Author's Note: I don't own Supernatural.

There will be an update next week for sure, and then I might take a few weeks' break and give myself some time to get ahead again. I'm working 50 hours a week at 2 jobs, taking a class, and studying for a license, so writing abilities are limited. But it'll be a short break!

Thanks so much those of you that have stuck with me, you know who you are! Your reviews and comments and likes and kudos are everything.

***Ember POV***

April 18

One week later, a crowd gathered at the bunker for a traditional hunter memorial in Mary's honor. Ember thought it was everything one could ask for in a hunter's funeral. Castiel even smited a man halfway through the funeral, which turned out to be a wraith that hadn't counted on an angel being present.

Afterward, Castiel took a trip to Heaven to try to gather information about Jack, but came up empty-handed. Ember was getting desperate, and had relied on Castiel more than usual to use his powers to put her to sleep, calm her dreams, and relax her.

Finally, two days after the funeral, Castiel flew Ember to the bunker for the conversation they had all been dreading: what to do about Jack.

"So, the angels - they're gonna help us?" asked Sam after Castiel and Ember had seated themselves at a table in the library.

"I was promised every effort would be made to locate Jack," said Castiel. He looked tired and worn out. Ember privately hated Castiel's trips to Heaven, both because of the emotional toll they took on Castiel and because he was unreachable during his time there.

"Oh," said Dean as he entered the room. "Heaven promised? Great. Well, we should take that to the bank."

Sam and Eileen shot each other a meaningful look. Ember didn't entirely disagree, but still glared daggers at Dean for saying it aloud.

"Jack's powers could also be a threat," Castiel explained. "It serves them to help find him."

"Yeah, about that," said Sam, hitting keys on his computer. "I've been looking for anything weird. And a university professor was found dead in his office in Ohio. His body was crystallized into a block of salt."

Ember shot Castiel a meaningful look, but he ignored it to look curiously at Sam's computer.

"Salt. Why's that sound familiar?" asked Dean.

"It's a pillar of salt," Castiel explained, finally catching Ember's eye with a look of dread and confusion. "It's Biblical. Lot's wife. Punished by Heaven."

"This guy was an atheist," said Sam. "He wrote a bunch of best-selling books trying to disprove God and Heaven."

"Made a bunch of money doing it, too," commented Eileen.

"Okay," said Dean. "So you think an angel iced him?"

"No ordinary angel could do something like that," said Castiel, returning Ember's look of worry. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Just wait. There's another," said Sam. "A few hours after the professor was killed, a lady in Texas fell into a crevice that opened up, and she was killed."

"Like a sinkhole?" asked Dean.

"That's what I thought, too," said Sam. "But a witness said it was more like 'a fissure opened under her feet then closed back up with her inside.'"

"'And the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all of the men that appertained unto Korah,'" quoted Castiel. "It's Numbers 26:10."

"This lady was a TV evangelist," said Sam. "She was under investigation for stealing thousands of dollars through fake charities."

"So either Chuck came back, which - That ain't gonna happen-…" said Dean.

"Jack," Castiel and Ember said together, and Ember held Castiel tight as though he could protect her from the anguish clawing at her.

"But why," said Eileen. "These actions are targeted. How is Jack choosing his victims?"

"He's not," Castiel said, determinedly standing up. "Heaven has found him."

***Castiel POV***

April 18

Castiel stormed Heaven like a world of righteous thunder, moving easily past his old friend Eremiel who was guarding the gates.

He found Jack with Dumah, bestowing Heaven's powers upon what appeared to be a small gang of church-goers. He did a quick assessment. In truth, though he'd have preferred to keep Jack out of the situation, Heaven did need angels desperately. He'd known Dumah would find a way to use Jack to make new angels eventually, though he'd hoped he could avoid it for as long as possible.

"Castiel, the angels... Our numbers were greatly diminished after the Fall. No one's made new angels since the dawn of creation. We're going extinct. You would need a powerful force to make more of us."

Castiel bristled. "You mean Jack. Even if he had that power, what makes you think he'd cooperate?"

"He may not have a choice," Dumah said severely.

"So you're planning to enslave him for some kind of experiment?" Castiel accused.

"Castiel, he's not your pet. He belongs to all of us."

"He's my son!" Castiel screamed at her.

At least, Castiel reasoned, Jack appeared to be doing this of his own free will, and was not in pain. Still, it could not happen like this. He didn't trust Jack or Dumah's ability to judge the humans who were made into angels, and he made a mental note to check on them later.

