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Chapter Text

Every inch of his skin felt burnt from the bottom of his feet to his scalp. He hardly dared to move for fear of sparking new pain. It eventually occurred to him that rather than any particular sound, silence rang in his ears. He cautiously opened his eyes and searched his surroundings in attempt to orient himself. He took in the sight of a dull, partially cloudy sky and the upper branches of trees. As he processed the images, his other senses seemed to kick in with new information.

His skin still ached but there were no flames scorching his skin; instead his fingers curled into grass and dry dirt. The air was fresh, natural, tugging at a memory in the back of his mind. The ringing in his ears slowly faded and he could hear rustling leaves moved by the light breeze also tugging at his hair.

None of this made sense. It was all too calm, too... pure.

Sam didn't know how long he laid in the grass, still except for his fingers clenching in the dirt and the movement of his eyes as he tracked the clouds in the sky. Eventually he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around.

"Shit," he muttered when he recognized the cemetery surrounding him. He staggered to his feet and turned around slowly as he searched the area. This wasn't the Pit, that much he knew, but he had the sense that it wasn't real, either.

Someone clearing their throat had Sam swinging around to face the threat; he nearly fell over from the wave of dizziness brought on by the movement. A few feet away the demon Crowley stood with his hands tucked into his pants pockets.

"Sit down before you fall down, Gigantor."

Sam braced himself against a tombstone as he stared bleakly at the demon. "I told Dean no deals! Take it back!"

Crowley snorted. "Oh please, like I'm mad enough to trade with that fool."

Confused, Sam asked, "Then why are you here?"

The demon looked up at the sky with a scowl. "Apparently Miss Hindu Goddess thinks you'd go barmy without someone sitting shotgun in your noggin during the transfer."

Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss for what to say. "Kali?"

"That's the one." Crowley shrugged.

"Why would she... Why would you...?" Sam asked.

Crowley was silent for a long while, expression suggesting that he was turning something over in his mind and debating about sharing. Eventually he muttered something under his breath and moved closer to Sam.

"Call it a posthumous favor for an old friend."

Sam felt weak as he lowered himself to sit on the tombstone behind him. He stared at Crowley while letting the information sink in. He had no doubts as to the identity of the demon's friend. "You knew Gabriel," he whispered.

"Tolerable chap," Crowley admitted with a shrug. "Certainly didn't like the idea of Lucifer getting his hands on you."

Sam looked away from the knowing stare. The overwhelming heartache made his body pains fade into a dull numbness.

"When do I wake up?" he asked quietly.

The breeze around them picked up. Kali's voice whistled on the wind, "Soon enough. We needed to be sure nothing of Lucifer transferred with you." She paused and Sam looked around, wondering if she would manifest in this strange between-worlds. "Vessel or not, you're mortal, Winchester. Your body and soul have been deeply wounded."

"I know," Sam murmured. If he reached out he could feel some sort of shield currently keeping the worst at bay. He looked up at the sky, for lack of a better focus, and said, "Thanks."

"Don't call on me again. If your brother tries, I'll rip his arms off," she threatened.

While she was probably serious, Sam couldn't help but smile a little. "I'll pass the message along."

The wind began to die down, and Crowley mockingly saluted Sam. "See you on the other side, Moose." He vanished.

*

The wind brushing across his skin held a chill that hadn't been present in Stull Cemetery. Instead of grass, his stiff fingers curled against the fabric of a quilt. Slowly he sorted out the strange murmuring he heard until finally he could identify the creak of metal, footsteps, and familiar voices; though the words hadn't become clear enough to understand. Sam opened his eyes, blinking cautiously at the too-bright sky overhead.

"Sammy?" Shortly after Dean spoke, a hand pressed against Sam's arm. Sam flinched away from the contact and bit back a groan. Instantly the weight disappeared and the pain from the touch faded to a dull ache.

"Hey, Sammy?"

Sam turned his head to look up at Dean's worried face. He had to swallow a few times before he thought he could speak. "Yeah?" he whispered.

"Jesus," Dean breathed, eyes closing for a moment. He leaned forward but let his hands hover above Sam's arms. "D'you want to sit up?"

Not particularly, Sam thought. Movement made him acutely aware of too many aches and pains to count. He agreed to the suggestion, however, and motioned that it was okay for Dean to help him up.

"Are you okay, man?" Dean asked, brows furrowed in confusion as Sam grimaced.

"Fine," he muttered. Sam leaned wearily against Dean's shoulder. "Just getting my bearings."

Bobby's boots came into his line of sight. "When you're ready we'll get you inside, son."

Sam tipped his head to catch the older hunter's gaze. "He didn't make a deal?"

Bobby's lips curved into a smile. "Wouldn't let him do that even if he tried. We just happened upon some luck is all."

"Look, I think we all learned our lesson. Stop harping on it," Dean grumbled. "Plus, I think your boyfri—um, I think Gabriel kind of had an influence."

Sam let his eyes close again. Instead of replying directly he murmured, "I'm tired. Just... let's go inside."

*

The first clue Sam had that something strange was happening came in the form of a woman's shrill voice demanding, "What are these doing here?"

Sam kept his finger against the binding of the history book he'd been interested in as he turned his head to glance over a nearby shelf. There was a woman standing in front of a set of shelves labeled for religious texts. She waved animatedly at the series of similarly bound paperbacks lining the shelves as she held a heated discussion with an elderly gentleman at her side. Sam narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he recognized the series lining the shelves.

"This is going to be hi-larious," Gabriel remarked as he stepped on a shelf and crossed his arms on top of the bookshelf next to Sam. Grinning, the angel nodded towards a pair of harried-looking employees arriving at the scene. "Think these two can take her?"

"Gabriel..." Sam crossed his arms and glared at the angel. "Why did you replace the entire section with Chuck's novels?"

Gabriel snickered as he watched the employees search the nearby shelves in confusion. "Ok, so he took a bit of artistic license – or his editors made him. Still, it's the modern era and fancy talk isn't real popular. Good ol' Chuck's 'novels' are more factual than most of the texts usually over there, though."

Sam resisted the urge to groan. "Gabriel. Where did you move the Bibles?"

"Hey, not just the Bible, Sammy." Gabriel turned his attention away from the drama unfolding across the way to wink at the hunter. "Christian texts are hardly the only ones getting things wrong."

"Dude, you don't just— I mean..." Sam sighed. Reluctantly he asked, "Where'd you put them?"

The expression on Gabriel's face epitomized the cat-who-ate-the-canary metaphor. The angel hopped down onto the floor and grabbed Sam's hand. He tugged the human partway across the store and down a row past a large selection of comics.

"Voila," Gabriel announced as they stopped in front of shelves filled with books categorized under "Science Fiction/Fantasy." Sam covered his face with his hand.

"Gabriel..." he drew the name out in a long groan.

The angel tugged at the hand he held and laughed. "Oh, come on! You must have thought about doing this before."

"Can't say I have." Sam uncovered his face and stared warily at the group of Bibles sitting on the shelf above a novel entitled Adventures of the Bold and Beautiful Venusians. "I can't believe you did this." Then, much to his own surprise, Sam started snickering.

Gabriel grinned and slapped Sam on the back. "That's the spirit!"

"Oh my gosh!" A young woman with bright red hair and styled eyeliner stood next to them with her wide-eyed gaze fixed on the Holy Bibles. "Did somebody...?" She started giggling and turned to Gabriel and Sam. "Me and my friends have totally talked about doing this! But it's, like, blasphemous, right? We could never work up the nerve!"

Gabriel smirked at her. "I assure you, things have been appropriately re-categorized!"

She giggled some more but shook her head. "No way, someone's gonna go ape-shit over this."

"Then sit back and watch, kid," Gabriel said.

The girl eyed him suspiciously, although she was still grinning. "And did something get moved to the religion section?"

Gabriel winked. "Only the modern gospel. Guaranteed factual, very few details spared."

"Hmm, guess I should check it out," she laughed.

As she walked away, Sam nudged the angel and whispered, "You're just going to encourage someone to copy this little stunt."

"Awesome!" Gabriel turned so that he stood toe-to-toe with Sam. With a grin, the angel rose up on his tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on Sam's lips. "Now come on, let's find a good seat for the fireworks."

Gabriel had already pulled away and walked past the human by the time Sam decided he wanted to return the kiss. Instead he hid a chuckle and asked, "We're not talking literal fireworks, right?"

Sam turned around and his smile faded. Lucifer stood watching him with a cold expression. The Devil almost always appeared in the form of Nick, the simplest way for Sam to perceive the powerful being.

"Sam, he was never yours," Lucifer said pityingly. He stepped closer and curled his hands around Sam's biceps. "My brother always loved his little games." His hand slid down Sam's arm until his palm pressed against Gabriel's sigil. Lucifer's fingers tightened with preternatural strength.

Sam whimpered as his arm began to burn. Lucifer's hand glowed and tendrils of smoke trailed above the contact point. The smell of burning flesh made Sam gag. No amount of struggling could get him free. Lucifer pulled him closer, impossibly close, until Sam realized that he was no longer alone in his own mind. The fallen archangel slid into Sam's skin, invaded the human's mind, covered the soul with a smothering presence.

Lucifer raised their arms and examined the red, raw flesh where somehow, against all odds, Gabriel's sigil could still be seen. Sam flinched away as best he could as Lucifer's furious cry ripped through their throat.

"This is mine! You are mine!" Heedless of the human body's sensation of pain, Lucifer dug into the raw flesh and began to scratch. Fingernails sliced into subcutaneous layers of skin, tearing deeper.

Despite the zealous determination Lucifer applied, the mark never seemed effected. Sam writhed in the small corner of his mind that he occupied. He couldn't wrestle control away from Lucifer and had to bear the full impact of sensation flooding his body.

*

Sam's throat burned as he gasped for air. The transition from dream to reality had made him disoriented as it began to sink in that he had control of his body again.

Slowly the overwhelming sound of his heartbeat lessened and he became aware of how ragged his breathing sounded.

"Sammy?" Dean leaned into view, expression worried. "You wanna get off the floor now?" Sam glanced down at himself and realized that somehow he had ended up sprawled on the floor instead of his bed.

"I'm just gonna..." Sam trailed off with a cough. He recognized the rough feeling of his throat and realized he must have been yelling before he woke up. "Just give me a minute." Sam rearranged his limbs so that he no longer sprawled haphazardly across the limited space. He looked down at his arm as he shifted and the sight didn't match with the lingering pain he felt.

Fully aware that Dean was watching him, Sam rolled up his sleeve. Gabriel's sigil showed no sign of damage. Hesitantly Sam pressed his fingers against the simple, unblemished black lines. There was no unusual reaction, no heat, no light, no pulse of power.

"Did you think it meant something? There is no bond, no connection. Another game for him, Samuel. Little brothers do love to vex their older siblings."

"Hey, dude, don't zone out on me." Dean had moved to the floor and was busy waving a hand in front of Sam's face.

Sam leaned back a little to put some space between them. The room itself felt too close, he didn't need his brother crowding him. Dean seemed to pick up on that since he moved back to sit at the foot of the bed.

"So..."

"How long?" Sam asked.

Dean blinked in surprise, as if it had never occurred to him that Sam might ask. "Four weeks, Sammy. A month."

"I can count," Sam murmured absently. Not that saying "a month" meant much of anything when time was an indefinite concept to translate. Sam wasn't even sure if time in the Cage passed the same way as it did in the rest of Hell.

"A month," he repeated, letting the idea sink in this time. Not an unusual amount of time to pass between seeing friends, in a normal life. Sam didn't know the little details he should. Although he did have a detailed sense of those last weeks before the Pit, if only because of the attention paid to those memories while in the Cage.

Dean shifted noisily, his boots scuffing the carpet as he leaned forward. "So, uh, we were kind of thinking about grabbing dinner when you got up."

Sam scrubbed a hand over his face as he assessed his body's status. "Maybe..." he said. His throat still itched. "I could use some water."

~

Sam ate slowly since he figured out he wasn't very hungry. Throughout the meal he found himself staring at Bobby and unable to turn away. The older hunter had moved around the kitchen with an ease Sam hadn't seen since before Lucifer's rising. It was hard to reconcile the scene with Sam's memories of Lucifer's sharp hand twist and the loud crack of Bobby's neck snapping.

"It's rude to stare," Dean joked.

Sam didn't look away even though Bobby now met his gaze. "You were dead," he said. Bobby glanced at Dean.

"Cas used his mojo to sort things out." Dean shrugged.

The memory of the angel exploding into a thousand gory pieces guaranteed Sam wouldn't be finishing dinner. "Castiel...?"

Dean's smile looked a little forced. "Yeah. Fixed us up then headed back to Heaven to play sheriff."

Sam hunched his shoulders and stared down at the table as he tried process the information. "Castiel... is alive," he murmured. He crossed his arms in a tight self-hug in attempt to hide his trembling.

"Yeah, Sam," Dean sounded confused. "Apparently God brought him back."

Biting his lip to keep back a bark of laughter, Sam shook his head. "God. Who told us to leave Him alone, who Cas gave up on. God brought Castiel back again?" He snapped his mouth closed at the urge to laugh hysterically rose.

"Sammy—"

Sam abruptly shoved back from the table and rushed for the door. The air was too heavy, the room too small, and it was too hard to breathe inside. In the kitchen he could hear Dean's concerned shout and Bobby's softer rumble to smooth things over. Sam walked briskly through the yard, putting as much space between himself and the house as possible.

God had intervened and reformed Castiel for a second time. What made the angel so special? Why was it God came to Cas' aid but refused to interfere with anything else? And if Castiel could bring back Bobby, why had he done nothing to help Sam?"

Eventually Sam came to a stop. He dropped his arms to his sides and let his head fall back. He wanted to scream his frustration but didn't need Dean to come running. "Why do you get another chance?" he half-shouted at the darkening sky. Why do any of us get our lives back?

His hand moved to curl around his arm with Gabriel's sigil. Sam squeezed his eyes shut and let out a stuttering sob.

*

Three hunters sitting around post averted-Apocalypse would never amount to anything good. Less than two weeks after Sam's return, Bobby sent the brothers off on a haunting case located in Missouri.

Things weren’t exactly how they used to be. The hours spent in the car were uncomfortable; the air heavy with everything they couldn't or wouldn't talk about. Eventually it seemed that Dean found it an acceptable topic to wonder aloud about the few friends they still had. Not surprisingly, Dean spent most of his time speculating about Castiel's new role in Heaven.

They pulled into Joplin too late to talk with anyone and instead focused on grabbing dinner out before checking into a motel. Dean nodded off around midnight in the middle of a black-and-white sitcom. Sam hunched over his laptop, intent on research preparation and avoiding sleep for as long as he could. Eventually he would have to rest at least a little or risk making mistakes during the hunt, but he would wait for exhaustion to smother his persistent nightmares.

~

Scattered showers had developed into a steady rainfall by the time Dean and Sam uncovered the ghost's grave. The simple salt and burn turned into a mess of mud and pooling water as they were forced to start the fire while still in the hole, attempting to keep the corpse dry enough to catch fire. Fortunately the flames caught quickly and burned strong enough to finish the job before the rain ruined the possibility.

They were halfway back to the Impala when the first rumble of thunder shook the air. Sam hunched his shoulders and ran faster towards the car. In the distance lightning flashed. Dean opened the trunk to toss in their supplies.

They ducked into the car just as a long roll of thunder started. Sam curled in on himself and shivered.

Dean popped in a tape as he started up the car. "You cold?" he asked, sounding skeptical.

Sam accepted the offered excuse with a nod. "Yeah. Shower sounds good."

Vivid spikes of lightning split across the sky. The next clap of thunder seemed to penetrate Sam's bones. The feeling was too reminiscent of how Lucifer and Michael began their arguments.

Sam grabbed for the volume dial and twisted it up. He studiously avoided Dean's stare and was grateful that his brother didn't press the issue.

