Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The air in the room was still. There was an overbearing sense of emptiness throughout the room. Dean was sitting on the floor consumed by an overwhelming amount of emotions. Guilt, anger, and complete despair were the most prominent. Everything had happened so quickly. Dean didn’t want to believe what had just happened was real. He became desperate to wake up from this horrible nightmare that he was in. He shut his eyes tightly in hopes that when he opened them, Cas would be back. His eyelids forced his many tears to escape their prison. Dean opened his eyes. Due to a combination of closing his eyes tightly and many tears, everything was now blurry and there were black spots throughout his vision. Within a matter of seconds, his vision returned to normal, but he was still filled with denial of his situation. He shut his eyes again and opened them once more. With each forceful shut of his eyes he began to hyperventilate. “No… this can’t be real,” Dean whispered to himself. “Cas, come back,” Dean said as tears streamed down his face. “Please. I need you.” Dean was feeling everything and nothing simultaneously. That same sense of emptiness that was in the room could be felt in his chest: heartbreak. That is what Dean was feeling. He stared at the final place where Cas stood before he was absorbed by The Empty. Like most recent events that provoked a strong emotional response, Dean’s anger began to take over. “Bring him back,” he said softly. He began to repeat this phrase until his voice roared with rage “I SAID BRING HIM BACK YOU SON OF A BITCH!” He knew that his demands wouldn’t be heard between the barrier that separated these two very different realms, but he had to try. He couldn’t give up on Cas that easily. A sense of disappointment in himself began to grow. Why didn’t he say anything to Cas? Cas poured his heart out to him and he couldn’t even say “I love you” back? Dean had just stood there staring at Cas like a deer in headlights. The thought began to sink in that that was the last time that Dean would see Cas alive. All these other years, Chuck had revived Castiel for reasons that are still unknown. Now that Chuck was the enemy, Amara and Billie were gone, and Jack was powerless, Dean knew that there would be no way to get Cas back this time. His soulmate was truly gone. Dean dropped his head into his hands and sobbed. He had loved Castiel for years and he was never able to summon the courage to tell him how he felt. Yet, here was Cas: moments before his death, he was able to be himself. Cas was brave, compassionate, loyal, and a gentle being: he was everything that Dean wanted to be. Dean couldn’t help replay all of the events in his mind that lead him up to this point. With each thought, his breath became faster and faster. It was his fault that Cas was dead. He led Cas into this death trap. “It should have been me, not him,” he said between rapid gasps for air. “Dammit Cas, why do you have to be so selfless.”

Dean’s wallowing in grief and guilt was interrupted by a rhythmic vibration from his right pocket. Dean pulled out his phone and saw that Sam was calling. “Not now Sammy,” Dean thought to himself as he declined his brother’s call. Dean could barely begin to process what had just happened, he knew he wouldn’t be able to communicate the situation to his brother and Jack, not until he had processed it at least. The vibrations began again. Sam was trying again to get a hold of his brother. Once again, Dean declined his call. Sam took the hint and stopped calling, however, that didn’t stop him from trying to reach out to his brother. Dean’s phone chimed: he received a text message from Sam.

(1) New message from Sam: Dean, I need to talk to you ASAP. Call me.

That message was never a good sign. Dean was left wondering what else could be wrong, but he had no desire to add on to the pile of negativity that he was already feeling. He wondered if whatever bad news Sam had would even phase him. He decided to ignore this text. Sam had no time to waste and it didn’t take long before he sent Dean another text.

(2) New messages from Sam: Please at least let me know that you’re okay. I’m worried about you. I need you to call me, something bad happened.

Dean’s suspicions were correct: something was wrong. He couldn’t bring himself to text Sam back. Dean knew that if he heard what the news would, it would be his breaking point. One final text came through Dean’s phone.

(3) New messages from Sam: Dean, I’m coming back to the bunker. I’ll see you soon.

“Oh great,” Dean thought to himself. He wanted to pull himself together, but shock had taken over. He couldn’t move his body. He sat there and waited for Sam to arrive. It wasn’t long before Dean heard the familiar creak of the old metal door opening. It was followed by two pairs of footsteps descending with a sense of urgency.

“Dean,” Sam called out. After no response, Sam called out again, but this time with more of a concerned tone.” Dean could hear the panic in his brother’s voice rising. He knew that he needed to let his brother know where he was.

“Sam. I’m in here,” Dean said in a monotone voice. It was clear that he was still in shock. Sam came rushing into the room and Jack followed suit.

“Thank god you’re okay Dean. I was so worried about you. Why didn’t you answer your phone,” Sam inquired. Dean shrugged his shoulders and stared at his brother in silence. It was then that Sam looked around the room in search of his trenchcoated friend.

“Wait a minute. Dean? Where’s Cas,” Sam looked around frantically. He practically spun around trying to find one of his few very close friends. He was nowhere to be found, neither was Billie. It was then that it struck Sam. All the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Sam didn’t need to know the specifics of the situation, his gut feeling was telling him that Cas did not survive. “Dean, Cas is dead isn’t he.” Dean nodded his head in agreement. Dean began to tear up again. This time Jack joined him.

“What happened,” Jack asked, needing to get closure. Sam turned his head to Jack and then back to Dean. He was unsure of how Dean would handle this question. It was impossible to tell if Dean would remain calm or if he would explode into a rage. To Sam’s surprise, Dean responded calmly.

“The Empty took him. Billie was after me and he sacrificed himself for me,” he said, obviously replaying the events over in his head: his facial expressions said it all.

“Was it his deal,” Jack asked.

“H-how did you know,” Dean stuttered as he pieced together that Jack had somehow known about the deal. “When did you know about the deal. When did Cas tell you?!”

“Shortly after I got back, but he made me keep it a secret,” Jack spoke softly. This response made the anger in Dean resurface once more. Sam could see the rage building in Dean’s eyes. Sam tensed up and prepared himself to lunge in front of Jack in case Dean sprung to his feet with intent to harm. Sam wished that he didn’t have to worry about this, but over the past few months, Dean has become increasingly unstable when angered.

“Why didn’t you tell us,” he bellowed, still sitting on the floor. “W-we could have done something. Found a way out of it like we always do,” his voice began to break again. Jack took a deep breath and spoke up again.

“I couldn’t betray Cas after what he had done for me. I really did think that he would have told you sooner. I’m sorry Dean.” Dean broke down into a sob again.

“Some promises are meant to be broken,” he whispered under his tears. Sam saw the wave of anger pass and he began to relax his muscles. He could tell that this whole situation was really affecting Dean. Sam knew he needed to talk to Dean one-on-one.

“Jack, why don’t we let Dean calm down a little bit. I’m going to talk to him a little bit more, but I think it’s best that you leave him alone for now. I’ll check in with you in a few minutes,” Sam said, looking down at the young nephilim, also burdened with his fair share of troubles.

“Okay,” Jack said softly. Sam placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder and gently smiled down at the boy. Sam knew that Jack needed this small action of gentleness.

“Okay,” Sam said. He slowly ushered Jack out of the room. “I’ll come see you in a little bit. Hang tight.” Jack nodded in comprehension and he walked in the direction of his bedroom. Once Sam saw that Jack was out of sight, he calmly walked over to his brother and sat down across from him on the floor. The now sitting-cross-legged Sam opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it in realization that he didn’t know what he was going to say. He waited a few seconds, and then he opened his mouth again.

“Dean, I’m here for you,” he said staring at Dean with his soulful eyes. Dean looked back at Sam with pure distraught.

“You don’t need to take on my crap. You’ve got enough on your plate. Eileen is gone.” Sam began to tear up. He wanted to deal with his loss, but right now he needed to be the glue that held everyone together as Dean did for him for years.

“You’re right, Eileen is gone, but you’re still my brother and you’re going through something. I need you to understand that I’m here for you.”

“I get that you’re here for me, but physically, why are you here? You should be with all the others.” This made Sam freeze. He knew that he had to break the news to Dean sometime. Sam couldn’t help but wonder if this piece of information would be the one thing that would push Dean over the edge and make him give up the great fight. Sam also considered the other scenario. If he didn’t tell Dean, he could very well lose his trust. Even though this would be a hard thing to tell him, it would be better for them in the long run.

“Dean…” he spoke hesitantly. “There is no one else. They’re all gone.”

“What do you mean? Did he kill all of the apocalypse world people already?”

“Yeah. Everyone else on the earth too except for you, me, Jack, and Ca-” Sam cut himself off. “Shit,” he thought to himself as he cringed. He tried to correct himself in a nonchalant way in hopes that Dean hadn’t noticed. He looked over to Dean, it was no use, there were already tears in his eyes again. Dean cleared his throat and regained his composure. He looked at his little brother with a look of complete devastation.

“Why us Sammy? Why us?” Sam wished he knew.

“I don’t know. I want to say that there is a reason for everything, but I don’t think that that sentence is as reassuring anymore.” Sam sat there and rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger. He sat there with Dean for another minute in silence before he spoke up again. “I should probably go and check in on Jack. I’ll be out here if you need me.” Just as Sam started to get up, his brother called out to him.

