HEAVEN WAITS FOR YOU
PART 2: A Glimpse Beyond This Illusion
Balls, Bobby Singer thought as he stared into the face that originally belonged to a young John Winchester. As if this wasn't awkward enough. The hunter barely heard the archangel speak, unable to get over how weird it was to hear John's voice so calm. He shook his head to clear it, and swung his legs off the desk. "I'm like a bad penny—you can't throw me far enough away that I won't make my way back."
"What can I do for you, Mr. Singer?" Michael asked, slowly stepping further into the room. "I assume this is not a social call."
"Yeah, I don't imagine you get many of those." Bobby stood with a wince. He didn't know yet how the Cage changed Michael. It wouldn't do to antagonize him too much.
But there was no outburst at his sarcasm. Instead, Michael smiled softly. "No. I have existed mostly in isolation. But today is a new day. I started it with my Father, my brother, and my aunt. I've held two brothers who were once dead, and seen something I thought would never again exist. I was given orders by a human I previously underestimated, and I found myself obeying. I touched more of my siblings in the past few hours than I had since my Father left us."
"Well," Bobby huffed out a breath, "sounds like you've had a hell of a day."
Michael laughed and Bobby fought the urge to duck. "It's been the best day of my life."
"You might want to consider getting out more."
"I think I will," Michael said. He walked to the window overlooking the Garden.
Bobby hesitantly stood next to him and turned to follow his gaze. A few dozen angels sat on the grassy patches between flowers and trees. They all seemed to be giving massages to the air around each others' backs. "What are they doing?" he asked.
"They are healing their wings."
"Oh." Bobby knew the angels couldn't really fly anymore since they fell, but he hadn't realized it was fixable. He thought about the possible implications of a Host restored to full-strength. The angels were deadly enough without their wings.
"You have not told me why you are here," Michael stated, tilting his head as he looked at the hunter.
"Right," Bobby said, clearing his throat. "Guess you could say I'm an emissary, coming to you in search of answers and assurances."
"Does this have anything to do with the fact that my angels can no longer access Heaven's souls?"
"You might say that..."
Sometime Earlier:
The Roadhouse in Heaven has everything a hunter's soul could want—endless booze, a jukebox with every classic rock song known to man, and good company. Of course, the company didn't come courtesy of Heaven. That was all thanks to Ash.
Bobby Singer took a swig of beer and studied the odd hunter.
Ash sat hunched over a computer, scowling fiercely at the screen. He'd made the machine from scraps found in various individual heavens he'd discovered. Apparently, the genius had been one of the first souls to break free and explore Heaven as a whole. That impulse turned out to be the salvation of all souls in this God-forsaken realm.
The M.I.T. dropout had spent every moment since his death working to hack the ultimate system, and his success was all around Bobby.
Ellen and Bill Harvelle stood behind the bar with their daughter Jo, talking in hushed, worried whispers. Ash had freed them as soon as he'd learned of their deaths from Sam and Dean. Heaven tried to keep them in a more secure area due to their associations with the Winchesters. "Tried" being the operative word—Heaven's security was a constant source of amusement to the hacker.
Pamela had already joined Ash when the Harvelles were freed. The sassy psychic's abilities proved invaluable alongside Ash's genius when it came to keeping in touch with outside events. She'd also led them to many of the souls who sat among them now—people who'd become friends with the Winchester brothers in more recent years.
She currently played pool with a two of them. A red-headed ball of sunshine named Charlie Bradbury who frequently twirled circles around them all, and their most recent addition, the reluctant prophet Kevin Tran, were about as similar as night and day. But they worked together like yin and yang—opposites in perfect harmony. Their genius rivaled even Ash, but they worshiped him as some kind of "nerd god." Bobby wasn't sure if Ash knew of their idolatry.
Ash often appeared completely unaware of his surroundings, and it remained a mystery how he was always the first to react to anything from within his cloud of so-called oblivion. Whether it was a rogue beer bottle sailing toward his computer, or a possible angel incursion in one of their territories, Ash was usually already in motion before anyone else knew what was happening.
Recently, something big was constantly occurring. The Roadhouse had already been in a frantic state for months, if not years—time was a funny thing up here. From Metatron to Amara, Heaven's Hunters never got a break. After the angels got expelled from Heaven, and war started breaking the very walls around them, they'd begun rescuing and organizing souls.
