12 October, 2008

The next morning, true to her word, Sookie sent out their breakfast soon after they appeared in the dining room. Sam was still upset, but he ate it because he was hungry and because it was delicious. He was silent during the meal; thinking very hard.

Sookie joined them at their table for a moment after they were finished. They were lingering over their coffee and she approached and sat down. "You know, John would sit for awhile after the breakfast rush was over and we would talk about you boys." She turned to Sam, "He was proud of both of you, and he bragged about you both, often." She put her hand over Sam's on the table. "He told me that you two had had a terrible fight, though. Did you get a chance to patch that up?"

Sam nodded at her.

"That's good to know." She patted his hand and turned to Dean. "Last time he was here, he told me he gave you his car. He said that you loved it more than anything. He knew you would take good care of it."

Dean smiled at her, "The Impala is right outside."

Sam spoke up then, "His baby is in great shape." He gave her a small smile.

Sookie smiled at him, "That's great! I'll come out and see it sometime. Jackson doesn't know anything about cars, neither do I, so don't bother showing me the engine."

Dean smiled at her, "Jackson?"

"My husband."

Dean nodded, "You have kids?"

"Four; Davey, Martha and the twins were born in June."

Dean looked aghast, "Four!"

She giggled at his expression, "I know, right? Four is a lot, but Jackson is great and we love them to pieces."

He leaned toward her and gave her a grin, "When you get a chance, I'll take you for a ride. There's nothing like a muscle car…"

She beamed at him, laughed and shook her finger, "I'll hold you to that!" Sookie stood up and sighed, "Well, my break is over. I'll see you two later." She patted both boys on the shoulder and returned to her kitchen.

Despite how relentlessly cheery Sookie was, both boys liked her and knew why John would wait for her. She was like a beacon in their dark lives.

The boys got up from the table and Sam decided to walk around the grounds of the hotel for awhile. Dean followed him; he knew something was on Sam's mind and he wanted to know what it was. Behind the inn, Sam and Dean discovered a paddock with a couple of horses in it. Remembering, Dean went into the barn and located a bucket with carrots in it. He took some, returned to Sam and gave them to him.

Sam laughed a little at that and nodded, "While I was at Stanford, we had to take gym classes. One quarter, they offered horseback riding. I'd always wanted to learn, so I took it."

Dean looked at him like he was crazy.

Sam grinned at him, "Don't look at me like that. The rest of the class was a bunch of chicks. I was very popular."

"Like that Art History course?"

Sam grinned and nodded.

In a dry tone of voice, Dean said, "Well, it's good to see that you took your education seriously."

Sam laughed again.

At the promise of a treat, both horses came to the fence and Sam gave a carrot to first one and then the other. As they munched on the snack, Sam ran his hand down the neck of the one closest to him. "I loved learning how to ride. It's very freeing. After the class was over, I would go back and ride every couple of months. I took Jessica on our…" he paused for a moment to think, "Second date, I think."

"Sam…" Dean was worried that thinking of Jessica would upset Sam all over again.

"Its okay, Dean, I can think of Jessica sometimes and just remember the good parts." He smiled at his brother and started walking again. Dean followed. Sam didn't speak again and Dean was aware that Sam was still thinking about something very hard. His curiosity was burning him, but he didn't ask.

SPNGGSPNGG

Lorelai called Dean and arranged to meet the Winchesters at Luke's at 12:30. "We can go over to my house after lunch and finish all of this. That okay?"

Dean thought that was a good idea and let Sam know. All morning he had been watching Sam and wondered what the guy was doing – it was as if he was trying to remember something…

After lunch, they decided to walk to the house they had been in only a few times before and as they approached, they noticed some changes to the structure.

Lorelai smiled, "After the fire, Luke was the one who helped me fix this. He oversaw the repairs. We started to date shortly after that. He talked me into redoing the upstairs and designed an amazing bathroom. He knew, even if I didn't, that he wanted to marry me. We had a couple of hiccups, but he convinced me that I couldn't live without him. We added on again when we found out that I was carrying twins."

