A/N: I do not own the guys and gals and since I am not making anything from these works please don't sue me Mr. Kripke. I do own all OC's that appear though. For everyone out there reading and reviewing: Thanks again for all the wonderful support!!!

A/N: Beware the sappy sweet scenes in this! I decided to shift gears and focus on Dean and Tariel as they play watchers to the angel Afriel. And Sam is in this one more too! In a way it's the family Dean always wanted….

Dean and Tariel tend to Afriel as Sam does a little research....

"Afriel why haven't you healed?" Tariel asked the little angel. Afriel shied away from her soft hazel eyes and looked at the bathroom wall.

"Don't feel good," he struggled to form the words. Tariel could see it was taxing on the small boy as he strained to tell her what happened. He was exhausted, no doubt, from the physical and psychological ordeal he had just endured. Tariel turned to look into those sad little brown depths seeing a lost look in his dim orbs.

Afriel continued sitting on the counter silent, the only movement was his eyes as they slowly blinked open and shut. Something traumatized this angel and Tariel was going to find out who did this to him and why.

"Afriel, you're safe now," she whispered as the little guy continued to sit motionless. Tariel sighed as she wasn't going to make any progress so she turned her attention to cleaning out the dirt from his elbows and hands. Afriel's arm was limp in her hand as Tariel tenderly ran the warm cloth over his elbow careful not to hurt him any more than he already was.

"Let me know if this hurts okay?" Tariel lathered up the cloth with soap and carefully cleansed the stripped skin watching for any signs of discomfort from Afriel. He only sat there while she nursed his wounds one by one and kept his distant gaze fixed on the bathroom wall. Tariel finished bandaging the last scrape on his hand hoping she had been able to stave off any infection. When Afriel had appeared the blood on his skin was fresh indicating the lacerations were recent which was were a good sign all in its own.

"Are you hungry, Afriel?" Tariel had heard his little stomach growling. This had snapped the angel out of his trance as he lowered his eyes to the source of the strange rumblings. He tilted his head slightly unsure of what to make of the peculiar sounds so he listened for a moment and pressed his lips together. Tariel felt a small pang of hope when he turned to look over at her. She smiled warmly at him hoping her angelic presence would bring him around.

"Hurts," Afriel pointed right at his stomach. Tariel nodded picking up the child angel and placing him on the floor and gently took his hand. He began to open up a little bit at that small yet warm gesture.

Dean was in the kitchen with Sam preparing lunch. The older hunter hoped the little guy would eat something in this case grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Hell, he and Sammy devoured this stuff by the pound when they were growing up and they never grew tired of it.

"So lemme get this straight, Afriel, the angel of youth shows up out of nowhere bleeding and banged up?" Sam asked. Dean kept his back turned to his brother as he was attempting not to burn this sandwich. This was the fourth try for the hunter and Sam had laughed at him earning the finger and few choice words in Latin from Dean.

"Yeah that's exactly what I'm telling ya, Sammy. He knew exactly who Tariel was and she knew exactly who he was. He really didn't say what happened but since I'm the gambling type my money's on Lilith having something to do with this. Ah ha! Success at last!" Dean put the golden brown sandwich on a plate placing it on the table. Sam reached out for it but met the fury of Dean's spatula as hard plastic met hard bone and skin. The younger brother yelped and yanked his hand back rubbing the angry red spot on the back of his hand.

"Jerk"

"Bitch"

Dean turned back to finish lunch as Tariel entered with Afriel holding her hand tight. The little guy was looking down at the floor unsure of who to look at or rather if it was safe to look up. Sam got up and walked over to the half pint angel and kneeled down before him.

"Hey, Afriel, my name's Sam and that is Dean," Afriel hesitated before looking up at the hunter but after a moment tilted his head up to meet the hunter's rich chocolate pools. Afriel felt no malicious intent or evil in this one. He had heard about Sam Winchester and his demon blood but now Afriel could sense a change in his aura one that was familiar to him.

Sam extended his hand which to his surprise the little angel took and gently shook it. Sam smiled at Afriel as the little one faintly smiled back at him before shying back against Tariel. Afriel looked up to see Dean finishing up lunch. The smell of grilled cheese and soup made his little stomach rumble louder and harder.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," Sam joked earning a small smile again from the angel. Afriel realized what he was experiencing was hunger.

"Tariel, hungry," he stuttered looking up at the angel. Tariel nodded pulling back a chair for him to climb up on. His brown eyes, now wide, looked over at the food feeling his hunger growing.

"Here ya go, little guy," Dean placed a sandwich down before him to which Afriel immediately dove into. Sam's eyes went wider like an owl's as he watched the tiny angel demolish it in his hands then look up at Dean as if to say he wanted another. The hunter merely grinned at him and turned to cook up another one.

Four grilled cheese sandwiches, two bowls of soup and one glass of milk later, Afriel was fast asleep on the couch. Dean was in awe of the amount of food that the little guy packed away. He had an appetite as bad as his! He chuckled to himself at the thought then shook his head as Sam cleared the table. Tariel had retrieved a blanket to place over the sleeping seraph. For the first time that day Afriel's face had a peaceful expression sprawled across his face.

"How's he doing?" Dean spoke in a hushed tone as he sat down beside his angel.

"Sleeping soundly," she simply responded. Dean watched as she ran her fingers through angel's hair.

If she were human she would be one helluva mother….Dean shook his head. Where the Hell did that come from?! Sure Dean secretly yearned for a family of his own but knew that was nothing more than a pipe dream. He was a hunter and that was no life for a child. Hell all he needed to do was look back at his own fucked up life to see being raised by a hunter was just no way for someone so young to live. The constant moving around from town to town and state to state when their dad got even the slightest lead. The constant training on hand to hand combat and weapons for hours on end as he would bark commands at them like good little soldiers. Dean couldn't do that to his child, rather if he ever had a child which wasn't ever going to happen since he couldn't be so lucky to be granted that wish.

