Now the flowers in your garden
They don't smell so sweet
Maybe you've forgotten
The heaven lying at your feet

There are so many contradictions
In all these messages we send
(We keep asking)
How do I get out of here,
Where do I fit in?
Though the world is torn and shaken
Even if your heart is breakin'
It's waiting for you to awaken
And someday you will-
Learn to be still
Learn to be still

You just keep on runnin'
Keep on runnin'

- Learn To Be Still, Eagles

Dean strode into the kitchen, stocked up with coffee granules. Gabriel, Cas and Mary were in the same place he'd left them.

"Sam's back", stated Cas.

"I saw the car back in the garage so I guessed as much", acknowledged Dean.

"If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one in the dog house", offered Gabriel.

"Sam giving you the cold shoulder?"

"Yeah, you should talk to him", reminded Gabriel.

"I will, where is he?" Asked Dean.

"He went to the library", told Mary with soft smile.

"Here goes nothing".

Dean took his time wandering into the bunker's library. He wanted to sort things out with Sam but he wasn't looking forward to this. He didn't want to be made to feel guilty for saving his brother but he needed to show Sam that he understood where he was coming from.

As Dean arrived in the library, his eye's found Sam. Sam had a book open in front of him but his attention was at his hands rather than the pages.

"Sam?", Dean's voice visibly jerked Sam out of his thoughts.

"What?" Asked Sam who seemed a little sheepish and embarrassed.

"I just came to talk...why were you staring at your hands?" Wondered Dean.

Sam seemed to think it over, probably figuring out whether or not to talk to Dean about whatever it was that was going on in his head. Sam seemed to come to a decision and when he didn't speak immediately, Dean thought he was going to shut him out. Sam shifted and pulled out some scrap paper, scrunched it into a ball and tossed it onto the table. Dean was more than a little confused but as Sam looked intently at the ball of discarded paper, it went up in flames. Dean began to realize that Sam wasn't shutting him out. This was a show and tell.

Sam stopped the fire, leaving behind the ashy remains of the paper.

"Cool", remarked Dean. Sam gave Dean a pointed look.

"How'd you do that?" asked Dean.

"It probably has something to do with the grace that's holding my soul together", bit Sam.

"I meant how did you figure it out?" Sighed Dean.

"I'm sure there's a lot I'll have to figure out but some things...it's like I just know?" Shrugged Sam, still avoiding Dean's gaze.

There was an awkward silence as the conversation lost momentum.

"Sam, can we talk?", Sam didn't reply but he didn't tell Dean to 'get the hell out of there' either so he took that as a good sign.

Dean sat down at the table across from Sam, who still hadn't looked at Dean properly.

"Sam, I know you're pissed at me but I just need you to understand...I was desperate, okay? You were dead and it was different from the other times. There seemed like there was nothing and I had to face the idea of living without you. That bull in your message about not needing you because I had mom and Cas was so wrong, Sammy. I don't care who else I have, it doesn't make up for you being gone. Thinking about your last days alive, knowing that you went through that alone and that you died alone...it was more than I could deal with. I know the way that we brought you back wasn't ideal and that I forced something on you that you didn't want but I can't apologize for saving you Sam", explained Dean.

"You think I don't know that? That I don't know what it's like to have to face living without you?! Because I've been there, Dean. I trusted a demon and drank her blood to try and get you back and then avenge you when I couldn't. I let out the darkness trying to save you from the mark. I get it Dean but there's certain things you just don't do...that's why I didn't try and get you back when you were in purgatory. Because I'd promised you that I wouldn't and I was trying to keep my promise because I thought it was what you wanted. I was trying to follow your wish but do you think that was easy for me? Do you think it was easy to carry on without the only family I've ever really know? Because it wasn't Dean, I was a mess but I did it because you asked me too. I get trying to save me but not when the consequences aren't worth it. Not when it involves being possessed or being turned into something I don't want to be! I have the death of two of our friends on my conscious because of the lengths we've gone to, to save each other. After the darkness we agreed we needed to change Dean but here we are all over again", exclaimed Sam.

"You're right", admitted Dean.

"What?", Sam was dumbfounded. He'd expected Dean to argue but here he was agreeing with Sam.