"You have more kids?" Dean smiled at her at that.

Lorelai grinned and nodded, "They're 1½ years old; a boy and girl, Will and Bess. A babysitter was watching them while I met you for lunch."

Sam was smiling about that, too.

They went into the house and looked around. Some things were the same, but they saw the differences when they looked into the kitchen. The babysitter came down and whispered that the babies had been fed and they were down for their nap. Then she left.

Lorelai rejoined them in the kitchen, "Sookie designed the kitchen, so it's a little better than I would have chosen. All I need for a kitchen is a coffee maker, a microwave and a fridge to hold the leftovers. Luke is the only one who cooks in this house, so he appreciates it more than I do."

She continued to prattle out of nervousness. She gestured to a door behind them, "Rory's room was re-built a little bigger and we made room for some shelves. She lost all of her books in the fire, but because she was so organized, we had a complete list on her computer. The insurance company was able to reimburse her for every one. April uses it when she stays here during her visits with her dad. Rand uses it, too, when I get to have him overnight."

"April?"

"Luke's daughter."

Dean nodded and Sam moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. He was rubbing his face with both hands. Dean and Lorelai both noticed and they followed him. Lorelai moved over and sat down beside him. "Sam, do you have another headache?" She put her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her and smiled, "No, actually, I'm praying."

That took Lorelai by surprise. "Oh, okay." Lorelai looked at Dean, but saw that he was just as surprised. He just shrugged at her and watched Sam go back to his prayers.

"Sammy?"

Sam looked at him.

Dean had a perplexed look on his face, "Whatcha doin'?"

Sam glanced over at Lorelai and then looked back at Dean, "I think you know."

"Seriously?"

"It's logical. They answer sometimes. At least that's what they teach in Sunday school."

"You've been praying all this time?"

"I've been praying since last night."

Lorelai couldn't stand it. "What are you guys talking about? Does this have anything to do with Rand?"

Dean looked at her. "I'm sorry. I don't know if I should answer you… You're gonna think we're crazy." He sighed and rubbed his face, "It's got something to do with Rand and whether or not Dad was successful."

"Why do I have the feeling you think someone will answer you?"

Sam looked at her, "Maybe someone will – it's what I've been praying for. I've been thinking of going to the church…"

"Sammy, he may be busy… You know why he's here."

Sam looked at him. "Maybe you should go to the church and pray. He comes to you."

Lorelai looked at Dean, "Who's he?" She turned to Sam, a little freaked out, she asked, "Are you praying to God? Do you think He will answer?"

Dean grabbed her arms, "No, he's not praying to God and no, he doesn't think He will answer." He looked at his brother, "Sammy, help me out here."

Sam smiled, "Lorelai, angels are walking the earth right now and Dean knows one. We aren't crazy."

"Yes. You are."

"No. His name is Castiel."

Dean was rubbing his forehead, "Sam…"

Sam turned to his brother with an agonized look on his face, "Dean! I can't… not know! I think Castiel is the only one who can tell us for sure. We can't tell for certain, and it's not like we can ask a demon."

"Well, what about Ruby?"

"I don't want her anywhere near that boy!"

Dean was getting pissed, "That's good to know!"

"Dean…" Sam was pleading with his brother, "Please! Just… go to the church and pray. He may come to you when he won't come to me. I'll leave; maybe he'll come if I'm not around. Please!"

Dean looked at Lorelai who was trying not to freak out. He sighed, "Lorelai, I'm gonna go to the church. Where is it?"

"Why wouldn't the angel come if Sam is around? Who's Ruby?"

Sam wouldn't look at her, but he answered, not unkindly, "Don't ask about Ruby." Dean gave him the keys to the car, and he got up and left the house. He would walk to The Impala and take it back to the inn.

Dean was looking at the door, watching his brother leave. Then he turned to Lorelai, "I don't think Castiel likes him much."