The hunter sighed and looked on as Tariel ran her fingers down his face in a motherly fashion. Afriel came to them for help and Dean was determined not to let the small angel down.

Sam was in the kitchen clicking away on his laptop and helping himself to more coffee. Brady and Markus had left for Colorado following up on a possible Seal in the Pueblo area. Brady made sure there was plenty of coffee before he left knowing the guys would be craving it. And craving the wonderful brew Sam was. He savored the hot mild blend letting it linger a little on his tongue before placing the mug back down before turning his attention back to what he was looking up.

Sam decided to research the name Remiel as according to Gabriel it was his angelic name before he was ripped from Grace. He was determined to learn more of his previous life even if it did come from ancient tomes and the internet. His fruitless searching had turned up very little useful information as most sites were focused on the archangels and more well known arcs of angels. He tried to dig deeper only coming up empty handed and having more questions than answers. Running his hand down his face, Sam shut the computer deciding to see if Markus' books held anything.

As he headed through the living room he noticed Dean and Tariel had fallen asleep together on the larger couch while Afriel was still sleeping beneath the blue blanket. They reminded him of a family, a tight content family. He knew his brother wanted a family though he would never tell Sam outright. But the younger Winchester knew by the way a pained expression would flash across his face when they saw a loving couple and their children at a diner or hotel. Dean would try to hide it but Sam caught it as the last traces left his hardened face. Every single time he saw the same yearning expression when they crossed paths with parents and children, happy and loving without a care in the world.

His eyes turned from the sleeping trio as he headed towards the small study downstairs.

Lilith stood at the edge of the long forgotten cemetery staring over the worn and broken tombstones and grave markers. She knew why this hallowed ground had long been shunned by man for it was man that sullied the once consecrated soil. And it was for that reason she was here. Taking the dagger out of her jacket, Lilith sliced the palm of her hand open hissing as the sharp blade slid across creating a thin crimson trail behind it. Her eyes turned into blank white disks as the thin red line trickled down her hand and on the soil bubbling upon contact with the tainted earth.

She watched as the dark spots melded together as claws developed and reached for the dark starless night followed by sharp pointed ears and blood red eyes. The eyes glowed with a sinister feeling as the thing's snout emerged with steam escaping its flaring nostrils. The neck was thick with tendons protruding and tensing as it breathed. The body was dark and solid with the torso and legs of a man. Its tail was thick and long swinging like a whip. It bowed at Lilith as she smiled thinly and bowed back at it.

"Go, find the angel Afriel and destroy him," Lilith commanded pointing towards the West.

The Hell beast snorted and turned vanishing in a trail of fire and sulfur headed towards Phoenix.

Dean woke up to find Tariel snuggled up against his chest. He kissed the top of her head then looked over at Afriel who was still sleeping soundly. He hoped the little guy would be able to open up and tell them what happened to him. Dean and Tariel wouldn't push him but they didn't have all the time in the world either. Seth was still missing, Brooklyn and Cas had left to find him and the archangels were nowhere to be seen.

A tiny whimpering sound coming from beneath the blanket made Dean snap his head over as the whimpering grew louder turning into cries of desperation and pain. Moving Tariel, Dean hurried over to the crying seraph and took him in his arms.

"Afriel, hey buddy, it's okay I'm here now. You're having a really bad dream," the hunter rocked the crying seraph in his arms and softly hummed one of his favorite Metallica tunes hoping it would calm him down. To his surprise Afriel began to quiet down and bury his head in Dean's chest. Seeing no reason to stop, Dean kept humming even when Afriel had settled back down. He leaned back in the large plush couch pulling the little angel closer to him.

Tariel watched her hunter and angelic brother on the couch. She rested her head on her forearm and smiled at the sweet scene. Dean would've made a great father as he effortlessly and instinctively lulled Afriel back into a peaceful slumber. He wrapped his arms around the tiny seraph in a protective stance as if he was keeping the monsters that lurked in Afriel's dreams at bay. She looked at Afriel noticing he was snuggled close inside her hunter's body seeking the solace and protection of the hunter.

The angel just remained there watching in silence at the two on the couch. When she had taken over the dying form of her vessel, Carmen, she had seen a glimpse of her wishes and dreams before she died. How she wanted a family and a home somewhere in the country with horses in the pasture. Tariel felt those desires becoming her own. Sure she knew it would never happen but she could dream though right? But for now she was content with the mission before her.

It picked up the angel's scent outside of Phoenix. It was here he had first set foot upon the sandy terrain and headed west. His scent was unlike anything it had smelled before. It was pure, clean and innocent. It was these features that drove it insane with blood lust, ravenous for the sweet flesh of the hurt seraph. The red beady eyes glowed until they were on fire as it charged on feeling the trail get stronger with every step it took. Its dark heart pounding wildly as its black blood raced through its veins pumping demonic adrenaline harder and faster.

Sam rubbed his eyes as he slammed the book shut placing it on the ever growing stack. He had quit keep track as the minutes and hours were melding into one with each closing of another book. For a hunter Markus sure didn't have too much on angels. Perhaps he just wasn't looking in the right place. Making his classic bitch face, Sam stood up and began replacing the faded leather bound books back on the shelves. It was almost as if someone or something didn't want him to find the answers he desperately sought, that knowing too much would do more harm than good. Well consequences be damned! Sam was going to get answers!

Next chapter up! I will have another update in a day or two so keep checking back! And please do review as I love to hear what people think!