disturbinglynic

Dean and Sam had both lived good lives.

They hunted until they were well into their fifties, when they decided they wanted to give settling down a try again. This time, it worked for them. Dean worked at a local mechanic shop, and Sam worked in the town’s library. They worked Monday through Friday, nine to five, and kept a perfectly respectable, boring life. Not that their lives would ever be boring.

Sam and Dean, creatures of habit, still kept all of their weapons, they kept demon traps throughout the house, and always made sure they were stocked with salt. They went out on the occasional hunt, if something showed up in a nearby town, but they enjoyed living this other life.

Gabriel and Castiel had frequented the house often. Castiel was now running things upstairs, and Gabriel was helping him out. He had found that the idea of returning to heaven had no longer bothered him.

Gabriel and Dean had actually become friends. They had started prank wars against each other because both Sam and Castiel had outlawed the two of them being on the same side. There was some worry about catastrophic consequences if Dean and Gabriel ever came up with a prank together. Sam and Castiel sometimes joined in on the prank wars, but neither had the enthusiasm, nor the imagination, that he and Dean had.

There had been no kids for either couple. Sam and Dean were too afraid of raising a kid the same way their father had raised them, and though he and Castiel had tried to convince them that they knew better, and that things would be different, they wouldn’t change their minds.

Neither he nor Castiel were terribly upset by this though. Kids had never been in their expectations anyway.

They made up for it though with animals. Castiel had a soft spot for wounded animals, and Dean could never say no to Castiel. So either Castiel or Gabriel would heal the animal, and then Castiel would insist on keeping it around. It had been a good thing that Gabriel had given them all such a large house with a generous amount of land.

They made friends and went out with other couples. They fought, and sometimes he or Castiel would accidentally destroy a room. The house, at least, was big enough that the four of them weren’t always tripping over each other.

They lived until they were old and gray, Gabriel and Castiel aging their vessels, or rather their vessels’ looks, every step of the way. It made the brothers more comfortable. Even though he and Castiel were older, the Winchesters had looked older, and it had made them self-conscious. He and Castiel had picked up on that rather quickly, and the decision had been easy. One morning, Sam and Dean had woken up to find Gabriel and Castiel in what looked to be aging human bodies. Nobody ever spoke a word of it, but he and Castiel had definitely been thanked that night.

When Sam and Dean had passed, their souls went to their respective angels. It wasn’t like he or Castiel owned their souls, it was more of a tether. His and Castiel’s graces could entangle with Sam and Dean’s souls in ways he wouldn’t be able to even begin to describe. It was something that had to be felt, and there were no words that could accurately describe a feeling that intense.

It was peaceful now, for the four of them Castiel had handed over the reigns, opting to spend more time with Dean, which ultimately led to more time with him and Sam as well. One wouldn’t think it was possible, but the four of them became even closer. They were destined for an eternity together.

It wasn’t always easy, the four of them together all of the time, but it was better than could be expected. They still had their fights and their petty squabbles, but they loved each other too much. His older brothers could learn a great deal by watching them. He wondered what they must think of the two humans who had stopped them and the two angels who were now bound to them for eternity. He still hated that things had had to end that way, but he knew that it was for the best, that Michael and Lucifer would never stop fighting, that they would never be able to find a balance.

Sam’s soul entwined with his grace was the greatest feeling he had ever experienced. He didn’t miss being on the planet. He didn’t miss the human’s version of sex, he didn’t miss being around humans, and he didn’t even miss chocolate. He had Sam and he had his brother, for all eternity, and all right, he even had Dean for all eternity. It may not seem like a lot compared to what he had given up, but he hasn’t regretted bonding with Sam for a second.

The second chance at life that he had been given, had definitely been a blessing in disguise.

Part Four
Masterpost