She nodded as if she agreed, "Well sure, if an angel doesn't like you, you should make yourself scarce."

Dean scoffed at that, "There ya go. I'll try to contact Castiel. I don't have any guarantees, Lorelai; I'm putting my reputation on the line with you admitting that I talk to angels."

Lorelai nodded at that, "You surely are…"

"I'll be back in a little while." He grinned at her, "Where's the church?"

Lorelai gave him directions and when he left, she sat down on the couch to wait. She was stunned to learn that John's sons had gone crazy and she, being an expert, hadn't noticed until just then.

SPNGGSPNGG

Dean found the church on the opposite side of the village green from Luke's diner. When he went to the doors, he found them unlocked and the church itself was empty.

He walked slowly toward the altar and looked around, "Ah, geez…" Since he didn't know what to do, he decided to kneel. Feeling like a fool, he pressed his hands together and bowed his head, "Castiel? If you can hear me, I need a word…"

"I am not at your beck and call."

Dean nearly pitched forward from the surprise of the voice behind him. "Holy Sh…!" Still on his knees, he turned around, "You scared me to death!"

Castiel was looking around at the little church with curiosity. Then he looked at Dean and almost smiled, "You don't need to kneel. I hear you just fine."

Feeling like a fool, Dean stood up, he growled, "Did you hear Sam?"

Castiel nodded. For a fleeting second, there was an irritated look on his face.

Dean got angry at that. "You know, Sam didn't ask for Yellow Eyes to do what he did. You don't need to act like he's the Antichrist."

Castiel looked at him with surprise, "Sam's not the Antichrist."

"Then why didn't you answer his prayer – prayers?"

"I was busy." Castiel was moving around the church and examining it's interior.

"What?" Dean demanded, "Too busy for Sam, but not too busy for me?"

Castiel glanced over at him and nodded, "Yes."

"Sam's right isn't he? You don't like him."

Castiel nodded again, "I don't."

Dean was seriously pissed at that, "You know, if this weren't so important to the family we're here to help or to Sam, I'd tell you to go to Hell."

Castiel looked at him curiously and tilted his head to the side, "I did go to Hell when I rescued you. I didn't like it and I don't want to go back." Once again, he got an irritated look on his face, but again, it was fleeting.

Dean had a surprised look on his face, but he scoffed, "Whatever."

"Why did you want to speak to me?"

Dean sighed, "We're here to see if Yellow Eyes got to a child that lives here."

"What do you mean?"

Dean told Castiel everything he knew about what happened to Rory and Dean almost 8 years ago and what happened when the child was 6 months old. "It fits … what Yellow Eyes told Sam, the fire… we think it's a strong possibility."

"Where is the child?"

Dean pulled out his cell phone and called Lorelai.

"Hello?"

"Lorelai, is Rand there yet?"

"Yes, they arrived right after you left. I didn't tell them where you were going – or why."

"I appreciate that. I'll be there in a few minutes…"

As he was speaking, Castiel touched his forehead and they were on the porch, in front of Lorelai's front door.

"– or right now." He was surprised and disconcerted, so he looked at the angel and gave him a withering glare. "Don't do that!" He knocked on the door and Lorelai opened it looking flabbergasted.

"Dean! I thought you were at the church!"

Dean was still glaring at Castiel, "I was."

Castiel looked at the woman in the door, "Where is the child?"

Lorelai turned to him, "Who are you?"

"I am Castiel."

Lorelai looked him up and down, "You look like an accountant."

Dean laughed a little at that, and Castiel gave him a 'Did-you-put-her-up-to-that?' frown. He turned and looked again at Lorelai, "I am an Angel of the Lord"

Shocked, Lorelai responded, "Yeah, okay… well… that's what you say."

Dean coughed to cover another laugh and Castiel glared at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

Lorelai gave Dean a confused look and then gestured them into the house.

Castiel entered first and looked around; Dean and Lorelai followed him. He turned to the left toward the living room where two people were standing. He looked at Dean Forester, "You are not Sam Winchester." He tilted his head studying him.

