This is it! I can't believe it. We're here. This is crazy. Thank you all so much for the support and enjoying this whole awesome ride with me. I'm going to ship this to the grave. :)

When Balthazar returned to the bunker, Gabriel was slumped against a wall and Lucifer was gone. Castiel, obviously jumpy, nearly shot his brother at the sound of his wings but managed to stop just short. Bal ignored him and looked around at the scene.

"What happened?" he asked Cas and Sam, the two left standing, "Where's Gabriel's sword?"

Sam fidgeted in place, holding on to his own angel sword tightly. "Gabriel tried to jump him while he was still down, but it didn't really work out. He vanished."

"Vanished?" Balthazar spat, "Vanish to where? I can't sense him!"

Castiel glanced over tensely, like he was reading his brother's thoughts. "He didn't follow you," he managed to say, "He's still here. He's just... trying to scare us."

Sam shook his head. "I'm starting to think this is a terrible idea."

"Agreed," Bal nodded, "You shouldn't be here either."

Cas looked between them both. "Gabriel said he needs to be."

"Gabriel," his brother pointed out, waving an arm, "is knocked unconscious against a wall right now!"

At the same moment, the archangel slumped forward a bit, closing his eyes tightly and shaking his head. "It's important," he said, a hand going to his aching head, "Where'd he go?"

Bal rolled his eyes. "I thought I was the bait," he said, ignoring his older brother's question, "You want his rightful vessel prancing around, too?"

"It's important," Gabriel said again, slowly moving back to his feet. "Just trust me, dammit-"

He stopped speaking suddenly, confusing the others until they heard it, too. Something far off in the bunker slamming. Another sounded closer a few seconds after the first, and then the main door near them lifted from the floor where the angels had broken it down and fell into its place, sealing them in. Hardly a second later, the power failed, plunging them into darkness before the red generator lights dully began to glow.

Sam tried to glance around, knowing that he and Castiel were going to be at a heavy disadvantage if Lucifer was toying with their power systems. "That's not spooky at all."

"He's just trying to freak us out," Gabriel grumbled, pushing himself off of the wall. "We stick together."

Balthazar groaned. "Trusting you has paid off wonderfully so fa-" He glanced over to Gabriel, suddenly seeing no one there and he grimaced. "Oh, that's the most hypocritical thing you've ever done, Gabby!"

Castiel looked over worriedly. "He has a plan. I'm sure-" He turned to one side to see his brother and to the other side to see no one. "Sam?"

Balthazar looked pass Cas, noticing that Sam was gone, too. The human couldn't just vanish like that, which meant Gabriel didn't leave of his own choosing either. He glanced around the room, beginning to panic, until he turned to face forward again and he seemed to be the last remaining one in the room.

"Cas!"

Catherine's plain brown eyes watched the clouds roll in between her and the bright sun, a few palm leaves threatening to distort her view. Sand and grass had more than likely already mingled with her hair, but at least she didn't have to worry about any of the cuts or bruises she gained while running from her earlier attackers. They were all found to be mysteriously gone.

Her lips moved slowly with a breathless whisper and the nearby waves accompanying them. It was a tune that had ironically been stuck in her head since she first woke in the dungeon. It and the thoughts her little song carried with it were enough of a distraction for the current time. She paused for a moment, listening to the waves, before starting on another verse. "I'll... fly away, oh glory. I'll... fly away... When I die hallelujah by and by... I'll fly away..."

"Can you please just help me?" Dean's voice yelled over to her and she turned her head to find him standing on the beach, looking extremely distraught.

"Doing what, Dean?" she asked, glancing around, "You want to build a raft and paddle back to Kansas?"

He predictably rolled his eyes with much more exaggeration than was needed. "It was your boyfriend that plopped us here. Maybe a few sexy prayers or something?"

"Sexy prayers isn't going to make him come back any quicker," she sighed, turning her head to look back to the sky again, "You know him better than that."

"So what?" Dean continued, walking into her sun with his shoulders lifted, "You just gonna sit here and get a tan instead? Why in the hell are you cool with this?"

"I'm not cool with it," she groaned, "but I know that raising my blood pressure isn't going to help either."

He pointed at her as if he were about to start a lecture but paused and just turned away instead, effectively getting out of her sun. "Why isn't he back yet?" Dean continued on, "How long does it take to kill the devil?"

