responsible for you."

"Oh well that's so much better," Ellen huffed as she took a healthy sip of her spiked coffee.

"So why are you different?" Rufus asked skeptically.

Gabriel looked down at Tony and sighed. "Because I heralded in my father's son. I loved him and I found myself loving you…loving humans. Then I was forced to watch as our father made the child, I watched grow into a wonderful man suffer for the sins of others. That was the point I realized who our father was and decided to walk away from him…from my brothers and went to hide with the demigods."

Dean and the others stared at the angel in disbelief before Ellen asked, "He…he was real?"

"You can believe in demons…believe in angels but your Savior that you have a hard time believing." He said sadly.

Jo cocked her head slightly as she studied the archangel. She could see it in his eyes, he was sincere. "He's why you're helping us."

"My father swore he wouldn't interfere anymore. That humanity had been given free will, but he lied…he interfered again." He explained.

"How do you know this if you walked away?" Bobby asked.

Gabriel looked at Dean and Jo, not sure how to tell them the next part. "Because one of my younger brothers prayed to me…begged me to help him."

"Younger brothers?" Jo asked.

Gabriel looked at the hunters and sighed, "maybe I should let him tell you."

The others watched as Gabriel snapped his fingers and suddenly a middle age white man was standing in Bobby's living room naked as a jaybird.

"Gaby," the newcomer cried happily as he rushed over and gave the archangel a bear hug. The man's attention was drawn to Dean and Jo as he looked over Gabriel's shoulder.

"You found each other," he gushed as he hurried over and pulled the young couple into a group hug much to their horror.

Jo winced as the naked man held onto her and Dean and looked over to her mother pleadingly and shouted the first thing that came into her head, "stranger danger! Stranger danger!"

The man laughed oblivious to Jo's discomfort and turned towards the others and locked eyes with the elder Harvelle. "Ellen," he shouted happily as he started towards her.

Ellen quickly pulled the gun she had tucked in the back of her jeans and aimed it at the man. "Angel or no angel I'll shoot you if you try to hug me!"

"Whoa…whoa no need for violence. Eight what have we talked about?" Gabriel said as he stood between his brother and Ellen.

The angel ducked his head and murmured, "humans have boundaries."

"And clothes…we appreciate when you wear clothes," Bobby said.

Gabriel eyed his brother's nude vessel and shrugged his shoulders before snapping his fingers and his brother was now dressed in jeans, a tee shirt, and sneakers. He went over and wrapped an arm around the younger angel and told him, "You didn't do anything wrong."

Rufus blew out the breath he had been holding, "Eight…there's an angel called Eight?"

The newcomer laughed, "father didn't name us. Our older brothers called us by the number we were created. I was the eighth one."

"Eighth what?" Bobby asked cautiously.

"Cherub," he quickly told the older man.

The humans stared slack jaw at the angel before Jo stuttered, "cherub…like..I mean…are you a…a…"

Gabriel grinned at the young mother, "Cupid…Eight is one of the twelve cupids that our father created."

"I think I need another drink," Dean said as he held his mug out towards Bobby.

"Well all of this is fascinating," Bobby said as he poured a healthy shot of whiskey in Dean's mug before continuing, "but what the hell does it have to do with my boys being a couple of archangels meat suits."

"Oh, you told them?" Eight asked as he looked at his brother.

"Not everything. I think you should be the one to explain what Raphael and Zachariah forced you to do." Gabriel told his younger brother.

Eight nodded his head as the hunters all found seats and sat down. They listened in awe as he explained how he was forced to bring Mary Campbell and John Winchester together so that they could create Michael's and Lucifer's true vessels.

How that once he brought them together heaven and hell buzzed with the news that the bloodlines had finally been united and soon Azazel was sent to begin the groundwork to ensure the beginning of the apocalypse and the final battle between Michael and Lucifer.

"Bloodlines?" Ellen asked as she watched Jo reach out and grab Dean's hand.

Gabriel cleared his throat, "Dean's and Sam's parents' lineage is very special. Each bloodline started with a strong relationship between brothers. One family was started by a brother who was betrayed, and one started by a brother who was the betrayer."

Jo squeezed Dean's hand, "what are you trying to tell us?"