~

The blood of so-called gods clung to Sam's skin and clothing. He had seen how deep the pagan's rage and grief went. He would have ended her suffering were it not for the wayward archangel that appeared to protect her escape.

Sam allowed himself a disdainful smile as they circled each other. "Over a girl. Gabriel, really? I mean I knew you were slumming, but I hope you didn't catch anything."

The younger angel looked grim. "Lucifer, you're my brother. And I love you. But you are a great big bag of dicks."

Sam/Lucifer curled his lip in distaste. "Wait, what did you just say to me?"

Gabriel spread his arms to indicate the world at large. "Look at yourself! Boo-hoo! Daddy was mean to me, so I'm gonna smash up all his toys."

"Watch your tone," he hissed in warning.

"Play the victim all you want." Gabriel's expression remained firm but Sam recognized the weariness in those amber eyes. "But you and me? We know the truth. Dad loved you best. More than Michael, more than me. Then he brought the new baby home and you couldn't handle it. So this is all just one big temper tantrum. Time to grow up."

It made no sense. "Gabriel, if you're doing this for Michael—"

"Screw him!" Gabriel snarled. "If he was standing here, I'd shiv his ass too."

Fury ripped through Sam as he glared at the archangel. "You disloyal—!"

"Oh I'm loyal. To them!"

"Who? These so-called gods?" Sam demanded.

Gabriel released a tired-sounding laugh. "To people, Lucifer. People."

"So you're willing to die, for a pile of cockroaches. Why?" It went against all logic for Gabriel to stand against his brothers; for a doomed species, no less.

"Because Dad was right. They are better than us."

"They are broken. Flawed! Abortions," Sam hissed, patience wearing thin.

"Damn right they're flawed. But a lot of them try – to do better, to forgive." Gabriel grinned, "And you should see the Spearmint Rhino! I've been riding the pine a long time. But I'm in the game now, and I'm not on your side, or Michael's. I'm on theirs."

The fury hadn't gone, but Sam felt a rising sense of bitterness as he issued one last warning. "Brother, don't make me do this."

Gabriel's lips pressed in a tight line and he shook his head. "No one makes us do anything."

"I know you think you're doing the right thing, Gabriel." Sam sighed to himself. "But I know where your heart truly lies." He spun around and caught the real Gabriel's raised arm. Aided by the element of surprise, it was easy to redirect the killing blow and impale the archangel on his own blade.

"Here," Sam murmured. Gabriel stared up at him in shock, the disbelief and betrayal sliced through the tight hold Lucifer had on Sam and suddenly they were two again.

Sam dropped to his knees and watched helplessly as Lucifer pressed his free hand to Gabriel's cheek. "Amateur hocus pocus. Don't forget, you learned all your tricks from me, little brother." He jerked the blade one last time and watched dispassionately as his brother's Grace burned out in a powerful burst of light.

Gabriel's body slumped lifelessly to the floor as soon as Lucifer released the blade. The black ashy imprint of wings spread across most of the ballroom. Sam crawled forward on shaky limbs. He pressed his hands to Gabriel's chest, his neck, his face. "Please... oh, God, please..." He tilted the angel's head and stared into dull eyes. Sam clenched his fingers in Gabriel's jacket and sobbed, unable to hold back his grief any longer.

"He never wanted to get involved," Lucifer said. He crouched on the other side of the dead angel to catch Sam's attention. "You thought nothing of his welfare when you insisted he fight." Lucifer reached out and gently ran a fingertip down the side of Gabriel's face. Sam went to slap him away but the Devil grabbed his hand tight enough for the bones to scrape together.

Lucifer's eyes flashed angrily. "You dared to put him in harm's way. This wasn't meant for him!"

Sam ignored the pain in his hand and shouted, "You killed him!"

"Watch your tongue!" Lucifer twisted Sam's hand with a sharp jerk that broke the bones with a loud crack. Sam curled over his broken wrist and Gabriel's body as flames burst to life around the room. Lucifer stood up and sneered down at them.

~

Sam woke up screaming. Dean leaned over him, holding down his flailing limbs. It was a long time before Sam stopped crying.

*

They didn't talk about another hunting trip when they regrouped. Bobby said something about getting Dean to help out with legitimate work and suggested Sam help with research when other hunters called in. It was a pretty clear setup to keep an eye on Sam until he improved. As much as he would prefer the focus of a hunt and travel, Sam felt relief at not being responsible for the safety of himself or his brother in a fight.

The "down time" meant Sam avoided sleep as long as he could, waiting for exhaustion to knock him out for a few hours. It didn't rid him completely of nightmares or flashbacks, but fatigue provided a protective layer of numbness. Even so, he could get the research done that Bobby wanted.

Whenever he could, Sam did work outside to escape the enclosed spaces of the house. He remembered how Bobby's used to feel cozy with its familiar clutter. Now, it seemed too oppressive.

Within a week, Crowley showed up. Sam first saw the demon when he went to return a couple books to the library. He stopped in the doorway when he realized that Bobby and Crowley were chatting amiably at the desk. It was the first time Sam had seen the demon since the mindscape scene during his extraction from the Cage.

"Done with that?" Bobby asked, beckoning Sam into the room.

"Um, yeah. Don't think it's the right thing, though." Sam kept shooting glances at Crowley.

The older hunter rolled his eyes. "We're not discussing soul-swapping, idjit."

"Bit of complicated work, that is," Crowley remarked with a lazy smirk. He arched an eyebrow at Sam's suspicious gaze. "I am what I am, boy, don't give me that look."

Sam glanced at the other hunter.

Bobby scratched at his beard for a moment before saying anything. "He's surprisingly reasonable company." He shrugged. "Better to keep an eye on him, anyway." The statement lacked a tone of seriousness, however.

Crowley made a face in response. "Charming, Robert."

Wonderful; now Bobby was the one making friends with supernatural beings. He could have chosen worse than Crowley, of course, so Sam decided to leave off any arguments.

"Um, I'm just going to see if Dean needs anything," Sam excused himself, ignoring the feel of
Crowley's pensive stare.

~

"—ever learn?" Sam hadn't expected to step out of the house and hear Dean shouting. The reason why became clear as soon as Sam turned the corner: Castiel stood beside the Impala's open hood and watched calmly as Dean waved his arms and continued to shout.

"Seriously, man, what is wrong with you? You just up and vanish with a shitty goodbye and decide it's okay to just pop in without warning? It's been weeks and—" Dean sighed sharply, cutting himself off. "Never mind." He stared at Castiel silently for a few beats before stepping forward and slapping his hands on the angel's shoulders. "I missed you, you jerk!" Castiel blinked and tilted his head at the admission.

Sam walked closer and apparently made enough noise for Dean to realize someone had joined them. Dean quickly pulled away from the angel and schooled his expression into something bland. "Hey, Sammy."

Castiel's gaze ran slowly over Sam. "I was unaware Dean secured your safe return."

"No thanks to you," Sam said without thinking.

"Sam!" Dean stared at him incredulously. Sam was surprised, too, though he didn't regret saying it. Castiel merely tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"Attempts to extract you from the Cage without grievous harm to yourself or allowing Lucifer to escape were ill-advised." A flicker of emotion softened the angel's expression. "However, I am pleased to see you are well, Sam."

Great, now he did feel a little guilty for snapping.

Dean assured, "No soul deals involved."

"I would be interested in hearing the details later," Castiel admitted, gaze returning to Dean.

"Oh. Something's up?" Sam could easily see his brother's disappointment that it had taken some mission to get the angel to return.

"Yes. Although I returned to find Heaven in better order than I feared, there is significant conflict. Factions have formed and I fear that if we are unable to settle our arguments, another war will ensue."

Dean exchanged a wary look with his brother. "Yeah, just what we need."

"What do you think we can do?" Sam asked.

Castiel looked grim as he explained, "One of the more militant factions left Heaven in order to meet in secret. I have been unable to successfully track them since their descent to Earth. They are implementing wards to hide from angelic view."

"I hope you have a little more to work with than that," Dean said, looking skeptical.

"I will assist in the search," Castiel replied. Sam thought he looked a little uncomfortable.

Dean shut the hood of the Impala and gestured toward the house. "Might as well get Bobby in on this."

"Of course."

They were halfway to the house when Sam thought to warn, "Uh... Crowley's visiting."

Castiel tilted his head inquisitively as Dean muttered something unflattering.

"Oh look who's come back around." Speaking of the demon... Crowley was leaning in the doorway when they started up the porch steps. "Troubles, angel? Or just a social call?"

The angel looked over the demon silently for long moments; Sam and Dean began to shift uncomfortably, Crowley merely looked amused.

Finally Castiel said, "You may be of some assistance."

*

Lucifer plunged the blade into Gabriel's chest, the vessel's body giving easily beneath angelic strength. Sam watched from the Devil's eyes in horror. Gabriel stared up at him with shock and betrayal clear in his expression. Lucifer raised his free hand to the archangel's cheek.

"Amateur hocus pocus. Don't forget, you learned all your tricks from me, little brother." He jabbed the blade upwards, piercing his brother's heart.

Gabriel's eyes and mouth filled with light as his Grace burst free and vanished in a final flare. Lucifer let the empty vessel drop and looked down. The only indication that the body had held something more, something better than human were the burned shadows of the archangel's wings.

Sam struggled within Lucifer's grasp, desperate to reach Gabriel's side no matter how many times he had seen this ending. He knew there was nothing he could do to change events, nothing he could do to improve the situation; but Sam hated being forced to wield the blade. He felt sick each time he felt flesh and bone give way and the betrayed look aimed at him.

Eventually Lucifer let go and Sam stumbled into his own body. He half-fell to the ground next to Gabriel and touched the sightless face.

"How could you let this happen?" Sam carefully moved the vessel so that he could cradle the empty body. "I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly. "Oh God, I'm sorry. Please..."

"He would still be alive if you'd just accepted your destiny."

Sam looked up at Lucifer but he was too worn out to work up any anger. "Please," he whispered, "just stop. I know... I know—"

"You know nothing." Lucifer snapped his fingers and Gabriel's body was suddenly ablaze.

~

Sam cried out as he reached for a body that was no longer in his arms. He clenched at the bed sheets as he gasped for air clear of smoke and the sickening smell of burning flesh.

He closed his eyes and scrubbed at the tears running unchecked down his cheeks. Slowly his breathing returned to normal. Sam rolled over with the thought of getting up, but exhaustion weighed him down. As much as he didn't want to sleep and bring on more nightmares, his body didn't want to move.

"Hey, you have another nightmare?"

The unexpected voice sparked some reserve of energy and Sam quickly twisted around. Gabriel lounged beside him, propped up on one arm as he looked at Sam with a mildly concerned expression.

"I... Yeah. What?"

Gabriel touched Sam's shoulder and guided the human to lay flat. "I just got back, sorry I wasn't here." He moved so that he was mostly lying on top of Sam; he braced himself on his elbows.

"I don't understand..." Sam cautiously raised his hand to Gabriel's side. The skin was warm under his hand. "Gabriel?"

The angel pressed a kiss to the corner of Sam's lips. "A really bad dream, huh kiddo?"

Sam rubbed his hand along Gabriel's side as he stared up into the bright, alive eyes. "You're dead," he whispered.

"You have crappy dreams," Gabriel said, nose wrinkling in distaste. "It's fine, Sammy. I'm here." He brought his hand to Sam's cheek and rubbed his thumb along the lingering tear tracks.

"But..." Sam closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. He wanted this to be real. "Please, don't do this to me," he begged quietly.

"Shh, Sam." Their lips brushed together briefly. "Look at me," Gabriel murmured.

Reluctantly Sam opened his eyes. Gabriel's face hovered above his own, expression serene.

Amber eyes began to glow, the light growing brighter with each passing second. Sam had seen the archangel's final moments too many times not to recognize what was happening.

"No!" Sam had to shut his eyes as the archangel's Grace burned out and he was enveloped in whiteness.

After the light had faded and Gabriel's weight had disappeared, Sam released a long, shuddering sob. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

"Whatever happened to dreams of showing up naked in class?"

Sam moaned quietly. "Please... no more."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm flattered," Gabriel said, tone sarcastic. "All the things your psyche could draw on and you chose me?"

"I can't keep doing this. Please, go away."

"I'd love to have you out of my hair, believe me, but it's kind of hard to ignore someone screaming for you all the time." Gabriel pulled Sam's hands away so that the human was forced to look up at him. The archangel looked irritated. "Seriously, you need to find a new obsession."

Sam tried to pull away from Gabriel's grip without success. "You're dead."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, I was dead. Somehow I got caught up in your ill-advised campaign." He pursed his lips contemplatively for a moment. "Congrats on working that out, by the way, didn't think you'd have it in you.

"Point is, do I look dead?"

"You never do," Sam replied tiredly. "Please, Gabriel..."

"You are insufferable." Gabriel let go of Sam's arms and stepped away from the bedside. "If you think I'm dead, then why do you keep yelling my name? The dead can't answer, Sammy," he reminded. "Well, I suppose there's exceptions."

"Go away," Sam tried again.

Gabriel glared but apparently decided to give in. He huffed an annoyed sigh. "Fine. I'll leave you to your charming dreams, but if you call me again, you better believe I'm tracking you down to gag you. This is getting ridiculous."

*

Sam was all too aware of the stares focused on his back as he moved around the kitchen making breakfast for himself. It made him tense and paranoid. There weren't many choices as to the reason why he'd be drawing attention this early in the day.

By the time he sat down at the table, the stares had become a little less intense as Bobby and Dean seemed less inclined to catch his eye. But Sam had had enough.

"What?" he demanded.

Dean hunched over his bowl of cereal, looking distinctly uncomfortable about the prospect of having to talk. Bobby scowled at the older brother.

Sam bit into his toast with a loud crunch. He altered his stare between the two, irritated that they couldn't just spit it out and get past this.

The smell of sulfur and cologne announced Crowley's presence before the demon walked into view. He dismissed the silent hunters with a glance and settled into the chair opposite Sam.

"You have a helluva set of lungs," Crowley remarked. He crossed his hands on the tabletop and stared expectantly at Sam. "These gents are attempting to avoid addressing the fact that your hollering advertises your nightmares."

Dean scowled at Crowley but remained hunched protectively over his cereal. "What do you know about it?" he grumbled.

Crowley's smile eerily reminded Sam of the Cheshire Cat.

Bobby ignored the staring contest and turned to Sam. "If you need, we can look into some ways to help, son," he offered quietly.

Sam rolled his shoulders, distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation. He wondered just how much he revealed while he slept. By the time he woke, he usually had reached the point of wordless cries.

"Bobby, did you know you had a demon spending the night?" Dean asked, sounding irritated.

Sam didn't hear the reply, his attention drawn to the tattoo on his arm as he remembered the night's twisted dreams. He thought back to the painful burn as Gabriel marked his arm and the quietly reverent tone as he identified the sections of the symbol; "Strength. Endurance. Goodness. Hope."

Crowley's whistle snapped attention back to the present. The demon was watching Sam's fingers trace the tattoo; the human hadn't realized he'd started doing that. "You know what that is?"

Sam pulled back and hid his arms underneath the table. "Doesn't matter," he replied shortly.

"Bollocks." Crowley smirked and pointed at Sam. "I knew there was something going on. Fool wouldn't admit to anything."

"Doesn't. Matter," Sam growled, shoving back from the table. He strode to the back door, not caring that he was still barefoot.

"Sammy—"

"Not now, Dean!"

As the screen door slammed behind him, Sam heard Crowley complaining, "Don't kick me, old man!"

"Learn to shut your trap."

*

Eventually Sam returned to the house. A shower and change of clothes later, he joined the research effort downstairs. Crowley had gone off again, either doing some field investigation or, more likely, seeing to the business side of things.

Castiel had speculated that the missing angel faction had holed up somewhere with wards forming a barrier around a single location. The hunters focused their research on various warding options as well as ways to dismantle the barriers. On the chance that the angels were using more personalized wards, they marked passages that could apply.

Conversation, what little there was, surrounded research and an argument about dinner.