"You would know that better than I would, from what I hear," she answered him, watching the last of the clouds begin to roll away. "What I don't get is why they brought you here and not Sam... unless they plan to do something about all that vessel business."

Dean stopped pacing back to the beach and quickly turned back around. "You know about that?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Balthazar has a tendency to talk a lot. Of course I know, Dean. Fighting against them doesn't work out well if you don't know the history."

"Well," Dean scoffed, but held his tongue on any sarcastic comment for the moment, "I don't why they kept him there, all right?"

Catherine watched the sky, thinking on his answer, before furrowing her brow and looking to him again. "Yes, you do." Dean stopped pacing quickly enough, so she sat up from the ground. "You would have thrown a tantrum about Sam instead of Lucifer if you didn't know what was going on... Actually, you know everything that happened since I apparently died, so maybe we can waste time with a little history lesson." The Winchester shifted a bit and looked to the ground, so she decided to continue if he wasn't going to. "I don't even know how long I was gone for," she thought aloud, "I just woke up in your dungeon with angels trying to kill me, so I started running through the bunker for my life wondering if everyone was dead or not."

"You don't have to play the guilt trip card, you know," Dean grumbled, finally looking over to her, "Sorry if I'm not all shocked by Lady Lazarus over here, but we knew you were going to wake up eventually and Gabriel figured that Lucifer might try something to get your soul back. Balthazar kinda... pissed him off, to say the least. It was mine and Sammy's fault that we didn't double back to you quicker."

Her brow furrowed. "My soul?"

Dean blinked to her and slowly nodded, shifting his legs. "It's uh... kind of a long story. I'll admit, I don't know the whole thing. Balthazar kinda... flipped out and did his own thing." Catherine furrowed her brow to that, but he ignored it. "Anyway, you were dead and they couldn't find your soul to bring you back. Needless to say, they eventually did."

"Bring me back?" She looked to the ground and crossed her legs, confused. "Are you saying that was the idea from the get go? What happened to Balthazar?"

The Winchester tilted his head and shifted again. "All right, you know what?" he sighed before walking over and sitting down next to her, "Maybe story time isn't a bad idea."

Balthazar stalked down a hallway, only having the red glow to light his path for him. He couldn't sense anyone and quickly found that he couldn't zap anywhere, either. He was trapped here, blind. Thankfully, it hadn't been that long ago that he had been forced to get used to this by his self-imposed humanity, but it definitely bothered him since he couldn't see Lucifer or Catherine now. He could be after her for all he knew, but it wasn't all that likely. Why split them up if he was just going to leave? No, she had to be safe now.

His feet still moved quietly over the tiles, just in case something were to leap out at him. He was armed with a blade resting tightly in his hand as Bal glanced around every corner. The light didn't go into some of the rooms, so some areas were just pitch black with the occasional limb of a dead body poking out of the darkness. Likely one of Catherine's kills before she had prayed for him... He may have felt a bit too much pride over that.

For now, Balthazar stayed away from the dark corners and continued on his search to find a familiar and, hopefully, friendly face. Except there was a tenseness in the air that he couldn't shake, even with his grace completely returned to him. For once in his life, there was a fear there for himself that wasn't one bred from selfish desires. It actually made him draw on caution and second guessing, rather than abandonment and manipulation. No, he didn't aim to experience death again, but that wasn't even the full issue here. He knew what it felt like to have lost her and he didn't want Cat to feel what he had felt. He wouldn't break his vow to her.

A sound from behind him made Bal leap around violently. Despite the odds, he aimed to stab the visitor before seeing who it was, but Castiel parried his blade with his own before furrowing his brow. "... Balthazar?"

"Cas," Bal sighed and let down his guard a fraction. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Apologies," his brother said, blinking and looking around, "I can hardly see at all. I didn't know who you were."

Balthazar grabbed his brother's shoulder, steering him down the hall that he was just walking around. "If I were Lucifer, you'd be dead. You should strike a little better than that."

"I know," Cas grumbled, "but you weren't Lucifer and I would have killed you instead."

Bal scoffed. "No, you wouldn't have."

As they passed by a door, a shuffling sound came from the darkness and they both halted, raising their blades to the doorway. Balthazar squinted his eyes, trying to see a bit better while Castiel was about to call out a threat or something, but the shadow grew larger and out stepped Sam Winchester.

