Authors Note: AU set in pre-season 6 where Sam still has his soul, Dean still lives the life of a hunter and Cas is still cut off from the Host but not from Heaven. So, this story is really just a filler type deal for me for the original fictional character of Isabelle Cartwright. I only expect it to be about 11 or so chapters long, but will include plenty of action packed adventure. 8D I just wanted to explore her a little bit before giving her the usual Supernatural female character tribute (we all know what that is), and moving onto the real plot of the story in the next part of this verse. If you haven't read "When Our Prayers Go Unanswered", then I suggest you do so that you are not completely lost while reading this story. (I only just realized that I am using this verse as an alternate for season 6 since I am still reeling from the finale, ugh.) This would have been posted up sooner but I unexpectedly found myself immersed in another project and couldn't seem to part from it until now so, please forgive me for my way too long absence. This is what happens when I end up creating another verse and I haven't even finished with this one yet. Vampireluvr15 knows what I'm talking about since I blame her, lol. Also found myself delaying since apparently my brain has been making me come out with random one shot ideas for my other story "The Walls That Hold Can Set Us Free", since I still can't seem to get the season finale out of my head and am already working on two more chapters to add to it. Again, so sorry for the delay. Nice to see you all back again, as well as any newcomers. Now, onto the story! 8)

Written: 6 March

Soundtrack: The Beautiful Ones by Poets of the Fall

Word Count: 7100+

Category: Dean W./Castiel

Content: NO SLASH. (God knows I read it though…and now apparently write it.) Violence and adult language. (Just warning those in advance who wish not to read such material.)

Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not possess any legal rights to anything to do with this series especially its characters. I'm sure we are all aware of that but this fact must always be noted due to this websites guidelines.

Genres: Drama, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy, Angst, Family, Mystery, Suspense, Action/Adventure, Spiritual, Humor

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Bobby Singer, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael

Fictional Characters: Isabelle Cartwright/Elizael

Rating: T

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Title: Sacrifice Thyself to the Lamb, So That Others May Rise

Author: anonymous-unknown

Summary: Follow up to When Prayers Go Unanswered. Castiel was given back to him practically from the dead and from the most unlikely source but he didn't care, he'd take it. Dean wasn't going to complain and sure as hell wasn't going to allow Cas to feel sorry, guilty and ashamed. They had been given a true miracle, one without strings attached for once…attached to them anyway. PART II of IV.

"Sacrifice still exists everywhere, and everywhere the elect of each generation suffers for the salvation of the rest."

Henri Frederic Amiel (1821-1881)

Chapter 1

Sometimes giving up something that is important to us is necessary. Hell, Dean was an expert at that subject. It seemed as if he had been doing that his entire life. How could it be any different? Well, this was, for once. It had been a few weeks since Cas' miraculous (sure, I'll go ahead and say it again, miraculous) revival and Dean wasn't reeling from it. He felt happiness well up inside of him that he couldn't remember ever experiencing in a really long time. He had almost lost his best friend, his angel, his last support, but someone up there managed to change their minds.

Elizael had changed her mind.

Shit. He had to admit it. He did not see that one coming. Not by a long shot.

"Hey Dean."

A calm voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked back to see Sam calling out to him from Bobby's front porch. It was at that moment that the elder hunter noticed the stars starting to show up across the sky and realization dawned on him. He had been out here a while if he hadn't even noticed that the sun had already set.

Damn, did I let himself drift off again?

No doubt Sam had noticed. He was always pointing it out to him lately. It wasn't his fault though; he couldn't help himself from falling into one of his little inner thought trances that kept him occupied for hours on end, and not even realizing it. It really was starting to trouble both he, and his brother.

"You dozed off again?"

Here we go.

Sam had been noticing that Dean's head had been in the clouds a lot lately. No doubt where. Sam just let it go, again, and walked up to the Impala to where Dean now stood. Didn't mean he wasn't still going to try and figure out what was going on in that noggin of his though. He was the only other person besides Cas that knew him best. Probably more so than himself.

"I didn't doze off." Dean replied, lifting himself up from the hood and looking back at his sasquatch of a brother. "I was just thinking."

"Well at least you're willing to admit it this time. I was getting tired of the 'just taking a nap' crap."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean lifted the half empty bottle of beer to his lips and drank. He hadn't even realized that he had left it just sitting there for hours, without even a thought. He must have been out of it, more so than the usual if he forgot all about his drink.