By the time Dean abandoned the books that evening, Crowley had appeared with a couple thick tomes. Bobby eyed the books bound with questionable material and sighed. "That can wait 'til morning."

"I'll just take a quick look," Sam offered, getting up to grab the top book. No one objected so he took the book with him into the living room. He stretched out on the couch, planning to get through as much information as he could.

~

"Can't avoid it forever." Sam looked up at Crowley and was surprised to realize how dark the room was beyond the circle of lamplight by the couch. The demon sat in the armchair and crossed his ankle over his knee as he leaned back.

Sam placed a finger on the paragraph he was reading; he had the feeling that the demon wouldn't just go away if he tried to ignore him.

"Getting by on little sleep is nothing new," Sam said.

"Doesn't mean it's a good idea." Crowley steepled his fingers together as he stared at the hunter. "There are ways to be rid of those nightmares."

"Memories," Sam muttered. "It's usually memories." He broke away from Crowley's contemplative stare. "They'll... fade away in time."

Crowley snorted. "You don't believe it. Though with your history of addiction, I s'pose you aren't keen to take up a new dependency."

"I won't let it be a problem." Sam clenched his jaw in frustration.

"Get your head out of your ass, hunter," Crowley grumbled.

Sam glared at the demon. "What do you care?"

"In case you've forgotten, your brother's pet angel sees another war coming. Heaven isn't the only realm in disarray. Seeing as you hunters keep getting in the middle of things, it's my preference you're the vision of health."

Sam rubbed a hand over his face. "And what if I said I'm sitting this one out?"

A huff of laughter escaped the demon. "Oh yes, I'm sure that'll happen." He leaned forward and fixed Sam with a pointed stare. "Your advanced guilt complex won't let you sit by. Bit arrogant to think all this is 'cause of you, innit?"

"What? This doesn't have anything to do with me." Sam scowled.

"Say what you like, boy." Crowley stood up and smoothed his already immaculate suit. "Try not to wake the whole bloody house. Again."

Despite Sam's best attempts, he fell victim to his exhaustion a little more than an hour later.

*

Dean had gone back inside, leaving Sam alone with Gabriel. Letting out a shaky sigh, Sam turned back to the angel. "Thanks for not saying anything else." Gabriel snorted and the annoyed sound coaxed a smile from Sam. "Really. It's, uh, kind of a tradition to blow up before processing surprises." He had to believe Dean would be okay with this, preferably sooner rather than later.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around Sam's neck and complained, "Well I don't like it. He's full of shit, by the way." He hopped up, wrapping his legs around Sam and planting a quick kiss on the human's nose. Sam grunted in surprise as he moved his hands to help hold the smirking angel up. "But your brother's nosing around did prove we should move someplace a little more private."

With a snap they appeared in Sam's room.

"Now where were we before that rude interruption?" Gabriel tilted his head and began nibbling his way along Sam's jaw. One of his hands caressed up and down Sam's bare arm.

Sam moved to the bed, still supporting the archangel's weight. Gabriel showed no inclination to let go; to accommodate that, Sam turned and let himself fall backwards, pulling Gabriel down with him.

A chuckle passed Gabriel's lips as they bounced twice against the mattress. He rearranged himself into a full out sprawl on top of Sam and resumed trailing nips and licks across Sam's skin. The angel's fingers skimmed along the still sensitive skin of the new tattoo as he moved his lips over the human's shoulder.

Sam shivered when Gabriel's lips pressed against the tattooed sigil. His fingers slid into Gabriel's hair and curled tight when he felt a sudden tingle of something like electricity jolt up his arm. He tilted his head to get a good look at the angel.

"It's okay," Gabriel assured with a small smile. He glanced up and pinpricks of light shone from the center of his pupils. Gabriel's thumb brushing against his arm turned Sam's attention back to the sigil and his breath caught when he saw the formerly black marks glowing with a shimmering display of light.

"Is that—?"

"Shh." Gabriel kissed the mark before shifting up and pressing his lips against Sam's. "I'm here, with you – for you." He followed up his words with a gentle nip to the human's ear. He whispered, "Promise."

When Gabriel snapped away their clothes a few minutes later, Sam didn't protest.

~

The first thing Sam noticed when he woke up was that he felt cold without his lover laying at his side. The second thing he realized was that the room had changed. He sat up and let the blankets pool in his lap. He immediately relaxed when he saw Gabriel standing at the window.

"Hey. Why the change in scenery?" Sam asked as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

Gabriel turned and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You know where we are, Sammy," he said quietly. He returned to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"I don't... think so." Sam looked around the room. He had a slight sense of familiarity, but with the number of hotel rooms he'd stayed in, that wasn't unusual. "Although, it looks like the setting for one of Dean's pornos."

A pen with the hotel's logo landed in Sam's lap. "Never can tell how things are going to go down," Gabriel said. Sam could feel the angel watching him as he turned the pen to read the name.

"Elysian Fields?" It took a moment for the memories to fall into place. "No..." Sam grabbed Gabriel's arms and tried to drag him closer. "If you go out there, you won't come back."

Gabriel offered a sad-looking smile as he slipped free of Sam's hold. "I'm already gone." The angel walked backwards unwaveringly to the door. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

As the archangel turned to leave, Sam pulled free of tangled sheets and ran for the door. "Gabriel! Please!"

Unbearably bright light shone through the doorway, forcing Sam to shield his eyes and back away. "Gabriel!"

*

"There's a lot of information to sort through here, Cas," Dean said as Bobby flattened out a marked-up map on the kitchen table. "In case you forgot, we humans are limited in our transportation options."

The angel leaned over the map of the United States. His eyes moved slowly over the marked areas. The three hunters waited quietly for some reaction. Crowley occupied himself by pouring a tumbler of brandy.

"Interesting."

Bobby looked exasperated. Dean crossed his arms. "Seriously? We've been at this for days now, care to let us know if we're even on the right path here?"

Sam asked, "Can you narrow it down further?"

Castiel didn't respond for another minute as he continued to stare at the map. "I believe further investigation into the Southwest would be beneficial."

"What d'you think," Dean asked, looking to the other hunters, "we head out tomorrow?"

"Pretty sure there'll be a few hunts you could take up on the way," Bobby said. "Gives us some time on this end to get some more info."

Crowley raised an eyebrow at that. "It's 'us' now, is it?"

"Shuddup, no one's put a leash on you."

Sam and Dean exchanged a surprised look when the demon merely scowled in response.

"There's..." Castiel stood ramrod straight, head tilted to the side. His lips turned down in a sharp frown.

Visibly tensing, Dean asked, "Cas, what—?"

"Wow, bro, you're sporting some major mojo these days."

The spitting image of Gabriel appeared sitting tailor-style on Bobby's counter with a bag of gummy bears. Dean and Bobby headed toward the nearest weapons; Crowley made a strategic retreat to the other side of the room; Castiel's eyes widened but he didn't move. Sam felt dizzy as the blood rushed from his head.

The Gabriel-lookalike rolled his eyes dramatically and snapped away the knife and gun the hunters had nearly managed to grab. "Geez, what a reception. Take one for Team Rebel and I still get no respect."

"I don't know what the fuck you are, but you're at the top of my gank list," Dean growled. He moved conspicuously into a position between his brother and the lookalike.

Castiel slowly walked to the counter, stopping only a foot away. The Gabriel-image tucked the gummy bears into his jacket pocket and then spread his arms out. "Okay, get your little diagnostic scan over with. I've got places to be and questions to be answered."

Only a few moments passed before surprise overtook Castiel's expression. "Brother, I am pleased to see you alive."

"You mean— What?" Dean looked quickly between Castiel and the lookalike.

Castiel turned his gaze to Sam and confirmed, "It is Gabriel."

"Told you." Gabriel smirked.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "How... when?" He wanted to go to Gabriel but he felt frozen in place, still stunned by Castiel's confirmation and confused by the archangel's all-Trickster expression.

"Secrets of the trade," Gabriel dismissed with a wave.

"Our Father did not return you?" Castiel tilted his head inquisitively and peered at the other angel with a scrutinizing look.

"So many questions! Are you just nosy or did you really miss me?" The way Gabriel said it and the mocking laugh that followed was unlike anything they'd heard since the TV land incident.

No one replied. Sam felt sick to his stomach.

Gabriel frowned at the group. "Seriously?" He uncrossed his legs and hopped off the counter. "Okay, okay, first and last opportunity for hugs!" With a cocky grin he spread his arms out. When no one made a move, he turned a pout towards Castiel, "No hug for your big brother?"

"Is it customary?" Castiel asked.

Gabriel saw Dean make a face at that. The archangel turned on the older Winchester. "Aw, c'mon Deano, spare a hug for the not-so-newly-resurrected?"

"Back off, asshole," Dean growled.

"Yeah, yeah, you're the macho man, got it. Fist bump? No? Fine." Gabriel snapped his fingers and suddenly appeared close at Sam's side, mere inches from touching. "Clearly you're the most touchy-feely of the group, Sammy, whaddya say?"

Sam felt drawn to Gabriel, regardless of the situation's confusion and the fear gnawing at his insides. He leaned closer without conscious decision to do so. After countless nightmares of his lover's death, the temptation to reach out and finally, finally hold someone real was too much to resist.

It felt right to wrap his arms around Gabriel again. The archangel's warmth drifted into him and it came as a familiar comfort. Instinctively Sam tightened the embrace and pressed his cheek against Gabriel's hair.

The angel didn't hug back and made a disgruntled noise when Sam's hold tightened.

"Okay, big guy, time to let go!" Gabriel slapped Sam's arm. A few moments later, Gabriel said, "So you missed me, got it. You can let me go."

Before Sam had time to process the implications of what Gabriel said, the angel had snapped himself back to the counter. With the angel's absence, Sam hugged his arms around himself. He could feel the others staring at him but when he lifted his head, he looked only to Gabriel.

At first glance the archangel's expression held amusement and mockery; it hurt to look at. Desperately hoping he'd read it wrong, Sam searched for something else. Much to his relief, Sam recognized the slight tensing of facial muscles that indicated Gabriel was trying to work something out in his mind.

Dean finally broke the silence. "Okay, what the fuck is going on?" He took a step toward the archangel.

"I would love to know," Gabriel replied, irritation clear in his voice. "I've got things to do but it's just a little hard to concentrate when your brother is yelling his head off for me."

"Something's wrong," Castiel said, eyes narrowing as he stared at the other angel.

"Yeah, that's obvious, Cas," Dean snapped.

"Have your lover's tiff later, boys. I want to know why a Winchester's so preoccupied with my death." Gabriel stared pointedly in Sam's direction. "I'd like to get on with my life without the constant interruptions."

The problem was so obvious but Sam had been silently praying that it wasn't the case. It felt like his throat had closed up when he tried to speak. "You don't remember..."

Gabriel's expression turned guarded and suspicion flashed in his eyes.

"Brother, how is it you have returned?" Castiel asked, sounding surprisingly earnest.

The archangel glared in response before snapping away. He didn't reappear.

Sam couldn't tell how long he stared at the empty counter before Bobby clasped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Sit down, son."

Sam sank slowly onto the chair someone had pulled out for him, feeling numb. He doesn't remember. He doesn't know any of it. Why...?

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered.

*

As much as he'd like to ignore the bits of memory loss, Sam Winchester's frequent calls and the strangeness of the encounter in the hunter's kitchen had Gabriel on-edge. It was frustrating how much not understanding their reactions bothered him. He knew from Kali that somehow he'd made the choice to stand against Lucifer. That would have put him on better terms with the Winchesters and Castiel. However, until he'd dropped in on the group, he'd thought that it was likely that he interfered to save Kali rather than further interact with the Anti-Destiny Brigade. Now he didn't know what to think, and the missing memories, once a small annoyance, had turned into a major source of nagging puzzlement.

The easiest way to get answers, he figured, was to do some exploration of Sam's dreamscapes. He hadn't bothered to look around except for the first time he actually responded to the kid's calls, and that hadn't been very enlightening neither had it been pleasant. He had no idea why the hunter's psyche would place Gabriel in his bed when the archangel's Grace burned out. Gabriel shivered at the memory. It had been nearly a millennia since he'd watched an angel burn away.

Now that he knew where the Winchesters were staying (he'd had to follow the feel of Castiel's grace), he could track Sam's consciousness without waiting for the human to call him. It took a while for the kid's mind to switch over to sleep, though he seemed to waver on the edge of unconsciousness for some time.

Sam stood at the motel window, watching the Impala pull away. He sighed and looked down at his phone. He typed something in and not long after, dream-Gabriel snapped into the hotel room. The archangel ran a quick look up and down the hunter before snapping up a bag of Maple Nut Goodies. Sam's lips turned up in a small smile and he easily caught the bag when it was tossed at him.

"Big brother taking the night off?" Gabriel asked as he started chewing on a licorice twist.

"Something like that," Sam said. He looked out the window once more before letting the curtain drop back into place and heading for a bed. He sat on the edge and opened his bag of candy.

Gabriel plopped down on the other bed and promptly changed position to lay on his stomach and kick his feet in the air. "So what are you doing here, Sammy? If you're between cases, take a page from your brother and hit a bar. I'm sure there's some prime targets to hustle, chicks to woo – they tend to like tall, dark, and brooding even if your brother's charming the panties off the rest."

Sam only looked mildly irritated as he ate his candy. "We're not exactly finished here, but..." He shrugged. "Well, these days Dean gets weird when we have to talk to priests."

With a soft snort, Gabriel waved a hand in dismissal. He asked, "What's the case?"

"Looks like a coven. Probably not a large group, and two members are already dead."

"You're dealing with a coven and your brother decides to flake off into the night." Gabriel frowned. Sam looked away and didn't say anything.

For a few minutes they sat in silence. Suddenly Gabriel sat up and clapped his hands. "Alright, kiddo! Let's wrap this one and blow this popsicle stand!" he said with a grin.

"I was going to look over our information tonight, but we were heading out in the—"

"Pssh. C'mon, get off your ass and let's go. We'll take care of this lickity-split. Wanna bet we get back before Deano?"

Sam looked baffled. "Why are you—?"

"Seriously? If you weren't expecting help, why'd you call me?" Gabriel smirked and didn't wait for a reply before snapping them away.

The dream blurred together with overlapping images. The completeness of the details in the dream suggested it was at least based on a real memory. Gabriel wondered when it had taken place. The conversation had been smooth and friendly, a concept that jarred with his recollection of frustrated expressions as the hunters left him standing in a dampening ring of holy fire.

The soft-focus disappeared abruptly, and the new scene formed with crystal clear detail.

Sam stood in the smoldering remains of an open field. Over a hundred bodies of men, women, and children lay in the grass like discarded ragdolls. Dean lay crumpled at the base of a tree, unconscious and breathing. Lucifer stood at the crest of a small hill, looking down at Sam with a calm expression.

"Are you proud of yourself, Sam? What have you actually accomplished?"

Sam's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. "I stopped you. You're trapped, you can't hurt anyone anymore."

A slow smile spread across Lucifer's face. "How many died because of you, Sam?" He waved his hand and several bodies appeared on the hillside. Lucifer walked among them but his gaze remained locked on Sam.

The human's gaze moved from one corpse to the next. Gabriel recognized about half of the bodies and could guess the identity of Mary and John Winchester. For some the cause of death was obvious. A blonde with a ripped torso, claw marks of a hellhound. Blistered flesh and sliced belly for Mary and another blonde. The older hunter's, Bobby's, neck had been snapped. Gabriel's vessel lay alongside the other corpses, eyes open but vacant; angel blade buried hilt-deep into its chest.

"What does your brother have left?" Lucifer's voice was silky smooth. He made his way closer to Sam and stroked his fingertips over the human's arm. "So much death, and you took away the last of your brother's comforts."

The air seemed to come alive as ghostly images took form. The five figures moved as if ignorant of their surroundings. It quickly became clear that Lucifer had called upon some memory to play out. The hazy Sam, inhabited by Lucifer, reacted to Michael's banishment with a snap. Castiel's body exploded and the real Sam flinched. With a quick flick of the wrist Sam/Lucifer snapped Bobby's neck; the hunter crumpled to the ground.

