Sam sighed as he sat hunched on the side of the bed. He had been lying awake for the past hour desperately wanting to fall back asleep but unable to. With a groan he finally stood, dressed and slunk down the stairs.
It was still dark out, maybe five or six in the morning. Either way Sam didn't really care. Since Bobby and Dean were still sleeping he could take another long look at the books or online for some clue as to the whereabouts of Lucifer. He'd always been fond of research.
Quietly he put on some coffee and sighed as he leaned back on the kitchen counter and glanced out the dirty glass of the window. It was obvious that the house lacked a woman's touch.
Sam furrowed his brow as something out in the yard caught his eye; something that hadn't been there the night before. He stepped closer to the window and frowned trying to make out what the thing was. It was white but that was all he could really see at the distance and with the yard so dark.
Quickly he swiped a flashlight off the table and patted his jeans pocket to make sure the demon killing knife was there just in case.
"Dean." He said stepping into the living room. His brother was a light sleeper; It didn't take that much to wake him. The older man groaned and rolled over on the couch.
"Dean." He said a little more forcefully.
"What…" his brother voice finally grumbled. "Tryin' to get some sleep here, Sammy."
"There's something in the yard."
With a sigh the older Winchester sat up and rubbed his face. "What is 'something'?"
"Dunno, it's white," He picked up the shot gun by the door and tossed it to his brother who caught it expertly despite having just woken up. "I just saw it. I'm gonna check it out but I thought some backup would be nice. Y'know with everything happening…."
"Yeah, yeah." Dean grumbled and stood. "What are you doing up this early anyway?"
"Couldn't sleep…" Sam opened the front door and stepped out, clicking on the flashlight.
Dean frowned as soon as the light fell on the thing across the yard. "Dude….what the hell…"
Sam didn't respond as the two of them cautiously walked closer.
Feathers…..they were feathers….to be more exact wings; six of them, and they were wrapped around something. The two exchanged a look.
"What…" Dean questioned to no one in particular as he stepped closer to the thing. It was big, the size of a man at least. He crouched down and reached a hand out to touch a quivering wing.
"Dean…" Sam said worriedly. "Maybe we should figure out what it is before you go feeling it up."
The older man gave his brother an irritated look but stood again.
Sam frowned. "Aren't archangels supposed to have six wings?"
"Can't be, 'humans can't perceive an angels wings'." Dean said in a deep voice mocking Castiel. "But, whatever it is, it's injured. Look." Two of the wings were clearly broken, blood tarnishing the white feathers where the bone had broken the skin. The other 4 were bloody but it was hard to tell what the injuries were because of all the feathers. Yet still they managed to cover the body of whatever the things was.
Sam crouched down beside the thing and studied it closely with his flashlight. The wings were indeed severely damaged. He reached out a hand to touch one of them.
"I thought we weren't going to touch it."
"I know…it's just…I don't think its evil…" when his fingers brushed the wing there was an audible gasp from the thing underneath and the wings pulled in tighter to its body.
"Hey….it's ok….We just want to help you….." Sam said softly.
"Sam, I don't think it will underst-" Dean was cut off midsentence by a third voice.
"Sam?" The voice was weak and shaky but the younger Winchester recognized it.
"No way…" Sam's eyes widened.
The wings shifted to reveal the man underneath them.
"Gabriel." Dean said, shocked.
"The one and only." Gabriel said in a weak voice as he managed to prop himself up on one arm, the other wrapped tightly around a shirtless, bleeding abdomen.
"Sam….Why can we see his wings…"
Sam shook his head in disbelief. "I have no idea…."
The brothers gawked at the man before them. The angel's body was shaking and every breath came in a gasp. In addition to the wound to the abdomen there was a second gash on his chest as well as multiple bruises.
"Guys…" The angels head dropped to his chest and a look of agony crossed his face. "Can you stop staring…" He stopped to gasp for a breath "…and help me…please…."
Sam crouched beside the man who they had tried to kill so many times "Gabriel….what happened….."
