Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, but I'm finally updating! Updates will come more frequently now, probably about once a week.
Please review! If you review, you get a home visit from Cas, Dean, or Sam.
I don't own Supernatural.
***Ember POV***
March 28
"Ember. Wake up."
Ember felt horrible. Her legs were stiff. She had energy, but it felt as though she hadn't had anything to eat or drink in a century. She didn't want to move, but she desperately needed food.
What the hell? Suddenly, she remembered. She remembered Castiel dying, and her body breaking, and the Empty.
"Cas," she whispered, her eyes flying open. And there he was, just as she had hoped – whole, and alive, and real.
"Ember," he said, and he hugged her, lifting her to her feet.
They were in the middle of a large field, what must've been miles from civilization.
"We made it!" Ember said, letting out a yell of relief. Castiel kissed her on the mouth, and he felt real – warm, and solid.
When he set her down, her stomach growled, and he laughed. "Typical," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"Where are we?" she asked him.
"Somewhere in rural South Carolina," Castiel said, using his angel powers to sense the world around him.
Ember sighed. "When are we?"
"March 28, 2017," he said immediately. "Four forty-five in the evening."
"March?!" Ember said, alarmed. "We've been dead for three months?"
"I'm not sure how it all works," Castiel said. "But it doesn't feel that long."
Ember sighed. "Well, c'mon, let's go." She held Castiel's hand and closed her eyes.
Nothing happened.
"What the hell?!" Ember said, angrily.
Castiel put his hand on her, sensing her powers. "Your powers have reverted to what they were immediately after the Apocalypse," he explained. "To your original level."
"What!?" she exclaimed, horrified. "Why?"
"You are no longer pregnant with a half-angel, half-demon child," he reminded her. "And Lucifer is shut in the alternate reality."
"But what about after I became a demon?" Ember said. "When I – when I almost went dark side, and afterward I was able to teleport-…"
Castiel shook his head. "You don't seem to have retained residual power from the Demon Blood Bonds. This is a clean slate, in all respects, I suppose," he said. "You no longer bear the marks of pregnancy, either. My guess is that your old scars are healed, too."
He was right. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT," she said.
Castiel smiled at her. "We should be happy," he reminded her. "If this is indeed a clean slate, the angels will allow you to enter Heaven now. You may have to earn your way back again, but this won't take you long."
"I am happy," Ember said, sighing. "I just… I liked being able to teleport."
"I liked being able to fly, too," Castiel reminded her. "But it seems I was not as lucky with the clean slate."
Ember sighed. "Well, walking it is, then," she said. She went invisible, then reappeared. "Thank God," she said. "At least I still have that. I can grab some money when we get back to town, and we can be back in Kansas by tomorrow evening."
***Castiel POV***
March 28, Noon
It had been a long day. They had spent an hour or so walking back to civilization. Ember had walked into a bank, invisible, and grabbed about $600, which would be enough money until they returned to Kansas. Afterward, Ember had grabbed a meal from Wendy's, and then bought a new cell phone from the local AT&T.
Dean and Sam were excited to hear from them, of course, but Castiel could tell that Dean in particular was skeptical at best.
"Look, I don't know who you are and what you're playing at, but-…"
There was a clatter, and Castiel suspected that Sam had intercepted the phone call. Sure enough, Sam's voice said, "Look, Ember, if you really are back, we'd be… I mean…" He stopped, his voice full of emotion. "But you can understand our skepticism," he finished finally.
The rocks in the parking lot outside of the AT&T store began to shake, and Castiel realized that it was Ember venting her frustration. He put a calming hand on her shoulder, and the rocks clattered to the ground. "Jack. My – our son," she said, looking over at Castiel. "Sam, please. Is he… is he okay? Is he with you guys? And Krissy…"
Castiel could hear Dean yelling, "Don't tell her anything!"
Sam sighed. "Ember, you have to understand, until we can…"
"I know, Sam," she snapped into the receiver. "Just tell me… tell me if they're okay. If they're hurt, or… and Jack…"
"Everyone's alive," Sam said. "No one is hurt."
There was more to the story, Castiel could tell, but he could also sense that Sam was telling the truth – everyone was alive, and no one was hurt. Finally, Ember gave a sigh of relief and made arrangements to meet them at the halfway point between their locations, somewhere in southern Illinois, the following afternoon.
