"If you enjoy books with happy endings, than you are better off reading some other book."

-Lemon Snicket, The Bad Beginning; "A Series of Unfortunate Events"

When Jesse first contacted the survivors at Singer Salvage, it was via cell phone—and he almost didn't have the nerve to go through with it.

"Sam?" he asked hesitantly, watching the woman who had kindly loaned him her cell phone. She seemed okay, if a little concerned, but Jesse wasn't taking any chances. He wasn't supposed to be outside. "Is this Sam Winchester?"

"Yeah, but who is—Jesse? Jesse! Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you, Jesse. Are you alright?"

"Sam," and Jesse swallowed hard. "Sam, I need to talk to Gabriel. Please."

"Gabriel?" Sam repeated in confusion. "Why would—how do you . . ."

"He didn't come back, Sam," Jesse whispered, not sure if the man could hear him. "Gabriel promised to come back and he didn't. I waited, but I can't wait anymore. Tell Gabriel to come back."

There was a long moment of silence. Then Sam cleared his throat. "Jesse, I think you should come here. I'm at Singer Salvage in South Dakota. Can you get here or should I come get you?"

"I just want Gabriel to come back," Jesse tried again.

"Jesse . . . Gabriel isn't coming back. Gabriel is dead," Sam explained reluctantly. "I'm sorry."

Jesse didn't hear anything after that. Not until the woman crouched and took the phone from him. "Are you alright, sweetheart? Sweetheart? Hello?"

Her hand stayed on Jesse's back as she talked with Sam, rubbing up and down soothingly. His mom used to do that for him. He'd always shrug away and tell her that he wasn't a kid. Gabriel would grip him in a bear hug, and snap up things to distract him instead. He wondered if that meant that back rubs were a girl thing or a human thing.

"Jesse?" The woman smiled sadly at him as she hung up the phone. "Sam is going to come and get you. I'll stay with you until then, okay? Is there anything I can get for you?"

Jesse shook his head.

She gently cupped his cheek in one hand. "I'm sorry about Gabriel."

Jesse nodded dumbly. He had to go home. He shouldn't have come outside. Gabriel made him promise to stay inside. Why did Jesse have to break it?

The woman stood and held out one hand. Unconsciously, Jesse reached out, and when realization dawned, he almost pulled it back. But her slim hand folded around his as she scooped up her coat and purse with the other. "Where to, sweetheart?"

"Home," he managed, and remembered at the last second not to just imagine himself there with the kind woman in tow. "This way," Jesse pointed at random. It didn't matter which way they went; he could make it lead home.

The house was white. Gabriel had been very particular about that when he moved Jesse out of the bakery basement and into the beach house. Jesse led the woman right inside and watched her step past the warding without bursting into fire. She was safe, he decided and pulled free of her hand in order to cross the room. He zeroed in on the kitchen island, and snapped food into the refrigerator seconds before the woman opened the door.

"Can I make you something to eat?" she asked.

"Yes, please," he nodded, pouring himself a glass of water from the island sink. She didn't know that he could cook for himself. Or that he had been doing it for a month now without any help from anyone.

"Chicken sound good?"

Jesse nodded, and crossed to the couch in the living room, setting his water on the floor and flopping down on it. He was asleep in seconds, and when he woke up, Sam was there.

"What's kicking?"

Castiel narrowly dodged the plate that went flying as Jesse rocketed out of his chair.

"Gabriel!"

The boy threw himself into the archangel's waiting arms. Gabriel scooped the eleven year old off the ground and spun him around in an exaggerated circle. When the movement stilled once more, Jesse wrapped his legs around Gabriel's waist, doing an apt impersonation of a leech. Gabriel cradled the back of Jesse's head in one hand, his eyes actually soft for a moment before he gazed out over the boy.

"Hey, guys."

"Gabriel," Castiel nodded civilly, as Sam gaped like a fish. "It is good to see you again."

"Only for a bit, bro." A flash of something like regret was in Gabriel's eyes, but then he focused on Jesse again. "How are you doing, kid? These knuckleheads taking good care of you?"

Jesse didn't respond for a long moment, just clinging to Gabriel for all he was worth. Then with a shaky laugh, he managed a soft "Been alright. Not as good as you."

"Ain't nothing as good as me, kiddo," Gabriel boasted. "But they'll do alright."

"Whatever," Jesse shook his head. "I'm sorry, Gabriel. I shouldn't have left the house."