Some joined the hunters in their mission, but many were too lost and confused. Ash re-coded personal heavens, expanding and combining regions to house entire soul communities. There was now an entire team of folks dedicated to maintaining these communities—people who'd been in every field from psychology to engineering worked together to make the afterlife livable. They currently had three major communities, all nearing the size of small cities, and several smaller ones that continued to grow.
In the meantime, Heaven's Hunters continued expanding their inner circle. Tamara and Isaac sat at a booth with Caleb and Pastor Jim Murphy. Rufus Turner paced near the jukebox like an old dog, drinking straight from his bottle of Blue Label Johnny Walker. The entire room felt thick with the tension. No one spoke above a whisper, unwilling to distract Ash from his work.
Bobby felt someone bump against his shoulder as they took the stool next to him. "Remember that time we got drunk and talked about the afterlife? You said Heaven sounded boring and angels were a bunch of pansies with harps. And I laughed, calling you an crotchety old man with no imagination," John Winchester muttered, leaning toward Bobby and pouring him a shot of whiskey. "Does it make me a crotchety old man if I now wish you were right?"
"You are a crotchety old man, John. Always were." Bobby threw back the shot, relishing the momentary burn.
"What's your theory about what's going on? Do you think it's about..." John's voice trailed off, unable to say her name.
Mary Winchester had been the hardest soul for Ash to find, but his persistence eventually paid off. John led the rescue himself, and Bobby grew to love the Winchester mother. Her fearlessness and intelligence quickly established her a leader among Heaven's Hunters. And her presence had been a healing balm to John's soul. A lifetime of seeking revenge and a century spent in Hell had taken a heavy toll on him.
Then, alarms announcing a cataclysmic event sounded from Ash's computer two weeks ago. The genius could only say two words as his fingers flew across the keyboard: "God's dying." Three hours later, the alarms quit.
All hell broke loose. Wards ignited and burned away as a power beyond the angels tore through them. The Roadhouse shook as though caught in a massive earthquake. And in the midst of it all, Mary Winchester disappeared.
John had exploded with fear, shaking Ash's shoulders as he demanded action. The others rushed to put out the fires and check on the soul communities. It took Bobby, Caleb, and Pastor Jim combined to calm John down and allow Ash time to work.
Within an hour, they had part of an answer and no solution. "All I know is that it was Amara. And God's not dying anymore," Ash explained without taking his eyes off the rapid scroll of symbols on the screen.
Since then, the genius had not stopped working. The only interaction he initiated was when his PBR ran out. Ellen tried to keep at least three full bottles within his reach. It helped keep him focused.
Now, they were all trapped playing the waiting game. Bobby grabbed the whiskey from John and poured them each another double. "I don't know, John. But if anyone can figure it out, it's Ash. And if it helps, I wish I'd been right too—about Heaven being boring. Because this is the worst retirement plan I've ever seen."
"Ain't that the truth." John clinked his glass against Bobby's in a toast.
"What the..." Ash's voice drifted across the bar. Bobby and John both turned in time to see him grab hold of the computer and yell, "Brace! Brace for impact!"
There was barely enough time to react as Roadhouse seemed to explode around them. Grace-fueled light fixtures showered down sparks. Tables overturned and the walls cracked, shattering beer bottles and framed photos on the ground.
A wave of static-like energy crashed through the space, carrying a scream that felt familiar. Bobby wasn't sure if it was the electricity or the sound that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Either way, it was a bad sign.
As the dust settle, he checked to make sure everyone was alright. They may not have bodies, but souls could be just as injured by the grace that formed Heaven as flesh was by knives. But grace-injuries were a lot harder to fix, and best avoided. Luckily, the other hunters were shaken but unhurt.
"What the hell was that?" Ellen demanded, keeping a hold of Jo and Bill. She dragged them over to where Ash was wiping dust from his screen.
"I...I don't know!" Ash sputtered, already typing. "The readings I saw right before it hit...Jesus, I don't know. It was like a fast moving shockwave. But made of grace. Like a grace-bomb went off outside of Heaven. I've never seen anything like it!"
"What about the voice?" Bobby asked. Most of the others looked at him like he was crazy, but Ellen and Pamela both gave a nod to say they'd heard it too.
