Title: Heaven's Intentions

Author: ColorMeContented

Disclaimer: Supernatural and pretty much everything here belong to their respective owners. All I have is the one OC and plot.

Rating: M for mature audiences only

Warnings: Fluff, booze, possible eventual slash, swearing, blasphemy and the like, violence and emotional distress, possible spoilers if you aren't up to date with season 9… I think that's all?

AN: Oh my God! It's finally done! I'd like to thank the academy and everyone who stuck with me through this magnificent train wreck! I love you all! I'm planning to come back with something new very soon so keep your eyes open, thank you for all the reviews and follows and favorites and support. Stay awesome people of the internet!

Enjoy.

Chapter Fifteen: If You're Out There

Dean's head was in a haze; it seemed that everything he looked at was warped. He swerved lazily down the hall, finding it unbearably difficult to place the correct foot in the right spot for walking. He stumbled but caught himself on the wall. He had to find Sam. He had to find Sam and tell him what Cas said and find another Angel, any Angel that wasn't Cas, he wouldn't rip Cas' wings off of him even if his life depended on it.

Suddenly Dean felt like vomiting but forced it down. Not this time. He was going to find Sam, he wasn't going to let Cas see him and drag him back to bed. That shit had been going on for a fuckin' week. They needed this. The trials had to be done. One foot in front of the other.

"Sam!" Dean squawked as he pounded his fist against his brother's door.

The door opened and Dean almost fell forward but was able to catch himself. He stood there for a moment with arms outstretched until he regained his balance.

"What are you doing Dean? You should be in bed."

Dean forced himself to stand up straight and decidedly ignored that both his little brother and Gadreel were without shirt, in a room that was once locked, together. He also didn't care if he was being a massive cock block; he needed Sam's help damnit!

"We can't let Cas get his wings ripped off." Dean slurred, swaying a bit on his feet.

Sam frowned and led Dean to sit on the bed where Gadreel had miraculously donned a shirt.

"Isn't this something you should be talking to Cas about?" asked Sam.

Dean's eyes widened suddenly and he shook his head, looking very much at that moment like a sick child.

"No!" he barked, "Can't talk to Cas, he'll throw some logic at me and I won't be able to say no."

Sam looked at Gadreel as though for permission to say something. Gadreel just shrugged.

"Actually, Dean, Gadreel and I had an idea about that. We need an Angel that we don't care about, for lack of a better phrase, and we don't want Cecilia, Cas and Gadreel to get sent back to Heaven when this is all over right?" Dean nodded, "So do you remember when we were looking for Anna's Grace and Uriel had it kept in that little bottle?" Dean nodded again, trying to keep up with Sam through the haze in his head.

"What if we seal up their Grace in bottles so they always have it but they won't go to Heaven when you close the gates?"

Dean thought about it a moment.

"But what if Cas doesn't want to give up his Grace again, you saw how miserable he was without it. What if he says no?" Dean fidgeted with a loose string on the hem of his shirt, "What if he leaves?"

"You know he won't do that Dean," Sam said as he took a seat next to his brother on the bed, "Cas loves you and if giving up his Grace is what he has to do to be with you, he'll do it."

"Yea… that's great Sam but what do we do about the Angel wings?" he asked, rolling his eyes at his brother's heart-to-heart moment.

Sam looked to Gadreel again, "I suggest we tear Bartholomew's wings from his back," Said Gadreel, "we will need you to lure him out in the open and when he is not expecting it, clip his wings."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"I still don't think this is a good idea." Cas complained from the back seat of the Impala where he cradled a woozy Dean who had suddenly taken to getting carsick.

"You're just mad 'cuz we won't let you martyr yourself." Dean choked.

"No, I am concerned because we are about to use you as bait and you're still sick." Cas practically shouted, "Why am I the only one not okay with this, why are you okay with this Sam?"

"It was his idea." Said Gadreel.

"Sam!"

"He'll be fine Cas, all of us will be there to defend him if things get out of hand," Sam held up a gun, "I even made Angel blade bullets if things get too hairy. He. Will. Be. Fine."

Castiel frowned and patted Dean's back as he retched into the bucket on the floor for the third time since they'd began their trip.

"I still don't like this," Cas said as Sam stopped the car and turned the engine off. He and Gadreel retrieved all they'd need from the trunk and Castiel hauled his seemingly inebriated boyfriend from the car.

The location Sam and Dean had chosen was field on the outskirts of a small rural town in Colorado. No one owned the field so they wouldn't mind if two hunters and two Angels ripped out another Angel's wings in broad daylight on their property.

Dean thanked Cas once he was out of the car and safely seated on the trunk. Cas didn't answer but crossed his arms with a huff and leaned against the car staring straight ahead. Dean sighed. Cas was pissed.

He would be even more pissed if he knew anything about what else he and Sam had discussed the night they made their plan.

They would first extract their friends' Grace then lay a trap for Bartholomew and clip his wings. The trials would be completed. The gates of Heaven would close.

