Dean leapt to his feet, ready to take on this small, old stranger standing in his doorway.

"Whoa, now son, I'm no danger to you," the man put his hands up with a peaceful smile. "Cas, care to introduce me?"

Cas stood, and walked over the old man. He looked confused, and slightly worried. He turned to face Dean.

"Dean, I'd like you to meet my dad," Cas said.

"Your dad? As in…God?" Dean asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose so," the old man said. "I heard you say you loved my son. Is that true?"

Dean nodded his head.

"Yes sir."

"And you are sure of that?" God asked him.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life," Dean said.

Cas grinned from ear to ear.

"And son? You love him?" God turned to Cas.

"Yes, I do," Cas replied.

"Well then that simplifies matters. I am sure you are wondering about the fading of your Grace," the old man said, and Dean and Cas both nodded. "It's a simple matter. When you returned to Heaven, Cas, I noticed you were not yourself. You missed this man terribly. I wanted to see you happy, but I had to be sure it was what both of you wanted. I took your Grace when Dean finally admitted he loved you."

"No offense sir, but I hadn't told Cas I loved him when he lost his Grace," Dean said.

"Ah, yes. But you see, angels are not the only creatures that can read minds," God said with a wink. "But now the decision must be yours, Cas. You know angels may not stay on Earth permanently. You must choose to have your full Grace and return to Heaven, or to become mortal and stay on Earth."

"Cas, think for a minute," Dean said, as Cas made to give a hasty answer. "Mortals age. We get sick, we die, we lose everyone we care about eventually. Don't give up everything for me, because eventually I will die too."

"Do you promise you will always love me?" Cas asked.

"Always."

Cas turned toward his Father.

"When Dean dies, will he have a place in Heaven? And Sam?" Cas asked. Dean felt a warmth spread through him. Not only was Cas worried about him, he was worried about Sam as well.

"You know as well as I that there's no simple answer to that," God said, and Dean felt worry go through him. "But I can tell you this: if the Winchester brothers continue to do the good in the world that they do now, they need not worry about their eternal souls."

Dean's spirit soared. He wouldn't have to go back to hell. As long as he didn't screw up too badly.

"Then I want to be mortal," Cas said.

"But Cas, you didn't ask about your soul," Dean said in a worried voice.

"I know that," Cas said, reaching out to take Dean's hand. "But remember what I said? True lovers are rarely separated in Heaven."

"And that is the truth. You can trust me, that's kind of my thing," God said, before placing a hand on Cas' shoulder. "Enjoy this life. We will be waiting for your return someday, but don't get in any rush. True love is worth all the time you have. And Dean?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Take good care of my son."

"I will. And thank you," Dean said.

God tilted his head, a characteristic Cas must have inherited, and vanished from the room.

Cas and Dean hugged each other tightly.

"Let's go and tell Sam and Becky," Dean said.

"Are you sure you want to do that? Are you worried about what Sam will say?" Cas asked.

"You gave up immortality for me, Cas. I'm sure," Dean said.

He and Cas walked next door to tell them, but heard a loud crashing sound. Dean's pulse raced. He kicked in the door to see Becky laying on the ground, a cut bleeding on her head.

"What happened, Sam?" he yelled, as Sam came tearing into the room.

"I don't know, she said she felt dizzy and wanted to lay down! She must have hit her head on the table! Help me get her to the car, she's losing so much blood!" Sam said.

Cas moved forward quickly to help pick the woman up. As he touched her, she opened her eyes.

"What happened? Why am I on the floor?" she said.

"Becky? Your cut, it stopped bleeding," Sam said, looking closely at it.

"It's the weirdest thing. I felt dizzy, and I blacked out. But I feel fine now. The cut doesn't even hurt," she said, bringing her hand to it. "Actually, there doesn't seem to be much of a cut there at all anymore. I think this blood is just left over."

Dean stared at Cas. How was that even possible?

"What are you doing over here anyway?" Becky said with a smile. "I thought you would be taking advantage of that motel room to yourselves."

"Come on Becks, quit teasing them. They're friends, that's all," Sam said, looking up at Dean.

Dean gave him a sly smile, and took Cas by the hand.

"I have something to tell you," Dean said.

Dean explained their entire situation (leaving out the juicy parts, of course), up to when he told Cas he loved him.

"And that's when God appeared, and-," Dean began.

"Wait, you met God? Dude!" Sam said.

"Yeah, and so Cas chose me over his immortality and Grace. Oh, and as long as we keep our asses in line, it looks like we get to go to Heaven," Dean added as an afterthought.

Sam gaped at him. Dean shifted uncomfortably, and squeezed Cas' hand.

"I know, it's a little weird-," he started to say, but Sam had closed the distance between them quickly and wrapped Dean up in a hug.

"I'm just so happy that you're finally happy," Sam said, and he backed away grinning.

Dean felt relieved. Becky gave a small giggle.

"I told you so," she said.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Dean and Cas returned to their room late that evening. They had sat up talking with Sam and Becky, enjoying the feeling of being happy for once. Without a doubt, there would be problems ahead. More monsters and demons to find and kill, more heartache for the families tormented by them. For now, though, their world was at peace. And as long as they had each other, nothing else mattered.

"Cas? I think I'd like a shower," Dean said.

"One second, Dean. There is a letter here on the table," Cas said, sitting on the bed to open it. Dean sat next to him. Where did this thing come from?

Cas unfolded the letter and began to read.

"Son, you gave up everything for love, but I couldn't leave you with the Winchester boys without a few gifts. I've seen them fight. Trust me, they need a healer. Love, Dad."

Cas gave a laugh.

"He let me keep part of my Grace! I mean, we're all still mortal, but I can heal us! This is better than anything I could have asked for," Cas said.

"That's amazing, Cas," Dean said happily. He kissed the part-angel gently, and went to take his shower.

Cas reclined on the bed, feeling at peace. He had Dean, and he could keep him safe. It was the best of both worlds. He closed his eyes. The angelic music he loved from Heaven was playing softly in his head. He smiled at this second gift.

"Thanks, Dad," he said, before rising to go join Dean in the shower. This mortal life, after all, had some serious perks.