“Wait! Sammy, please don’t leave yet,” Dean spoke through the lump in his throat. A tremble in Dean’s voice could be heard. Fresh tears were released one by one from Dean’s reddened eyes. Sam took notice of this and he slowly sat back down.

“Okay,” he said softly. Sam continued to observe his brother. Dean’s eyes darted from one side of the room to the other before he looked up and closed them. Dean took many deep breaths: his head remained pointed up towards the ceiling. Sam could see that his brother had something to say, but he was having a hard time getting the words out. Eventually, after one more deep breath, Dean finally spoke.

“I can’t stop replaying it in my head. Before he sacrificed himself, he told me that I-I changed him. The reason that he cared for you, Jack, and the world, was because of me.” Sam had a feeling of where this was going. Afterall, he had been here for these past 12 years, slowly watching the inseparable duo grow closer. For the sake of his brother, he decided to play dumb.

“You guys were very close friends, of course you’d have an influence on him,” he reassured his brother. Dean missed his chance to be honest with Cas, but he still had time to be honest with Sam. All these years of overcompensating and “no-chick-flick-moments'' were a direct result of his own internalized homophobia. His dad had ingrained it into his mind that anything but straight was wrong. Dean never understood how someone could be so close-minded. What was so wrong about loving another person? In this moment, what was reassuring for Dean is that he knew that Sam was different than their father. Yet, it didn’t make this moment any less scarier for him. For the first time in his life, he decided to let these walls that he had built up around his identity come crashing down.

“Sammy… it was more than that for him. He said something else. He told me that h-he loved me,” he stuttered. Sam was taken aback by this news. Of course it was no surprise that Cas was in love with Dean. He just wasn’t expecting Cas to be so direct. Sam continued with his act so that Dean didn’t feel like he was trying to pry information out of him.

“Of course he loved you. You were best friends.”

“No Sam,” Dean said firmly. He looked into his brother's eyes and clarified his previous statement. “Cas said it like he loved me.” Dean’s mouth trembled as those few words passed his lips.

“How did you respond to that,” Sam asked.

“I didn’t,” after years and years of this being bottled up inside him, it was time for Dean to let it out. “I mean, I wanted to,” he said shakily. “I didn’t respond because I didn’t have time to tell him that I-I,” he hesitated. “That I-I love him too.” His eyes watered. “He died not knowing that I love him.” By now, the moment of courage had faded and he was drowning in panic. He couldn’t look Sam in the eyes. His heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to jump right out of his chest. Still not looking up at his brother, he began to speak again. “He’s gone. It’s my fault. I dragged him here. I should be dead.” While it hurt Sam to see how hard it was for Dean to be open about feelings for Cas, it hurt him even more to see how Dean was losing his will to live. Sam crawled towards Dean and sat down beside him. All he could do was wrap his arms around his brother. Touch starved, Dean caved into his brother's arms and he began to sob once more. After Dean’s crying had subsided Sam spoke up.

“You need to stop blaming yourself. There is nothing that you could have said that would have changed his mind. Cas was incredibly stubborn. He was in control of his own choices. These were not easy choices, but he made them. He died because he loved you and he knew that your time here isn’t done.” That last sentence caught Dean’s attention.

“What if I’m done? Cas was the one thing that was real. You heard Chuck! Cas was the only angel who didn’t do what he was told. Hell, we can’t even escape Chuck’s control, but Cas did.” In that moment, Sam was scared of losing his brother to the darkness that was consuming him. Sam’s only shot to snap Dean out of this state was to remind his brother that he still needed his big brother’s help.

“Dean, I can’t do this fight without you. Please hold on a little longer. Let's try and find a solution, please?” Sam stared at his brother with his puppy-like eyes praying that this tactic wouldn’t fail after all these years. Dean sighed.

“Fine. I’ll help you look at the lore, maybe we missed something earlier.” A sense of relief washed over Sam. He knew that Dean still was not okay, but he still had a small willingness to fight. The two men stood up and headed towards the library. Once they entered the room with hundreds of books, Sam pulled a stack off of a shelf and handed them to Dean.

“Here start reading these,” he instructed.

“And what will you do,” Dean wondered.

“I told Jack that I would come and check on him. I need to make sure that he’s alright too. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Sam said. Dean nodded in understanding and he took the top book off of the pile and began to flip through the pages. Sam looked at his brother and then he headed down the long corridor towards Jack’s room.

Chapter Text

Sam approached the door with purpose. He raised his hand and gently rapped on the wooden barrier with his knuckles. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” Jack mumbled. Sam twisted the doorknob and applied a small amount of force on the door. He opened it just enough so that he could slip into the room. He closed the door behind him. Before Sam got the opportunity to speak, Jack spoke up first.

“Is Dean still mad at me,” the young nephilim asked while laying on this bed.

“I’m not sure. To be fair, Dean is mad at everything right now. I wouldn’t take it too personally.

“It’s not just today. I don’t think he likes me. A few days ago I heard him say how I’m not family.” Sam’s heart broke. He had thought that with the death of Cas, Jack would be mourning only one father figure. It seems as if he had already been mourning the loss of a second fatherly figure. Someone as young as Jack shouldn’t have to deal with these burdens. It just isn’t fair. Then again, when is the life of a hunter ever fair. Sam sat down on Jack’s bed. He was now looking down at Jack.

“I’m sorry that you heard that. There is no reason that will make what Dean said okay. I do want you to know this though. Dean pushes himself away from everyone that he cares about because he thinks that maybe losing them will hurt less. Our world is falling apart and we don’t know what to do. Dean has convinced himself that we’re losing this fight and he is trying to brace himself in cases he loses you too. He’s trying to convince himself that you’re not family because he doesn’t want to go through the pain of losing his child. Our father never taught us how to deal with these emotions effectively. I want you to know that no matter what Dean says, he still cares about you,” Sam said. Jack slowly sat up and looked at Sam with a sense of understanding.

“Oh. That makes a lot of sense. I didn’t know that,” Jack said, clearly thinking back to all of his interactions with Dean. Sam could still see that Jack was in a lot of emotional pain.

“Jack, I know that we’re not always the best at communication. I want you to know that no matter what happens you are family,” Sam said this while looking directly into the young boy’s eyes. The words “thank you” barely had the time to escape Jack’s mouth before he threw his arms around Sam. Sam wrapped his arms around Jack and continued to hug him until Jack decided to pull away. Now that Sam had addressed the problem with Dean, he decided that it was time to talk about Cas.

“How are you holding up. You know, with Cas,” he inquired. Jack, who was now sitting completely upright with his legs hanging down over the edge of the bed facing his bedroom door, had a sense of emptiness on his face.

“It doesn’t feel real. It just feels like he’s gone on a hunt. It might feel more real if his body was here, but there’s nothing. I’m okay, I guess, right now. I think that it will start to hurt more later.” He looked up at Sam. “Does that make sense?”

“It makes a lot of sense. When it does start to hurt, please come talk to me, okay?”

“Okay.” There was a short pause in the conversation. Jack broke the silence first. “How are you feeling Sam?” In the midst of everything, Sam had forgotten about his own feelings.

“Well, I don’t know yet. I still haven’t processed everything. With Eileen, it doesn’t feel real either that she’s gone. Like Cas, her body was gone. I’m sad because I miss her and I don’t know if we’ll get her back. I’m mad because Chuck is purposefully taking away everyone that we know and love just to torture us. I’m even more mad that his plan is working.” Sam paused. “But I can’t let myself fall apart now. If I ever want to see her again, to see Cas, Jody, and Donna, I need to pull myself together and try and stop this. One part of me is begging me to throw in the towel, but I know that I need to always keep fighting. So that’s what I’m going to do. What about you Jack?”

“I want to help you. What can I do,” Jack asked with determination.

“Well, you can help me and Dean with reading through the lore. Maybe we missed something,” Sam said with hope. Jack agreed and the pair got up off of the bed and started to walk down the hallway to the library. As Sam and Jack approached the library, they found Dean sitting at the table with the phone to his ear. Through the speaker, they could hear Cas’s voice. Both Sam and Jack had their hopes up that maybe Cas was alive after all. That hope was almost instantly crushed when they realized that Dean was listening to Cas’s voice mail in order to hear his voice again. It was then that Dean noticed Sam and Jack approaching the table. He quickly turned off his phone and did not address what he had been doing. Instead he tried to deflect any questions before they were even asked.

“I don’t even know where to begin with reading. There is so much,” he stated. Sam looked at the stack that he had previously handed Dean and he took a book off of the top.

“Well, it’s a good thing that you have two more people to help you with all this reading.” Jack followed Sam’s lead and also picked up a book. Soon, all of them were sitting down at the rectangular table absorbing all of the information that they could. Hours upon hours had passed. Inside the bunker it didn’t seem like it. There were no windows and therefore no way to see the sun as it changed it’s positions throughout the day. Inside the bunker, it was as if time stood still. There was a sudden break in their concentration. A high pitched noise began to ring. It grew louder and louder as it echoed throughout the many hallways of their home. As the intensity of the noise grew, the room began to shake. This could only mean one thing: something big was coming.

