FIC: The Awesomes (Part III)
Castiel made breakfast, a rare occurrence. He could feel Anna's eyes on him as he stood at the stove, flipping pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes.
"Dada?" she asked when he brought her a plate. "Can I talk to you about something important after school today?"
"Of course you can, Rosebud," he said. Dean had filled him in on what he'd found out about Stan - did she want to talk about sex again? He tried to remember Sam's advice, and settled for smoothing the frown that had already appeared on his face.
"Thanks, Dada." She threw an arm around his neck and rubbed her nose against his, something she hadn't done since she was ten years old. Castiel's heart lurched in his chest.
Castiel saw them all off less than an hour later. Dean made noises about giving him the Impala for the day to go to the conference, and Castiel panicked for a minute, before hitting upon the excuse of a carpool with other people from work. Thankfully Dean didn't ask for names, just kissed him deeply and left with the kids.
Castiel changed into his costume and immediately took to the air. The world spread out beneath him. He imagined a tiny black car way down below was Dean and the kids at the high school, an even smaller blue car was Sam pulling up to his practice. He soon reached the ocean and amused himself by diving down to the water and leaping the waves. How had he ever thought he could give this up? He needed to be out superhero-ing, with Dean and Sam beside him and soon, their kids. Could they ever be truly happy any other way?
The island rose up to meet him. He landed in the same place where he'd defeated the machine the day before.
"Strong, handsome and punctual," Meg drawled, stepping out from behind a tree. "It's too bad you're such a happily married man."
"You are a lovely woman, Meg," Castiel said. "You should try flirting with someone who cares."
Her eyes narrowed at that. He was only being honest, but he knew he could've worded it differently. He gave her his most innocent smile.
"It's this way," she said, turning on her heel. "Try to keep up."
He followed her into the mouth of the cave, but instead of leading him through the dark tunnel, she opened a small door in the wall and beckoned him inside and into an elevator. The higher they rose the higher her spirits rose.
They came to a stop and stepped out into a room with walls made up of windows. From this vantage point, Castiel could look out over half the island in one direction, and the ocean in the other. The view was breathtaking.
"Mr. Awesome," a man's voice sounded from above him. "I have wanted to see you again for a very long time."
Castiel's eyes darted around the room. He could not see the source of the voice, never a good sign. "Who do I have the honor of addressing?"
"I must admit, I'm a little disappointed you don't recognize my voice. Could you possibly have forgotten the Devil's Advocate?"
"The Devil's Advocate was defeated over twenty years ago," Castiel replied sharply. "I know this, as I was there. Your voice sounds nothing like his lisp."
Meg laughed a little breathlessly. "Did you really think a new Advocate wouldn't rise in his place?"
Castiel's hackles rose. He should have left the bench the minute Meg had sat down. There had been something about the way she spoke to him, even then, that should have raised a red flag.
"Why would one want to?" Castiel turned on her. He should have known, he should have known that this was too good to be true. A rich employer right when he lost his job? The opportunity to be a real superhero again? He was kidding himself. He needed to get out of there. "The Devil's Advocate was beloved of no one," he baited them.
"That's a lie!" Meg responded hotly. "The Devil's Advocate has followers in every country. Powerful followers. We will crush you, Mr. Awesome!"
"That's enough, Meg. He's trying to trick you into monologuing at him." The Devil's Advocate's voice was coming from a couple of cleverly hidden speakers, Castiel decided. Which meant he could be anywhere in the world right now. Or concealed in the bomb-like body of one of the machines moving through the trees, just visible out the fantastic view.
Meg looked chagrined. "May I finish him?" she asked. "I want to roast his wings."
Castiel didn't wait for her. He threw himself at a window. Glass shattered from the impact and then he was falling for a second before he spread his wings and flew away. Or tried to. At least one of the machines had been modified from the one he'd faced and destroyed yesterday. Instead of lasers or bullets, this arm shot a net.
He slammed into the ground, sending up a great geyser of dirt and mud. Pain lanced through his back. One of his wings was broken. It would need a couple of hours, at least, to fully heal. But he didn't have a couple of hours. The ground shook with the approach of another machine.
Castiel struggled to his feet, pushing the net off, and ran towards the water. A machine followed him, then another. He darted in front of one and it fired at him, missing and hitting its fellow machine. He was a little surprised at the amount of destruction that caused - their firepower must have also been adjusted after yesterday.
Two machines still chased him. His blood pounded loudly in his ears to the tune of his family's names. He had to get back to them. They were in danger because of him, he was sure of it. He made for the tunnel mouth. The machines couldn't fit, and maybe he could find something inside that could help him. It wasn't a good chance, but it was the only one he had at the moment.
***
Dean met his brother for lunch every Friday. It was a sacred tradition, like who smelt it dealt it and rock-paper-scissors. Dean's favorite place in town was a fake German pub called Oktoberfest, and his favorite waitress was a sunny blonde named Jamie. While Castiel was running for his life on an unnamed island just off the coast, Dean was accepting a foaming tankard from the charming Jamie. He grinned at her as she took their order, and ordered a salad with his brats.
"A salad?" Sam asked incredulously.
"What? I can't be healthy?" He brought his tankard up to his face and took a big gulp. Foam stuck to the end of his nose.
"Don't kid yourself, Dean. Your lunch is most definitely not healthy." Sam reached across the table and flicked the foam off his nose.
"Ouch! Careful, were you raised by wolves?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "I was raised by you. So, yes, basically."
Dean grinned again. He just could not contain his good mood.
"Seriously, Dean, what is up with you today?"
Dean waited until Sam was taking a sip of his iced tea to reply. "I've had sex four times in the past twenty-four hours!"
In retrospect, he probably should have waited until he also had a spit shield up, as Sam sprayed iced tea across the table.
"Dean!" Sam protested, choking. "Don't tell me this shit!"
"Then don't ask, Sammy!"
Further arguments were put on hold as their lunches were set down before them. Dean had just smothered his healthy salad in creamy dressing when his phone rang.
"The high school?" Sam asked, taking a break from glaring disapprovingly at Dean's attempt at salad.
Dean looked down at the screen. "It's Bobby," he announced. They'd kept in touch over the years, but Bobby was a very busy man and in high demand in the fashion scene. It had been at least three weeks since their last phone call.
"Bobby! How the hell are you, old man?"
"Do you know where your husband is?" Bobby asked.
