Sam and Dean were taking a minute to just sit and relax and breathe in a deserted picnic area in an empty rest stop on sparsely populated interstate. They were at a picnic table, one on either side, eating sandwiches and drinking Cokes, hoping for a minute of peace in between hunting and being hunted.

Suddenly -

"There you are. I can't tell you how long I had to look for you. All right then, no time to waste. You've got work to do."

- suddenly, Balthazar was there.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked. "Aren't you dead?"

"Lovely to see you, too." Balthazar answered him. "Oh, and - thank you for ruining the end of the story for me. Now, children, if you'll pack away your lunch boxes and juice canisters, we have work to do. Well - you have work to do. I've already done more than my share. Naturally."

"But - but - how are you alive?" Sam asked. "Cas - Cas -"

"We thought Cas must've used your guts for wallpaper." Dean supplied.

"Yes, lovely chatting old times over with you - but we must go now."

"Go where?" Sam asked.

"Go why?" Dean echoed.

"Well, aren't we Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum." Balthazar said. "If I had the time to explain everything - well, I probably still wouldn't want to. So - shall we?"

He reached out to whammy them both and they ended up - right where they were, at the picnic table, next to the Impala, at the lonely rest stop.

"Think you might want to change the batteries in that jet pack." Dean said.

"Really." Balthazar retorted. "Perhaps you'd like to take one more teeny look around."

They looked. Sam looked one way and Dean looked the other way. Then they looked at each other. Then they looked at Balthazar.

"And?"

"And…that." Balthazar pointed down to the far end of the parking area. They turned to look again, and there, all of a sudden, there was another man down there. He was walking toward them and Sam pushed to his feet.

"Dad?"

It was. Young Dad, John, but Dad nonetheless.

Dean turned to Balthazar.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded. "Why is he here?"

"Technically, …" Balthazar answered, low and measured. "You are all three here to save a life."

And then he was gone.

to be continued