"Still thinking about Cas?"

Sam wasn't even going to ease into the conversation, Dean thought. Great.

"No. I've got other things on my mind you know." Dean replied flat out. He wasn't falling into this one. Sam's interrogations were getting weary lately and he just didn't have the patience to be head shrunk right now. No matter how easily Sam was able to read him, Dean always did have his ways of converting conversations like this into opposite directions. He just hoped that he could do the same thing here, as he had been doing for weeks already. He was just really getting tired of it all.

"I know, I know but it's been a while since we've seen him. I'm sure you're wondering where the heck he's at."

"Well he's got his own shit to deal with up in Heaven now that they've got civil war going on so, I don't expect him to be around a lot."

"Still, I'm sure you'd like him to pop in once in a while to let us know that he's at least alive."

Ain't that the truth.

"Do you want me to call him?" Dean said while pouting his lips at him. Now the teasing was going to start. Anything to get him off his ass.

"What?" Damn it, you stupid son of a─. "No. I was just saying─"

"Do you miss him?" Dean pouted his lips again as if imitating his little brothers sad expression. That should be enough to annoy him.

Sam only managed to return a bitch face, irritated at how Dean never liked to confront his issues. Whether through faces or through fists, emotions were completely alien to him when he didn't feel like sharing.

"You're a dick you know that."

Dean just chuckled as he went back to looking towards the sky. Even behind it Sam could tell that he was worried. It had been a while since they had heard from the angel and not that it wasn't unusual, it was just unsettling. The latest news they had been hearing had been good, victories for Cas' side while Raphael's were losing more and more ground. Now that Cas had a shiny new set of wings, it seemed as if things had finally turned around for him and his cause. To stop the apocalypse from coming back. To stop Raphael from eradicating them all. To stop Hell on Earth. Any victory, no matter how small it seemed, looked gargantuan in their eyes. And they couldn't help but feel grateful everyday for it. Just to have another day.

Dean let his laughing settle down and took another sip from the bottle. "I'm just yankin' your chain."

"I know Dean." Sam paused, sighing before he finally looked at Dean with a serious expression, as if to tell him that he wasn't going to quit until he finally broke. "When are you going to stop fooling yourself though?"

Dean didn't even dignify that with a response, really trying to avoid it all right now and let his expression go hard, looking at his little brother as if he had the answer. He finally let himself huff out a sigh before his focus went down to his fingers still holding the now nearly empty bottle.

"Fooling myself about what?"

"About what happened." Sam replied in his typical 'ain't that shit obvious' sort of tone. "Dean, we nearly lost Cas and you were this close to selling your soul to bring him back." Sam snapped softly, bridging his thumb and forefinger to prove a point. "You were this close to making the same mistake when you brought me back. Haven't you learned anything?"

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you can't be pulling stupid crap like that again Dean!" Sam snapped this time, his memories from that day coming back to him at that moment. "Cas pulled you out of Hell and you're willing to go back to it? To be a hellhounds chew toy again and Alistair's favorite pawn?"

"Believe me Sammy that's the last place I want to go back to." Dean answered quickly, a small chuckle trailing at the end of his words.

He knew it, so did Sam, that that small laugh was only to hide the real emotion he wanted to shout out at the memory of breaking the first seal and starting the apocalypse that seemed like such a lifetime ago. In Dean's eyes, it still wasn't long enough. Memories still fresh in his brain. To Sam, he wished it was that long considering he ultimately caused it to actually push forward and happen. Needless to say, he still carried that guilt around with him.

Before Sam could stop feeling sorry for himself and snap back at him, he noticed a small glint of fear in Dean's eyes, the terror he faced in the Pit coming back to him in that very instant. Sam thought at first that maybe Dean would let out some of that still buried dread, but to not shock to him, he didn't. The look in his eyes quickly changed as he noticed Sam staring. Just like that, Dean's emotional wall had slammed itself back up again.

"Okay. Okay I get it." Sam let out a soft sigh and tried to find the right words to say so as not to upset him or increase the tension already choking both of them half to death. This was the farthest that this conversation had gone, and he wasn't going to let it slip by losing his temper. "I was scared too Dean."

He looked up and was met with his brother's eyes, as if he was mentally telling him that he didn't know a damn thing about fear. Go to Hell, that'll show what fear's really all about.

Sam saw that message loud and clear, even if he didn't want to.