"I'm fine, Bobby, thanks for asking, and Sam sends all the love in his big girly heart." Dean stabbed at a piece of lettuce with his fork and lifted it, dripping, to his mouth. "Cas is at a conference in San Diego," he said with his mouth full.
"A conference, huh?"
"Why the fuck you asking about my husband? You lost your chance there, Bobby, he loves only me. It says so in the vows," he laughed. Sam chuckled and took a bite of his (healthy) salad.
"I'm not after your lover boy, idjit," Bobby groused. "Listen, did he tell you he came to see me yesterday?"
Dean was silent, his brows knitting together. Across from him, Sam's smile faltered in reaction.
"I take it from your radio silence he didn't. Dammit."
"Why'd he come see you, Bobby?" Cas had been in such a great mood yesterday - after work, Dean thought. But maybe not. What the hell had he been doing?
"He said he didn't want to get you two involved-"
"Tough shit."
"Quit interrupting me, son."
Dean's mouth shut in a hard, firm line. Sam had abandoned his lunch and was leaning forward as far across the table as he could reach.
"Now. He came to get his costume, said he had to be Mr. Awesome for a day," Bobby began.
"And you just let him?! Bobby, it's illegal for him to wear that thing!"
"And Bobby was aiding and abetting," Sam hissed, following along from Dean's side of the conversation.
"Don't feed me that tripe, I know you three use your powers illicitly all the time!" Bobby shot back.
"But we don't advertise!" Dean retorted.
"Hence it's illicit," Sam said, nodding.
"You wanna know what happened to Cas, or you wanna sit there holding your dicks and arguing about whose fault it is?"
That shut them both up, and Bobby expelled a huge breath before continuing.
"Anyway. He had the costume, but I'd made some modifications to it - technology's advanced a shit-ton in the past twenty years. I put some comms in the mask and a tracking device in the 'A'. Less than an hour ago, the comms lit up like a Christmas tree. Massive interference. I can't tell what the hell was going on. And about ten minutes ago, they went dead."
Dean was dangerously close to throwing up his healthy lunch. He closed his eyes. When he spoke again, it was in Righteous Man's voice. "Did you get anything salvageable from the transmission?"
Sam made a noise, quickly cut off.
"Yeah. I heard a name," Bobby said. "Devil's Advocate."
***
Dean was pacing. It took him six seconds to go the length of the back alley in one direction. Sam had counted. He glanced down at his phone, finishing the text to his assistant to cancel the rest of his appointments for the day, as his brother reached the dumpsters again. Bobby had said it would take him five minutes to fly there from his place in LA using his invisible jet, ten minutes because he wanted to grab a few supplies from his storeroom. Sam had thought Dean was going to jump through the phone if it would take any longer than that.
He sighed and leaned back against Oktoberfest's wall. Cas hadn't told Dean, that was the rub. Honesty in a relationship was so important, and you didn't need to be a therapist to figure that out. Cas had lied to them both. Sam just couldn't figure out why.
"Dean," he said.
"Nope." Dean held up a hand, turning at the dumpsters, again. "Don't therapy-me, Sammy. My top priority is getting Cas out safe. I can rip him a new one later."
"I'm sure he had his reasons," Sam tried, and Dean rounded on him.
"Did you not just hear me, Sam? I. Do. Not. Want. To. Talk. About. This!"
Sam was saved from calling his brother a few choice words by a sudden draft of air and the appearance of Bobby Singer, floating in midair in the middle of the alley.
"Dean, Sam, I'm hovering right above the roofs here." Dean was already moving towards him. "Grab a-hold of the ladder and I'll just beam us up."
Sam was relieved to find that the interior of the invisible jet was clearly visible once they were inside. It was completely irrational to think it wouldn't be, of course, but try telling the mind that. In fact, Sam had kind of been thinking it would look cooler than a regular jet on the inside, but in that he was disappointed.
Bobby clapped Dean on the shoulder. "How you holding up?"
"I just want to find him, Bobby," Dean said, shaking his head. Sam shot Bobby a commiserating look.
"Well, I can help you there." Bobby gestured them towards the controllers and computer in the cockpit. "You see that blinking red 'A'? That's your man."
Dean and Sam both leaned forwards.
"There's an island under that 'A', right?" Sam asked.
"Thirty nautical miles from shore," Bobby confirmed. "Just a hop, skip and a jump away."
"Great! Let's go get him." Dean sat down in the pilot's seat and reached for the controllers.
"Whoa, Dean, hang on." Sometimes, Sam thought his superhero name should really have been 'The Voice of Reason' - except he hated that look Dean got on his face whenever he used it. Hell, sometimes he hated being the voice of reason, too. "We need a plan, something. Cas is trapped on that island, and he was prepared, plus more powerful than either of us. We can't just barge in there. And what about Devil's Advocate?"
"We destroyed Devil's Advocate, remember? Whoever this is, he's a wannabe. We can take him!"
"Dean, you're not thinking clearly-"
"Damn straight, I'm not thinking clearly!" Dean roared. "He has my Cas! Mine! I'm getting him back, Sam."
Sam watched the little vein throb on his brother's forehead and reached for his power. Images flashed in his mind - cities in smoking ruins, fires burning unchecked, heaps of decaying bodies. He blinked, surprised to find himself on the floor with Dean and Bobby kneeling on either side of him.
"Um. Okay." He sat up shakily. "You're right, Dean. You need to get Cas back. But I can't go with you."
"What did you see, Sammy?"
He breathed through his nose for a moment. He used to vomit after visions when he was just getting his powers. Dean had taken to carrying airline vomit bags and mints in his pockets.
"I saw what would happen if Devil's Advocate isn't stopped - utter destruction. Dean, I have to figure out how he's going to do whatever he's going to do. And you need to get Mr. Awesome back so we have a prayer of stopping him."
Dean nodded slowly. "Right. Bobby, how do you feel about getting in some Uncle Bobby time with the kids? And can I borrow your jet?"
Bobby rose with an 'oof'. "You're leaving me with the hellspawn and taking my wings? Why am I not surprised? But here, look at this first." He moved to the storage containers lining the sides of the jet and opened one. Dean pulled Sam to his feet and they joined him.
"Costumes?" Dean asked. "There are five here, Bobby."
"Your kids are coming into their powers," Bobby said, shrugging. "And yours were stolen from that exhibit in LA ten years ago."
"I think what Dean's trying to say is, first, thanks, Bobby," Sam said. "But also, maybe not for the kids just yet."