Dean shook his head, "No."

Castiel nodded. "Your family is related to the Campbell's."

Dean Forester shook his head again, "Not that I'm aware of."

"I'm not questioning; I'm stating a fact."

Dean looked at him confused, "Who are the Campbell's?"

Dean Winchester had a surprised look on his face. "My mother was a Campbell." He looked around at them and shrugged, "It makes sense, considering..." He gestured toward Dean's face. He looked at Rory, "Your friend, the bitchy little girl, said it was genetically impossible."

He paused for a moment. He looked at Dean Forester, "You were probably the initial target." He turned to Rory with a sorry look on his face, "Rory was just the girl you were with."

The others stood there shocked; absorbing that new unwelcome bit of information.

Castiel was looking around the room and occasionally he would get the same irritated look on his face that Dean had noticed earlier. They all were watching him.

Finally he turned to Rory. "There are babies here. May I see them?"

Rory just looked at him, "There are two toddlers and an infant in the house. Do you want to see them all?"

Castiel nodded and Rory led him up to the second floor. Gilly, Will and Bess were all asleep in the twin's room. Castiel stood over each of them and smiled. "Angels love babies. We're attracted to them and they can be quite… distracting." He touched all three children on the forehead. "They won't wake up for a while." Despite being touched, none of them woke up, even though Bess was a very light sleeper. He turned around and went back down the stairs.

Rory looked at him as he left. "Angels?" She quickly glanced at the three little ones and then followed him.

Castiel had that irritated look on his face again as he came down the stairs. He looked at Dean, "Call Sam, tell him to stop praying."

Dean was already pissed at Castiel and this just made him angrier. "No." He growled, "That's what you get for ignoring him. You'll just have to put up with it."

Castiel went over to Dean and got all up in his personal space. "I am here. He doesn't need to keep praying. If you want my help, you'll get him to stop." His tone of voice was low and menacing.

The others standing in the room were suddenly very afraid of the person Dean had brought into the house.

Dean Forester was alarmed at the expression on Dean Winchester's face. He turned to the other man, "Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

Castiel turned around, "I told Lorelai."

Rory and Dean turned and looked at her mother. Lorelai shrugged, "He said he was an Angel of the Lord."

In unison, Rory and Dean turned again to Castiel. He had moved over in front of the fireplace and the room started to shake. It got dark and lightening flashed. As the lightening flashed they could see wings appear on the wall behind him like a shadow. They expanded across and bent at the angle of the walls. They were so big they nearly covered the entire room. They saw all of that in a matter of seconds.

"Holy Shit!" Dean Forester was shocked and appalled. Rory was grateful there was a couch behind her when she sat down, and Lorelai had grabbed Dean Winchester's arm in an attempt not to faint.

Even though Dean Winchester had seen Castiel's wings the night he met the angel, he still felt himself tremble as they appeared again before him. When the display was over, and to cover his fear and awe, Dean growled at the angel, "You know, Castiel? You've got a strong sense of the dramatic." He spoke with sarcasm dripping from his smart mouth. He looked at Lorelai to make sure she was all right and then moved over beside Rory and Dean to check them.

"It was necessary. They didn't believe me and they never would have."

Dean didn't answer him. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone to call his brother. Then he left the room.

After Dean talked to Sam, he came back into the room where he found the three humans watching the angel in their midst. Castiel was moving around and looking at the things Lorelai had decorated the room with. He had been in very few homes while on earth and he was curious about everything. He was particularly confused by a monkey lamp he found.

When Dean came back in, Castiel turned and looked relieved. "Thank you."

Dean was still angry at the angel and just gave him an irritated look. He turned to Rory, "Where's Rand? I thought he was here."

"He's in my room reading." She turned to the angel, "Why didn't he come out during that display?"

Castiel picked up a picture and was examining it, "No one outside of this room would have noticed it." He never looked at her.

