A/N: All I can say about this ending is this-don't hate me.

Side note-another Supernatural character makes it way into this chapter.

Eleven Years Later

John walked into the house, greasy and dirty from working on cars all day. He walked to the bathroom and cleaned himself off, the mementos of his life filling his heart with pride just like it did every day. Pictures on the wall, mostly of the past decade, all of which contained smiling, happy faces. It still took him by surprise at times. He had his family back. A real, functional one. His heart felt lighter each and every day that he didn't have to leave and go save strangers. As he left the bathroom and went to his room to change clothes, he remembered to call Dean and tell him to come home.

Dean had quickly grown bored with the 'apple pie' life in South Dakota, as he called it, and with his parents' and Evy's permission, became Bobby's full-time hunting partner. Sam graduated from Stanford with honors, then graduated from law school at the University of South Dakota with honors. John got and kept his job at the local garage, and when his boss eventually retired, John took over the business. John finally finished changing and walked down the hall towards Evy's room. He found her instead in the living room, curled up with a blanket on the couch.

"Hey, little one. How you feeling?"

Evy answered with a loud, wet cough, and John quickly sat beside her and rubbed her back until she calmed down. He took stock of her appearance, and the crushing worry of the last three days cranked up a notch. She was pale, held a steady fever, and was shaking like a leaf. Once she'd calmed down, John asked,

"Does your head still hurt?"

"Yes." Evy said quietly.

"You want one of the pills the doctor gave you?" John asked quietly.

Evy shook her head slowly. "No."
He heard her try to hide it, but he heard the crack in Evy's voice and felt her crying. "What's wrong? Talk to me."
"I just miss mommy."

John's heart cracked. "I know, little one. I miss her too."

As much as John loved his life now, there was one big piece missing. Two years to the day of reuniting as a family in Bobby's living room, Missy developed a cough that refused to go away. At first, she shoved it aside as a bad cold, but after six months of it not going away, John dragged her to the doctor, who revealed the devastating news. The lung cancer that had killed Missy's mother had only been exacerbated by her smoking. It was hereditary. Missy fought hard, but three days after Evy graduated high school, she died in her sleep.

Missy's death hit the whole family hard, but none so hard as Evy. Evy had planned on taking a gap year after high school. She told Missy it was to "figure out what she wanted to do with her life" but told John the real reason. She didn't want to move away as sick as Missy was. While John was more than happy to agree with the plan, it got thrown into the gutter when Missy died. A directionless Evy ended up working at the garage with John, keeping the office, paperwork, and the books in order. By the end of her second week, the business was running smoother than John had ever seen it, and he asked her to stay.

She had worked faithfully for him, five days a week, eight hours a day, for five years, until the past week. She'd come down with a flu that John could barely believe. She had a world class headache, fever, chills, and was weak. John had made her go to the hospital the second day she was sick and had been left frustrated when she got sent home with only a prescription and orders of bedrest.

"Daddy, will you heat up some of that soup Bobby made, please?" Evy asked.

"Are you hungry?" John asked, hopeful. She hadn't had an appetite in days; was she getting better?

"A little." Evy said.

"I'll get it. You lay back down, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." Evy said. "I'm sorry I missed another day."
"The office will still be there. You're more important." John said. "You want a sandwich too?"

"I don't know if I can eat all of it."

"I'll help." John said. "Lay back down."
"Thanks, Daddy." Evy said. "Love you."
John stood up and kissed her forehead. "I love you too. Lay down, get some rest."

As Evy laid back down and John headed towards the kitchen, Evy marveled at the different man her father was compared to twelve years before. He was much more relaxed, gentler, and seemed at peace. Evy had worried when Missy died that John would go back to his old ways, but instead he had doubled his focus on her. They'd helped each other get through Missy's death, and as a result, the two of them were closer than ever.

In the kitchen, John pulled out his phone and called Dean. When he didn't get an answer, he hung up and called Bobby. Bobby picked up and John stepped outside on the back porch quietly.

"Hey, Bobby. How's the hunt going?"

"Not bad. But that's not why you called. Baitfish okay?" Bobby asked.

John smiled. "How'd you know?"

"It's in your voice. What's wrong?" Bobby asked again.

"She's not gotten worse, I'm just…I'm worried, Bobby."

"We're done with the hunt." Bobby said. "We were gonna get a room and come back in the morning. You want us to get back there tonight?"

"Please, Bobby. I'm getting scared here."

"We're coming." Bobby said. "We're coming."

"Thanks, Bobby." John said. He hung up with Bobby and called Sam.