They looked cool, though. Sam touched the one intended for him, ran a finger over the big 'A.' He liked it better than having a 'ME,' which had always looked really arrogant.
"Yeah, what Sam said." Dean picked up his new costume. "How come we all have to share Cas's name?"
Bobby rolled his eyes. "You're a family. Solidarity and all that. Besides," Bobby said, grimacing, "Righteous Man? It's pretentious, and the 'Righteouses' ain't exactly going to roll off anyone's tongue."
"Eh. I'll give you that. Thanks, Bobby."
Bobby waved it off. "I've been working on them since our last phone call. They were a lot more fun to do than my Spring Collection. Anna's even turns invisible!"
Then he bent and opened another container. Sam gasped and Dean let out a low whistle. "That's a lot of firepower."
Sam had to agree. He recognized a few from back in the day, but there were clearly a few new additions. He stretched his hand out over the weapons and opened his mind. He passed on the bazooka and a couple of harpoons, a bright green crossbow and several handguns with a variety of bullets, and then he had a vision: his hands on the hilt of a dagger. He chose that one, plus a shotgun and smaller gun.
They took off for the high school a few minutes later. Sam could read Dean's impatience to get going in the set of his shoulders and tapping of his foot, but he also needed to physically see and hold the kids before his mission.
Anna and Gabriel were rather bewildered at being picked up early from school in an invisible jet by their father, uncle and family friend, but Balthazar was suitably impressed. Probably because he was twelve.
"But, where is Dada?" Anna asked again.
"Who cares about that, why can't we go help?" Gabriel asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Sam held up his hands in a placating gesture and stopped abruptly when he realized he was doing 'simmer down, kids,' un-ironically. Dean just cut to the chase.
"He's in trouble, is where he is, but I can rescue him. And you two - three," he added as Balthazar looked to be chiming in, "can't come because I can't save Dada if I'm worried about protecting you, too."
"But we wouldn't get in the way!" Anna protested. "I'm almost eighteen years old, Dad."
"Almost," Dean was quick to point out. Sam restrained himself from pointing out the hypocrisy in his brother's statement. Gabriel didn't hold back.
"Grampa Winchester was taking you guys on missions when Uncle Sam was Balthazar's age!"
"And he was wrong!" Dean yelled. Sam stared at him. Dean never criticized their deceased father, but his brother was at the end of his rope now. Sam needed to step in, and fast.
"We don't have time to argue," he said. "You guys can help your dad best by being safe, and practicing your skills with Bobby. When he gets back with Cas, we're going to need your help on a very special mission."
"'Very special mission'? Come on, Uncle Sam, don't patronize us," Gabriel said. Anna nodded, crossing her arms and trying to give him a stern look reminiscent of Cas. It was pretty good. Balthazar mimicked her, except he looked like a stoned poodle instead of a wrathful Castiel.
"I'm not patronizing you," Sam protested. He'd hated it whenever his father did that to him when he was a kid. Sam used logic. There was a difference. "I'm telling the truth. I've seen what could happen. We'll need your help soon. Just stay safe for now, okay?"
Anna and Gabriel exchanged a look. Sam was forcibly reminded of how he and Dean used to communicate without words when they were kids. He looked over at his brother. Dean was frowning at his two oldest. Sam could practically see the wheels turning in his mind.
"Okay," Anna answered finally. "We'll stay safe. You win."
Sam narrowed his eyes. That wording left a lot of wriggle room. But Dean seemed to accept her at her word.
"Good," he said, and pulled each of his kids into a hug. "Bobby," he called into the cockpit. "Can you land this thing in our backyard?"
It turned out he could. Dean helped them unload one of the storage containers of weapons for Bobby, just in case, and changed into his Awesome costume. Sam had to admit, Dean really looked the part, despite twenty years and an extra ten pounds. He was looking forward to wearing his own costume. He clasped forearms with his brother, trying to put as much support into the manly squeeze as he could. This would be the first time in a very long time that Dean went off to fight a bad guy by himself. But Dean's not going to engage Devil's Advocate yet, Sam reminded himself. He's going to get Cas and we'll take this douche on together.
Anna gave Dean one more hug - "for Dada" - before he disappeared into the invisible jet and took off.
Sam turned to his niece and nephews. "Will you promise me you'll stay with Bobby and do what he tells you to do?"
"Yes, Uncle Sam," Anna and Gabriel said in unison, Balthazar chiming in a bit late. Okay, the unison thing was a little weird. But, he thought a little later, walking back to Oktoberfest to get the Impala, a duffle full of weapons and a superhero costume slung over his shoulder, Anna and Gabe have Dean and Cas for parents. They're bound to be a little weird.
He really hoped that was it.
***
In Castiel's opinion, Dean had several sayings that he must not have thought through before adopting, and one of the grossest was 'screw the pooch.' Well, Castiel had thoroughly screwed the pooch this time. He was wedged tight between a rock and the cave wall at the end of the tunnel. The machines hadn't been able to follow him, as he thought, but they were waiting for him at the other end, where the side of the island fell away to reveal an enormous launch pad. He would have admired the screen Devil's Advocate had created to conceal it if only Castiel had not fallen for it the day before. And if only it hadn't been hiding several rocket shuttles. Another machine joined the first two as he watched and attached itself to one of the shuttles.
He didn't swear often, but the situation called for a good hard 'Fuck!'
It was immediately compounded by the appearance of Devil's Advocate and Meg.
"The test goes forward as planned, Meg. It's not your place to question me," he said threateningly. Castiel squinted, trying to get a look at his face. He didn't recognize him, never mind his new voice. Devil's Advocate was tall, but not as tall as Sam, with sandy hair and droopy eyes. The previous Devil's Advocate had been near-emaciated, and more weathered, with close-cropped gray hair.
"No questions here!" Meg said. Her eyes were even wider than usual for Castiel to be able to notice from his hiding place. "I just wish we had Mr. Awesome's body. Don't you want some crispy wings?"
"Mr. Awesome served his purpose. My pets dealt with him."
Meg glanced at one of the machines, her lips twisting. Devil's Advocate noticed.
"Come now, Meg! You'll hurt their feelings. Each of my babies has enough firepower to-"
But Castiel didn't hear, as the 'A' on his costume suddenly started to beep. His hands flew to his chest, trying to stop the noise, and the rock in front of him exploded. Devil's Advocate advanced on him, laser gun trained unerringly on his head. Meg followed, tripping in her eagerness. Castiel tried flexing his broken wing, but it was no use.