"Dean and Sam's father's line dates back to Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, twelfth child of Jacob and his favorite. His brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. Joseph had several gifts, including the ability to interpret dreams."

"Joseph…as in Joseph and the coat of many colors Joseph?" Rufus asked in awe.

"Yes, that Joseph," Gabriel told him before taking a deep breath and continuing. "His descendants were all gifted like him and eventually found an organization called The Men of Letters after the crusades."

"Men of Letters…my father never mentioned them," Dean murmured as he tried to comprehend what he was being told.

"He wouldn't…he wasn't aware of them thanks to one of the princes of Hell called Abaddon. They needed to ensure your father was denied the knowledge of The Men of Letters. Your grandfather Henry was the last descendant to be a member. Him and his brethren were all killed by Abaddon."

Dean shook his head, "no…no that's not right. My dad told us that his old man walked out on him and his mom."

"I'm so sorry Dean…that was part of the demon's plan. He wanted your father to believe his father abandoned him. That tragedy would help shape the man your father would become." Gabriel told him sadly.

Ellen's heart broke as Dean shook his head in disbelief but asked the question the others were wondering, "and Dean's mother's family line?"

Gabriel bowed his head as he told them, "Mary's line dates back to the beginning, back to Cain..son of Adam and Eve."

"Oh fuck," Bobby said in awe as he sat down on the sofa.

Dean swallowed as he looked up at Gabriel, unable to hide the horror of what the archangel was telling them. "Cain? Cain and Abel, Cain?"

"I'm sorry Dean, I know how difficult this must be for you, but you need to know the truth."

"The truth!" Dean cried. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this information, huh? So, what my dad's family was started by a brother who was betrayed, and my mother's was started by Cain...the first murderer. Just great...can't wait to hear what his bloodline legacy is."

Gabriel flinched slightly and shot a quick glance at his brother before plowing ahead. "Hunters, it's why it came so naturally to you and Sam."

"Awesome, I come from the original line of killers…must make me employee of the month." Dean said as he stood up and started to pace. He stopped as he looked down at Tony who had managed to fall asleep and spun around to look at the two heavenly creatures.

"This happened years ago. Why was this one suddenly praying to you?" He asked as he pointed towards Eight.

Jo frowned at what Dean was asking. He was right, why now?

Eight looked at his brother who nodded his head to tell them the rest of his story. "Every person has one arrow that glows when they meet their true mate. Both your arrows began to shimmer when you first met but it wasn't until you worked together in Philadelphia that both your arrows truly began to glow.

I saw it after Jo told you that it was your father who was her father's partner on the hunt where he was killed. Even with all that pain you two were drawn to each other.

Then when I had raised my bow with Dean's arrow to pierce Jo's heart…which would have let him follow his urge to go after Jo…my brother Zachariah appeared and before I knew it, he had redirected my aim so that the arrow pierced Sam's heart instead."

Jo sucked in a breath at this, "this Zachariah wanted Dean to be in love with his brother?"

"No…it doesn't work that way," Eight said quickly. "When your arrow pierces the wrong person, it drives you to desperation. You will do anything to keep that person with you. Take that and the unconditional love Dean and Sam already share, and it was the final cog in the machine to get Dean to make the deal."

"Wait, Dean's parents. You said you were forced to bring them together. Wouldn't that mean they were driven to desperation?" Jo asked.

Gabriel nodded his head, "yes it would...it did. That desperation turned into obsession when Mary died. An obsession that not only shaped John's life but Dean's and Sam's too."

Dean closed his eyes as he weighed Eight's and Gabriel's words. "They wanted me to be obsessed with Sam, didn't they?"

"They wanted you to feel like you had nothing to live for without your brother." Gabriel told him honestly.

"I realized how much my brothers were corrupting the natural order when they forced me to shoot Jo's arrow into that other man's heart even though her arrow didn't even shimmer when she was with him." Eight confessed.

Jo sucked in a sharp breath, "Gordon…you shot my arrow into Gordon."

Ellen glared at the angels, "you and your brothers deliberately put my daughter in danger. That bastard wasn't playing with a full deck, and they knew he would become obsessed with Jo."

"I knew how badly this could hurt you, your brother and Jo so I began watching you three," Eight admitted. "And when I witnessed what happened in Duluth my worst fears were confirmed, and I began praying to the one brother who I knew wasn't involved in the politics of Heaven."