But there was a larger issue. Dumah hadn't told him Heaven had found Jack, and had in fact purposefully attempted to keep him away from Heaven. Naomi, the rightful ruler of Heaven (much as Castiel hated her on a personal level) was locked in a cell somewhere and had apparently lost control. Something wasn't right.

"Cas!" exclaimed Jack, spotting him. "Look! I'm making angels."

"Yes, you, uh - Dumah. A word? Now!"

Once they were out of earshot of Jack, Castiel rounded on her. "I know what you're doing. You're using Jack to solidify your hold on Heaven."

"Someone has loose lips," said Dumah, but Castiel hadn't needed Eremiel's information to know what Dumah was doing.

"You're establishing a reign of terror, beating humans into submission, stripping Heaven of its mercy."

"Oh, Heaven never really had any mercy, Castiel," snapped Dumah. "You know that. I am saving Heaven. I am saving our kind. I am saving the world."

"That may be true," Castiel admitted. "I won't deny we need angels. But pillars of salt? Fissures in the Earth? That isn't what Heaven has stood for in a long time. The humans are not your pawns. Jack is not your pawn. We both know you're lucky this worked without causing him pain."

"You're not here, Castiel," said Dumah. "You're not here when we're trying to keep the lights on. You're off galavanting with the Winchesters and your girlfriend-…"

"I'm not stupid, Dumah," he said, squaring up to her. "I've commanded armies and won wars. Heaven is desperate, Dumah, and you used its weaknesses to gain control. But you can't use Jack. He's still young, and he's a loose cannon, and you're manipulating him and making him do your bidding."

"I can't control Jack," Dumah protested. "You've seen his strength."

"He's strong, yes, but still a child and without a soul to guide him."

"I can guide him," Dumah protested.

"I'm getting Jack out of here," said Castiel. He had heard enough.

"No, you're not," said Dumah, putting a hand on his chest.

"You really want this fight, Dumah?" Castiel asked. He didn't want to hurt her. She was right – there weren't enough angels left.

"Fight?" she asked innocently. "I'm holding the high cards here. Ma and Pa Winchester, they're living in their own personal Heaven. One snap of these fingers, and all of that ends."

Castiel had reached the end of his rope. He moved faster than she could see, and the next second she was dead on the floor.

***Castiel POV***

April 25

ONE WEEK LATER

"Okay," said Naomi. "Let's review what we've discussed. We don't have enough angels, Castiel, and neither of us can afford a misunderstanding."

Castiel nodded. What she meant was, "We've both done serious damage to each other in the past, and we're treading a thin line, and neither of us wants to die, so we can't afford a misunderstanding." But Castiel trusted her to keep her word when it came to the welfare of Heaven, at least.

Next to Castiel, Jack nodded as well.

"Jack and I will choose ten additional human individuals who are pious, righteous, and consenting to be turned into angels," said Naomi.

Jack nodded enthusiastically.

"There will be no killing of humans for unjust or unfaithful acts, or for any other reason," growled Castiel.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Obviously," she said.

"I will work with Jack to channel his powers to additionally attempt to bring Domiel and Gabriel back from the Empty," Naomi continued, and Castiel nodded, a flourish of hope forming in his head at the small possibility of seeing Domiel again.

"I've tried it with him before, but it didn't work," Castiel said. "I was hoping you would have some ideas. But you are not to change his mind, manipulate him, or invade his memories in any way."

"Understood," Naomi said, and even managed to look at Castiel somewhat guiltily.

"Dad, come on," Jack said, as though Castiel was leaving him with a baby-sitter. And, of course, he was. "Aunt Naomi and I will be fine."

"Okay, Jack," said Castiel. "I'll meet you back here in a few hours." He gave Naomi one final stern glare that very clearly meant, Break our deal and I'll smite you.

Still, it was the best of a great many bad options. He had to admit that Dumah and Jack had chosen the new angels well. They were a little too enthusiastic for his taste, but they would follow the rules, attempt to do good, and keep the lights on in Heaven.

Meanwhile, Naomi had taken over the rule of Heaven again, and thanked Castiel for his service in freeing her. They had talked enough to know that they were, for the moment, of one accord. He didn't trust her, but at the moment he trusted Jack less. He needed Jack sufficiently distracted while they discussed his situation.

Castiel appeared in the bunker.

He had barely left the others alone for perhaps an hour, but it seemed the discussion of how to manage Jack was already well underway. And, apparently, it was not going well.

"Cas and I would never stand for that!" Ember was saying emphatically. "We wouldn't have stood for it with you, and we certainly won't stand for it with Jack."

"You know what he can do. This is our only play!" Dean responded.

"You would never say that if it was Sam," Ember fired back.

"And you would agree if he weren't your own son!" Dean responded.