"Meg," Devil's Advocate said, and she gestured, fire flying from her fingertips to form a ring around him. He took an inadvertent step forward as heat crawled up the wall of the cave.
Yes, the pooch was royally screwed now.
***
Dean needed to loosen up his grip, or else he was going to break Bobby's incredible invisible jet. Why would Cas go running off without him and Sam? They were a team, dammit! He told Cas everything. Everything. Even about how he was afraid of growing old and undesirable, or treating their kids like his father had treated him and Sam. He'd even told him about Gabriel's little transgression, which, yeah, had been a little thing, but wasn't it the little things that counted? He'd seen it stitched on a pillow once so surely it must be true.
He couldn't bring himself to laugh at his own dumb joke.
He was approaching the island now and would need to look for a place to land, preferably as close to the blinking 'A' on his screen as he could get. He set the controls to autopilot and slid out of the pilot's chair to load up on weapons from Bobby's arsenal. He stubbed his toe on one of the storage containers and swore. So did the storage container.
"Gabriel Winchester-Novak, if your ass is in this jet, show yourself right now and maybe I won't toss you into the ocean."
The storage container turned into his son, rubbing his eye. "Um," Gabriel started. Dean held up a hand.
"Anna Winchester-Novak. Front and center."
Anna flickered into being in the middle of the jet. Well look at that, the costume really does turn invisible. Bobby hasn't lost his touch. Dean crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You need someone to watch your back!" Gabriel burst out.
"Dada's important to us, too!" Anna chimed in.
"We want to fight, Dad!"
"We're ready for this!"
Dean cleared his throat. They both fell silent. He contacted Bobby on the comms. Anna and Gabriel exchanged a glance.
"Bobby! How's it going there?" he asked. He kept his eyes on his kids. Gabriel was starting to fidget, his fingers plucking at his costume, but Anna stood ramrod straight.
"We're playing 'Go Fish,'" Bobby answered.
"You're playing 'Go Fish' with a seventeen-year-old, a fourteen-year-old and a twelve-year-old?"
"Yeah. Balthazar's winning. Anna and Gabriel are really terrible players."
Dean could feel a headache coming on. What the hell was he going to do with these kids?
"Bobby. Anna and Gabriel are illusions, probably incredibly realistic ones. But they actually stowed away on the jet with me and I'm staring right at them."
Bobby was quiet on his end of the line and then surprisingly enough, he laughed. "Dean," he said, "you got just the kids you deserved. Illusions, huh? That explains a lot."
"Yeah, thanks for your support, Bobby. Can you put Balthazar on the phone?"
Dean watched Anna and Gabriel carefully as the line crackled a bit before Balthazar's voice offered a timid, "Hi, Dad."
"Hey, Munchkin. Did you know what Anna and Gabriel were planning?"
"Yes," Balthazar whispered.
"I see. And why didn't you come, too?"
None of the kids were expecting that, he could tell. Dean smirked. Ha, he could still throw his kids for a loop. They should keep that in mind.
"I don't have any powers!" Balthazar exclaimed. "I'm worthless!"
"No, kid, you're not. Here's what you're going to do: you're going to put on that costume your Uncle Bobby made you, and you and Bobby are going to help Sam find out everything there is to know about the new Devil's Advocate. Half the battle is fought in the library, and you don't need any super powers for that, just a finely honed brain."
It was something Sam had been telling him for years, and Dean had always blown it off, but now they'd been blindsided by this threat and really needed the information. And he'd be damned if any kid of his ever felt he was worthless.
"So, does that mean . . .?" Gabriel asked hopefully, nodding towards the cockpit, where the island was fast appearing in the windows.
"It means you do exactly what I tell you. If I say freeze, you freeze. If I tell you to get back in this jet and go, you do it. I am deadly serious. This is not a game, and I will not risk your lives. You obey, or I am twisting this jet apart to keep you on it. Do you understand?"
The kids' eyes grew as big as saucers during his speech, and they nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Dad," Anna agreed.
"Whatever you say," Gabriel said.
"Okay, now, Balthazar? Put Uncle Bobby back on the phone."
"You're on speaker, Dean, I've heard every word," Bobby said.
"Oh. Well, saves time. You on board for this, old man?"
"I'm old, not senile." Bobby snorted. "It certainly sounds better than another game of 'Go Fish.' I'll call your brother. You three don't get yourselves killed. Your Dada wouldn't like that very much."
"Neither would I!" Balthazar's voice piped up.
"We'll all try to survive," Dean said firmly. "I'll contact you again when we have Cas." He hesitated for a minute, but what the hell. In for a penny, in for a pound. "Munchkin?"
"Yeah, Dad?"
"Iloveyou." He cleared his throat. "I love you. Now be good for your uncles."
"I love you, too, Dad!" Dean could picture Balthazar's face splitting into a wide grin. It was a good picture. He switched off the comms and looked at his other two kids. Gabriel's mouth was hanging open.
"You're catching flies, Gabe." Dean reached out and pushed his chin up with two fingers. "And before you ask - yes, I love you two as well. Despite this ridiculous stunt you've pulled."
Anna beamed at him and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, too, Dad," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Me, too," Gabriel said, surprising Dean with an awkward hug.
"That's good." Dean patted both their heads. God, they'd gotten tall. Well, not Gabe really, but taller than they'd been. When had that happened? He blinked. It was damp in the jet. "Okay, before our teeth rot from all this sweetness, let's get some gear together. And look," the island entirely filled the windows now, "we're coming up on our landing site."
They all stared as they rounded a curve in the island and came to rest on a launch pad holding three huge bowling ball-shaped spider monsters attached to modified rocket shuttles, a man and woman who had to be Devil's Advocate and sidekick . . . and Cas, wings askew, surrounded by a ring of fire.
***
Sam blew a bit of dust off the binder and sighed. If only they had a name for this new Devil's Advocate incarnation. Instead, they were stuck poring over real estate transactions and shipping manifests at Dean's office. The bell above the door to Land & Sea jingled as Ava came back in, carrying two more binders, trailed by Balthazar.
"The last two!" Ava announced, waving the binders in the air. "Balthazar here got them from next door."
"Is that, strictly speaking, legal?" Bobby asked, peering at them over his glasses.
"Oh, we have an agreement with the real estate agency next door," Ava replied blithely. "All of their confidential records they keep under lock and key in a couple of back offices. The public domain stuff we totally have access to."