Sam/Lucifer hauled Dean close and began to beat him. The older Winchester did little to protect himself and wouldn't fight back. The quickly blossoming bruises and crack of bones made even Gabriel wince.

Outside of the replay, Lucifer curled his fingers around Sam's bicep and leaned so close that their bodies nearly touched from head to toe. "His own brother left him bleeding and broken, alone. Tell me, Sam, who did you save?"

Sam seemed unable to look away from the never-ending scene before him. Gabriel watched as the first tear slipped free from the human's shining eyes. "It's over," he said in a shaky voice.

Lucifer's expression darkened and it looked like his grip on Sam's arm tightened. "Not for you."

Gabriel fled when the screams started.

*

It took a while to catch Castiel when the angel was on Earth but without the Winchesters.

"You're awful busy these days, bro," Gabriel said when he appeared next to Castiel in a grove of trees.

The younger angel turned to face him. "There is much to do. There is great conflict among our siblings and I fear Heaven may be facing another war." He fixed Gabriel with a pointed stare. "Your presence could be essential to keep us from falling into battle."

Gabriel scoffed. "Please, there's no one up there interested in seeing me again. Pretty sure there's more than a couple members of the family who'd happily deck me." He crossed his arms. "Not my scene. Think you guys can keep the argument upstairs this time?"

Castiel frowned, expression tight. "What do you want, Gabriel?"

It had taken much less time than Gabriel had expected for Castiel to demand a straight answer. As reluctant as he was to ask for help, he didn't want to press his luck by avoiding the issue and risk Castiel flying off to deal with his Heavenly business.

Stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets, Gabriel admitted, "So, funny thing. Since I've been back, things are kinda... fuzzy." He wrinkled his nose in distaste at how the explanation came out.

Castiel's eyes widened slightly but he said nothing for some time. Eventually his expression turned thoughtful. "Our Father is the only one to understand our creation," he mused. "Perhaps only He can return us to life."

Gabriel's hands fisted in his pockets as he struggled to control the wave of anger-hurt-jealousy that rushed through him. Once he had himself mostly under control he retorted, "Dandy theory you got there. Doesn't do much good for those of us who Dad didn't decide to give a second chance."

"Brother..." Gabriel's glare made the other fall silent for a few moments. "How did you return?"

"Old friend," he said. "She said I'd been dead a month."

Castiel surprisingly didn't ask for more information, perhaps sensing that Gabriel wasn't about to give further details.

After a few minutes, Gabriel interrupted the silence impatiently; "Well? Do you wanna fill me in?"

Castiel's gaze was calculating, expression calm despite Gabriel's irritated stare.

"Words alone will mean little," Castiel began. "It would be best to reacquaint yourself with the humans you befriended." There was a note of challenge in his voice.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, torn between annoyance and amusement at Castiel's maneuvering. "Smug isn't quite your look, little bro." He snorted softly as his lips turned up in a reluctant grin. "Alright, I'll bite. What's in your conniving little brain? No trips upstairs, that's non-negotiable."

Castiel looked pleased with himself, an expression which Gabriel suspected was at least in part influenced by Dean Winchester. "We are searching for a militant faction of angels. They have warded themselves and I am unable to sense them. The Winchesters left South Dakota this morning, but it will take too long for them to check every possible lead. Crowley is researching with Bobby and using his contacts for further information. I ask for your assistance with tracking this group and ensuring they are no threat. In exchange, I will answer your questions and provide you with information of your lost time."

The arrangement could get complicated quickly. Considering who was involved, it was practically a guarantee that it would. Hardly a situation Gabriel cared to find himself in, but if he gathered information along the way, he could always back out if things got too hairy.

"Crowley teaching you bargaining skills?" Gabriel teased. "Just so we're clear, this is an ongoing flow of information. No holding out on details just to keep me playing along." Castiel nodded his agreement. Apparently that settled things.

Gabriel asked, "Why's the demon helping, anyways?"

"You will have to ask him." Castiel's gaze became distant and he turned away. "I must go. We will speak soon, Gabriel."

The archangel stood alone in the clearing a second later. "That didn't count as an answer!" he shouted.

*

Gabriel didn't answer right away when Castiel called. He waited until his brother started to sound annoyed. Castiel stood waiting in the same forest clearing as their last meeting.

"You rang?"

"Your assistance—"

"Ah!" Gabriel interrupted and wagged a finger at Castiel. "No go until you start paying up."

The other angel nodded. "Alright." He tilted his head as he stared silently at Gabriel for a few moments. "From your actions the other day, I assume your memories of the past year have been affected. What do you last clearly recall?"

Gabriel smirked. "I recall a highly entertaining sitcom and recasting Knight Rider."

Castiel nodded slowly as he processed that. "Do you remember Dean and Sam's request to join us?"

That memory was a little more sour; Gabriel scowled. "I remember the warehouse," he admitted.

Another nod, then Castiel said, "A few weeks after that you found the Winchesters. I was told you proposed a 'trial run.' Dean was reluctant but Sam agreed."

Gabriel frowned. He supposed it made sense that he didn't commit to anything right away, but that he was the one to come up with the proposal didn't mesh with his thoughts from the warehouse.

"I do not know why you offered your help," Castiel said. Gabriel made a mental note that his brother seemed to have improved his ability to read facial expressions. "However," he continued, "in only a few weeks Dean admitted you'd become a part of Team Free Will." Gabriel rolled his eyes at the name.

"Just what I always wanted, approval from a Winchester."

Castiel's expression remained blank. When the archangel said nothing else, he stated, "We need to join Dean and Sam." He pulled a cellphone from his pocket and showed Gabriel a text message with an address. "They're staying here."

It was immediately obvious upon landing in the Winchester's motel room that the hunters hadn't known about Gabriel. Sam's eyes widened when his gaze landed on the archangel. Dean's surprise quickly morphed into irritation and suspicion. Sure, I was part of the 'team,' Gabriel thought sarcastically.

Sam's quiet, "Cas?" was overridden by Dean's loud demand; "What are you doing here?"

Before Gabriel could snap a reply, Castiel said, "Gabriel will be assisting us." In response to Dean's skeptical expression, he added, "We have an agreement. Trust me." Gabriel hid a snicker at how quickly the hunter caved after that last bit.

The younger Winchester still looked wary, although he didn't voice whatever his concerns might have been. When Gabriel tried to catch his gaze, Sam ducked his head and seemed to hunch in on himself. Castiel asked about the search's progress before Gabriel could call Sam on the odd behavior.

~

The search for the missing angels had started a few days before Gabriel was roped into it. Not a lot of progress had been made, as Dean was fond of bitching about. Although for once, the human's frustration ended up productive.

Much to everyone's surprise, Dean was the one to ask for Gabriel's input. "Okay, dude, where would you hide?" He waved his hand over the map that had marks covering several southwestern states.

Grudgingly admitting to himself that it was a legitimate question, Gabriel avoided a snarky response. He let his gaze roam over the map as he considered the options.

"Well I have ideas where I would go," Gabriel said. "But I've always been better attuned to natural power reservoirs than others. I'd be looking for those spots to bolster any warding." He shrugged. "But I'd be setting up solo and the family doesn't tend to think like I do."

Dean looked like he wanted to comment on that, but he hesitated long enough that Castiel cut him off. "Your suggestions will be a worthwhile avenue of investigation."

"We can split the research," Sam said. He glanced at the others quickly, as if worried to meet anyone's gaze. "Someone works with Gabriel and the rest of us can look into other options. Bobby said Crowley would be checking back soon."

Castiel nodded his agreement. "Teams, huh?" Dean muttered thoughtfully.

Bingo! Gabriel grabbed at the opportunity to get more information. He raised his arm, waving it as he bounced on his toes. "Dibs on Sasquatch!"

The others looked at him with varying degrees of apprehension. Gabriel continued grinning. Dean looked sidelong at his brother, his expression concerned.

"What difference does it make?" Dean challenged, narrowed gaze returning to the archangel.

"Well I could have called dibs on you, but that would involve you staring daggers at me the entire time and Castiel sulking jealously."

Dean opened his mouth for what was sure to be a scathing retort, but Sam placed a hand on Dean's arm and drew attention to himself. "Dean, it's fine." Gabriel arched an eyebrow at that, curious at the silent byplay that went on between the two brothers as they locked gazes.

Leaning in, Dean muttered, "You sure?" Sam nodded but his smile was clearly fake. Looking reluctant, Dean sighed and straightened up. "Yeah, okay."

Castiel had observed the scene with an intent stare; Gabriel wondered what had so captivated his brother's interest. Regardless, he'd gotten his way and would have the opportunity to tease some information out of the younger Winchester.

With the division of "teams," they set about assigning their research plan of action.

*

Since the local library had little to offer, Gabriel snapped himself and Sam to a nearby university. After muttering a quick thank you, Sam headed off into the stacks. Gabriel trailed after him at a leisurely pace. He decided to wait to pump the human for answers until they'd settled in somewhere. In the meantime, Gabriel would just observe.

In the spirit of cooperation (and in interest of getting to his questions faster), Gabriel helped pick out and carry potentially useful books and journals. As they made their way through the library, Gabriel noticed small group study rooms. By the time Sam showed signs of wrapping up the book search, the angel made sure a room was open; it would be most convenient to have the privacy. Sam didn't question their good luck.

Sam claimed the end of the table that let him face the door. As he spread the books out on the table, he asked, "So where do you think we should start?"

Gabriel pulled a bag of Skittles out of his pocket. "Your decision, kiddo." As he popped a mix of green and red candies into his mouth, he noticed Sam's slight wince at the nickname.

Sam pulled a couple books toward him and stared at the covers as he worried his lip between his teeth. "You have a better idea what a group of angels might look for."

With a shrug, Gabriel glanced over the pile of books and slid out two. "Fine, take a look through here. Confirmed worshipping sites will clue you in to most areas of interest. No guarantee this is the right direction." Gabriel poured a handful of Skittles onto the table and started sorting them by color. "But we'll see if there's some crossover with our brothers' research."

Sam's attention had already zeroed in on one of the books, but he did nod to confirm that he'd heard.

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, stretching out with his legs crossed at the ankles. He divided his attention between skimming through the pages of his book, systematically working his way through the Skittle rainbow, and watching Sam. The human looked far from relaxed with his hunched shoulders and legs bent close to the chair. Seemed like Sam was doing his best to avoid even coming close to brushing against Gabriel's "space."

Ten minutes passed before Sam started shooting poorly-hidden glances at Gabriel. The human shifted restlessly in his chair every couple of minutes, and a few times his lips parted as if to speak, but he always closed his mouth again.

When Gabriel finished the Skittles and noisily crumpled the empty bag, Sam finally spoke. "In the proposal for making Bryce Canyon a national park, they included the wording 'Temple of the Gods National Monument.' Are there any sites there we should look into?"

"Hmm." Gabriel snapped up a map of Utah along with a park guide. He studied the marked terrain as he thought. After a few moments he shrugged and answered, "Worth a look-see. Couple hours field trip, whaddya say?" He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "Promise I'll show you a better time than our brothers' boring research."

Sam quickly ducked his head and muttered at his book, "Trip can wait, it'll better to have a list sorted first."

"Spoilsport," Gabriel pouted. Instead of returning to the research, he focused his full attention on the human.

"Knock it off."

Smirking a little, Gabriel asked, "What?"

Sam looked up and fixed the angel with a glare. "The staring, quit staring at me!" The frustration quickly faded to confusion. Looking less sure of himself, Sam said, "Wait. Why are you staring at me?"

Gabriel propped his elbow on the table and dropped his chin into his palm as he continued to stare at Sam intently. "Well," he said, drawing the word out. The human twitched, as if barely holding in the urge to flinch away. "I'm trying to figure out why you look like someone kicked your favorite puppy."

Sam looked away, expression uneasy. He rubbed at the back of his neck as he shifted in his seat. After a few false starts, Sam muttered, "I'm just... finding it a little hard to adjust, okay?"

Getting a straightforward answer hadn't been expected. Gabriel's attention turned to the little details of Sam's appearance: the crease of an almost constant frown, noticeable shadows beneath his eyes, and even worry lines that seemed to be on the way to becoming permanent. Gabriel recalled the dreams he'd observed and what little he'd seen of Sam's time in the Cage. Considering the state the kid's soul was probably in, it was a small miracle he looked as good as he did.

Well, Gabriel hadn't intended this to turn into a Winchester therapy session, he wanted answers for himself; but he had always been a little intrigued by this particular human. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to "give" a little in exchange for the "take."

"How long have you been back, kid?"

Sam looked confused for a long moment. Gabriel didn't know what else the human thought he could be talking about, but he could see understanding dawn on Sam's expression. "Oh. Uh..." He squinted his eyes as he apparently did some mental calculations. "A month... roughly." Sam picked at the fraying binding of his book. "It's a bit hard to, uh, keep track," he admitted quietly.

Expression hesitant, Sam met Gabriel's gaze and asked, "What about you?"

Pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one asking questions, Gabriel thought wryly; not that he saw any harm in answering. "Alive and kickin' for three months."

Sam noticeably paled, surprise and hurt quickly passing over his face before a neutral expression settled into place. Sam's gaze dropped to the books and he pulled a couple closer. "G-good. That's... great."

Okay, what the fuck is going on? Frustrated and sick of getting more questions than answers brought the archangel's sarcasm to the fore. "Wow, Sam. Your thrilling enthusiasm that one of your teammates came back from the dead is overwhelming. Please restrain yourself!"

Sam's stare remained fixed on the books in front of him and his bowed head made it hard to read his expression. "You didn't come back," he said faintly.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Guess you just didn't make much of an impression on me."

A very distinct silence followed his retort. It took a moment for Gabriel to realize that Sam was holding his breath. Hell, the kid didn't even look like he was moving, except for where his thumb rubbed a circle near his inner elbow. Gabriel tried, as he had several times before, to get a read on the human's mind, but it was like trying to pick up an incompatible frequency. He got only the vaguest flashes of emotions, though the gut-wrenching hurt threw him for a loop.

This really wasn't going anywhere he wanted. Restraining the urge to vent his frustration, Gabriel announced, "I'm going to check out Bryce and the surrounding area." He didn't wait to see if Sam responded. Mid-flight he did think to leave a bag of Maple Nut Goodies behind as a peace offering.

*

Gabriel didn't return to the university. When he found nothing promising around Bryce Canyon, he went his own way, interrupted only by a text message (Text message, really?) from Castiel. It said to meet back with the group the following evening, preferably after doing some independent searching.

He highly doubted his brother had meant searching in terms of Gabriel wandering again in Sam's dreams, but Gabriel hoped it would contribute to the answers he sought and clear up some of the human's odd behavior.

The moment he stepped into the dream, Gabriel knew Sam was back in the Cage even though the hotel room he stood in matched the usual Winchester fare. He'd appeared in the midst of a fight between Lucifer and Sam. The human grappled ineffectively with the fallen archangel, pure emotional adrenaline fueling his attacks. Sam's knuckles were blooded and bruised though he moved as if he didn't notice.

"Why do you insist on fighting me, Sam?" Lucifer overpowered the human and threw him to the ground. The fallen angel wiped his hand over his mouth, smearing a trail of blood against his skin. He planted a foot on Sam's back to keep the human down. "Wasn't this what you wanted? Leave your broken, tainted world as it is, cast yourself as some sort of martyr?" he sneered.

When Sam failed to push himself up, he turned his attention to trying to reach back and dislodge Lucifer's foot. Gabriel cringed away when his brother swiftly caught one of Sam's arms and wretched it at a sharp angle. Sam's cry trailed off into a high-pitched whine. Lucifer let the limp arm drop back down and Sam panted harshly into the floor.

"How does it feel to be the 'abomination'? There's no one to raise you, no one who thinks you deserve it. Do you like being found unworthy when your brother was the golden boy?"