"Really, I was. I know that you would be willing to do anything to save him or me or Bobby, any one of us. But you need to stop all this." Sam knew that there was no convincing him, knowing that he was too damn righteous for his own good, but at least he could have the will to show him that it was alright to feel lonely and afraid. He didn't need to hide it. "The world doesn't have to be on your shoulders all the time."

Dean just looked at him, staring him down as if trying to size up his brother whom he knew could read him far too easily. Only because he let him.

"It kind of already is." Tell that to the guy upstairs, or wherever the heck he is.

"But you're not alone. I've told you that." Sam replied, still a little saddened at his brothers constant need to want to save everyone. It had always led to the biggest of sacrifices, and even with all of that he was still willing to push himself to the edge to gain victory. Even if it cost him everything.

Dean only scoffed. What the Hell did he know about sacrifice? About giving everything up? In truth, he suddenly realized, Sam did know a lot. More so than he thought. He had lost him when he went to Hell, and Dad, Mom, and even Jess. So sure, Sam did know a little about giving up something for the life they now had, for their lifestyles. Still, it's not like it made anything any easier, now did it?

Sam wasn't going to argue. He could see, Dean already knew.

"Look," he sighed again, still trying to control the bubble of emotions he could feel welling up. Now was his turn to look the other way, if only just a little. "I know that you feel like you need to deal with all this crap by yourself, but I'm right here. You have my support, no matter what. I don't need to tell you that." Sam stared at him dead in the face, as if trying to prove a point. He was standing there, if that was proof enough. "I just wish you'd trust me a little more."

His last part came out like a whisper, almost as if in shame, and he slowly started to turn around to walk away. Dean just needed a little space, and frankly, he was starting to feel like he could use a little himself.

"I do trust you Sammy." Dean quickly replied, just as Sam was turning to leave. "Really I do. And, I'll…I'll admit it." Dean sighed, not really seeing much other choice as Sam turned back to look at him. Looks like he wasn't going to lie to himself anymore. "I was scared. Hell I was fucking terrified. It was the day of the deal all over again. It was you dying all over again and knowing that I had a clock running against me." Dean confessed, allowing himself to lower his wall if only just a little. He could grant Sam that much after all this time of simply just trying to help him. "I don't wanna have to make that decision again. I can't."

Sam heard what he couldn't say. I can't…because I'm scared. This only caused something inside of Sam to shift, knowing that his brother may have been all high and mighty and the one person you could count on to help you when needed, but was never willing to accept help in return. It wasn't his style, and it wasn't in his nature…to give up.

"You don't have to."

He already knew this, but he just felt, that no matter how many times he would say it, that Dean would never take it as the truth. Another one of his unfortunate drawbacks.

"I just…I don't wanna lose anyone else." Dean lowered his head as if to hide what he truly wanted to say, still trying to keep up what little of his wall that Sam was able to see right through. "That's all. I just can't lose anyone else." Dean's voice had fallen to a whisper, trying to hold back the screams he wanted so desperately to voice and lifted his head to look back at Sam dead in the eye.

And just like that, his wall had now completely built back up, which only had Sam laughing to himself on the inside. He had to admit, it actually made him feel safer when he knew Dean did that, as if not only to secure himself but to protect him as well. It's what he had done practically his whole life it would seem.

"And like I said. You don't have to."

Sam simply smiled at him and started walking back, finding Dean trailing right behind him just a couple seconds later.

Dean would never admit it, but part of him was actually glad that he had made that deal, besides the fact that it brought his brother back was a given of course. He could have enjoyed it better without the trip to Hell sure, but then again. If he had never been sent to the Pit he might never have met Cas. Just knowing that made the sacrifice that he made for Sam seem just a little more worth it. If he had never made the deal he wouldn't have his little brother and he probably wouldn't have his angel either.

The pain it brought was one he always wished he could erase, but even though that was impossible, just knowing that he had the two most important people in his life still, well, Dean couldn't really complain now could he. It may not have erased the ever present ache, but it sure as hell did make him forget it sometimes.


…Meanwhile, on a remote island on the other side of the planet.

