Warnings: AU-Canon Divergent Post 13x21 not 13x22, although I'm leaving the crotch-fall in cause I think it was funny. Not sure if Cas's wings are whole or not.

Autor's Note: Hello ^_^ For those not used to my writing, please note that warnings will be posted at the beginning of each chapter (should any be needed). All my stories have the general warning of angst, also please note the pairings section. This story is going to start off as Rowena/Gabriel, but the EndGame is Sam/Gabriel. The idea for this story was posted on one of the Sabriel groups on Facebook and I decided to run with it. For those who are on FFN instead of AO3 my beta nopenopeartichoke gave me the idea so thank her!

~~~This has been edited by nopenopeartichoke ^_^

Chapter 1

There was something to be said for interdimensional travel. It was a bit like walking down the stairs and missing the last one, that sudden moment when you have a split second to right yourself to either land properly or fall. With his grace so low, Gabriel couldn't accommodate for his step and fell forward, pushing against Castiel who had been in front of him and causing them both to tumble onto the ground. Pulling back to get off his brother, Gabriel had a second to realize just where his face had landed before frantically standing up and trying to brush the incident aside. Once he was stable again, Gabriel looked around the area they had shown up in, it was nothing like he had been expecting.

As they made their way toward where they hoped the rest of the Winchester family would be, Gabriel couldn't help the slight shivers from forming along his diminished grace. This was supposed to be the world where Lucifer lost? There was nothing but barren land, dust coated the bottom of his pants while they walked, and you could feel the heavy set of fear in the very air. It was a nightmare; one Gabriel was thankful never came to pass in his dimension. "I gotta say for vacation spots, you Winchesters sure know how to pick 'em." The comment was met with a snort from Dean and an eye-roll from Sam, though Castiel remained silent.

Gabriel knew they should try to be as quiet as possible given that they were in a war zone, but he couldn't help but make comments every now and again while they moved. Up until Castiel explained how dire Heaven was. Once he began to run the numbers through his head Gabriel remained silent, hopeful he could think of some way to keep the place powered. It didn't take long, merely a few hours before they caught their first sign of trouble. Instead of the group of refugee humans Dean had been expecting, they came across a small group of angels. Castiel was at the ready the second he saw them, a trained fighter from birth. Gabriel however was in no condition to do much more than observe as Dean hoisted his angel-killing gun and took aim. Something seemed wrong.

Placing his hand on Castiel's shoulder, Gabriel used a bit of grace and looked at the angels sitting around a small fire. There was a certain air to them, something Gabriel could recognize from having watched many wars in his existence. They were soldiers, however instead of boasting about their battles, or even cheering the fact that their side was winning, they seemed… tired. "Guys, I need you to cover me." Without waiting for a response, Gabriel stepped forward toward the small group, his hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket.

Once they spotted him, the angels stood although Gabriel made no move to attack. "So, what's a group of angels like you doing in a dump like this?" his comment didn't get much of a reaction, though one of the angels stepped forward her small hand clenching beside her as though trying to stop herself from reaching out. "Gabriel?" the question was a hushed whisper in the air. Nodding his head, Gabriel was barely able to react when the angel flung herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. The others while not pulling him into a hug did come closer, large grins on their faces.

"We thought you dead, Gabriel! Michael told us that he was the last of the archangels, where have you been?" At the question, Gabriel let go of the angel he had been holding, surprised at the reception he received. They had thought he would have been hunted down much like the humans were, Michael wouldn't like another archangel coming in a ruining everything. Seeing the hope in the angels before him, Gabriel couldn't help but hope himself that the plan he had running around in his head would work.

"I am dead, well this version of me anyway… have you heard of the Nephilim helping the last of the humans?" now there was a cautious look to their eyes, the one who had been wrapped around him taking a step back while nodding her head. "Yeah, many of our brothers have fallen to him, he is strong… stronger than anything we have seen before, it has Michael worried." Grinning, Gabriel reached behind his back and waived the hunters who had been partially hidden behind the tree line to come join him.

