DON'T SAVE ME

By: Eboni

PART ONE

"Until You Fall"-30 Seconds To Mars.

Summary: After years of torture and being broken, the archangel Gabriel seeks redemption. Always a runner, never meant to be a fighter, Gabriel joins the Winchesters in their quest to find their mother and Lucifer's son across the Rift. Told in multiple POV's. (Set in Season 13, alternate ending)

Warning: I changed some angel canon details .

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the laptop this was written on.

Chapter 1

Sam

It's weird watching an angel sleep, mainly because I know that they don't. The only time Castiel slept was when he was practically human after Metatron. I frown, staring at Gabriel sprawled on his back on the motel room couch. One hand rests on the wound in his abdomen I'd cleaned and wrapped up earlier. The white bandage is red with blood, too much blood for an angel to have shed.

"He's in bad shape," I murmur, turning my head to look at Dean. Dean sits at the small kitchenette table cleaning his gun. He does that when he's restless. "I mean, until his grace levels come back up…" He's not much use to us. What he has might not be enough to get us through the rift, and it might not even be enough for him to fight with anymore, if he's passing out from blood loss. "I just… I don't get it."

"And who cares what's not to get. He's here, and he's not leaving. He said it would take time for his grace levels to build back up, but he thinks they will. That's better than nothing."

"D—" I choke in my words as Gabriel suddenly bolts upright.

"Where—who—oh, right. You."

I wince as the archangel winces. Sitting upright so fast obviously hurt him. Gabriel groans and flinches as he shifts around, putting his feet on the ground and looking ready to try to stand.

"Uh, Gabriel look," I start. He's ready to leave, and we can't let him do that. Not when we need him, and don't know what the hell he's running from. I feel, not responsible, but bad that he's just going out to get into more trouble that he might be too weak to handle on his own. "We don't know what's going on here, but…"

"We need your help," Dean buts in.

Gabriel sighs, looking haggard and ready to pass out again, but that doesn't stop him from pushing up off the couch. "Yeah, not a big joiner."

"So, you have better things to do than save the world?" Dean asks.

"Exactly," Gabriel says with a flat smile. "Look," he bends to pick up the leather brief case he'd carried in with him with a grunt, "this has been great, a real thrill. But I really came here for the silver stuff, and since you two are all fresh out, it's time for me to say sayonara."

He backs toward the door, ready to reach for the knob, but the door splinters before he can touch it. He jumps as Dean and I jerk back as well. Two men stand in the doorway, one hulking and bald, the other in a leprechaun suit.

"Raspberries," Gabriel grumbles.

"We're here for the angel," the big one says.

"What the hell are you guys?" Dean demands, then hisses at Gabriel, "What the hell are these guys?"

"Oh, just Norse demigods."

"Demigods?" I blink and gasp as both men rush into the room, the big one grabbing me around the throat. The cliché where your life flashes before your eyes literally happens. I see birthdays, Christmases and hellfire as I listen to Dean grunting and shouting for Gabriel's help. Blood rushes to my head and pounds in my ears as I choke, the more I struggle, the tighter the iron grip. My vision grays…

And then I'm sucking in air again, on my knees on the floor. I cough and rub at my bruised throat, vision clearing. I stare at the dead body beside me, and then up at Gabriel holding a bloody wooden sword. His hands shake, his legs wobble. He has a feverish glint in his eyes as he glares at the little demigod in the leprechaun suit standing near Dean.

"All right, handsome," Gabriel says, voice taunting. "Ready to die?"

The leprechaun stares down at his dead comrade, then looks left, right, and runs straight out the door, not looking back, and no one stops him. I worry at Gabriel's panting breaths. I glance at him; sweat beads his brow and his wound is bleeding again.

"You okay?" Dean asks him.

"Y-yeah," Gabriel says, swallowing hard, but his legs give and he goes down on one knee. "Just—just give me a minute and I'll go after him."

"Nope," Dean says, extracting a pair of warded handcuffs from his back pocket. "You're not going anywhere."

"Dean…" but I stand back and watch as Dean hauls the trembling archangel to his feet and helps him into a chair. It almost seems like Dean's being nice as Gabriel leans into him for support and Dean offers it, but then Dean cuffs one of his arms to the leg of the kitchenette table.

Gabriel glares at Dean, then at me, for a full minute before groaning and pillowing his head on his arms on the table.

"Let me fix the bandage," I say. "You're bleeding again."

"Let him bleed," Dean says. "He doesn't want our help anymore."

"Dean," I say. Sometimes, I don't know what to do with my brother. Half the time, I think he might mean it when says things like that. But how can he not look at Gabriel and feel a little pity. He saw him when Ketch first brought him to us, he knew Gabriel was mess, but Dean didn't see all that Cass and I saw afterward. He wasn't there trying to get through to Gabriel and watching him breakdown again when Asmodeus came to reclaim him.

"Fine, tape him up," Dean says, looking disgusted. "And while you're doing that, Angel Boy can tell us what the hell is going on here."

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "You wouldn't understand."

"So, make us," Dean says.

Gabriel's mouth clamps shut, a stubborn set to his jaw. He's quiet even as I re-bandage his wound. I know it hurts, and the flesh around the puncture feels disturbingly warm. Can archangels get infections?

Dean toes the body of the dead demigod while I work. "We have to get rid of this thing."

"Yeah," I agree, as I finish with Gabriel. "You know…" I say to the quiet angel. "We'll let you go, if you just tell us what's going on."

"Sam," Dean hisses.

"Dean, we can't keep him prisoner," I say. He doesn't deserve that, not again.

"The hell we can't!"

"Dean!"

"Fine," Dean growls. "Tell us what's up, Angel Boy."

More angry silence, but not a hint of angelic light or temper in his eyes. Is he too weak to smite us? I frown. "Gabr—"

"Sam," Dean cuts me off. "Let's get rid of this body and give this douche-bag some time alone to think. Maybe he'll be in a better mood when we get back."

I frown at my brother and at Gabriel. I don't like leaving him alone, handcuffed to a table. If he really can't get free, what if something else comes for him?

"We won't be gone long," Dean says, seeming to read the concern off my face. Dean can be a little intuitive. It always startles me, but I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Dean's a good big brother and he couldn't be that without being able to read me at times.

"Fine." I chance placing a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, giving it a squeeze before helping Dean wrap up the bulky body so that we can carry it out of the room. "We'll be back soon."

I feel Gabriel's gaze on my back as we leave and wonder if he'll still be here when we get back. The handcuffs might be angel-proof, Gabriel might be weak, but he's still the trickster. I toss one last glance over my shoulder to see that Gabriel's put his head back down.

A hint of sadness fills me, and I know I don't need to worry about him going anywhere.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Please review!