It wasn't until they had finally stopped at a hotel for the night that a new feeling began to creep its way into Castiel's mind. Ember had said she was going to take a shower, and left the bathroom door open.
It was what she used to do… before. Before their break-up, before his war against Metatron, before Lucifer, before Amara, before Jack. Before the Winchester brothers even knew about their relationship, back when it was just the two of them, and he was human and working at that stupid gas station in Rhode Island.
He wanted… things that he had wanted every day, ever since that last time, a few days before she had become a demon. He had never believed he could have that with her again, though - not even during the nearly two weeks they had been together before their death, when she was nearly nine months pregnant. It had been discussed, of course, and perhaps sex would have occurred had she not been about to give birth…
Still, even that conversation had occurred nearly 3 months ago, now. Being with Ember in that way seemed like it was a lifetime ago, and Lucifer had forced his way between them since then. Castiel knew that Ember had forgiven him for letting Lucifer into his vessel, and everything that had happened as a result, but this was a new step entirely.
And yet the door was left open.
Castiel paced just out of eyeshot of the bathroom. Perhaps he could look in and see – no, that wouldn't work.
What would Dean do?
Fine. Just… fine. Life was too short, even for an angel – especially for an angel in love with a half-demon.
The moment he entered the bathroom, he felt her, her eyes met his, and the look she gave him shook him, settling somewhere south of his waistline.
She had been drying herself when he entered, but as he watched she tossed aside the towel. She looked just like he remembered her, from before the pregnancy. Not that she didn't look beautiful during the pregnancy – he had wanted her just as badly then, of course. A fully sentient nephilim son had made that impossible at the time, however, so he hadn't even attempted it. He had settled for the sheer pleasure of access to her mind on a few occasions, which had been truly amazing, and far more than he deserved.
Now, however, she was naked, and she was alone, and she was his, and there was nothing between them but his clothes. His trenchcoat was off halfway across the bathroom floor, and she met him shortly after that, her hands tearing at his dress shirt and his hands cupping her naked bottom and forcing her against the wall.
She struggled again with his dress shirt and he became frustrated and simply vanished it, along with his pants. Then he was inside her, and he had barely touched her when she arched against him in her first orgasm of many (he would make sure of that).
It had been a very long time, and it was going to be a very long night.
***Ember POV***
March 29, Afternoon
The plan had been for Ember to sleep at the motel room, but that hadn't exactly happened, and neither of them were particularly upset about it. Their nighttime activites had left Ember more exhausted than ever, so Castiel drove for most of the day while Ember slept in the car, her hand resting lightly on his thigh.
Finally, they reached the assigned meeting place for ditching their stolen car and hooking up with the Winchesters, a cross-street in southern Illinois. Ember already had the silver knife ready, along with holy water cut with salt. She knew the boys hadn't believed her over the phone.
"Cas, is that really you?" asked Dean, stepping away from the Impala once Ember had finished the "salt-silver-holy water" process. "Em… Ember?"
Ember smiled, running to hug first Dean, and then Sam.
"You – you died," said Sam. "Both of you. We-…"
"We were dead," said Castiel. "But then I… annoyed an ancient cosmic being so much that he sent us back."
"I don't even know what to say," Sam said, his large body still draped around Ember's.
"I do," said Dean, embracing Castiel. "Welcome home, pal."
"Where were you?" Sam asked. "In Heaven?"
"No," Castiel answered as Sam disentangled himself from Ember to hug Castiel. "No, I was in the Empty."
"Really?" Dean asked, helping Ember into the back of the Impala.
"Apparently, it's where angels and demons go when they die. And Ember… you know they wouldn't let her go to Heaven after…" He shrugged apologetically.
"What was it like?"
"Well, it's dark and...nothing," Castiel answered. "It's like...nothing. I was sleeping, and then I heard a voice that said my name, and I woke up. I thought you… had done something."
"No, we… we didn't even think we could bring you back," said Dean in surprise. Castiel and Ember shared a significant look.
"So who was it?" asked Sam. "Chuck – uh, God?"
"No," said Ember.
"No, he has no power in the Empty," confirmed Castiel.
"Well, then, who does?" asked Dean.
Jack.
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
Sam and Dean spent the next several hours explaining to Ember and Castiel everything that had happened since they had died. Ember was relieved to find out that Sam and Dean had taken in Jack, and had also continued to look after Krissy. She couldn't have been more proud, and she could tell that Castiel felt the same. Jack was turning into a good person, even though Ember and Castiel hadn't been there for the first three months of his life.
