AN: Yeah, I'm late again. My b, guys. But this chapter is quite lengthy so hopefully that makes up for it. Now- there comes a point in this chapter where you are going to hate me, but stay with me, everybody. I promise, it'll all be okay. Enjoy the final chapter, guys!

Sam wasn't sure why, but after Dean had been gone with Lucifer for a while, he suddenly dropped from the wall. He neither knew nor cared about the reason, he only knew that his brother needed him. So despite all the pain he was still in, he ran outside to check on Dean. He was astounded to see Dean staring down Lucifer, who was currently trapped in a ring of holy fire. Sam hurried towards Dean, but then he heard his brother say something that froze him in his tracks.

"C-Cas?"

"Cas?" Sam breathed out in disbelief.

"I-I am so sorry, Sam." The voice, at last, was no longer Lucifer's, but indeed, the one and only Castiel's. "I h-had to save my energy for fighting him, a-and I couldn't keep him from h-hurting you." Not only was the voice Castiel's, but it was dripping with strain, every word having to be individually forced out.

"It's okay, Cas." Sam told him. "It wasn't your fault."

Castiel's eyes drifted to Dean now. "A-and you, Dean. I-I did not want to hurt you either."

"Forget about that," Dean said. "We need to get Lucifer out of you. Eject him, now!"

"I can't." Castiel attempted to say.

"Yes you can. I know you're strong enough."

"No, Dean, I can't. If I eject him, he will just find another vessel. You-" He swallowed. "You know what you need to do to stop him."

Dean's heart sank. "No. No way, Cas! Not after everything we've been through to get here. You know I can't do that."

"Dean-"

"No." Sam interrupted. "There's got to be another way."

Castiel sighed, his friends' stubbornness hurting more than Lucifer's screaming inside his head. "If you will not do what needs to be done…" He closed his eyes. "Then I will." And before anyone, friend or Devil, could stop him, Castiel jumped through the flames. Besides the crackling of his skin, Castiel heard Dean yelling, and soon- nothing.

"Cas, no!" Dean attempted to stop his friend, but by the time he finally reached him, it was too late.

Castiel's clothes were the first to burn, turning his beloved trench-coat and tie into smoke, which caused both brothers to choke. Then came his skin burning. The flames ate away at his vessel's flesh, first reddening, then igniting, and then lastly charring away to the bone until nothing remained. Nothing- but his grace.

Sam and Dean had never witnessed an angel's death by holy fire before. It took until now for them to understand why even arch-angels feared perishing by it. Watching it was horrific enough, feeling it must have been- well, hell.

From Castiel's perspective, it was much more than hell. The fire had soon had its way with his flesh, and had now moved on to his grace. The flames licked away at his and Lucifer's power, stripping it down to nothing. Lucifer was- furious didn't even begin to cover it. But Lucifer could be as angry as he wished, but it wouldn't matter. Because within a few moments, both he and Castiel would be dead.

The real pain, of course, was not just the agonizing heat and rage of the flames. No, it was the cries of heartache and the pleas of denial from his friends that hurt Castiel the most. Although, the fire was a close second.

As the flames consumed his and Lucifer's grace, Castiel had a moment of bliss. He remembered that the Darkness had been defeated, Lucifer was going to be gone, but most importantly, his friends would be safe.

So with that in mind, Castiel gave into death, content with all he'd done to save the world he once damned.

The flames continued to eat away at the now lifeless body, which eventually died down to smoldering embers, and then, nothing more than ash. Dean was on his knees beside it, staring hopefully at the pile as though his gaze could bring it back to life.

"Cas?" He asked with a pleading and breaking voice. "Cas!"

"Dean," Sam said, just as heartbroken. "He-he's gone."

"No… No!" He shouted. "He can't be gone! Cas, you stupid son of a bitch, you can't do this to us!"

Unsure of what to say, Sam just remained silent. It was quiet for a few moments, right up until Dean started streaming a litany of curses that would make even a sailor cringe. Dean didn't really know who he was angriest with for a moment, but then the classic Winchester self-loathing hit Dean full force, and he then hated himself the most. He slammed his fists onto his beloved car, but then his shoulders began to quake, and Sam knew he was crying.

"Dean," Sam said again. "We-we should give him a funeral."

"He's nothing but ash, Sam." Dean snapped.

"I know, but- he deserves one. You can't deny that." As heartbroken as Sam was, he knew Dean was hurting just as much, if not more. His brother had always been the one to stay strong when Sam was on the brink of losing it, so he knew that now was his time to repay the favour. "C'mon, you should say something." He waited for a while, but it was clear Dean wasn't going to say anything. "Alright. I'll start." Sam turned towards the ash, took a forcibly steady breath, willing his voice not to crack.

