Author's Note: Back to the main plot... I added this plot twist because I love the idea that Cas and Jack both have wings and they fly around together. I can find ways around Castiel flying, if I don't want him to be OP, easy enough. I am perfectly capable of what the actors reportedly call "pulling the thread," and then winding it back together in a way that works (I hope). I did save Kaia... I'm hopeless with this whole saving thing, but I needed a party atmosphere for Jo and Dean to get together, and so I needed to keep her alive. Still ultimately killed Bobby and Ellen, though, so at least I'm consistent there.
Please review! I don't own Supernatural.
***Sam POV***
November 25th
TWO WEEKS LATER
No research had unearthed a way to bring Mary and Jack back from the other universe.
Kaia tried her best to dream-walk to anywhere but the Bad Place without Jack's help, but she was unable. One night, she awakened with a particularly bloody scratch across her back, and Jody wasted no time driving her to Ember and Castiel's house.
Dean and Sam met her there, and Castiel spent over an hour searching through her mind. "I can't help you open up pathways to other universes," he admitted finally. "That's not within an angel's power, not even an archangel. Only Jack can do that."
"Then there's no point in me having these dreams," said Kaia, looking up at Castiel imploringly. "Please. Just make them go away."
Sam looked at Dean, then back at Castiel and Kaia. "Can you do that, Cas? Wall up her mind permanently, so she can't dream about the Bad Place?"
Castiel sighed. "I can do my best," he said. "I can put a… a dam, if you will, in place, so that her subconscious knows not to go there, even in her dreams. Perhaps when Jack returns, he can help her further."
Nobody suggested that Jack might never return. Dean looked unhappy, but he raised no objections to Castiel's solution.
It was days like this when Sam was most thankful for Eileen, as she kept him sane. Most of the time it was all he could do not to ignore the thought that Eileen would surely leave him, too; if she didn't die prematurely, she would surely leave once she realized how permanently damaged his psyche was.
He tried to imagine what Ember would have said. "Eileen's damaged, too. That's why she never stays for more than a few days at a time between hunting trips. That's why despite the fact that you've dated for almost a year now, you still haven't discussed the future past possibly moving in here. That's why even though you know she'll say yes, you're still scared shitless to propose."
But Ember was gone, too. The white face of his long-time best friend still stared at him, sleeping peacefully, each time he went over to her house. Ironically, everyone had started to call it "Castiel's house" or "the kids' house", because Ember was no longer an active resident.
The longer time went on, Sam began to wonder which was more impossible: curing a half-demon, or finding another rift to Apocalypse World.
***Dean POV***
ONE MONTH LATER
December 26, Morning
Christmas came and went. Sam and Eileen had planned to go to Florida on vacation, which, to his knowledge, was both of their first vacations ever. Sam had worried that Dean would be lonely with just himself and possibly the children, however, and repeatedly announced that he planned to back out of the trip. Finally, however, Jo had agreed to visit for a couple of nights starting the 22nd, which allowed Sam the freedom to accept Dean shooing him out the door.
Dean and Jo had had two very good nights of amazing sex and talking, and then she had taken off again, back to Greece for a few days. She'd invited him to go with her, but he'd already made plans to host Krissy for the holidays, as well as Aidan (Josephine was staying with a boyfriend).
Christmas itself was a bit lonely, but admittedly not the worst Christmas he'd ever had (especially if you counted the ones he'd spent in Hell). Sam called him to say that he and Eileen had gotten engaged, and the children surprised him by pooling their money to buy him a new pistol. They spent a good afternoon in target practice.
Finally, the day after Christmas, Castiel showed up on the doorstep to the bunker. "Dean. I have news," he said, "and you're not going to like it."
"About Ember?" Krissy demanded.
"Yes," Castiel agreed, walking into the bunker without being asked. His trenchcoat was caked in snow, and he took the time to hang it up for once.
"I've now managed to look through every book I know exists, both in Heaven and in Hell," he said. "And I only found this one thing." He opened a large tome and placed it delicately on the table. It was well-worn and yellowed, and yet dust flew out of it.
"That's in Enochian, Cas," Dean reminded him. "I can't read that."
"I can," said Krissy. "He's been teaching me."
Castiel smiled at her, though it was obviously forced. "Give it a shot?"
