*Two Weeks Later*
The world hadn't exactly stopped screaming.
It had never been exactly quiet; birds still sang outside the bunker, the pipes still clanked when someone used the showers, and the coffee maker wheezed like it was on its last legs. But compared to everything before, all the attacks and terror and voices in my head, it felt like true silence. A hush over the world. A breath that had waited too long to be exhaled. There were still monsters in the world that would need dealt with, but we could take care of them later.
I sat on the stone steps leading to the bunker's front door, the rough cement cool under my hands. The wind tugged gently through my shaggy hair I'd let get long again. It drifted lightly in front of my eyes, the sun beams tracing through the leaves turning the strands auburn and gold. The air smelled like damp green earth and the coming showers of autumn rain. It was like the earth was waking up after a long nightmare. Or like it had finally recovered from a long lasting plague.
The metal door creaked open behind me.
"I thought I might find you out here." Cael's deep voice drifted to me softly.
I didn't look up at him, not yet. "Isn't it a little early for angelic brooding?"
He chuckled and stepped over to me, settling down beside with a soft groan me before continuing. "You've been quiet since you woke up."
"There's nothing left to scream about," I said. "Not anymore."
We were silent for a few moments, taking in this simple time with each other, before I turned to look at him. It was rare to see him like this. I still remembered when I first met him. His face had been cold and made of deep brown jasper. His hair had been buzzed to nothing more than a light dusting of gold on the top of his head. His thin lips had always been stuck in a thin line. And his eyes had seemed like solid blue ice back then, and I had never thought anything would thaw them.
But now, after all we had been through, all the lessons he had learned and taught me, all the love and family and togetherness. He still looked more like a gargoyle than an angel in a vessel. He sat straight on the stone step next to me. His blonde hair in loose, bouncy curls. His tanzanite blue eyes shining with new emotions I never thought he'd have as he stared out into the quiet around us.
"You lied to me," I said quietly.
Cael didn't look away from the scene in front of him. "I might have."
"You told me I was the one who would rid the world of monsters." I looked away from him, tracing my eyes back to the green leaves that had just started shifting to yellows and oranges.
"I remember." His voice was soft. Steady.
"And I believed you."
He nodded. "I know."
The anger in me built, like a sudden tsunami of unanswered questions and long forgotten agitation. Then it fizzled before it could truly spark. Maybe I was too tired to fight. Or maybe I already understood him.
"Why?" I still found myself asking.
Cael leaned forward onto his knees, strong muscles balancing him. "Because if I hadn't, you wouldn't have done what needed to be done. You wouldn't have brought Elly, Lucifer, and Ally back. You would never have opened the door that allowed the pieces to fall where they needed to."
"You manipulated me." I huffed softly.
"I prefer the term 'guided. '" The angel smirked.
"It's the same thing." I said, turning to him again.
Cael's eyes flickered to mine, holding amusement. "Not always."
I sighed and leaned my head back against the doorframe. The cool metal was as grounding as it always had been. "So I was never 'the one'?"
"No. Not in that sense." His voice was soft. "But you were the one who could bring the right people together. The one who could hold the storm at bay long enough for the others to finish it. The one who would bring about a peace this world will never understand."
I let his words settle for a moment. "You knew all along."
Cael pursed his lips for a second. "I've known your story for a long time, Alex. Not just the prophecy. All of it. Every twist and turn. Even the parts you've told no one about. He trusted it all to me when I became your guardian."
I nodded. "And Ally? You knew about her too?"
Cael shifted his gaze back to the forest. "I knew she was a possibility. There were many outcomes that could have happened, but the only one where we have this conversation needed her. It was a gamble I was willing to take." He paused for a moment, thinking over his next words. "But, she was never meant to stay here. Not for good."
"So she's still getting worse." I paused now. "Even with Lucifer and Elly, and all the help we've given her. Your training. Rowena's magic. The damage is just…"
"She was born in one world and forced into another." Cael sighed. "That kind of pull, it tears at a soul. Even one that was born with two. Her body was never meant to hold the power she has here. It was never prepared to hold it like Jack's or Kore's."
I swallowed thickly. "So she needs to go back."
Cael nodded. "It's the only way to keep her alive."