"Cas… You were an idiot. But, know what? We all are. You did something so reckless and stupid, all because you thought-… you knew that it would be worth it in the end." He had to pause, feeling his voice nearing a break. He swallowed, and then continued. "You've done a lot for us over the years, whether it was pulling us out of Hell, or just knocking some sense into us when we went off the rails. You-you were always there for us, Cas. I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything you've done. I just hope-" He couldn't stop the crack this time. Sam ran a hand over his face, trying to hide the tear that had slipped past. "I hope that wherever you are," "If you are anywhere…" "You're happy, because-" He inhaled shakily. "Because you deserve to be." He looked at his brother. "Dean?"

Dean wiped a hand over his face, giving a harsh sniff, and cleared his throat. "Well- I wouldn't-" Damn his breaking voice. "I wouldn't be here without you, Cas. You pulled my ass outta the Pit, but- it's more than that… If-if it weren't for you, I would've said 'yes' to Michael, or be checking in on my Beautiful Mind brother every day, maybe still be stuck in Purgatory. Hell, I-I'd probably be dead. I been low before, Cas. You know, you've seen it. But you- you were always there to help me through it. You kicked my ass when I needed it, and-" His head fell, as did the tears down his face. "And you've done so much that I-I'd never be able to do. Cas, you- you're a hero."

"Not to mention," Said a different, but oddly familiar voice. "A great son."

The brothers' heads whipped around to find the speaker behind them. "Chuck?" Dean asked.

He laughed. "Not quite."

"Well then- wh-who the hell are you?!" Dean asked, really not in the mood to play games with whatever was possessing Chuck or wearing his face.

"You-…" Sam breathed out as his mind clicked to an awe-striking conclusion. "You called Cas your son… G-God?"

Smiling, 'Chuck' replied, "Hello, Sam. Dean."

"Okay," Dean was fuming. "Whatever the hell you are, you get out of Chuck right now, or I swear to God!"

"I could make a joke about you swearing to me," 'Chuck' said. "But you don't appear to be in the mood for jokes, do you?"

"You're damn right I'm not in the mood!" Dean shouted.

"Dean!" Sam reprimanded in a whisper. "You can't say that to Him!"

"It's alright, Sam." 'Chuck' told him. "He has a right to be upset with me. I don't blame him for being angry."

"Sammy, don't listen to him!" Dean shouted, unable to comprehend how easily his brother was willing to accept the idea that this guy was God. "Prove you're God, and then maybe I'll start giving a damn about anything you say!"

"Dean," He said softly. "I know that you have felt abandoned by Me for far too long for any miracle I show you to mean anything. And I am sorry that you feel that way, but I promise you, I am who I say I am."

"Oh, well in that case." Dean swung his fist, but the man- God- whatever was wearing Chuck- vanished before his hand could make contact with Him.

"You remember how much punching Castiel hurt," He explained, now behind the brothers again. "Trust Me, hitting Me would be far less pleasant."

"Where the hell have you been?!" Dean was enraged, the only reason he wasn't trying to swing at Him again was because of Sam holding him back.

"Away." He answered simply.

"What, half a dozen apocalypses weren't reason enough to get your attention? Your own damn sister breaking loose? Do you have any idea how many people are dead because of you?!"

"Despite what you may believe about Me, I am a God of free will. A concept, I believe, you have come to admire. What happened in this world I created was not my fault." He tried to reason.

"But you could have stopped it! You should have stopped it!" Dean argued back.

"There are many things I could have stopped, but the type of interference you are asking for is similar to that of the flood. And yes, Dean, I mean the flood. I told you, I believe in letting My children make their own decisions, so I left both the angels and humans to reshape or destroy the world as they pleased. That is the price for free will. Chaos."

"Then why?" Dean asked. "Why now? Hope you didn't come to stop Lucifer, cuz that ship is way past sailed. And your sister's toast not too. So what? What. The hell. Do you want?"

God's lips pursed, and He sighed. "I know how you feel about Me, Dean, but I did show up for a reason. I wanted to thank you. And your brother."

"Y-You," Sam stuttered. "Want to thank- us?"

"Each and every time I thought the world I loved most was going to perish, you boys were the ones that saved it. To My other children," He cast a glance to the pile of ash on the ground. "Humans are worthless. But-" He smiled. "Others see you exactly the way I intended. They think- they know that you are beautiful creations."

"I-I appreciate that and all, believe me, I do," Sam said. "But- I gotta ask… Why are you wearing Chuck?"

God chuckled. "Angels are not the only ones with pre-chosen vessels, Sam. There's a reason Chuck was able to see your lives so vividly. I see everything that happens in this and every world, and Chuck's connection with Me gave him insight, which just so happened to fixate upon you two."

"You're telling me," Dean asked with serious doubt. "That Chuck, the alcoholic, crappy writer, hooker-buying, little geek, is God's true vessel?"

God shrugged. "I work in mysterious ways." He chuckled at His own joke. "I will say this, boys. As of now, you have truly saved the world, and I can't thank you enough for that."

"You're damn right you can't." Dean snapped.

"Dean…" Sam said softly, wishing his brother would show a little more respect to a being so powerful that He could kill him without even blinking.