Lucifer removed his foot and kicked Sam over onto his back. Sam bit off the scream of pain as his arm dragged with the movement. Lucifer crouched down over the human, narrowed stare intent. He braced himself with a hand over Sam's arm. His free hand lifted to slowly stroke his fingertips across the human's cheek.

"You're not quite ready," Lucifer murmured. His fingers continued to caress Sam's face. The human looked wary and resigned, and Gabriel had the sense that Sam knew what was coming. "Oh Sammy." Lucifer sighed and leaned close enough that their foreheads touched. "We could have been such a team. But..." The angel tilted his head, nose brushing against Sam's cheek. "Your blind allegiance got in the way."

The hand on Sam's arm tightened and Lucifer pushed himself up into a crouch. His expression was cold but his eyes flickered with anger. "Let's see if I can change your mind." A sharp twist and Sam screamed as bone snapped.

Gabriel tried to pull back, prepared to escape the dream and the sickening sounds of his brother taking apart the human piece by piece. Sam's whimpers and screams made his stomach twist and Gabriel just wanted out. But then, for some reason, Sam called out his name.

The human choked out the syllables of the archangel's name again and Gabriel just stared in confusion. Lucifer's eyes had narrowed as his focus turned to Sam's left arm. He seemed to have worked through every bone in the kid's hand before starting in on the forearm. Sam's shirt sleeve had been torn and Lucifer jabbed his nails into tender flesh before tearing long scratches through the skin.

"Please! Gabriel!" Sam sobbed as Lucifer seemed to literally dig his fingers into the inner arm.

Gabriel cursed and stepped forward, confused and angry and desperate to get rid of the damned noise that tore into him.

"Get out!" Gabriel focused a burst of energy at Lucifer, intent on dislodging the nightmare and getting both Sam and himself a little peace. It didn't quite work out that way.

The shove did knock Lucifer away, but the nightmare merely shifted. Sam still lay broken and bleeding on the floor. Lucifer stood, expression closed as he stared down at a body beside the human's; a body laying over the burnt impression of wings. Gabriel instinctively moved away from the sight of his dead vessel.

Sam's head turned to the empty vessel. His lips moved, but whatever he said came out too quiet for Gabriel to hear. For some inconceivable reason it seemed the kid was trying to reach out to touch the body. His movement drew Lucifer's attention.

"Filth," the fallen angel hissed, kicking at Sam's broken hand. The human's face scrunched up in pain. "Do not touch him again!"

Gabriel told himself to man-up and squared his shoulders. He whistled sharply and amazingly captured the attention of the other angel. "You—"

Gabriel didn't let his brother finish. Concentrating his power more precisely this time, Gabriel banished his brother's nightmare shadow. "Fuck off, bro," he muttered.

From the ground Sam stared at him with a look of confused disbelief. Gabriel slowly took a step forward and winced when the kid tried to flinch away.

"Shit, don't move," Gabriel admonished quietly. When he took another step Sam didn't move, but that was more likely because the first attempt had hurt too much rather than any trust he may have placed in Gabriel.

Pain-bleary eyes tracked Gabriel's movement as he knelt beside the human. "This might hurt, bucko," Gabriel warned. He placed a hand over Sam's sternum and concentrated on restoring the human's body. The pained whimper that escaped the human lacked the fear that had infused his cries at Lucifer's torture, but it still made something inside Gabriel cringe.

A few minutes passed before Gabriel withdrew his hand and stood up. He watched as the human carefully pushed himself into a sitting position. Sam flexed his fingers and stared at his hands with a look of confusion. He glanced up at Gabriel, baffled. "This didn't happen," he whispered.

Gabriel shoved his hands into his pants pockets and shrugged. "Well it did now."

"But... it never changes." Sam shook his head, then his gaze seemed to catch on the empty vessel still laying nearby. His eyes widened and he reached out with a trembling hand to clasp the still wrist. "You were gone."

Although this could be the perfect opportunity to get answers from the human, Gabriel felt strangely reluctant to take advantage of Sam's weakened emotional state.

"Yeah, well, we talked about that," Gabriel eventually replied.

Sam blinked up at the angel; his hand remained curled over the vessel's wrist. "Are you...?" His forehead wrinkled in confusion. "You left me candy. One of my favorites but... how did you know? You don't remem—" Sam's eyes suddenly widened and he looked a whole lot more alert. "Gabriel? What are you doing here?"

Shit. Here was the problem with interfering, Gabriel had outted himself regarding his dream-walking. He tried to dismiss any suspicion with a trademark grin and created an explanation; "Heard you again and decided I'd kick around and get us both some peace and quiet. I'm starting to think that the gag idea is a viable option," he teased.

The human pushed himself to his feet. He glanced from the vessel to Gabriel and back again. "You... I'm sorry." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm trying not to... you know." Sam grimaced and glanced sidelong at the archangel. "You, uh, you can go now. And, um... thanks."

Gabriel rolled his shoulders in an uncomfortable shrug. There was a strange tension here that made him uneasy and suspicious. "Who wouldn't get sick of seeing my brother all the time?" Gabriel prepared to snap himself away but hesitated. "These dreams should be letting up."

Sam smiled wryly. "Yeah."

There wasn't anything else to say, so Gabriel ignored the urge to stay and pushed himself out of the dream.

*

Gabriel didn't have a destination in mind when he left Sam's dreams. However he eventually found himself standing amongst broken cars and rusting scrap metal. The house lights were off but the moon shone brightly in the clear night sky, providing decent visibility even in the yard full of shadows.

The archangel could feel Crowley's presence inside the house and knew the demon would soon come out to investigate. He chose a car and hopped up onto the hood; he didn't have to wait long.

"Well, well, look who's come poking around. What are you doing here, angel?" Crowley stood a few feet away with his hands in his pockets.

"I should ask you the same thing," Gabriel replied. He looked the demon up and down as a grin slowly spread across his face. "Awful late to be here. Alone. With a hunter." Crowley snorted; his expression was hidden in shadow but Gabriel could guess he'd irritated the demon.

"Question remains, what're you here for?" Crowley cocked his head to the side as he waited for a reply.

Even though he hadn't made a conscious decision to come here, Gabriel figured he might as well make the most of having some time with the demon.

"Didn't expect you to be in on this little campaign," Gabriel remarked. He scooted back on the hood to lean against the windshield. "So tell me, what turned that little black heart of yours toward Team Free Will?"

Crowley chuckled. "Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black."

Gabriel made a face. "Hardly my first choice to join up." He sighed dramatically, "But Castiel's learned to bargain."

"Ahh," Crowley drew the sound out with a knowing tone. "Your participation in trade for filling in those pesky memory gaps. So you've come to pick my brain, have you?"

There was no point denying it so Gabriel shrugged. "Simple question of how you fit into all this." He moved to the edge of the hood again and leaned forward as he kicked his legs against the fender.

Crowley hummed thoughtfully as he casually walked closer. His gaze scanned the archangel before focusing on his face. "A little bird dropped in on me with a suggestion. His unusual... earnestness intrigued me. Turned out that interest in self-preservation aligned with the fools' task."

Perplexed, Gabriel said, "I convinced you?"

The demon snorted. "You suggested, don't take all the credit."

Why would I care? Gabriel shook his head in confusion. "That doesn’t make sense. Why would I try recruiting you? I was fine doing my own thing."

"You're assuming that you explained yourself." Crowley chuckled. "What would I care of your reasons?"

"Oh I know I'd have to pander to your self-interest, Crowley. I also know you'd poke and prod 'til you had a satisfactory grasp of the situation." Gabriel leaned forward. "So get talking before I get smite-y."

With a shrug, Crowley said, "We're not so different, Trickster. Without humans, who do you have to play with? Who do I have to bargain their souls? You said the world wouldn't be much fun once your brother got his greedy hands on it." Crowley arched his eyebrow. "I was inclined to agree."

"That isn't all," Gabriel accused. The demon smirked and turned his gaze to the night sky. Gabriel glowered at Crowley; perhaps he shouldn't have expected straight answers from the demon, but that didn't mean he accepted getting the run-around from yet another person who could give him answers.

Apropos of nothing, Crowley asked, "The moose still having nightmares?"

Gabriel huffed an irritated sigh. "Moose? He says he's been back for a month, but still he's hollering at me." He reconsidered his wording. "Not at, for me. What's that about?" he complained.

"Complicated business dragging a single human soul out of a Cage strong enough to keep the Devil in." Crowley's voice had lost its amusement.

"Yeah, I'd think so, but I didn't pull him out. What's he crying to me for?"

It was a subtle shift, but Gabriel caught the brief frown that passed over Crowley's expression. The demon replied, "Might not've, but let's say you played a part."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Gabriel rolled his eyes. "What, first I 'suggest' you join the rabble-rousers and then I put you up to the task of making sure the Winchesters survive?" he asked incredulously.

Crowley's expression regained its familiar smugness when he turned his gaze back to the archangel. "Real enigma, isn't it. Do share when you figure it out." Crowley brushed at his jacket sleeves. "Now, I have someone to see to." He turned towards the house and started walking. A few feet away he glanced over his shoulder. "Don't you?"

Few options for who Crowley meant, but Gabriel had no plans to wander around Sam's mind again anytime soon. "Real helpful. Always enjoy talking with you, you dick!" Gabriel shouted after the demon. "Have good sex now!"

Crowley didn't even slow down as he gave Gabriel the two-finger salute.

"Screw you, too," the angel grumbled.

*

Gabriel popped himself onto the counter in the Winchester's motel room. With a snap, a bag of popcorn started to cook in the microwave. "Let's get this party started."

Castiel, standing by the table, simply blinked in response. Sitting nearby, Dean crossed his arms and glared at the archangel. Sam seemed to have set up camp on the threadbare couch. Gabriel caught the human's eye for a moment and felt disconcerted at the level of sorrow he saw there. Sam looked away quickly and bent over the papers spread around him.

"We have located the hiding place," Castiel said when no other reaction seemed forthcoming.

The microwave beeped. Gabriel snapped up a bowl and transferred the popcorn. "Oh?" he prompted.

"All signs indicate a place called Widtsoe," Castiel said.

Gabriel arched an eyebrow in silent question as he munched on his popcorn.

"A ghost town in Utah," Dean clarified. "Near Bryce Canyon, so that's probably their real interest."

"What?" Gabriel dropped his handful of popcorn back into the bowl. Scowling, he countered, "I went over the area already. Nothing's there!"

Dean smirked. "Seems you overlooked a few things."

"What genius came to that conclusion?" Gabriel demanded after directing an irritated glare at the smug human.

"Our combined findings led to the same conclusion," Castiel said, frowning slightly. "When I went to investigate, I encountered a barrier where the town should have been."

"So we're leaving in the morning," Dean continued. He glanced over his shoulder at Castiel. "Are we done here?" At the angel's nod, Dean turned to Sam. "Hey, you wanna go grab us some dinner?"

Sam shrugged, but Gabriel thought he looked a little grateful. "Yeah. There was a place down the road, want me to see if I can get it to-go?"

Dean's eyes lit up, "With the bakery sign? Yeah!" He tossed his keys to Sam. "Get something for breakfast too."

"Sure." Sam pulled on his jacket as he headed for the door. It seemed to Gabriel that the human had to make a concentrated effort to avoid looking at him.

As soon as the door shut, Dean turned around to face Castiel and they seemed to exchange a silent conversation. After a few moments the angel gave a small nod. He glanced at Gabriel before disappearing.

This should prove interesting, Gabriel thought. He hopped off the counter and crossed his arms. "So, how did I manage to deserve the sole attention of the great Dean Winchester?"

Dean appeared to barely be restraining his anger as he glowered at the archangel. "What the hell is your problem?"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "I am not the one with the problem here, Winchester."

"Why are you here?" Dean demanded. "Seems to me you're doing jack shit to help. Sammy's got enough to deal with without you messing around with his head!"

Tired of the accusations, Gabriel snapped, "Not my fault your brother's fucked in the head."

Dean's face turned red as fury radiated from his entire tensed body. "You... you son of a bitch! If your fucking family wasn't so sadistic and set on torture and dicking around with people's minds, Sam wouldn't be having issues! Maybe it wasn't just you, but you sure as hell share the blame."

Gabriel didn't know why he was letting the human get away with shouting at him. He could easily banish Dean somewhere inhospitable, or change him into something disgusting, or even just take away his voice. Instead Gabriel let the hunter rant and with every passing moment his own irritation rose.

"You should have stayed away. You should be helping him but you're just making it worse. I knew you'd end up hurting him. Shit, you should have stayed dead!"

"So Castiel and you Winchesters are the only ones allowed to come back from the dead?" Gabriel laughed without humor. "Doesn't it make you mad that Castiel's the only one getting Dad's preferential treatment? Apparently stopping the Apocalypse and sealing the Devil back in his box didn't warrant your brother's resurrection. Newsflash, Winchester: Daddy didn't see fit to raise me up, either. Hard to believe someone cared enough to bother with me when my 'teammates' didn't, huh?"

"As far as we knew, dead angel means millions of tiny bits only God can put back together. If you knew different, you should've put it in your little goodbye video. We were a little busy, what with collecting the Horsemen's rings and focusing on the plan you suggested!"

The words caught Gabriel off-guard. "What video?"

"Forget it!" Dean snapped. The anger didn't really seem to go away, but his shoulders slumped as he muttered, "You already have."

The hunter shook his head and returned to glaring. "Get out of here. We don't need your help."

Gabriel retorted, "I'm not here for you."

"Fine!" Dean jerked his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Help Cas but stay the hell away from me and my brother."

"My pleasure!" Gabriel sneered.

*

Gabriel landed on a stretch of empty beach overlooking the sunset. He bypassed sight-seeing and called, "Castiel! Get your ass down here!"

"Yes?" Gabriel whirled around to find Castiel standing behind him.

"Following me?" Gabriel asked, suspicious at his brother's instantaneous arrival.

Castiel gave a small shrug. "I suspected you would wish to talk."

"That's one way to put it," Gabriel agreed. "You listen in at the hotel?" Castiel shook his head. Figures, Gabriel thought. "Winchester mentioned a video. What gives?"

Blank-faced, Castiel explained, "Prior your death at Lucifer's hand, you recorded a message and gave it to the Winchesters. Your message included a way to defeat Lucifer when the option to kill him was no longer available. We collected the Horsemen's rings to open the cage."

Gabriel barely resisted the urge to sigh. "I offered the last hope to the hopeless?" He scrubbed a hand across his face; he felt pretty sure he was developing a headache. He was tired of the constant one step forward and two back. "I don't get it, bro. How did I get that committed to your little trio?"

Castiel remained silent for some time, his gaze seeming to study any minute movement Gabriel might make.

Around the time Gabriel prepared to demand answers, Castiel spoke. "It was not a trio. You were part of the team, brother." Castiel's eyes held a hint of sadness as he continued, "Your assistance and friendship were greatly appreciated. It was clear that you and Sam formed a strong connection."

Gabriel tensed at the memory of the youngest Winchester calling for him. "He's almost always screaming."

Castiel turned his head away, ostensibly to stare at the setting sun. It was difficult to read his expression. "I can only imagine the tortures he suffered at our brother's hands."

Castiel might imagine, but Gabriel had been privy to several scenarios that he knew to be more memory than nightmare.

"Deano thinks I should fix him," Gabriel said.

The younger angel dropped his gaze to the beach. "I don't believe you can," he replied quietly.

*

That night Gabriel could tell that Sam tried to keep his cries from reaching the angel. Eventually the attempt to muffle the shouts failed. Gabriel flew across the globe to lose himself in the busy, noisy streets of Hong Kong. The outside din wasn't enough to drown out the screams still echoing inside his head.

*

Gabriel remained invisible to human eyes when he landed with Castiel outside the boundary of Widtsoe, Utah. The Winchesters had parked on the old overgrown road and busied themselves sorting through supplies in the trunk. Dean's gaze darted around before settling on Castiel, and Gabriel knew he had been checking for the archangel's presence.