Gabriel settled Jesse's weight on the counter, separating them with a little difficulty. "Don't be sorry, Jess . . . I was dead. Wasn't going to be coming back . . . shouldn't have, except I've got people in high places." Gabriel looked disgruntled. "Took a darn long time going about it too. I was worried sick about you on your own like that. Coyote was supposed to be looking after you, and I'm going to skin him for forgetting about you."

"You knew you were gonna die," Jesse whispered.

"Odds were pretty good, kiddo," Gabriel admitted candidly. "I left pretty specific instructions for a reason."

"You should have taken me with you," Jesse insisted. "I could have done something."

"No way, kiddo. Not after all the trouble I went to in order to tuck you away safe and sound. You're no match for Lucifer."

"I could have saved you!"

Sam was trying to awkwardly shepherd Ben and Claire out of the kitchen, but neither was moving, and even Sam was battling his urge to watch.

Castiel didn't bother with pretenses.

"You died, Gabriel. You died, and left me all alone. And . . . and you lied! You said you were coming back!"

"I know," Gabriel nodded. "Sorry, kid, but sometimes adults lie."

Jesse swallowed hard.

Gabriel grimaced. "C'mon, Kiddo, and give me a hug. I've got to go."

"What?" Jesse looked up through tearful eyes, already moving back into Gabriel's arms. "I'm coming with you."

"No, kiddo, you can't. I'm getting called back to heaven."

Jesse tensed. "No. No. Don't go."

"I have to, Jess."

"No. No, you don't! I'll protect you!" Jesse gripped the back of Gabriel's jacket, burying his face in the archangel's chest. "Stay with me!"

"C'mon, kiddo," Gabriel tried tugging Jesse away to look at him, but the eleven year old had different ideas. "I'd like to stay, but I can't."

"Then I'll go with you!"

"Can't do that either, Jess," Gabriel looked away from them, folding his arms around Jesse in a fast tight hug. "You've gotta stay here with the Winchesters and your friends."

"They're not my friends! They don't even like me! Don't leave me here, Gabriel! I want to be with you! I want to be with you!"

Gabriel looked at Sam and Castiel desperately. Sam was of no use, tears running down his face, so Castiel took the necessary step forward and wrapped an arm around Jesse's waist from behind. Jesse kicked blindly at him, tightening his grip around Gabriel's neck.

"No! Don't go! Gabriel! Gabriel, please! I'll be good! I can be good!"

Gabriel froze, and Castiel knew that the shell-shocked expression was mirrored on all faces across the table. Castiel released the boy. Gabriel caught Jesse's face in both hands. "I never thought otherwise, Jess. Don't you ever think that—that's never been a question. I'd stay if I could—this is not your fault. This isn't punishment—not yours at least. Mine, maybe. But I'll be watching you, Jess. That's a promise." Gabriel kissed Jesse's forehead soundly, and pushed him into Castiel's waiting arms.

"Gabriel!" Jesse screamed, struggling and fighting.

Gabriel shook his head, stepping out of range. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come back; I wanted to make sure he was alright . . . you take care of him, bro."

Castiel nodded grimly, trapping Jesse's wrists in one hand over the boy's head. And then his brother was gone without so much as a snap.

Castiel let go of Jesse, who stumbled at the sudden freedom, and then he tore out of the kitchen, down the hall, and past a startled Bobby who had just returned from town. He slammed into the screen door and fell out into the yard, still screaming the archangel's name.

"Gabriel! Come back! Come back! Gabriel! Gabriel! Gabriel!"

With the last desperate shriek, Jesse collapsed into the dirt. Sam pushed past Castiel and the kids, but only got a few feet from Jesse, before the boy threw out his hand and sent Sam flying. "Stay away from me! I hate it here! I hate you!"

"Jesse!" Bobby snapped, and recoiled from the boy's shove at apparent thin air.

"I am not a monster!" Jesse yelled, pointing at Bobby. "I'm not a monster, and I don't deserve to die! I don't want to die. I want to go home." Jesse whipped around to snarl at Claire. "Don't you dare feel sorry for me!"

Claire's mouth worked silently for a moment, before tears spilled over and she hid her face in Castiel's shirt. Jesse resumed yelling at the sky while they all watched.

Then Ben shouldered past, and approached the other boy. He was pushed away, but Ben got back up and moved in again, repeating the procedure until he was close enough to wrap his arms around the other boy.

Ben hung on stubbornly—he was so like Dean that way—and Jesse slowly sank as his demands gave way to pleas and tears muffled by Ben's shoulder. The adults shared a look, and in that narrow space of time, Jesse disappeared from the scrapyard, leaving Ben to hold nothing but air.