Cas noticeably relaxed. "Sam," he gave a relieved sigh, "Now we just need to-"

Balthazar raised his arm in front of his brother, separating the two of them, but Sam hadn't stepped any closer. The Winchester looked between the two angels seriously and Bal watched him for a long moment. "Who are you? How did you get here?"

The other didn't answer, but Cas grew worried. "Um... Balthazar. That is Sam Winchester."

"No, it's not," he answered, half turning his head to his brother, but not looking away. "It's an angel... One I've never seen before."

"That's impossible," Castiel argued, looking back to Sam with scrutiny, but didn't say anything further. It was possible that Lucifer could be putting hallucinations on them, but with Sam standing there and Balthazar seeing someone else, that would be a difficult and confusing thing to pull off.

"Who are you?" Balthazar asked again, keeping his blade raised and taking a tiny step forward.

The angel tilted his head back, locking his jaw. "I am Ezekiel."

Cas furrowed his brow. "Ezekiel?" he asked confused, "You healed Sam months ago."

"You're not Ezekiel," Bal growled. "I know him and I know he died in the fall. Who are you?"

Castiel's face fell, looking to his brother before back to this unknown angel. Ezekiel was never there to begin with?

Balthazar took one more step forward. "I will not ask again."

"Gadreel," he finally spat out. "My name is Gadreel." The others stalled, so he took that precious time to try explaining. "Dean Winchester helped me to possess Sam so that I could heal him properly. I did not have enough strength by any other method. He would have died... Gabriel, Dean, and Sam are all aware of my presence."

"Gabriel?" Bal muttered out, blinking up to him. "You truly expect me to believe that he knows you're walking on this Earth? That asshole has his faults, but you-"

Castiel stared to him, interrupting Balthazar's rant. "You're helping Lucifer."

Bal's face fell at the realization and Gadreel looked between them, shocked at the accusation. "He tricked me when I allowed him into the garden. He made promises that I should have known better of the loop holes he intended to make. I would never side with him."

Balthazar shook his head. "You've been locked in Heaven's dungeons for as long as I remember," he growled, "You definitely have the motive to turn on Heaven and finished what you started here."

"No, brother," Gadreel shook his head furiously, "You have me wrong. I've only ever tried to do the right thing. My intentions are pure, I assure you."

"The right thing?" Bal asked, feeling his temper slip and not caring in the least. "You caused everything. Everything! You're to blame for all of this!"

"No," he tried to defend himself, shaking his head again, "I had no intention of doing any of this! Besides, there's been good come of it, too. I've seen it in Cath-"

Balthazar leaped towards him so fast that Castiel hardly had time to hold his brother back. Gadreel jumped into the darkness again, but stood still as he noticed that his attacker was being restrained, admittedly by a weak human who could easily be pushed aside if the angry angel saw fit.

"Speak her name again," Balthazar growled through clenched teeth, "and I'll slit your throat."

"Balthazar," Castiel tried to chime in reasonably, "Gabriel must have known about him. He wanted Sam to stay for a reason. This has to be why."

"We can blame it on Lucifer," Bal argued back.

Cas only shook his head. "I won't allow you to kill him, brother," he sighed, "Not yet... He may be the only thing keeping Lucifer away from Sam at this point."

"Or the only thing letting him in," Bal growled.

Gadreel only stood there, watching the two and holding his own blade tightly against his back, hoping beyond hope that they wouldn't attack again. Trying to explain to Gabriel why his allies were dead and he was the only witness would not go well. It wasn't like the archangel actually trusted him either.

A tense moment passed between the three of them until Balthazar ripped his arm from his brother's grip. Gadreel jumped at the sudden movement, but went still again to make sure their guards were sufficiently down.

They didn't look like they would kill him anymore, but it was foolish to believe they would let their guard down around him now. Gadreel swallowed. "Truly, brothers," he said lowly, trying to be calm, "I meant no ill will. I simply want to set things right."

Neither of them changed in expression at all. Balthazar still seemed extremely angry while Castiel was only incredibly skeptical. His chances of surviving while with the two of them now that they were aware of the truth had dropped considerably from the beginning of all this. He could not stay around them and live.

Quickly, while neither of them were poised to attack, Gadreel ran back into the darkness, letting his hands and ears guide the way as he did before.

