Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sam groaned as he stretched his arms in the air. There were places that were aching that he was certain hadn’t ached since his rather graceful jump, or ehm fall, into Lucifer’s cage. Slowly he opened his eyes, the sun just rising outside the motel room. Someone was whistling, the tune was really familiar but Sam couldn’t place it.

And that’s when he noticed the figure sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. Quickly he reached under his pillow and aimed his gun. The figure chuckled and emerged into the center of the room.

“Hey, Sam, calm down,” Chuck said, lifting his palms in the air. Sam lowered his gun.

“What brings you here, Chuck? And how did you get in?” Sam questioned, still not totally comfortable. Chuck gestured to the other motel bed, now empty.

“Dean and Cas let me in. I think they went to get breakfast,” Chuck shrugged and sat down on the edge of Sam’s bed.

“Okay. That still doesn’t explain why you’re here, Chuck. Any big evil news? Or tidings of the next Supernatural convention?” Sam asked, rolling his eyes. No way did he actually enjoy those things. Absolutely no way. But if that was what Chuck was here for, he’d check it out. You know, for purely professional reasons.

“No no. Although, I’m sure Becky is already arranging the next convention. I’m just here to fix a little issue,” Chuck said vaguely as he pressed two fingers to Sam’s forehead.

Sam realized that Chuck had been whistling Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door just before the world went black.

* * *

When he came to, Sam was still confused. He did register that he was no longer in the musty hotel room of St. Helen’s, Oregon. As he looked around, he couldn’t identify where he was at all.

“Chuck?” he hollered, hopefully. No answer. Dammit. Since when do prophets have the ability to send people to whatever he was? When he got back, he was going to have a serious talk with Chuck. This was not okay. And he was going to find just what else Chuck could do that he hadn’t shared.

But for now, he was going to have to figure out where he was and then get ahold of Dean and Cas. Maybe have them meet him halfway between Oregon and wherever he was.

He took in his surroundings. He was in the kitchen of a very nice house. The kitchen was a pale yellow with marble countertops and new appliances. The sun was shining in through the windows, outside there was a large yard and what appeared to be a mini-forest in the background. It reminded him of northern California, maybe near Redding. That wasn’t so far from Oregon.

Sam continued to explore the house. Everything looked so new and shiny and expensive. There was even a sitting room. It seemed to him like the kind of house that would never be considered a home, even by the people that lived there.

From upstairs, he heard a bang and loud cursing. Hmm, so it seemed that whoever lived here was still here. That was his queue to leave. He was almost to the door when he heard footsteps on the stairs and then a voice that stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Sam?”

Jess.

He turned around slowly. She was standing on the stairs in her robe, the yellow one with white polka dots, and a towel on her head.

“I thought you were going to make breakfast before you went to Dean’s?” she asked looking towards the kitchen and seeing no food. Was this real? What was going on?

“Uh, I changed my mind,” he stuttered and ran out the door.

He found himself standing on a large white porch. The yard had variety of flowers and, God help him, a white picket fence. And across the paved street was an identical house, down to the flowers. Oddly, these were the only two houses on the entire street. There was a Prius in his driveway and Ford pickup in the other. He turned back to the other house when he heard the door shut.

And the he saw his brother.

“Dean?” he walked towards his brother.

“Shit man, something seriously weird is going on here. Lisa is in that house asking me if we’re having lunch with you and Jess. And not the Lisa that I was just living with last year, but the bendy one from a decade ago. Seriously, dude, what did you do?” Dean yelled, waving his hands at the house and glaring at Sam.

“Hey,” Sam put both hands up, “it wasn’t me! It was Chuck!” Dean raised his eyebrows.

“Chuck? The prophet whisked us off to some past Stepford community? How is that even possible?” Dean looked skeptical. Sam shrugged. Honestly, it didn’t make any sense to him either.

“He said he was fixing an issue. Didn’t mention what the issue was or how this was fixing it though,” Sam grumbled. Suddenly, there was a flutter of wings and Castiel appeared next to the brothers.

“Cas, man, thank God you’re here. What is going on?!” Dean clapped the angel on the shoulder and turned him in a circle to take in the whole scene.

“You have not realized yet? This is your Heaven. It seems God has offered you a chance truly experience Heaven, not being interfered with by Zachariah,” Cas gestured around as if the explanation was obvious.