Chapter Text

The walls shook harder than they have in the past. Dust from the ceiling began to float down onto the boys as their home quaked. A part of them thought Chuck had found them and that he was getting ready to end this dispute. Their ears began to ring. The high-pitched noise grew more and more intense. While this noise brought great pain, it also brought relief. Walls shaking and ears ringing meant one thing and one thing only: angels. While this group was not looking forward to dealing with whoever would come through the doors, it sure as hell beat confronting the creator of everything who just so happened to be royally pissed off at them. The commotion subsided for a few seconds before it started up again. The warding was doing its best to stay strong, but it soon began to give in to the force that was trembling throughout the structure. It was then that the metal door opened. At the entrance, there now stood a familiar figure: Michael. The trio looked up the stairs to see possibly the very last of their feathered friends. Well, more of a feathered acquaintance.

“What is it with you angels and dramatic entrances? All you had to do was call us and then knock on the door,” Dean said with slight annoyance. “You need to stop doing that. You’ll blow our ears out if you keep that up.”

“Is that a guarantee? Maybe I should leave and try again,” Michael said as he gave Dean a cold glare.

“At least we won’t have to hear what you have to say anymore,” Dean retaliated.

“Dean,” Sam hissed. “Cut it out. We do not need to piss off another celestial being.” With a frustrated sigh, Dean turned back to Michael and he did his best to put on a fake smile.

“What do you want Michael? Did your dad task you with tracking us down?” Michael moved down the stairs. Dean matched his pace and the pair met at the base of the stairs. The two locked eyes for a moment.

“I’m here to help you, Sam, and Jack,” he informed Dean.

“Why would you do that? Betraying your father is one thing, but betraying your father who just so happens to be God? You must have a death wish.”

“I wouldn’t call it a death wish. I call it being out of options and having nothing left to lose.” After those words left his lips, he stared off into the background of the bunker. For a minute, Michael let his walls down and the slightest bit of vulnerability slipped out. Sam and Dean recognized this look: heartbreak.

“What do you mean you have nothing to lose,” Sam inquired.

“My siblings are dead. My father is still absent. He will probably just make something new and forget about me again. All living beings, except for you three are gone. Even my best friend, the one who has been there for all these years is gone.” Dean’s heart ached for Michael, and for himself as well. He knew what it was like to lose someone that you were so close with. Here was an angel who had lost a human and a human who had lost an angel. This situation was almost as if it were two sides of the same coin.

“Adam,” Sam said softly. He and Dean never got the opportunity to know their younger brother very well, but that did not change the fact that he was just as important. Michael pulled the two brothers out of their thoughts.

“That being said. I want to offer my help. I am willing to do whatever it takes to restore life on earth and bring Adam back,” Michael said with a sense of determination.

Sam, Dean, Jack, and Michael all looked around at each other. The smallest of smiles started to creep up onto their faces. They didn’t have much, but they had each other: and that was enough to bring hope back into their lives. Jack had been quiet for most of this, he hadn’t been sure what to ask. He also didn’t want to say the wrong thing in case it would make Dean mad. This new hope made Jack forget about this fear as he broke the silence.

“Michael,” Jack paused briefly. “Would you be able to bring Cas back?” He looked at his uncle with hope in his eyes. Michael looked down at his nephew.

“I try not to hold grudges, but one does not easily forgive someone who calls you an "assbutt" and proceeds to throw a holy oil molotov at you. Also, wouldn’t you want someone with a little more power? I’m honestly surprised that you didn’t ask me to resurrect my brothers.” This made Dean’s blood boil. So much had changed from their first apocolypse to what the boys hoped would be the last apocalypse. Dean decided to approach Michael with logic first.

“Listen, when we saw Chuck recently, he said that Cas is the only angel who didn’t do what he was told. He was the only one who was able to break away from Chuck’s story. We need him if we want a chance at winning this.” Sam, Dean, and Jack could see that Michael was taking this in, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. Michael was taking a while to respond. Dean couldn’t stand wasting any more time, so he spoke up again. “Michael, Cas is clearly important to the plan, but he’s important to Sam. He’s important to Jack,” Dean paused for a moment. “He is important to me. He is the most selfless and caring person that I have ever met.” His voice began to break down and tears filled his eyes. He began to speak again. His voice gradually became louder and louder until he was almost yelling at Michael. “Have you ever loved someone and you don’t know how you would function without them?” Dean stood in front of Michael and looked him in the eyes. He wanted to show Michael how much he was truly hurting. It was then that Michael spoke up.

“You make a good point. Cas is the very embodiment of free will. Secondly, yes I do know what it’s like to love someone. Like Castiel, I too have fallen in love with a human: Adam.” Michael smiled for a moment. A whole new side of Michael slipped out as he recalled his memories with his lover. “We were stuck together for ten years. We were bound to get close and I’m not surprised that we fell in love. Even being out here these past couple of months, we decided to stay together. He taught me all about what it means to be human. The experience has had its ups and downs, but with him, every moment was worth it.” The boys had always seen the cold and emotionless side of Michael, but here was more proof that angels are capable of experiencing emotions. Jack pulled Michael out of his reminiscing.

“So you’ll help us,” the eager nephilim asked.

“Yes,” Michael replied. “What is the plan?”

“Well, we haven’t gotten that far yet. We had just started to do research when you arrived,” Sam informed Michael. After hearing this, Michael’s face shifted from curiosity to more of an “ahh I see” expression. Seeing that they were practically starting from scratch, Michael suggested that they should get to work.

“Okay, well. Let’s go and sit down and discuss. Surely we’ll be able to come up with something,” Michael said with a mix of confidence and uncertainty. Michael wanted to believe with every fiber of his being that they would succeed, but he could not completely erase the doubts in his mind. The group of four walked to the rectangular table that had books sprawled all over the surface. Sam pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and began to write down any ideas that came to mind. After an hour of talking, the group circled back to Dean’s initial logic. Everyone agreed that the first step would be to get Castiel back: now the question was how.

Chapter Text

Many hours had passed since the group had sat down at their table. The team had finally agreed on a plan to get Cas out.

“It will take some serious mojo to open up a portal to The Empty. I don’t think we have a spell powerful enough for that,” Sam replied. Michael spoke up next.

“Fortunately, I am a very powerful being. I have enough resources to open and close a portal at my own will,” he paused. “I will open this portal, long enough for all of you to enter. I’ll close it so that no one escapes. I will then open it five hours later. This should give you enough time to locate Castiel.” Upon hearing this news, Dean jumped to his feet and began to head towards the weaponry. Jack stopped him.

“Dean, where are you going?”

“To get ready, in case we have to fight someone, or something,” he said as he opened his duffle bag.

“Dean, these weapons won’t work on the empty. It’s too powerful,” Jack warned Dean.

“Well we can’t just walk in there empty-handed,” Dean argued. Sam took Jack’s side in this dispute.

“Dean, we would be powerless against The Empty. We don’t need to piss it off by bringing weapons. Our best shot would be talking things through.” Sam hoped that he would be able to reach through to his brother.

“Sam is right. Once you step into The Empty, you are on their terms. No weapon could save you or buy you any extra time. It’s too big of a risk to anger this entity,” Michael informed him.

“Fine then. If we don’t need to bring anything, why are we still here? We’re wasting time,” Dean said urgently.

“You make a good point, Dean.” As soon as those words left Michael’s lips, he snapped his fingers and a tall, orange, glowing line began to grow in the center of the room. Sam and Dean moved towards the portal and Jack began to follow them. Dean saw this out of the corner of his eye.

“Jack, you can’t come with us,” Dean commanded.

“Why not? I can help,” Jack objected. Dean sighed. He could see the eagerness and determination to help in Jack’s eyes. Still, Dean knew that he needed to keep Jack on earth.

“The Empty obviously wants you to stay in The Empty. Hell, Cas had to make a deal to get you free. Cas is gone now. We have no leverage to rescue you if you were to get stuck. We can’t lose you now Jack. We’ve already lost too much. Please stay here.”
“You’re right,” Jack sighed.

“Besides,” Sam chimed in. “Someone needs to stay here with Michael to hold down the fort and make sure that things are alright here.” Jack nodded at Sam and Dean.

“Okay, I’ll stay here.”

“We’ll see you soon Jack,” Dean said before stepping into the portal. Sam followed almost immediately. Once the boys disappeared, Michael closed the portal. Jack turned to his uncle.

“What should we do while we wait,” Jack asked. Michael hadn’t considered this. He assumed that they would sit in silence while they waited.

“I’m not sure. What would you like to do?”

“I have a few games that we could play while we wait. Cas bought a bunch of different games that we learned how to play together. He showed me this card game. It’s really fun. It’s called UNO, I think you would like it,” Jack beamed with excitement.

“I’m afraid that I don’t know the rules,” Michael admitted.

“That’s okay, it has really easy rules. I can teach you,” Jack said excitedly.

“Okay. How do you play,” Michael inquired. As Jack began to explain the rules of the game, he pulled the cards out of the package and began to shuffle. Shuffling was not Jack’s strong suit. He had yet to master all of the cool techniques that he had seen Dean do when the four of them would play together. Instead, Jack sprawled the cards all over the table and mixed them around. When he was done, he put them back into a neat deck and began to deal out the cards.