Balthazar jumped forward to follow, but Castiel again held him back. "We need to stay together!" he screamed out to them both, but Gadreel was gone so he had to only look to his remaining brother. "Neither of us can see in that dark, not with Lucifer controlling things."

Bal turned back to him with a growl. "I don't think you realize how much he's controlling here."

"We need to find Gabriel," Cas argued in return, "Gadreel is weak and the archangel must have noticed him long before now-"

"He would have told us!" Bal barked, moving around his brother to walk back into the hallway and the red glow.

"Would he?" the other asked him sarcastically, "You just tried to kill him. If Gabriel found him to be an asset, then I can see why he wouldn't tell either of us."

Balthazar scoffed and looked back to Cas. "So you're agreeing with him? With this apparent plan that he hasn't spoken a damn word about?"

"No," Castiel answered, "I simply understand. I'm far from agreeing."

"Good," Bal sighed, "Then you can hold him down while I beat the shit out of him."

His brother groaned, something that was very uncharacteristic of Cas on a usual day. "That's what Lucifer wants. For us to turn on ourselves. He's probably planned all of this. We need to stay focused, Balthazar. Not let anger drive us."

"I'm not letting anger drive me, Cas," Bal argued, "It's something more like fear and burning hatred."

"You don't fear me." Bal closed his eyes and stopped walking for a second to look at his brother. Castiel swallowed a lump in his throat and continued. "You don't hate and fear me. Who here has hurt you worse than I have?"

"Lucifer," he answered honestly, "for manipulating and killing her. Gabriel for falsely gaining her trust. Oh and Gadreel for making her suffer with this hell we call life since long before I've crossed her path-"

"She is safe," Cas interrupted. "She is far away from here. What about you, Balthazar? You're the one trapped in here, so we need to calm down and make sure he doesn't win. Not with these stupid tricks and half-truths. There's a bigger evil and if you let him manipulate you with your love, then she will never be safe again." Bal took a deep breath, but didn't answer or make any retort. Castiel took it as a good sign and nodded. "We need to find Gabriel."

Suddenly, a blast rang out next to them and the archangel himself, bloody and pressed against the wall. Cas had jumped back at the sound, but Balthazar merely flinched and said, "Found him," as he glanced about for an attacker.

Gabriel leaned forward off of the wall, holding on to his chest like it was injured. "It was Lucifer," he told the other two, "I only saw him for a second-"

"This is his plan," Cas quickly said and look between them both. "We need to calm down and think rational-"

Balthazar held up a hand and turned to the archangel. "You knew about Gadreel."

Gabriel looked to him in shock. "I-... Buuh... Who?"

"You son of a bitch! He could have killed us all if the mood struck him!"

"Yeah, but it didn't!" Gabe argued back, "I trust him to try and set things right. This is Luci's fault. All Gadreel is guilty of is being gullible."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Gabriel," Bal sneared, "but your older brother is a better salesman than you are. We're all screwed. Everyone is screwed, because you just had to try and play redemption."

"Well, what would you have done?" Gabriel asked, annoyed. "Killed him?" Balthazar shrugged and Gabe starting shaking his head. "Stupid question. Cas! Come on, man. You're all about second chances."

Castiel frowned and looked over to Balthazar before nodding. "For his transgressions on humanity and the unspeakable crimes he's had a part in, I would have had him killed... I'm sorry, Gabriel."

Gabe slowly looked between both of his brothers, only earning resolved looks, before becoming angry. "Well, neither of you are archangels, are you?"

Bal shifted his jaw. "Because you've done such a good job?"

Castiel could practically see his elder brother's anger get stronger as he approached Balthazar. "Did you already forget what I did for you? For her?" Gabriel asked heatedly, "I didn't have to do anything."

Balthazar clenched his teeth. "By the time I would have been done with you, you wouldn't have had any other choice."

"No one makes us do anything," Gabe hissed back, "Least of all, a broken angel."

Castiel only just managed to squeeze between his two brothers before Balthazar acted on his anger. "He wants us to do this," he argued to them both, "He wants us divided and fighting amongst ourselves. It's the only chance he's got. Don't give it to him!"

For the most part, the two listened and backed away from each other a bit, but Bal still raised his chin. "We can't trust Gadreel. He's too much of a risk, not to mention a liability."

Gabe titled his head. "Don't trust him cause he's working with Lucifer or me?"

