As summer turned into fall, they all settled into their routines. Sam and Dean would still go away on hunts, but never for long. There were no back-to-back-to-back-to-back hunting trips, the boys making it home within a few days each time. Grace, Mary, Cas, and Jack would keep the kids entertained while Dean was out, every adult in their lives agreeing to tell them that he and Uncle Sam traveled for work.
The official story was that they were professors who went to a lot of conferences. It wasn't far from the truth. They spent most of their time researching demons, angels, and folklore. Dean had actually started the process of applying to teach a class on American folklore at the local college - with the help of a network of hunters who were great at faking resumes, IDs, and degrees. Charlie hacked into a university records system, getting Dean multiple degrees in less time than it took for Grace to register the kids for school. She had their birth certificates faked too, of course, thinking that it would be kind of hard to explain how they'd just appeared one day. It was a team effort, but they made it work.
Sam and Dean had left for a hunt the night before the first day of school, so Grace and Uncle Cas dropped the kids off, waving to them as they made their way inside the big building. They were already used to all of the different aunts and uncles in their lives, people who would appear and disappear randomly, only to resurface a few weeks later. "I wish Dean could be here," Grace sighed through her smile. She dropped it as soon as the kids were inside. "I have a feeling he's going to be missing a lot, though."
"He's been talking about cutting back," Cas told her as they left the school's parking lot. "Staying here, researching for others like you do, only going out on tricky hunts when others really need the help. He doesn't want to send Sam off on his own, but he's worried about missing too much time around here."
They turned onto the main road, headed back to the bunker. "He hasn't said anything about it to me."
"He was waiting until he heard back from the college. He didn't want to get your hopes up too early. Speaking of, there's no word about Michael. With all of the other archangels dead, there's no one with much knowledge about how to get rid of them. I suppose we go about it the same way we go about killing an archangel, but that would most likely -"
"It would kill Dean," Grace finished, immediately deciding against the idea. "We're not doing that. There has to be another way. I - I've been praying. I know Chuck's M.I.A., but I've been praying. It's the only thing I can think of. The only one more powerful than Michael is Chuck. Maybe Amara, but we've only got one chance at this, so I'd rather not risk it on something that's not guaranteed to work." Cas simply stared out the window, knowing that they had been abandoned once again.
Grace had just settled in at her desk when her phone rang. "Hey, Sam. What's up?" She took a sip of her coffee, leaning back in her chair. An email about a Lady in White sighting popped up in her inbox, Grace knowing it was going to be a long day already.
"Where are you?"
"The house, why?" She sat up, knowing that something was wrong. "Sam?"
"Michael's back," he told her, the fear in his voice almost palpable. "Dean's fighting him, but we've found… you're not going to like it. Basically he's got to be locked away in a box designed to trap archangels. But Dean has to go with him."
"Let me talk to him. Sam, let me talk to him."
Sam hesitated for a moment, but she could hear him call out to his brother. Dean's voice was soft as he answered, almost apologetic. "Hey, Gracie."
"You're not doing this. Tell me you're not doing this." She got up, pacing over to the window. From where she stood, she could see her car, the empty space next to it where the Impala was usually parked. "Dean, you can't."
"I have to." She could hear him walking outside, leaving Sam behind wherever they were. "I talked to Death herself. Figured she'd remember a bit about archangels, y'know? She says it's the only way, and I believe her."
"So you're building this box to lock yourself away forever? You'll just be sitting there with Michael, because… he won't let his vessel die, but you'll be there. Dean, you can't seriously be thinking about doing this, it'll be worse than death itself and -"
"Grace, I've thought about it. A lot. I don't want to, but I don't know how long I have. I can feel him trying to take over. I'm doing everything I can - hell, I've hardly slept in case he gets through while I'm out. I've done everything I can do. This is how it has to go."
"Where are you?"
"I can't tell you that. I'm already putting Sam in danger by letting him stay with me. I couldn't live for the rest of eternity knowing I hurt you or the kids if Michael takes over. We're going on one more hunt, but that's it. The box is almost done."
"Dean, do you remember when we were hunting that demon in Enfield?" Grace asked, pacing around her office. There has to be another way. Chuck, c'mon, now's the time. You better fix this. "We were driving home, and I fell asleep in the car. When I woke up, we were passing through some little town in Ohio, one of those places you leave and never look back. You told me you loved me, out of nowhere. You didn't say it a lot back then. But you did that night. We stopped at a gas station and got coffee. When we got back in the car, I thought we were going to pull onto the freeway, but you just… stopped. And told me that if things were different, you could see us having a real life together. You told me you wanted me to go to school, to have a life, because you were already too far into this one. But you told me that you had a dream the night before, when I let you fall asleep on the stakeout. About us, in a nice house, with some great kids, and a dog, and a yard, and Dean, we're so close to that. There has to be another way. If we could get Chuck or Amara to help us, maybe we'd be able to do something. But you're not throwing yourself in that box forever. I don't want to have to explain to the kids that you're not coming home."
He was quiet, clearly thinking things over. "Do you know why Michael left me alone? Why he let me send you and the kids back to the bunker? Why he stayed away for so long? He wanted to break me. To let me see how nice that life is. I love it, Gracie. I love being able to live in a real house and have a real family. I love having you and the kids there. He's taking over, and when he does… he wants to make sure I can't fight any more, because if I do, you and Sam and Cas and Mom and the kids are the first people he's going after."
"If we have to lock you in that box, you're not going up Mount Everest or to the bottom of the ocean," Grace bartered. "You're not going anywhere. We're going to fix it, and we're going to let you out as soon as we can. I… I'll make Sam keep you in the dungeon, and I'll spend all day down there so I can talk to you so you're not just stuck in there with him and -"
"Gracie," he said gently, "thank you. I love you for that, but I don't know how well that would work. I have a better chance at the bottom of the ocean, if he ever manages to break out. I promise I'll let you know when it's time to say goodbye. We can do it the right way, I'll video call the kids and everything. Unless Chuck steps in, this is the plan for now."
"Dean, I love you."
"I love you too, Gracie. I've got to get going, but I'll call you tonight."
He hung up, Grace sinking to the ground. Chuck, please. We're so close. We're so close to being out. You can't let him do this. Please.