"You're right. Not about Kevin and Charlie because they're not on you but you're right about the rest of it. I'm never going to stop trying to keep you safe Sam and I don't regret bringing you back but I do hate that I hurt you in the process. I'm not stupid, Sam, I see that all of the things I've ever done to bring you back have hurt you. Years ago, with the demon deal, I left you alone. When you had no soul, I forced it back into you even when Cas told me how much it could hurt you. Then all of that crap with Gadreel...not my finest moment and now this. I know you have a thing about grace and I get it, given your history but it's engraved into my DNA to keep you breathing at any costs, has been since dad put you in my arms the night of the fire but that cost should never be yours. You shouldn't have to suffer through the decisions I make and although I'm not sorry that you're alive, I am sorry for that. I'm sorry that you have this to deal with now", apologized Dean.

"I don't want you to apologize for saving me, Dean. I know that dad put that on you a long time ago and I'm grateful for everything you've done for me but...All of my life, everything has been decided for me by other people. My life was never my own. With Azazel, the demon blood, being possessed and..and Lucifer", choked Sam, "It feels like there's been this constant battle to take back control and I know a lot of the time, I messed up big but...I'm so tired of fighting all the time, Dean. I'm not strong like you".

"That's crap Sam! You're the strongest person I know. You've beat the devil twice now, not to mention all of the other crap you beaten. You're tired? That's allowed Sam. We all get tired of the crap sometimes but that's what I'm here for. You pick me up when I'm falling down and I pick you up when you are. That's how we work", objected Dean, "I know what happened is not ideal but is the grace that fixed your soul, really the problem here?"

"What are you talking about?" Frowned Sam.

"I'm not trying to get myself out of the line of fire but is the grace really the problem here? All that spiel about being ready to die after the trials, you being ready to swan off into the sunset with Death...Looking back it kind of seems like you were more pissed that I kept you alive than you were about the Gadreel stuff", observed Dean.

"I may not have been happy that you went against my decision but it's not what it was about. Yeah, I was ready to die and maybe a part of me actually wanted to. I was ready to die doing something good and helping people but that's not why I was so angry. I was pissed because you tricked me into agreeing to something that you knew I would never say 'yes' too. I was angry because I had to live with what happened to Kevin", corrected Sam.

"Sam we've been through this a million times, Kevin was on me, not you. Neither was Charlie. I know I blamed you for that at the time but I was grieving and had the mark. Charlie wouldn't do anything she didn't want too, she was strong and a bad ass. You told her to give them whatever info they wanted and she chose not too. She made her own decision's so she could help me because that's who she was. She was the type of person who risked herself to help other people. Kevin and Charlie were not your fault", sighed Dean.

"You talk a good game but it doesn't change the fact that I still get nightmare's. I still dream about Kevin's face when...it may have been Gadreel that killed him but I should have been able to stop him. Charlie was strong but I still brought her into it. Say what you want Dean but they are on me and who know's who I could hurt now I have angelic abilities. That's what pissed me off Dean. I could hurt people", stated Sam.

"It's not on you Sam, end of discussion and as for the grace, it's not like it's from some demon or monster. It's angel grace, Gabriel's grace. You get on with Gabriel, he's not a bad guy underneath all that cockiness", pointed out Dean.

"You and I both know that angel's aren't always innocent and Gabriel might be one of the good guys but who knows how his grace mixed with my soul, will react. Even if I don't mean to hurt people, accidents happen", said Sam.

"Gabriel will help you control it", shrugged Dean.

"Oh, you mean like how he learned Lily? 'Cause that turned out great, like the time she flattened a town", snapped Sam.

"It might not be the same, Lily's just a kid. You're an adult so you might not be so out of control like she was", reasoned Dean.

"Dean, you need to stop acting like this is nothing. It's big and I don't know what's going to happen. It's not nothing", yelled Sam.

Sam's words were sharp and coated in frustration but Dean caught the glimmer of fear in Sam's eye's. He knew Sam and he knew Gabriel was right, Sam wasn't angry. He was scared. Scared of the changes to the very thing that makes Sam, Sam. Scared of what the future would bring and what it meant for him. Scared of screwing up. Scared of hurting people. Sam was hurt, too. Dean may have saved him but he was beginning to realize how he'd hurt him too.

For Sam, the grace that swirled in sync with his soul was a constant reminder of the worst thing that he'd ever experienced. This was just another new thing that Sam had to contend with and Dean was the one who'd done that.

