Finally got another story ready for posting! This is a save Dean fic and starts right after the S13 finale, for getting through the hiatus. I hope you guys all enjoy it!

Nothing Else Matters

A Supernatural Fanfic

Chapter One

Sam stared at the empty spot where his brother had been only second before, disbelief and horror mixing with the adrenaline rush from witnessing Lucifer's death at long last. He almost couldn't believe what he had just seen. One minute Dean had been standing there holding the bloody archangel blade and then he had been fighting back Michael before the archangel had ultimately gained control and then taken his brother off to god knows where.

"Sam."

The quiet voice beside him reminded him suddenly of the boy, trembling and bloody, standing beside him, hunched over, one hand curled protectively around his wound.

"Jack," Sam said and instantly turned back to him, touching his shoulder. "Hold on."

Jack sniffed and folded over a little more. "It hurts," he whispered, as if not sure what else to say.

He started to collapse then and Sam caught him, easing the boy down so that they were both sitting against the wall of the church. Truthfully, Sam was in a lot of pain as well from the beatings Lucifer and Michael both had dealt him. But Jack was bleeding from the self-inflicted wound, and Sam quickly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to the hole in Jack's shirt, positioning Jack's hand over it and keeping his own over top for extra pressure.

"You'll be okay. It's not that bad," Sam assured him.

"But Dean…" Jack whispered.

"We'll get him back," Sam said firmly. "We will."

Jack leaned more heavily against him and Sam wrapped his arm around the boy before he pulled his phone out and called Cas, hand trembling as he thought about what he had to say.

The phone picked up almost immediately.

"Sam?" Cas' breathless voice came over the line.

"Cas," Sam said. "It…it's over."

"Lucifer?" Cas asked.

"Dead," Sam assured him.

"And Dean?" the question came so hesitantly, Sam bit his lip to bleeding before he answered.

"He's gone, Cas," he said helplessly. "Look, just…Jack is hurt, can you come get us?"

He sounded so pathetic to his own ears but he couldn't really care at the moment, and he knew Cas wouldn't judge him for it.

There was a long silence on the other end, before Cas finally heaved a breath. "Okay…okay, Sam, I'll get the GPS coordinates and be there soon."

"Thanks, Cas," Sam whispered and ended the call. Then he simply wrapped him arms back around Jack and the two sat there in silence, waiting for the rest of their family to come for them.

Sam wasn't sure how long it was before the door to the church burst open and footsteps pounded toward them.

"Sam!"

The hunter finally looked up and saw Cas and his mom running toward them. They both halted to stare at Lucifer's dead body for a moment before continuing on toward Sam and Jack.

"Sam, Jack," Mom cried as Sam stood, drawing the nephillim up with him, and allowed her to throw her arms around him, hands searching for injuries in the same way Dean always did.

Cas had Jack pressed against his chest, chin resting on his head as the boy's shoulders shook and the four of them moved together into a tight knot, arms folding around each other almost instinctively. Sam just held his family close, heartbroken at the member they were missing.

Jack let out a muffled cry of pain then, and Mom turned to him and reached out to touch his bruised face and gently maneuver him toward one of the church pews that hadn't been destroyed in the fight.

"Come on, Jack, sit down," Mom said softly.

Sam and Cas were left standing there, and they slowly met eyes and Sam's filled with tears again at the sight of the hopelessness and pain in Cas'.

"We lost him, Cas," Sam whispered, his jaw trembling. "Dean's gone."

Cas shook his head, pressing his knuckles to his mouth. "I should have done more to stop him. I should not have let him do this."

"Cas, you know how stubborn Dean is," Sam sighed. "This isn't on you."

"But I knew Michael would never honor the agreement," Cas growled, running his hands over his face.

Sam shook his head. "I'm sure Dean did too." He glanced over at Lucifer's corpse again, biting his lip. He still felt relief at the simple fact that his tormentor would never again cause anyone pain. He knew what Dean had sacrificed for that to happen. He knew well enough why Dean had said yes.

"Boys," Mom called to them softly. "We can't help Dean just sitting around here. And Jack needs to be home. We all do."

Sam swallowed hard and nodded. He gripped Cas' shoulder tightly and the angel turned back to Jack and Mom who had the boy tucked against her side. She'd cleaned the blood from his face, but Jack still had tear tracks down his cheeks.

"Agreed," Sam said and the four of them trooped out of the church toward Mom's waiting car, and climbed in. Castiel slid in beside Jack in the backseat and the boy slumped against him, hand still curled protectively around his wound. Sam turned around.

"Cas," he said softly. "Jack, um, Jack can't heal himself anymore."

Cas' eyes widened in realization and turned back to Jack. "Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry, I didn't think…" he touched the boy's forehead and with a soft glow, Jack gasped and clutched at his chest. His shirt was still bloody, but Sam knew his wound had been healed. Sam swallowed hard as the boy simply collapsed back against Cas' side, eyes closed. Sam didn't know whether he was asleep or just in shock. He met Cas' eyes and the angel gave a pained, worried look. Sam swallowed hard. Yeah, the kid was going to need a lot of care after this.