"Both."

Cas shut his eyes and shook his head. "Brothers, please. Don't-"

Balthazar cut off Castiel's words when he suddenly reached around him, pinning something to the wall. Cas ducked and moved away, finding that his brother had Lucifer by the neck.

Satan smirked to all of them and raised his hands. "Sorry," he chuckled, "Just wanted a better view to figure out if you were acting out a fight or not."

Bal shrugged. "Didn't really have to act."

The other smirked again, but glanced over to find Gabriel had stepped forward. Suddenly, Balthazar doubled over, spitting up blood, and Castiel was pitched hard into the wall. A flurry of wings sounded and the two archangels had vanished again as the ones remaining just fell to the ground.

Balthazar coughed again and tried to look over to his brother. "Cas?" No answer and it was too dark to really make out, but the faint outline of Castiel lying on the ground and not moving wasn't too reassuring. "Cas?" Bal moved forward, placing a hand on Castiel's arm and finally getting some sort of answer.

The other groaned, but still didn't move. "Balthazar," he spoke, voice raspy and harsh. "I don't feel well."

"Hang on," Bal told him quietly, putting his arm over his shoulders and hauling Castiel to his feet, trying to heal him as best he could. Apparently, Lucifer had done a great amount of damage with nothing more than his mind. Perhaps it was unwise for him to be here, too.

After a few steps, the two found that they had walked into darkness. Balthazar could see better than his brother, but all that he could tell was that they were in a bigger room that branched off from the hallway. Which room, he wasn't too sure of.

They couldn't lose. What a hopeful statement that had been. Lucifer had them all in the palm of his hands. Even Gabriel with his extra grace was of no use with the elder's cunning behind him. And now they had just hobbled into a pitch black room together that even Balthazar's grace couldn't see through. This was certainly an anti-climatic situation if there ever was one, but at least he wasn't scared. This was nothing compared to the battle with Michael. Castiel, on the other hand, was more than likely afraid with more than good reason.

The two had stopped walking and just listened for something, anything, near them. This had to be some sort of trap, surely, but nothing was happening. Maybe Lucifer was preoccupied with Gabriel and their little rebel had abandoned ship since he had been revealed. Tightening his grip on Cas' arm, Balthazar began to back pedal to the light again, hoping that this was nothing more than a bullet dodged.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped and the two brothers stopped their movements, knowing that he was approaching quickly. There was a flash of light that forced Castiel to look away, but Balthazar could just make out Gabriel's back being slammed into the floor in front of them, but the darkness grew back around them again and there was a harrowing silence.

Bal tried to look around as best he could or even sense anything near them, but he was only reminded of the day he had lost his grace and how claustrophobic he had become because of it. Castiel didn't see the instant that he had, but his brother wasn't piercing the silence to ask questions either. Bal almost wished he would... Was Gabriel still on the floor in front of them? Was he alive at all?

Lucifer's voice cut through the dark in a singsong voice, "Balthazar..."

Cas muttered a quick, "No," beneath his breath, as Bal pushed his brother's arm away and stood in front of him protectively, sword in hand, trying to simultaneously shield Castiel but also get this over with. He was the primary target, not the others. However, he also swore to protect himself and it was a promise he more than intended to keep.

Footsteps lazily echoed around the room, bouncing off of the walls. Cas held on tightly to his brother's shoulder, his eyes closed, trying to rely less on sight and ignoring his hammering heart. Even as an angel once again, his brother was still as tense as could be in the situation. They both stayed quiet, trying to hear for anything, but it was just the same repeating sound followed one after the other for more than a full five seconds.

Cas' hand was ripped away from Balthazar's shoulder and the blonde quickly turned around to find the two silhouetted against the red glow of the hallway. Lucifer had his arm wrapped around Cas' throat, but hesitated long enough for Bal to turn and see them before making a move. It was just long enough for Gadreel to come up from behind the two and stab Satan through the back.

Instead of dying in a flash of light, Lucifer jerked forward enough for Castiel to escape his grip before he turned and tried to lunge for Gadreel who quickly attempted to back away as fast as he could. It was apparent that his blade, still stuck in the devil's back, wasn't a strong enough tool to finish an archangel.

Wings were heard and Gabriel appeared between the fighting pair, holding his own blade and pushing his weight against his eldest brother. Lucifer, however, dodged the weapon easily enough and pushed Heaven's messenger back into the wall as hard as he could.