"What voice?" John grunted. "I couldn't hear anything besides the glass shattering."
"Oh, there was definitely a voice," Ash confirmed. He grabbed an earbud and shoved into one of his ears—his own direct connection to angel radio. Kevin sat next to him, grabbing the other earbud.
Everyone fell silent. Ash's genius extended beyond computers. His gift for codes included any form of language, and he'd become mostly fluent in Enochian since his death. Kevin's prophet brain came programmed to understand the angels' language. They all knew a few key words, but Bobby was the only one interested in learning more. There just wasn't time for daily lessons when Heaven was constantly on the verge of collapsing.
Pamela gasped, staggering against the pool table. Charlie caught her around the waist while Caleb ran to grab a chair. They got her to sit, and she groaned, covering her pained face with her hands.
"Duuudes," Ash said quietly.
"Whoa..." Kevin echoed the sentiment.
"What?" Ellen said, leaning closer and handing him a fresh unbroken beer. She handed Jo a bottle of water and her daughter took it to the psychic.
"The angels—they are freaking out, man!" Ash's eyes went wide and he stopped typing. No one breathed.
"Oh God," Kevin choked out.
"What?!" Charlie whispered loudly, trying not to explode in a bundle of excitement and nerves. She was always good for voicing the general mood of the group.
"They're saying a lot of different things," Ash said. He grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling things down as he heard them. "I can't tell if they're all related to one event."
"No," Kevin shook his head, "there's at least two events they're talking about. One is confusing, but the other..."
"Yeah, the other is a definite, man. Everyone just kinda burst into song because apparently someone thought it was a good idea to bring back the archangels." Ash didn't look up as he continued writing.
"Which ones?" Bobby asked, getting up to read over Ash's shoulder. He huffed when all he saw was shorthand symbols.
"All of them," Kevin whispered. "They're saying that Michael and Raphael have returned, and some believe Gabriel is back too."
"Hmm," Bobby mused. Michael and Raphael could destroy all the hunters' work without trouble. Especially if they were fully-powered. Gabriel, however, was a wild-card.
"What about the confusing thing?" Charlie asked, smacking Kevin's shoulder as she joined him by the bar.
"I don't know," Ash said, crossing off one of the symbols. He kept writing something over and over. "I've never heard this word before. It looks like they're saying 'flying baby,' but it makes no sense. Then there's another phrase they keep saying..."
"Child of Heaven," Kevin finished. "And the other word isn't 'flying baby.' It's fledgling."
"Man!" Ash threw his pen, bouncing it off the prophet's head. "I wish I could download your brain. Do you know how long it would have taken me to figure that out?"
"Yeah, like ten minutes," Kevin said, elbowing the other genius in the ribs while basking in the praise.
"What the hell's a fledgling?" John asked, as bewildered as the rest of them.
"A baby angel." The soft voice of Pastor Jim joined the discussion. He picked up the thrown pen and returned it to Ash, sitting down next to the man.
"Well, I guess that explains all the chatter about the 'Child of Heaven.' I haven't heard the angels this worked up since the boys released Amara." Ash grabbed the pen again and kept scribbling. Everyone knew who he meant by "the boys."
"Are they talking about a Nephilim?" Bobby asked. As far as they knew, angels couldn't make other angels—they only made half-angel 'abominations' by mating with a human. But that practice was outlawed and strictly enforced by the rest of the Host according to every scrap of lore Bobby had ever read. "What are they saying about this thing? Are they gearing up for a hunt?"
"No, it's definitely not a Nephilim," Kevin answered confidently. "'Fledgling' meaning 'angel child' is a very specific word. It sounds nothing like the words they use for bird babies or Nephilim. Besides, the angels are excited—as in joyfully excited."
"And worried," added Ash. "The thing that shook Heaven was caused by this kid's grace. It exploded or something? Exploded? But the kid didn't explode. So..." His voice trailed off and Kevin gasped.
Ash hit a few buttons and unplugged the headphones. At first, only static poured from the speakers next to the computer. He smacked them twice and the static fell silent. Then a voice whispered through them clearly—a young voice full of pain and fear.
Bobby felt his gut clench at the sound. It was the same voice he'd heard screaming in the energy wave. The same screaming voice he'd heard almost thirty years ago from within an old locked car in his salvage yard. It spoke what Bobby assumed was Enochian, but there was one word he recognized—Dean. It was the only confirmation he needed.
