Chapter 14.
"So, tell me about progress." said Dean. He thought for a moment and added, "In simple terms."
"I don't think we need to simplify it." said Cas, "Fixing Purgatory is gonna take a while and Jack will have to do most of it. Hell and Heaven are going far more smoothly. Rowena is very much on board. She likes the idea of a meritocracy, where everyone gets what they deserve."
"Not sure I'm a fan of that idea." Dean admitted.
Cas and Anael both shot him a concerned look. "Don't." said Cas.
Dean shrugged. There were too many witnesses to get into why he felt that way and all of those witnesses would argue with him, except maybe Crowley and Meg. They would find it funny.
"So, anyone now in Hell has hope to rise."
"And fear to fall." said Crowley with a smirk, "That's the best part. People are hearing what happened to Lucifer."
"How about the Empty?" said Dean.
"Complicated." said Cas, "The plan is to empty the Empty, but given the nature of some of the occupants, Jack has a lot of decisions to make. He's bringing out a lot of the angels first."
"Some of them should not be released." said Dean, "I hope you gave him a list."
"Not really my place," said Cas, "But he asks me who needs to be reinstated in Heaven and who needs to be redirected to Hell." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "You know, mist of them acted from good intentions."
Dean frowned. He didn't entirely agree, but he remembered how often he had benefitted from Castiel's capacity for forgiving the unforgivable. He changed the subject. "Is Heaven doing better, with more angels?"
Cas looked pleased. "Heaven is flourishing. It feels like home again."
Dean wanted to smile, because it mattered to Cas, but his choice of words made him uneasy. "Does that mean you wanna go back?" he said.
"What?" said Cas, "No! I didn't mean it feels like my home! I mean it feels like it used to."
"When it was your only home," said Dean, "And you would and did do anything for it."
"You're not going back, right, Cas?" said Meg, "Not permanently."
Dean always found the relationship between Cas and Meg weird, but in her own way, she cared about him. She needed him, somehow.
Castiel's answer reassured them both. "Of course not. I have family here, I have work to do. Heaven was my only home because I had no family then. I had nothing then."
"Good." said Dean.
Meg nodded.
"Do you think I'd ever let him walk out on me?" said Jules.
"Do you think I'd ever want to?" said Cas.
Gabriel appeared and he was not alone. He had brought John Winchester with him. "Look at this," he said, "An archangel, delivering Winchesters like pizza. We gotta get a union."
Dean stared at his father. "How are you out of Heaven?"
Gabriel grinned. "So dumb! You know how the Nexus is a kinda halfway house between Heaven and Earth? Well, so is this place. John here figured he'd be able to visit. When he heard you'd be here today, he asked Jack for permission."
Dean chuckled. "That's a first, you asking permission for anything."
John smiled. "You know, for a minute there, I thought you didn't want me here."
He hated the fact that he had made it that obvious. It wasn't even that he didn't, but it felt weird and he wished he had known before he brought Anael. "It's not that." he said, "It's a surprise, that's all."
John offered a handshake to Anael. "Great to see you here." he said as they shook hands, "When Dean told me you two were together ... Well, my son is a lucky guy."
"I'm glad you approve." she said.
John laughed. "Trust me, it wouldn't matter if I didn't. He makes his own decisions."
Dean wondered whether he really believed that, even for a moment. All his life, he had followed his father. Even now, the longing to impress him was almost overwhelming. Then again, if John had hated Anael, would it make a difference? Maybe he had finally reached a point where he could feel his decisions were his own.
"You wanna beer, John?" said Bobby.
"Beer works here? For spirits?"
"Just like it does at the Nexus." said Gabriel, "Wow you Winchesters are dumb."
Bobby went to get a beer. He handed it to John, who took it and had a long drink.
"That's good stuff." he said.
"It is." said Bobby, "Comes from a place in Texas, a family business. The boys get it for me when they can."
"Shout when you wanna come home," said Gabriel, "Because I have literally nothing better to do than wing you around the cosmos, apparently." He vanished.
John grinned. "He offered to bring me. I think he wanted to come here. I don't know him well, but sometimes I think he's a little weird."
"Sounds like you know him pretty well." said Dean. He turned to Cas, "You and he are still the only archangels, right?"
"Yes. Balthazar keeps petitioning for an upgrade, but he's not getting one."
"Good. I would not trust that dude with any more power."
"Jack makes good decisions." said Cas.
Jules smiled at him. "It's taken a long time for you not to claim your promotion was an exception."
"You convinced me it wasn't." he said.
John looked at Dean, a faint smile on his lips. "You're doing okay? You're happy?"
"Yeah," said Dean, "I'm fine."
"And Sammy? He's okay and Eileen and the kid?"
"All well." said Dean, "If you stick around, you can see Sam and Eileen. They're driving over here later."
"That would be great." said John. He turned to Bobby. "You choosing Earth gave us all a shock."
"It shouldn't. I belong here. They boys are here."
"I guess you think I should be here too." said John.
"I don't make anyone else's decisions for them." said Bobby.
John nodded. He looked at Dean for long enough for it to be uncomfortable. "You know why I won't come back, don't you?"
Dean said nothing. His throat had suddenly gone dry.
"You were too long under my shadow, son. What you've become, since I left, it makes me very proud. The last thing you need is me, coming back, messing up your whole life."
"No," said Dean, "I would ... " He almost said, "give anything" but his father had a point. "I ... "
John raised a hand. "Dean, I get it, but you know I'm right. Would you even be with Anael if I were still breathing down your neck?"
"Maybe," said Dean, "Maybe not. I never wanted you to go."
"I know that, kid and I'm sorry I had to leave you so soon. Never planned to, but I couldn't let you die. I saw you in that hospital bed and I just knew there was nothing in my life more precious than you and Sam. I would have died a thousand times for either one of you."
"You did." said Dean, his voice cracking a little, "I know what Hell is like."
Their eyes locked for a moment of shared pain. Finally, John said, "Worth it son, for you."