MORE AUTHOR'S NOTES THAN YOU'VE HAD IN AN EON:

OK so first of all, anybody coming back to my story, thanks again for your continued support.

So remember that in this version Cas has been given his wings back. I get that Cas was OP and so they had to knock him down a few pegs (i.e., "make him a wuss," in Misha's own words) in the show, but I really think they could've written around his wings. It is really NOT that hard.

Second, I'm glad I went on hiatus for awhile, because it literally took me the entire season to figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter alone. I got tired of writing a chapter and then three episodes down the line having to re-write it because something later effected what I would've done with something earlier. So it was easier just to wait until the full Season 14 was out on Netflix and then decide what I wanted to do.

Third, I was devastated to hear that Supernatural is coming into its last Season. But, this has been such a big part of my life, and most of yours, and I can't begrudge the guys some time with their families.

Finally, the fight here is quite a bit different than the one that went down in the TV show. Part if it is because in this version Jack is Ember and Cas' son, and part of it is because a lot of people, including Jensen himself, hated how the Michael vs. Lucifer battle went down. I hope it's appropriately climactic here. I felt like at the very least they should've slammed each other into buildings like Neo and Mr. Smith in the Matrix.

I don't own Supernatural. I'm glad, because if I owned Supernatural (as I said in another fic), I'd have to be the one to decide whether or not the phenomenon that is Destiel is going to "shit or get off the pot" within the next year. I don't feel sorry for the bastard who gets the headache that that decision is going to come with. (Because regardless of which direction that decision goes, you can bet that there WILL be a headache, as the fandom is pretty divided over it.)

***Sam POV***

May and June

ONE MONTH LATER

The past month had been bliss.

Finally, Jack was back, and Mary as well, and even Bobby. Sam was happy to have his mother and Bobby back, though he had to repeatedly remind himself that this wasn't his Bobby, not really.

Both Mary and Bobby had busied themselves with ingratiating the survivors into the community. Of the twenty survivors that had made it through the rift, twelve still remained living at the bunker. The rest had moved out into the community, as had Mary and Bobby. They all remained close, however, and the bunker continued to be the central hub of Apocalypse World refugee business.

Sam had taken up the role of their leader, along with Bobby. Though Bobby was older and had known the refugees longer, Sam was of course more familiar with this world, and so the refugees relied on him for information about technology as well as networks and connections. They had taken to calling him "Chief", which he was not entirely sure he liked. He organized hunts and technical support, though he was training Bobby as quickly as he could to help out.

"FDI?" Bobby said, picking up the phone one day in late May under Sam's watchful eye.

"FBI," Sam whispered.

"Riley, what are you doing calling this number, you're supposed to be on that rugaru case?" Bobby asked into the phone. "Well, yes, that's because Sam and I are both here using this phone instead… No, Riley, this number is for when cops want to make sure we have official credentials… Yes, hunting angels was easier sometimes… yes, you have to kill it with fire. Well, only if you knife it through the brain with a demon knife, and seeing as you don't have one... okay then."

By the time Bobby hung up, Sam was laughing. "What?" the older man asked.

"Nothing," Sam said, smiling. "It's just… you're the one who taught us to do all this. You know, answer the phones and consult on different cases… it used to be your job, the other you. It's sort of… gone full circle."

Something in Bobby's face shifted, and he shook his head. "It wasn't me, though. This world you got here… it's better, but it sure as hell is confusing." Then he smiled. "Gotta learn, though. We've all got a lot to learn."

Dean, in contrast to Sam, had no desire to organize hunts. Overall, he seemed happier than he had been in quite some time – he had Jo, and his mother was safely back from the alternate universe, and all of the people he loved were safe.

Still, Sam noticed that although Dean got along with the newcomers in the bunker, he avoided them whenever possible. When he could, he took a case, either with Sam if he was available, with Jo, or even with Castiel.

If none of those three were available, Dean was often accompanied on hunting trips by Krissy, who was on summer break from college.

At first, Krissy's continued attendance in college was an on-going condition of Dean's and Ember's support for her hunting expeditions. Now, however, Krissy was rapidly approaching the age of 21, and she had been on enough hunting trips to be thankful for the tutelage of her pseudo-parents rather than begrudging. She was majoring in Religious Studies, though they joked that she was also earning a minor in "convincing Cas to help with homework." She had an eye for languages, and was earning minors in Latin, Spanish, and Chinese.