Sam glanced at Balthazar. His nephew was making the weirdest face at him, like a cow with a facial tic.
"You okay, man?" he asked.
Balthazar's eyes widened comically. "Bathroom," he whispered, and went tearing off to the back of the office.
Sam scratched his head and noticed Ava and Bobby looking at him.
"Should I check on him?" he asked. The therapist in him answered with a resounding 'yes.'
"Yeah," they said in unison.
He sighed again and got to his feet. His clothes slipped and slid over his costume, but he didn't want to freak Ava out by walking around in red spandex. He'd made Balthazar put civilian clothes on over his costume, too, when he'd picked him and Bobby up in the Impala.
Sam stopped at the bathroom door and rapped his knuckles against it. "Everything okay in there?"
Balthazar poked his head out. "Uncle Sam. Please come in."
Sam raised an eyebrow when Balthazar locked the door behind him.
"You're going to want to be sitting for this," Balthazar told him. Sam grimaced. The toilet didn't have a cover.
"I'll stand, thanks. What is this about?"
"Watch carefully." Balthazar stood in front of the closed door, took a breath, and slowly pushed his hand through the wood and drew it back inside.
Sam gasped, his ass hitting the toilet seat before he leaped back up. "Balthazar!" he exclaimed, enveloping his nephew in a massive bear hug. "You're coming into your powers!"
Balthazar wriggled out of his embrace and jumped up and down with excitement. "I've been trying all week! I practiced on the lockers of the kids at school, but it didn't work and they accused me of being a rat bastard thief."
Sam blinked. "Wait. Those notebooks Ava brought in-"
"Dad said we had to find out everything we could about Devil's Advocate, Uncle Sam! Everyone knows the good stuff is behind a lock."
"You walked through a door?"
Balthazar nodded. "And it was hard. But it will get easier, right?"
"Come here," he said, pulling Balthazar into another hug. He resolutely did not reach for his own power - Balthazar potentially robbing the entire world blind was a concern for another day. "Yeah, it gets easier," he said instead. "But always keep in mind-"
"That I'm an Awesome," Balthazar finished for him. "And the first rule of being an Awesome is 'don't be a douche.'"
Dean had taught his kids well.
There was another knock on the door.
"Not to interrupt the male bonding, but we found something out here," Bobby's gruff voice sounded through the wood.
Balthazar stuck his hand through the door and waved. Sam could hear Bobby yelp and back into the opposite wall.
"Remember the douche part," Sam whispered and opened the door. Bobby shook his head at Balthazar.
"Ain't none of us safe now," he said mournfully. "Come on, boys, and take a look."
They gathered around the table Dean and Ava used for 'staff meetings' (lunches and coffee breaks). She tapped the open page of the notebook. "These coordinates here match those of the island you were looking for," she said. "It was legitimately bought and paid for in May of 2009 by a corporation - Lilith Cosmetics."
Sam turned to Dean's computer and did a search on 'Lilith Cosmetics.'
"Shit," he swore softly.
"What is it, Sam?" Bobby asked.
"Lilith Cosmetics has labs all over the world. Researching 'natural' makeup and perfume. And look," he continued, pointing to their elegant website, "their labs are in remote locations, surrounded by 'nature.' How much you want to bet they're hiding something there?"
Ava's eyes opened wide. "Wait, is this a conspiracy? I thought you were doing research for Dean's story on those kids who tried to be pirates. You know, off the coast."
"I made that up," Sam said. Dammit, he liked Ava. He really hoped she could keep her mouth shut.
"Really? I thought it sounded cool."
"Look, Ava, Dean will tell you more about this next week. Right now, can you help see what was delivered to Lilith Cosmetics at that island?"
Balthazar was looking between the two of them, back and forth like he was watching a tennis match. Sam hoped for his sake that Ava didn't need a further explanation, and if she did, that she wasn't one of those nuts who blamed superheroes for every red light, every spilled cup of coffee.
"Okay," Ava agreed, and gave him a sunny smile. "This is the most fun I've had doing research in ages," she confessed. "What are you going to do, Sam?"
"I am going to become an expert on Lilith Cosmetics."
***
Castiel felt a puff of wind against his cheek. The flames lowered and danced for a moment before rising to their previous height. He gazed across them at Meg. She hadn't noticed, busy conferring with Devil's Advocate over the best way to roast his wings, no doubt. He surreptitiously flexed the broken one. It was nearly healed. If she just kept talking, he would have a prayer.
But Devil's Advocate was turning away now, disappearing back up the tunnel, and Meg fixed her full attention on her trapped superhero. Castiel gathered his strength.
"Any final words, Mr. Awesome?" she taunted him.
And Dean fell from the sky, slamming her into the ground. Castiel gaped at him, until the empty air called with Anna's voice, "Dada! Get out of the fire!"
Of course! That was sensible advice, and his mind chose to give it to him in Anna's voice. He should get out of the fire. He pushed against the wall of flame with all his strength, and it pushed back. Dean was slowly throttling Meg, but her eyes were fixed on Castiel. It was a toss-up who would run out of air first - Meg or Castiel. Then suddenly another Castiel surrounded by fire appeared to his left, then another, and one more on his right. Meg blinked, and as her concentration faltered, so did his fire. He burst through, embers singeing his skin, just as she lost consciousness and the fake Castiels faded away.
"Dean," Castiel rasped.
He was the most awesome sight Castiel had ever seen - tall and strong and righteous, brimming with power, and with Castiel's mark worn proudly on his chest. Castiel's throat went dry from want and smoke.
"We are going to have a long talk about this when we get out of here, Cas," Dean said roughly. "Don't think just because you look at me like that, I'm just gonna roll over and let you have your way."
"How am I looking at you, Dean?" Castiel asked, drinking in the sight of him.
Dean mumbled something inarticulate, not even words, and reached for him, crushing their lips together. One arm circled his waist, right up under his wings, and the other cupped his cheek. Castiel sighed happily and kissed him back, hands on Dean's shoulders.
"Uh, Dad? Dada? There are these big rocket thingies over here. Maybe we should, you know, do something about them?"
And now the air was speaking to him in Gabriel's voice. Though Castiel's conscience would never say 'rocket thingies.'
"Dean," he said, breaking the kiss, "are our children floating in midair?"