"Yeah, okay," said Krissy, bending over the large book. "Of the curing of half-demons, no one learns… no, that can't be right."
"Knows," offered Castiel. "No one knows."
"Right," said Krissy, putting her tongue between her teeth in concentration. "No one knows more than Lucifer, the father of demons."
"I don't like where this is going," said Dean.
"Neither do I," said Castiel. "But I'll do anything. And I need your help."
***Castiel POV***
January 2, Night
ONE WEEK LATER
"You need to go around to the side, Dean," said Castiel. "Lucifer's in the back, toward the left."
Dean sighed, driving the Impala around the building.
"Are you here yet?" asked Lucifer inside Castiel's head.
"We're here," Castiel answered as the group inside the Impala filed out into the overgrown shrubbery to the left of the building. Sheriff Jody Mills and Claire followed behind them in Jody's sheriff car, eager to help. Castiel felt grateful that such a large group of people had answered his call for such an important (if detestable) rescue mission.
"Good. It's about time. Father built this world faster than this rescue," Lucifer said irritably.
"I'm already starting to regret this," Castiel fired back.
"Okay," said Dean, looking around at the group of them. Sam held hands with Eileen, a shiny new silver ring on her hand. Krissy and Claire looked nervous but ready. Dean and Jody were looking determined. "Remember, we've only got one shot at this. Wait until the smoke clears, then run in on my command. Kris, are you ready?"
"Yes," Krissy said with the widest grin Castiel had ever seen.
The group waited.
Dean looked crossly at Krissy. "We stop a mile down the road, tops, and switch."
"Fine," she said, still grinning.
The group kept waiting.
Finally, Dean sighed. "You scratch her, you die, family or not," he said, handing over the keys to his precious Impala.
"Thanks!" Krissy said, and bounded toward Baby, grinning from ear to ear.
A few minutes later, they heard the echoing BOOM of the grenade launcher on the other side of the building. "There's the diversion shot," Dean said. They listened for another moment, then heard a second loud BOOM, this time shot by Eileen.
"Okay," Dean said. "One… two… three… GO! Go now!"
As one, Dean, Sam, Claire, Jody, and Castiel ran toward the building.
Three demons met them immediately, all of which were finished off by a demon bomb. "Straight on ahead!" shouted Castiel at the rest of them, pointing down the hallway toward Lucifer's cage.
There were another three demons coming down the hall, but these were more staggered. Sam got one of them with the demon knife, Krissy shot one in the leg, and Claire engaged in combat with the third until Jody slit his throat. Sam finished off both of these with the knife before they could recover.
"Split!" yelled Dean, and they all ran different directions. Claire and Jody, who had fought as a team before, headed back to the entrance in case any demons doubled back around. Sam and Dean ran forward to head off anything that came down the hall from the other way… in particular, anything that came up out of Hell.
Castiel's job was more specific.
"Welcome to the party!" said Lucifer when he came to a stop in front of his cage. "Hope you brought-…"
"Put these on!" yelled Castiel, tossing a pair of warded handcuffs through the bars.
"Do we really have to-…"
"We're all fighting to rescue you, you ass," snapped Castiel. "Now put the damn cuffs on!"
Someone screamed from down the hall.
"Fine, just trying to have a little fun," Lucifer grumbled. He put one cuff over his left hand and used the left hand to attach the right cuff.
Castiel smited a demon that had broken through either Jody and Claire or Dean and Sam. There was another scream, and an "oof" noise from down the hallway. "Hurry up!" Dean yelled. "We can't hold them off much longer!"
"Now, duck!" yelled Castiel.
"What?" said Lucifer, confused, but Castiel had already attached the small explosive device to his cell. "Hey, wa-…"
BOOM! Castiel had shielded himself as well as he could, but Lucifer had taken a good portion of the blast. His handcuffs were in tact, but a long piece of the wall was now sticking clear through his stomach, and there was a large chunk missing from his thigh.
Castiel was hurt, too: he could feel the trickle of blood coming from his head, and there was a large gash on his leg as well.
"Time to go!" Castiel yelled, and he heard Sam and Dean retreating toward them down the hallway in response.