So much had happened, though. Asmodeus, and Jack's first hunting trip, and the use of his powers… it was all too much, too fast, and Ember felt a whirlwind of emotions.
Ember had been gone for three months before, of course, when she had been a demon, but never like this. Never before had she left her children and the brothers in such a precarious situation, not to mention the half-demon, half-angel child that was waiting at home. Ember spent much of the car ride home catching up with Krissy by phone, and then Aidan and Josephine as well. They all agreed to meet at the bunker that evening, where Ember and Castiel would meet their son for the first time.
Ember couldn't help but notice that Krissy avoided the subject of Dean entirely and turned down Ember's offer to pass the phone to him, despite the fact that she knew he was driving the car. "Is there something going on between you and Krissy?" Ember asked Dean after she had hung up with her daughter.
"Just normal parenting stuff is all," said Dean evasively. "She's been pissed at me for the last week or so."
Sam gave another snort of laughter.
Castiel and Ember looked at each other with suspicion, but there were a million other questions to ask, and neither wanted to dwell on this one.
Finally, the four of them crossed the threshold of the bunker. Ember grabbed Castiel's hand, and he shot her a wide, unabandoned smile that made her giggle out loud.
Jack was typing at a computer in the living room when they walked in. He was engaged, and didn't look at them. "How'd your case go?" he asked distractedly. He was tall, and lanky, and reminded Ember of a younger-looking Castiel. The brothers had warned her that he had been born a teenager, but Ember still felt a pang of guilt for the time with him that she had lost.
"Well…" said Dean.
"Jack, um…"
"What's wrong?" asked Jack, swiveling around, his eyes wide. He was truly beautiful, Ember thought, and Castiel squeezed her hand as they stepped out of the shadows. His resemblance to Castiel – both to Castiel's vessel and to Castiel's grace, which Ember could recognize – was uncanny. There was no doubt now, Ember thought, as to the boy's father.
"Hello, Jack," Castiel said.
Jack's eyes had shot wide. "F-father? Mother?"
Ember nodded and smiled.
"No," Jack said wonderously. "We burned your body, and what's burned stays dead. How..."
"Well, that's the question we've been askin'," said Dean.
"Jack… did you, uh… Did you bring Cas back?"
Jack considered, and Ember was struck by how much his contemplative look looked like Castiel's. "I don't know. I wanted you back. I… begged for you to come back, but..."
"Well, here they are," said Dean.
"Because of me?" Jack said, looking at Sam. Ember understood that Sam had been like Jack's father these past few months, and she felt again a pang of regret for the time she had missed with him. She also smiled fondly, because she'd never seen the look on Sam's face before – one of fatherly affection. He seemed softer, somehow, than he had been the last time she had seen him. She wondered if that was because of Jack, Eileen, or both.
"We don't know," Sam admitted. "We don't know, Jack. But we– we– we think maybe."
"Thank you, Jack," said Castiel solemnly. They stared at each other for a second, and then Jack came over and embraced the two of them, without preamble. Ember lost herself in the hug – finally, her son.
"I missed you so much," Jack said.
"Sam and Dean tell me you're doing well," Castiel said, but he couldn't keep his own affection out of his voice.
"I am," Jack said grinning. "I… Watch this."
Jack walked back to the table with the computer, and used his finger to levitate a pencil for a few seconds, then laughed.
"Wow," said Sam, with a small smile toward Ember.
"I can move the pencil," he said, looking at both of his parents for approval.
It was perfect.
***Ember POV***
March 31, Morning
Castiel and Ember spent the next two days in the bunker. Dean was receptive to them being there, and even asked them to move in. "Your house in Conway Springs isn't as safe as here is, for Jack," he pointed out. "Plus it's not like we don't have plenty of room," he added. "Stick around."
It wasn't a viable solution, however. First, Krissy was still living at the house in Conway Springs, where she attended community college. Also, despite the fact that Ember and Castiel were comfortable in their friendship with Dean and vice versa, continuing to live at his house was a different matter entirely. Ember had a feeling that Dean had offered the bunker out of his happiness that they were alive, but that a long-term stay might bring complications she didn't want to consider.
In the end, therefore, Castiel and Dean decided to move back to the home in Conway Springs, and Jack (like Krissy) spent his time in both places.
