"Cas?" Izzie's voice brought him back to reality, squeezing his hand. Looking down, he saw her staring up at him with a smile. "Where's Alex?"

"She's working but she'll be here soon, I'm sure of it." Castiel grinned down at Izzie. Her hair was pulled tight into a bun on the top of her head and she wore a gauzy skirt with a black top, perfect for her ballet recital. She was clearly nervous; he could feel her sweat coating both his and her palms. She chewed her lip while she waited for Alex to arrive. When her dance teacher called for attention, Castiel knelt in front of her. "There's no need to be nervous, sweetheart. You dance beautifully."

"You think so?" Izzie glanced at the door once more before meeting Castiel's eyes.

"I know so." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and smiled encouragingly once more. "Go with your teacher. I'll be in the audience."

She nodded then scampered to follow her teacher in her warm up exercises. Castiel watched her for a moment then went to wait with the rest of the audience, watching the door for Alex. The lights dimmed, signaling the start of the performance when she finally arrived, smelling of sweat and out of breath. She scanned the room for Castiel, nodding once in acknowledgment when he waved her over to sit in the front row with him. Shrugging her jacket off, Alex asked, "Did I miss anything?"

"No. They're just beginning."

As if to punctuate his statement, the band started to play the music and the young ballerinas danced on stage. Alex waved discreetly to Izzie, knowing she saw when her sister smiled brightly at her. Settling back to enjoy her sister's performance, Alex whispered, "I need to go back to my own time."

"We're not discussing this now." He whispered back, never pulling his eyes from Izzie.

"I messed up, Cas. I know you're mad at me."

"Now is not the place, Alexandria." He finally looked at her, anger burning in his eyes. Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him from his seat, dragging him into the hall. "This is important to Isabel and you know that."

"Lucifer is on his way here. He's looking for us. We need to go back to where we belong." She spit out quickly. "We need to go. Now."

"And let him slaughter everyone here in his anger? What about Izzie?"

"We have to take him with us. At least in our time, we have the bunker. We have the tools we need to fight him."

Castiel huffed and ran a hand through his hair then sighed deeply. "The time line has been too altered. There's no guarantee what or who will still be there."

Alex read his meaning immediately. "The twins and Sera won't be there?"

"No. Too many things have changed."

She could feel her heart drop to her knees as she considered her choice. "They'll be dead?"

"No, they'll have never been conceived. There's a difference." His constant need for clarification came at the most inopportune times.

Her eyes burned with tears, regardless of the technicality of her children's nonexistence. Swallowing the lump in her throat and blinking away her tears, she replied, "We have to save these people. If we can do that without a fatality, then we have to."

He nodded but didn't say anything as she pulled a small golden box out of her pocket. "This will pull Lucifer out of Sam but it won't hold him forever. But at least this Sam and Dean can find happiness."

"And Morgan?"

"I can't bring her with me. The people need her here."

"Very well."

"I'm sorry, Cas." Her voice broke, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"I know."

"If there was a way I could change this, I would."

"I know." He looked at his shoes, not wanting to look at Alex. He felt a darkness approaching and knew it was Lucifer. His footsteps echoed in the hallway and Alex and Castiel turned to face him. Having Lucifer inhabit Sam was hard to take in.

"I have to admit, I'm disappointed." Lucifer paused in front of them, clasping his hands behind his back with a smirk. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight."

"There's nothing to fight anymore." Alex told him. "You've won."

"I don't like you being so passive," He taunted before turning to Castiel. "Brother."

Castiel acknowledged him with a glare, knowing he'd have one chance to send them all back. Alex clutched the box in her pocket, fingers tight around the engraved wood, waiting for the perfect time to trap Lucifer.

Now, Alex. Castiel whispered in her mind and she pulled the box from her pocket, saying the incantation and throwing it at Lucifer. The hallway filled with light, causing her to shield her eyes as he was removed from Sam. Before the light dimmed, she grabbed the box and Castiel's hand, then they disappeared. They landed in the bunker, in the middle of the library. Her stomach churned roughly and she had to find something to puke in, barely making it to a trash can in time. Lucifer's box sat on the table and Castiel looked around, part of him hopeful that Sera would still be here. He felt his heart break when she didn't come running to greet him and rage boiled in his blood. When Alex stood to wipe her mouth, she noticed his tension.

"I'm so sorry, Cas—"

He raised a finger, cutting her off. Not looking at her, he said, "I have forgiven a lot, Alex. I have followed you blindly, given up everything for you, disobeyed many orders. Because I loved you. But do not ask me to forgive this."

"Cas—"

He crossed the room, shoving a chair out of his way and it landed several yards away from them, smacking loudly on the ground. He stood in celestial magnificence, eyes glowing with his grace, rage pouring from every cell in his body. His voice was guttural when he spoke. "You've taken everything from me, Alex. But that wasn't enough. You had to take my daughter!"

"She was mine too, Cas. I loved her and the twins with everything I had. But I had to make a choice."

"You chose wrong."

"What's going on in here?" Dean asked, coming into the library with Sam hot on his heels. All they saw was Castiel seeming to tower over Alex, and she stood as defiantly as possible, not wanting to relinquish any power but knowing she was in the wrong.