I looked down at my hands. They were scarred from years of monster hunting and other abuse. They trembled slightly, a side effect of the new fragility I hadn't quite gotten used to again yet. But they were mine. Scaleless, pale, normal, human, hands.
"I don't think she'll want to leave Cael." I said.
"No." He said, his voice dropping an octave like he knew something I didn't. "She won't."
That was when the door opened again, and the subject of our current conversation stepped out into the morning light. She looked good, despite the decaying angel soul I knew still sat inside her. It would be better to send her back now, before it dissipated entirely. Crowley had broken her contract a few days ago, so her soul had already returned to her, and pushing her back to her world should do the rest of the healing.
"There you are," Ally said, brushing a wind-blown blonde strand out of her face. Her blue eyes, always glowing brighter when Cael was nearby, immediately locked onto him. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Cael stood slowly, guilt flickering through his eyes briefly. "Ally…"
"I know." She interrupted with a sigh. "I know what the plan is already." Then her gaze slid to me. "Can I…use you as a buffer for a minute?"
I blinked in surprise. "Uh…sure, I guess."
Ally nodded, stepping between Cael and me like he wasn't there, inches behind her. "I want him to come with me." She said. "Back through the rift. I know the dangers of staying here, and I know I need to go…But I don't want to go without him."
Cael opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand.
"Hang on," I said, I looked over her shoulder at him. "You love her?"
Cael hesitated. Not because he didn't know, but because angels were never taught how to express it. Not out loud anyway. But then he looked at Ally, and everything about him softened.
"Yes." There was no question in his voice. No hesitation or second thoughts.
I smiled, happy for them. "Then go with her."
"Alex…"
"She needs you. Fuck Cael, she wants you. And let's be honest, if any of us deserve a chance at something good after everything, it's the two of you." I said.
Ally turned to him and her hand reached for Cael's. He stepped towards her, their fingers laced together. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Just stood there, almost nose to nose, in the soft morning sun, tethered together like two halves of something ancient and broken, finally made whole again.
"I will miss you," Cael said quietly, looking over her at me.
"I'm not dying." I teased him. "Just staying put. I'll be here whenever you want to come back."
He reached forward and touched my shoulder, his eyes still soft. "You were always the strongest of us."
"I'm just glad the war's over." I sighed.
Cael smiled again. Then stepped around Ally, reached a hand towards me, and helped me to my feet. We all turned and made our way through the door, down the stairs, and toward the others. Toward our goodbyes.
The map room was already full when we stepped off the bottom stair. Elly stood at the center, holding Lucifer's hand tightly. She reached out for Ally when we got closer and wrapped her other arm around her daughter's shoulders. The three of them looked like a damn painting. Like the perfect family portrait. Like they'd already said everything they'd needed to. They just didn't want to let go yet.
There was a golden rift shimmering behind them, a slow pulse of energy coming from it. It seemed to hum with potential. A door waiting to be walked through so the story could be continued.
Dean and Sam stood side by side, arms crossed, talking softly. Jack leaned against the map table, looking worn but content with the left over power that still radiated in him. It wasn't enough to make him equal in power to what God had, but it was enough to make him stronger than anything else. Cas lingered nearby with Gabe, who was pretending not to sneak glances at Sam every few seconds. Michael stood at the edge of the room, aloof as always but present in Adam's body.
Kore was leaning against the arm of a chair, drumming their fingers against the wooden armrest. Ketch stood just behind them, his silver eyes finding mine the second I entered the room. They all quieted as Cael, Ally, and I entered.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow at their joined hands. "You talked him into it?"
Ally smiled. "Yup. He's coming with us."
Lucifer nodded as if he expected it. There was no teasing. No smugness. No signs of the protective dad he had been when they'd stepped through months ago. Just something that looked like relief flickering over his features.
Cael turned to each of us, giving Dean, Sam, and Cas each their version of goodbye. He turned to Jack after, whispered something to him I couldn't hear, and lightly tapped his shoulder. When he turned to me, I pulled him into a hug before he could object. He hesitated at first, but then his arms curled tightly around me, warm and safe.
"Thank you," I whispered to him. "For everything. Even the lie."
He smiled, resting his forehead against mine for a breath. "Take care of them."