"Hey, Cas," Dean greeted. "We didn't want to wait for full dark," he said, referring to the slowly changing colors of the early evening sky. "Don't need to go stumbling around and it's not like you guys have an issue with night vision."

"These are for you." Castiel held out two angel blades, expression solemn. Gabriel grimaced at the thought of striking down members of his family, but he recognized the likelihood of that outcome.

"Bobby said as soon as we break the central seal you should be able to breach the barriers," Sam said as he tucked the blade into his belt.

"Gabriel and I will be inside as soon as we feel the wards weaken," Castiel assured. "Concentrate on remaining hidden and breaking the seal. I am uncertain of their exact number, but there are at least four angels within their group."

Dean offered a cocky grin. "No problem. Those dicks won't know what hit 'em, right Sammy?"

Sam rolled his eyes but he smiled as well. He lifted two jugs from the trunk and handed one to his brother. Addressing Castiel, he said, "We'll try to trap who we can just in case we run into trouble."

"We will follow as soon as we can," Castiel promised. Dean nodded and turned away. Sam looked at the angel curiously for a moment and then ran his gaze over the surrounding area; his gaze passed right over Gabriel.

"Come on, Sammy!"

A couple dozen yards away the hunters seemed to disappear as they crossed through the barrier. Gabriel dropped the invisibility and walked up to Castiel's side. "You don't really think they're making it in there unnoticed," he scoffed.

Castiel frowned. "I plan to be ready to come to their aid as soon as possible." His blade slipped from the trench coat sleeve and into his hand.

With a sigh, Gabriel stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and settled in to wait. The sky darkened with the onset of night and gathering storm clouds. Several minutes passed in silence.

"I'll only kill them as a last resort," Gabriel finally warned.

"It is just as distasteful to me, brother," Castiel returned quietly. He glanced sidelong at Gabriel. "But I will do what I must to protect my friends."

A few more minutes passed before Gabriel once again broke the silence. "Did I kill any of our siblings?" The before I died was understood.

This time Castiel turned to answer. "No, not to my knowledge. But I believe you were prepared to kill Lucifer to end his threat."

The idea nauseated Gabriel, even after having seen only a portion of the torture Sam suffered. Long ago Gabriel had been close to his older brothers and as much as he hated what Lucifer became, it was impossible to conceive how he could eventually resign himself to killing his brother.

"The plan to trap him worked, Gabriel," Castiel said.

The archangel looked the younger angel over carefully; he observed, "You think it would've been better to kill him."

Castiel didn't avert his gaze but he looked saddened. "I believe our brother's death would have spared our friends from great suffering."

"They're not my friends, Castiel," Gabriel reminded. He knew they should be. As he focused on the missing time and his questions, he'd begun to feel the missing pieces of himself. Not mere memory gaps, but literal empty spaces in his Grace – what made him whole. He knew he wasn't the same, couldn't be no matter how detailed an explanation others might provide him.

"They could be again."

Gabriel dismissed anything further with a wave of his hand. Knowing it would distract Castiel, he pointed out, "It's been awhile, I think they ran into some trouble."

Castiel nodded tightly, expression grim. "We must be prepared."

Gabriel watched the lightning sketching across the sky in the distance. Another ten minutes passed.

The instant the air shimmered from the failing barrier, Castiel flew off with Gabriel rushing after him. They landed next to a dilapidated barn where Dean was somehow managing to dodge the attacks of two angels. Castiel immediately stepped into the fray. Gabriel took the time to look around. A couple yards away a female vessel lay crumpled on the ground over the shadowy impressions of wings. Closer to the barn a very unhappy male was caught in a ring of fire. Gabriel hadn't spotted the younger Winchester yet.

Two bright bursts of light in succession indicated Castiel had killed the angels attacking Dean. Gabriel swallowed back the sour taste rising in his throat and turned away from the scene.

"Later, Cas!" Dean limped into view, heading for the barn. "Damn it, do something! There's two more of these assholes in there!"

"Oh hell," Gabriel muttered. He popped ahead and found another dead vessel next to the marred lines of the warding seal.

No sign of Sam or the remaining angel, though. Gabriel reached out and sensed the other angel hadn't gone far; following the feeling led him to a half-collapsed farmhouse. The angel inhabiting a severe-looking female vessel had Sam pinned to the wall as high as her arms could stretch. The hunter already sported some nasty bruises and the way his arm hung limply didn't bode well.

"Hey bitch!" Gabriel allowed the other angel time to turn her head before he flung her across the room. He barely made it in time to keep Sam from crashing to the floor. "Sorry, bucko. Just chill here for our brothers, 'kay?" Sam grunted in response as Gabriel turned away.

The angel had regained her feet and she charged at Gabriel, blade up. Gabriel waited until she came within striking distance to disappear and materialize behind her. "Oh, kid, you have no idea who you're messing with." He yanked her arms behind her back and twisted the blade out of her hand. She struggled in his grip, putting up enough of a fight that he had to be careful not to let her slip away.

"You defend these mortals? You're with that fool Castiel!"

"Yeah, pathetic that he seems to be the levelheaded one, isn't it?" Gabriel jerked her arms up a little higher. "Seriously, kid, settle down." Fed up, he let his Grace flare just enough to identify himself and was pleased when she suddenly stopped struggling.

Eyes wide, she turned her head to look at him. "Gabriel?"

"I think you're headed for a time-out."

Castiel appeared with Dean in the middle of the room. The hunter went immediately to his brother. Castiel moved forward to address the archangel. "I must see to their secure transfer." He tilted his head toward the humans. "Will you see them safely to a place to rest?"

With a roll of his eyes, Gabriel passed the angel over to Castiel's custody. "Right, babysitting, check! Try not to lose her. Oh, and you might want to see to our fire-buddy out there with the storm coming in."

"I will have assistance," Castiel replied. He arched an eyebrow meaningfully.

Gabriel muttered a reluctant "thank you" for giving him time to clear out before more angels arrived. He walked over to the hunters. "C'mon boys." With a snap, he transported the three of them back to the Impala.

"Fuck," Dean hissed as he slumped against the car. He glared at Gabriel. "Little warning, asshole."

Wiggling his fingers, Gabriel asked, "Do you want to try driving your baby with a bum leg or would you like a little pick-me-up?"

Sam's groan seemed to deflate whatever retort Dean had been preparing to give. With a tight frown, the older Winchester said, "Fine, but just enough to travel. Don't need your grimy paws on us longer than necessary."

"You wish," Gabriel retorted. He stepped forward and flicked Dean in the forehead. He ignored the hunter's annoyed "ow!" and placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. Gabriel prompted the human's body to heal broken bones and realign dislocated joints. He patted Dean's cheek when he was done, smirking at the glower he got in return.

"Your turn, Sasquatch." Gabriel squatted next to the dazed-looking hunter and decided to extend a bit of healing to sort out the concussion. He felt awkward as he patted the hunter on the head and pulled away.

Dean helped his brother up. He glanced over at Gabriel suspiciously. "Don't you have someplace to be?"

The hunter was right. Technically he'd fulfilled the deal he'd made with Castiel. Even so... "What sort of babysitter would I be if I sent you off into the dark and stormy night?" He had perfect timing – lightning lit up the sky and a deep roll of thunder followed. The first drops of rain started falling and Gabriel popped himself into the Impala.

Dean grumbled as he opened the door and slid behind the wheel. "Seriously?"

Sam got in on the other side and seemed to hunch in on himself. Gabriel kept a close eye on the hunter, wondering if he'd missed something in the quick-fix healing. The next roll of thunder made Sam wince and Gabriel relaxed, even though he found it strange that the hunter seemed to have developed a fear of storms.

"Spill anything in here and I'll kill you," Dean promised as he turned the key in the ignition. "Don't fuck with the stereo."

"Driver picks the music," Sam muttered, followed by a small chuckle.

"Damn straight."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and sat back for the ride. He told himself that he'd see that the Winchesters got checked into at least a semi-decent motel before flying off to find Castiel for details of the wrap-up.

~

When Dean came out of the office with room keys, he looked irritated to see Gabriel still sitting in the car with Sam and the hunters' bags. Despite the unhappy expression, Dean didn't comment as he got back in the car and drove across the lot. The rain was coming down hard and without a handy mojo'd umbrella effect, Gabriel would have been as wet as the two humans.

"Some help you are," Dean muttered as Gabriel pushed ahead into the room. "Yeah. Make yourself comfortable."

Sam eyed them both warily before dropping his bag on one of the beds and heading into the bathroom. Dean frowned at the closed door.

Gabriel dropped into a chair and tilted back so that he could prop his feet on the table. That recaptured Dean's attention.

"Dude, shove off. Whatever Cas had you promise, I'm sure it's done."

"What, you really want to keep that shiny black eye?" Gabriel indicated his own eye. "Your brother looks a little worse for wear, too."

Dean frowned tightly. "We've been doing this for years, thanks for the concern. We're fine."

"Very macho—" Gabriel cut himself off when harsh coughing echoed from the bathroom.

"Sam?" Dean called. A decidedly wet-sounding cough sent the hunter running to the bathroom door. "Sammy?" Gabriel followed right behind, an unfamiliar feeling of concern tugging at him.

Sam sat slumped on the bathroom floor, leaning awkwardly against the sink pedestal as he alternatively coughed and gasped for breath. He'd taken off his jacket and outer shirt. After he let loose another wet-sounding cough, he moved his hand away from his mouth, revealing drops of blood on his lips and chin.

"Jesus, Sammy!"

Gabriel easily slipped past Dean and knelt next to the younger Winchester. "Not gonna hurt, promise," Gabriel said as he placed his hand over Sam's sternum. He concentrated on making sure he dealt with the full extent of the hunter's injuries this time.

"Shit, they did a real number on you," Gabriel muttered. He carefully double-checked that the internal injuries had stopped hemorrhaging and healed over before he pulled back. "Why the hell didn't you say anything earlier?"

When he looked up to meet the hunter's gaze, he was confused by the haunted expression looking back at him. Gabriel glanced up at the older Winchester and found a similar expression. A quick skim of Dean's thoughts gave him the impression of Zachariah, hemorrhaging tumors, Gabriel rushing over to Sam, something there.

Caught up in a sense of déjà vu not his own, it took a minute to realize Sam had pulled himself to his feet and was pushing past his brother.

"Sam?" Dean's hand lifted halfway to his brother's arm, but at the shake of Sam's head, he let it drop.

Gabriel stood up and watched in confusion as Sam strode across the room, barely hesitating to open the door. It didn't look like Dean was eager to follow, but Gabriel almost felt compelled to go after him.

The rain had let up just enough that it was possible to see more than two feet in front of his face. Sam seemed not to care about the weather. Gabriel hurried to catch up with the hunter's long strides across the parking lot as the rain soaked them both; he'd forgotten to snap up an umbrella before stepping outside and there was little point now.

Abruptly Sam came to a halt and whirled around. He held his arms out at his sides as he pinned Gabriel with an anguished stare.

Gabriel came to a stop so fast he rocked forward from the momentum.

"I can't keep doing this!"

The archangel didn't have a response to the half-shouted admission.

Sam pressed his palms over his eyes and exhaled shakily. "I just... I want you back. All of you." He let loose a shaky, unhappy chuckle and slowly lowered his hands. "I..." A half-choked sob escaped and Sam scrubbed a hand over his mouth. "I can't keep looking at you when you don't really see me."

He didn't know what he would say, but Gabriel felt he needed to say something before the hunter came fully undone. He could practically see Sam unraveling in front of his eyes. "I—"

"You don't remember," Sam interrupted. He looked exhausted as he spread his arms again in surrender. "I don't even think you can."

His shrug caught Gabriel's attention when he realized the dark mark near Sam's inner elbow wasn't simply a shadow. He peered at it, trying to make sense of the tattoo's dark lines. Had he been human, he wouldn't have been able to make it out. As it was, Gabriel turned his stunned gaze up to the hunter's miserable expression.

"That's..." Gabriel trailed off and looked again at the tattoo of his sigil. Unbidden memories came to him: Sam rubbing at his arm when they were working at the library; flesh tearing under Lucifer's fingers; the desperate, broken "I can't keep doing this. Please, go away" echoed in his memory.

Sam slowly extended his arm and Gabriel met his pleading stare. "Take it back. Please just take it back."

Overwhelmed, Gabriel just shook his head. He couldn't take back what he never gave.

Castiel was right. Gabriel couldn't fix this.

He took a step back, murmuring apologetically, "I can't." He flew away before he could see the last of Sam's control break.

*

Gabriel didn't pay much attention to his flight; he didn't go far, judging by the storm still raging around him. His only intent had been to retreat and not be the focus of that agonized stare.

"Well, this puts a new spin on things," he muttered to himself. It certainly explained the elder Winchester's almost rabid protective streak and the shell-shocked expression on Sam's face when the archangel first showed up.

None of the reactions or the explanations he'd been able to get answered how he'd gotten into a relationship. A relationship that had apparently been serious enough for him to place an obvious claim on his lover's arm.

Gabriel tilted his head back and let the rain wash over his face. Last he remembered, he'd been enjoying another round of mind games with the Winchesters while dodging identification by Castiel. When that had failed, he was left in a ring of fire staring at expressions of disappointment and frustration. The best he could have said then, and he wouldn't have admitted it to anyone else, was that he had grudging respect for the Winchesters. Their tenacity plus overall track record was admirable. But that was a long way from friendship, let alone a relationship.

What the hell happened? The empty spaces he'd been trying so hard to ignore felt impossibly large now, like gaping wounds left untreated.

*

Only a few clouds drifted across the night sky over Sioux Falls and lights glowed in a downstairs windows of the house. Crowley appeared within a minute of Gabriel's arrival.

"How did the..." the demon trailed off as he looked the angel over. "You look like a drowned rat."

Gabriel hadn't thought about cleaning up. With a snap, he'd dried off and a quick run of his hand over his hair left him feeling a little more like himself.

"You knew, you bastard!" Gabriel growled.

Crowley's face scrunched up in confusion. "I know a lot of things. What are we talking about?"

"Sam Winchester."

"Ah." Crowley's expression cleared and he rocked back on his heels. "I suspected as much. Rather obvious later on with all that yelling your name." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, that and a certain signature on his arm."

"You could have warned me!" Gabriel snapped.

"Hello, have we met?" Crowley rolled his eyes and pointed at himself; "Demon."

That didn't explain why Castiel hadn't seen fit to mention it, but Gabriel didn't feel inclined to track his brother down and demand answers. Restraining a sigh, he asked, "How long?"

Crowley shrugged. "Never said, but you came to me a few months before the moose jumped into the Cage. Knew something was up, so I suspect you two had been at it for a while."

Gabriel frowned at the lack of any real information. In the end he supposed a timeline for events he couldn't remember didn't much matter. He asked, "How did the kid come back? Or are you sticking around here waiting for a deal to come due?"

"Plenty of reasons to stick around," Crowley dismissed. "No deals. A mutual friend of ours pitched in. You of course remember Kali."

Startled, Gabriel said, "Kali? She brought me back... She agreed to go after Sam and didn't mention anything?"

Crowley frowned. He muttered to himself, "She brought you back. Hindu goddess, Judeo-Christian angel... would explain the memory gap." Louder, Crowley answered, "No, she didn't say a thing about you flitting about with amnesia."

"Why the hell...?"

"If you plan on calling her, count me out." Crowley raised his hands. "Last we talked, there was the distinct impression of 'don't call me, I'll kill you'."

Gabriel sighed. He agreed with the demon's caution, and in truth he doubted Kali could offer any help in fixing whatever had gone wrong. As a matter of pride she would have found him to set things right if she could have.

Apparently Crowley sensed his agreement. The demon asked, "What do you plan to do now?"

Gabriel rubbed a hand over his face and chuckled softly. "That's the million dollar question."

After a few moments of silence, Crowley offered quietly, "Good luck."