Dean Forester went into the kitchen and knocked on the door to Rory's old room. After a moment, Rand opened it and looked up at him curiously. "Are you my daddy?"

Ever since the day before, whenever Rand saw Dean, he asked the question. Dean Forester smiled at him and patiently answered him yet again, "Yeah, Dude, I'm your daddy." He reached down and picked up his son.

Riding on his dad's arm, Rand put his arm around his father's neck, "Where's the other one?"

Dean smiled, "He's not here right now."

"He's nice."

"Yeah, he is." He turned to take his boy into the living room. "There's someone else we want you to meet."

Rand looked curiously toward the living room, "Okay"

Castiel was standing in the middle of the room when Dean came in with his son. Dean put Rand down and walked him over to the angel, still holding his hand. He crouched down to be closer to his son's height, "Rand, this is Castiel."

Rand looked at the unassuming appearing man in front of him and smiled, "Hello."

Castiel, who didn't have any experience with children, just looked at him.

When Castiel didn't speak to him, but continued to stare, Rand got nervous and moved closer to his father.

Sensing her child's fear, Rory moved over to his other side and took his other hand. She looked at Castiel and growled, "Stop scaring him."

Castiel looked at her and then turned toward Dean Winchester. "He's too young, I can't tell just by looking at him."

Dean slumped a little in disappointment. "Is there a test you can do? Can you tell if you touch him?"

"The only thing I could do would be… unpleasant."

Dean and Rory were alarmed at that, "What do you mean?" Rory demanded.

Lorelai moved over to Rand and took him out of the room again. This was no conversation to have in front of the child. She settled him once again in the bedroom and handed him the book he had started to read earlier. When she noticed the title, she sat down beside him, "Are you reading this?"

He nodded.

She was surprised, "Do you get it?"

He looked at her solemnly and nodded again. "Why?"

"Well, this book was written for kids a little older than you. Is it scary?"

"G-ma, it's just a book! Harry will win, he always does."

Lorelai laughed and hugged him. "Yeah, he'll always win." She hugged him until he started to squirm and then she laughed, kissed him on the forehead and got up from the bed. As she left the room, she glanced back and saw that he was already absorbed in the third Harry Potter book.

Lorelai moved back into the living room and Dean and Rory gave her grateful looks. She turned to Dean Winchester. "When did you find out about Sam?"

"Just before Dad died… he told me that something…bad was going on with Sam. Sam found out the rest just before I killed Yellow Eyes."

"So you had no idea anything had happened until John told you?"

Dean shook his head, "No"

"What did Yellow Eyes do to Sam?"

Dean shook his head, "It isn't mine to tell."

Dean Forester moved over to Dean. He knew Sam would answer him if he asked, so he held out his hand, "Give me your cell phone, I need to call him."

Nodding reluctantly, Dean Winchester handed his phone over to the other man.

Dean Forester took the phone and stepped outside. Rory moved over to the window to watch her husband.

Dean had moved out into the yard and was pacing around. She watched him talking intently into the phone. Then he stopped pacing and Rory could tell he was shocked. A moment later, she watched her strong, amazing husband drop to his knees and bend forward. He was shaking his head and then he dropped the phone on the ground.

In the next instant, Rory whirled around and ran for the front door. Dean Winchester and Lorelai followed her. Rory ran to her husband and dropped down beside him. He was gasping and rocking back and forth. She put her arms around him and picked up the phone. "Sam? What is it?" But Sam was no longer on the other end.

She turned to her husband and shook him. Frantically, she repeated, "What is it?"

Dean Winchester moved over to the couple and helped Dean Forester to his feet. Then the older man just hugged him. When Dean Forester had calmed down somewhat, they helped him back into the house.

As they entered the living room, Dean Forester looked at Castiel. With an agonized look, he said, "Do whatever you have to. I… we have to know."

Rory was being held up by her mother and repeated once again, "What is it?" She was nearly bent over with panic. Her husband's reaction to whatever Sam had told him had frightened her beyond anything she had ever experienced.