Gabe dropped his sword and Gadreel rushed forward, swiping it up and stabbing Lucifer in the stomach.

Castiel and Balthazar only realized what had happened after the fact. Gabriel had fallen to the floor, but still tried to crawl away once noticing the light beginning to emanate from the devil.

Lucifer looked to Gadreel, unbelieving, before finally blinking down to himself and the blade plunged into him. With one last push of the sword, Lucifer burst into a powerful white light. Balthazar pushed himself in front of his human brother again, trying to protect him, but Gabriel threw himself forward reluctantly and held on to Lucifer's vessel, trying to contain the blast as his brother died.

In an instant, it was over and the bunker was no worse for wear. Even the lights began to blink back on once again. Gadreel stood back from them all, panting heavily from the turmoil and watching the scene before him. Gabriel had pulled the body to the floor and the skeleton of large wings was etched into the walls around them.

He took a deep breath and looked back up to Castiel and Balthazar before glancing over to Gadreel in shock.

Catherine watched as the waves tried to reach higher and higher up the shore, almost attempting to get her shoes a little wet. The sun had gone down, but the light of the sunset was still glittering over the water. Cat sat on the sand next to Dean and, to be quite honest, her mind wasn't on the water at all. "You didn't keep in contact with him after I died?"

Dean took a deep breath. "I'm not sure if you've noticed or not," he grumbled, "but me and Balthazar don't have the best track record. Guy's been kind of a dick. Did he ever tell you about the Titanic crap? Or sending me and Sam to an alternate dimension so we could act like his distraction?"

Her mouth was open, about to interrupt him, when her brow furrowed and realized this had been the second time that the Titanic came up in concern to her angel. "Actually, he-" She shook her head. "That's not the point. Did anyone check up on him at all? You guys just watched him freak out and let him go? No grace or anything?"

"He didn't want his grace. I don't know why," the Winchester shrugged, "Gabriel and Cas tried to keep tabs on him, but he didn't seem to want it too much. He kinda just shrugged them off and did his own thing."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't die so that he could wallow in self-pity."

"It wasn't self-pity," Dean said sternly, making Catherine instantly go silent, "Taking his grace back would have honestly just made him a walking, live nuke. He lost you and he wasn't okay... Dick or not, I can understand losing someone you care about and he doesn't care about too much stuff." Cat looked to the ground and the other sighed. "I get what you did, too. I really do, but you gotta understand that he wouldn't have just been okay with you dying."

She looked back to the waves and watched them for a long time before shrugging one shoulder. "He didn't have to be okay right off the bat, but-... I don't know. I was hoping he just... didn't understand what he was feeling."

Dean looked to her before turning away to watch the water, too. "Were you really hoping that?"

Catherine frowned, but didn't answer. It was a tough question that had two very different answers. One was best for him, but the other was what they both wanted. It was hard to choose out of a selection like that. Dean sighed, signifying that her silence had answered for her.

Wings beat behind them, stirring up the sand again, and they both turned to find Balthazar standing there. They quickly stood and, somehow, Dean had managed to run forward first, nearly tripping over his own limbs.

"What happened?" he hurriedly asked, "Where's Sam? Who died? Did we win?"

Balthazar walked forward and waved his hand to Dean, making him vanish in thin air. Catherine blinked at the sudden disappearance and turned to Bal who still approached. "Wha- Did we win? What's wrong?"

Before the breath of her question even left her, Balthazar had snaked his arm around her neck and pulled her closer into a deep kiss. She took that as a yes, they did win, and slowly returned his kiss, eventually placing her hand on his shoulders. When he finally broke away with the knowledge that she probably needed air, Catherine stayed still for a moment, her hand moving slowly through the air in an attempt to find him again.

When her hand landed on him, she opened her eyes and blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah," he gasped in between deep breaths. "We should talk." Catherine only blinked to him, still a little shocked by the sudden kiss and a bit confused by what he planned to do next, but his hands rubbed against her shoulders to steady her. "I'm staying."

She blinked at him some more, but then her brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"I'm staying here. On Earth," he told her, rubbing her arms and shoulders a little more in the hopes that she wouldn't be upset. "With you."

Cat was speechless for a moment, watching him with wide, bright eyes, until she finally came back to herself. "But your wings. What about Heaven?"