〜〜

Sam and Dean stepped through the portal. They looked around at the neverending nothingness, or so they thought. As they adjusted to the darkness, they began to notice figures wandering around in confusion. Some were discussing politely with one another, while others argued.

“I thought that it was supposed to be, you know, empty,” Dean observed.

“Yeah, I thought so too. Something is not right,” Sam agreed. The pair began to walk around, searching for their lost friend. Out of the darkness behind the boys, a familiar voice called their names.

“Dean… Sam!” Dean spun around instantly. He saw Castiel a few feet away from them with the biggest smile on his face. Dean began to walk purposefully towards Cas. After that night of replaying the confession in his head, he knew exactly what he was going to say to his best friend. He reached Cas and he placed his hands on Cas’s cheeks, cupping his face. Dean looked Cas in the eyes and locked in his gaze as tears began to roll down his face.

“You never let me reply. Now don’t go dying on me again, I need to tell you this. I love you too.” As Dean smiled, Cas’s face lit up with joy. Cas leaned into Dean’s hands. He then placed his own hands on top of Dean’s. The pair instinctively moved towards each other and they shared a passionate kiss. Their troubles all around them began to fade away. They had each other again and that’s all they needed at this moment. After 12 years of tension, sacrifice, and constant obstacles, they were finally on the same emotional level at the same time. Sam watched from a distance. A smile crept upon his face. He could finally stop pretending like he didn’t know like the pair were in love. He was filled with joy for his brother and Cas. He couldn’t help but feel sadness at the same time. While he was happy for his brother to be able to reunite with the love of his life, he wished he could do the same with Eileen. After their passionate kiss, the pair pulled away.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Dean said to Cas. That’s when Dean heard a familiar noise that sent shivers down his spine. He turned to see a body of black goo forming behind him. Slowly, the being transformed into a familiar face; they looked like Meg. By now, Sam had been alerted to what was happening.

“Cas! Run!” Dean screamed. Terror ran through Dean. He had just gotten Cas back, he was not about to have him taken away again. The pair ran towards Sam. They moved quickly, but The Empty moved faster. The Empty cut them off.

“Where do you think you’re going,” they sneered.

“Honestly, anywhere but here would be nice,” Dean said. Both Dean and Cas tried to run away again. Once again, The Empty blocked their exit.

“Not so fast,” the being smirked. “You know,” they began to speak. “It took me some time to find you, given all of the migraine-worthy noise. I am baffled. How could two humans get in here, it’s not meant for them,” The Empty asked with an equal mixture of annoyance and confusion.

“We’re the Winchesters. Breaking rules is sort of our thing,” Dean spoke up, trying to hide his fear. The Empty rolled their eyes. Desperate to escape, Dean tried to bargain.

“Come on. You have so many angels, why not let one go.” Anger began to fill The Empty’s eyes.

“Castiel has already escaped my grasp. Twice. I will not allow it a third time.” The Empty was clearly on edge from the mild chatter throughout the Empty. Those small arguments had escalated in the short time that the boys were here. The muffled sounds of talking turned to yelling. It was a mixture of angels and demons demanding to be released from this eternal prison. The Empty fell to their knees.

“GAH! THE NOISSSSSE,” The Empty hissed. “If you hadn't dropped that bomb which you call Jack in here, it would still be quiet. The boy. He made it loud. He woke everyone up. They won’t sleep, but I want to sleep. I need quiet.”

“So then go to sleep,” Sam suggested.

“I can’t. If I could, I would. This spawned a question within the boys’ minds. Shouldn’t the being in charge be able to control what happens in their realm?

“Aren’t you in charge here? Why can’t you silence them,” Sam questioned.

“I simply guard.” The Empty responded. “ I cannot force them back into what is supposed to be their eternal slumber. They have to do that on their own.

“I’m guessing most of them are not willing to simply lay down and forget about this,” Sam said as he put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“They won’t. I’ve done all I can to try and get them back to sleep. It’s pointless, they are rallying together and protesting. They feed off of each other’s energy,” The Empty said. Dean pulled The Empty out of their defeated attitude.

“Listen we need Cas back to stop God.” This caught The Empty’s attention. “Chuck made everyone disappear. Not just our family and friends, but every single person and animal on earth.” The Empty was not amused. It didn’t matter to them, they had their own problems to deal with.

“Why should I care? Earth is not my concern.” Dean hadn’t thought about a counter-argument.

Thankfully, Sam and his years of pre-law at Stanford helped him. That and all the years that he and Dean had to come up with believable lies on the spot.

“You should care, or you will face an eternity of noise.” This thought fueled fear into The Empty’s mind. “Think about it, Chuck doesn’t care about The Empty. Besides, he doesn’t have any power here anyways. He won’t save you. As far as we know, Dean, Cas, and I are the only ones who know about what is going on here. If we die while fighting Chuck, no one will know about this place. I guess we could tell some people and hope that they fix what’s going on here. There would be a possibility of that working if every other person on the planet wasn’t gone. Sam paused for a moment to let The Empty process everything. After a few moments of consideration, The Empty responded.

“Why do you need Castiel anyways. Could one angel truly overpower God,” The Empty questioned. Dean moved forward.

“All my life, all of Sam’s life, Chuck has been controlling us. We’re his puppets. He has put us through literal hell for his own entertainment.” Dean paused. Memories of everything and everyone that they’ve lost for no reason passed through his mind. “Sam and I, we’ve tried so many times to escape Chuck. He’s always been one step ahead of us. Or so we thought. Cas is our best shot at winning because Chuck told us that Castiel is the only one who has never done what he is told. If you don’t let Cas go, we’ll all lose.” He ended his argument strongly. Sam, Dean, and Cas began to fill with hope as they saw The Empty considering this.

“Even if I were to let Castiel go, and you somehow win, how do I know that you’ll follow through on your end of the deal?” Dean sighed with relief. This was progress. Cas spoke next.

“You don’t, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re still your only shot,” Cas smirked. The Empty sighed in defeat.

“Fine. I will let Castiel go, on one condition. If I find out that after you win against Chuck, you try to get out of this deal or stop looking for a solution, I will take Castiel back.”

“Deal,” The trio said in unison. Moments later, the portal opened back up. Sam was the first to notice the orange, glowing light that was appearing behind them.

“Guys, look! It’s open again,” he exclaimed. As the group moved towards the portal, The Empty moved backwards and dissipated into the ground.

Chapter Text

“Uno,” Jack said as he placed his second last card. Michael smirked before reaching into his hand of cards. He placed a “pick up four” card onto the pile.

“Hmm. I think I’ll make it yellow,” Michael smirked. Jack picked up four cards. He looked disappointed in the fact that he was so close to victory and he had it snatched away in an instant. However, he was also happy that Michael was picking up on the game so quickly. Before they finished their round, Michael glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been almost five hours since he opened and closed the first portal. It was soon time to open up a second one. Hopefully, the Winchesters had located their angel by now. With a snap of his fingers, Michael opened the portal. Seconds later, Sam stepped out of the portal. He was followed by Cas, who was followed by Dean. Pure joy filled Jack’s face. He dropped his cards on the table and ran to the angel.

“Cas! You’re back.” The boy threw his arms around his father. Cas wrapped his arms around Jack and held him tightly.

“It’s good to see you again,” Cas said. Jack smiled. He had thought that his father would have been gone for good this time. Even though Jack was still filled with uncertainty and fear about the things to come, he knew that everything would be alright in the end. After they finished hugging, Castiel looked towards Michael.

“Thank you for helping to bring me home,” Cas said with a nod.

“You’re welcome. You have a bunch of people that deeply care about you,” Michael responded. Once the heartfelt, touching moment had passed, the group returned to trying to find a solution. Cas looked towards Sam, Dean, and Jack.

“Since I was gone, have any of you discovered something new in the lore?” Sam shook his head from side to side.

“We’ve gone over every text, every website, every journal, even song lyrics: there is nothing on how to kill God,” Sam replied. Cas looked puzzled. He stood like that for a few seconds. Trying to figure out where to go from there, until a lightbulb went off in his mind.

“Maybe the books don’t have anything, but we have someone who might know more.” One by one, Sam, Dean, and Jack, all caught Cas’s drift and they turned to Michael.

“Did any of you ask Michael what he knows?” Cas asked with curiosity. All of them shook their heads ‘no.’ Sam turned to Michael.

“Michael, what can you tell us about your Father,” Cas asked.

“Other than the fact that he’s a douchebag,” Dean interjected. There was a time when Michael would have been insulted by this, but today, he couldn’t help but agree.

“Well, for many years, my father took on a vessel as we do. Shortly before he completely abandoned us, he left his vessel vacant. During those times, he was just this bright light that would speak to you through your own thoughts.”

“And what became of the vessel?” Cas asked.

“I assume that the vessel went on to live a normal life, I cannot say for certain if there were any long-term effects. From what I had observed, they were normal.”