“What?! Based on what? Who just pops people into Heaven without notice?” Dean sputtered.

“Um, I thought heaven were just memories. Because Jess and I definitely never lived in suburbia across the street from Dean and Lisa,” Sam looked at Cas. The angel frowned.

“Heaven can be memories, places, people, or wishes. It depends on the person. Or in the case of soulmates, such as you and Dean, it is a mixture of what would make you both happy. I believe this is the Heaven that God intended for you two, before it was tampered with,” Cas shrugged and looked around sadly. “There does not seem to be room for me here though. I will wait for you back on Earth.”

And with that, Cas disappeared. Dean stared at the space the angel had just occupied. His face went through a range of emotions: surprise, disbelief, sadness, and then anger. Sam just watched.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked. Dean shrugged and gave a short laugh. It didn’t sound humorous at all.

“Oh yeah, peachy. The angel just left us here in Stepford Heaven, but sure I’m great,” Dean huffed and stomped back into his house. His brother was an idiot when it came to Cas. But that was an issue for another day.

Sam headed back into “his” house. Jess was in the kitchen, cooking bacon and eggs from what he could smell. She turned to him as he entered the kitchen. Her smile lit the room, and made a pang in Sam’s heart.

Jess had been so kind, smart, and sweet. She’s been too good for him, of course. He’d known that even back then. But now, here in his Heaven, it felt wrong to have someone so innocent and pure.

He managed to make it through breakfast before he needed to escape. Just looking at Jess hurt, made he feel so guilty. He told her he was off for a walk and was out the door before she had a chance to respond.

He was walking down the street, to nowhere really, hands stuffed in his pockets when he heard the flutter of wings. He turned to his right, expecting Cas.

It wasn’t Cas.

“Gabriel?” he asked, stopping in the middle of the road. The archangel snapped his fingers and a lollipop appeared in his mouth. He grinned.

“Hey there Samsquatch. I gotta say, you are the most depressed looking person in Heaven. What gives?” Gabriel asked, clapping a hand on Sam’s shoulder and taking another lick of his lollipop.

“Uh, this Heaven is just weird. Not what I was expecting from Heaven. Also not sure why we’re here since I’m certain that I did not die this time. But wait, how are you alive?” Sam began walking again with Gabriel joining. He kind of missed having the archangel around, even if he had been a pain-in-the-ass sometimes.

“Well, it’s like this, someone took Luci down back into his cage with Mikey. Did you think Dad was gonna bring Cas and Bobby back but not me? That would have just been rude,” Gabriel shrugged and grinned at Sam.

“So where have you been? That was two years ago!” Sam couldn’t fathom that Gabriel had been laying low with his second chance. Gabriel’s grin widened at that.

“Flying, Sammy. I’ve been flying. You get a second chance with the wings, you go flying. Now, let’s get back to you and your current situation. What do you know?” Gabriel seemed genuinely curious and maybe willing to help. That was good enough for Sam.

“Well, there’s the obvious, that we have no idea why we’re in Heaven. But also, something feel like off here. Not like something sinister is going on, but just…off. I don’t know a better way to put it…” Sam trailed off, looking around at the odd situation.

“Old. That’s the word you’re looking for. Your and Dean-o’s Heaven is old. Probably Dad reverted it back to before it was tampered with by misguided angels. Just needs a little sprucing up, I’d say,” Gabriel shrugged like it was obvious.

“Do heavens often change? Or do a lot get old?” Sam was genuinely curious as to how it all worked. Gabriel smiled, a pleasant smile, not a smirk or a grin.

“They change all the time, naturally, while a person is alive. Usually gradually as a person changes. To best fit them when they finally get here. It’s typically very subtle and easy and doesn’t take a lot of effort. But what Zachariah did to yours and Dean’s, well that had to have taken years and lots of work. It was unnatural and against the fiber of Heaven. But now that it’s back on track, alebit eight years old, it should be able to change again. However, maybe I can use some angel mojo to speed up the process?” Gabriel asked, as if it was no big deal. But Sam could see that this was a big deal, trusting Gabriel to make changes to his and Dean’s heaven. Trust. That’s what it came down to. Did he trust Gabriel? After all the shit he’s put them through? The times he’d killed Dean? That horrid TV nightmare? But really, Gabriel had been trying to help, misguided as it was. And in the end, he had given his life to help.