Dean really started to see just how much this stuff effected Sam and Dean was so keen to sweep it all under the mat. Sam must have felt pretty alone.

"I'm sorry Sammy, I know this is a big deal. I can only imagine what it must be like for you. I'm not just saying it either, I really am sorry for the crap you've had to go through when your choices have been taken away from you. This situation with the grace and you being a nephilim now...it's huge but you're not doing this by yourself. You have me and I'll make sure nothing bad happens. I promise", spoke Dean meaningfully.

Sam looked at Dean, hazel eye's shiny with a coat of salty tears and a look of relief and gratitude on his face that his big brother seemed to get it.

"You will?", questioned Sam quietly.

"Course Sam, do you think I'm just gonna up and leave if your power's go nuclear or if things get too hard?", queried Dean in a jovial tone.

Sam gazed at his hands once again and Dean realized that he'd hit the nail on the head with what he'd jokingly just said. Sam was scared that Dean would turn him away. Dean got it, kinda. Things had been strained between them when Sam had used his psychic abilities before. Sam's abilities, all those years ago, had scared the crap out of Dean and Sam would be a lot more powerful now. So Sam was worried that if he couldn't control his abilities or things went wrong, Dean would jump ship. Dean would admit he never quite knew how to feel about Sam's psychic abilities and he'd been pissed when he had found out that Sam was using them and drinking blood but he would never turn his back on Sam, not really. Especially not in their current circumstances, when it was Dean's fault in the first place. Dean didn't care what happened. Sam could wipe out all of America with his angel mojo and Dean would still be there to pull Sam back or to hold him up.

"Sam, you don't need to worry about hurting someone and having me walk away because of it. We'll figure this out together and it doesn't matter what happens, I'll be there right by your side. No matter what. I put this on you and I'm going to be the one to help you figure all this crap out", reassured Dean.

"I'm...I'm scared Dean", admitted Sam as a stray tear fell from his eye.

Dean got up to sit by Sam and grabbed his younger brother's broad shoulders, enveloping him in a tight hug and running circles into Sam's back with his hand. It was the sort of display of affection that only tended to be shared when one of them was on the brink of death but Sam was right about things needing to change.

They were who they were and there were certain things that would never change. Sam would never stop loving salads over greasy spoon food or stop being head strong, bookish, kind, self sacrificing, sensitive and gentle. Dean would never stop loving burgers and sex or stop being protective, loyal, brave, stubborn or a secret pop culture geek who would do anything to save the people he loved.

Certain things were just who they were and if they changed them, they wouldn't be themselves anymore but some things could and needed to change. Dean decided to screw his chick flick rule and let Sam talk about feelings as much as he wanted if it helped him. Lies were officially a no go, even if the lie was to protect the other. They were going to start hearing each other out before blowing up about something like they had so many time's in the past. It had always been them against the world and although they had some additional family members in the mix now, that still stood. They were a team and he and Sam were going to go forward together, on the same page and backing each other up. All the good stuff could stay but Dean promised himself they'd take note of their past mistakes and make changes. Dean thought they'd actually already done pretty good with that in the past couple of years but some things still needed to be adjusted.

They had their flaws and their strengths. They had both made huge mistakes but they had done more good than bad. Saved more people that they'd hurt and through it all they'd had each other. Always would.

Sam sunk into Dean's arms, the strain of the recent weeks taking its toll. Hell, Lucifer, torture, dying and now having to deal with being a nephilim. He seemed so impossibly small and childlike. He reminded Dean of the 8 year old version of Sam who knew that monsters were real and looked to his big brother with pleading and fearful eye's. Eye's that begged him to make things better and less scary.

Dean felt small tremors from Sam as he hugged him. Dean knew that Sam was crying and probably trying to reign it back in. Dean gave a reassuring squeeze to Sam's shoulder. Giving Sam the permission that Sam probably felt that he needed, to break down and Sam let go.

They stayed there in the library for a while in silence, letting Sam get out the storm of emotions that he had built up. After a little while, Sam's body seemed to calm a little but Dean still had a firm hold on him.

"...he's really gone?" whispered Sam.

"He's gone. You beat him, he's gone for good Sammy", reassured Dean, instantly knowing that Sam was talking about Lucifer. Sam sat upright and ran his hand across his face.

"Sorry, kind of broke the rule", laughed Sam softly.