Dean Forester finally moved over to his wife and embraced her. "Please Rory, trust me. You don't want to know."

She pointed to the angel, "He said it would be unpleasant. Is he going to hurt our baby?"

Castiel moved over to her, "It will only be for a moment or two, but yes, it will hurt."

Dean was still holding her because she was approaching hysterics, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to touch him… if he's been infected… I'll know by touching his soul."

Rory was hysterical and that just upped it a few notches, "INFECTED?" Dean grabbed her to him and tried to calm her down. "INFECTED WITH WHAT?"

Dean clutched her tighter, "Rory, you need to calm down! You're screaming and Rand can hear you!"

As Rory was fighting her husband's grip, Castiel reached past him and touched her forehead. Immediately, Rory collapsed into unconsciousness.

Alarmed, Dean whirled around to the angel, "What the hell did you just do?"

"She's fine, she's asleep."

Dean lifted his wife and carried her over to the couch.

Dean Winchester had been watching the scene and holding Lorelai back from entering the chaos. Dean Forester had calmed down a little, Rory was asleep, Lorelai was crying in his arms and he looked at Castiel. He sighed, "Well, I guess some parents are protective of their children." He moved Lorelai over to the couch to be near her daughter.

Castiel looked at him, "Your father was."

Dean shook his head, "Not really, he left us alone as soon as he could."

"He kept you with him as much as possible. It's why he didn't want Sam to leave."

Dean was surprised by that, "How the hell do you know that?"

"I was told everything… before I went to rescue you from Hell."

Alarmed, Dean looked over at Lorelai and Dean Forester and noted the shock on their faces. He sighed and rubbed his face, "It isn't the time for this conversation."

Lorelai looked at him, shocked, "You weren't kidding when you said a lot had happened!" She was reeling from that disturbing news, but she couldn't deal with it right now.

Dean wouldn't look at her, "Yeah."

Despite the bombshell Castiel had just dropped, Dean Forester was more concerned about his wife. He was sitting on the coffee table watching her sleep, "How long will she be like this?"

"She'll wake up soon."

"Then let's do this before she does." He turned and looked at the angel, "Can you put Rand to sleep?"

"Yes" Castiel had no emotion on his face.

"Will it help?" Dean asked him hopefully.

"Even in his sleep, he'll feel it." Castiel was looking at the man. "I can make it so he doesn't remember, though."

Dean Forester was disappointed, but he nodded, "Okay." His stomach was roiling and he knew he was about to subject his little boy to something 'unpleasant'; he somehow knew it would be far worse than the angel had implied. He stood up and led the way into the other room; the angel followed him.

As he passed her, Lorelai reached out and grabbed his hand. "Dean, do you want me to come in with you?"

There were tears in his eyes as he shook his head at her. He nodded toward his wife, "Stay with her."

She nodded.

Dean Winchester just looked at him; waiting for an indication of what the other man wanted him to do. Dean Forester just shook his head as he went past.

Dean stayed in the living room and waited, leaning against the stair newel post. He watched Lorelai and Rory, and remained alert to their reactions.

Within moments an agonizing cry came from the bedroom and Rory woke up. "RAND!" She scrambled to her feet and Lorelai couldn't stop her. But Dean did. She was fighting him as the screaming continued from the bedroom. His superior strength held her and she was writhing in his arms, frantically trying to get to her son. Lorelai moved over to help him hold her daughter even though she, too, was crying.

An eternal moment later there was silence.

Rory had collapsed in Dean's arms and was sobbing when the noise from the other room stopped.

At the silence, Rory stopped crying and Dean once again helped her over to the couch where Lorelai joined her. They all looked at the door to Rory's room and waited for the occupants to come out.

Castiel was the first to emerge; he was pulling down his coat sleeve. Dean Forester followed carrying Rand, who was still asleep. He came into the living room and deposited the boy in his mother's arms and then he turned around and went back to the small bathroom and closed the door.