“Yeah, let’s do it. Maybe make Dean a little less cranky. Let’s start with something small, see if it sets off any fireworks?” Sam asked cautiously. Gabriel’s grin returned. He snapped his fingers as they turned to head back.

As the houses came back in sight, Sam saw the Impala sitting in Dean’s driveway, the hood up and his brother’s head under it. Sam grinned.

“Well, Samsquatch, I’ll be back later. See if that makes any negative difference here and then we can decide what else needs changing,” Gabriel lifted his fingers to snap and leave. Sam grabbed his hand.

“Wait. Thanks Gabriel. For showing up. And helping. Uh, and see you soon,” he released Gabriel’s hand and gave him a soft smile that Gabriel returned before snapping himself away.

He was standing behind his brother, before Dean lifted his head out from under the hood. He looked far happier than he had when Cas had fluttered away.

“Dude, Sammy, the Impala just showed up. Like Baby knew we needed her. Maybe things will get less weird. But, ya know, just in case, let’s stick together here, k?” Dean gave him that look. The one said all the things that Dean couldn’t or wouldn’t. Sam nodded.

“Sure thing. Nobody I’d rather be with up here in Heaven.” Dean looked puzzled at that. Oh, oops, maybe he should have led with that bit of information.

“Heaven? That’s where we’re at? Sure looks different than last time,” Dean rolled his eyes.

“Eh, I think it’s some sort of ‘I’m sorry’ from God. Gabriel showed up. Didn’t know much more than we do at this point though.” Sam shrugged, hoping that the news of Gabriel’s return would fly over his brother’s head.

“What?! Gabriel is back?! Since when? What’s he playing at here?” Dean looked suspicious.

“Whoa, man, calm down. He was just helping out. Been back since God brought back Cas. He’s really not that bad, Dean. Give him a break. The guy did die to help out, ya know,” Sam reminded his brother.

“Yeah, well, doesn’t mean I have to like him,” Dean grumbled. Sam didn’t let that phase him. He, for one, was glad that Gabriel had showed up.

“Come on, let’s do something fun. No monsters here and the sun is shining. We should at least take advantage of that!” Sam told him brother. At that, Dean relaxed again.

“Yeah, now that I can get behind! Let’s do it.” Dean shut the hood of the Impala and headed towards ‘his’ house. Sam felt relief. A day of relaxing fun with his brother, now that was a Heaven he could get behind.

* * *

It was dinner before Gabriel showed up again. Jess and Lisa were inside making some sort of pasta while Dean and Sam were fishing outside; there was a pond behind Dean’s suburban house.

They were sitting in lawn chairs, drinking beer, and watching their bobbers when Sam heard the flutter of wings. Sam turned around with a half-smile. Dean’s face was hopefully, probably thinking it was Cas, and then grumpy as he realized it was Gabriel.

“Hi Dean-o, don’t look so disappointed to see me. I’m far more fabulous than little Cassy,” Gabriel smirked at Dean, his brother’s cheeks turning red. Dean was up and gone before Gabriel had a chance to say anything else. Sam rolled his guys.

“Don’t pick on him too much. He really is bummed that Cas flew and away and never came back,” Sam told Gabriel as he sat down in Dean’s chair.

“Heaven forbid we all miss out on the deep soulful stares,” Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Anyhoo, Samsquatch, what’s next on the ‘fixing Heaven’ agenda. The car was a success so let’s try something bigger.” He flexed his fingers, as if it was true manual labor he was about to commence.

“Okay. Let’s do the houses next. Do I need to tell you what I think is best, or how does this work?” Sam was slightly stumped. The Impala had been easier, a no-brainer really.

“No no, Sammy, I’ll just get an idea from your pretty noggin and create something. Shouldn’t take too long,” the archangel lifted his fingers to snap, just as Sam grabbed his hand.

“Wait, Gabe, let’s do it after dinner. Come on, Jess and Lisa are cooking,” Sam pulled Gabe from the lawn chair as he stood and dragged him along to the house.

What Sam didn’t notice was that he wasn’t so much dragging Gabriel as holding his hand. He also did notice the soft smile that the shorter man had when Sam had called him ‘Gabe’. But, sometimes, Sam was an idiot too.

