Chapter 84.

When they were back at the bunker, Dean delivered Anael to the library and the company of Sam and Eileen, then went out on top. It was a peaceful place, among the trees and it felt like the place to discreetly call upon the almighty. He took a couple of slow, steady breaths and then said, "Jack, can you spare a minute?"

Behind him, Jack said, "Of course. What do you need?"

Dean turned to look at him. Jack was always just Jack to him. He didn't look like a god, but then, neither had Chuck. "You think you could set up a meeting with my Mom and Dad?" said Dean, "Doesn't have to be today. It's not urgent at all."

"Gabriel." said Jack.

Gabriel appeared. "Yo?" he said.

"Yo?" said Dean, "That's how you talk to your boss?"

"Yeah, we don't have to do the whole trembling with fearful awe these days." said Gabriel, "What is it you two want?"

"Go to John and Mary Winchester. Tell them Dean would like to see them at the Nexus. Let u know when they are there."

"And if they say no?"

"No problem." said Dean, "It's honestly no big thing."

"It's a Winchester thing," said Gabriel, "And those tend to take priority in Heaven."

"I never asked for them to." said Dean.

"Go, Gabriel." said Jack. When Gabriel had vanished he said, "Don't worry about Gabriel. He's fine about it. He knows what we owe you."

"Yeah, you don't owe anything, Jack. Heaven does, but not you."

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, winced and then opened them again. "Sometimes, it's not easy to keep the omniscience turned off. I'm trying not to know stuff that you don't want to tell me, but there's something and it's big."

Dean sighed. Omniscience was worse than the mind link. "It's Anael." he said, "It's me and Anael. Now, you know, I never set out to snare an angel. I never wanted an angel. Anyway, we're together."

"That's good." said Jack.

"I know it's kinda selfish, but this one thing that wasn't set up by Chuck … "

"How is it selfish?" said Jack, "You never said Sam was selfish for wanting to be with Eileen."

Dean had no easy answer to that. "Well, anyway," he said, "I feel like I should tell Mom and Dad."

"They'll be happy." said Jack.

"How about you? Do you have an opinion?"

"I think it's great. I love you. I want the best for Anael. I'm glad you've found something good together."

"And you never gave it a little shove, right? Not even a bit?"

Jack's expression was serious. "No, not at all. I know that nothing means more to you than your free will, so I am resolved never to infringe upon it. Whom you love, how you love and for how long you love are all for you to decide."

"Good. I thought so, but I know, if I had infinite power, I would interfere, like, a lot."

"The relationship you have formed with Anael is yours and yours alone. Only the two of you made it happen."

"I hope you're not offended that I asked." said Dean.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "It's good that we can talk freely."

"Yeah, kid, it is. I know humans and angels … "

"I'm the last person who can lecture you on that." said the Nephilim, "Besides, she'll be human soon."

"That's not certain yet." said Dean.

"No, not certain. I gave her time to think."

Gabriel returned. "The Winchesters are at the Nexus. I made a bar. Hunters, ya know."

"Good choice." said Dean, Well, here goes."

Jack regarded him levelly for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," said Dean, "It's just, talking to Dad always feels like a test."

"I could go with you," said Jack, "Or I could get Cas or Anael."

"No, this time, I have to go solo." said Dean.

"Okay. Gabriel will take you there. Pray to him when you want to come back."

Dean looked at Gabriel, unsure how the archangel would feel about being his cab. Gabriel nodded. "It's fine, Dean. You Winchesters are pretty high on the VIP list. Every angel but Balthazar would love to be running errands for you."

"Gabriel is my right hand in Heaven." said Jack, "I use him for all the important jobs."

"I thought that was Cas." said Dean, ready to argue if Cas had been sidelined.

"Castiel is my father, my commander, my conscience." said Jack.

"Sounds good." said Dean.

"Don't tell him I said commander." said Jack, "He wouldn't like it."

"We should go." said Gabriel, "Winchesters rapidly deplete the nibbles."

"They're limitless." said Jack.

"That's just a challenge to a Winchester." said Gabriel. He put his hand on Dean's shoulder. A moment later, they were in a bar and John and Mary were at the only table, holding hands.

Their hands unclasped when they saw Dean. Mary spoke first. "It's great to see you again, Dean."

"Good news about Sam's baby, right?" said John.

"Yeah, fantastic news." he said.

Mary poured him a glass of whisky. "You want one too, Gabriel?" she said.

"Nah, I gotta fly. I'll be back to put you all back where you belong later." He vanished.

Dean ate some peanuts. His hand was impressively steady. His Dad wouldn't know he felt like he was fifteen again. "I have news too," he said, "Good news."

"We love good news." said John, "Let's hear it."

Dean took a slow drink of whisky, then he said, "Okay. You remember the angel you saw at the wedding, Anael?"

"The cute redhead?"

"Excuse me?" said Mary.

"Yeah, that's the one." said Dean, "Well, we've been friends for a while now, I mean, good friends. She's bright and funny and she makes me laugh." His mother was already smiling like she knew what he was going to say.