"Dean?" John whispered, panic creeping into his tone. The speaker fell silent again, then exploded as hundreds of angels began speaking at once. Ash jammed the headphones back into their jack and resumed listening to the chaos. "Why would some angel kid say Dean's name?"
Bobby took a shaky breath and stepped away from the group. "Because it's Sam talking."
Even Ash stopped writing at the hunter's words. Bobby turned around to find everyone's eyes trained on him. John looked confused and pale. "What? Why would you say that?"
"I thought I recognized his voice when I heard the scream. I didn't know a lot of kids in my day, but I knew your boys pretty well. And that sounded exactly like the time Sam got trapped in a car while playing hide and seek with his brother. The boy panicked and screamed to high heaven the whole time I ran to grab the tools to unlock it. He didn't stop until I got the door open and Dean pulled him out. I'd never forget that sound."
John stared at him. "But the geniuses said the angels are calling this kid the source of the explosion. That it was caused by grace. Grace from an angel kid, Bobby! Last I checked, Sam wasn't an angel, and definitely wasn't an actual kid! He's bigger than me, for Christ's sake!"
Bobby shrugged. "I don't know any more than you do. I'm just telling you what I heard."
"Well, you heard wrong!" John yelled. Bobby heard the fear and worry driving the anger, and sighed.
"John." Pastor Jim said, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. "It's too soon for assumptions. Let's wait and see if these boys hear anything more substantial. Okay?"
John's shoulders dropped as he forced himself to relax. "Yeah, okay." He looked up, meeting Bobby's eyes with a genuinely apologetic smile. "Guess it's probably too much to wish my boys could sit on on just one major event."
"Probably," Bobby agreed.
They all quickly cleaned up the mess while Ash and Kevin continued to listen. The two Enochian speakers took turns giving updates. Things happened pretty quickly over the next hour.
"Gabriel's been sighted, so he's confirmed as resurrected," Kevin said. "Michael just intercepted him and...Castiel? They were on some kind of collision course with Earth."
"What is Cas even doing?" Charlie wondered.
"Little guy always was a little short on sense," Bobby said with a short laugh. "And from what I've heard over the years, that ain't changed any."
"Hey," Charlie scolded, hitting his arm none too gently. "No smack talking Mister Dreamy!"
"Ain't he off your radar, missy?" Bobby teased.
"That doesn't mean I don't have an appreciation for pretty people. Have you seen his eyes?"
"Oh, sure," Bobby said, rolling his own in response. "Oceans of blue I could just fall into."
"I know, right?!" Charlie agreed, ignoring the obvious snark.
It wasn't long before Ash gave them another update. "Michael just stopped a team of angels from investigating the explosion. They were ordered to return to Heaven and wait for him. I think the angels are still forming teams...in case something happens and he doesn't make it back."
Bobby pulled out their weapons storage locker. They rarely had to fight, but it was better to be prepared. Angel blades were easy enough to come by when no angels were around to guard their store rooms. And the number of angel-deaths over the years meant there was an abundance of extra blades. No one noticed any missing when the angels eventually limped back to Heaven.
"You got a plan already?" Rufus muttered, helping him sort through their supplies.
"'Plan' is a bit too strong a word," Bobby answered wryly. "Gettin' prepared is all."
"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be real intimidating to an archangel with our butter-knife collection," the cranky hunter mused.
"Well, I guess you could just breathe on him real hard first and get him disoriented from the fumes for me."
Rufus cackled with laughter.
"He's here!" Ash announced, holding his hand up to get their attention.
"Michael?" Tamara asked as she moved alongside Bobby to grab a blade. "He's here in Heaven?"
"Yeah," Kevin confirmed. "He's addressing the angels in Heart Hall, but he's broadcasting to everyone." The two listeners fell silent for a moment, and the hunters all waited as patiently as possible. Identical looks of shock covered Ash and Kevin's faces seconds later.
"What?" John tried to whisper, but it came out strangled.
"He's apologizing." Kevin's voice was soft and breathless.
Ash rushed to write the words down. "He's saying he was wrong...something about purpose..."