* * *

After dinner, Gabe suggested that the four of them go for a drive while he cleaned the dishes. While he passed it off with the excuse of ‘saying thanks’, Sam knew he was really going to be getting down to business with his angel mojo.

Knowing that, however, did not stop Sam from feeling a pang of sadness that the angel wouldn’t be joining them. He resolved not to be gone too long.

There were barely out of the house before things got weird again. Dean had put Lisa and Jess in the backseat, reserving the passenger seat for his little brother. The two women had exchanged a look at that but said nothing. Five minutes later, they were cruising down the road, trees on both sides, windows down, and jamming to Highway to Hell by AC/DC, without even the hint of irony. As the radio shuffled through some of Dean’s favorite songs, Sam found himself quietly singing along, really enjoying himself.

He forgot about Lisa and Jess altogether.

“Hey guys, how long as we planning on driving around for?” Jess’s voice traveled from the back seat. Dean’s start at his voice, suggesting that he had forgotten about the two women as well.

“Oh. We’ll head back now,” Dean told them, turning the radio down and rolling up the windows.

Sam was taken back when they come into view of what was their houses. Gone were the two white houses with picket fences and the carefully manicured front lawns.

Instead, there is a sprawling two story robin’s egg blue house, with a flowerbed of red and yellow flowers in front. There was also a large two car garage off to the left of the house. But that wasn’t the most bewildering part. The road that used to go straight through the forest, with a house on each side, now twisted and expanded to become a driveway that lead into the garage. The road seemed to end with the blue house. To the right of the house, was a lake. And it definitely was a lake, three times the size of the pond that used to sit behind ‘Dean’s house’. There was a dock with two benches, one chair, and a small fishing boat.

Dean pulled the car into the garage and parked. As everyone got out, Sam realized that the second car in the garage was not the Prius he expected, but a ’71 Chevelle. He’d say it was Bobbby’s car, except that this Chevelle was sporting a fresh coat of blue paint and gleaming like new.

Making a mental note to ask Gabe about it later, Sam followed Dean, Lisa, and Jess to the house. Sitting on the front porch was Gabe, lollipop in his mouth. Lisa and Jess gave him small waves and headed inside, never once even asking about the new house.

Dean stopped on the porch to survey the new area and smiled.

“Well, I gotta hand it to you. You did good, Gabriel. Even if you are a pain in the ass,” Dean said as he walked to the dock, never really looking at the archangel. Sam took a seat next to Gabriel on the front porch swing.

“This really is great, Gabe. It feels nice and homey. And familiar. Reminds me of Bobby’s actually, with less cars and more paint,” he smiled and bumped his shoulder to Gabe’s.

“That’s because it is Bobby’s. Kind of. With lots of new paint and a little of my own flair. But really, it’s the second most common thing you both associate with home. And the Impala was already here. So this is what I came up with, added in a lake and dock for Dean and an excessive library and veggie garden for you,” Gabe smiled and spread his arms wide, as if showcasing the whole area.

“Thank you,” Sam said. He sat back in the porch swing, watching the sunset as his brother played with his new fishing gear, Gabriel’s presence warm and comfortable to his right.

“You’re welcome, Sam,” Gabriel said softly and then was quiet, eating the ice cream cone that had suddenly appeared. In the silence, Sam could hear grasshoppers and, in the distance, the soft hoot of an owl. It was the kind of evening that Sam wouldn’t mind repeating. And it was the first time that Sam felt that he was actually in Heaven, and not just some freaky alternate reality.

* * *

It was very early when Sam woke up the next day; the house was still silent. He decided to explore the house that Gabriel had created. In his mind, that it made it more an adventure and less that he was freaked out to be sleeping next to Jess.

He’d checked out the upstairs last night. The bedrooms were simple and quite similar. Where Dean had forest green sheets and a green plaid quilt, Sam had navy blue sheets and a blue plaid quilt. There was a dresser and night stand in each room, with a small closet. There was a third bedroom upstairs, set up in the same fashion as Sam and Dean’s except with burgundy sheets and a red plaid quilt. All of the rooms had a framed photo of Sam, Dean, and Bobby on the dresser. While the pictures were all different, the joy on their faces was genuine in each one. Dean’s room also had an AC/DC poster on the wall, Sam’s had a The Hobbit book poster, and the third room had a movie poster for Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. The touches were small, but personal. Sam appreciated that.