"Technically, no," Dean said. "They're hovering. In an invisible jet." He pointed up and Castiel followed his gaze. Anna and Gabriel were looking down at them through a hatch. Castiel could barely tell it was the interior of a jet behind their heads.
"Balthazar's with Uncle Sam," Anna informed him. "Are you okay, Dada?"
"Did you see how I made all those fake you's, Dada?" Gabriel asked eagerly. "And look! Do you see our cool outfits? They're just like yours!"
Castiel didn't know what to say first, but Dean saved him the trouble. "Get down here, you two. Gabe was right - we need to stop these rockets."
It was quite surreal, watching his children climb down the empty air. Anna leaped into his arms when she was a few feet off the ground. "We were worried about you, Dada," she mumbled, face in his shoulder.
"I am very sorry for that, Rosebud," he said, touched by her concern. "I am much better now that you're here."
She beamed at him.
"Get out of the way, Anna, I can't reach the ground!" Gabriel called from above them. Castiel let his daughter go, only to get an armful of his son. "Thanks! But you can put me down, I don't need to have a heart-to-heart."
He clunked a bit when Castiel set him on the ground, due to the two packs he'd thrown over his shoulders. He gave one to Dean and the other to Castiel. "They're weapons and tools from Uncle Bobby," he said in response to Castiel's questioning look. "Dad said we weren't allowed to handle them without permission."
"Is there anything in here that could disarm a rocket?" Castiel asked.
"Hopefully. We didn't know what to expect when we got here." Dean shrugged his pack on and grabbed Gabriel by the hand, ignoring their son's indignant squawk. "Gabe and I will take one rocket, you and Anna another, and we'll meet at the last. Deal?"
Castiel nodded, a ghost of a smile quirking his lips. "Deal. This is almost like old times."
And like old times, Dean leaned forward to kiss him, swiftly, before running into danger. Castiel took Anna by the hand and followed. They had just made it to their assigned rockets when the shuttle engines began to fire up.
"We'll have to be quick about this!" Dean yelled over to them above the noise.
Sometimes Dean liked to state the obvious. It was a quirk Castiel found endearing.
"Anna, open the bag and see if there is anything like a pair of pliers in there," Castiel told her. He located the control panel quickly enough and ripped it open, but inside was a mess of wires.
"Will this work?" Anna asked, pulling out a pair of lurid green pliers.
"Yes. Now I just need to figure out which lines to cut." His wings twitched behind him in agitation. The broken one was finally healed, and he stretched it unconsciously as he stared at the wires.
"Dada, a few of them are glowing green," Anna said. She was right. He brought the pliers up to the panel, and several wires glowed the same lurid green color as the pliers. "So, we cut those?"
"Bobby made these pliers," Castiel said. "These wires have to be glowing for a reason."
He snipped the first one, and the engine stuttered. Anna gave him an excited look and he hurriedly snipped the second and third. The engine made a loud whining noise. The fires died out with the final cut wire.
"Dean!" Castiel called over his shoulder. "You need to use-"
"The ugly-ass pliers," Dean finished for him, as he and Gabriel ran up to them. "Last one to the third rocket's a rotten egg!"
Anna followed hot on their heels. And the ground exploded.
***
Dean fell to his knees as the earth buckled beneath him, instinctively going into a roll. He came to a stop near Anna, and as a large piece of cement from the launch pad flew at them, he met it with his fist, smashing it into hundreds of tiny pieces.
"Cas! Gabe!" he yelled over the sound of explosions and gun fire. "Where are you?" If anything had happened to them . . .
"Dad!" Anna shouted, pointing. Gabriel was lying several yards away and a fucking metal spider, just like the ones on the rocket shuttles, was advancing on him. Dean took off in that direction, though he was much too far and the spider was much too close. He was screaming something, he had no idea what, when the spider fired with one of its arms.
"Nooooooo!" Anna shrieked, and something shot out of her hands. The spider's laser beam hit an invisible shield and rebounded back on it. Dean almost fell again.
"What did you just do?"
"I have no idea!" Anna yelled back.
"Whatever it was, keep it up!" They reached Gabriel then, and Dean knelt by his son as Anna stood over them, practically hyperventilating but still maintaining their shield.
"Where's Dada, where's Dada?" she mumbled.
Dean wanted to know that, too, ached to know that, but right now Gabriel was sitting up, struggling to breathe. His breath came in a wheezing rattle as he finally got his wind back, actually a good sign, but the noise freaked Anna out and she lost concentration.
"Gabe! Dad, is he-"
"Anna, get that shield back up!"
The spider's arm reared back, preparing to fire again, when Castiel flew at it, grabbing the end and twisting it so hard the thing snapped right off. Dean picked Gabriel up, slung him over one shoulder and grabbed Anna's hand.
"Come on, the last rocket while your Dada has that thing distracted," he said. But they had barely taken a step towards it when a man came running out of the tunnel, firing a laser gun at them. That time, Anna got her shield up quickly. Dean glanced around wildly, searching for the pack of weapons, but it had fallen off when he got knocked to his feet. He spotted it lying crushed beneath some rubble. The man, Devil's Advocate, Dean presumed, reached the final rocket and climbed up into the belly of its metal spider.
"Dammit!" he swore as the rocket took off.
"Dad, what do we do now?" Anna whimpered.
"We need to stop that spider and get to the jet. And figure out where the fuck that rocket spider went."
Anna stared at him, and he realized what he'd said. "Sorry, hell. Where the hell that rocket spider went."
Up in the air, Castiel used the broken arm like a harpoon and shoved it into the metal spider. Dean dragged Anna away as the thing imploded on itself.
"Cas!" he yelled. "Follow us to the jet!"
He found the jet by walking into the ladder. He just hoped it had survived the destruction of the launch pad without too much damage. If not, they were screwed.
***
Castiel held Gabriel while Dean flew the jet. Their son was awake, and insisted he was fine, but Castiel felt better touching him. So did Anna.
"Anna, seriously, you don't need to hold my hand," Gabriel complained.
"Yes, I do. Gabe, I need to tell Dada. Is that okay?"
"Tell me what?" Castiel asked.
Anna waited until Gabriel had sighed and nodded his head.
"I didn't really get tattoos. Gabe put them on. I just wanted to see what they would look like, and . . ."
Castiel frowned. "And if this boy liked them, then you would get real tattoos?"
"But only after I asked you guys first!" Anna gave him a pleading look. "Please don't blame Gabe, I asked him to do it."