Occasionally, Jack would assist Krissy with her homework or with hunts. Sam was keeping a close eye on the situation between Jack and Krissy. He still caught them staring at each other when the other wasn't looking, but overall they had fallen into a somewhat awkward friendship. Krissy had a boyfriend at the moment, a boy she had met in college. Though Sam doubted it would last, it gave him momentary relief.

Jack split his time between the bunker in Lebanon and Ember's home in Conway Springs, and Sam couldn't ever remember seeing Ember and Castiel happier. Though Castiel lamented the loss of his brother, the return of his son was an infinite relief. Though the four of them (Ember, Castiel, Krissy, and Jack) technically lived four hours away, they were still at the bunker on an almost daily basis, flown back and forth by an all-too-willing Jack or Castiel.

Sam married Eileen Leahy on June 2nd. Dean was the best man, of course, and Castiel served as both groomsman and priest. Ember and Jo were bridesmaids.

It was a small wedding, held in a small park. There were only the 20 survivors and about 20 other individuals in attendance.

"So, are you gonna pop out a couple of kids now?" Dean asked Sam, trying to look as though the answer were inconsequential.

Sam was exhausted, but happy. He surveyed the scene. It was the end of the reception, and many of the guests had already left. Ember and Castiel were dancing unabashedly. A small delegation sat at a table nearby talking in hushed voices, including Jack, Krissy, Donna, and two of the survivors. Jo and Claire were having a long discussion that seemed to involve a lot of gesturing, laughing, and, at one point, a stabbing motion. Eileen had gone somewhere to change out of her wedding dress.

"Dude, we haven't even talked about that," Sam admitted. "I mean… we want kids. But we're not in a hurry." He took a sip of his beer and laid back lazily in his lawn chair. "Frankly, I'm still having trouble believing we made it through this wedding without another damn catastrophe."

"Me too," Dean admitted. "I feel like any second another archangel or demon is going to jump out of the bushes."

Sam sighed. "Maybe we've been hunting for too long, Dean," he said, taking a long swig of his beer.

"Of course we've been hunting too long," Dean agreed.

Dean turned to his brother, appeared to open his mouth, then stopped and took another swig of his beer.

"What?" asked Sam, raising his eyebrows.

Dean put his beer down slowly. "Do you remember when you asked if we could stop it? All the evil in the world?"

Sam looked at his brother, surprised. "Yeah," he said.

"You asked if I thought we could ever… really change things," Dean said thoughtfully. "Well… maybe with Jack, we can."

Sam thought about his brothers' words. It was true, Jack had been making hunts go easily for the group of them over the past few weeks. There hadn't been a single casualty, despite several near misses. All of the survivors knew to pray to Jack if they were in dire need, and he had saved quite a few of them.

"Maybe you're right," Sam said. "But then what will we do?"

Dean gestured at the wedding around him. "You can pop out a couple of kids, I suppose."

Sam thought about it for a moment. A young girl or boy with Eileen's smile and hair…

He shook his head. Those thoughts only led to disappointment. It had been a miracle that Sam and Eileen had both made it to the wedding, both physically and mentally, and with neither of them running for the hills due to their fear of attachments. "Dude, we're not really planning on…"

"I know," said Dean, nodding. "But still… you'll have the option. And as for me…" He raised his beer and toasted it toward the darkening sky. "A whole lot of this. But on a beach somewhere, you know? Can you imagine? The group of us somewhere, toes in the sand, a couple of those little umbrella drinks. Matching Hawaiian shirts, obviously. Some hula girls."

Sam scoffed. "Wait, you're really talking about retiring? You?"

"If I knew the world was safe? Hell, yeah!" Dean exclaimed, and the jocularity had left his voice. He was serious now. "And you know why? 'Cause we freaking earned it, man."

Sam smiled, holding up his beer as Eileen came toward him wearing a pair of jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. "I'll drink to that."

***Ember POV***

June 2

Ember smiled against Castiel's chest, caught in the dance. Jack was safe… their son was finally safe. He was currently in a deep conversation with Krissy, Donna, and a few of the other refugees from the Apocalypse World.

All was well.

"What do you think about getting married?" asked Castiel's gruff voice in her ear. A shot of adrenaline coursed down Ember's spine, making her freeze where she stood.