The only other room on the second floor was a very large bathroom, very clean and simple. The fixtures were classic white with chrome atop cherry mahogany wood. The towels were solid colors: some burgundy, some navy blue, and some forest green, all inside a cherry mahogany wardrobe cabinet. The shower curtain was more vibrant, a mix of the burgundy, navy, and forest green in a plaid pattern.

Downstairs was a lot more exciting. True to his word, just inside the door to the left, Gabriel had created a vast library. The book shelves were eight feet tall, just so that Sam could still comfortably reach all the books on the top shelf. There were biographies, historical non-fiction, and all the fiction books he could want. In the far left corner, was a leather couch the color of dark chocolate. There was even a reading nook in the front window that was large enough for even Sam to fit comfortably.

To the right of the door was the living room. In the center, towards the back of the room, was a larger version of the dark chocolate colored couch in Sam’s library. On the left side of the couch, was a leather burgundy recliner and on the right, a leather burgundy love seat. In front of the couch was a cherry mahogany coffee table. And in the front center of the room, was a 72-inch flat screen TV. That, he assumed, was some of Gabriel’s ‘flair’.

Off of hiss library, he saw a standard office, with a large desk, an extra table with 2 sturdy wood chairs, an antique looking lamp, and large painting of a forest with a road down the center. In cursive, across the bottom, it read “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” While it was a little cheesy, Sam found that he liked this painting and the Robert Frost quote.

The dining room was beyond that, a large table and chair set that matched all the other cherry mahogany wood in the house. The table sat six and the room had a very large window that looked out into the back yard. From here, Sam could see his fresh veggie garden. It looked to be thriving and just the right size so that one person could easily take care of it.

Overall, the layout of the house wasn’t that much different from Bobby’s house. The stairs still went up in the middle of the house. There was still a bathroom in the hallway just behind the stairs. There was no shower in this bathroom; however, the furnishings matched the upstairs bathroom. Things were newer, the house a little cleaner, and Gabriel had certainly taken a few liberties where he saw fit, but the house still felt lived in, like a home.

The last room that Sam went into was the kitchen. It was the largest, with more of Gabriel’s ‘flair’ than any other room. It was if he had just expanded the house to fit all the things he wanted in the kitchen. There were cheery mahogany cabinets, marble countertops, and an island in the middle of the kitchen that had three barstools on the far side. The oven, the stovetop, the dishwasher, and the fridge were new and stainless steel. The walls were white though and floors white tile. Even with the over-the-top feel of it, the kitchen seemed to fit. The towels were burgundy, navy, and forest green. And, though he didn’t look, Sam knew that the fridge, freezer, and pantry were stocked full of his and Dean’s favorite foods as well as more sweets than anyone should ever eat.

The light streamed into the kitchen through the large glass door that led out to the patio. Outside he could see a large chrome grill and a cherry mahogany picnic table with a bench on each side. Farther out in the yard, away from his garden and closer to the lake, he saw a fire pit with logs that had artistically been cut out to function like chairs.

It was everything that Sam wanted in a house, even though it really had a lot that he didn’t actually need. He loved it.

Sam was still staring outside when he noticed Dean out on the dock, fishing. And he thought he had the corner on being the early riser. Within 10 minutes Sam was able to whip up a batch of scrambled eggs and an excessive amount of bacon. He doled the food between two plates, grabbed the gallon of milk from the fridge and headed outside.

“Morning,” Dean said as Sam handed him the food. “Thanks Sammy. Looks delicious.” Sam sat down next to his brother, and they ate as they watched Dean’s bobber in the lake.

“What’s got you up so early?” Sam asked, getting his own pole ready for fishing. Dean shrugged.

“It’s just…weird I guess. I mean, I know Gabriel fixed the house and car, but having Jess and Lisa here is just weird. It’s not like I knew Jess. And things never worked with Lisa. Not even with Ben, but especially without him,” Dean shrugged again. He was staring out over the lake again. “Plus, Cas hasn’t come back. I guess it’s all just putting me on edge.” Sam understood. Though he figured that his brother’s uneasiness came a lot more from the lack of Cas than the presence of Lisa. There was a flutter of wings and both brother’s turned behind them.