“But how?” Cas was very familiar with all kinds of possession. He had seen the aftermath of an archangel possession many times. “When Archangels possess vessels, it usually causes a lot of damage once they leave.” Michael faced Sam and Dean. Speaking directed at Sam first he asked:

“Did you notice how both you and Dean walked away nearly unscathed after hosting archangels?” The boys nodded their heads. They had this question on the back of their minds for years, but neither of them decided to question it in depth. It was easier to take the win and not think about that traumatic time for the both of them. Michael continued on with his point.

“My father took that into account when creating you. He designed you to be able to contain his sons. Perhaps he did the same thing for himself.” Dean spoke up next.
So, Chuck was one of these special vessels. Was he God when we first met him,” he asked.

“No. I kept a close watch over him when Raphael was unable to,” Michael responded. “There was nothing divine about him. Shortly after Sam went to hell, Chuck disappeared. We could not locate him. I assume that this is when my Father possessed him.”

“That would line up,” Castiel agreed. With a glimmer of hope in his eyes, Sam turned to Dean.

“If God is just possessing Chuck, there must be some way to exorcise him,” Sam said. Torn between wanting to celebrate this possibility of a victory and not wanting to get his hopes up, Dean replied:

“We would need one a lot stronger than the one we use for demons.”

“In all my existence, I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Cas said.

“Neither have I,” Michael chimed in. The four started talking amongst themselves. Jack stayed silent, focused on his own mind. He started to think back to what happened to him earlier on in the day. He had kept it to himself because he thought it was strange. Maybe strange is just what they needed.

“Guys,” Jack spoke up. He had been so quiet, the others had nearly forgotten about the youngest member of their group. “Something strange happened to me today.” Jumping immediately to worry, his three fathers became filled with concern.

“What is it, Jack? Are you okay,” Cas asked.

“Is your soul alright,” Sam asked.

“Are your powers coming back,” Dean asked. If only there was a way to explain this without causing more worry.

“I think I’m okay. My soul feels fine. I don’t know if my powers are coming back, but it was really strange.” Jack paused. “Today, when I walked by a few different plants, they shriveled up and died. After that, I felt myself become a little stronger.”

“Jack, why didn’t you tell us this when it happened,” Dean asked.

“The change was so small, I wasn’t sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me. And even with the plants, I didn’t know for sure that I was the cause of their deaths,” Jack responded. Michael stepped towards Jack, reaching out his arm to Jack’s forehead with his index finger and middle finger coming together to make a point.

“May I?” He asked. Jack nodded. Michael closed his eyes and began to concentrate. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and pulled his arm away. “It seems that your body has been a power vacuum of sorts.”

“Could that be a side-effect of the spell that Billie had given Jack,” Cas asked.

“Must be,” Dean replied. This is when it all started to make sense for Sam.

“If we can get you strong enough, you’ll be able to absorb God’s powers. Maybe even pull him out of his vessel,” Sam exclaimed.

“It could work, but how will I get that much energy? It would take forever to gather energy from plants,” Jack said, still not entirely on board with this plan.

“He’s right,” Sam said. “Do we even have enough time? Chuck could be ready to fight at any given moment.” That’s when an idea struck Cas. As much as he hated what he was about to suggest, it might be their only chance to save the world.

“What if…” Cas spoke up. “What if we opened another portal to The Empty and Jack absorbed the angels and demons?” Cas could see the confusion on Jack’s face. Cas remembered that he, Sam, and Dean had forgotten to fill him in on the state that The Empty was in when they were there not too long ago. “When I was in The Empty, all of the angels and demons who had died were wide awake. The Empty said that it had something to do with the explosion that you had set off in there.” Jack didn’t remember much from that day. He remembered activating the spell. After that, he began to feel pain. It intensified rapidly. Towards the end, even though he was still awake, the pain made it like he was barely conscious. He remembered hearing his family calling his name, but it was muffled and distorted. He could feel their hands on his back as they were helping him walk, but they eventually faded. He remembered Billie appearing and sending him to The Empty once more. The last thing he remembered was seeing complete darkness along with the most intense suffering he had ever felt as his body tore itself apart from the inside out. Then there was a blast of bright light and a loud roar and then the pain was gone. Then, somehow, he woke up in one piece. So did The Empty. They were furious. If it weren’t for Billie pulling him back to Earth, he would have died for sure that day.

“So I woke everyone up,” Jack asked, trying to make sure that he understood the situation.

“Yeah,” Dean confirmed. “And The Empty was beyond pissed.”

“But,” Sam interjected, “we were able to use that to our advantage. We made another deal to help restore peace to The Empty once we defeated Chuck.”

“I guess we’re doing both at once,” Dean said. Jack nodded in agreement.

“When will I absorb them all,” Jack asked. Cas looked at Jack.

“As soon as you’re ready,” Cas said.

“I’m ready,” Jack said confidently.

Chapter Text

The group looked at each other and they traded soulful looks. Everyone wanted to seem hopeful that this plan would work. However, it was still too soon to tell. Cas could only think back to when he had absorbed beings to take down a threat bigger than themselves. It literally tore him apart. They could only hope that with Jack being a nephilim that he would be able to withstand the amount of energy that he was about to consume. Sam could see the worry on Cas’s face.

“Hey, don’t worry. Jack will be okay. He’s a Winchester. Coming out the other side when things don’t look good is what we do,” Sam reassured Cas. Cas nodded in acknowledgment. The group stood in silence. No one was sure what to say. Michael was the one who broke the silence.

“When I reopen the portal and as soon as Jack sets foot back on Earth, there is no doubt that my father will be able to detect this big shift in energy. You will have to move quickly if you want to bring the fight to him.”

“We’ll be ready,” Dean said optimistically. On that note, Michael opened the portal. The group stepped into the empty. A shiver ran down Cas’s spine. The endless void was unnerving. They all begin to walk in hopes of finding The Empty and presenting them with their solution. It was a weird sensation. Even though they were walking, the lack of changes in the surroundings created the illusion that they were not traveling anywhere. The only indications of actual movement that they had were passing by the occasional confused angel or demon.

“Seriously, where are they,” Dean questioned.

“I don’t know. I mean, last time, it took a few minutes for them to show up. Maybe it’s taking them longer to find us because of all the activity in here,” Sam theorized. Dean nodded in agreement. They kept moving forward. That is, until they saw a familiar figure start to come into focus.

“Hello Castiel,” the voice said. “I was wondering when I would run into you here.” The figure took on the form of Billie.

“We’re back and we have a plan to help you,” Cas stated.

“To help me,” the figure questioned. “Dean wanted me dead. I wanted you all dead. You have no reason to help me. You seem to have me confused with the other celestial being here.”

“Billie,” Jack exclaimed. Upon this realization, Dean tensed up. The last time that they had encountered Billie she had tried to kill Dean. She was the catalyst in the series of events that lead up to Cas deciding to sacrifice himself. Sam and Cas put their guards up as well.

“I assume that you’re here to help The Empty get rid of all of this noise,” Billie questioned.

“Where are they? What did you do,” Dean said as he jumped to a conclusion.

“I have done nothing. They’re around here somewhere. They’ll eventually find you,” Billie replied. “I assume that all of you are here to use the boy to absorb energy. Is that correct,” she asked.

“How did you know,” Sam asked.

“Was this a part of your plan too,” Dean added?

“I had never planned this. I never expected the boy to survive. However, I did have a hunch that if he did survive, something like this would happen,” she answered. “Based on you being here, I assume that you’ve figured out that Jack has become a power vacuum. When Jack concentrates, he will be able to absorb any energy he desires.”
Jack thought back to when he absorbed the plant’s energy.

“I’ve accidentally taken some energy, but I didn’t mean to,” he stated.

“Not consciously,” Billie replied. “Your body must have desired it and made the decision for you.” They all looked at each other. Could this mean that Jack will have no authority over who’s energy gets taken and when? This could cause a whole other string of problems.

“Will that happen again,” Dean asked.

“It’s unlikely, but not impossible,” Billie answered. “Now that Jack is aware of this ability, he should be able to control it more. However, there is still the possibility that his body could once again decide this for him.” She paused a moment before continuing. She wanted to give Jack a bit of time to process this. “There is nothing that any of you can do to reverse this. It will take something of equal strength. For example, the power of God to reverse it.”

“What will happen to him after he absorbs every being in here,” Sam asked. Before she could answer, Cas interjected. He had a question that was nagging him. He needed to know the answer to prepare himself for every possible outcome.

“I once absorbed many beings from purgatory, including leviathans. They slowly took control of me. They destroyed me from the inside out and then almost took over the world. Will the same happen to Jack?”

“No need to worry, Castiel,” Billie reassured him. “The leviathans broke free from your vessel because you were not designed to carry them. Jack’s body has undergone a transformation. He is now designed to absorb any form of energy. That includes plants, electricity, even beings with consciousnesses, such as angels and demons. If Jack decides to store angels and demons within himself, they will be unaware of the whole process. As soon as they enter Jack, they will become unconscious. Jack will then be able to borrow their energy, their power, for whatever he desires.” This was able to soothe Cas’s mind. He was relieved that Jack wouldn’t have to fight an external fight and an internal fight simultaneously. Billie had proven herself useful at this moment, but Dean couldn’t trust her that easily. Sam and Cas were equally skeptical.