And Dean would die.

That was one danger of Sam's Hell trials that he hadn't forgot about. Sam had been within an inch of his life when he quit trying to close off Hell.

Dean glanced out of the corner of his eye at Cas. It was killing him to not tell his lover that he was about to die but Cas would stop him and they couldn't afford to chicken out on this one, Castiel would have to go on without him. Dean had even gone so far as to make Sam promise that he would keep Castiel on suicide watch after he was gone. He wanted Castiel to live a long life after him, a good life, and when Cas died and joined Dean in Heaven he would have Cas tell him his story.

Dean smiled at the thought as Sam came jogging over with one little bottle in his hand. Gadreel followed, looking a little tired; around his neck was a vial of swimming blue liquid on a black cord. His Grace. Gadreel was human, as was Cecilia who they'd left home with Charlie to watch over her.

"Your turn Cas." Sam said and handed Castiel the bottle.

Castiel glanced at Dean and then to everyone else.

"Close your eyes." He instructed, and they obeyed. There was a single white light that immediately have Dean a headache, it was over.

You can open your eyes.

Dean did so and there was Cas, looking no different from earlier except that there now hung a beautiful blue necklace 'round his neck.

Castiel chuckled and placed a hand over his heart.

"I had almost forgotten what a heartbeat feels like. It is strange."

Dean cast one long look of adoration at his lover before reaching out and wrapping his hand around the back of Castiel's head, pulling him in for one long kiss. Sam cleared his throat loudly and the two broke apart. Dean gave Cas one more peck on the lips.

"Well, I guess that's my cue." Said Dean as he hopped to the ground, gritting his teeth against the pain he felt upon hitting the ground, "You got everything set up Sam?"

His little brother nodded and shot twin looks of caution at their boyfriends as he led Dean into the field. Sam situated his brother in the exact spot where he needed to stand. Before he retreated he threw his arms around Dean's neck.

"I'm gonna miss you man." He whispered so that Dean wouldn't hear his voice crack.

"Yea," Dean smiled and patted his little brother's back, "you too Sammy. Take care of our idiots."

Sam pushed himself off Dean, keeping his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Of course, I hope you're okay with not seeing him for a while."

"Yea, it's alright," Dean said, still smiling, "if I see any of you before forty years from now I'll be pissed."

Sam laughed, a strangled, heartbroken sound, "I'm sure you will," he rubbed at his eyes and retracted his hands, handing Dean a small lighter, "good luck Dean."

"Thanks Sammy."

And then Dean was alone. In that big field with a lighter in his hand and his death on his mind. He shifted his arm a bit in his coat; the weight of the Angel blade he was carrying was still unfamiliar. Dean supposed he should think this all too unfair but he just couldn't. He'd done enough bad things in his life to warrant an end like this. His mind wandered back a few years to Sam's friend Amy… Yea, he could deal with this kind of death.

"Time to get this show on the road." He mumbled, he dropped to his knees, bowing his head and clasping his hands around the lighter in front of him, "Alright, listen up you flying ass monkey, I got a deal for you Bartholomew and if you wanna hear it come down here alone, you don't bring the God squad and I won't bring team free will."

"That's very brave of you Dean." A smarmy voice said in front of him. Dean looked up to see Bartholomew's triumphant grin as an Angel blade descended from his sleeve, "Serving up the prophet to me on a silver platter," he clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "and here I thought you weren't stupid."

Dean stood, cursing his wobbly legs, to face Bartholomew "Yea, well maybe I got a plan."

Bartholomew threw his head back and laughed, "What plan could you possibly have to stop me? I assume you've seen at least some of my work? You know I cannot be defeated."

"I dunno," Dean said as he dug a cigarette out of his pocket and placed it between his lips. He was never really one for smoking considering how much running was involved when you were a hunter. He figured that if Bartholomew knew anything about humans he would think Dean was doing the last smoke thing. When Bartholomew didn't make a move Dean smirked and lit up.

He looked up at the sky and continued to light and put out his lighter. The constant Click Click Click kept him grounded to the moment.

"Beautiful day to die isn't it?" he murmured. The lighter fell from his hand at the exact same moment that Bartholomew caught on.

The enraged Angel shrieked and launched himself at Dean but it was too late. The holy oil circle that Sam had laid out went up in flames. A great ring surrounded the two of them and a smaller one encircled just Dean in case of the scenario that Bartholomew had brought the cavalry anyway.

Dean smirked again, flicking his cigarette away and taking a step through the fire which seemed to simply bow out of his way.

Even though he was trapped Bartholomew was not about to give up. Careful to steer clear of the raging flames around him he rushed at Dean again, blade brandished and seeking blood but just as Bartholomew's blade was about to bite into Dean's neck metal clashed against metal as Dean's own blade caught Bartholomew's blow.

Bartholomew recoiled suddenly as Dean's hand delved into his pocket and he swung a flask of yellowish liquid in the Angel's face.