"Dad?" Sam asked. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Hey, Sam. Are you free tonight?"

"Sure. What's going on? Is Cricket okay?" Sam asked.

"She's really sick, Sam. I'm getting worried. I could use some backup with her tonight." John said.

"Sure, Dad. I get done at the office in an hour or so. I'll come right after that."

"Thanks, Sam. I'll see you soon." John said. John reopened the back door and was just about to close it again when he heard a sound that took his breath away.

"Daddy!"

Evy had screamed for him. Her voice was louder than it had been all week, and she was panicking. John ran to the living room, and found Evy sitting up, clutching her head tightly, and crying.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

"My head." Evy said.

"It's worse?"

"A lot worse." Evy said, then let out a cry that set John's hair on end. "Oh, God, Daddy, it hurts."

"That's it. Come on. We're going back to the hospital."

Suddenly, everything stopped. Evy grew completely still. There was no sound anywhere. The two clocks on the wall stopped ticking. The TV Evy had been watching was frozen. The sound of the heater, which had been running a few degrees higher than normal all week because of Evy's fever, was completely gone. Just as John was about to investigate, a voice called from the far corner of the room.

"John Winchester."

John jumped and instinctively reached for the gun he no longer carried on a daily basis. In the corner was a man, dressed in slacks, a white shirt, and a trench coat. He looked a little older than Dean, with black hair and a gravelly voice. John grabbed Evy with one hand and asked,

"Who are you?"

"My name is Castiel."
"What are you doing here?" John asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm an angel of the Lord."
John scoffed. "There's no such thing as angels."

"I assure you, there are." Castiel said.

He moved towards Evy and John practically spat, "Don't touch her."

"I am not going to hurt her." Castiel said. "I am simply trying to see how sick she is."
"Pretty damn sick." John said bitterly.

"I understand." Castiel said evenly. "Please, I promise I won't hurt her."
"Are you the one that stopped everything?" John asked.

"No." Castiel said. "I promise I'll explain. But I must check her first."

John didn't know what made him do it, but he agreed. "All right. But I stay right beside her."
"Of course."

Castiel moved to the other side of Evy and carefully placed a hand to her forehead. John watched carefully, amazed with the process. Castiel closed his eyes, and his mouth turned into a deep frown. He opened his eyes and whispered something that John couldn't quite make out, but sounded a lot like "I'm sorry".

"What's going on?"

"The disease has progressed very far." Castiel said sadly. "Much further than I originally thought."

"Disease? What disease? She has the flu."

"No." Castiel explained. "She has something much more serious."

I knew it, John thought. "More serious? What does that mean?"

"Humans do not have a name for it yet. But at the moment, the only thing holding back the disease from infecting others is your daughter's body."

"What the hell does that mean?" John demanded. "Are you saying she's basically an incubator?"

"For lack of a better word, yes."

"What in the hell is going on here?" John demanded again. "Who are you?"

"I know that you are reluctant to believe me. But time is running very short here." Castiel said, and much to John's rage, he was still speaking in an even, calm tone. "Please give me your hand."

"What?"

"Your hand." Castiel said, holding out his towards John.

John cautiously touched Castiel's hand. Somehow, John realized that Castiel was telling the truth. Evy was ill, violently ill, with an epidemic that would kill nearly everyone in the world if it got out. John saw Evy in an entirely new light. He knew that she'd felt miserable the last few days, but the weight on her shoulders felt as if it would crush John, and it didn't even belong to him. With tears in his eyes, John faced the truth.

"There's nothing we can do."
"No." Castiel answered. "I'm afraid not."

"Then why are you here?" John asked. "Why not just take her?"
"It's not that simple." Castiel said. "Your daughter is very special."

"Special? What does that mean?"

"Perhaps we should bring Sam and Dean here. They need to hear this as well." Castiel said.

"What…"

Before John could ask his question, Sam, Dean, and Bobby appeared in the living room. All of them appeared just as confused as John had been, but the look of stone cold terror on John's face, and the tears he was now freely shedding, scared all of them more than the fact that they'd been lifted from two different destinations, in two different states, and placed in the living room of their family home with presumably no effort at all.

"Dad?" Sam was the first to speak. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Both of you boys need to listen up." John said, attempting to sound commanding but failing miserably.

"John, what in the hell…?" Bobby asked.
"Not exactly." Castiel said.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean asked.

"I am not from hell, I assure you." Castiel replied. "My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord."
"Boys, I know it sounds crazy." John said. "Believe me, I know it does. But it's true."
"Dad, how is that possible?" Sam asked.

