Gabriel looked around. Once again he and Lucifer were standing in front of a vast crowd of Angels, all staring at them. "Brothers," Gabriel said. "Sisters."
"You owe us an explanation Gabriel," said an Angel from the front of the crowd. "We thought you were dead."
"I know," Gabe said. "You will get your explanation from me after you listen to Lucifer's."
Lucifer shot a death glare at his brother but stepped up. "I know I have done terrible things but I do want to redeem myself so, please, listen to me when I tell you."
Down at the Bunker, Cas swayed a little, an after effect of the amount of Grace it took to transport everyone. He gripped the back of a chair and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.
"Hey," Dean said softly. "You good?"
"I'm good," Cas ground out. "My Grace, it's almost fully recovered."
Dean relaxed a little. "Okay," he said. "Easy Tiger, sit down for a second."
"I don't need to," Cas said, straightening up.
Dean looked doubtful but clapped Cas's shoulder and nodded, turning to Sam and Jess. "Hey, uh, Jessica, could I speak with my brother for a second?"
"It's Jess," she said gently. "And of course."
Sam raised an eyebrow but followed Dean out of the room nonetheless. "Everything good?" he asked worriedly. "Is it C-"
He was cut off as Dean roughly pulled him in for a hug, pressing his little brother against him. "Congratulations Sammy," he whispered.
Sam let out a breathy laugh as he returned the embrace slowly. Usually it was Sam pulling Dean in for a hug. "And you call me the overly emotional one."
"Shut it Sam," Dean said softly.
"You know none of that was planned, right?"
"Dude," Dean said. "I saw your face, obviously none of that was planned. You looked terrified."
Sam snorted. "That's because I was terrified." He stepped back from Dean. "Hey, uh, do you think you and Cas could maybe..."
"Leave for a bit?" Dean asked with a devious smile. "Why would we do that?"
"Screw you," Sam said with a grin.
Dean wiggled his eyebrows. 'Screw her,' he mouthed. "Fine," he said aloud. "We'll be half tomorrow morning around ten."
"The Hell are you going to do until then?" Sam asked, regretting the question as Dean smirked.
"Most likely him." Dean twirled the keys to Baby around his finger, laughing as Sam flipped him the bird. "Hey Cas!" he called out loudly. "Wanna go out?"
Cas turned, smiled, and walked over to Dean. "That sounds nice," he said after a moment, realizing they were returning a favor. "Where to?" Dean grinned widely and stretched out a hand.
"Wherever you want," he said as Cas took his offered hand.
"Why were you hiding?" an Angel wearing the skin of a young man asked. Gabriel supposed the question had been inevitable but he hadn't been rushing to answer it. He had previously explained how he had survived but had yet to speak of how he and Lucifer released Dean from Heaven and broke into Purgatory.
"I wanted out," he said after a moment of hesitation. "I was done, done watching my family kill each other."
"So you couldn't be bothered to show your face and help?" asked a short blonde Angel in an accusatory tone.
Lucifer cleared his throat, feeling anger rise in his stomach. "It may have escaped your notice," he said angrily, "but he helped stop Auntie Amara for destroying all of us." She shrank back, not because he was Satan but because of his status as an Archangel.
Gabriel held out a hand. "Lucifer," he snapped. "Down boy!"
Lucifer glared at him but slunk back, obviously unhappy at being referred to using a phrase commonly used to calm dogs. "Fine," he snapped.
The short blonde Angel bowed her head. "I am sorry Gabriel. I did not mean-"
"-it's alright," Gabe cut her off. "Please."
She nodded and stepped back. "Will you explain how you got Castiel back?"
Lucifer cleared his throat. "I was also there," he said, waving a hand.
"Shut up Lucifer," Gabe teased. "You can help explain."
Sam pressed his lips against Jess's, pushing her down on the bed. She moaned against his lips, hands eagerly traveling to pull his top layer off, straining to push him up. "Sam..." she whispered. Sam felt his heart expand with love and lust for her, pressed his lips even harder to hers.
Jess gasped and allowed entry for tongues and shivered as he nibbled at her lip. She loved him so much, needed him, this was beyond anything they had done in college, far beyond. She had no apprehension however, instead she was trembling with want.