Castiel blinked. How had he failed to notice how close the kids had grown to each other? He supposed it was only natural, they moved so often many times they were each other's only friends for months at a time. He had never felt such a bond with his own brothers, but Dean had that with Sam. They were lucky.
"We wouldn't blame Gabriel, Anna," he said. He wanted to tell her that, in the scheme of things, temporary tattoos were rather small potatoes indeed. But you didn't tell a teenager that anything they had done was small potatoes. He didn't need Sam to tell him that. "You needn't worry."
"Well I'm thrilled that I don't have to bust the kneecaps of a tattoo artist," Dean called from the cockpit. "And if we're done sharing and caring, I've got Sam on the line." He hit a button, and Sam's voice filled the interior of the jet.
"We found out who Devil's Advocate is!" he yelled.
"Indoor voice, Sammy," Dean murmured.
"Sorry," Sam continued at a normal decibel. "His name's Nick Lucifer, and he's the CEO of Lilith Cosmetics - named the company after his sister, who died twenty-one years ago when a superhero failed to save her. And get this - he doesn't have any powers. He totally just adopted the persona of Devil's Advocate to tap into the supporters of the dead arch nemesis."
"He acted like I should have remembered his voice," Castiel said, frowning.
"Cas! Great to hear you, man!" Sam said happily. "My diagnosis of Nick Lucifer? Batshit insane. I honestly think he may have convinced himself that he's always been Devil's Advocate. In fact - hang on, I'm getting another call - Ruby? Is that you?"
"Of course it's me! Sam, you're ten minutes late. Where are you?"
"I'm a bit tied up - I'm going to have to postpone."
Anna winced and Gabriel stifled a laugh. Castiel's own lips twitched.
"I'm sorry, it sounded to me like you said you wanted to postpone. But that can't be right."
"I'm kind of saving the world right now, Ruby."
"I thought you said I was your world."
Dean made an exaggerated gagging noise.
"What was that?"
"Dammit, Dean!"
"You're on the phone with your brother? Sam Winchester, you are on the couch tonight!"
There was a loud clicking noise.
"Um," Sam continued sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Where was I?"
A large crash sounded over the comm link, and then Balthazar's voice filled the jet.
"Uncle Sam, there's a big metal spider walking down the street!"
"Devil's Advocate is inside that machine." Castiel wished he could see his youngest son's face right then, but he would have to settle for his voice. "Balthazar, stay with Sam. Our ETA is two minutes."
"Dada, guess what?" Balthazar started, but they didn't get a chance to guess as the comms went dead.
Castiel looked at his children's stricken faces. "Do not be afraid," he said, much more calmly than he felt. "And strap yourselves into something. Your Dad is going to get us there in thirty seconds."
***
Sam could hear Ava shriek as the tentacle bowling ball smashed into phone lines and cars out on the street. That thing better stay away from the Impala or Dean's going to kill me. He chucked his shirt and kicked off his pants, revealing his Awesome costume beneath, as he ran towards the office door.
"Wait for me!" Balthazar called after him, struggling to get his jeans off over his sneakers.
Sam wanted to tell him to stay with Bobby, keep out of harm's way, but just then a tentacle shot through the window and grabbed him by the waist.
What good is seeing the future if I don't see shit like this?
He had seen his hand on the knife, though, and he twisted in the thing's grip to reach his boot and pull it out of its sheath. He started slashing wildly at the tentacle holding him when his brother fell out of sky and onto the bowling ball. His mouth dropped open. And then three more Deans dropped out of the sky.
"What the hell?"
"I'm the real one," the Dean closest to his tentacle said. The other Deans ran around the top of the ball as it lurched down the street. "Toss me that knife and I'll cut you loose."
Sam managed the exchange without slicing anyone's fingers off. "Dean, what-"
"Gabriel's doing," his brother grunted, sawing through metal and wire. "Be prepared, in about two seconds, your ass is hitting the ground."
But Sam could already see it, and when he fell, he rolled right to avoid getting trampled, ducked a tentacle before it could take off his head and caught the knife without even looking when Dean threw it down to him.
Up in the air, Castiel was flying circles around the waving tentacles, and despite the fact that the guns seemed to be firing at him, no bullets were reaching him. Sam caught a clue when he spotted Anna's red hair hanging out of the invisible jet. She was making shields. On some other day, he wanted to talk with her about what this evolution of her powers meant, but right then he had a bowling ball to destroy.
He dove away from another swipe of a tentacle and came up on his feet next to his brother.
"Are you really Dean?" he asked.
"Are you really a pretty princess?" Dean asked. Yup, it was totally him. They ran together beneath the bowling ball as it continued to wreak a path of destruction up the street.
"What's our grand plan for defeating this thing?"
"Blow it up!" Dean yelled.
"Awesome plan, Dean. But with what?"
"Itself! Help me grab a spider arm!"
Easier said than done. Dean leaped for one, missed and went stumbling beneath the legs. Castiel dived down and lifted him back to his feet.
"Cas, Dean, this isn't working!" Sam yelled over the destruction of a couple of cars. "It's too thick. We need to get Devil's Advocate out of it and get his remote."
"Wait, remote?" Dean asked.
"He doesn't have powers, remember? Bobby looked up the type of stuff that was delivered to the island - not just stuff to make these bowling balls-"
"Metal spiders," Dean interrupted.
"Machines," Cas interrupted.
"Whatever," Sam said. "There was also stuff to control these things."
"Great. Let's ring his bell and see if he's home." All three of them had to duck then, and when they regrouped, Dean picked back up where he left off. "Cas can fly me up to the hatch, I'll punch it in, and out will pop Devil's Advocate."
Sam was about to tell him that wouldn't work when the vision overtook him. He stopped abruptly. "We need Balthazar."
"We're not putting our kid in this thing's path!" Dean protested. "Balthazar would be torn to shreds! What's he going to do, tell it knock-knock jokes? Devil's Advocate isn't going to open up, Sam."
"Balthazar can walk through walls," Sam said simply.
"Oh," Castiel breathed. "That's wonderful news."
"Yeah, we'll never have a shred of privacy ever again," Dean grumbled. "And I'm still not letting him fight my fight for me."
"This is an everyone fight, Dean," Sam argued. "And in case you've forgotten, that's Anna and Gabriel hanging out of an invisible jet back there."
Dean opened and closed his mouth several times. The tentacles began firing at them in earnest, Anna's shields keeping them safe.
"Dean," Castiel said quietly. "He would be with me."