Dean nodded. "Krissy comes on the weekends usually," he said when this plan was initially discussed. "Maybe Jack should do the opposite." He shot a significant look at Jack that Ember didn't miss.
"Well, hopefully I'll be able to teach him how to fly," said Castiel. "After that it won't be an issue, I suppose, and he can come and go as he pleases. He's like Ember – he's half-angel and half-demon, so normal warding won't apply."
"Okay," said Dean. "Are you sure you don't want Krissy to come to the bunker for the weekend? Give you some time with just the two of you and Jack?"
"No," Ember said, confused. "I want to spend time with all of my children."
"Yeah, no, that's fine," Dean grumbled removing a flask from his pocket. "That's fine."
***Castiel POV***
March 31, Evening
Their first day back at Conway Springs was a Thursday. Sam had warned Castiel and Ember that Jack was unsure of his powers and hesitant to use them, so Castiel was very cautious when approaching the subject.
"I've always found cars to be cramped and uncomfortable," he said as the three of them drove back to Conway Springs.
Jack nodded thoughtfully. "They're okay, I suppose," he said. "I like the scenery."
"It's nothing like flying though," Castiel said. "I miss flying very much."
"Why… why can't you fly?" asked Jack. "If… if you don't mind me asking. I know your wings are damaged…"
Ember said nothing, but reached out to take Castiel's hand with her right hand while keeping her left hand on the wheel.
"I followed the advice of a mad angel," Castiel said. "And I made a poor decision. It cost me a great deal, including my wings."
Jack looked as though he regretted asking, and fell silent. Just when he looked as though he would let the subject drop, Castiel said, "But I still remember how to fly. Jack, would you like me to teach you how to fly? It's much easier than using our magic."
Jack looked at him eagerly. "I've done it a couple of times," he admitted. "I just… don't know how I did it."
Castiel smiled at him. "We'll try tomorrow," he said. "I don't think it'll take you long to get the hang of it."
***Ember POV***
April 1, Afternoon
"It'll feel awkward, at first, but you've made it all the way across the living room," Castiel was coaching Jack.
Ember stood invisible at the door. She knew that Castiel could see her, and probably Jack, too, but she hoped that she could watch this beautiful scene without disturbing her son.
Suddenly the door slammed behind her, and Jack froze.
Krissy came into the room, suddenly, carrying her backpack. "Hi, Jack," she said, beaming at him and approaching him cautiously. "I forgot you'd be here."
Jack shot a fearful look at Krissy, turned bright red, and disappeared.
"What the hell?" Ember asked the room at large.
"I'm not sure," said Castiel. "I guess he got the hang of flying, though."
Krissy, however, looked disappointed, and then murderous. "Ask my stupid surrogate father," she said, marching away. Before she reached the door, however, she turned back toward Ember and Castiel. "I'm really glad you're back," she told them. "Just so you know." Then her look got cold again, and she added, "The standard of parenting has gone way down lately." She slammed the door with a bang.
"Jack," Castiel allowed as Ember looked around frantically, and Ember knew he was praying. "Please come back. You disappeared so suddenly. Are you okay?"
A few seconds later, Ember received a call from Jack, on Sam's phone. "I'm really sorry," he said. "I… I panicked. I can't…" Ember could hear him beginning to swallow. "I can't seem to fly back, though. Maybe… I'll just stay here tonight, and try again in the morning."
"Nonsense," said Sam's voice, stealing the phone from Jack. "Ember, I'm happy to bring him a couple of hours in your direction if one of you can meet me halfway."
"That's fine," Ember said. "But Sam, what's going on? Krissy walked in and then suddenly Jack disappeared. And then Krissy got all mad and said a bunch of choice words about Dean. What isn't everyone telling me?"
There was silence, until finally Sam sighed. "Ask the kids," he said finally. "Nothing life-threatening. I mean, Dean could've handled – well, anyway. Ask the kids."
Ember sighed, hanging up the phone after making arrangements to meet up with them in a couple of hours.
***Castiel POV***
April 1, Night
"So… what's going on between you and Dean?" asked Ember two hours later. She was driving, and Castiel was riding in the back with Jack. He had spent the first five minutes apologizing, and they had assured him that it was really fine.
Jack thought for a second and said, "He's angry because of Asian twins."