"And why are you here?" Bobby asked. "And how did you stop…everything?"

"I didn't." Castiel said. "Please, we are running out of time."

"Out of time for what?"

"Evelyn is what is referred to as a Sensitive. Her body is, physically, much stronger than the typical human. But her soul is, for lack of a better word, elastic." Castiel said. "Evelyn can survive anything physical, as long as she is willing to. But when she goes through something emotional, it can cause her soul to stretch. In extreme cases, this stretching can cause a Sensitive to lose their minds."
"If she can survive anything, why is this flu even an issue?" John asked. "If she'll get through it, why are you here?"

"What do you mean if she'll get through it, Dad?" Sam asked, panic setting in.

John sighed. "Your sister won't make it out of this, Sam."

"That is not necessarily true." Castiel said. "Evelyn has a choice here whether or not to die. She is making that choice as we speak."
"The hell she'll die!" Dean protested.

"If she doesn't, the majority of the rest of the world will." Castiel calmly replied. "It is entirely your sister's choice."

"Let me get this straight." Sam said. "She carries this monster virus, that if it gets out, kills the whole planet. The only way to stop it is if she chooses to die."

"Yes." Castiel said.

"What happens to her if she chooses not to?" Sam asked. The thought of losing Evy, especially when Missy's death still felt so fresh, made Sam forget the rest of the world. "Does she die?"

"No. But she will remain ill for the rest of her life. Which in her case, could be forever." Castiel explained.

"Are we allowed to try and talk her out of it?" Sam asked.

"Sam." John spoke from the couch, where he was sitting next to a still frozen Evy. "We can't talk her out of it."
"Dad! Are you saying you're okay with this?"

"Don't be stupid, Sam!" John snapped. "Of course I'm not okay with it."
"Then why…"

"Because if we don't, she'll stay this way for the rest of her life." John said, swallowing back the bile in his throat as he said it. "Sam, you weren't here earlier today. Right after I called you, she started screaming and crying. Her head was hurting worse than it ever had before."

"She was bleeding into her brain." Castiel said. "That's a symptom that the flu is about to kill someone, or in Evy's case, that it's about to escape."

"We really didn't need to hear that." Bobby said.

"Sam, I know it's hard to hear." John said gently. "But, at least for me, the only thing worse than losing your sister would be to have her suffer like this for…well, forever."

"Dad…" Sam said, his heart starting to break.

"I know, Sam." John said. He stood up and grabbed Sam around the neck, which was difficult given that Sam had grown inches taller than him. "I know, buddy. I get it. I do. But we have to let her go."

"Evelyn has made her decision." Castiel announced. "She has been granted some time to say goodbye to all of you, but she will only come back if you agree not to fight her on her choice."
"Where will she go?" Dean asked.

He didn't need to ask what Evy had chosen; she didn't have a selfish bone in her body. Present the choice to her to save herself or save the world, and there was no question in his mind how that would go.

"She will go to heaven." Castiel assured the family. "She will join her mother and her sister there."

"Missy's with Ruthie?" John asked.

"Yes. She misses all of you but is quite happy with her other daughter."

"Can you tell her we miss her?" Dean asked.

"No. But you can ask Evy to tell her."

"How much time do we get?" Bobby asked.

"Fifteen minutes." Castiel said. "Any longer, and we risk the flu getting out."

"Can you stop her head from hurting?" John asked. "I don't want to spend fifteen minutes listening to her screaming."

"The headache has been taken from her."
"Then tell her to come back." John said. "Tell her we're all here, and we'll be here until the end."

"Very well." Castiel said.

Before anyone could say anything else, Castiel was gone, and a small, weak voice called out. "Daddy."

Evy was sitting up on the couch now, and everything had gone back to normal, but no one noticed. Their focus was on Evy. In what seemed to them to be a cruel twist, Evy looked nearly back to normal. She was still pale, but she was no longer shaking. John shocked everyone in the room when he grabbed Evy in a crushing hug, tighter even than the daddy bear hugs she would ask for as a baby, and wept.

"Oh, Daddy, please don't cry." Evy said, though tears were streaming down her own face as she said it. "Please don't cry. I need to talk to you."

Bobby and Dean sat on the coffee table in front of the couch, while Sam sat on Evy's other side. Evy comforted John a few more seconds, while she looked around at the rest of her family that remained. Sam was crying openly, and Evy took his hand. Dean was trying to hide his tears, probably trying to be strong and brave for Evy. Bobby was doing the same.

"Daddy, please. Please, I need to talk to you." Evy said.

