Thank you, deadone1013, for reviewing so much! I can always count on you to comment and give me motivation :D

…

Rosie, Dean, Sam, and Cas all sat at the table in Rosie's bakery after getting the place cleaned up a bit. Rosie fixed a pot of coffee and served it all around.

"Now I want more answers," she said.

Dean groaned, but Castiel smiled. "What do you need to know?" he asked.

Rosie took a sip of her coffee, her mind whirling. She knew that Clarence was Cas and an angel who was kicked out of heaven. She knew other angels just tried to kill him.

There was a lot she still didn't know.

"Are there other monsters, like out in the world?" Rosie asked curiously.

Sam was the one who answered. "Yes, all the kinds of monsters you've read about are real. My brother and I help hunt them."

Something clicked in Rosie's mind, and she felt herself getting a better hold of the situation. "That's why you have fake IDs," she clarified, and Sam nodded.

So there were people in the world you hunted monsters. People who slipped under the sharp gaze of the law. Heroes. Suddenly an idea came to her, but before Rosie could speak, Dean interrupted. "No," he told Rosie sharply. "I know that look, and the answer is no."

Rosie rolled her eyes as Sam laughed. She put her hands on her hips. "Why can't I become a hunter? I can't exactly go back to my old life!"

"Trust me, Rosie," Dean responded, the humor in his voice gone. "You don't want to be in this life. Once you're in, you can't get out."

"How did you two become hunters, then?" Rosie challenged.

Sam took a breath as Dean's face hardened. Obviously something Rosie said had made an impact.

"We had no choice," Sam finally explained tersely. "We were…born into it, as you might say."

"More like forced into it," Dean muttered into his coffee cup.

"C'mon, Cas!" Rosie turned to the angel, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Sam or Dean. "Can't I be a hunter?"

Castiel pondered the idea. "You may if you wish to," he finally said, ignoring Dean's irritated glance. "You certainly handled our fight well enough."

Sam looked thoughtful. "That's a good point," he admitted. "I mean, you didn't even know monsters existed at that point, did you?"

Rosie shook her head hopefully.

"It will take a lot of researching. You can't go out just expecting to blindly strike something," Sam cautioned.

Rosie felt up to the challenge. Finally she could escape her quiet life and help others as much as possible!

"I'll do it," she said.

She had to.

…

"You have been so kind. I cannot thank you enough," Castiel told Rosie for what had to be the sixth time as they said their good-byes.

"It really was no problem." Rosie looked up at the angel, whose skin was already a healthier tone since getting his grace back. "You sure you'll be alright?"

Cas sighed. "Yes, I will be going to the bunker with Sam and Dean to rest up. It is a very safe place. And now that I have my grace back, I can join once more in the fight against Malachi and Bartholomew."

Rosie smiled as tears dripped down her face, "I'm going to miss you. Maybe one day we can fight alongside each other."

"I look forward to it," Cas smiled back.

"It was very nice meeting you," Sam told Rosie as Cas strode out the door. "Thanks for helping in the fight. You're a natural."

"Thank you," Rosie responded, feeling flattered. "It was great meeting you, too. I was so curious, after Cas told me about you."

Sam grimaced, and Rosie could tell he was wondering exactly what the angel had said about him.

"Well, I hope I lived up to your expectations," he finally said jokingly, but soon turned serious once more. "I'll do what I can to keep Cas safe from now on. The place we're taking him is warded against angels and demons alike. Not even Lucifer could get in without our permission."

"Lucifer, huh?" Rosie mused. "That's amazing. Could I visit you sometime?"

"Absolutely," Sam smiled, and he thanked her once more as he followed the angel outside.

Finally, Dean came forward. During Castiel's and Sam's good-byes he had been hanging back, and Rosie felt uncomfortable. So far, the man hadn't exactly been friendly.

Although, she reasoned, no one would be very friendly after fighting monsters for so long.

But Dean surprised her. When he spoke, there was no mocking or joking in his tone, and his green eyes were sincere. "Thank you," he said seriously. "You took care of Cas before you knew his story or anything about him. You took care of him when Sam and I failed to do so. You saved him. I can never repay that."

Seeing Dean's eyes moisten with tears, Rosie felt her own do the same. She was very touched. "I would do it all over again in a heartbeat," she whispered to him, meaning every word.

Quickly, Dean enveloped Rosie in a hug, and he was gone before she could fully process what had happened.

Rosie watched the three men go, trying not to burst out in tears.

Finally, when their black car had faded from sight, Rosie locked up her bakery and went upstairs.

Opening her computer, she typed "Monster lore" into Google and began to read.

Rosie had a lot to learn.

…

It would be years before Cas would see Rosie again, but he thought of her every day. He thanked her for keeping him alive and giving him hope when he had none. He thanked her for his grace.

Cas eventually overthrew Bartholomew and Malachi, keeping the world peaceful and running smoothly. Before he ended their lives, he told them all about his heroes.

He told the two angels of the friends who had searched for him when he was too stubborn to be found and the stranger who had saved him without thinking twice.

When Castiel next met with Rosie, she was married with two kids and was a part time hunter. She was happy and fulfilled.

If Cas had a chance to go back and keep his grace, he would turn it down. He wouldn't even think twice.

Team Free Will had one new member.

THE END.

…

What did you think?

If you like Destiel, check out my serial killer AU, "My Salvation" :)