"And when I heard the desperation in my younger brother's prayer I couldn't ignore him," Gabriel told them. "Then when I went to him, and he told me everything going back to your parents I realized what the others were up to and that there could only be one true reason for merging the bloodlines. To create Michael and Lucifer's true vessels and that my brothers would never have done such a thing if they didn't have our father's blessing."

"And that's when you started manipulating us," Dean said.

Gabriel sighed, "all I did was put you and Jo back on the same path. Your decisions after reuniting with Jo were all made by your own free will Dean. You still could have decided to make the deal. I just let you see you still had hope…something my brothers tried to take away."

Jo watched the emotions playing on Dean's face. She sighed when she heard Tony begin to fuss. "Let's put Tony down in his crib for his nap," she said to Dean.

Dean looked over at Jo and nodded his head as she leaned down and lifted the little boy into her arms as Dean grabbed their duffels, following them upstairs.

The others watched Jo, Dean, and Tony head upstairs before Ellen spun around and looked at Eight. "What does all this mean for them?" She demanded.

The cupid cocked his head slightly, "you misunderstand. Yes, everyone has an arrow but not everyone needs us to shoot them to open their hearts to love. Dean and Jo, both let themselves open their hearts to each other on their own. Turns out they didn't need me."

Ellen took a deep breath and turned towards Bobby, holding her mug out. "Oh, well in that case I say we have another drink and then discuss our next move."

SPNSPNSPN

"Jo," Dean said as they entered Tony's room.

Jo turned and leaned up to give him a soft kiss as Tony reached up to pat Dean's cheek at the same time. "I just wanted a minute alone…just the three of us."

Dean tried to give Jo a smile, but he knew it was more likely a grimace, "Jo..."

"Don't," she said cutting him off. "This doesn't change anything Dean Winchester. I love you and you, you big lug finally admitted you love me back and we have a beautiful son that I know you love with all your heart. Nothing Gabriel or Eight said downstairs will ever change that."

Dean's eyes widened slightly at Jo's words. 'We have a beautiful son'…sure Jo would say our boy to him, but she had never referred to Tony as 'their son'.

Jo sighed as she watched Dean process what she was saying, "I was an idiot that day when you said you wanted to be a father to Tony. I thought I was doing the right thing for Tony but now I know how naïve I was being. Thinking that Gordon was going to take one look at him and decide he would want to be part of his life...to be a father to him."

"Don't do that," Dean whispered as he finally gave her a genuine smile. "You were right that day. We didn't know what was going on with Gordon then, but he was Tony's biological father and you being open minded to let your son have a relationship with his father wasn't wrong. You were putting Tony's needs before yourself and you never have to apologize for that."

"And you've been putting Tony first since before he was born," she told him as she gazed up into his eyes.

He smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her. "You don't think it matters? How the angels messed with us…what they did with Eight?"

Jo smiled, "oh Honey I think what we have is even more special because it's all us."

"You really believe that?" he murmured.

"Believe it. Would I do this if I didn't believe it?" Jo asked before taking a deep breath as she secured Tony in her arms and slowly got down on one knee. "Dean Winchester, will you marry us?"

Dean gaped at Jo, "did you just ask me to marry you?"

"Us," Jo clarified as she nodded her head towards Tony. "We're kinda a package deal," she said with a grin.

Dean returned Jo's grin, "I kinda like package deals."

"Is that a yes because this on one knee this isn't comfortable," she teased.

Dean laughed, "well then I guess that's a yes."

"Yes?" Jo asked happily.

"Yes!" Dean said as he reached down and pulled her and Tony into his arms. "Of course, the answer is yes."

TBC

A/N: Okay I didn't want to get too religious, but I wanted to explain what prompted Gabriel to leave after watching what his father did to his son on earth. Also, I know the show never really addressed it (at least I don't remember it) but if Angels, Demons, Cain and Adam were all real they why wouldn't Jesus also be real.

I rewatched the episode with Cupid and there was a line in there about the bloodlines and I couldn't help thinking about some of the more well-known brothers in the bible and thought of Cain and Abel and Cain being the betrayer and then of Joseph who was betrayed by his brother and also who had a gift that wasn't too far off from Sam's gift that it didn't sound unreasonable that it could have grown over time.