"Cas!" Ember said, realizing that Castiel had arrived again. Castiel shot a frightened look at Sam. "Dean wants to put Jack in the Ma'Lak box."

Castiel felt anger churn low in his gut. "You will never lock up my son," he said dangerously.

"You know what, you're right," said Dean. "I don't want to lock him up in the box. I want him dead."

"Dean!" yelled Eileen, Krissy, Castiel, and Ember at once.

"He's dangerous, Cas, and you knew it!" screamed Dean. "You've known it for a long time!

But that's okay. You know why? Because me and Sam, we've killed just about everything there is. And this - Jack - we'll find a way. Because he's just another monster."

"Like me?" snapped Ember, moving closer to Dean and daring him to move her out of his personal space.

"Ember," warned Castiel, reaching for her just as Sam moved toward his brother.

"Maybe," Dean said, refusing to back down. "And I'll kill him if I had to, like I killed your father."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed.
The light above their head exploded from Ember's anger, shadowing them in the red glare of the bunker.

Castiel instinctively found Ember in the room and moved to fly her home before one of the two of them (probably Ember) lashed out any further.

Suddenly the lights came back on. "Whoa, whoa, Castiel," said a voice that was all too familiar. "Don't leave yet. I just got here!"

All of them turned to look at God with disbelief. Castiel basked in his glory. Even now, nothing he had ever known was that bright, that warm…

"God," said Castiel.

"Thank God," Ember said.

"Eh..."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Chuck."

"There you go."

"Where the hell have you been?" Dean confronted him, finally finding words.

Chuck sat down. "Well, you know, it reminds me of a song." Chuck materialized a guitar out of thin air and began to play a few notes.

Dean seemed to snap, finally. Castiel had felt, from across the room, his anger brewing. Dean wouldn't take his anger out on Ember, not physically, but he could on Chuck. He grabbed Chuck's guitar, smashing it on the floor of the bunker several times. "Answer the damn question!" he screamed.

"Don't!" Chuck yelled, pointing at Dean, whose reaction was probably far less fearful than it should've been.

"If you smite him I'd understand," Ember grumbled, obviously still upset about the Ma'Lak box and Dean's words.

"How are you here?" asked Castiel in an attempt to redirect the conversation.

"You called me?" Chuck reminded him.

"My prayer?" Castiel asked questioningly, now giving Chuck his full attention. "That's why you're here?"

"Yeah," said Chuck. "Well, that and... him. Jack. He's a problem."

"Can you give him his soul back?" asked Ember. "Please? He burned it off saving the world from your son, from another universe."

Chuck turned to Ember and gave a genuine grin. Something about him was far too buoyant, too happy for the situation at hand, Castiel thought. "You know, of all the Embers in all the universes, you've always been my favorite Ember. Side bar: it's actually really good to talk about all the universes I made. I mean, I could never mention them before without making Michael and Lucifer all pissy, and then I'd have to erase their memories again… ugh. So much work."

Everyone stared at him, stunned.

"Anyway," he continued. "Not all of the universes had Ember's, you know. I mean, no matter what happens, most universes will correct themselves to stay on the main plot I started them on. But Ember was an anomaly… not all of the universes had one. And of the few universes that did have one, most of them went 'dark side.'" Chuck demonstrated with air quotes. "But of all of the Ember's, you're my favorite one.

"But…" Chuck clicked his teeth, making an apologetic face. "Even for you, I can't really do everything you want. Jack is powerful. I mean, you've got a half-Knight-of-Hell, half-seraph. I honestly don't think that's ever happened before in the multiverse histories! And some things I can't just… create out of thin air.

"But… I can help you a little. I present to you… the Humanizer."

There was silence as everyone looked at the gun Chuck had created on the table.

"You could act a little grateful," Chuck said to the group of them. "I am bestowing a divine gift here."

"What's it do?" Ember asked finally.

"It'll restore his soul. For a price," Chuck said.

The group looked at each other warily.

"Equivalent exchange and all that," Chuck said, shrugging. "I mean, with Amara out, it's not all 'unfettered creation' anymore. It doesn't work that way. Now, things have to be balanced."

"But you just summoned a guitar out of thin air," said Sam immediately. "And a gun."

"Uh. Yeah," snapped God. "And I used your bookshelf for the guitar. It's not my fault Dean destroyed it. And you don't even want to know what I used for the gun."

Castiel caught Ember's eye and raised his eyebrow. "What's the price?" he said.

"Jack's powers," said Chuck. "His soul, for his powers. And, the life of another." They all looked at each other. "Someone magical. Which means it has to be one of you two." He looked at Ember and Castiel. "Sorry."