"I always will."
I barely pushed away from him before Elly pulled me into a tight hug next. "You better not be a stranger, okay?" she murmured in my ear.
"Oh, you know me." I chuckled softly. "I'm too stubborn to disappear any time soon."
Lucifer gave me a nod over her shoulder. "We expect to see you for our wedding, doll."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Morningstar," I said, reaching out to smack his shoulder as Elly let me go.
I turned to Ally last. She grabbed my hands and squeezed them gently. She leaned in close and spoke softly to me.
"Thank you." She said. "For everything."
"Always."
She turned away from me with a final squeeze of my hands. Then they each stepped through the rift, one at a time. Elly and Lucifer first. Then Ally, and finally Cael. As soon as he disappeared into the light, the rift flickered, then sealed behind them. Silence stretched.
Then Dean clapped his hands together. "Well. Guess that just leaves us now."
Over the next few minutes, we drifted together without planning it. Like planets pulled into each other's orbits. Or a family who finally had a chance to breathe for the first time in way too long.
Dean leaned against the edge of the map table, arms braced on the edge. "Cas and I are going to head back home. I heard a call about a new murder case in Tennessee. Sounded like something we should look into."
Cas nodded. "There's still work that needs to be done. Monsters that need to be dealt with. People who need saving."
I smiled. "Back to the classics, huh?"
Dean grinned slyly at me. "Don't you know it."
Sam adjusted his flannel. "I'll be heading back to the firm. There's a backlog of cases I left behind, and a few clients I promised to help after my…" extended vacation". But I'll keep the gear close. If you need me…"
"We know, we know." I laughed a little. "You're a call away."
Gabe bumped Sam's shoulder. "And maybe you and I can grab a drink that doesn't involve demon ichor or a crisis for once?"
Sam chuckled at the advance, looked at Gabe, and winked. "Sure. I can meet you at my apartment later. Eight o'clock good for you?."
We all watched as the confident, charming light that was always there left Gabe's eyes then stained his cheeks pink, like he hadn't expected Sam to accept his offer. Or make one of his own. Then we all laughed.
Jack stepped forward after a moment, calling our attention to him. "I'm going to Heaven. It needs to be rebuilt. They've lost a lot, and I think it's time someone took responsibility."
"Do you plan to replace God?" I asked.
Jack shrugged, almost sheepishly. "I just want to help. Create something better. Kinder." He turned to face Kore. "You could come with me. You'd make an excellent assistant."
Kore smiled softly at him. "Tempting. But there are other things I want to do. Hell needs work, too, and I have some ideas for it."
Jack nodded. "I understand." He turned to the rest of us again. "I'm sure this is not the last time I'll see you all. But I will miss you none the less."
"We'll miss you too," I assured with murmurs of agreement from others.
Michael stepped forward then, having moved closer from his position as a statue against the wall. "I plan to join Jack. Someone has to make sure he doesn't become like the last one."
Jack rolled his eyes, making us all chuckle softly. "Thank you, Michael."
I stepped into the center of them all and looked around at my family. They all looked so happy, so alive and free. This was what I had been fighting so hard for all along. To let them live in a world where they can be who they want to be. A fight for their happy endings.
"You all did it," I said. "You saved the world. Again. And I…I finally feel like we can all live in this. At peace, or whatever our version of peace is, once and for all."
We all exchanged hugs. One by one.
Then they left.
Dean and Cas with their beat-up duffels. Sam and Gabe left shoulder to shoulder, deep in conversation about the date to come. Jack and Michael disappeared with the beat of wings. Kore smiled at us, nodded, then whisked away with a puff of violet smoke.
Then it was just Ketch and me. We stood together in silence, watching the dust settle around us.
"You did it." He said softly.
"It wasn't just me." I corrected, shaking my head. "Never was."
He slipped his hand into mine.
"So…" He smiled softly. "What now?"
I turned to him, and looked into those silver eyes I had met so long ago in that dim bar. I could remember how young we were then, how little hope I had had in ever changing my future. I had been ready to die then. But now. Now all I wanted was to enjoy this life in the only way I knew how until it's natural end. And for the first time in a very long time, my heart felt full and content.
"Now," I said, leaning into his side. "We've got a future to plan."