“Ah, I see it’s still hard to keep a Winchester happy then. Don’t mind me boys; I’m just here to fish,” Gabriel said as he snapped and his outfit changed to ‘fishing gear’. Sam chuckled. The archangel actually looked pretty cute all dressed up. Dean, on the other hand, was back to pouting because Gabriel wasn’t the angel he wanted. Sam moved across the dock, away from Dean to Gabe.

“Hey, I have a question, about this Heaven. Are the people/not-people permanent? Or can they change too?” Sam tried to ask the question casually, but even his could hear how hopeful he sounded. Gabe gave him a grin.

“You know, I wondered about that myself. And I’m not sure I can totally get rid of their energy used to create a ‘copy’, but I have an idea.” With that, Gabe snapped his fingers. Nothing happened that Sam could see, but he bet that inside the house was a different story.

“Alright. Let’s go inside and see this idea.” Sam grabbed Dean and Gabriel and headed to the house, dragging his brother along while Gabe seemed much more eager to go inside.

As they approached the house, Sam heard Born to be Wild blaring out of the kitchen. Dean seemed much less reluctant to enter at that, and Gabe had clearly used hindsight to add a speaker system to the kitchen.

And when they finally got in the kitchen, Sam could feel a grin on his face that matched his brother’s own grin.

“What? Ya idjits couldn’t make enough breakfast for me too?” Bobby grumbled as he scrambled more eggs in the same pan that Sam had used. Dean sat down in one of the bar stools and began chatting with Bobby.

Sam kept walking though, to the dining room, with Gabriel following him.

“You already knew didn’t you? That’s why there’s the third bedroom, with that poster, right?” Sam asked excitedly. Gabriel nodded.

“I had a feeling. But I didn’t want to overstep. It’s your Heaven, after all.” Gabe shrugged. And then Sam scooped him up into a hug, one that actually lifted Gabe’s feet off the ground. Despite that, Gabe felt solid and strong. And Sam may have held the hug too long, but Gabe didn’t seem to mind. He just led Sam back into the kitchen to Dean and Bobby with a smile on his face.

Sam could just tell it was going to be a good day.

* * *

It was afternoon before Sam caught Dean frowning again. He was prepping the grill for a late lunch/early dinner when he saw Dean frowning in the kitchen at two pies on the counter. There was no way he could even pretend that this wasn’t about Cas. But Sam had an idea, one that didn’t include frowning at pie.

Sam ran down to the dock where Bobby was fishing, and Gabriel was eating Twizzlers while annoying Bobby.

“Hey, Gabe, come back up to the house with me. I need some help,” he said, already grabbing the archangel by the hand. Bobby look relieved. Gabe looked excited.

Sam quickly explained his plan as they approached the house. When they got to the back door, Dean was still staring forlornly at the two pies on the counter. Gabriel snapped his fingers and Sam waited to watch his plan unfold, hoping nobody would notice him or Gabe. The door was open just enough that Sam could hear everything said inside.

“I prefer cherry, if you’re contemplating which to eat first,” came a voice from Dean’s left.

Castiel.

“You know, I’ll just tackle the apple pie then,” Dean said with a grin. Tension leaked out of his shoulders. “You came back.”

“Of course. With some assistance from Gabriel to let me know that there was room for me here now. Would you prefer I go?” Cas asked, doing that deep staring thing that Dean never seemed to notice.

“What? No. I…I want you here. Okay?” Dean looked down at the pie again, seemingly embarrassed with his emotions. Cas stepped closer to Dean, only an inch between them.

“Okay, Dean. I have nowhere else that I would rather be,” Cas said, voice serious as ever. Dean looked up and smiled. And then shoved a spoon full of cheery pie in Cas’s mouth while laughing.

Sam fist pumped in the air. Gabriel snapped his fingers. Heat of the Moment began playing through the speakers in the kitchen. Sam glared at Gabe.

“What?” Gabriel shrugged. “It’s Dean’s song.” He laughed and took off towards the lake. Sam, bigger and faster, easily caught up to Gabe. Or maybe Gabriel wasn’t really trying to get away. Sam nabbed Gabriel by the waist and he reached the dock and took them both into the lake.

They came up sputtering and laughing. Bobby was shaking his head at them and cracking open a beer. The sun was shining. Dean had pie and Cas. To Sam, this might be the best day ever.

