The next day, Cas took Balthazar, Anna, Lucifer, Gabriel and Jack off on a road trip to the gates of heaven, seeing as Lucifer, Balthazar, and Anna needed to be back up there. Gabriel just wanted to pop in and say hi, and well, Jack was just backup in case somebody turned on Cas.
And despite the fact that most of the angels cold fly, Cas insisted they drive, so that they could experience how slow and confining it was to travel by car. He hoped it would help the others appreciate their wings a bit more. He knew his missed his.
Jack was thrilled at the prospect of going on the trip, despite Lucifer's involvement. He was looking forward to learning more about Balthazar and Gabriel, and why all of his dads seemed to hate Anna.
They traveled in one of the cars the boys had stashed in the bunker. Cas drove, seeing as he was the only capable one of doing so. Jack got shotgun, Gabriel, Anna, and Balthazar squished into the backseat, and Lucifer was unanimously locked in the trunk. Everyone seemed pleased with the arrangement, except for Satan, but no one really gave a shit what Lucifer's opinion was.
Cas and Jack said a quick goodbye to the Winchesters, promising they'd be back soon and would call, and then they were off.
Cas learned pretty quickly that other angels hated the slow method of transportation just as much as he did.
"I hate this," Balthazar grumbled. "The stupid seat's digging into my side."
"You think that's bad?" Anna demanded. "Try being wedged between you AND Gabriel in a small space. This is hell." Cas rolled his eyes and Jack fiddled with the radio until he settled on a song from the Who.
"Baba O'Riley?" Gabriel questioned, wrinkling his nose. "Cassie, please tell me your child has not inherited Dean's taste in music."
"I like the Who." Jack insisted innocently. Gabriel and Balthazar stared at him.
"Are we sure this is Luci's child?" Balthazar asked. "All I'm seeing is a strong resemblance to Cas."
"He's a Destiel love child," Gabriel said.
"He is Lucifer's biological son," Cas explained. "But Dean, Sam, and I have..... taken him in."
"They're my dads," Jack went on. "They adopted me."
"I'm still amazed they let you live," Anna admitted. "Castiel, of all people. I thought you would smite a nephilim without a second thought." Jack frowned.
"I am not the same angel you remember, Anna," Cas said sternly.
"Well that's obvious. You've gone soft."
"That's one word for it."
"Castiel? Soft?" Balthazar scoffed. "Anna, I've served under his command, and if there's one thing dear old Cassie isn't, it's soft." Jack turned to the backseat, his eyes lit up with curiosity.
"You served under Cas's command?" He asked. Balthazar nodded.
"Cassie ran our whole garrison. I took orders from him for years."
"Until you faked your death and stole heaven's weapons," Cas went on.
"And graciously helped you and the Winchesters again until you stabbed me," Jack tilted his head.
"Is that true?" He asked. Cas hesitated. He didn't want Balthazar to be the reason why Jack suddenly saw him in a different light.
"I have not always been an honorable angel, Jack," He admitted. "There are plenty of things I regret, and Balthazar's death happens to be one of them."
"Awww, you missed me," Balthazar grinned. "Still wish you hadn't let the Titanic thing go back to normal though."
"What about the Titanic?" Jack asked.
"Balthazar unsank it."
"WHY?"
"Because I HATE CELINE DION!" Balthazar declared. Gabriel groaned.
"Again with the Celine Dion?!!?" He complained.
"SHE'S AWFUL." Jack laughed, smiling. Balthazar was definitely one of his favorite angels so far, next to Castiel, of course.