"I've decided to throw that rule away, if you need to talk, talk! But there's no way I'm braiding your hair and watching the notebook with you, that's where I draw the line", mocked Dean lightly.

"Please, the Notebook is your favorite movie", grinned Sam, "...Thanks".

"What for?"

"Just, the whole conversation, it was what I needed", thanked Sam.

"Don't mention...like ever, people will think I'm going soft", joked Dean, "But you can talk to me Sammy".

"I know and I think I'm definitely going to need your help with this new angel stuff", admitted Sam.

"Dude, you're getting my help whether you want it or not 'cause there's no way I'm not using it to my advantage...I mean if you've got any of Gabriel's abilities, just think of all the junk food you can muster up for me", teased Dean.

Sam laughed and shook his head at Dean, "You know, we should probably go join the other's before they get worried that we've killed each other".

"Yeah about that, maybe try going a little easy on Gabriel. He didn't want to do anything without you permission but I said I'd find another angel if he wouldn't do it...I think he just wanted to make sure an angel who could be trusted was doing it", advised Dean.

"Okay", agreed Sam.

Mary, Cas and Gabriel waited anxiously. They didn't hear any loud bangs or furniture breaking so that was a positive but they had been a little while.

Finally, Sam and Dean walked through together. Sam's eye's were a little puffy and Dean looked drained too but they were together and seemed to be okay.

"Sam, Dean", acknowledged Mary, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, were good mom", reassured Dean.

"Really?", doubted Gabriel.

"Really, we're good. We've got some things to figure out but we're okay", confirmed Dean.

"Good", smiled Gabriel.

"Is Lily still in her room?", asked Sam.

"Yeah she seems withdrawn", told Gabriel.

"You need to talk to her and let her know you're not mad at her", told Sam to Dean.

"I am mad at her", argued Dean.

"Why?", queried Sam.

"I don't know, maybe because she worked with Lucifer, lied to us and fed you blood", exclaimed Dean.

"Dean, she's so young still and Lucifer lied to her. She thought that by doing what she did, she'd be saving me...I would have thought you would have understood that more than anyone", countered Sam.

"Fine...I'll tell her I'm not mad", relented Dean.

"Good...I'll go check on her", smiled Sam as he left the kitchen.

"So, how did it really go?" Asked Gabriel.

"It really did go okay. We talked honestly and I let Sam know that I was sorry and that I would help him through this. Things are good between us. I think you were right about Sam using anger to mask what was really going on and talking it out helped", explained Dean.

"That's a marked improvement. You and Sam have a habit of burying your feelings until one of you snaps at the other or drowns out the emotions with alcohol. Talking is good", stated Cas.

"...Thanks...I guess", laughed Dean.

"Gabriel, I think you should talk to Sam", suggested Dean.

"Do you think that'll go down well?" Hesitated Gabriel.

"I told him that you didn't want to do anything without his agreement and he accepted it. He's worried about the power that your grace will give him. He's scared of not being able to control it and hurting someone as a result. I will help as much as a I can but grace is more your department", explained Dean.

"Okay, I'll talk to him".

Gabriel walked to Lily's room and found Sam sitting at the desk chair, talking to Lily who was perched on the edge of her bed.

"Hey Kiddo, everything okay?", asked Gabriel.

"I was just letting Lily know that Dean isn't angry", informed Sam.

"I can second that. Why don't you go into Mary, Cas and Dean? Talk to Dean?" Suggested Gabriel.

"Okay, I'll talk to him", agreed Lily as she flew out of the room. Gabriel was still getting used to a fully grow Lily. She was physically the age of a 18/19 year old woman and had a beautiful set of wings trailing behind her. He still saw her as the shy toddler that she was when he'd first met her.

"She's come along so much", commented Gabriel.

"She's a good kid", stated Sam.

"So, can we talk?" Asked Gabriel.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I froze you out before", apologized Sam.

"No, I'm sorry. I knew how you felt about grace and your history and I did it anyway. I officially suck", told Gabriel.

"The way Dean puts it, you were just trying to make sure an angel who could be trusted did it, instead of some psycho angel. Plus you did save me", shrugged Sam.

"Yeah but it's still not cool. How are you feeling about it all?" Questioned Gabriel.

"Honestly? Overwhelmed. Uncomfortable", admitted Sam.