Gabriel never did like to keep up with the times when it came to Heaven's ever mounting issues, but little did he know it, his personally designed bit of paradise would very soon coming crashing down…

Gabriel simply sat down in a beach chair, breeze blowing through his hair, sand blazing from the sun on his face and admiring the untarnished oceanic view before him. The South China Sea was so beautiful this time of year, and after the events of the past few months the archangel figured that he deserved if not a little bit of a vacation. Oddly enough though, no matter how hard he tried to relax his brain always came back to the same night. The same conversation. That same scary moment and that same stupid, sasquatch hunter. To that stupid not distant enough in his mind memory.

Why the heck did he have to say that?

Gabriel simply sighed as he rubbed at his temple, watching the small umbrella in his coconut flurry in the wind as the weather started to pick up a little. Even though the sun was shining brightly, Gabriel could feel the start of thunder clouds just miles away behind him, and he felt somewhat relieved that he hadn't forgotten to wear his jacket. Even though an angel didn't technically have issues with the weather, he still never did like it when his clothes got wet, especially his jeans. Wearing a couple layers worth of shirts didn't exactly help either, but for some strange reason he just wasn't feeling the whole swim shorts theme today. It was just one of those half assed lazy afternoons for him. One without cares, without worries, and apparently without the insistent nagging of his personal turmoil's, after centuries of not giving a damn.

Why did he have to go and tell him that?

Gabriel sighed yet again, his frustration now entirely from himself for not being able to let it go. It's not like he was going to deny it. I mean sure, it was nice for him to say it, (not that he would ever admit it) but still. It's not like he was ever going to use his advice anyway.

But still, Gabriel couldn't get that conversation out of his head, no matter how many distractions he tried to give to it. Nothing worked. Not chocolate, not women, not tricks, nada. It always went back to it, to this. To those few stupid words that have him rethinking so many choices that he had made in the past millennia, and questioning whether he truly did think that there was no one you could truly rely on. Maybe not even yourself.

Castiel was proof of that.

"You know how I said Cas could always come to us when he needed help?"

"Yeah."

"You know the same goes for you too right?"

Gabriel wanted so badly to say that after living on his own for centuries he was fine, but for some reason, he didn't. "I'll keep that in mind kiddo."

Gabriel never thought he would be testing that theory, especially so soon.

Gabriel remained lounging around, trying to ease his brain from any and all distractions, but his attempts at pure relaxation were soon interrupted by a sudden feeling in the atmosphere that he quickly picked up on. Something all too familiar that he hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime, but for some strange reason felt a lot different than the last time he sensed it.

He quickly looked up towards the sky, knowing that the feeling he was now getting in his gut told him that this couldn't be good and to stay away…but for reasons beyond his understanding, he found that he couldn't.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Gabriel quickly disappeared, returning up to Heaven and landing in one of the remote grain fields of his Father's creation.

It was the once forgotten smell that hit him first, causing his heart to flutter just a little faster for that split second.

The scents reminded him of lilac and orchid, the sweet nectar of berries and the dew of a healthy, rising morning. The perfect combination of rosy pink, heavenly gold and sun kissed orange illuminated the sky in a beautiful prism of light, filled to the brim with soft wispy clouds just above which covered the stars still peaking through. The soft breeze that passed felt just as heavenly, wonderful and cool on his skin and refreshing to his Grace. It caused the wheat that grew around him to blow casually, shades and patterns of tawny tans and sunflower yellows creeping through the seeds and seemingly giving them an individual life of their own. It truly did feel peaceful, even if outside the boundaries of its remote piece of paradise, it was anything but.

Gabriel never thought he'd think this, remember it like this, but he actually missed being here. It had been a very long time. It was still home after all, even if it hadn't felt like it in so long.

And it had been a very, very long time.

His forlorn thoughts were soon interrupted by a voice behind him, one that felt all too familiar, but also so unlike how he remembered it. It actually caused a cold shiver to travel down his spine, taking away all warmth in his body that he managed to collect.

"Hello brother."

Gabriel slowly turned around, his saddened eyes staring straight back at all too fierce ones, wanting only to run but too late to even try, as he was suddenly engulfed by a bright, burning and unforgiving light.


When the angel finally did show up, it was for a small break from the war yet again. The last battle had been brutal and merciless, and Castiel found himself having to retreat after the casualty became too much to hold back any longer.

When Dean expected for Cas to drop in to say hello, he didn't actually expect the angel to actually drop in like he did. Before the hunters could even process what the heck had happened and offer to help him, Castiel quickly brushed it off and insisted that he was fine. Truth being told, he really did look alright if not just a little knocked about, not meaning to cause them any worry and quickly collected himself. Castiel recovered a lot faster these days, much like he did before he rebelled and was cut off from the Host (no doubt since getting his new Grace installed) and quickly pushed himself off the floor to join Bobby and the brothers in the study where they were all gathered around for their latest supernatural vendetta.