It turned out they weren't more than a couple hours from the bunker, which Sam was grateful for because he just wanted to be home right now, wanted to make sure his family was safe. It was the only thing he could do with Dean in the wind, bodynapped by Michael. It was a nightmare Sam hadn't dreamed of in years. Obviously, he had thought they were over that part of their lives, saying yes, Dean being the Michael Sword…Sam couldn't believe it really had come to pass after all. Even after all these years.

They all trooped inside, seeming heavy. None of the refugees were left there, Mom told him that Bobby had taken them away, since the bunker seemed no longer safe. Sam felt a pang at that, but nodded in understanding. After all, Michael had found them there, and had gotten past the warding to get inside. He didn't blame them if they didn't feel safe.

Jack didn't say a word, and just slipped away to the dormitory ward. Sam and Cas shared a look.

"Let him have a moment," Mom said softly, touching Sam's arm. "He's been through a lot."

Cas nodded in understanding. "More than he should have ever had to. And I know what it feels like to lose your powers so violently. Even though Jack was already half human, it can't be easy for him."

Sam felt his heart clench again. "We're gonna get him through this. We're all gonna get through this," he said, and wondered if it was mostly for his own benefit.

Mom ran her hand down his arm kindly, and then nodded toward the kitchen. "I'm going to make something to eat. Jack could use a hot meal."

Sam nodded, thankful to have his mother back. "Sounds good."

Cas turned to him once she had left. "Sam, are you okay?"

Sam ran his hands down his face. "I don't know. No, definitely not, because Dean had been kidnapped by a genocidal archangel, but…hell, Cas, if I'm not at least relieved Lucifer is gone for good."

Cas nodded. "I am definitely in agreement on that." He turned toward the dormitory ward. "I think we should go talk to Jack."

Sam nodded and followed the angel toward the nephillim's room.

Sam knocked on the door. "Jack?" he called.

There was no answer, so he pushed open the door anyway.

They found Jack standing there bare-chested, in the process of changing his clothes, just looking down at his chest, fingers running over the spot he had forced the dagger into his flesh. Since Cas had healed him, there was no scar there, but still, Sam realized that had been the first time he had been hurt where he couldn't just heal himself instantly. Jack was probably in shock.

"Jack," Cas said with a soft sigh as he walked over and settled a hand on the boy's shoulder. "How are you doing?"

Jack simply turned away, grabbing a long sleeved shirt and pulling it on slowly before he climbed onto the bed and sat against the pillows, knees pulled up to his chest. Cas glanced back at Sam and the hunter stepped forward, sitting down on the side of the bed to face Jack.

"Jack, hey," he began. "Talk to us."

Jack shook his head, arms hugging his knees more firmly. "What can I even say?" he asked helplessly. "This is all my fault."

"Jack, you can't blame yourself for this," Cas said, sitting on the other side of the bed.

"But it is my fault!" Jack cried, eyes shining wetly with unshed tears. "I failed to kill Michael to begin with. And I…I didn't listen to you when you warned me about Lucifer. And you were right. All of you were right." He buried his face against his knees, voice choking off.

"Jack, look," Sam said. "He was your father, it was natural for you to be curious."

"And, perhaps, part of it was our fault as well," Cas admitted, glancing toward Sam. "After all, we told you Lucifer was evil, but we never really gave you any specifics. We never tried to explain to you why and what he was really like."

"Exactly," Sam added, knowing Cas was right. "All you saw was him trying to be your friend; bringing…bringing me back." He swallowed hard, that whole horrible scene still haunting his memory. "But he did that on purpose, just to make you trust him."

"He said…" Jack sniffed, glancing back up at Sam and the angel. "He said we could see the stars. That he would take me to other galaxies. I thought it would be amazing, like…being in Star Wars." Sam hated the look of utter hatred and betrayal on Jack's face, but was also glad it was not directed at him or Cas. "But all he wanted to do was get away so Michael could destroy the world. I was such an idiot to believe him."

"We've all been idiots," Cas said with a wry look. "I was the angel who trusted Metatron and ended up casting all of my brothers and sisters to earth."

"Look, Jack, being trusting is not a bad thing," Sam said. "In fact, it's really a good thing, but you have to know who you can trust."

Jack looked between the two of them, still sniffing but seeming to relax a little. "I think I do now."

Sam smiled and settled a hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently. "And we're here for you. Never forget that."

"We're your family," Cas added.

There was a soft knock on the door and Mom poked her head in.

"If you boys are hungry, I made soup and sandwiches," she said.

Sam squeezed Jack's shoulder again. "Come on, you should eat something."

Jack didn't look very excited, but his stomach gurgled anyway, and so he sighed and slid off the bed. Cas caught his arm on the way out the door.

"Jack, I know what you're going through, losing your powers like that…it won't be easy. But I think you'll be okay."

"And we're here to support you. Just never forget that," Sam added.

Jack gave him a watery smile, and then followed Mom out of the room as she ushered him gently with a hand on his back.

Sam glanced over to Cas. "How do you think he's doing?" he asked quietly.

The angel shrugged helplessly. "I think he's still working through it. Though at least he was already half human, so it's not as drastic a change as when I lost my grace."