"You don't have to worry about this Sam. It's not the same as Lily. You shouldn't be out of control. She was born with power's so they were as natural to her as her human qualities and just like a human kid can struggle with learning to walk and talk, she struggled with her power. You're different. I don't think you'll have issues with accidentally using the grace because you're used to not having them. It's likely you will only use your new power if you choose too and Cas and I can help you to get a handle on it", promised Gabriel.

"Okay...but I need you to promise me something?"

"What?"

"If I ever go nuclear or hurt people, you stop me. Whatever that means you stop me. If that means killing me or locking me up and throwing away the key, you do it?" Pleaded Sam.

"Well you're not going to hurt anyone and I'm not going to kill you but I promise that if anything goes sideways, I'll lock you up or figure something out", agreed Gabriel.

"Thanks", said Sam.

"You know, there are advantages to this", grinned Gabriel.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I may not be playing the trickster anymore but it doesn't mean that I'm completely out of touch with him...I can teach you how to do that kind of thing and it would definitely give you an upper hand if you and Dean were to partake in a prank war", grinned Gabriel mischievously.

"I'm listening", laughed Sam.

"I'm thinking a green hair dye job, putting the same crap that they make stink bombs with, in Dean's aftershave...ooh and pimping the impala out so it's got rhinestone's and pink butterflies on the doors and bonnet", suggested Gabriel.

"Dean will legitimately kill me if I mess with baby...like the kill me dead, never coming back, kind of kill me", laughed Sam.

"We'll think of something", smiled Gabriel.

"Yeah, we will"

3 days later...

Things had settled into a nice rhythm again in the bunker. They had decided to give hunting a little break until they were certain they had a handle on Sam's new found abilities.

Sam had insisted that Gabriel start showing him the way around working with grace pretty much straight off. Sam had always been a sucker for learning. He didn't like to do anything by half measures. He threw himself into things and didn't stop till he'd mastered them, which is how he managed to do well enough to get a full scholarship to Stanford even though they moved around constantly while he was in high school.

Gabriel had let it be known how impressed he was at Sam's progress over a mere two days but Sam insisted there was much more to be done. Between, what Dean liked to call 'mojo master classes', they did normal stuff.

They watched TV, went out to do something other than get drunk and hunt. They went out to have lunch at diner's or too get some decent clothes that weren't from the good will. They talked too. They talked a lot and as much as Dean would deny it, it felt good and things felt clear.

Sam wasn't quite back to his complete usual self. It had only been three days and Dean guessed that it would take a little while before that happened and not just because of the grace. The crap that Sam had been through recently was enough alone to shake someone up but it wasn't just the recent events that were the problem. They'd also brought up a host of unwanted memories and emotions from past trauma's. So understandably Sam was a little withdrawn. He tried to hide it but Dean knew.

The six of them were having breakfast together on the first morning after he and Sam worked things out and Sam's eye's became a little vacant and Dean would know that Sam was getting stuck in his own head. Unoticably to most but Dean wasn't most people and he knew his brother. The day after a contact of Mary's called for backup on a near by hunt and she'd gone to help, Lily was asleep and Cas and Gabriel were doing whatever it is that angel's do and he and Sam settled down to watch something on netflix. Some downtime watching Game of Thrones turned to chaos when a character was being burnt alive, sending Sam into a full blown panic. Dean promptly turned of the TV, grounded Sam and then tried to convince Sam that it was okay to freak out a little, especially in front of Dean.

Dean expected there to be more moments like these in the days ahead because Sam had been to hell again, tortured by Lucifer again, had died again and been turned into a Nephilim. That was bound to stir up some nasty crap and Dean would be damned if he wasn't going to be there to help Sam through it.

Dean was sure things would go back to normal eventually. Sam would process and they'd start hunting again. Sam's new trick's would probably be pretty useful. Right now though, Dean was content with taking some time off to come to grips with everything. That's not to say Dean wasn't itching for a simple cut and dry hunt because he was but his brother was more important. Sam had actually tried to convince Dean to pick up a hunt and Dean guessed that Sam probably wanted the distraction but Dean didn't think it was such a good idea with Sam's new found power and the issue's he was getting to grips with.

Maybe Sam had picked up on Dean's restlessness because he'd even suggested that Dean went to help their mom out hunting whilst he stayed in the bunker but after the amount he and Sam had been separated lately, there was no way Dean was going for that.