* * *

Sam could see the stars in the night sky outside from his spot on the love seat. It looked so beautiful and peaceful. Definitely the perfect end to his perfect day.

After lunch/dinner, they’d relaxed outside: fishing, swimming, reading, and laughing. There had never been so much laughter in a day in the life of a Winchester. And, at Gabriel’s insistence, they’d even roasted s’mores after sunset around the fire pit. Cas had tried to eat the entire thing and made a huge mess, getting marshmallow all over himself and Dean. Bobby had eaten too many “for a guy his age”. Sam had claimed he didn’t want any and kept snagging Gabe’s when he wasn’t looking.

And now they were all inside, watching Jurassic Park because Gabe got to pick the movie. And, maybe, that had more to do which the fact that Sam liked dinosaurs than the fact that Gabe did.

Bobby was sitting in the recliner, feet up and passed out before the T-Rex was even loose on the screen. Dean and Cas had claimed the couch; Cas was lounging at one end with Dean’s feet in his lap. Dean was slightly snoring as Cas watched the screen intently. Even in his sleep, Dean had a hand on Cas, as if trying to make sure his angel didn’t disappear in the night.

Sam was sharing the love seat with Gabe. The smaller archangel was curled up on his side, practically plastered to Sam, “eyes resting” with his head on Sam’s shoulder. And instead of feeling awkward or uncomfortable, it just felt right. Gabriel was smaller than Sam in stature, but he was big and loud and strong. With him, Sam didn’t feel guilty like he might corrupt or break Gabriel. Instead, he just felt happy. Like they could make each other better.

“Stop thinking so loudly, Samsquatch,” Gabriel said quietly, never even opening his eyes. Sam smiled.

“Okay. I’ll save the loud thinking for tomorrow,” Sam laughed and felt his eyes get droopy. The last things he remembered thinking before he fell asleep were that were that a do-you-think-he-saur-us was really funny and that Gabriel smelled really nice.

* * *

Sam woke up with an ache in his neck and back. When he opened his eyes, he knew they were no longer in Heaven. He did, however, know exactly where they were at: Bobby’s.

“Hey, when you did you boys get here?” came Bobby’s startled question as he came into the living room. “And who is that?” Bobby waved at the body that was asleep on Sam’s shoulder.

“This is Gabriel. Rise and shine,” Sam said shaking Gabe awake. “Dean?” he hollered, hoping that his brother was simply on the couch in Bobby’s office.

“Too early,” came the grumble back. “Cas is here too, by the way.” Now that they were all accounted for, Sam relaxed some and turned back to Bobby.

“Just took a little trip to Heaven. Looks this is where the road ends,” Sam gestured to Bobby’s home. Bobby rolled his eyes.

“Idjits. Let’s have breakfast and then you can tell me all about it,” the older man said as he headed towards the kitchen.

“Ooh, pancakes,” came a holler from Bobby’s office. There was a laugh that sounded like his brother.

“Tell your angel boyfriend to get his ass up and make his own pancakes, Dean,” Bobby hollered back.

“What? No. Sam save the kitchen before Cassie can get in there,” Gabe said, pushing on Sam’s shoulder. Sam groaned.

“Okay okay. Let’s go save the day,” Sam said, pulling Gabe up with him. Gabe looked at him crossly.

“Fine. But no loud thinking till at least after noon, okay?” Gabe negotiated, squinting at the sunlight. Sam grinned.

“Deal. But then, ALL THE LOUD THINKING,” Sam chirped, already feeling wide awake. Gabe looked their hands, still clasped from when Sam had pulled him up, and intertwined their fingers. Sam smiled and headed towards the kitchen, set on making pancakes and keeping Cas far from the stove.

He heard Gabe snap his fingers and Rambling Man began playing through the house.

Maybe it wasn’t Heaven, but Sam was pretty sure that today was going to be another great day.

* * *

Over a 1,000 miles away, Chuck Shurley sipped on a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label and stared at his computer.

“I am seriously better than that guy who runs E-Harmony,” he said to himself.

He was considering dropping all his other titles and going with Matchmaker Chuck. Well, maybe. But first he wanted to see how it was all going to play out. Chuck propped his feet up on his desk, poured himself another glass of scotch, and began whistling Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.

After all, he had writing to do.