John took a deep breath and wiped his face. He didn't want to hear whatever it was Evy had to say. His heart ached, deeper and more profound than ever, and every time it beat, the pain just spread and spread. Evy smiled at him (How can she smile right now? John thought when she did), and though he felt no joy or happiness whatsoever, he smiled back at her.

"You guys know?" Evy asked.

John nodded. "Yeah. We know."
"I have to go." Evy said sadly. "I'm sorry, I don't want to, but…"

"Shhh. It's okay." John said. "We all understand."

"I need to talk to all of you." Evy said.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Uncle Bobby?" Evy asked. "Promise me you'll take care of them."

"I will, Baitfish. I will."

"I love you, uncle Bobby." Evy said.

Damn it, kid, Bobby thought. "Love you too, Baitfish. Love you too."

"Deanie? I know you love hunting, but promise me you'll check on Daddy more often." Evy said. "And be careful. Please."
"I promise, kiddo."

"Love you, Deanie." Evy said, holding out a hand towards Dean.

Dean placed his hand on top of hers, interlocking his fingers. "Love you too, kiddo."

"Sammy?"

"Yeah, Cricket?" Sam asked.

"I'm proud of you." Evy said. "You're the first one of us to do something other than hunting. And what you do is important. Don't stop it. Okay?"
Sam choked. He was known in the area for taking cases even when a client couldn't pay. He'd been doing it since he graduated law school, which often meant that he was short on cash, causing him to him to have financial problems. Despite having graduated law school eight years earlier, he had only been able to move into his own apartment three months earlier. Sam believed in what he did, but it had often been a source of ridicule from Dean and a source of tension from his father.

"Sammy?" Evy asked. "I don't have much time."
"I won't, Cricket." Sam swore. "I won't. I swear."
Instead of telling Sam she loved him, as she'd done Bobby and Dean, Evy did something Sam thought she had forgotten about. She took her middle and forefinger, kissed them, put the two to her heart, and held out her hand. Sam repeated her motion and touched his same two fingers to her. It was something Evy had started doing as a baby, a way to tell him she loved him without actually saying it. The last time he remembered it happening had been the night before Jess died. Evy finally turned to John. He was crying again. Evy reached up, wiped his tears away, and said to him,

"Thank you too, Daddy."
"For what, little one?" John asked.

Evy grabbed his waist in another hug. "For being my Daddy."

What does it matter now? John thought bitterly. "That's been a blessing, little one. You've been a gift to all of us, especially me."

"I'm scared, Daddy." Evy admitted.

"Don't be. Your mommy's waiting for you right now." John said. "You'll be with her, and all this'll be over."

"Daddy, don't get bitter because of this, please." Evy asked. "You've come so far from where you used to be. Don't let this destroy you. Promise me."
How the hell can I promise that? This hurts more than anything else ever has. "I promise, little one." John looked at the clock. They had only five more minutes. "What do you want to do?"
"Just hold me, Daddy. Don't go anywhere."

"I won't." John swore. "I won't."

Nothing else was said, as there was nothing that could be said. The ticks of the clock, which for the ten minutes previous had gone unnoticed, now seemed to blare like a trumpet. John held Evy in his arms, rocking her back and forth. Bobby and Dean both put a hand on her knee so she'd know they were there, and Sam continued to hold Evy's hand. Five minutes later, John let out a bitter sob when he felt Evy's final breath leave her body. Though no one could hear or see her, Evy whispered from beside them,

"Goodbye."

"Hello, Kitten."

Evy turned and gasped. "Mommy!"

"Yes, it's me." Missy said. "Come here."
Evy ran to her mother's arms, something she'd missed desperately the last few years. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, Kitten." Missy said. "Come on, let's go home."

Evy looked back to her family. John was still holding her lifeless body, Sam was still crying next to her, and Dean and Bobby were trying to convince them to move Evy's body. Evy watched them sadly, wishing she could take their pain away from them.

"What about them?" Evy asked. "I don't want to leave them if it's going to hurt them this much."

"Don't worry, Kitten." Missy said. "Your Daddy will be hurting for a while. So will your brothers and Bobby. But it won't last forever."

"What do you mean?" Evy asked.

"You'll be back one day." Missy explained.

"I will?"

"Yes, you will." Missy promised. "But not right now."

"Are you sure they'll be okay?" Evy asked.

"They'll be fine, Kitten." Missy promised. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

Evy let her mother's waist go, only to grab her hand. "Let's go."

A/N: I lied in the A/N at the top. There's two things to say about this ending. 1-Don't hate me, and 2-like I hinted at in the ending, there is a sequel coming.
Hope everyone's doing well!