"Jack's not from around here, you see I'm from another universe one where the apocalypse was averted. We're here to help Jack and whoever he's with now in fighting against Michael. Once we're done, when Michael is no more we could really use your help in rounding up the angels and seeing who is good with being under new management and who would like to come back with me to my world." Feeling the glare behind him, Gabriel didn't have to turn around to know both Winchesters weren't taking his temporary leadership well. Sure, they had asked for his help, but neither were the type to follow the command of an archangel.

Feeling someone standing beside him, Gabriel felt the soft brush of his brother's nearly skeletal wings against his own. That was something he was planning on fixing the moment he got his grace back, while he couldn't do so in his current condition there was no way Gabriel was going to let his brothers suffer as they were. "And you think you can stop him? I mean… this version of you… he didn't stand a chance against Michael, we've already lost you to him once, Gabriel." There was a sadness to her tone, and glancing at the angels, Gabriel shrugged before commenting, making certain to gain eye contact with each angel.

"No, I don't think I can take him on alone, but thankfully I don't have to. That Nephilim we were talking about? He's got more power in his little finger than Michael could even dream of. The only reason he hasn't finished you all off is because he was raised to preserve life, and he needs someone to show him how to handle it all. Between his brawn and my brains though? Yeah Michael doesn't stand a chance, and we would like to save as many people, and angels as we can from getting caught in the crossfire."

There was a moment there were the angels looked between themselves, but Gabriel could read them the same way he had learnt to read the gods all those years ago. While he wasn't Loki himself, having to pretend to be the man meant Gabriel needed to be able to understand body language on a whole other level. The angel who stepped forward was the same woman he had been dealing with, the commander of the small group. "We can take you and your companions to just outside the wards where the Nephilim is making camp. Give us six hours to tell the others, no angel who is with you will fight alongside Michael when the time comes."

"Thank you, Inias." Commented Castiel, while hesitant Sam and Dean both allowed an angel to transport them to the border, not having the time protest. It was different flying under the power of someone else, while Gabriel trusted that the angels were not going to bring them to Michael, it still felt wrong to not fly under his own power. Upon landing, Gabriel exchanged a quick goodbye Inias leaving to presumably tell the other angels that they had another option than to be controlled by Michael. Not everyone would be willing to join them, but most would be just as tired of the fighting, of the bloodshed and destruction as Inias's group had been.

Meeting Jack was something Gabriel had tried to prepare for since he had first felt his birth. Even down with Asmodeus, the archangel had sensed when his nephew was born. There were no walls which could block out that kind of power, and though he had been helpless at the time, Gabriel had used the backlash of Jack's power to regain some of his mind. The kid was nothing like Gabriel had been expecting, there was a certain air about him, an innocence that Gabriel had ever remembered being a part of Lucifer. Jack was power and strength, but he was also a child trying to carve his place in the world and with his family.

Jack was far more human than angel, and far too young for what Gabriel had to ask of him. After his nephew had his reunion with the men he considered his father's, Gabriel opened his arms to the kid who easily sank into his hold. Unseen by everyone except Castiel, Gabriel wasted no time before wrapping the little one in his wings and sheltering him in a way any fledging would crave, half human or not. When Jack pulled back, his own wings having returned the embrace, Gabriel couldn't help the sense of loss of Jack's innocence. "For what it's worth Kiddo I'm sorry," muttered the archangel, much to the alarm to those around them.

"Sorry?" Jack questioned, his eyes changing from a welcoming warmth to a guarded expression. When the Nephilim pulled back, Gabriel held up his hands in a peaceful gesture to show he meant no harm. "I'm tapped out, couldn't even muster up enough grace to open the portal… and Michael is a hell of a lot stronger than me right now so there isn't much I can do to stop him." Here Gabriel paused, placing his hands on Jack's shoulders before taking a breath. "But you can. I have enough grace left to let you look into my memories, I can help guide you through what I know… basically help you download how to harness your power along with a few tricks I had to know as Dad's messenger… but it ain't gonna be pretty. Downloading how to control your powers means knowing how I used them… it won't show you everything, but it will be enough, and I've done a lot that would melt the human mind Kiddo, so the choice is yours and only yours."

Castiel and the Winchesters protested, Mary coming up behind Jack and placing her hand on his back while shouting at Gabriel. "He's only a kid! I don't know what all you have locked up in that head of yours but he's not going to-" Mary was cut off as Jack spoke his voice carrying over even Dean's protests. "Will it hurt?" his question was one Gabriel had been expecting and his smile turned sad for a moment. "Probably, but I'll shield you from the brunt of it… You should know before we start that I've killed some of your kind before, try to keep in mind that things are different now, I am different now."