"He'd forgotten his and Heaven's purpose, but they have a second chance. God gave them back their purpose, and it starts now," Kevin explained, his words growing ominous and slow by the end.
"He's calling for healers and reports," Ash added. Then, both men jumped and yanked out their earbuds while Pamela let out another painful hiss. "Damn! Everyone started talking at once as soon as the boss man finished his speech."
"What did he mean by purpose?" Caleb spoke up. The hunter rarely spoke in group discussion, preferring to keep his conversations between one or two people at a time. It had always been his way.
"I'm not sure," Kevin answered when Ash deferred to him. "But it's got every angel beyond ecstatic."
"No kidding! I think half of them are just singing. The rest are screaming orders over the weird chanting chorus." Ash shook his head. "Angels are weird, man."
"So, what do we do now?" Isaac joined his wife in grabbing an angel blade.
"We need to secure the communities," Tamara said. Ellen and Ash both nodded—their priorities were always the souls they protected.
"I'll strengthen our wards from here, but we need people on the ground," Ash said. He set aside the pad and pen to resume typing. "Tamara, take Isaac and Charlie to the Big Three. Let them know to prepare for anything. I'll fortify what I can, but have them check everything manually there. And see if they can spare a few people to visit the smaller communities. Spread the word."
"Keep it strong, bitches!" Charlie called as she danced past them to grab a blade and her bag. Tamara drew the symbols onto the door that would take them straight to the first of their three largest community. They glowed as grace poured into them. Isaac handed her a bag, and the three of them ducked into the bright light of Heaven's hallways.
"I'm gonna check our own wards," said Ellen. Jo followed her when Pamela reassured her she'd be fine. They left Bill in charge of the PBR supply.
Bobby took the stool next to Ash. He felt John and Rufus stand close behind him, and saw Caleb and Pastor Jim sit on the other side of Kevin. The five men, plus Tamara and Isaac, were usually the ones who went into the thick of things in Heaven. Reconnaissance, soul rescues, and any potentially dangerous situations were their specialties.
Mary had made their numbers even, allowing them to break into four teams of two. Her absence felt like an echo in the room. They all tried not to look where she'd normally stand.
"Okay folks," Ash said, finally pausing in his typing to look at them. "We need more information and eyes in places we don't normally venture. Right now, Heaven is lighting up in ways I haven't seen since the Apocalypse. I don't know if it's because there's an archangel up here or if the angels are doing something intentionally."
"What can we do?" Pastor Jim asked.
"I need you and Caleb to take Kevin to Raphael's old office. Kev's gonna bug it in case he returns. The Healer's whole area was abandoned long before he died, so we never bothered doing anything beyond snooping. But if he comes back, I want a direct line." Ash wrote a few things on a fresh piece of paper and handed it to Kevin who shoved it into a pocket. The two hunters nodded, and gathered their gear.
"Rufus and John, you're gonna get word out to our patrols and secure the soul entrance. Make sure we don't get any interference with newcomers. It's a hell of a lot easier getting them fresh from Earth than having to pull them from a broken personal Heaven hidden somewhere."
"Me?" John asked tersely. Bobby felt the same knee-jerk reaction—Rufus was his partner. What was Ash's reason for splitting them up?
"Yeah, I know. You and Rufus don't normally work together," Ash reassured with a sheepish smile. "But Bobby's the only one who's actually remembers meeting Michael. I need his brain to give me answers, and see if I can make sense of this mess."
John looked between Ash and Bobby with a hint of suspicion. Bobby shrugged, just as lost. For a moment, it looked like John was going to argue, but eventually relented. "Fine. But if you hear anything, and I mean anything, about Mary or the boys, you contact me. Deal?" He held his hand out to shake on it.
Some of the tension drained from the computer genius' frame at the agreement. "Sure thing, amigo!" Ash spit in his palm and slapped their hands together.
John made a face, but allowed it. They had bigger things to worry about than a little spit. "Come on. Let's see if you can still keep up, old man."
"Old man?!" Rufus glared indignantly, but without real heat. "I'll be runnin' circles around the likes of your ugly ass before we reach the first patrol."
"I'll believe it when I see it," John called over his shoulder. He clasped Bobby's shoulder before they left, looking the hunter in the eye. "Anything about Mary or the boys..."
"I know," Bobby said.