"I can visit Heaven, but it's all a damn soap opera there anyway. I want to stay." He wanted to do as before. Lose his grace somewhere and live out a good life with her before it was finally over. But she would never stand for it and, as much as he tried to deny it before, she died to save him once already. He could never let that sacrifice be in vain. "I'm not leaving you."

She wanted to smile. He could see her just on the very brink of happiness, but there was a sudden sadness in her eyes that he greatly despised. "Bal... You're going to be around for a long time and I-"

Balthazar stepped closer before she could finish. "Then I should make the most of what I have, right?" he asked, looking into her eyes and seeing the conflict there, so he decided to take the conflict away. His voice was hushed, only loud enough for the two of them to hear, "Don't make me leave."

A tear rolled down her cheek and she took a breath before moving forward and wrapping him in a hug. "I'll never ask you to leave," Bal heard her whisper to him, and he closed his eyes, trying to think on the moment and not the far off future.

He was setting himself up for pain, and he was well aware of it. They could only grow closer, even if things changed between them several times over. It didn't change that he would love her for the rest of his life. That he would be forced to watch her die again and, after those very short years, live alone for eternity as before. Only worse. Memories were nice, but his time with her would be forever too short.

Maybe he could whisk her away to a place she would never die. Maybe they would have a child that would live just a little longer than she would. He knew that she would bring up Heaven someday. He knew that he would watch over her soul more than he should and it would be an unhealthy practice. He also knew her and some of the pain she felt and that she would always have a place for Sidney, the man she was more than likely meant to be with. There would be a Heaven for them both and he would protect it with his life while it tore him apart.

Balthazar squeezed his eyes shut and held her as tight as he could without hurting her, breathing in her scent and forcing himself to focus on the now. These would be the memories that would keep him going. "I love you," he mumbled to her, his hand raveling through her hair again like it belonged there.

She dipped her head forward into his collar, making him wonder if she was crying or not, until he finally heard her say, "I love you... so much."

The years passed by and so did she.

As predicted, her life had been a busy one, but he made sure that it had been comfortable. They had problems, risks, threats, but there was happiness and love there, too. She lived as long as he could allow without making her suffer. Of course, she was aware and she apologized for her death years before it came. For some reason, she seemed to believe they he would have left long before old age became her, so she apologized for that, too, until he had to make her stop.

He didn't like thinking of the day she died. He hated every second of it. He hated her apologies and her soft smile and her talk of an afterlife with him. While he never voiced it, she knew his thoughts on what an afterlife held for her and that it didn't include him at all. Catherine never said anything, because he never said anything. He hated all of it and every moment thereafter.

More years passed by and he sat on a familiar swing on a familiar porch with the beautiful Fall day rustling through the leaves. It wasn't the real thing. Only a replica set in Heaven. Her real home was, thankfully, still there on Earth, but had aged dramatically. The last time he had gone there, the swing had vanished and the house creaked and moaned with the wind. The only reason he hadn't gone back since was from fear that someone or something had destroyed the house and he didn't think that he could handle it. The passage of time was far too disheartening for him right now. Maybe he could go back there in another time, during another age, and remember. For now, he stayed in Heaven and kept watch.

This home was different, but he didn't know how different. He had never set foot inside, honestly afraid of what or who he might find there. But this was the only Heaven with her home in it. She was here. He just wasn't so much of a masochist to go and see her face to face.

He didn't keep up with time. In Heaven, if one didn't concern themselves with humanity, there just wasn't any point to it. It had been some odd years, but still just a small lapse to a being like him who had done nothing more than make sure he didn't leave this porch. Castiel would come to him often since he had managed to get some sort of semblance of a grace back, and yet he always somehow managed to never mention Catherine. To be honest, Balthazar was appreciative of it, unlike Gabriel's visits where his older brother would do nothing but lecture him. Thankfully, Gabriel only showed up once in a blue moon.

He understood the lectures, though. All Gabriel wished for him was happiness. Yet, all Balthazar wanted was to be left alone with the issue. If he ever decided to leave or travel again like he once had, then he would. Nothing was stopping him. For the moment, though, he was here and he was going to stay here until he no longer wanted to be. It would be painful no matter where he went or what he did. The loss would weigh forever.