"But," God said. "Perhaps this can be a start." He snapped His fingers, and the brothers heard a soft groan from behind them. They turned around to see what God had just thrown at them, and then- the world still for a moment. Because right there, alive and well, was none other than Castiel.

"C-Cas?" Dean breathed out.

Castiel appeared to be just as surprised as they did. He looked down at his hands, seemingly confused by his own well-being. "Apparently." He said. "What did you two do?" He asked, fearing that his friends had done some idiotic to bring him back.

"We didn't do anything." Sam told him. "He did."

Castiel's eyes shifted to the man behind Sam and Dean, and his eyes widened in complete and utter awe. "F-Father?"

God smiled. "Hello, Castiel."

Instantly, Castiel dropped to his knees in reverence.

"Rise, My child." He said to Castiel. "I appreciate your humility, but I have come to reward you and the Winchesters."

"R-reward us for what?" Castiel asked, his usually powerful voice seeming almost meek.

"Everything. Castiel, you were the leader of all My other children, you tried to show them the light, even in My absence."

"But- I have done so much wrong, Father." He admitted shamefully.

"Yes, but you acknowledge it." God put a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Far too many of your brothers and sisters have put themselves above sin, but you, My son, have done much more good than harm. And I've heard your prayers, Castiel. Over and over again, you have asked for forgiveness. And I am here to tell you something. I do forgive you."

Castiel trembled, resisting the urge to cry in gratitude. "Th-thank you."

"Yeah, th-thank you!" Sam said, feeling utter relief at having his friend back.

"Th-thanks, yeah…" Dean said, cheeks flushed slightly at having been so rude to the one who just brought his friend back from the dead as a 'thank you.' "So- now what?"

"The entire ordeal with Amara and Lucifer has reunited My children. Heaven is back in order, so I believe now may be the time for Me to return."

"You-you're coming home?" Castiel asked, heart fluttering with hope.

"Indeed I am." He said with a smile.

"And what about Chuck?" Sam asked.

"He will be sent back to his home as well. I only needed to use him to speak to you. He says 'hi,' by the way."

"So-" Sam asked. "It's really done now? No more apocalypses?"

God chuckled again. "For now. You've done well, boys. You, each of you, are heroes. This world and the next will never forget all that you've done for it."

"But- no one even knows who we are." Dean pointed out.

He chuckled again. "In due time, Dean." He cleared his throat. "But- I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself. But really, boys. Thank you. If you ever need me again, I'm only a prayer away." God gave a little wink, and then, He was gone.

"Did…" Sam started to ask, head still spinning. "Did that really just happen?"

But Dean was too busy charging Sam and Cas, one arm around each of them. "I don't really know, but whatever happened, I'm damn glad it did."

As everyone knows though, Team Free Will can't have too long of a joyful moment before it gets ruined by self-loathing.

"I-I am so sorry, Sam and Dean." Castiel apologised.

"Hey," Dean said. "None of that. I know, I was pissed before, but all that matter now is that we're all okay. We-we are all okay, right? No Satan lingering around inside you anymore?"

Castiel flexed his fingers. "No, it is all me in here. And-and I feel better than I have in years. I-I believe He returned my grace to me again. I-I'm more than okay, Dean." He smiled, actuallysmiled. "I'm me again."

Dean chuckled, briefly pulling his friend and brother closer, as if he feared that letting go would cause him to lose them both again. But no. Not now, not again, not ever.

"C'mon." Sam said, pulling away from and breaking up the hug. "We better go break Crowley out."

"Then what?" Castiel asked.

"Nothing." Dean answered, a little astounded by his ability to give that answer. "There-there's nothing now. I mean, monsters and demons maybe, but other than that it-it's over. No apocalypse, no Devil, no angels to worry about, not with God back in charge. This- this is it."

"So then-" Sam asked, pausing to laugh in breathless disbelief at the idea. "What now, Dean?"

Eyeing his brother and angel with a genuine smile, Dean felt something he hadn't felt in a decade; content. He could do what he used to, not having to worry about one single decision making or breaking the fate of the world. So- what was his new plan? Through the smile, he answered,

"I say, we save some people." He put his arm around Sam. "Hunt some things." Then the other around Cas. "The family business."

Sam smiled back, satisfaction swelling him as well. "Yeah." He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

With that said, the world's saviours, two boys and an angel, were off, more than ready to take on anything else the world may someday throw at the, because so long as they had each other, Team Free Will would always be around to save the day, and nothing was going to break them apart. Ever again.

AN: Had the show not been granted another season, this is how I would've liked the series to end. It's wishful thinking though, I think we all know that the show only ends with everyone dead. But- no death here, guys! I really do think that they're gonna bring God into this season, and as a Christian, I really hope they don't make Him a villain or mock him a ton cuz that'd probably be a little too much for me to handle. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this rollercoaster of a fic as I did writing it! I've already started another fic that I had put on hold due to this one popping inside my head, so be on the lookout for that. Sweet little casefic, if that's your style. But- until then, drop a review and let me know how you liked this fic, and until next time, carry on, my wayward sons!