Dean closed his eyes and nodded quickly. "Let's get this over with."
***
Balthazar came running the minute his fathers called to him. He looked so very small running down the destroyed street. Bobby followed at a slower pace, a pack slung across his back. Anna was watching to send up a shield if they needed it, but it appeared the machine had decided Sam and Dean were more dangerous threats, and the boy and man made it safe to where Castiel crouched in the doorway of a Kwiki Mart.
"Balthazar, I need you to show me your power," Castiel said.
Balthazar glowed with excitement as he thrust his hand through the glass door and wiggled his fingers at them.
"Can you bring things through with you?" Castiel asked, the crux of the matter.
"Watch!" He grabbed Bobby's hat, clutching it tight, and then pushed his fist through the door.
"Very good," Castiel murmured. "Can you be very brave for me?"
"I can be as brave as Gabe!"
"Then that is very brave indeed. Bobby, what do you have that will do the trick?"
Bobby set his pack on the ground and rooted around in it. "Stink bomb," he said finally, pulling out a small gray grenade-shaped object. Castiel was grateful he'd chosen a non-lethal bomb. There were some lines he was not ready to have his twelve-year-old cross.
"Here, kid," Bobby said, handing the stink bomb to Balthazar. "Keep your thumb here," he indicated the pin, "and once your hand's inside, flick it and back out. Nick Lucifer will have to open the hatch within five seconds, so you and your Dada move out of the way."
There was a loud groan from the direction of the machine, and the three of them peeked around the corner to see Dean skidding across the street.
"We're leaving now," Castiel announced. His arms circled his son's waist and his knees bent for the takeoff and then they were airborne. Castiel dodged flying tentacles and Anna sent up shield after shield to keep the bullets off them. Balthazar screamed once when a bullet scored Castiel's shoulder.
"It's okay, Balthazar," Castiel assured him, hoping he could hear his voice over the sound of the wind. "I won't let you fall."
They reached the hatch a minute later and Castiel held his breath as Balthazar slowly forced his hand inside.
"It's very thick," he whispered.
"Can you fit?" Castiel asked him.
"Um . . . yes! Dada, I just did it!"
"Get your hand out quickly," Castiel reminded him. He had barely snatched it back when the hatch was thrown open and Devil's Advocate toppled out. He landed with a thud on the ground below, coughing and gasping.
Castiel set Balthazar on the ground and sent him running back to Bobby. He joined Sam as Devil's Advocate made it to his feet. Around his neck hung a gold chain, and from the chain was their prize.
"Sam," Castiel said in a low voice.
"Yes, I See it."
Castiel made note of the capitalization in his voice and flew directly at the man formerly known as Nick Lucifer. Sam ran after him, and out of the corner of his eye, Castiel could see Dean rising to his feet. All three of them converged on Devil's Advocate. He didn't stand a chance against Team Free Will. He slashed at Castiel with a three pronged dagger, raking shallow lines across his chest, but Dean tackled him and Sam darted in, snapping the chain off.
All of the tentacles focused on Sam, as if they could see their doom in him, and Castiel shouted to Anna for a shield for Sam before Devil's Advocate got him in the jaw with a mean left hook. Sam ignored the commotion around him and slowly took control of each tentacle.
The combined firepower created a boom loud enough to wake the dead, and great pieces of the machine flew outward, only to hit Anna's shield and fall to the ground. The machine teetered a moment, then toppled slowly forward.
The sudden silence was broken only by the sobs of Devil's Advocate as his dreams for world domination went up in a puff of smoke.
***
There was a lot of collateral damage. Dean grimaced, surveying the wreckage from his seat on a pile of rubble. He and Ava would have to change offices. If they stayed in this town. If they didn't get arrested.
"What are you thinking?" Cas asked him.
Dean watched his brother and Bobby talking to the police chief and Ava, and some spook in a suit they'd called in to tell about the other Lilith Cosmetics locations. Dean doubted Nick Lucifer had built launch pads at any of the others yet, but there was only one way to find out. Lucifer himself was way too crazy to be a reliable witness. Sam was gesturing with his hands, but the show was lost on the chief, who couldn't take his eyes off the burn out husk of the metal spider. Ava couldn't stop scribbling in her notebook.
"Was thinking about moving," Dean admitted.
"I don't want to move," Cas said.
"No?"
"No."
Dean squinted up at him. "It might not be up to us, you know."
Cas shook his head. "No. I'm tired of being told where to live, what to do. We're needed, Dean. I'm done with hiding. Look at our children."
Dean followed his gaze to Anna and the boys. All three were laughing as Gabriel threw rocks through Balthazar's head.
"I want them to always be so happy," Cas said softly.
"We were happy, when we were Team Free Will. Remember?"
"Yes. And we were happy today. Weren't we?"
Bambi McSnuffy joined the kids when Gabriel snapped his fingers. Anna rolled her eyes and Balthazar turned bright red.
"I'm always happy when I'm with you, Cas. You know that." A muscle twitched in Dean's jaw. It was a giveaway, he knew, but he couldn't stop it.
"I love you, too," Cas said it so simply. Dean had always believed him.
"No more secrets?" he asked.
"I do have one." Cas's lips twitched. "I would like pizza again tonight."
Dean looked up, startled, then leaned back. "Why, Mr. Awesome, are you trying to seduce me?"
"Yes." He held out his hand and Dean grasped it to haul himself up. A muffled groan escaped him. He'd been tossed around an awful lot that day.
"Kids," he called to them, "say good night to your uncles and Ava. Tonight, we shall feast on pizza! Again."
He patted down his costume while the kids hugged or shook hands with Bobby, Sam and Ava. "Bobby," he said, "thanks for the ride." He tossed the keys to the invisible jet to Bobby.
"Don't be a stranger," Bobby grumbled back.
"Same to you. Hey, Sam, you have something for me?" Dean held out his hand expectantly. Sam gave him a wry smile as the keys to the Impala flew through the air.
"Hopefully a building didn't fall on top of her," Sam said.
"You're a riot, Sammy."
Anna ducked under one shoulder, and Castiel the other, as they picked their way slowly down the street.
"Dad?" Gabriel asked eventually.
"Yeah?"
"If we become full-time superheroes, does that mean we no longer have to go to school?"
Dean exchanged a glance with Cas. "No," they said in unison.
***
They were lucky. The Impala had indeed escaped unscathed.
***
And the pizza was very good.