“Is there anything else that we should know, Billie,” Dean inquired?

“I’ve given you all that I know,” she answered.

“And how do we know that you’re telling the truth? You've had a past of withholding information,” Dean asked further.

“Your skepticism is warranted given my past actions. I have no desires. I had my chance to win and I lost. Meddling with your plans no longer serves me,” she answered.

“So this isn’t all some big plan just to get back on Earth in order to become God,” Sam asked.

“No. I may not be completely transparent with every detail I give, but I stick to my values and beliefs. What’s dead should stay dead. My promotion to Death was already my second chance. I enjoyed the power, but I hated how hypocritical my beliefs became. I wanted everyone who had broken the natural order to stay dead. I was forced into the same position as the ones I was trying to get rid of. This is where I should have been for the past few years. This is where I belong,” she confessed. “Now if you don’t have any more questions, I am ready for my eternal rest. I should be able to rest now that I know things will become quiet once again. Sam, Dean, and Cas nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

“Goodbye, Billie,” Jack said.

“Goodbye Jack,” she replied. She closed her eyes and black goo began to reach up from the ground. It engulfed her body and she slowly laid down. The hard surface that she was once standing on became soft. Her body sunk into the floor as if it became quicksand. Slowly, but surely, her way of laying stopped resembling a human body. Her body became a blob and then the surface was flat. The group all passed and looked at each other to acknowledge what had happened. No one was sure of what to say next. The group kept on walking. It wasn’t long before the Empty had tracked them down. Once again, they heard that familiar sloshing as the Empty rose from the ground and took on the form of Meg.

“Back so soon,” they questioned. “I honestly was prepared to spend an eternity engulfed in chaos, I’m surprised that you pulled it off. What’s your plan now that Chuck has been taken care of?”

“About that,” Sam said as he began to lead into why they had returned.

“Chuck isn’t dead,” Dean said, “not yet.”

“We have a plan,” Cas stated. Jack stepped forward.

“I’m going to absorb all the angels and demons here and borrow their energy to take down Chuck.” The Empty looked at the youngest of the group with confusion and apprehension. This was clearly not the solution they were expecting.

“I thought you would have found some spell to force them all to sleep, not take them out of here. How did letting an angel and a nephilim go turn into you all asking to take everyone away from me? This is not the way things are supposed to be,” The Empty protested as they tried to hold on to some sort of authority.

“You said you wanted quiet,” Sam said. “This is your solution.”

“Take it or leave it,” Dean added. The Empty stood in silence, weighing the pros and cons in their mind. In an attempt to sway The Empty into giving in, Cas spoke next.
“We don’t know if there will be another solution to this. This could be your last shot at peace.” It was a good plan. It wasn’t a question if it would work, but more of a decision between letting go of their ego in order to gain what they truly desired. Giving in to the idea, The Empty nodded. They looked towards Jack.

“Makes sense, you made the mess, you’re the one to clean it up. Go ahead.” Upon hearing this, Jack took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever would come next. That’s when he felt a hand on his shoulder: it was Dean. Jack towards Dean. Dean looked down at the boy and gave him an encouraging smile.

“You’ve got this. It will be okay,” Dean reassured. He pulled Jack in for a hug, squeezing the boy tightly. It was the kind of hug one would give when they want to let someone know how much they love them. Sam and Jack joined in. After a few moments had passed, they all took a step back. Jack inhaled deeply and stood up straight. He was ready. Jack exhaled and upon his next inhale he closed his eyes. Slowly, but surely, there was a rush of blue energy coming towards Jack from all directions: he was absorbing the angels. The absorption picked up speed and the angels flew into Jack at a rapid pace. It wasn’t long before they had all been accounted for. Jack seemed to be in good control.
“I can feel all of them. They’re sleeping,” he said with a small smile. Once again, Jack closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Next, swarms of black smoke crashed into his body and were absorbed. It was done. A balance of light and dark. Order and chaos. All the angels and demons had been absorbed. For once since they had all been here, The Empty was completely silent. Jack’s eyes lit up yellow as he tested this new energy. He felt stronger than ever and ready for battle. They looked over to The Empty who was no longer tense.

“Do you hear that,” they asked?

“Hear what,” Cas replied with confusion. Did they miss someone?

“Exactly,” The Empty said with a smirk. The realization of what The Empty was implying dawned on him. Cas smiled. Sam, Dean, and Jack did the same. The Empty dissipated into the ground as Billie had done before. It was time for them to rest.

“Are you ready,” Sam asked.

“As much as I’ll ever be,” Jack responded. He opened a portal back to the bunker with ease. The group stepped through. Instantly, they were back in their home. Michael was still in the bunker. He was awaiting their return.

“I’m glad to see you all back in one piece,” Michael stated. “Did it work?”

“Yes. I am ready,” Jack said. Sam looked to Michael.

“Will you be coming to the fight too,” he inquired. Michael shook his head.

“Going behind my father’s back is one thing, but I cannot be there for his death.”

“Thank you for everything Michael,” Cas said.

“I wish you all the best of luck,” Michael said before teleporting to an unknown, but secure location. Dean gave Michael a nod. All of a sudden, Jack had a realization.

“I know where Chuck is.”

Chapter Text

Jack opened a portal and the group stepped in. When they exited, their surroundings had changed from the bunker to a beautiful clearing beside a lake. The water was clear and more blue than any of them had seen. The evergreen trees stood tall. They swayed gently in the warm breeze. On the other side of the lake, there were mountains that reached for the sky. For a moment things were peaceful. The energy shifted into something more ominous. Someone was lurking out of sight. Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack’s survival instincts kicked in. They became aware of every single thing that was going on around them. They looked around trying to find who was stalking them. That’s when Chuck appeared in front of them.

“Really, this is all you got?” Chuck scoffed as he smirked with an unimpressed tone. This struck a nerve in Jack. His eyes lit up. Chuck threw his hands up and waved them in a mocking and condescending way.

“Oooh terrifying,” Chuck teased. “Careful that you don’t burn your soul out again.” As much as Jack wanted to retaliate, he couldn’t risk exposing the extent of his newfound power. “So…” Chuck continued, “What’s your play here? You couldn’t possibly think you’ll win with an ordinary fight. What tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

“That’s for us to know and for you to find out,” Dean responded. Chuck directed his attention to Dean.

“Oh Dean,” Chuck furrowed his brows while pouting, “always so secretive. I mean, it doesn’t matter anyways. You’ll lose in the end.” Dean fought every urge in his body. He couldn’t lose his cool, not now. He couldn’t risk it.

“We’ll see,” Dean replied.

“Well then. No sense standing around, let’s get this over with,” Chuck suggested. Sam lunged at Chuck first. He was the reason that Sam had lost everyone he had ever loved. He was the reason why Sam was so hesitant to get in a serious relationship: he couldn’t shake the fear that they would all end the same way. First it was Jess, and most recently, it was Eileen. Sam put all of his anger and pain into that punch. He had managed to strike Chuck’s face. As cathartic as it was, it had no effect on Chuck. Chuck flung Sam to the side where he hit his head on a rock. Dean saw this and his anger completely took control. Unlike Sam, Dean didn’t get to land a punch before Chuck threw him. Thankfully, Dean missed the rock that his younger brother had hit. Dean scrambled to his feet. He saw that Chuck was preoccupied with Cas. Dean ran over to his brother.

“Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead,” Dean whispered to himself. When he got to Sam, he saw that he was injured, but alive.

“Hey! Hey! Sammy,” Dean whispered. He shook his brother. “Wake up!” Sam’s eyes slowly opened. Sam reached for his head. He winced as his hand touched his wound. He examined the blood on his fingers. There was a cut on the back of Sam’s head. The skin on his skull had split upon the impact of the rock. It would need stitches, but that was to be dealt with later. Sam looked back towards his brother.

“Hey? You good,” Dean asked.

“Yeah, I’ll live,” Sam replied. Sam looked a little dazed and confused, but he seemed to know what was going on at the moment. He probably had a minor concussion.
Meanwhile, it was Cas’s turn to face Chuck. Cas was able to hold his ground the longest. He managed to get two hits in before he was thrown over to the two Winchester boys. Upon his landing, Dean and Sam rushed over to Cas.

“I’m alright,” Cas said.

“Good,” Dean said. Once everyone knew they were all okay, they turned their attention back to Jack. He was standing face to face with Chuck. With everyone else out of the fight, it was up to him now. Jack attacked Chuck with as much force as he could, but it was no match for Chuck’s defense. Jack did his best to counteract Chuck’s strength, but it would soon prove to be futile. Jack could feel his feet slipping. Jack lost his footing as he was pushed onto a mud puddle. He fell and his body crashed to the ground with a thud. He had no more leverage to stand. Chuck’s force was overpowering. Chuck tried to hurt him, but Jack showed no reaction. It seemed that even though Jack couldn’t attack Chuck, he was still able to protect his body.

“You can’t hurt me,” Jack shouted.