"Are… are you…" She swallowed. "I think… I think it would be good idea… eventually," she said carefully.

"It never occurred to me, until recently," Castiel said, stepping backward and holding Ember away from him so that she could see his face. "But that's how humans do it, isn't it?"

Ember chose her words wisely. "Typically the male picks a really romantic moment, that is not someone else's wedding, and gets down on one knee with the ring and proposes. And then yes, that's how humans do it."

Castiel appeared to think about this briefly, then nodded and pulled Ember close again. Once more they began to step to the music. "I'll keep that in mind," he said.

Then he added, "Metatron showed me all of pop culture, but sometimes I forget how to apply it."

"I know," said Ember, smiling against his chest.

"For angels… for me, it's different," Castiel continued, as though struggling to explain himself. "There's never been a question as to whether or not I'll love you forever, or whether or not I'll be committed to you forever."

"I know," said Ember again.

***Ember POV***

June 19

TWO WEEKS LATER

Over the past ten years, Ember's power had fluctuated. Normally, at her base level of power, she was only able to move small objects with her mind, but not humans and animals. Her power was tied tightly with Lucifer's, however, due to her being Azazel's daughter. Therefore, her power had increased exponentially with his return during the Apocalypse, though it had returned to baseline immediately afterward.

When Ember had been a victim of the Blood Bond with first Dean and then Castiel, she had mirrored their power levels and drawn on and strengthened her demon side. As a result, she had gained some extra strength, including the power of teleportation. When she had been pregnant, Jack's powers had amplified her own until she was stronger than she had ever been. When she had been reborn, her powers had returned to baseline. When Lucifer had come back to this side of the rift, her powers had once again increased, then decreased again when he had been trapped in the Apocalypse World.

Since then, each morning and each evening, Ember had completed a "power check." She had never told Castiel or anyone else that she did this, but she felt that she ought to be prepared if Lucifer ever returned somehow.

More than two months after Sam trapped Lucifer in the other world, Ember began to wonder if she was being silly. Perhaps she was jumping at shadows, and that was never a good thing for a hunter.

When, on the morning of June 19th, Ember accidentally managed to almost send her cat hurtling through the ceiling, she decided that perhaps she wasn't jumping at shadows after all.

"CAS!" she screamed, and he appeared a second later.

"Lucifer's back," was the first thing she said.

Castiel's face paled. "Are you sure?"

Ember nodded, hurrying to dress. "I just damn near launched Kitty out through the roof." Kitty, a stray Jack had acquired over the previous year, glared at the two of them and walked indignantly out of the room.

Castiel took Ember's hand, and a second later she was in the bunker. Castiel left, returning a second later with Krissy. "Cas! What the hell-…"

But Cas was gone again.

When he returned this time, Jack was with him, and the two of them landed on either side of Ember. Jack looked angry, angrier than Ember had seen him in months. He looked older, somehow too… with a start, Ember realized that he was ready for war.

-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-

Most of the survivors, as well as Jo and Eileen, were off on hunts. Sam had alerted Eileen (and therefore Jo, who was with her) to Lucifer's presence in the world, but had also steadfastly ignored her protests and refused to send Castiel or Jack to bring her back to the bunker.

Only Mary, Bobby, and of course Dean and Sam were present at the bunker when Ember, Castiel, Jack, and Krissy came bearing news of Lucifer. Within ten minutes or their arrival, however, the bunker was in chaos.

"All right," Dean was saying. Jody's lookin'. So far, Nada."

"Yeah, angel radio is nothing but static, which is disturbing," added Castiel.

"Great," Dean said. "Well, we'll just add that to the list."

"So what do we do now?" asked Mary.

Suddenly, a loud banging sound began, and the lights began to flicker.

"What's happening?" Krissy asked, her eyes wide. Ember, Dean, and Castiel both moved instinctively closer to her.

"What the hell is that!" Bobby exclaimed, but Ember followed Dean's and Sam's eyes up to the second floor, and she knew: the wards were breaking.

"Cas, get them out of here!" Ember exclaimed, but the angel had already grabbed Bobby, Mary, and Krissy and was gone.

She felt Castiel's hand grasp hers again just as a bright light began to shine and the second floor door began to break open. It fell into the bunker with a clatter, and in walked Lucifer, accompanied by Michael.

Ember looked at Castiel. She could tell that he wanted to teleport her away from the danger as well.