Sam lifted his lips from her's and let her gentle hands guide his to push off her shirt. She lay back, let him press his lips down her neck to her chest, hesitating over her breasts. "Is this alright?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she said, running her hands into his hair. "Yes."
Sam continued his work and she gasped, raking her nails down his back, curving up into him. Sam didn't hesitate to move down to her abdomen, butterfly light kisses trailed downward.
"Yes," she gasped. "Yes."
Cas sat across from Dean, fiddling with sleeve. Dean glanced up from his beer. "You okay?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Cas murmured.
Dean sighed and leaned forward. "Babe, listen..." He stopped and blushed- actually blushed.
Cas raised his eyebrows. "Babe?" he asked, smirking.
"Is that alright?" Dean asked softly.
Cas smiled, reached a hand out to squeeze Dean's. "Of course."
Dean ducked his head, smiling down. "So what is it?" he asked softly, looking back up.
"Just...," Cas began, "my Father...I can't believe He's back. And Michael, he's dead."
"Oh," Dean said, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry?"
Cas ruefully shook his head. "I'm thankful actually."
"Why?"
"Because there is no possible way he can get to you now."
Dean squeezed his hand, not sure of how to respond again, touched. "Yeah," he said. "Today's been pretty fucking weird. I mean, Sam got engaged!" Before us...
Cas glanced away for a second. "Yeah," he said softly.
Dean didn't comment. He simply took a ip of his beer and squeezed Cas's hand, glaring at the broad man who stalked past them, staring at the couple with a disgusted look on his face. "Problem?" Dean demanded.
The guy walked away, muttering under his breath. Dean made to stand up but Cas, with surprising strength, pined Dean's hand to the table top. "Don't," he whispered, mouth barely moving. "He's not worth it."
Dean settled back. "I know," he said quietly. "You wanna go?"
Cas nodded. "Where too?"
"I know a hotel.."
"Sounds good," Cas said with a shrug.
Twenty minutes later Cas had Dean lined up against a wall, kissing him so furiously Dean thought he might black out.
Cas's hands pulled Dean's shirt off, and Dean loved it, allowed himself to how itch whatever Cas had planned, let himself be shoved roughly onto the bed, Cas was on top of him, shirtless, kissing him roughly.
"Please," Dean begged as the Angels hands traveled down to Dean's pants, teasing him.
Cas obliged and slowly unzipped the jeans. "Ready?" he asked.
"Of course."
Somehow along the line Jess had found herself on top of Sam, both of them naked, kissing down his muscled chest. "I love you," she whispered, admiring how beautiful he was inside and out.
"I know," Sam said softly. "I love you too." He pressed a kiss to the top of her sticky, sweaty head.
She smiled into his chest, laying down onto of him. "Promise me this is real," she whispered again.
"I know its real as can be but," Sam trailed off, hands rubbing her bare back, "but you're here, with me, but it doesn't feel real."
She didn't respond at first but felt her chest tighten, remembering the explanation of Sam's visions of Lucifer and everything else he was hallucinating. "What does it feel like?" she whispered.
"Nothing feels real, that Dean and I are done hunting, that Cas is back, that he and Dean are together. It feels like I'm going to wake up tomorrow and the bed will be empty," he confessed. "And I'll get up and sigh and try and continue whatever existence I live. And I'll try and take care of myself and Dean, and we'll hunt the monster of the week. No leads on Amara or Cas, and I'll watch my brother suffer from it, watch him loose sleep, no ear, and I'll hope and pray he'll be okay. And I'll get through each day hoping that soon this will all end, not my life," he clarified at Jess's stricken expression. "Not my life, but pain, Amara even. Maybe that we'll get Cas back, maybe Dean will be okay, I'll be okay." He met her gaze evenly but his eyes were full of tears. "That's what it feels like."
She pressed a hand to his cheek. "But you'll be okay, they will be okay."
"I know," Sam whispered, closing his eyes and letting a tear slide out from under his lashes. "I know."
Together, safe, he closed his eyes, feeling Jess's breath slow down as she drifted to sleep.
When he woke up an hour later, she wasn't there. She was on the ceiling, surrounded by a halo of flames.