John nodded, and reluctantly moved away. Rufus handed him his gear. Everyone's bags contained extra chalk for marking doors, first aid supplies, and makeshift walkie-talkies made by Ash and Charlie. Rufus wiped down the door, clearing the symbols made by Tamara and drawing new ones.
When they left, Pastor Jim repeated the process. Kevin stood wedged between the pastor and Caleb, looking nervous but determined. He was a ballsy little guy, but his time as a prophet had prepared him for far worse than what he'd experienced so far in Heaven.
"We really need to put in more doors," Pamela remarked. She shakily made her way to the bar and took Kevin's seat.
"You alright there, Pam?" Bill asked quietly.
She waved off his concern. "I'm fine. I'd be better with something a bit stronger than water, though, if you don't mind."
Bill nodded with a grin, and mixed her a whiskey sour. She downed it in one go and he handed her a second before she could ask. Heaven may have the best liquors, but it took quite a bit for souls to feel the effect. It was helpful for when they needed to sober up quickly, but not so good when they sought the numbness it offered.
"So, what did you need to know?" Bobby asked.
"What?" Ash looked confused for a second, then blushed. Bobby raised an eyebrow in question. "Oh, right. I may have lied a little."
"Excuse me?" That was not what Bobby expected to hear. They didn't operate on secrets here.
"Yeah, see the thing is, I needed you for something else. And I knew John wouldn't be happy." Ash took a long draw from his beer.
"Go on," Bobby said, frowning.
"I want your eyes in Michael's office. I need access to that changing window that looks into all the areas of Heaven. It's the only way we can physically see different regions without spreading our numbers any thinner."
Bobby's frown deepened. "Okay. But why did you need John out of the way for that?"
"Because there's only so much we can learn from observation." Ash hesitated, then continued. "And I think you might consider talking to Michael."
"You what now?"
Ash jumped up, rushing to explain as he gathered items from around the room and shoved them into a gear bag. "I can track him from here while you get eyes on him in that window, and we've got a few angel EMPs that will mess with their grace. If you need out fast, they'll buy you enough time to escape through our backdoors." He returned to his seat and set the bag in front of Bobby on the bar. "Everything I've heard tells me that this Michael is very different from the one we knew before. From his window, you'll be able to see if it's true. And getting him alone, fresh from his time with dear old Dad, might be our best bet."
Bobby stared at him. He knew that they'd been struggling. The pressure of keeping souls safe wore daily on all of them. Most of the time, it felt like they were barely keeping their heads above water. But this still felt like a suicide run. "Our best bet for what?"
"For getting answers. And to initiate some kind of negotiations with a real leader—someone the other angels will definitely follow. We can't..." he broke off to finish his beer in a rare display of flustered emotion. "We can't keep going the way we are. The souls are entering faster than we can help. And there are still too many personal heavens we can't reach because they're too dangerous to navigate. We don't have the numbers or knowledge to get through the collapsed areas. We need help."
"Okay," Bobby said, patting the overwhelmed genius on the back. If this is what was needed, then he would do it. "So I'll get in there, see what's happening, and if it looks like Michael's not about to restart the Apocalypse, then I'll wait for him." Suddenly, having John out of the picture made a lot of sense.
"He feels different," Pamela spoke up. She sipped her third whiskey sour and turned to them. The tension on her face had eased some, but it wasn't gone. "Michael—he doesn't feel like he did last time he was in Heaven. Before, he was like an empty void. No rage or fire at all, just cold and blank like there was nothing left of him. But now, he's bursting with emotion and energy."
"'Bursting' how?" Bobby asked.
"Joy, excitement, relief, and love are blending with overwhelming grief. If he were human, I'd say he was crying right now."
Bobby blinked in shock. "A crying archangel? Damn." Ash stayed quiet, listening through his headphones with a slight frown. "What's wrong?"
Ash shook his head. "For some reason, no one is saying the name 'Winchester.' There's lots of murmurs about the fledgling, but no one has any answers and no word of the kid's identity. Which makes me think the Host is in the dark."
Bobby nodded slowly. The angels didn't know the hunters could listen in on their conversations. And they were notorious for gossiping about anything and everything they deemed important. If they weren't talking about the identity of the fledgling, then they didn't know it. "So, I should ask about Sam and Mary. Yeah, John would've demanded he go in personally with guns blazing like a fool."