Castiel looked at Dean Winchester whose face was beyond devastated. Dean fervently hoped he never had to hear such a thing again.

Castiel waited for Dean Forester to come out before he told them what he had found. While they waited, he looked at Rory and Lorelai; he nodded at the boy, "He won't remember, nor will he feel any pain when he wakes up."

Rory nodded, "I'll remember and Dean will remember." She took a deep breath, "We'll always know that we caused him unspeakable pain. It's burned into our soul." She nodded at the bathroom door. "He's stronger than me. I would never have let you do it."

Dean Winchester looked at Rory, "He needed to know. So did Sam... and so did I." He moved around and crouched down in front of her, "Don't ever ask why we needed to know. Just trust that it was that important."

She nodded. She clutched her child tighter and started to play with his hair. She was rocking with him just like when he was a baby. He didn't tolerate it much anymore, so she took the opportunity.

Dean Forester came out of the small bathroom just then and moved slowly over to Rory. Lorelai got up and helped him sit down. He looked at his son, cradled in his mother's arms and then turned to the angel. "Well?"

Castiel looked at the family sitting there, looking at him, and waiting, "The Yellow Eyed Demon did not get to your son. The child has not been infected."

Wanting to give the family privacy, Dean Winchester stepped away from them and turned his back. He moved over to the angel and whispered in his ear, "Please take me to the inn. I need to tell Sam."

Without saying another word, Castiel put his hand on Dean Winchester's shoulder and they were gone.

SPNGGSPNGG

Castiel deposited Dean in front of the door of the room that Sam was in and was gone an instant later. Since he didn't have a key, he knocked. When Sam opened the door and saw the look in his brother's eyes, he thought the worst.

"Yellow Eye's got to him?" Sam was breathing heavily and he was trying not to loose complete control. Dean moved into the room and cast his eyes around as if searching for something.

"No, Rand is fine. That bastard didn't get to him. Castiel did, though and I let him." Dean's voice was heavy and low. He could barely contain the pain he was feeling. He moved over to his duffle and ran his hand around in it until he came up with a fifth of Jack. He removed the lid and started drinking straight from the bottle.

Sam could see that his brother was extremely upset, but when Dean said Rand was fine all he could feel was an enormous relief. "What is it?" He moved over to his brother and put his hand on Dean's shoulder. "What's wrong? What do you mean Castiel got to him."

Dean looked at his brother, but never answered him. He shrugged off his brother's hand and continued to take long pulls from the whiskey bottle. He moved over to the bed and propped up the pillows, and then he sat down and leaned back against the headboard. He fully intended to drink the entire bottle as fast as possible and hopefully sink into oblivion – at least for a little while.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Sam had been sitting at the table in the room, trying to read and keeping an eye on his brother. He got up, looked through the security peep hole and saw that it was Lorelai. She looked upset and Sam opened the door quickly.

"Where is he?" Lorelai moved into the room and saw Dean slightly slumped on the bed. He was awake, but bleary eyed and clearly drunk. The bottle he was holding had maybe an inch or two left in it. He knew she was angry and he had been waiting for her to give it to him with both barrels.

"Do you want ush to leave? I'm afraid I can't drive, but Shammy there can. We'll be out of here in about ten minutesh." He attempted to get up, but his balance was severely compromised and he fell back onto the bed.

"Leave?" Lorelai was still angry, but she was also confused. "Why are you leaving? Didn't you promise Sookie a ride in the car? She's been looking forward to it. She has a day off tomorrow and was hoping you would take her then."

"We're leaving because you," Dean pointed to her with the fingers not holding the bottle, then he pointed to himself, "are pished at me." He was squinting at her since she wasn't in complete focus.

"You're right; I am 'pished' at you." She sat on the bed across from him. "But you don't get to leave until you explain."

Dean was almost completely drunk, but she wasn't making any sense and he couldn't imagine what she wanted explained. He looked at Sam, who had been watching all of this without comment. He turned back to Lorelai, "You were there, there ishn't much more to talk about."