Dean was restless because it was in his nature to keep on moving, to keep on ganking monster's but he really didn't mind the break. When Dean's wasn't climbing the walls and actually let himself relax, he enjoyed the quiet time. He enjoyed spending some time with Sam and Cas that didn't involve saving the world or one of them being in grave danger.

Chuck and Amara had once again come to collect Lily in order to teach her more control but Dean didn't get involved in that. He'd let go of his anger towards Lily because Sam had been right. Lily was still just a kid and was doing something she thought would save Sam and he wasn't one to pass judgement considering he'd done some messed up crap to save Sam before too.

As for Gabriel, he'd become an ever present figure in the bunker. The living situation with Gabriel and Lily living in the bunker had meant to be a temporary thing until they found a better alternative but things were still a little up in the air about Lily. Sam, Dean and Cas had actually got pretty used to having them around.

Cas was Cas. He was his usual, sometime's oblivious, sometime's sarcastic, self but Dean was thankful for his presence. Cas was his best friend so it was good to have him around anyway but he was also a second figure who cared a lot for Sam's welfare. Mary promised to return as soon as she'd helped her hunter buddy and Dean knew she cared but she was only just getting to know them really. Dean also could see that Gabriel and Sam were developing quite a close friendship but he too, was new to the unit. Cas had been alongside the boy's for a long time and he knew how Sam worked and how to help. He'd been there alongside them through a lot of the bad crap they'd gone through and he knew Sam. Cas knew Sam more than Mary and more than Gabriel did. Dean doubted anyone would ever know his kid brother the way he did but out of their family, Cas was the closest person beside's himself that he'd feel comfortable with, looking out for Sammy. That had been the only consolation when he was planning on using himself as a bomb to take down Amara, that he knew Sam had Cas. Cas also had a habit of letting Dean know when he was being near sighted and telling Dean what he needed to hear. So he was definitely glad that Cas hadn't wondered of on some unknown mission.

It had only been a few days so it was early days but Dean felt content. He felt bad for Sam because he knew he had some challenges ahead but Dean had his baby brother back and his mom and honorary brother and friends around him. They were safe and Dean saw a light at the end of this particular tunnel. It was the most at peace he'd felt in months and Dean had been through enough to know that you have to cherish those moments.

3 weeks later...

It had been three weeks and 4 days since Sam was brought back from the dead. Things had been quiet. Lily went off with Chuck and Amara once a day. Sometime's Gabriel would go with them and sometimes he'd stay. Mary was back home and mothering the boy's. It had took a while for Mary to find her place in her son's lives. She found it so hard to walk the line between hardened hunter and a mother, especially when her boy's were somewhat legendary hunter's themselves. She had struggled and ended up distancing herself from her children when she couldn't cope but after almost losing them so many times and learning more about the horrific things they'd experienced, that mothering instinct got stronger.

She could be the cold, hard, calculating hunter when she was searching for vamps and werewolves but when she was at the bunker with her boy's, she was softer and warmer. Mary realized it didn't have to be a choice between one or the other. She could be both but she could never give up being a mom. Her boy's may be fully gown, strong men but underneath the surface, they were still so vulnerable. So when Mary came back from the hunt, she went into "mom mode". Making both of her boy's eat regular meals and take care of themselves properly. Offering an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on if it was needed. Most of the time, neither Sam or Dean did. They were so used to leaning on each other.

It had become clear in the past three weeks that Sam was having a hard time since coming back but he turned to Dean instead of her. Mary understood it. Dean had been pretty much the only care giver Sam had known and they knew each other inside out. They knew what each other needed. When to push and when to hold back. What to say or do when things were tough and Mary didn't, not yet. She was still learning. So she wasn't surprised when the only person Sam seemed to lean on was Dean but it still stung a little. Hurt to know that she was Sam's mother and she should know the right words to say but didn't. She was determined to find it all out though. To really get to know her children.

Sam spent a lot of time learning and experimenting with his new found abilities. He'd managed to get a grip on things pretty well and seemed less afraid of who he was now. When he wasn't practicing or researching, he was either watching TV with Dean or going out into town with Dean and sometime's Cas and Mary. Sam seemed to like the nearby library. Mary found it strange at first given the huge library they had right in the bunker but most of the books in the bunker were non-fiction and about supernatural creatures, Sam seemed to like leisure reading. Sam would go out to diner's and bar's with Dean but Sam seemed wary to drink too much now that he had grace.