“Fine,” Chuck said after many failed attempts. “You’re too strong to kill, but I can find other ways to hurt you. The best I can do is restrain you and make you watch your family die.” Panic began to set in for Team Free Will 2.0.

“No! Please don’t,” Jack begged. Chuck used his powers to drag the other men towards himself. He placed them directly in front of Jack, ensuring that he had the best view. Chuck’s hand went from reaching out to the boys into the formation of a forceful fist. Sam, Dean, and Cas slowly began to fall to their knees. The pain had started out fairly mild. It was almost comparable to stomach cramps from indigestion. That didn’t last long. The pain intensified at a rapid pace. It felt like they were being torn apart from the inside out. Dean was the most familiar with this sort of pain. It brought him back to the day that he was dragged to hell. They all began to cry out in pain. Jack stared at them all. He was devastated. That’s when he made eye contact with Sam.

“Hey, it’s okay, Jack,” Sam managed to force out in between gasping for air. “We’ll be okay,” Sam reassured.

“This isn’t on you, kiddo,” Dean said with blood starting to pour out of his mouth.

“You did your best,” Cas added as he clutched his chest. “That’s all that matters. You tried.” A tear rolled down Jack’s face. Hearing his family cry out in pain was the last straw. It was one thing to mess with Jack, but laying a finger on his family is a fatal mistake. One last surge of energy rushed through Jack and he blasted Chuck. It was a miracle. Chuck’s lack of concentration of Jack had left him slightly vulnerable. This wave of energy crashed into Chuck. Instantly, Sam, Dean, and Cas were released from his grasp.

“That was a big mistake, kid,” Chuck said, gritting his teeth. Chuck moved purposely towards Jack with revenge in his eyes. Jack braced for whatever Chuck was about to throw his way. Chuck’s attack brought Jack to his knees. He was determined to finish this. He kept going, that is, until he saw Jack smiling.

“Thanks, Chuck,” Jack said. Confusion took its hold on Chuck. What could this child possibly be thanking him for? A sudden wave of fatigue hit Chuck. He paused his attack. He looked back up at the boy, who was now standing on his two feet. As Jack stared at him down, his eyes began to glow yellow. All of a sudden, Chuck felt like he was getting more and more tired. He looked down to see that somehow Jack was extracting the remaining energy.

“How?? This isn’t possible,” Chuck questioned.

“You underestimated me and the power of my family,” Jack said. By now, Sam, Dean, and Cas had made their way over.

“Your ego was always your biggest weakness,” Sam said.

“You always assumed that your story would go the way you planned. We stuck to the image that you had created us to be,” Dean added.

“Our true plan went unnoticed,” Cas revealed.“Jack managed to absorb the energy from your initial counter-attack. It was almost enough for him to overpower you.”

“I needed just a little more. I purposely let you pin me to the ground. The longer that you held me down, the stronger that I got,” Jack said smugly.

“It’s over Chuck,” Sam concluded.

“NO,” Chuck exclaimed, refusing to accept his defeat.

“Yes it is,” Jack said as he extracted the last bit of Chuck’s energy. His God-vacant vessel collapsed to the ground. The group looked at each other. It was a mix of relief and disbelief. It felt good that it was all over now: their plan had worked.

“Good job, kid,” Dean said as he patted the boy on his back. Dean looked at Jack’s face: he was grinning from ear to ear with joy and pride. He did it. He just saved the world.

“How do you feel, Jack?” Sam asked.

“I feel like me, but powerful. Everyone is asleep here.”

“Even God?” Sam asked.

“Even God,” Jack confirmed. Jack looked down at the ground, there was Chuck. Passed out, but peaceful. It was hard to believe that he was no longer inhabited by an obsessed and murderous God. Pulling Jack from his thoughts, Cas spoke up.

“I suppose that we should undo what God did. Let’s get everyone back to their lives,” This is when a realization struck Jack. His family wanted him to bring everyone back. Sure he had the power to do it, but he couldn’t help but think what this would mean for his future. Did they want him to become God? He knew he wasn’t ready. He was still learning how the world worked. How could they expect him to run it? Jack still wanted to be a kid. He made up his mind and closed his eyes. With a deep concentration, a cloud of darkness emerged from Jack: it was Amara.

“Thank you for freeing me. What happened,” she asked as she looked down at Chuck’s unconscious body. “The last thing I remember was watching helplessly as my brother attacked you all and then feeling both of us being extracted from Chuck’s body.”

“We won,” Jack said proudly.

“Congratulations,” she said. It was evident that Amara was happy for the group’s victory, but she was confused as to why Jack released her. “There is one more thing that I don’t understand. Why did you let me out?”

“I’m not ready to be God. I want to know if you are?” Amara was taken aback by this offer. She was honored, but she was still confused.

“Thank you for the offer, but why me? I betrayed you,” she stated. Dean slowly became on board with this plan. He trusted Jack.

“You were manipulated, there’s a difference,” Dean said. She smiled.

“Thank you for being understanding.” She looked to Jack, “I would be honored to be given the chance to do better than my brother had.” Jack concentrated and a bright light came out of his body. The light floated over to Amara and she slowly began to absorb it. As the final bits of light merged with her vessel, she became the new God. She knew what her first action as God had to be: undoing all the harm that her brother had caused.

In the blink of an eye, her brother’s act of genocide was reversed and all of the wounds that the boys had gained from this battle had healed.

“Life has been restored,” Amara stated. Sam and Dean looked at each other with confusion. Everything happened so quickly.

“You sure,” Dean asked. “No fancy finger snapping?” Amara smiled gently.

“That action is not needed for me to bring back life. It must have been something that my brother did just for the theatrics of it,” she responded.

“So everything is back to normal,” Sam confirmed.

“Yes. Everyone who was taken away by my brother has returned,” she said.

“Even the people from the other worlds?” Jack wondered.

“Them too,” Amara answered. “In fact, I brought back the other worlds that my brother destroyed. Their destruction was untimely.”

“Thank you,” Cas said. Amara nodded in acknowledgement. That’s when she looked over to Dean. She could see his question written all over his face.

“Unfortunately, I cannot bring back everyone who you have lost over the years, but I will ensure that they are all in heaven and taken good care of.”

“We really appreciate it, Amara,” Sam thanked her. It was Sam’s turn to ask her a question. “Now that you’re in control, what do you think you’ll do?”

“My time on earth has taught me a lot. I’ve learned to love every aspect of it. I want to take what I’ve learned about humanity and implement it into my life.” She paused for a brief moment. “From my understanding, Jack?” She began to ask. “You are still in possession of the angels?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Please, allow me to take them. Let me give them a better home in Heaven,” Amara requested.

“Are you sure,” Jack asked.

“Yes I am,” she confirmed. “I intend to take care of earth from a distance, but I will be present with Heaven. There will be no more wars or apocalypses in Heaven. Just peace. I will provide them with the love and compassion that my brother failed to give.” She then turned to Castiel. “You’re welcome back into Heaven at any time you’d like.” Castiel smiled. It was nice to know that Heaven would be open to being his home, but Castiel had found his true home.

“Thank you for your offer, but I am happy on earth for now,” Cas replied.

“Very well,” Amara said. “Well, I suppose this is goodbye. You’re free from my brother and free from me. You all can write your own ending now.” With that sentiment, there was a blinding, white light: Amara had vanished. Castiel took comfort in the fact that all of the angels were getting a second chance. They deserved it. This was their chance to be treated better and a chance to do better. With Amara’s offer, half of Team Free Will’s next task had been resolved.

“Now that Amara has all of the angels...” Jack spoke, “What do we do with all of the demons?” It was a good question. Thankfully, Amara had inspired Sam.

“We can check with Rowena and see if she’s interested in taking on the demons,” Sam said.

“Dude are you kidding me?” Dean said, obviously flabbergasted. “Do you know how many demons we’ve killed because of all the trouble they caused? Not to mention how many of them have tried to kill us. Who’s to say that they won’t do it again?” Cas stared at Dean.

“The same could be said for my brothers and sisters, yet we let them go,” Cas argued.

“But that’s different, Cas,” Dean objected. In order to deescalate a possible argument, Sam opted to find a middle ground
.
“Dean, you make a good point,” Sam said. Dean nodded in a way as if he were saying “I’m glad I changed your mind.” However, Sam wasn’t done speaking. “Let's talk with Rowena and see what her plan would be. If we don’t like it, we’ll find something else.”

“Fine,” Dean said as he gave into his younger brother. That’s when they heard the rustling of gravel under someone’s feet. The group turned around to see that Chuck had finally returned to consciousness and that he was stumbling to his feet. Chuck looked down at his hands, flipping them over and observing.

“He’s gone! He’s really gone,” Chuck said with an excited tremble in his voice. He looked up from his hands and saw Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack standing in front of him. The expression of excitement disappeared into fear.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry,” Chuck began to apologize profusely. “Years ago Chuck came to me. It was around the time that you all tried to put Lucifer into the cage. He wanted to occupy my vessel. He said something about only prophets being vessels for God. I felt like I didn’t have an actual choice in the matter. It was God, you don’t just say no. I am so sorry that he caused you all so much pain. I wish I could take back saying yes to him. I wish that I could have stood up to him. If he smote me out of anger, it would have been better than being stuck in the backseat this entire time.” Sam approached Chuck. Chuck tried to stand tall, but he couldn’t help but he started to recoil. Sam placed his hand on Chuck’s shoulder and stared at him with a sympathetic look.