"There's plenty to talk about!" Lorelai got up and stood over him. She was tall enough that he had to roll his head to see her. "You went to Hell? Did you die? How did you earn Hell?"

Sam's mouth had fallen open in surprise, "You told her that?"

Dean glanced over at his brother, "No, Cash…tiel did."

"What did you do?" Lorelai demanded.

Suddenly more sober than he wanted to be, Dean decided to answer her, "Sammy died." He choked out the words. "What was I supposed to do?" He took another hard pull on the bottle in his hand.

Shocked, Lorelai looked at the younger man, "You… died?" Sam nodded, not looking at her.

"How… what did… how did you come back?" Lorelai's face showed more than shock.

The look in Sam's eyes showed the devastation he still felt at what Dean had done. "Dean made a deal."

"A deal?" Lorelai didn't understand what he meant.

Quietly, he answered, "His soul for my life."

"Oh my God!" She sat back down on the bed across from Dean. She reached over to him and took the bottle from his hand. After taking a good drink from it, she set it on the table out of Dean's reach. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked at Dean. "John would never have wanted you to do that."

"Why not? He did it for me." Dean carefully got up from the bed and reached unsteadily for the bottle. Once he had it, he fell heavily back onto his bed and resumed drinking.

Tears started in Lorelai's eyes. "John's in Hell?"

Sam answered because Dean was busy drinking, "We think he escaped when the Devil's Gate was opened by Jake. He helped Dean kill Yellow Eyes."

Lorelai looked at Sam, "Maybe I should take notes. Did you make a deal? Is that why Dean is here now?"

Sam couldn't look her in the eyes, "I tried, but no one would deal. Castiel saved him."

Lorelai shook her head. "You two boys... there's something wrong with you. But then, I think there's something wrong with me, too. I think I understand all this." Once again she removed the bottle from Dean's hand. "Stop it." Waving the bottle in his face, she asked, "Is this what you do now? Drink to forget Hell?"

He tried to reach for it, but she held it away from him. "Nope, today I'm drinking to forget a child's scream." When he reached again for the bottle, he nearly fell off the bed.

Lorelai took a deep breath, shocked, "Of course. John tried to blame himself for the fire at our house. I recognize the mind-set." She gave the bottle to Sam and tapped Dean's legs with the back of her hand, "Move over."

Dean moved his legs and she sat down beside him. Then she grabbed the lapels of his shirt, pulled him up into her arms and just held him tight. Quietly she asked him, "Do you know what Rand did when he woke up?"

Dean just leaned into her arms for a moment and shook his head.

She was holding Dean tightly with one hand on his neck and the other on his back, "He smiled at his mother and asked for a cookie."

Dean was crying silently, and she continued, "He's fine! Luckily he was in his G-ma's house and I always have cookies!" She held him for a long moment more and then tapped him on his back. "In a little while, I'm going to send up some food. I want you to eat it!"

Dean leaned back on the bed, but he wouldn't look at her. He wiped his face with his hand and nodded.

Lorelai got up from the bed and turned to Sam. "I'll send up something; I'll have Sookie decide what." She pointed to the bottle, "Dump that!"

He nodded and walked her to the door. As she left, she turned and looked at him, "I'll talk to you later. I'm working tomorrow afternoon. Don't leave before you hear from me."

Sam closed the door and looked at his brother, "What happened?"

Dean never answered him; he had fallen asleep.

AN: Sorry, this chapter is pretty dark. I don't know where it comes from...

I borrowed something from a writer on FanFiction called Sameuspegasus. The writer did a Bones/Supernatural crossover called "The Dead Man in the Lab". (It's a great story, you should look for it.) Anyway, when Castiel tells Booth and Brennan he's an Angel of the Lord, Booth immediately starts to pray. Every time he sees Castiel after that, he prays. Castiel actually started to get a little annoyed; Booth was distracting him. I thought that was a rather hilarious plot point, so I borrowed it (with the author's permission, of course).
Thanks, Sali.