Gabriel and Sam had been scheming together, Gabriel learning Sam ways he could use his new power to mess with Dean. Even Cas couldn't suppress a laugh when Dean stormed in from the shower with green hair or when he'd woken up floating on a mattress in the makeshift pool that Sam had temporarily turned his room into. Mary had lightly scolded Sam, telling him off for teasing his older brother as if they were still kids but Mary secretly reveled in it. Loved seeing her two boy's doing something so normal like bickering and playing pranks on one another.

Although Sam definitely seemed to have fun messing with Dean, he also used his abilities to show his gratitude to Dean. According to Dean, Sam couldn't cook unless it involved putting some 'leaves' on a plate but now he had powers, he could conjure up anything. One morning, Dean had walked into a kitchen full of his favorite foods, fresh and great quality. Dean also found a vinyl record player along with a collection of classic rock LP's that Dean liked. Sam had said that everything sounded better on vinyl which prompted Dean to list several reason why Sam was a huge nerd but Dean beamed at the offering. The lighthearted teasing did nothing to disguise the appreciation from Dean.

Cas spent a lot of time watching TV shows when he wasn't, not so subtly, hovering around making sure Sam was okay and asking Dean how he was feeling.

It had been three weeks though, which meant both of the boy's were getting ready to hit the road once again. Sam was doing okay. He and Dean carried a constant weight on their shoulders so things were still tough and Sam still had nightmare's and bad days but they were both used to that kind of thing. Sam was pretty much back to his usual self and with his angel mojo pretty much controlled and tested, Dean was finding it difficult to come up with an excuse not to hunt anymore. So Sam and Dean began to look for easy hunts to get back into the swing of things.

They went to check out, what looked like a simple vengeful spirit. For a change, luck was on their side and it was a simple salt and burn. They were back at the bunker in a couple of days but it seemed to be what they needed.

Sam, Dean, Mary and Cas were eating breakfast, well Cas watched the other's eat, when Gabriel wandered in looking conflicted.

"What's up?" asked Sam.

"It's Lily"

"Is she okay?" questioned Mary.

"Yeah, it's just...this was never meant to be a permanent arrangement. It was just something until I found a safe alternative. Plus, Lily is still having some trouble controlling her power. Dad wants to take Lily full time. Apparently he and Amara are planning on returning to heaven and they want Lily to go with them", explained Gabriel.

"I thought heaven wasn't safe for her?" queried Sam.

"That was before Chuck. Angel's are kind of prejudice towards Nephilim's but with dad back and personally raising Lily, I doubt any angel would dare to lay a wing on her", told Gabriel.

"So, this is going to happen?" asked Dean.

"I think so. They think it's for the best. She can grow and learn to control herself without running the risk of any human being harmed. Dad also thinks heaven is where she belongs", shrugged Gabriel.

"And how do you feel about that? Or Lily for that matter, as she even been consulted on this?" questioned Sam.

"I don't know. I want what's best for her and I can see the benefits from this but I also wonder if it really is the best thing and Lily does know. She said she'd miss this place, we're the only family she's really known but she wants to make sure she doesn't cause any harm and she also wants to see where her family came from. Ultimately it's her decision and I think she'll agree to go", admitted Gabriel.

When Lily returned, she had agreed to leave the bunker for good, going to live permanently with Chuck in heaven. She was finally ready to go, only needing to say her goodbye's.

"See ya, kid. Stay out of troubled", smiled Dean.

"Thanks and I will", promised Lily. Mary and Cas said goodbye to the young nephilim.

Lily stood by Sam, hugging him before she left. As much as she was grateful to everyone in the bunker, she had been especially close to Sam. Him being somewhat of a big brother figure to her and he'd seemed to understand her when other's didn't.

"Sam...thank you, for everything. You always tried to help me even when I maybe didn't deserve it after everything that happened with my dad but you still did. I'm really going to miss you", smiled Lily through gentle tears.

"Hey, enough of that. You do deserve help. You deserve to be happy, Lily. So go and be happy but make sure when things are more settled, you come to visit us, deal?" smiled Sam as he gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Deal", grinned Lily.

"Well, c'mon kiddo. Let's get you to heaven", breathed Gabriel.

"What are you going to do? Are you going with her for good?" wondered Sam to Gabriel.