"He's not known for being an unemotional negotiator," Pamela said with a knowing grin.
"Or a negotiator at all," Ellen said, rejoining the group. Jo followed close on her heels as they resumed their place behind the bar.
"Ain't that the truth," Bobby huffed. "Alright. Let's get this show on the road."
It took no time at all for him to grab what his gear and draw the necessary symbols on the door. They'd memorized the different 'keys' to all the various locations they could access. He gave a nod to the others as he opened the door.
"You better come back to us, Bobby Singer!" Ellen yelled after him.
"Can't get rid of me that easily," he called back over his shoulder. The door shut behind him and he was alone.
Ash had been the first to figure out how to navigate his way through Heaven's different regions. Since then, they'd built their own paths where there were none. It took less effort than it probably should to get from the Roadhouse to the head archangel's office.
Bobby knew this room well. They often utilized the window when there was shit going down in Heaven. The angels all seemed to avoid Michael's room like a plague, but it served the hunters' needs perfectly. Even Metatron had stayed away from it.
"Okay, I'm in," Bobby whispered into the walkie-talkie. "Am I still clear?"
"All good, my man," Ash's voice crackled softly over the speaker. "You got eyes on anyone yet?"
"Bringing it up now," Bobby answered. The window currently showed a dark room, empty except for some rubble. His fingers flew over the glyphs on the wall, and the image shifted to Heart Hall. "I'm looking at the Heart. Michael's leading a group out now. Oh, Jesus Christ..."
"What?" Ash asked when Bobby didn't continue.
"He's got a vessel. It looks like someone went and got himself a younger model of John."
"Good thing Johnny-boy's no where near there then," Pamela said.
"No kidding," Bobby muttered to himself.
He followed them as much as he could with the window, but it didn't show hallways. Once they left Heart Hall, he'd have to wait for them to show up again. Ash assured him that they weren't headed toward the offices, so Bobby checked the other areas available for viewing.
"It seems like all the angels have gathered in Heart Hall for now. Except Joshua, but he never leaves the Garden," he said, updating the others.
The window showed strange places the hunters had never been able to visit. They'd spent many hours speculating what those unnamed areas were used for, but they had no way of knowing for sure. Some seemed like offices while others contained weird looking pods. Charlie thought they were for making aliens, and Bobby agreed that they resembled things he'd seen in the movies.
He rotated through the different window options until Michael and his group reappeared in the Garden. He watched them for a while, unsure what they were doing exactly. It looked like a bizarre dance of arm movements. The speaker cracked with laughter from the Roadhouse crew when he tried to describe the sight.
The longer he watched, the more he recognized the differences in Michael. It was in the way he smiled and moved, hugging the seraphs with love and gently touching them. All made even more disturbing when done with the body of his fellow hunter. And judging by the reactions from the seraphs every time Michael laughed or smiled, they were also unused to this side of the archangel.
Bobby wished he could hear what they were discussing, but the window only allowed for a visual. Not that he could follow an Enochian conversation, but tone of voice went a long way into understanding what someone meant. "How are the others doing? Have you heard from them?" he asked while waiting.
"Kevin wants to move into Raphael's office. I told him to leave everything how he found it, but I'm guessing he's probably packed away half the dude's library by now. Who knew archangels were such nerds? Grumpy Old Man and Grumpier have also checked in—several dozen times. All is well in the communities and the newcomer entrance so far. Looks like the angels are centered on the boss man's return—their usual patrols aren't even out and about."
Bobby chuckled. "Which one is Grumpier?"
"Oh man," Ash mumbled. "Both of them."
Bobby shook his head and watched as the angels left Michael with three seraphs and Joshua. "Looks like they're on the move again. The group Michael brought to the Garden just ran outta there like they had somewhere important to be. Any change in the chatter?"
"Umm," Ash paused. Bobby figured he was listening to them and waited. "Sounds like they're all healers. He's given them orders to go spread the healing among the Host or something."
"Okay. As long as they ain't headed my way. Michael's on the move now too." Bobby's eyes followed Michael as he led the three seraphs out of the Garden. After a few minutes of flipping through the different windows, he located him again back in Heart Hall. He soon found himself feeling uncomfortably voyeuristic.