"Don't even think about it!" she thought towards him.

His face fell, and he looked at Michael. She couldn't read his mind like he could hers, but his message was evident: If you won't let me take you elsewhere, I'll move to protect you.

Ember sent a resigned nod at him. "Together."

Then, for a split second, Ember caught the murderous gleam in Jack's eyes as he moved forward, and suddenly everything was happening at once.

"You hurt my friends!" he screamed at Michael, who began yowling in pain under the onslaught of Jack's powers. "You hurt my family!"

Meanwhile, the other four of them were concentrated on Lucifer. Ember shoved with her force powers, and Castiel ran forward with his angel blade. Meanwhile both Winchester brothers were shooting at Lucifer, but nothing seemed to touch him.

"Did you really think I wouldn't get back?" he asked, flicking his fingers and sending Castiel backward toward the wall. "I knew how to get back, and Michael provided the grace. Look at us brothers, working together… for the moment." He sent a mean look at Michael, who had fallen to his knees under Jack's onslaught.

"Why all the hatred?" Lucifer continued, advancing slowly despite the hail of bullets coming toward him. "I'm not even trying to kill you at the moment! Though, admittedly, Sam, you're definitely next on my list of 'people who must die.'" He put his fingers up in quotation marks, all the while getting closer to Jack.

Ember opened her mouth to scream a warning to Jack, but instead she was suddenly flying through the air. She could feel her back protesting as she hit the back wall with a sickening crunch.

"Jack!" screamed Castiel as he attempted to right himself. Jack looked finally at Castiel, then at Lucifer. He let Michael go, and the archangel fell forward, black blood running from his eyes and nose. He wasn't dead yet, but Ember could tell he was severely drained. Jack began to edge closer to Lucifer, still keeping Michael in his vision and backing up toward Ember and Castiel.

There was a beat in which they all surveyed each other: Michael bleeding and doubled over, Lucifer next to him looking murderous, and Jack backing up to protect the Winchesters, Ember, and Castiel, none of which were doing well.

"Look all I really want… is this," Lucifer said. Unseen from his sleeve, he pulled out an archangel blade. He lunged forward with surprising grace, grabbed the front of Jack's jacket to pull him closer, and made a slice across Jack's throat.

"Noooo!" screamed Ember and Castiel both.

Lucifer opened his mouth to accept Jack's grace. And then Michael was up, staggering forward toward Lucifer like a zombie.

Ember's legs felt suddenly as though they were once again capable of movement, and she staggered upright. Similarly, Castiel, Dean, and Sam all surged toward Lucifer, Jack, and Michael.

Lucifer took one look at the situation and disappeared in a giant ball of light, never letting go of Jack's jacket. Castiel appeared to bounce backward, rebuffed from the light, while Sam was swallowed up in it.

A second later, Lucifer, Jack, and Sam were gone.

Ember looked around, and realized with a start that Castiel was gone, too.

Then, suddenly, he was back, clamping a pair of angel cuffs on a very surprised-looking Michael. "He's weak, Dean," Castiel said, business-like, in Dean's direction. "These should hold him. But you'll have to guard him."

"Cas, wait-…!" Dean protested, but a second later Ember felt the rush around her ears that she associated with angel flight. Castiel was following Jack.

-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-

Ember arrived, holding Castiel's hand, in what looked like a very old church. Lucifer stood facing Sam and Jack, who both looked tired and bloody.

Ember had barely landed with Castiel when Lucifer screamed, "You're interrupting!" The two of them were blasted backward and pinned where they fell on the floor. Ember had lost her hold on Castiel's hand when Lucifer had attacked, and she groped deftly for it, unable to move her feet in any direction.

"Look, I actually have no reason to even hate you," Lucifer said, turning to Jack. Blood covered Jack's mouth, but he looked at Lucifer with hatred burning in his eyes. "But the problem is, you're actually a Nephilim, which means that eventually, no matter how long it takes, you'll ultimately heal until your power comes back. Which means I need to kill you now."

Ember screamed, "Noooo!" and Lucifer turned in her direction. "This would've been completely different if Jack had been my son. But you-…" (Here Lucifer turned to Castiel.) "…-had to get in the way!"

Ember caught Castiel's eye just long enough to see his love, and his fear, before he was ripped away. Lucifer sent him flying toward the opposite wall, and Ember heard a sickening crack before Castiel was still.