Balthazar took a deep breath and leaned back on the swing, allowing his head to tip up and watch the ceiling. Everything was in quite the stark detail, down to the little cobwebs stuck in the rafters. The air was nice and cool, the sun always brightly shining, even sometimes glinting across something red around the corner of the house. That would be that car of hers.

The silence, as usual, offered him time to think. This time, instead of on a loving, painful memory, his mind rested on Gabriel's words to him. He had urged Balthazar to do something. To either leave and try to enjoy his life or give in and go to see his human lover with his own eyes. Bal refused both options and it just launched the two in another heated argument. Still, he understood. That just didn't make it any easier on him.

His fingers played with the chain of the swing as he thought on what to do for a long time. At length, long after he took that deep breath, Balthazar rose from his spot and decided to do one or the other. Leaving was the only option that would help him at all, but he couldn't leave without checking on her and that idea made him stall on a decision.

It would be quick. Merely a moment and then he could run away, knowing with the fullness of his being that she was safe and happy... Why did angels even feel such human emotions like this?

He squared his shoulders and moved forward, gently pushing the door open and walking into the house. Immediately, he was met with her small living room. Even in Heaven, there was a devil's trap at the front door. Balthazar smiled and walked in, looking for where she may be. He didn't want to look too hard or move too quickly. Honestly, he was still dragging his feet over the idea.

Voices drifted to him down the hallway from a room that he had only known to store books and boxes of supplies. Of course she had moved things around after Sidney's death. Balthazar grimaced and walked closer, finally coming to a doorway and seeing exactly what he had always expected. He had only known the man from pictures, but here he was, laying in Catherine's bed with nothing by smiles. She was laying at an angel to him, her head resting on his chest, laughing at something that had been said. She was happy and young. The sight pained him and he felt horribly guilty over it.

The only thing of his features betraying how he felt was the deeper frown than usual. Otherwise, he tried hard to keep things as they have been. But before turning away from them both, he wanted to have a small look closer and see her soul as happy as he once made her feel, if not happier. That would make him feel better.

Balthazar stalled for a second and blinked, stepping forward into the room and looking between the two. Sidney's soul was happy and content, while Catherine's soul was... absent.

Bal turned, scanning through the house and the little section of Heaven, finding no trace of her. This wasn't his Catherine's Heaven. It had been Sidney's-... Balthazar frantically searched through Heaven for her soul, not feeling fear like this since Michael held her in his fist.

Then the fear quickly subsided once he found her bright, beautiful soul healthy and happy in another corner. His eyes closed, feeling a cold rain hit his face long before the storm made any sound on the environment. When he did open his eyes, the sight that greeted was one that he never even bothered to dream would happen. Her car sat out in the rain, parked closely to an old, abandoned home off of the road. He knew the place instantly even though he had only laid eyes on it once in his long life.

Balthazar stepped forward, moving through the rain and towards the front door. With a surprisingly light push, it opened and he slowly walked inside. The interior was as dark as he remembered, too, and still leaked, but it hardly even registered with his thoughts. A faint light poured through a doorway and Bal walked towards it as quietly as he could, fearing it to be something else, maybe even a trick.

He had to get up his nerve to peek inside, but slowly Balthazar moved into the light, spying her soul again. The air left him and eyes stung, finally allowing himself to belief in something that was too good for him.

Catherine, young and unharmed, looked up from the floor, almost surprised at the appearance, but a soft smile quickly enough graced her lips. "Hi, Bal," she whispered before reaching her arms out for him invitingly. "You made me wait."

Finally.

And with the longest chapter in the entire story, I bid you adieu, lovely readers.

!However! I have one more goodies chapter for you that may or may not include some ideas for this fic that I didn't get the opportunity to write out and also a playlist of songs that inspired me for writing. So, look forward to that (it will be posted very soon) and maybe even more stuff later on in the future.

For now, I want you all to know that this fic has been a marvelous ride. It's the longest project that I've ever finished and I hope that now I can move on to original work that I can get published someday soon. You guys have been a great audience to write for and I'm going to love Balthazar and Catherine forever.

Also, my friend just so happened to become pregnant while I was in the middle of writing this, so this story is dedicated to baby Catherine, who got her name because her mom and I apparently share a brain and both thought it was a great name and was decided before she even knew about this fic. So yes. May the angels watch over her.

Thank you, readers, and goodnight.