*

He'd been waiting for Castiel's return from Heaven, so he was immediately aware when his brother returned to Earth sometime past midnight. Gabriel took the time to carefully craft a barrier to keep himself hidden. It was hard to judge how astute Castiel had become with his new angel-mojo, but Gabriel hoped even his brother wouldn't be able to sense him.

Gabriel arrived in the same motel room Sam had run out of hours earlier. Neither bed looked slept-in although Sam sat against the headboard of one with his eyes fixated on his laptop screen. Castiel sat in a chair at the table with Dean. All three looked exhausted.

"How did it go?" Dean asked, leaning his elbows on the table.

"It could have gone better," Castiel deadpanned.

Snorting softly, Dean asked, "That good, huh?" He chuckled a little at Castiel's wry smile.

"There are numerous concerns, not the least of which revolves around how to handle other fracturing groups." Castiel looked down at his loosely clasped hands. "The deaths of our brethren have made some angry and it does not reflect well on your involvement."

"Anything we need to worry about?" Dean asked grimly.

Castiel shook his head. "There is distrust, but I haven't sensed any direct hostility. You are still hidden from angelic sight, if it does become a concern." Dean nodded but didn't look fully convinced. Castiel glanced at Sam before he continued, "News is quickly spreading that Gabriel is alive."

Damn it, Gabriel thought, not that he should be surprised. He knew what it meant when he identified himself back at the farmhouse, but the full import was only now starting to sink in. Just a little distracted by other things.

"So what does that mean?"

"For now, most think it to be mere rumor," Castiel replied. "I will not confirm his existence without my brother's permission." He sighed and Gabriel noted how human his brother looked when in the Winchesters' presence. "I am worried about Heaven's future. I fear that unification is elusive without a leader we can all trust. We do not share a common purpose."

A couple minutes passed; unexpectedly it was Dean who looked thoughtful while Sam appeared unfocused.

"Cas... say you found God. Would that help or just screw things even worse?" Everyone looked at Dean in surprise. "I mean, we derailed the smack-down of the millennia, stopped the frigging Apocalypse. The least He could do is manage some housekeeping, right?"

Castiel tilted his head. "When we last spoke of God I recall you making threats."

Dean looked a little embarrassed as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Yeah, well... Sammy's here now. And He did bring you back... Maybe you were right and He did some stuff we don't know about." He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter what I believe, Cas, you do. A lot of angels up there do, too."

Castiel nodded, obviously considering Dean's suggestion. Finally he said, "I would... very much like to speak with my Father. I hope He would provide us guidance."

For the first time since Gabriel's silent arrival, Sam joined the conversation. "Would the amulet help you again?"

Both Castiel and Dean looked surprised. "Didn't I—?"

Sam smiled crookedly as he stood up and moved to his bag. "Yeah, I grabbed it before leaving." He dug something out of the duffle and turned to the table. Castiel held out his hand and Sam let a necklace fall into the palm.

"Thank you, Sam," Castiel said quietly. Sam tried to shrug it off.

The mood shifted as Castiel looked around the room, finally seeming to pay attention to the here-and-now. "What happened to Gabriel?"

Dean looked at Sam wearily as the taller hunter seemed to withdraw into himself. Castiel's gaze became more intent as he looked around, expression searching. Gabriel had the sense that he wouldn't be hidden from his brother for much longer. He'd heard what he'd wanted to about the situation in Heaven, it was time to go.

*

Gabriel spent the next several days traveling through Europe and doling out karmic justice. He threw himself into the tasks, determined to get back into the flow of what had been his routine for hundreds of years. He did his best to put thoughts of the averted Apocalypse, his not-so-estranged brother, and complicated human relationships out of his mind. Most of the time he had reasonable success. He could go hours at a time focusing on corrupt politicians, abusive spouses, and schoolyard bullies. But nothing he did could fully block the continuing calls from Sam Winchester.

Surprisingly it seemed that the hunter had managed to control his screams, but Gabriel could hear the whimpered pleas. Sometimes it wasn't verbal shouts, instead a sense of longing tugged insistently for the archangel's attention.

After a few days of ignoring Sam to the best of his ability, Gabriel caved and slipped into the hunter's dreams. Thankfully Lucifer was nowhere in sight and the atmosphere lacked the heaviness of a nightmare.

Sam lay on his side, curled around the dream-Gabriel propped up by pillows on the bed. Despite the position, the hunter was obviously tense and awake, his gaze fixed blankly on the motel's hideous wallpaper. Gabriel's fingers stroked through Sam's hair at a lazy pace as they lay there quietly. The occasional sound of a passing car or people chattering drifted in from outside.

"How was the drive?" Gabriel asked eventually.

Sam snorted softly and turned his face closer to the angel's chest. "Dean shouldn't be allowed to bitch about my 'moodiness' ever." Gabriel chuckled and moved his free arm to rest over the one Sam had wrapped around his waist. "How's Cas doing?"

A sigh escaped Gabriel. "Seems like Deano might've rubbed off on him in the moodiness arena."

Silence followed as Sam and Gabriel shifted until they were more or less facing each other with their limbs entangled. Sam's eyes closed, and he leaned his forehead against the angel's.

"I'm losing them," Sam whispered. His arms tightened around the angel and Gabriel responded in kind.

"Then we gotta knock some sense into them," Gabriel replied. He tilted his head, leaving a trail of kisses along the human's jaw and neck. "You can out-stubborn the best of 'em, Sammy, you won't let those two wander off."

"Gabriel..." Sam sounded like he meant to protest, but he trailed off. He leaned into the touches of the angel's lips and fingers.

"Let go, Sam," Gabriel murmured against the human's cheek. He kissed away the worried-sounding whimper. "I'm right here with you, kiddo."

Gabriel fled the dreamscape, having found the affection almost harder to observe than Lucifer's tortures. The intimacy wasn't familiar, but the scene still tugged at him because he knew it should be.

He tilted his head back and laughed mirthlessly at the night sky. "What is this? What makes us so unworthy? Apparently I joined the underdog team, just like little brother Castiel, but I still didn't make it onto your to-do list. That human found a way to stop Lucifer and Michael without killing them and even he was left to burn.

"So what is it, Dad? How come the only one who cared enough to bring me back was an ex who felt she owed me for saving her ass? So maybe I'm back wrong, at least she fucking tried! Do you even care anymore? You can't punish me for running, you ran too!"

Gabriel's fists unclenched and the sigh that tore past his lips banished the worst of his anger. In its wake he felt tired and vulnerable with the swirling emotions of frustration, hurt, and sympathy. "So maybe I messed up and you haven't been in the forgiving mood, whatever. But what about the kid? Sam Winchester saved your precious world, Dad. He dragged Lucifer back into timeout before everything could be wiped out. So why's his soul always screaming? He's going to rip apart, Dad. He keeps on grasping for something. Shit, he's trying to reach me isn't he? But I can't— I don't know how and it's all just empty."

The gentle, "Hello, Gabriel" startled the archangel. He whirled around and stared wide-eyed at the Prophet Chuck.

But it wasn't just the Prophet standing before him, though Gabriel could sense the human's soul resting peacefully within the vessel. "Dad?" he gasped.

"I think the question you're looking for is 'where have you been'?" God smiled.

Gabriel slowly shook his head, still too surprised to truly react. "Not like I really expect you to answer. Never were big on explanations," he said with surprisingly little resentment.

"Sometimes we need to make our own choices," God replied. His expression turned serious. "My Word went unquestioned for so long, it was time for a change."

Gabriel resisted the urge to chuckle, more amused than bitter. "Really, Dad? Did you actually think that going MIA without a trace was going to turn out well?"

With a sad-sounding sigh, God replied, "I wish things had turned out better. I wasn't always paying attention when I should have. Don't doubt that I have regrets, Gabriel."

The angel did chuckle at that. "So you make mistakes – that's really gonna screw with some minds."

"But not all." God smiled. "Many of my children have learned to think for themselves. However, I had underestimated the need for guidance." His gaze turned skywards.

Considering the implication of those words, Gabriel said, "Castiel says it's a mess up there. Probably could use a Fatherly visit." Or a kick in the ass, he thought.

God's attention returned to Gabriel, His stare more intense, more knowing than any being Gabriel had ever encountered. "I have a couple things to do first. Gabriel, I'm sorry that I didn't come for you. I have no explanation to satisfy your questions in that regard. But it was not your time to die, you have just as much work left to do as Castiel."

Wary, but also grateful to hear he was still cared for, Gabriel said, "Gee, Dad, weren't we just talking about free will?"

"Maybe I just believe in second... and third chances." The teasing note faded from His voice when God continued; "Kali could not make you whole. If you wish, I can."

Surprised, Gabriel hesitantly asked, "What's the catch?"

"I cannot simply fill in the gaps. If you agree, it will be painful. It will be as if you died again, and you will be aware of your spirit and vessel being made anew." God watched carefully as Gabriel let the significance of that sink in.

Gently, God added, "You changed for the better, Gabriel. I could feel your strength, your happiness, for the first time in thousands of years."

Gabriel was shaken by the implication. Despite the trickle of fear he felt, the angel put on his game face and asked cheekily, "So what's there to lose?"

God stepped forward with a small smile. "You will forget nothing. Bless you, child." For one long, precious moment Gabriel felt his Father's kiss on his vessel's forehead.

Then came the indescribable explosion of his undoing.

*

Gabriel felt the millions of fractured pieces of his Grace explode outward before crashing against a barrier that kept his essence from scattering to the universe. Mismatched jagged edges scraped against each other as the barrier contracted. Gabriel hurt without knowing what hurt. He only recognized pain and the fact that this wasn't right. Either he was meant to be whole in life or returned to the dust of the universe in death. This in-between wasn't a real state-of-being.

Slowly, so excruciatingly slowly, the right pieces began to fit and a sense of coherency started to return. He realized he was screaming. The pieces of himself that Kali had woven together slipped into place first. As jagged edges smoothed, the indescribable pain eased slightly to a deep ache. His screams faded as his attention turned to the memories quickly piling on top of one another.

The missing fragments began to fill in, details of scenes that had been forgotten from the distant past; often things so small that Gabriel had hardly noticed their absence.

The closer his thoughts spun to the present, the more detailed the memories became. Gaps began to fill and Gabriel found himself popping through his custom-made TV realm for the Winchesters. Finally the extra details filed into place, and with every passing moment he could feel his Grace glowing brighter and the deep-set ache fading away.

*

Over a month had passed since the Winchesters had managed to trick the Trickster and exposed his true identity. Gabriel's initial anger had faded, the last simmering remains saved for the coward accusation Dean had tossed his way before leaving. He was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them.

"It doesn't have to be like that. There has to be some way to, to pull the plug," Sam had said when Gabriel expressed his desire for the fight to go down and be done with. The younger Winchester had been the one hopeful for a new ally even though he didn't look surprised when faced with Gabriel's refusal.

The hunters had walked out of the warehouse and Castiel followed with only the briefest of glances back. As utterly hopeless as their little team's mission to derail the Apocalypse was, the trio didn't seem to be backing down. Well, the Winchesters always had been stubborn bastards, not like he should expect that to change. Nor had they ever done well with having their convictions challenged.

They really think there's a way to get out of this without killing each other and without the world ending. He'd been thinking about that for weeks.

Gabriel sincerely doubted their ability to defy destiny, but he couldn't deny to himself that he would prefer the world to stay as is – chaotic and lively. What Michael and Lucifer had planned... in his heart Gabriel doubted their Father truly wished the same. Unfortunately, running off without a word meant tacit approval and those most capable of stopping the impending mess were disinclined to do so.

Leaving, of course, a collection of tenacious misfits.

He'd gambled in the past and no one had ever accused him of being predictable. Nothing said he'd have to abandon witness protection or bind himself indefinitely to the anti-destiny team. Shit. What the hell do I lose except a bit of time?

It took very little time to figure out where he could meet up with the brothers. If the angels had even the slightest understanding of the Winchesters, they'd have the boys prepped and ready for The End. Another point to you humans, Gabriel thought wryly. He popped into a small Midwestern town with a hunt sure to attract the brothers' attention.

"We'll just wait and see, boys."

*

It hadn't been any particular thing that won Gabriel over and made him stay. Eventually he noticed the others had stopped thinking of him as an interloper only to realize he'd stopped thinking as an outsider long before that. However, as much as the whole team accepted Gabriel, Sam connected with him the best. The reverse was also true.

Gabriel first became aware of the depth of his connection with Sam in the aftermath of Famine's effects. The archangel had turned up at Singer's in time to hear Sam yelling and screaming in the panic room. Bobby sat on the porch nursing a whiskey bottle. Dean alternated between pacing the house and walking through the salvage yard. Castiel stood vigil outside the panic room. All of them looked like death warmed over and Sam, when Gabriel finally saw him, looked even worse.

Seeing Sam like that flipped some sort of mental switch for Gabriel. He was acutely aware of the worry he'd felt during the human's screaming fits; for the first time Gabriel felt angry at himself for not being around to help earlier; he felt relieved and proud that Sam had turned Famine's game around on the Horseman. Most significantly, Gabriel felt a surge of affection and protectiveness as the hunter relaxed in his arms.

To all appearances, Sam recovered quickly from the incident with Famine. While Gabriel could fully agree that the younger Winchester was holding together, he knew things were far from fine. It was obvious to see Dean losing steam and Castiel falling further into desperation whereas Sam presented a constant front of determination. Gabriel respected that strength, and goodness knew their little team needed someone to maintain hope, but he hated how Sam seemed to have shouldered the weight alone.

It had been a long time since Gabriel had much cared about other people. He'd spent centuries wrapped up in himself and maintaining emotional distance from others. Times had changed, however, and he found himself wanting to offer Sam a respite. He liked the human, cared for him in a way Gabriel didn't want to examine too closely.

So that was why when Sam needed rescuing from a persistent admirer, Gabriel took the opportunity to kiss the human and pull him away – from everything.

"Take a little, Sam. Just us here, and I’m offering. Take it or leave it." The angel didn't look too closely at the rush of relief he felt when Sam accepted.

*

It was around the time that the Winchesters were handling the fallout of a zombie awakening near home base (a.k.a. Singer's place) that Gabriel had a novel idea. It was just the right sort of Winchester-crazy to work, too. It should have occurred to him earlier, but he had reckless humans and a complicated brother to take care of. In addition, he was working on stepped-up warding tactics to hide the trio and himself.

It took a bit of browsing through Singer's notes while the humans slept for Gabriel to get a clue. Singer had continued to monitor signs of the Horsemen while the rest of the team focused elsewhere. Reading the hunter's notes about War's and Famine's rings finally sparked Gabriel's idea.

While breaking the seals had led to Lucifer's release, the Cage could be locked another way. Combined, the Horsemen's rings opened the door. Opening the Cage meant a chance at shoving Lucifer back in – a non-lethal method of stopping the fallen archangel.

Given that the Winchesters had already managed the improbable and come out on top with the rings of two of the Horsemen, Gabriel actually didn't feel too worried about their chances with Pestilence. (That did not mean he planned on letting the humans, with their fragile physical bodies and weak immune systems, face that particular Horseman without angelic backing.) Death, however, was another matter entirely.

Death was one of the first beings ever in existence, the quintessential partner of creation. Older than God or any other deity, Death would always be around. There was no way to permanently defeat Death, only ways to cheat or harness or bind its powers. Lucifer had needed the power and chaos of the Horsemen and probably managed to bargain with War, Famine, and Pestilence. But with Death, there would be nothing he could offer or threaten, so he must have found a way to harness the ancient being. Gabriel sincerely doubted Death, even with all its patience, cared to be collared.

He knew it would be a longshot, but it was one worth making. Gabriel needed to find Death in whatever form it had currently taken and see if the Horseman would lend its ring in exchange for re-caging Lucifer.

Gabriel needed some backing before he presented the idea to the team. Tracking down the remaining rings and taking possession of the keys would be a bit tricky. Opening the Cage would be the easy part. Getting Lucifer back into the Cage might very well take a miracle.