“Chuck, we don’t blame you for what happened. He would have found a vessel and done all of these same things anyways.” Dean nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” Chuck said.

“So…” Dean began to ask. “Now that you’re free from that asshole, what are your plans?” Chuck took a moment to think about it. It had been so long that someone had considered asking him what he wanted.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I spent so many years trapped with a being that was constantly obsessing over all of you. I think I lost myself along the way. I don’t know who I am anymore. I do know one thing: I’ve had enough of being a mediocre writer. It’s time for me to try something new. Maybe I’ll be a chef or an interior designer. I guess I’ll just have to see where life takes me,” he smiled optimistically.

“That sounds great, Chuck,” Sam said.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” Chuck said. Dean nodded. Chuck turned away from the group and began to walk down an empty road: towards his new future. Dean called out to him one last time.

“Hey, do you want a ride,” Dean asked. Chuck turned back around and gave a gentle smile.

“I think I’m alright. This is something I need to do for myself.”

“Take care of yourself,” Dean said.

“I will,” Chuck said as he turned around once more. Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack, watched as Chuck slowly became smaller and smaller until he disappeared. Dean was the first to direct his gaze away from the road. He looked around at the beautiful lake that surrounded them. For the first time in years, he was able to let his guard down and relax. He closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh air. The group stood in silence while they all took in the scenery. After a moment, Jack spoke up.

“What do we do now,” he asked.

“We live,” Sam replied. With that, they all piled into the impala and drove down the same
road, but opposite of the direction of Chuck. They drove towards the freedom of the rest of their lives.

Chapter Text

With Sam and Jack sitting in the backseat, it left Cas riding shotgun and Dean behind the
wheel. Dean rolled his window down, enjoying the warm breeze that blew on his face. Sam, Jack, and Cas all did the same. This was refreshing. It was a feeling freer than they had ever known. Dean glanced over at Cas.

“Hey, Cas?”

“Yes, Dean,” Cas replied.

“Can you grab the box with all of my cassette tapes,” Dean requested? Cas leaned down, and there was a small beaten-up cardboard box with a bunch of tapes. It was clear that Dean had no intention of changing out the box any time soon. He was prepared to use it until it was falling apart beyond repair. The duct tape on the corners was enough to keep the structure secure for the time being. Cas held the box on his lap. Dean reached over and began searching through the collection, glancing up at the road, then down at the box over and over again until he found the one he was searching for.

“Aha,” Dean exclaimed when he found what he was looking for. Cas placed the box back down and Dean inserted the tape into the opening. Within seconds, the music started to play.

“I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime”

Sam smirked when he recognized the tune.

“And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand
Kicked in my face
But I've come through”

The group sat in silence as they reflected on these lyrics. All these years, so many ups and downs, yet, they pulled through like they always did.

“And we mean to go on and on and on and on”

To stay in silence was no way to celebrate a victory. Dean inhaled deeply and began to sing his heart out. It was slightly off key, but filled with joy:

“We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions”

Sam, Cas, and Jack joined in next. Even though Jack wasn’t familiar with the song, the next lyric was predictable enough for him to follow along:

“We are the champions”

Sam and Dean carried on with singing along to the song, Cas and Jack contributed during the chorus. By the time it reached the final play of the chorus, Dean had his hand resting on Cas’s thigh, very happy that the love of his life was here with him at this moment. The pair kept glancing back and forth at each other with loving eyes. As for Sam and Jack, they were simply in the back seat smiling, enjoying life.

“We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the World”

The song faded out as it rolled into the next one. As if on cue, Dean’s phone rang. Dean reached into his coat and grabbed his phone. He briefly glanced at the screen: the name “Donna” appeared on the call display.

“Hey, Donna! Is everything okay?” Dean asked

“I don’t know. Everyone here is panicking. We all remember disappearing and then reappearing. Is everything over,” she asked frantically.

“Everything has been taken care of,” Dean reassured. “Sam, Cas, Jack, and I, are actually on our way to you now. We’ll be there shortly to help clean up.”

“Thank you, Dean,” she said. “These folks are going to have a lot of questions.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Dean said. “We’ll see you soon, Donna.”

“Bye, Dean,” Donna said just before Dean hung up the phone. Sam did his best to put the situation together from what he had heard from Dean’s responses, but he still had some questions of his own.

“Is Donna okay,” Sam asked.

“Yeah, she’s good. Same with everyone else, they’re just a little shaken up. She wanted to know if everything is over now. I told her we’d be there soon,” Dean replied.

“Okay, good,” Sam said. He paused for a moment before speaking again. “Hey, Dean?”

“Yeah,” Dean replied.

“Before we go back to the silo and let the other hunters know that everything is okay, can we stop by Eileen’s house? I need to know that she’s okay.”

“Of course, Sammy,” Dean agreed.

It wasn’t long after that conversation that the impala pulled up to Eileen’s house. Sam looked around, he didn’t see her standing outside, but to his delight, he saw a light on in the house. When Sam and Dean first came by and found Eileen’s belongings on the ground, the house was dark. She had to be in there now. Sam didn’t know what he would do if she wasn’t. As soon as the car was put into “park,” Sam flung the door open and sprinted up to the front door of the house. Dean, Cas, and Jack stayed back by the impala, this was Sam’s moment. Sam knocked on the front door frantically. He waited for her to open the door. Those few seconds seemed to last an eternity. Finally, he heard the noise of the door unlocking. The door opened and Eileen was the one behind it. Sam began to tear up while smiling bigger than he ever had before.

“Eileen,” he said. She smiled and nodded at him. Sam reached out to her and pulled her into a loving hug. He needed to feel her. He needed to know that she wasn’t some cruel illusion from God. He needed to know that she was real: and she was. She hugged him back. With that, happiness and relief overwhelmed Sam. He picked her up and spun her around. He placed her down on the ground. He raised his hand so that it was in Eileen’s line of sight. He folded down his middle and ring finger down while keeping his index and pinky finger up, as well as his thumb out to the side. He signed “I love you” to her. She signed it back. That’s when Eileen leaned in and kissed him, and Sam kissed back.

“I am so glad to see you,” Sam said.

“I’m glad to see you too,” Eileen replied. They hugged for a bit and when they pulled apart, Sam asked, “What do you remember?”

“I remember getting a text from you, something was wrong, but you didn’t tell me what. I packed up my things and I was about to get in my car and then I remember disappearing. It didn’t hurt, I just felt myself slowly fading away. All of a sudden I was back on the sidewalk. I thought it was all a dream and that I was sleepwalking, but it felt so real, I couldn’t shake it. That’s when I saw my car was missing. I searched my house and my phone and the clothes: they were all missing. I didn’t know what to think.” Sam sighed in relief. He would have thanked God that she wasn’t in pain while all this happened, but he was the cause for all of the events leading up to this.
“I’m so sorry that I didn’t explain what was happening at the time, but I need you to know that it’s all over now and you are safe,” Sam began to explain. “God was taking away everyone that me and my brother ever loved as a way of punishing us. We ended up beating him and we got everyone back. I know it’s a lot, but everything will be okay now.” Eileen was stunned. She knew Sam and Dean had taken on some big battles over the years, but this was beyond what she could have ever imagined Sam’s explanation to be.

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Eileen stated. “Are you okay, Sam?”

“I am now,” he replied. They smiled at each other fondly. “Listen,” Sam started. “I have to go check on some other people now, if you would like to, you can come with us.”

“Sure, I’d love to. Let me know how I can help,” Eileen said as she accepted Sam’s invitation.

“Great,” Sam said. “I’ll explain everything on the way over.” Sam leads Eileen to the car. He opened the door for her and she climbed into the backseat, Sam got in after her. He closed the door and Dean started up the car. Dean looked up into the Impala’s mirror.

“Good to see you again, Eileen.”

“You too, Dean.” Eileen looked to her left. “And you must be Jack. Sam has told me a lot about you, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you too. The impala was now at its capacity. The group of five chatted while they drove to the silo. When they got closer to the silo, they came across a familiar gas station: it was the one where they found Miracle and Chuck made him disappear. Dean was saddened. He had barely known the dog, but he missed him a lot. He continued driving down the road. That’s when he saw it: a familiar shaggy, beige dog, walking happily around. Dean pulled over and stepped out of the car. He whistled to the dog and called him over. Miracle recognized Dean and came running. Dean looked for any collar, maybe Miracle had been claimed by an owner in the time that he was gone, but he wasn’t. Dean gave Miracle a big hug and in return, Miracle gave Dean a couple of loving licks on his face. Dean leads Miracle back to the impala. As if the vehicle wasn’t full enough, another necessary passenger was added. There wasn’t much room in the backseat, so Miracle sat on the bench between Dean and Cas. Once Dean had picked up his furry companion, he turned the car back on and drove the team to the silo. They pulled up to the silo, greeted by a friend of theirs waving to them: it was Donna.