"But he is…completely human now? There aren't any of his powers left?"

"I don't think so," Cas said softly. "And with Lucifer dead…there's no way to get them back."

Sam bit his lip. He wasn't sure how Jack truly felt about losing his powers and he didn't really want to broach the subject right now when the boy was still in shock. Besides, to the rest of them, it didn't matter if he was powered up or not, he was still Jack, he was still their family. He just might be more vulnerable and need a little more fight training if he was going to continue on hunts with them.

And of course, their main problem right now was tracking down the genocidal archangel who had stolen Sam's brother before he decided to destroy the world.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat," Sam told Cas. "Then we need to discuss what to do about Dean and Michael."

Cas nodded in agreement and the two of them continued on their way to the kitchen.

They found Jack sitting at the table with Mom placing a steaming bowl of soup in front of him, and a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone.

"Come on, both of you, before it gets cold," Mom said. "You too, Castiel."

Sam and Cas were on their way to the table when the sound of the bunker door opening startled all four of them. Sam and Cas both drew weapons instantly and Sam held up his hand to his mom and Jack. "Stay here."

"Sam," Mom protested, but he and Cas were already moving into the war room.

Sam's heart was pounding, afraid that it might be Michael back to kill all of them and using Dean's body to do it.

However, it was a completely unexpected face that he saw as the visitor stepped up to the railing and leaned over it with a cocky smile.

"Hey fellas. Miss me?"

"Gabriel!" Sam and Cas cried at the same time.

It felt like being crushed, like he was wrapped in a hundred yards of rope and whoever had the end was yanking him away viciously, shoving him down, and there was nothing he could do to fight it off, no matter how much he struggled.

Dean blinked and he was in a dark room, with no discerning features. He spun around, looking for any way out and then began to run in one direction, slamming into a wall. He threw himself at it again and again, but it was no use. There was no way out.

"Don't bother. You're not getting the upper hand, Dean."

Dean spun around to see Michael standing in front of him; the archangel was smirking, hands clasped behind his back.

"You son of a bitch," Dean snarled, fists clenching. "We had a deal! One time only, remember? Now get the hell out! I revoke my permission."

"Oh, you're going to have to try a lot harder to get me out," Michael said, obviously pleased with himself. "After all, you are my true vessel. And I gotta admit, it feels very nice in here. So much better fit than my old ones."

Dean growled and lunged toward the archangel, only to have Michael snag him by the front of his coat and slam him to the ground. Dean hit hard, rolling, and coming back up to lunge again.

Michael's fist met his stomach in a punishing blow and Dean folded as the archangel used his downward momentum to slam his knee into Dean's face. Dean collapsed on the ground, groaning.

"It's almost amusing that you think you can beat me," Michael said, kicking Dean onto his back before he leaned over and wrenched the hunter back onto his knees.

"Well, this is my own body," Dean grunted. "And no means no."

Michael gave him an amused look. "Come on, Dean. You knew what you were getting into when you said yes. You had to know you weren't going to walk out of there without a permanent passenger."

Dean glowered up at him. Yeah, he'd figured on it, but he hadn't expected Michael to be so damn strong. Sam had been able to gain control over Lucifer, after all, maybe it was his fault for thinking it couldn't be that hard with a little determination.

"If you think I'm gonna just let you destroy the world, you're wrong," Dean said, climbing to his feet again. "I didn't kill Lucifer just for you to be the next up-and-coming big bad. I know you're new around here, but Sam and I, we kinda have a track record for destroying people like you."

"So I gathered from what Lucifer told me," Michael said, cocking his head to one side. "Which is why I'm not going to take any chances with you."

Dean couldn't dodge in time as Michael slammed a punishing blow into the side of his face. He dropped, and the archangel kicked him viciously in the ribs several times before Dean attempted to roll out of the way. Then, Michael simply picked him up, slammed his fist several more times into Dean's face and threw him across the room to smash into the dark wall.

Dean crumpled onto the ground, blood in his mouth, body singing with pain. He weakly tried to fend off Michael as the archangel crouched in front of him.

"I'm in charge here, Dean," Michael told him darkly. "And I think you'd do well to remember that I don't need you in here to occupy this vessel. So I would behave if I were you."

"You son of a bitch," Dean slurred, then felt panic set in as Michael grabbed his arm, clamping something cold and hard around his wrist. Dean heard the clank of chains and tried to struggle upright but Michael had already clamped a manacle around his other wrist too.

"No!" Dean growled and surged upright just as Michael stepped back with a satisfied smirk. Dean yanked at the chains that held him against the wall. "You bastard! I will kill you! I will throw you out of this body and stab you in the neck!"

"Whatever makes you feel better, Dean," Michael said patronizingly. "Now, be a good meatsuit. I've got a lot to do and I'm not gonna take kindly to any distractions."

"Michael!" Dean shouted after the archangel's retreating back, yanking at his chains so hard his wrists bled. But it was no use. He was chained good and tight.

Dean finally slumped back against the wall, hands dangling on either side of his head, and tried to think about what the hell he was going to do to fix this.