*

Gabriel couldn't overwrite the concealing sigils Castiel had carved onto the Winchesters' ribs, but he did manage to craft a monitoring spell. He had intended the spell to notify him in case of an emergency; by Winchester standards, that translated to "near death." However, the ability to intervene depended on knowledge of their location. He hadn't exactly known how the spell would work out, he'd made it up as he went along.

At first he didn't understand why it felt like someone was tugging at his shoulder – well, it was less of a physical sensation than a disruption of his attention. Seconds later, when his focus had turned to the tug, he heard a familiar voice gasp, "Sorry."

Realization struck like a blow to the chest and Gabriel immediately flew to Castiel's side. "Tell me you know where they are," Gabriel demanded.

Castiel tilted his head with a look of confusion. "Dean has not contacted me. I believe they were quite tired from recent events."

Gabriel clenched his fists in frustration. "Shit. Cas..." Sam's dead, he tried to say, but the words wouldn't come. He took a moment to center his thoughts and reached out for the monitoring spell. No response from Dean, either. "Castiel, they're dead."

Castiel's eyes widened and for a few moments Gabriel saw a wealth of emotions rush across his face.

"I don't know anything else," Gabriel continued, "those damn sigils— Something obviously found them. Shit, we're going to be in a damn race to find them first. Heaven and Hell are going to be searching the instant they hear and news travels fast." Given the Winchesters' importance, not to mention their penchant for not staying dead, there was no doubt in Gabriel's mind that they would be back. The problem lay in how they returned and who got to them first.

"Their presence in Heaven will be detected but..." Castiel looked thoughtful. Gabriel gave him a questioning look. "We have been unable to find God on our own. Joshua could help us."

Incredulous, Gabriel gaped at his brother. "You want the Winchesters running around Heaven looking for Dad's Gardener while a pack of angels gung-ho about the Apocalypse are right on their tails? Bro, you know who has the home field advantage in this. How do you expect them to know what to do, anyway?"

Castiel frowned. "I should be able to make contact with Dean. Unless you will travel to Heaven and find them?"

Gabriel scowled and looked away. He couldn't return and irrevocably expose himself.

"I will attempt to make contact," Castiel repeated. "I could use your help, brother."

Still scowling, Gabriel glanced at Castiel and reluctantly nodded. He could boost his brother's "signal" without announcing his own presence.

For the first time Gabriel felt a disturbing ring of truth in Dean's accusation from months ago: "This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family."

~

The instant Castiel received the brothers' location upon their return from Heaven, the angels took flight. Gabriel's eyes locked on Sam and he strode across the room. The human looked pale and a little dazed as he glanced up from picking at his blood-caked shirt. Gabriel felt ill as he stared at the evidence of the hunter's death.

"We're fine. I'm fine," Sam said, holding his hand up. Gabriel read the gesture as a sign to stay back so he resisted the urge to reach out as he ran a critical gaze over Sam's body.

Dean laughed sharply and the hollow sound caught Gabriel by surprise. "Yeah. Fine. Your Dad's gardener said to fuck off." The archangel turned his stare to Dean in surprise. Sure, Gabriel hadn't really expected Castiel's search to pan out, but his brother's earnestness must have given him some hope.

"He wouldn't..." Castiel's brow furrowed in a look of very human confusion.

"Yeah, well, apparently He would," Dean said.

Gabriel hid his grimace at Castiel's expression of disappointment. He would talk with his brother later, though. He actually had slightly more pressing matters to examine at the moment. Looking back to Sam he asked, "What happened to instigate your little jaunt upstairs?"

Sam grimaced and poked his finger through one of the holes in his shirt. "A couple hunters."

Humans? Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "I know you two can really piss people off, but why were hunters after you?" So help him, they were in for more trouble than they could hope to handle.

"They knew that I started this," Sam said quietly, seeming to hunch in on himself.

Before Gabriel could counter assigning blame, Dean added, "Not just them. They said others are looking for us. Somebody passed along the word." He made a disgusted sound as he looked down at his shirt. "We need to get the hell out of Dodge – after we change."

As the elder Winchester commandeered the bathroom, Gabriel drew closer to Sam. He gently touched the human's chin and got him to look up. "Sam? I'm sure a shower would feel better, but in the name of expediency..." He snapped his fingers, exchanging the hunter's blood-covered clothes with a clean outfit. Gabriel pasted on a smile and was relieved to receive a small one in return.

"That works." Sam stood up and started moving around the room, packing. Gabriel's stare stayed with the human.

Castiel's quiet words disrupted the silence. "Why would our Father stand by and let this happen? Does He want this?" Sam sent Gabriel a worried look.

Sighing quietly, Gabriel said, "Bro... Look, I know everyone's keen on preaching Dad's infallibility but the truth is, He hasn't been interested in stepping in for centuries. The last chat He had with anyone besides Joshua, apparently, was His message to Muhammad." He shrugged dismissively, acting far more casual than he felt. "Millennia spent in a crowd of His children, probably needed a vacation."

It had never been popular for those in Heaven to question God. Gabriel was certain that even with God away, popular opinion would originate from the top and any orders would be obeyed on the assumption that God's Will was being carried out.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed. "Sammy, it's all—" He did a double-take as he realized his brother had changed. "Or we could just get out of here." Sam nodded and zipped up his bag.

Gabriel caught their attention by snapping and cleaning away the bloody evidence of death from the beds. Sam looked a little sheepish as he muttered "Thanks."

"Cas?"

They looked over at the angel leaning heavily against the room's divider. Gabriel flinched at the overwhelming sense of dejection emanating from Castiel. "You son of a bitch. I believed—"

Castiel turned around as he dug something out of his pocket. "I don't need this anymore," he said gruffly, tossing the object in his hand to Dean. "It's worthless."

Gabriel didn't know what it was, obviously something Castiel had thought would help find their Father. The flash of hurt across Sam's face made him curious to know the details.

Without another word, Castiel vanished. "Damn it," Sam muttered.

Gabriel wanted to stay; the longing he felt to do so surprised him. He couldn't give into the urge, though, because as much as he didn't want to let Sam out of his sight, Castiel needed his brother.

Gabriel drew close to curl his hand around Sam's arm. He wished he could give in to the urge to kiss the hunter, but Dean didn't know about them and they didn't need to add another complication tonight. "Keep in touch," Gabriel said. He waited for Sam's acknowledgement before he flew off to find Castiel.

*

It was no easy task tracking down a powerful demon on the lam. Gabriel had known Crowley since before the demon had become King of the Crossroads, however, and that combined with Gabriel's blend of angelic and Trickster powers lent him the edge he needed. He sent a simple message with a time and location.

They met at an empty beach house off the Florida keys. They sat on the deck with drinks Gabriel conjured.

Crowley accepted his glass and asked, "What's the occasion? You never struck me as the family reunion type. Or is the frenzy over the prize fight of the millennium simply too much to resist?"

Gabriel had expected the jab at his family and chose to ignore it. "I hear you're on the outs with Lucifer's crew. Not a very popular side you picked."

The demon shrugged, appearing unperturbed. "Lucifer wins, doesn't matter if I support the bastard or not, I'm dead. I happen to like living." He sipped his drink and arched an eyebrow. "But what's it to you?"

"Mutual interest in self-preservation." Gabriel mimicked Crowley's casual shrug. "Well, I'm harder to kill than a cockroach, so it's more... an investment in keeping the world interesting." He grinned.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Chaos gods, always so full of yourselves. Only thing worse has to be a bloody archangel of judgment masquerading as one."

"Love you too, dick," Gabriel returned.

They drank in silence for a long while. Eventually Crowley motioned for a refill. He leaned back with his full glass and fixed Gabriel with a skeptical stare. "Not pulling for either of your brothers, then?"

"Oh, I have a familial connection," Gabriel answered, smiling a little at the surprise that escaped onto the demon's expression. "Just so happens my little brother is something of an outcast."

"Ah, I see." Crowley's eyes narrowed slightly. "Little lost angel Castiel. He's keeping interesting company."

Gabriel inclined his head. "They do seem a bit ragtag, true. Didn't seem to stop you taking a gamble," he challenged.

"Convenient excuse to get out from under Lucifer's thumb," Crowley dismissed.

"Maybe." Gabriel leaned forward, dropping some of the levity. "You already took a risk, Crowley. It's not like you to leave something partway. You really want to survive this? Invest a little time getting the Winchesters pointed in the right direction."

Gabriel knew he'd let his personal feelings slip into the proposal and that Crowley was more than likely to investigate that information, but if it was enough to intrigue the demon, Gabriel wouldn't complain.

"Throwing your lot in with more than your little brother, then." Crowley finished his drink and stood up. "Our meetings are never boring, I'll give you that."

Gabriel stood as well and tried to gauge the demon's thoughts. "You know me, always fun-loving," he replied. "Michael and Lucifer always were the spoilsports."

Crowley smirked, easily catching onto the archangel's fishing.

"I'll think about it," the demon said before disappearing.

With a sigh Gabriel fell back into a lounge chair and settled in with another drink. He hadn't expected much else from Crowley. Now he had to hope that the demon would join in before it was too late.

*

Dean looked furious as he got into the car and turned to glare at Gabriel. "You asshole! I thought you were dead!"

Gabriel held back a grimace, hoping that Sam had seen through the trick. "You think I'd give Kali my real sword? That thing can kill me!"

"So what do they have in there?"

"A fake! Made it out of diet orange Slice – only time that stuff's good for anything. So hey, go snag our blood, okay?"

Dean looked at him incredulously. "What?"

Gabriel sighed irritably, this really needed to go smoother. "Kali likes you, man. You can get close so grab the plasma and we can vamoose!"

Dean's expression closed off and Gabriel knew he was going to hate whatever came next. "No. Hand over the real blade if you're not going to use it. Someone in there will!"

"You can't be serious," Gabriel scoffed. The only thing he wanted to do was grab Sam (which by extension had to include Dean) and fly the coop. This night was all leading up to something very bad and he wanted everyone away from ground zero. Dean's unwavering determined expression looked a lot like one of Sam's bitchfaces, which meant the hunter was deadly serious. Gabriel tried, "Since when are you butt-buddies with a bunch of monsters? That's all they are to you, right?" So what if a little bitterness crept into his voice?

The hunter dismissed the question with an irritated shrug. "So? You know, they're right, it's nuts but it's the best idea I've heard so far. So if you have a better one, now's the time to fess up. I'm sick of you popping in and acting like you'll eventually deign to help us mere mortals."

Somehow the older Winchester almost always rubbed him the wrong way and riled him up. Certainly Dean's recent track record hadn't endeared him to the archangel. "Screw you, Winchester. Those lemmings in there want to run off a cliff, fine. But Sammy, me, and your idiotic self are getting out of here. Listen for once in your damn life and grab the blood!"

"I see right through you, you know," Dean said. "You have this whole 'don't give a crap' thing going on, and you keep smart-mouthing those guys in there, but those freaks are your family."

"They stabbed me in the frigging heart!"

"So has Sam," Dean shot back. They glared at each other for a while, Dean's angry breathing the only sound.

"Damn it, Gabriel. You care for those freaks, you like the world, and you still won't take a fucking stand!"

Gabriel grabbed the collar of Dean's shirt tightly and got right up in his face. "I chose a side, boy. I'm in this shit nice and deep."

Although Dean was obviously uneasy, he held his ground and retorted, "Maybe you're leaning our way, but I sure as shit don't see you making the commitment that could end all this."

Gabriel grit his teeth as he shoved Dean away. The human bumped against the steering wheel. "What you want from me..." Gabriel trailed off, tone dangerous and low. "I can't kill my brother."

"Can't or won't?" Dean had the audacity to demand. Gabriel stared at him, speechless. He was appalled that the hunter apparently disregarded that their roles could very easily be the same. Dean snorted and muttered, "That's what I thought." He got out of the car and slammed the door closed. He didn't look back as he strode away.

Not even a full minute had passed when Gabriel felt the change. He stared at the hotel's sign as he let the realization sink in that his brother had arrived. He bought himself a little time, twisting time to form a small bubble set apart from reality where Lucifer would slaughter his way through Gabriel's desperate pseudo-family of pagan deities before turning to the Winchesters.

Gabriel groaned as he finally acknowledged the inevitable. He had to choose Lucifer and Michael or the world and its wealth of life. He had to make the choice: Lucifer or Sam.

He flew into one of the rooms, it looked like a prime set for a porno, really, and on a lark he materialized a copy of Casa Erotica 13 to leave his just-in-case message behind. He had precious few minutes left; already he could sense the massacre had begun outside his pocket of time. He took a breath, then pasted on a smirk and started recording.

"Sorry Dean, this probably isn't the video you're looking for."

*

The memories following his revival passed quickly. As the final pieces fell into place, Gabriel regained awareness of his surroundings and God's presence. For the first time since leaving Heaven Gabriel stood in his true form, wings unfettered and fully spread. His Father, still inhabiting the Prophet, watched with an indulgent smile as Gabriel folded himself into the dimensions of his vessel.

"Welcome back," God greeted.

Gabriel's thoughts whirled as he processed the flood of information and sensation. Gradually he felt less dizzy and re-centered himself. Thoughts of Sam occupied the forefront of his mind, and instinctively he reached out to try and sense the human's location.

God cleared His throat. "I believe you'll want Bobby Singer's."

Gabriel just barely managed to keep himself from instantly taking off. "Thanks, Dad," he said. "I'd stay and chat, but there's somewhere I need to be." He didn't try to hide his restlessness.

"Go." God smiled, and Gabriel took flight.

*

Gabriel landed in the living room and was surprised to notice the sunlight streaming through the windows. He wondered how long it had taken God to resurrect him.

"Oh, hell. What do you want?" The less than enthusiastic greeting drew Gabriel's attention to the couch where Bobby and Crowley sat.

As soon as Gabriel met the demon's stare, Crowley's eyes widened slightly and he put a hand on the hunter's arm. Gabriel's gaze darted to the intimate gesture and smirked a little.

"Figured it out?" Crowley asked.

Ignoring the confused hunter, Gabriel replied, "With a little help." He turned his focus to trying to listen for clues of where Sam was.

Crowley smirked knowingly. "Outside with the damn car."

Gabriel popped outside without replying. He stayed near the house, just watching for a few minutes. Dean leaned over the engine of the Impala. Sam, his back to Gabriel, leaned against a pickup bed nearby with a toolbox and a couple of beers.

Neither brother noticed his presence and Gabriel took advantage of the time to try getting his emotions under control. He'd be throwing Sam another curveball and the angel didn't know if he'd end up only causing more pain.

Dean straightened up, wiping his hand on a rag. He glanced at the house and his gaze caught on the archangel. Immediately noticing his brother's tense body language, Sam stood and turned. He visibly paled. The look of apprehension on Sam's face made Gabriel's heart ache.

Dean switched to full-on protection mode and placed himself between Gabriel and his brother. Expression stormy, he demanded, "What the fuck do you want?"

This wasn't about Dean, and Gabriel quickly determined that Crowley could clarify things or at least restrain the hunter until he calmed down. "Dean, shove off and give me some privacy with your brother." Gabriel snapped his fingers and sent the hunter inside.

Sam eyed him suspiciously but didn't move away when Gabriel took a step forward. Gabriel licked his lips nervously but refused to break eye contact. Just loud enough to carry, he repeated the words he'd said months ago at Elysian Fields, "Better late than never, huh?" Sam's eyes widened a little and Gabriel saw a spark of nervous hope flare up momentarily.

Gabriel moved closer, one slow step at a time. "You asked why I kept coming back." He stopped close enough to touch. When Sam remained still, Gabriel cupped a hand behind Sam's neck and placed his other over Sam's tattoo.

Pushing onto his toes so he could reach, Gabriel murmured against Sam's lips, "Because of you. I keep coming back for you."

Warm arms wrapped around him tightly and Gabriel surged up to meet the desperate kiss. Gabriel's palm pressed against his sigil, and he let a thread of Grace trace over the mark.

~*Fin*~