"It's a long story," Alex tried to deflect his question.

"Cas?" Dean questioned.

"I have to go, " was all he said before disappearing.

"You want to tell us what that's all about?" Sam asked, picking up the golden box. "And what's in this?"

"Lucifer."

Sam almost dropped the box. "You caught Lucifer in this?"

"Yes. But can we talk about it later?" Alex requested, holding her hand out for the box. "It's been a long night."

"Sure." He put the box in her waiting palm and followed her to their bedroom. She didn't bother to undress, not even taking off her boots, before she crawled into bed and finally allowed herself to dissolve into tears. Sam didn't know why she was crying and just crawled into bed next to her, wrapped his arms around her and whispered that it'd be okay.

-0-

Luna Quinn had her headphones on, listening to music as she ran when she came across a man with dark hair and a rumpled suit, reeking of alcohol. Pausing she asked, "Sir, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He said, staggering to find his footing.

"How much have you had to drink?" She took her headphones off, hanging them around her neck as she moved to help him walk to a bus bench, guiding him by his arm until he was sitting down.

"A liquor store."

"Very funny." She joked, sitting next to him. "Who are you?"

"Castiel."

"Luna." She offered a hand to him, and he shook it awkwardly. "We should probably get some coffee in you, let you sober up a bit."

"I appreciate your help," He slurred. "But I don't want to be sober."

"Regardless, it'd be a good idea." She glanced up, trying to see how close a diner was when she spotted a coffee cart. "I'll be right back."

She returned a moment later with two steaming Styrofoam cups, and pushed one into Castiel's hands. He took a gulp, unaware of the scalding liquid, much to Luna's horror. "Thank you."

"Oh, my God. Are you okay? Didn't that hurt?"

"No."

She sat next to him, wondering how drunk he had to be to not feel that. Sipping her own coffee, she asked, "Do you have a place to stay? To shower? Cause, no offense, you stink."

"No. I- can't go home."

Sighing, she patted his leg and stood. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Castiel was still drunk and didn't think he could walk far.

"My apartment. You need a shower and more coffee if you're going to sober up." Tugging at his arm, she smiled encouragingly. "Get up and let's go."

"I appreciate your kindness but I can't get up." He grumbled, his drunk brain not wanting to work his legs properly.

She put her cup down and picked up his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and tugged Castiel to his feet. Her hair tickled against his wrist and her fingers were soft against his hand. She wrapped her free arm around his torso to steady him and smiled once more. "Let's go."

It took much longer than it should have, after all her apartment was only a few blocks from the bench where they had met. She helped him inside and he leaned against the wall while she found clothes for him to change into. Disappearing into the bedroom, she called to him. "I have a few things an ex left here. I hope that's okay."

"It's fine." He called back, wishing for the room to stop spinning.

She reappeared with a stack of clothes and handed them to him. "Shower is through the bedroom. I'll make something to eat."

Castiel followed her directions and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Now that he stood in the bathroom, his vessel felt grimy and he was aware of how awful he felt. Starting with his tie, he undressed, leaving the clothes and his shoes in an unceremonious pile on the floor. He turned the water as hot as possible before stepping under the spray and used the time to try to take his mind off his loss by observing the things around him. Luna's shampoo and conditioner bottles were purple with flowers on them, clearly indicative of their scent. He squeezed a dollop in his hand, and scrubbed his hair clean, following that with a glob of body wash, and washing away the dirt on his body. By the time he emerged from the shower, he was mostly sober but that was due to his grace and not entirely to the shower. The clothes fit perfectly, a pair of jeans and a light blue v neck shirt. His suit and trenchcoat were no longer on the floor, though when he went to find his hostess.

"That was fast." She smiled at him when he came into the living room. Luna was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels with the remote, a black cat sitting in her lap while she scratched the cat's ears. "There's a sandwich on the table. I only had turkey though. I hope that's okay."

Her smile was so genuine, Castiel didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't eat. He sat at the table and started on his lunch.

"I put your suit and coat in the wash, by the way."

"Thank you." He watched her while she watched television. Her hair was a shocking color, a vibrant purple, framing a heart shaped face with kind features, porcelain skin and piercing brown eyes. She dressed modestly in jeans and a t shirt, covered with a cardigan. Her nails were painted as vibrantly as her hair, an electric blue. She caught him staring and smiled once more. He finished the sandwich quickly and stood. "I should go."

"Your clothes aren't finished yet."

"I can return for them." He replied gently. "If that's all right."

"Of course." She removed the cat from her lap, who protested loudly, as she stood to walk to the kitchen. Finding a notebook, she scrawled her phone number and address on a piece of paper and ripped it out, handing it to him. "In case you need help finding me again."

Castiel accepted the paper and took his leave, waiting until he was out of her building to disappear.

A/N: I'M BACK BABY! So, I went back and revised the crap out of this story and decided to continue with this. I do hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave reviews. I know the plot was everywhere with the previous writing but I plan on following a single plot and sticking to it. Thanks to all of you who have followed this story and read it. You guys rock and I love you all!