"I'm going to go with Lily, help her to settle but after I'll probably split my time between heaven and earth. As much as I love heaven and all, I've kind of gotten used to it down here", stated Gabriel.

"Well when you're in our neck of the woods, there'll be a place for you here to crash or whatever angel's do", shrugged Dean.

"Dean-o, are you asking me to come back when I'm on earth?", grinned Gabriel.

"All right, no need to make it akward", brushed off Dean.

"I second that...don't be a stranger", told Sam.

"I won't", reassured Gabriel before disappearing with Lily.

3 months after Dean brought back Sam...

Sam and Dean had gone back to hunting full time again. Mary joined them at times, sometimes she went on solo hunts but she used the bunker as a base and carried on being a constant presence in their lives.

Sam was still coming to terms with the changes to him but things were pretty good in that department. He seemed to have a good handle on them and that seemed to make Sam more comfortable with his situation. The angel power's had helped them on hunts and using it to help people seemed to make Sam feel a little better about the whole thing.

They hadn't seen Lily since she'd left the bunker but Gabriel had payed a visit. Lily was still getting a handle on things but according to Gabriel, she liked it in heaven and was planning to visit when she'd learnt how to control her powers properly.

Cas split his time between the Winchester's and trying to mend bridges in heaven. He had more time on his hands though with immediate threat out of the way. Lily was in Chuck's care and Lucifer was gone. Cas had even joined Sam and Dean on a couple of hunts which always turned out to be amusing.

Things were good. Dean and Sam's relationship was on track and Sam was doing a lot better. All of the crap that they'd been through, all of the Lucifer stuff, that was never going to go away but with Lucifer finally gone, it was one less weight to carry. Dean had been there to help Sam when he woke up screaming. He'd been to help Sam to stop flinching whenever someone got too close or stop him from freaking out at the smell of burning. And they'd gotten there. Sam had only his regular amount of nightmare's and he got back to his usual geeky self.

Sam and Dean talked a lot more too. Dean was his usual gruff and sarcastic self but behind that, he had way more "chick flick moments" with Sam than he'd admit but it seemed to be doing them both good.

There hadn't been any new major threats in the past couple of months so they continued with the regular gigs. Dealing with werewolves, rugaru's and vamps was a walk in the park compared with what they usually had to contend with. It was nice to get back to the simple stuff. It wasn't lost on Sam or Dean how crazy there life was to consider vampires as the simple stuff but they were content.

Things were good between them, better than in a long time. They were alive and as safe a hunter was ever going to be. They had Cas and their mom.

And as always, they had each other. They were a team and they were on the same page. Dean knew that everyone had to die and that one day, he wouldn't be able to bring Sam back. He knew that he couldn't keep doing stuff that Sam wouldn't agree too but Dean promised himself that when it was their time, they'd go down together, saving people. He promised himself that Sam would never have to do anything like that, alone, ever again.

Sam was grateful. Grateful for Dean. He knew that even when Dean made mistakes, he did from a good place. Since Sam had been brought back, Dean's support had been unwavering and Sam was more than aware how much he needed his big brother. Now it was mostly over with, things had been good.

Sam had accepted that he wouldn't have a traditional life. A wife and 2.5 kids weren't on the table for him but as the he years went by, his longing for the that life grew weaker. He'd asked Dean if he ever thought about settling down with a hunter and if that happened to him too that would be great but he wasn't concerned about it. He was grateful for what he'd got. He'd lost enough over the years to know to cherish what you have. Sam had lost a lot of loved one's so he didn't take for granted the one's who were with him now and Dean had always been there.

Through it all, Sam and Dean have always had and would always have each other. So they could fight whatever might be on the horizon. They could fight it together.

A woman stood nervously on the spot, mindful not to say anything provocative to the man before her.

"My Lord, if I could be so bold...what are your plans?", questioned the woman as he eye's flickered to charcoal black.

"My plan? I'm going to destroy everything. Starting with that overgrown idiot", the man seethed.

"Of course but you are injured?"

"The ritual did not kill me. It wasn't designed with the devil in mind but it did destroy my wings and he'll pay for that. My power, however, is unchanged. I'm going to wipe this puny planet out once and for all but before that, I'm going to make Sam Winchester wish he was dead. I need you to fetch me my old vessel. He is still in that house"

"Yes, Lucifer. Anything my Lord"

The End