Michael was handed a stack of papers from a tiny blonde girl. Whatever he was being shown or told had an immediate effect on the archangel. Bobby wiped his mouth with a sigh as Michael stumbled, openly weeping in front of everyone.
"Balls," he whispered. "Ash?"
"Yeah, Pam-a-lama's feeling it too." Ash's voice was soft, and Bobby heard Pamela crying in the background. "Lot's of heavy grief."
"Well, at least we know he's capable of feeling something. Maybe he'll actually listen." For the first time, Bobby felt a thrill of hope.
After that, Michael seemed to take a tour of Heaven. Bobby tried to keep up with all the places they visited, sending word to the Roadhouse with each new location. Some he recognized, but not all of them. And then, he suddenly heard Ash telling him that Michael had entered the office area and was headed his way.
Bobby had just enough time to sit down at the desk and hide the walkie-talkie, switching the button to 'talk' so the Roadhouse could hear if he needed a rescuing.
Michael remained silent throughout Bobby's story. He had never been more impressed by humanity's abilities as he was in that moment. To learn that a group of humans were basically running half of Heaven? Unthinkable. Unbelievable. Incredible.
"It sounds like I owe you and your friends my deepest gratitude," he said with a slight bow.
"What?" Bobby asked, surprise evident on his face.
"You have succeeded where the angels failed," Michael explained. He directed the hunter over toward a couch and they both sat. He couldn't remember ever taking the time to sit there before, and certainly not with another person. "Heaven has many purposes, Mr. Singer. It is home for the Host—has been since long before my Father ever sculpted a single planet. But its other great purpose is to be home for souls who have passed. In that, we have failed."
"Well, it's not like there was much choice when Metatron took over." Bobby shrugged, looking uncomfortable with the praise.
"Yes, but we failed long before then." Michael sighed. "We have not cared for souls—we stored them. But it sounds like you have found a better way. Communities? I never considered such an idea!"
"Souls are people. People need other people, even if they are dead."
"I'm starting to see that." Michael nodded, agreeing with his point. "So, tell me—you said you needed answers and assurances. How can I help you with those?"
Bobby took a deep breath. "I need assurances that the angels aren't gonna swoop in and shut us down. We've got a good system in place, but..."
"But?" Michael gently encouraged when the hunter didn't immediately continue.
"But honestly? We could use some support." Bobby's eyes met the archangel's own, his gaze challenging. "If you're serious about caring about the souls in this joint, then you gotta know your system is shit. Personal Heavens are a joke. Most are collapsing on a structural level, and we can only reach a small percentage. And I don't mean we need help 'storing' souls back into their tiny boxes. I mean we need to get them outta there and into the larger communities we've started."
Michael tilted his head, in awe of the human. He'd met Bobby Singer once before—the man's courage had only grown since then. "I can promise that we will not 'shut you down.' In fact, I am intrigued by your system. I would like to send my architects to assist, as well as my Soul Inspector. Puriel has been quite distraught by the fact that he could not access the Souls' Heaven for some time now."
Bobby stared back blankly for a second. Then he exhaled, and shook his head in disbelief. "Um, thank you. We'd appreciate it."
"Thank you, Mr. Singer. You and your friends have performed an invaluable service to Heaven and my family. I am eternally in your debt."
"That's not something ya hear everyday," the hunter said with a smile. "And it's Bobby. My father was 'Mr. Singer.' And I ain't him."
"Of course, Bobby," Michael conceded. "Now, any other assurances I can offer? I know you had some questions."
"Oh, I got questions. First, I wanna know where Mary Winchester is and why she got taken."
Michael held up his hand, stopping the man before he got too worked up. "Rest assured, Mary Winchester is quite well. My aunt resurrected her as a gift. It seems Dean Winchester left a lasting impression on my aunt during their encounters, and she wished to thank him for reuniting her with my Father. In fact, I just saw Mary before I returned to Heaven, and she was with both of her sons."
"Good. That leads me to my next question." Bobby's eyes narrowed. "I wanna know why I heard Sam Winchester screaming when that wave of grace tore through this place."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
THANK YOU to everyone who has left comments so far! Y'all are amazing. Seriously.
Only one more chapter in Heaven, and then we'll be back to the bunker with Sam and Morpheus and the rest of them!
I know some of y'all are nervous being away from the baby angel too long, but I promise we'll be back soon.
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