After making his acquaintances and getting the latest updates on the warfront from Cas, Dean insisted that he drop by more often to say hello, although not literally drop in. They had enough scary crap on their plate to worry about to add more to it, crap they didn't really need right now. Cas of course agreed and apologized, thanking the hunters for their concern but that everything with the conflict was turning out as well as expected, considering the circumstances of course.

Even though they did feel incredibly indebted to the angel, they still knew the doubts he held when the enemy he was fighting were his brethren. Brothers and sisters that opposed his idea of defending mankind and siblings whom every day, raised their swords against him in protest and who in return used in defense. It was never easy having to kill ones brothers and sisters, but unfortunately this war had forced him to turn the other cheek at many times. Even if it was for a just cause and the right reasons, it truly never did get any easier.

At least small moments like this could take his mind of the guilt that built in his heart every day, for every life he took and every brethren he betrayed. If even for just a moment, that ache felt like a distant star in the Heaven's that could not touch him when he was in the presence of his charge and his family.

In all honestly, it made him feel safe. Safer than he could remember feeling in the farthest of times.

The brothers were researching on their latest hunt, Bobby getting a call just a few minutes back on some suspected witch problem up in Montana and quickly got to work on it. One thing that Dean hated more anything else supernatural, were witches. Always, witches. Which in all honestly, the only blame in that situation always came back to him.

While Dean, Cas and Bobby were downstairs in the panic room reading up on more material for the hunt, Sam remained upstairs in the study catching up on their latest break. It turned out that there had indeed been a secret coven in the area of the state sometime in the late 1800's, but had long since been unseen since then. Sam suspected that maybe the members who were left of the cult had gone into hiding, considering the times and the years before it. Witchcraft was still not seen very openly these days, even if it wasn't all bad in Sam's book. Just the experiences that he and Dean had had whenever they were cursed or they pissed off someone they really shouldn't have. Again, it was Dean mostly who got the trouble. Again, entirely his fault.

Sam could only grin at himself, remembering all the times his brother had said something he shouldn't have, done something inappropriate, or just plain acted somewhat carelessly and stupid. His actions always did get him in trouble, even if that was never the intention, and Sam let out a small chuckle at the memories that flowed through him. How his brother always found more than trouble than he, he might just never understand.

His humoring memories were soon interrupted by a rush of wind and a flutter of wings behind him.

Sam quickly went for the angel sword he always hid on himself and turned around, surprise etched all over his face for who he saw standing in the middle of Bobby's living room. It was what else he saw that had him putting his guard down completely, and his concern shooting straight up through his chest.

"Gabriel?"

That one second of silence that passed between them, only made the pressure building in the hunters ears make him go deaf and the shock coursing through him actually register in his brain.

"Hey Sam."

Sam barely managed to hear his whisper past his breathlessness, the archangel bearing the most horrible state he had ever seen him in. Gabriel was struggling to simply just stand, looking deathly pale, weary and bloody all over.

It looked as if he used all his strength just to get here, which in all honesty, was never a good sign.

"Gabriel."

The archangel couldn't hear much more past that, as he felt his balance failing him and his vision going dark along the edges. He wasn't going to stay awake this time, and let himself succumb to the darkness this time without hesitation.

The only thought going through Sam's mind at the moment, this wasn't good.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Sam quickly forced his feet to move, running over to Gabriel before he could completely hit the ground and catching him as he let his knees give way and finally collapse. To say the archangel looked pretty bad off, was putting it in the nicest possible way, the man now being supported by him appearing downright gaunt. "Hey, hey, hey. Gabriel. Gabriel?"

Sam tried getting his attention, tapping at his cheek lightly (the one not completely covered in blood that is) as he carefully lowered him to the floor. In all honestly, the hunter could barely tell where skin lay tattered and damaged, and skin lay untouched and healed over. The archangel had gotten a beating, although in earnest, it looked more like someone had tried to kill him with just their bare fists.

Sam saw no immediate evidence of a weapon being used on him, just bruising and blood and cuts to his face, torso and hands, where it looked like he tried to defend himself.

Whatever had happened, it was obvious that someone had been really pissed off.