"I liked her from the jump." said John.

"Yeah, me too, mostly. I'm not saying it was all smooth sailing. We had our differences."

"Yeah, you're a human, she's an angel." John was smiling now too, but it sounded like an objection.

"I know. I've gone over all that. I get that it seems like a stupid relationship."

"No it doesn't." said John, "It sounds like a frickin' awesome relationship. She's an angel and talk about a heavenly body!"

"Right here." said Mary.

"Sorry," said John, "Inappropriate. So, Dean, you're with Anael now?"

"Yes, sir,"

"How together?" said John. Mary seemed to lean forward a little.

"We're living together." he said.

"That's great. Usually, they don't make it past breakfast."

Dean looked at his mother, then quickly away. "Dad, can we forget the past? At least in front of Mom."

"Must be special, this angel of yours, is what I meant." said John.

"She is."

"How did you get together?" said Mary and it didn't feel appropriate to mention shower sex.

"We talked, late at night, when everyone else was in bed. We found we had a lot in common. We got close."

"That's sweet." she said.

"And I'm guessing this is serious," said John, "Because I don't recall you ever telling me about a girl until you'd put a week and a thousand miles between you."

"Never really had anything to tell you about." said Dean.

"Never?" said Mary.

"There were two that mattered. Neither ever came to anything. I didn't think this one would either. My success rate with this stuff make's Sam's look good."

"Not what you always told me." Said John.

"Hey, hook-ups are easy. I'm talking more than that."

"You're talking love." said Mary.

His throat felt dry. He drank more whisky. "Yes." he said.

"I always hoped you'd find someone." said John, "But after Jess died like that, the thought kinda scared me too. I never wanted either of you to suffer like I did." He took a sip of his own whisky and laughed. "You both suffered a lot more. You both went to Hell."

"You were there a lot longer than I was." said Dean.

"I lost my mind pretty early on. According to Castiel, you retained clarity. I can't imagine what you went through."

"You did it for me, I did it for Sam, he did it for the world. We none of us had a choice. But those times are over. You and Mom are together, Sam has Eileen and now I have Anael."

"And being an angel, there's nothing a demon could do to her."

"That's right. Indestructible." said Dean. There was no point in reciting the many terrible things demons had done to angels or the fact that demons were not the biggest threat to them. His father agreed that it was best for her to remain an angel and that was a kind of victory.

"That's great." said John.

"Will you bring her to see us next time?" said Mary.

"Probably not." he said, "She hates Heaven and the Nexus is too angely for her. She came to the wedding for Eileen's sake, but I can't ask that of her often. Maybe never,"

"Isn't it a little weird, an angel hating Heaven?" said John.

"Surprisingly common." said Dean, "Heaven was not a good place before Jack took over."

"Doesn't she work for Heaven?" said Mary.

"No, she quit."

"Because of you?" she asked.

"No, nothing to do with me. Like I said, she hates it. Bobby's house is similar to the Nexus, but not so connected to Heaven. Maybe I can get you all there someday, but not soon, because this thing is new and I don't wanna screw it up by triggering her insecurities."

"No, of coure not." said Mary.

"Bobby told me he was going back to life full time. Put me in sole charge of the hunters here. Not that there's much to do here, but we used to have fun annoying the angels together. Naomi had no sense of humour at all."

"No, she didn't." said Dean.

"He wanted to take care of you boys. Sometimes I feel like I should come back too, with your mother of course."

The temptation to ask them both to do exactly that was strong, but he knew it would be wrong for all involved. He and Sam would fall back into the old patterns, John and Sam would fall out, he would constantly be trying to prove himself. It was a terrible thing even to think, but his happiness and Sam's would founder on the Winchester rocks. Still the thought of not asking seemed wrong, unnatural and disloyal.

"I'd say you've earned your Heaven," he said, "And it's worthy of you now. Now it's not some frickin' Disney World. I mean, you're happy here, right?"

"Very, except I miss my sons." said John.

"Anytime you want us, just let Jack or Castiel know." said Dean.

"If you needed us there, you'd say so, right?" said John.

Dean smiled and shook his head. "No, I'd never, ever admit that and there's never gonna be a time when Sam and I don't need both of you. When you were gone, you left a giant hole in our hearts and we can't ever fill that with anyone else and I would love for you to be back in the world and for us to all be together again ..." He stopped talking. He was begging his father to come home and that was not what he should do or wanted to do.

"But you've made a life for yourselves outside the shadow I cast and your feast doesn't need any ghosts." said John. He didn't sound hurt or aggrieved, only understanding.

"Does that sound ungrateful?" said Dean.

"Hell, no." said John, "It sounds like I should be damn proud of you boys and I am and we'll stay here and out of your earthly lives, but I'm glad you have Bobby. Just come see us when you can. You don't know how it feels to see the men you became."

"That's right." said Mary, patting Dean's arm. "We're proud of you."

"Thank God you never read all those books." he said.

"Books?" said John.

"Yeah, forget I said anything about them." said Dean.