"Sam…p-please…." The angel's body collapsed to the ground again.
Sam gently took the smaller man's arm and looked up at Dean purposefully, motioning for him to help. Dean frowned but gave in, helping Sam gingerly hoist the angel to his feet. When Gabriel's arm left the wound on his chest in search of support, Sam's eyes widened. A soft white light shone from the wound. Was that his grace?
The three of them slowly made their way back to the house. The short trip was agony for the former trickster, every step and every breath an effort.
"Almost there…" Sam said reassuringly as Dean left Gabriel's side to hold the door open for them.
Sam frowned as he tried to maneuver the angel through the doorway without banging one of the already damaged wings. Realizing that one of them was about to do just that Sam reached a hand out and pulled one of the wings back and into safety. Gabriel yelped in pain and grasped Sam's jacket, a haunted look in his eyes.
"Don't….don't touch them…"
"Oh….Sorry..." Sam said sheepishly.
Once they were through Dean let go of the door and flipped the light on in the living room.
"Where are we going to put him, Sam…Him and all of those," Dean motioned to the wings "aren't going to fit on the couch."
Thinking, Sam studied the man he was currently holding up and frowned. "Gabriel?" The angel's head had dropped to his chest and his breaths were coming out as short gasps. "Crap, Dean. Just make space on the floor. Quickly."
Dean moved the coffee table out of the way as Sam dragged Gabriel into the middle of the room and gently laid him on his side on the floor, making sure the wings weren't bent awkwardly.
Sam knelt beside the dying angel and pressed his hands against the still bleeding wound as Dean swiped the med kit out of the corner. Working with practiced hands Sam quickly disinfected and stitched the wound on the angel's chest.
"Jesus…" Dean muttered as his brother finished bandaging the wound. "Why are we helping this guy? Remember what he did to us?"
"We can't just let him die, Dean. He saved us back at the hotel. This happened to him because of us." Sam started working on the other smaller gash to the angel's chest.
"No, I think this happened to him because he wanted to save that Kali."
"Dean. I really think he's on our side..."
"My god, what have you idjits got going on in here this early in the morning?" The brothers spun around as Bobby wheeled into the room. Is eyes widened when he saw the man on the floor.
"Gabriel." Dean answered the question he knew Bobby would ask. "We found him like that outside just now."
Sam finished off bandaging the second wound and sat back, studying the angel.
"You mean that dick archangel that keeps giving you boys a hard time? Didn't you tell me he died?" He wheeled his chair closer to get a better look. "Why does he have wings?"
"We don't know what happened; he passed out before we could interrogate him…" Dean glanced at the older man.
"Look at this…" Sam reached down and raised Gabriel's hand off the floor. There was some sort of iron cuff circling his wrist, the other had an identical one. Dean crouched down beside his brother to get a better look. "What is that…" Dean said studying the engravings in the metal. "Is that enochian?"
"Looks like it…" Sam's eyes left the cuffs and darted to the wings. He stepped over the angel and crouched down beside them. "Here too…" His voice trailed off. There were engraved iron rings stabbed through the top joint of all six wings.
Dean sat down on the couch, leaning forward. "What are we going to do about those, by the way? I don't know how to fix an angels wing and I don't think you two know either…" The three of them were silent as they stared the injuries to the angel's wings.
"If there was ever a time we needed Cas the most…" Dean muttered. A cellphone started ringing that moment and Dean stepped into the kitchen to retrieve it.
"Hello?" He answered as he dropped back onto the couch in the living room.
"Dean." A gruff voice said over the line.
"Cas!" Dean's eyes darted from Bobby to Sam.
"Is he ok?" Sam stood from his crouching position. Dean ignored his brother's question.
"We all thought you were dead. Where the hell are you, man?"
"A hospital." His friend's voice answered.
"Are you ok?"
"No." There was a long pause. Dean rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"You want to elaborate?"
"I just woke up here….The doctors were fairly surprised, they thought I was brain dead."
"So….a hospital…" Dean repositioned the phone on his ear.