Holy oil.

Then everything stopped. The snarl on Bartholomew's face deepened as Dean's hand rocketed forward to grab around the back of Bartholomew's neck. The Angel could make a move and risk Dean having another lighter and burning him to a crisp, or he could wait for an opening, leaving himself open to whatever it was that Dean was about to do.

Dean grinned.

"Yup, beautiful day to die."

His blade caught the skin of Bartholomew's throat and Dean's triumphant grin and the tears welling in his eyes were erased by an explosion of searing light. So many times hotter than holy fire. So many times louder than the sound of the true voice of an Angel. So much more beautiful than anything Dean had ever seen before. More beautiful than the day his parents brought his new baby brother home from the hospital, and holy fire, and Cas.

Castiel.

For a moment Dean was nowhere, floating in space with the warmth of victory in death spreading through his body.

The next moment there were voices around him, though not those of Sam and Cas, but the voices of Angels, thousands upon thousands of Angels.

Dean's eyes snapped open and he sat up, hand flying to his mouth on instinct but this time finding that he was not sick. Was he dead?

Yes.

Dean's head pounded with the force of the answer to his unstated question. But how was he dead?

Don't you remember Dean? "You closed the gates."

Suddenly the voice had a face. Dean squinted, eyebrows drawn together.

"Chuck?"

That was right. Chuck Shurley smiled down at Dean, extending a hand to help him up. Behind him stood legion upon legion of Angels. Dean stood but promptly fell back to the floor in realization. The face he'd seen in the holy fire –

Dean raised a shaky hand to rub his eyes in awe as though the image before him was but a hallucination.

"You're –"

"That's right Dean." Instead of helping the hunter up again Chuck sat cross legged across from Dean with a calm smile on his face. "I am truly sorry to have dragged you into this, but I needed someone I knew I could trust to send my petulant children home. That was you Dean."

"God trusts me…" Dean mumbled, both feeling like hiding and singing.

"Yes Dean," said Chuck, "You've done well and I don't know about you but I think it's about time you got your reward."

Before Dean could register what was going on, before he could ask all the questions bouncing off the walls of his brain, Chuck pulled him into a hug.

"You'll have everything you ever wanted Dean, but you have to wake up for me first."

Wake up Dean.

Wake up.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Dean!" Castiel shook Dean's shoulder again, continuing to call his name. By this time Sam had stopped trying to get Castiel to come away from the body or calm down, he was too far gone. Cas wasn't even supposed to see this, Sam was supposed to drag Castiel away before he could figure out what had happened to Dean but he had fought his way out of Sam and Gadreel's hold.

"Wake up Dean, please, please don't do this." Cas grabbed Dean's hand with one hand and placed the other on the side of the hunter's face. He would wake up. He just had to try. WHY WASN'T HE TRYING?

Castiel paused, breath hitching in his lungs, as he lowered his forehead to Dean's chest, knowing that there would be no lung expansion, no heartbeat, but not willing to accept it. Not yet.

Castiel saw the Angel blade in Dean's hand glinting dangerously with the dwindling light of sunset. He could still be with Dean. It wouldn't be so bad to go back to Heaven so long as he was with Dean. Castiel's fingers twitched in anticipation as his hand began to leave Dean's cheek.

"Don't you even think about it." a voice below Castiel croaked.

The former Angel sat up immediately and their brothers rushed to his side as his eyes met with two soft green ones.

"Dean."

The hunter smiled past his pale translucent skin and the dark bags beneath his eyes.

"Hey Cas." Suddenly Dean sat up, doubling over in a coughing fit. Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean's shoulders, both calming him down and keeping Castiel from falling apart.

Castiel sobbed into Dean's shoulder as the hunter swathed Cas in his arms. Dean looked up at Sam and Gadreel with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Miss me Sammy?" and suddenly their brothers had descended upon him as well. They knocked the breath out of him but Dean didn't mind. He was alive. Cas was alive. Heaven was full of Angels. Everything was as it should be.

Sam helped his brother and Cas to their feet before trapping Dean in another bruising hug.

"Dude, how are you alive!"

Dean smiled as though he had a secret, "I guess someone really didn't want me to be done just yet –" his knees buckled. He was caught by Gadreel.

"We need to get you home to rest," he said. Though Gadreel didn't cry freely like their brothers, Dean could see the slight upturning of the man's mouth as they led him back to the Impala.

Dean and Cas hunkered down in the back seat, Cas refused to take his hands off of Dean lest he suddenly go up in smoke. Dean laughed and pulled Cas in closer, about to make a joke at his lover's expense when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

He thought he saw Chuck Shurley leaning against an old rotted out wooden fence post but when he turned his head the man was gone.

Dean smiled and kissed the top of Castiel's head. He closed his eyes listening to the sound of his baby on the road, fatigue and the promise of sleep overtaking him when, at the last possible second before unconsciousness, Dean heard a light chuckle resounding in his ears.

Have a good life Dean.

FIN.