"Let's go," he repeated, grabbing Lucifer's arm, slippery with blood, and dragging him toward the gaping hole left by Dean's grenade launcher.
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
Two miles down the road, the large group regrouped. Eileen and Krissy were the only ones with no injuries, as they had been driving the getaway cars. Krissy was still grinning from the rush of getting to shoot a grenade launcher and drive the Impala.
Everyone else had various injuries. Sam had done fairly well, with only a few bumps and bruises. Jody's eye was swollen shut, and Dean had a dislocated shoulder and a gunshot wound in his thigh. Claire's ankle was broken. Castiel healed them all easily, but Lucifer's injuries were more difficult.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when you contacted me about a rescue," Lucifer snapped at them.
"Bite me," said Krissy.
"Yeah, well, you got blood on the Impala," snapped Dean.
"Big words for such a young child," Lucifer taunted at Krissy.
"Shut up, or I'll give you more injuries to whine about," said Castiel, effectively ending the conversation. He concentrated, and healed the wound in Lucifer's stomach left by the large piece of wall. "The rest aren't so bad," Castiel snapped. "You'll live, even without use of your healing powers."
"I suppose I should be thankful," snapped Lucifer.
***Castiel POV***
January 3, Morning
"Okay," Castiel said. "You promised us you had a solution."
They were in an abandoned warehouse in a rural part of Kansas. ("If Ember awakens and realizes we let Lucifer in her home, she'll kill us, demon or not," Sam had pointed out, and Castiel knew he was right.) Ember lay comfortably on a long table, sleeping soundly, while Castiel, Dean, Sam, Eileen, Krissy, Jody, and Claire stood around her.
"Wwwhhhhhy?" Lucifer whined. "I mean, she's perfect the way she is!"
"She's a demon the way she is," Castiel pointed out.
"Yeah, a very powerful one!" Lucifer shot back. "Think of all the ways she could-…"
"Turn her back. NOW," Dean said, and he shot Lucifer in the foot.
"Ow!" Lucifer said, shaking his foot. It was bleeding a little bit, though not as much as perhaps it should have. "Guns actually hurt me while I have these handcuffs on, you know!"
"Not seeing a down side here," Dean said.
"Fine, geez!" said Lucifer. "Okay, look. So, the more bad you do, the more you go demon."
"Tell us something we don't know," snapped Castiel.
"The same's true the other way around," Lucifer finished, looking at them as though they should have realized this.
"So, what, if she does something righteous she can gain control of her demon powers again?" scoffed Sam derisively.
"Well, 'righteous' has a lot of definitions," Lucifer started. Seeing their serious expressions, however, he added finally, "but yes, an extremely righteous or selfless act would restore control. Though that would truly be a wa-…"
"How can she do that?" asked Eileen, cutting him off. "Right now her demon side is in control."
"Not necessarily," said Lucifer, looking at Castiel.
"When I put her to sleep, she was still fighting against it," Castiel confirmed. "She's in a sort of… stasis. But I'm not sure if she can hold on that long!" he finished, rounding on Lucifer. "We kept our end of the bargain. Give us a better solution."
"I promised you a solution, not a miracle," said Lucifer. "The way I've explained to you is the only way. Although, if you let me out of the handcuffs, I could make sure she could better control-…"
"Over my dead body," snapped Castiel.
"Over my dead body," mocked Lucifer.
"Okay," said Dean, taking control. Castiel was glad, as he was strongly considering stabbing Lucifer with his angel blade. They might still need him if something went wrong with Ember.
"Say this actually works," said Dean. "Say she wakes up, and she hasn't gone completely dark side yet. What should we tell her to do?"
"Whatever she wants," said Lucifer, looking unconcerned. "She's a half-demon with full use of her powers. She can, I don't know, rob a bank and teleport to Africa and make it rain." He mimed the throwing of money. "Or, I don't know, exorcise all the demons in the south Pacific. Whatever you guys would do in your wildest do-gooder dreams, if you had her powers."
Sam sighed. "Okay," he said, resigned. "Well, somebody will have to watch Lucifer. If she sees him…"
Sam trailed off, but Castiel agreed. It wouldn't do for Ember to see Lucifer out of his cage, not while she was going through this process.
"Jody, Eileen, Claire, and Krissy… you guys watch Lucifer," said Dean. "The rest of us-…"
"No," snapped Krissy.
