Fallen Heroes

Chapter Seven: House of the Rising Sun

I ran back to the living room, Sam hot on my heels. When we got there, I froze in my tracks, glancing at Sam to ask him if he saw it, too.

Cas was wandering around the room, his eyes curiously taking everything in. "Just like the bunker," he mumbled to himself as he uncovered my stash of Dr. Sexy DVDs.

I turned scarlet when Sam nudged me, a smirk on his face. "Yeah, you're not a fan."

"It's a guilty pleasure," I hissed back.

"Right," I heard him snicker. That's when Cas finally noticed us.

"Sam? Dean?" he said, shocked. "You're... dead?"

I took a step closer to him. "No. You're alive."

He shook his head and turned away from me. "That can't be. I died. I'm dead. Which means..." he trailed off as he suddenly whipped around and slammed me into the wall. "Which means that you're not Dean."

"Cas," I gasped. "It's me. I'm not a demon, Cas!" I tried to wriggle out from underneath his arm, but he pressed down even harder, making me gasp for air. "Cas, please!" I begged.

"Cas, stop!" Sam yelled, pulling him away from me. I sank to the ground as I gasped for air, my hands rubbing my neck. "You're not dead, Cas!"

Cas' eyes filled with tears, "You're lying! I'm dead and this is my torture!" His sobs broke my heart. I struggled to stand as he buried his face in his hands.

I spoke softly as I tentatively put my hand on his shoulder. "Cas, baby, you're alive. This isn't Hell. It really is me and Sammy." He looked up through his tears, the blueness of his eyes causing my breath to catch in my throat. "I promise," I whispered.

"Dean!" he threw himself into my arms, crying even harder as his hands balled into fists around the t-shirt on my back. "How?"

I stroked his hair, my soft touch slowly calming him down. "I don't know, but I don't care, either. You're back, and that's all that matters."

"Cassie?" We turned around to see Gabriel leaning in the doorway, his pale skin glowing in the dim light.

"Gabriel!" Sam scolded, wrapping an arm around the archangel's shoulders and waist to help support him. "I told you to stay there!"

He rolled his eyes. "And I heard screams. There's a reason you two have died more than once. People seem to enjoy killing you."

"You wanna be the pot or the kettle?" I asked. "'Cause--correct me if I'm wrong--it was your fault that I died a bazillion times."

He shrugged. "It was fun."

I scoffed in disagreement. "Right."

Charlie reappeared behind him, smirking. "Well, your angel is back, and I am due back to my Heaven," she smiled.

I wrapped her into a hug, "Thank you, Charlie. For everything." Sam hugged her as well, and I caught his eyes misting up.

"You're welcome. Peace out, bitches," she grinned as she faded back to Heaven, holding up the Live Long and Prosper gesture.

Sam and I stared at the spot where she was. "Peace out," I smiled.

Cas turned to look at me. "Dean, how am I back? Did you make a deal for me?"

I shook my head. "No, Cas. I really don't know how you came back. Gabe and Charlie were supposed to figure out where you were so we could get you out. But I don't actually know who brought you back."

"I did," a voice said.

All four of us spun to face the intruder, my eyes widening at the sight that greeted me. The amulet that Sam had given me all those years ago was hanging off of his fingers, lighting up the room.

"You'll never guess where this has been this entire time," he smiled, throwing it to me. I caught it and looked at Sam. His expression was just as awestruck as mine.

"God?" he asked.

The Lord smiled. "Please. Call me Chuck."