"Yeah…apparently…" There was a groan but Castiel continued. "After the ware house I suddenly appeared, bloody and unconscious, on a shrimping boat off Delacroix." Dean shook his head as he listened to his friend speak. "I was told it upset the sailors."
"Ah….well….I gotta tell you man, you're just in time. We ah….We could really use your help right now. So if you want to, y'know…zap over here…"
There was dead air over the line for a second before Cas spoke. "I can't zap anywhere, Dean."
Dean furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"You could say my batteries are…..drained."
"What, you're out of angel mojo?" Dean glanced at Sam with concern on his face.
"I'm saying I'm thirsty, my head aches….I have a bug bite that itches no matter how much I scratch it." He paused. "I'm saying that I'm just incredibly…." Dean could hear Cas's sigh over the phone.
"Human." He finished for him. "….wow….I'm sorry….."
"The thing is….I can't go anywhere without money for….an airplane ride….and food. Or pain medication ideally."
"Alright, look, no worries. Bobby will wire you the money."
"I will?" Bobby's irritated voice chimed in but Dean only glanced at him.
"Dean wait….What is so important that you need me for? Have you located Lucifer?"
"It's Gabriel." There was silence over the phone. "Cas, you there?"
"What do you mean?"
"We found him just now, bloody and barely alive in the yard. His wings are…"
"Wait, what about his wings?" Cas sounded anxious.
"Frankly, they're in tatters."
"Dean. You can see his wings?"
"Yeah, in the flesh, have any idea why?" There was silence over the line again and Dean sighed. "Cas, do you know anything about this?"
"Dean. I'll be there as soon as….humanly possible."
There was a click and the line went dead.
"So?" Sam turned his gaze from the man on the floor to the man on the couch.
"Bobby could you go wire him the money, he said he'd be on his way as soon as he could and to do that he needs cash."
"Yeah, yeah…." The older man grumbled as he wheeled out of the room.
Sam swiped a pillow from the couch and gently laid Gabriel's head on it. He stood again and stared at the wings. He couldn't get enough of them. There was just something so magnificent about them despite being as damaged as they were. He would give just about anything to touch them again. Even though the contact was brief it made him feel….it was hard to pinpoint the feeling exactly. Complete came to mind, as well as joy. The feathers were soft….But the way Gabriel had looked at him. He wouldn't dare do it again. Sam's eyes swept over the wings again before glancing at Dean still seated on the couch.
"Dude….quit staring at him like that. It's creepin' me out."
Sam coughed and he felt his face turn red. "Sorry…" he said and sat down on the couch beside his brother.
"I wonder what the hell happened to him after we left…" Dean said. Sam nodded, studying his own clasped hands. He couldn't help feel an amount of guilt. Could they have possibly found a way to save Gabriel from whatever Lucifer had done to him?
"Anyway, there's no point sitting here and staring at him until he wakes up, might as well continue on looking for Satan." Dean stood and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.
"Right…." Sam swiped his laptop off the pushed aside coffee table and powered up. "Back to work.
"Have any leads?" Dean leaned on the door frame to the kitchen and sipped his beer, his eyes wandered down to the unmoving angel. It was now evening and still Gabriel hadn't woken.
"No, you?"
"Yeah, I had a chat with Crowley…."
"And?" Sam shut his laptop and slid it back onto the coffee table.
"Detroit, Sammy. He's going to be in Detroit in a week."
Sam was silent for a moment. "I really think my plan could work, Dean."
"You're NOT going to say yes to the devil, Sam. We'll find another way." He took a deep swig of his beer.
"I don't think there IS another way, Dean." Sam said quietly, his gaze returned to the man on the floor.
Silence filled the room.
"We really should do something about the injuries to his wings….I know we don't really know how to mend wings but….we can't just leave this like that. It must be agony….." Sam's voice trailed off.
Dean stared at his brother. "Why do you like this guy so much?"
"What? I don't." Sam looked down at his hands. "I just thought since he's our ally we should try and help him…"
"Sam, he killed me repeatedly, mind fucked us, beat up Cas and threatened us."