Jack took a moment before nodding his head, "teach me," his only two words. Ignoring the humans Gabriel closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against his nephew's to ensure the connection. "Hang on Kiddo." The information process took near an hour while Gabriel shared his experience with the child, making certain to leave out anything that wasn't necessary for Jack to take on Michael. Once they were done both were gasping for air, leaning against each other while trying to regain their sense of self.

It was something else, sharing that kind of bond with someone and though Gabriel was the one showing Jack what he need, the archangel couldn't help but pick up a few things from the young man as well. "Just so you know Kiddo, once this is over? We are so going to catch up on missed time and I'm taking you out for ice cream." The laugher shook Jack's frame while they stood there, and Gabriel pulled the boy into a tight hug before letting go. "Now let's get to work, I have a plan."

From there the war was practically handed to them. With Jack knowing how to use his powers instead of throwing them about and hoping for the best, and the angels standing down it was all handled in a single day. Michael had answered when Gabriel used the symbol of his horn to summon him, and within a few minutes was nothing but a broken vessel and ash wings on the ground. Though their numbers had diminished over the years with the humans fighting back there were far more angels left than the their own world, half of which would return with Gabriel and the others while the other half would remain to try and sort out Heaven.

"I'll send someone to help you, I'm not certain anyone is going to like my choice though, send the half who wish to come with me in an hour, I'll have something arranged by then." explained Gabriel to a small group of angels who were head of their garrisons. "Anyone you choose Archangel will be welcome." During the process Gabriel was surprised at how the others allowed him to take control of most of the dealings. While he expected it from Castiel, Dean and Mary had been the only ones to truly protest, Sam having asked questions before defending his actions. It was nice, having one of the Winchesters in his corner, and Gabriel wondered if once the dust had settled he could try to strike up an actual friendship with the man.

Placing his hand on Jack's shoulder for a second, Gabriel looked at the open portal and stepped through, able to make his landing look normal this time. The second they were inside the bunker once again, Gabriel turned to his brother who was still kneeling. Walking up to him, Gabriel sighed heavily before placing his hand on his brother's throat and using what bit of grace he had to seal the wound. Turning to the rest of the gang including Mary who had come through the portal with her sons, Gabriel sighed once again.

"We need him-" Gabriel was cut of as Rowena who had been in a slight shock started in on him. "We need him? No, we need him dead, just like he killed me! Just like he tried to kill you and everyone else here! Do you have any idea what kind of things he has been saying while you were gone? And you want to what… keep him as your pet?" Shaking his head, Gabriel reached out to the redhead who was practically fuming at him. It was dangerous in his current state, with her power she could easily harm him but instead she went willingly as Gabriel pulled her into a kiss, cutting off her words with his mouth.

When he pulled back, Gabriel barely noticed how most of the others were looking away, although Sam was looking down at his feet before glaring harshly at Lucifer when the angel started to open his mouth. "Those angels need someone to lead them again and Luci is the only archangel this side to do it… we need him, they need him." It took until the hour Gabriel had before the angels started appearing to convince everyone including Lucifer of his new job. With Jack on their side, the Nephilim felt he could return to the other world if needed now that he had control of his powers to check in on Lucifer.

Rearranging Heaven to take on more angels was an easier task, standing in the bunker with fifty angels, Gabriel looked at the first wave he would be helping to settle in. "Just one more thing before we leave," commented Gabriel, once again locating Rowena and pulling her into a deep kiss, not noticing how Sam cringed before turning away from the scene. Pressing his forehead against hers, Gabriel smiled. "I'll probably be a few days getting this sorted with Cassie… afterward I'll find you, yeah?"

"You better," responded Rowena before kissing him again. Gabriel couldn't help the happy thrill in his grace, he helped save the world, was in the good books with the Winchesters, had even managed to get the girl in the end and was about to save his home. For the first time in a while, Gabriel felt things would be okay, all because he finally stopped running. With a bounce to his step, the archangel ushered the others with Castiel to where they would leave for Heaven.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, same name as always.