"Asian twins, huh?" Ember said, laughing.
"Yes," said Jack. "We went to Vegas, and there were Asian twins."
Ember and Castiel gave each other a significant look.
"I don't understand why Vegas is so popular," Jack continued. "Dean didn't seem to have a good time there."
"My guess is he enjoyed the Asian twins," Ember said. It sounded to Castiel as though she was holding back laughter.
"He was very angry when I accidentally said something about them in front of Krissy," Jack admitted.
Ember thought a moment. "Jack, that explains why Krissy is mad at Dean," she said finally. "But that kind of thing shouldn't make her that angry. Krissy's stubborn, but it's been over a week. And… it also doesn't explain why you panicked earlier and ended up back at the bunker."
Jack contemplated his answer, then sighed, looking carefully at Ember. "I… I kissed her."
Castiel felt the car careen to the side dangerously, but Ember regained control before they plowed into a ravine.
There was silence for a minute, and then Ember said, "Oh. Well, that explains it then."
There was another pause, and then Ember asked, "How did Dean find out?"
"He walked in on us," Jack admitted.
"Oh," said Ember again.
"Well, that definitely explains it," said Castiel.
Jack said hurriedly, "But I didn't know that kissing could lead to sex, and sex could lead to babies, and babies are dangerous for me to have. And that's how you died, and I'm sorry. Sam says it's fine, because I was just a baby, and I couldn't control it, but Dean still blames me for it, I think. And I don't want Krissy to die, and I had no idea!"
Castiel noticed with alarm that his son's face was screwed up in determination, as though daring his parents to be angry with him. Despite this, a tear was trailing down his cheek, belying his true feelings about the situation.
Ember pulled over into a parking lot.
"What are you doing?" asked Castiel.
"We're going to have a long talk, and I can't do it while driving," she said. Then she sighed. "I didn't really think this conversation would come into play for at least another fifteen or twenty years, but there you go."
Castiel nodded. "I will be honest, the necessity for this conversation never occurred to me when I thought about how I would be as a father. But I think that it's long overdue."
It was four hours later before they finally got home.
***Sam POV***
April 2nd, Daytime
Sam answered the phone. He was glad to see Ember's name on his phone again. He had missed her. Perhaps Dean was right – it was the "win" they had needed.
"Hello," he said, smiling.
"'Kissing can lead to sex and sex can lead to babies?'" Ember quoted.
Sam groaned. "So I guess the kids told you about the whole kissing debacle?" He wondered how much trouble he was in. He had done his best… he had certainly done better than Dean, anyway.
But Ember was laughing. "Yeah, Jack told me," she said. "Look, Sam, I wanted to thank you again, for… God, everything. You've basically raised him for the past three months, and I know it wasn't easy. And it sounds like Dean was making it worse…"
Sam sighed. "Don't be too hard on Dean, Ember," Sam said. "It's been really difficult for him, with you gone, and Cas gone, and Mom gone, and… it's been all I can do to keep him from walking into danger and getting himself killed half the time, much less Jack."
"I know how Dean can be," Ember said. "I just wanted you to know that I really, really owe you one."
"No, you don't," said Sam. "Consider it repayment, for convincing me to track down Eileen. She's…" Sam sighed. "She's the reason I stay sane, sometimes."
He had a feeling Ember was smiling into the phone. "I'm so glad, Sam."
There was a pause. "So, did you… I don't know, have 'the talk?'" Sam asked finally.
"Yeah, we got it figured out," said Ember. "I sat both of them down individually. I explained to Krissy where Dean was coming from. She's not going to apologize, of course – it is Krissy, after all – but she's promised to stop making snide comments and ignoring him. And I told Jack that avoiding getting into a relationship with her didn't necessarily mean running out of the room every time he sees her."
Sam smiled. "Good," he said. "It's been a bit awkward and over-the-top this past week."
"I probably will send Jack to the bunker sometimes, though," added Ember. "Just so it'll be easier for both of them. And… because he really seems to have a lot of respect for you, Sam. I really can't thank you enough."
"Good," Sam said. He only now realized how much he had been afraid of losing the boy, now that Ember and Castiel were back in the picture. Dean had Krissy, who had become like a surrogate daughter to him during the time him and Ember had been together. But Jack had become almost like his son.
Honestly, he liked it more than he thought he would. He had always assumed Eileen didn't want children, but perhaps they should discuss it.