"He was just trying to deal with his family and the whole situation and just did it the wrong way. Dad did that kind of thing too... And haven't you noticed? He's not like Cas. He acts just as human as you and me. We all make mistakes. And he did come through for us at the end when it counted, didn't he? He was willing to die for us."
Dean opened his mouth to speak but Sam cut him off.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you think he did that for Kali, and yeah, maybe partially but I honestly think he had us in mind too. He came back because YOU talked him into it. He decided to help us in the end with that DVD not because of Kali, but because he's on our side." Sam stopped ranting and looked away from the older man.
Dean sighed. "If he's managed to pull you into his cause like this I might as well follow you're lead. But if this turns around and bites us in the ass I'm blaming you." Dean dramatically pointed at the younger man before downing the rest of the beer and leaving the room.
Sam sat on the couch for a while and stared at the angel's bleeding wings. Finally he stood, stepping around the feathery appendages and sat in front of the angel.
"Ok Gabriel…wake up…" Sam said quietly, laying a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "I need you to wake up now, come on…We need to know what happened..." Suddenly the angel groaned, his hands automatically reaching to grasp at the bandaged, stitched wound on his abdomen.
Without thinking Sam's hand closed around one of the angels wrists above the cuff in an attempt to prevent him from touching the stitches. Gabriel whimpered at the rough action, his eyes snapping open. Sam, taken aback, let go almost immediately.
"Sam?" Confusion crossed Gabriel's face. "What…Where…" He started to shift his body to get up but was suddenly struck by intense pain. He gasped, squeezing his eyes shut again.
"Gabriel…don't move…and don't touch the bandages."
The angel peered down at his bandaged chest. "Wha…"
"I need to fix your wings next. I can't imagine how much pain you're in…"
Fear flickered across the arch angels face. "Don't touch them…..its ok…. just leave them for now…." His voice was quiet. The man Sam was talking to now seemed so much different than the one he knew. Almost like a completely different person. Quiet, reserved…..broken.
"Gabriel. What happened to you after we left…?" Concern filled Sam's face.
"Lucifer." His breath hitched at the name and Sam thought he almost heard a sob. The smaller man shut his eyes. "I…I…would have been alright with dying…I was sure he would kill me…I…" Just at the memory the angel's body started shivering.
"It's ok…" Sam gently patted Gabriel's hand and with the touch the hand darted out and grasped Sam's wrist in some sort of psychological support. The younger Winchester didn't pull away. "What did he do to you, Gabriel….you can tell me"
"I can't…" the angel whispered and turned his face into the pillow, trying to keep himself from hyperventilating.
"It's ok. It's ok, you don't have to, just rest." Sam gingerly squeezed the angel's bare shoulder before standing. He slipped into the kitchen finding Dean and bobby seated at the table.
"I woke him up." Sam said sliding into the seat opposite his brother.
"He's awake? Good. I've got some q-" Dean was cut off mid-sentence by Sam.
"Don't, Dean. I already tried to ask him what happened. He wouldn't tell me…he's...not the same person we knew. All I got from him is confirmation that it was Lucifer who put him through the wringer." Sam swept a hand through his hair in exasperation.
"Great. Now we have two useless angels." Bobby said as Dean stood and opened the fridge, pulling out another beer.
"Hey." Sam said, a hint of anger in his voice. "We have no idea what he's been through. You wouldn't talk like that if it were me out there."
"Yeah, but you don't have six wings and you're not a dick," Dean said popping the cap off the beer. "Well…you are a dick…but not as much as him."
Sam rolled his eyes and sighed. "While you're up get me one too."
Dean opened the fridge, grabbed another beer and tossed it to his brother. "So Mr. Trickster won't talk to us. Did you at least try and fix his wings?"
Sam cracked the beer open and took a large swig. "I couldn't. He begged me not to touch them. Dean, you should have seen the look in his eyes. Whatever Lucifer did to him left a mark."
"Great, so what now?" Bobby glanced from one brother to the next.
"I don't know."