"Kris," began Sam calmly.
"She's my mother," said Krissy. "I know you don't want me to see her if this goes bad. But if anything will calm her demon side, it'll be me."
Sam and Dean looked at the Krissy, considering her. "Dude, she's right," Sam said softly.
"Fine," Dean said, agreeing. "Jody, Claire, Eileen…"
The three that Dean had indicated left with Lucifer in tow. When they were far out of sight, Castiel spoke softly. "OK. I'll say the incantation, and then… and then we'll explain the situation as best we can. Worst case scenario…" He stopped.
"Worst case scenario, you can send her back to sleep again," said Dean. "I've already given Rowena a call."
Castiel nodded. "Okay, then," he said, sighing. He put his hands on Ember's head. It was blank. "One… two… three… Exsomnis vigil."
Ember awoke with a start. Castiel could see into her mind, and it was full of murder, and death. "Cas!" she shouted, latching onto him. "Cas, I can't-…"
Then she spotted Krissy, Dean, and Sam, and a look of anguish came onto her face. "Please help me," she said, and she seemed to sink into herself. The evil thoughts had receded somewhat, but Castiel could tell she was still barely holding them at bay.
"We've found a way," Dean said, speaking softly. "You have to tap into your powers and use them for good."
"Just think of the most kind thing you've ever wanted to do," Sam said. "But it can't involve murder, or anything evil. It can negate the demon part of you, force it back down like it was before."
Castiel could tell she was trying. A million scenarios flashed through her mind. Most of them were still of murder, and death, but there were other scenarios that Ember forced to the surface: feeding the hungry, exorcising demons, saving innocent souls in Hell…
Suddenly the door crashed open. "Hey, everyone!" Lucifer said. He was still wearing his handcuffs, rope trailing from one foot, and blood coming steadily from a new gash in his arm.
"I tried to stop him!" shouted Claire, tears in her eyes. One eye was particularly puffy, and it was obvious that Lucifer had punched her in his attempt to get away. Jody was just behind her, also running.
At once, the room turned to see Ember's reaction. Her eyes lit up, first with anger, then with an idea. Just as she thought of an idea, however, her mind went completely blank. Castiel realized with horror that she had shut him out. Her mind was more powerful than his, now, and she was blocking his access.
Still, Ember allowed Castiel to keep his hand on her shoulder as she made her steady progression across the room toward Lucifer. Lucifer looked just the tiniest bit scared as he looked into her dangerous brown eyes, and the thought caused Castiel to hope that she killed him. At least, perhaps, something good would come out of this… maybe. There was so much anger and hatred in her eyes…
"I was thinking," said Lucifer when Ember stopped in front of him. "I'm the Father of demons, you're a demon now…" he shrugged. "So?"
The room took a breath. Everyone had drawn weapons, except for Castiel, and they were all poised to strike.
Ember looked at Lucifer, long and hard, as if considering him. Her eyes flared with anger, but she smiled. "Nah," she said. Then, very slowly, she put her hand very firmly around Lucifer's wrist. Lucifer's eyes widened.
What was happening? Ember was powerful now, and Lucifer was warded… could she kill him? If she did, would that be considered a righteous act, or would it be her final fall to her demon side? Castiel was sure it would be her final fall to her demon side.
Then Lucifer was screaming, a loud, blood-curdling scream. "Ember, no!" Castiel screamed. "You can't-…" Dean started forward, but he was repelled by Ember, and stopped at a seemingly invisible wall.
And then the pain started. At some point Ember's other hand had latched onto Castiel's wrist. The pain was horrible, like nothing he had ever imagined. It was worse than torture, worse than the Fall, worse than everything. Someone was screaming, and he was sure it was him…
But there was something new. Through the pain, he could feel them. His wings were… changing. They were growing. She was… she couldn't be! She was!
Castiel forced his eyes open. As he watched in horror, Lucifer's handcuffs popped off. He was screaming, writhing on the ground now, as she siphoned what little power he had left and poured it into Castiel. In contrast, Castiel felt rooted to the spot. He watched, in the early morning glow of shadows on the wall of the abandoned warehouse, as his wings grew slowly to their former glory.
Then everything went black.