Ember's scream was cut off as Lucifer silenced her.

"And as for you," Lucifer said, turning to Sam. "I am sick and tired of your whole stupid family." He began punching Sam after every word. "Every… stinking… one of you. But you most of all."

Ember's mouth was still open in a silent scream as Lucifer continued punching. "The age of the Winchesters is dead. There are no more angels, and soon there will be no more Winchesters.

I think I'll end all life in the universe. Remake it in my image, better than Dad ever could. I'm thinkin'... mm... fire-breathing dragons, sassy talking robots. I might give humans another chance if they know their place and worship me, 'cause I've earned it."

Suddenly, a bright light began to glow behind Lucifer. Then, miraculously, there was Dean, bathed in light, angel wings unfurling behind him. The light in the church went out, and Lucifer, Ember, and Sam all turned toward the new arrival. A sneaking suspicion was rising inside of Ember, and it made her uncomfortable, even despite her worries about Castiel and Jack.

"Dean?" Sam asked, his voice weak.

"Hiya, Sammy," said Dean with a smile.

"You let my brother in," Lucifer said, and Ember's heart dropped. How could he? But Dean was still in control, because that was definitely Dean's body language, not Michael's. Could he help? Castiel… Jack…

"Well, turns out, he and I have something in common," Dean said. He spared a glance to Castiel, and Ember's heart leapt upon realizing that Castiel was stirring, and even struggling to sit up. "We both wanna gut your ass."

He spared a glance to Sam and instructed, "Get clear." Sam nodded his understanding.

Lucifer's eyes showed his intention a second before he began running toward Dean. As he got near, Dean kicked him in the chest, sending him flying across the church.

"Aah!" Lucifer screamed.

Suddenly the weight on top of Ember seemed to lift, and she felt that her voice had been returned. She spared one more glance to note that Dean and Lucifer were captivated only with each other, and then ran toward Sam, Jack, and Castiel.

Sam and Jack had beat her to Castiel's side. Castiel was sitting up fully now, and his eyes were open.

"Cas!"

"It's… just… wing," he said, groaning. "It'll heal."

"Can you walk?" Ember asked as Castiel stood up. Across the church, Dean was flung against the wall with such force that a giant crack appeared in the wall itself where he landed.

Together, the four of them ran as fast as they could as the church began to shake, Sam helping Jack and Ember helping Castiel. They were barely out of the door of the church when they heard the unmistakeable THUD of an object colliding with one of the church's walls, causing the earth itself to shake. They kept running until they reached the nearest building, more than half of a football field away from the abandoned church.

There, Sam stopped, and the other three followed, looking backward. Half of the church seemed to have crumbled due to the fight between the two angels, though some of the wall was still standing. The large steeple had fallen right next to the church with part of the point broken off. From their vantage point, it was clear that Lucifer was gaining the upper hand, punching Dean repeatedly. Ember tried to direct her force powers to help him, but it was hopeless: she couldn't aim properly without the possibility of hitting Dean instead, and she was too far away anyway.

"Good try, Dean. I'll give you that, buddy," yelled Lucifer, his voice still clear despite the distance. The two were up in the air now, above the ruins of the giant church. "But I'm not just powerful now. I am power. And I don't need a blade to end you, pal. Bye-bye, Dean. This was actually so much easier. I should've just done this in the first place."

Ember and Castiel screamed as the white light emanated from Dean's eyes and mouth. And then they saw Sam, who must've run back to the church without them realizing. "Dean!" he screamed, and he tossed his brother the archangel blade, which Dean embedded into Lucifer's chest.

Lucifer began to scream, and bright light powered upward toward the Heavens. By the time Ember reached the brothers, Lucifer laid dead on the crumbling church floor, his outstretched wings charred and burning on either side of him.

Jack was the first to speak.

"Is he…"

"He… he's dead," Sam whispered.

"Holy crap," said Dean and Ember together.

"You did it!" exclaimed Sam.

"No," Dean said, smiling around at the group of them. "We did it."

A second later, however, Dean doubled over in pain.

"Dean?" Sam asked carefully.

"We had a deal!" Dean screamed as he struggled against an unknown enemy.

Then suddenly he stood up calmly and grinned at them.

"Michael," whispered Castiel and Sam in horror.

"Thanks for the suit," said Dean's voice.

Then he was gone.