Gabriel struggled to keep his eyes open, mentally screaming at himself not to pass out as he struggled on concentrating to breathe through the pain, although the act only caused him more than he could handle at the moment. He really didn't want to be looking like a wuss in front of the young man still trying to keep him awake, but there was only so hard he could fight until he finally had to throw in the towel and call it quits. Never his style he supposed, but sometimes there wasn't much choice.

Don't pass out…don't pass out. He repeated to himself like a mantra, trying to desperately to keep it to together if not for the sake of his pride. Not that it did any good. Crap.

The pain was just too much, and Gabriel mercifully allowed himself to lose consciousness as he continued to hear Sam calling out to him, and then to Dean, Bobby and…Cas?

He's obviously not out for very long. Just long enough to see himself being carried up a flight of stairs to one of the guest bedrooms like a freakin' bride. Awkward. How he really wished he hadn't picked such a short vessel at the moment.

Gabriel slowly shows signs of waking up as Sam lowers him onto a bed, saying something to the other hunters in the room but unable to make out what at the moment. His head is pounding, blood rushing through his ears and causing pressure to build in his brain. He's pretty sure there's some hemorrhaging going on in there somewhere after all the hits he got.

He softly whispers out to Castiel and tries foolishly to prop himself up on his elbows, but Sam and Dean gently push him down, much too easily all four of them notice. What little strength he has is gone, and Gabriel can barely process a coherent thought at the moment. All he wants is to slip into oblivion, and some really strong pain killers.

"Hey, hey, hey, take it easy man." Dean says as he pushes Gabriel by the shoulders back down on the pillow. He couldn't help but notice the stinging look that passed through Gabriel's face as he did, causing more throbbing aches to pass over his already sensitive skin and forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut. Forget vicodin, he thought. He was gonna need the morphine, or the best stuff he could get.

Gabriel's brow knots in pain and when Sam's hand brushes the left side of his torso he flinches, biting his tongue to hold back a scream. The last thing he needs is causing these people to go deaf at the sound of his true voice. So not ideal right now.

Sam immediately notices, and carefully lifts up the archangels shirt to see the damage he's sure to find. What he sees, is so much worse than what he expects.

Everyone, even Castiel is left both shocked and mouths gaping, seeing the massively heavy bruising covering Gabriel's entire abdomen which is a mix of blue, purple and even black. The archangels injuries aren't just painful, but possibly life-threatening, and even with the healing capabilities of an angel they certainly aren't going to be easy to fix. If this was what his borrowed form looked like, the brothers could only imagine what his true form was hiding.

"Holy shit." Dean whispered, trying to bite back a gasp as he watches Gabriel's chest pathetically rise and fall, trying desperately to ignore the pain still building in his limbs.

"Who did this to you?" Sam asked, looking over at Gabriel as he stopped carefully trying to find any breaks in the skin that hadn't stopped bleeding. Thankfully for them, it looked like the archangel had already taken care of that, although only to a degree since he still held many more that they hadn't even seen yet.

Gabriel managed to bring out a painful whisper, his breathing still coming out harsh and shallow as he continued trying to fight off the ache still building in limbs.

"Michael always was a dick," he grunts, trying to draw in another painful shuddering breath as he feels one of his vessels ribs slowly popping back into place.

"Michael! Michael did this to you?" Dean was more than just a little surprised at the archangels reply, knowing full well that the last time they had seen him he was when he was falling into the Cage with the Devil. Then again, what else could do this to an archangel and leave him looking like the underdog in the fight. "Damn."

"That's impossible." Castiel interrupts, more than just a little surprised at Gabriel's response as he walks closer over to the bed. "He's locked in the Cage with Lucifer. He couldn't possibly─"

"Not anymore." Gabriel whispers as he takes in another breath, the pain obviously building even more with each one he takes. "He's changed." He grunts again as the pain of his injuries starts to aggravate him severely, almost to the point of willingly allowing himself to slip back into unconsciousness just so he can get away from it. He's at the point of desperation, and the brothers know it.

"What about Lucifer?" Dean asks, knowing that the archangel isn't going to be with them much longer as his eyes start to droop.

Gabriel simply shakes his head, unable to do much more than that as his energy looks to be draining again, painful grunts continuing to seep from his chest.

"I'm gonna go get the ice packs." Sam says and quickly heads downstairs with Bobby, who offers to get the whiskey if need be. God knows it took a lot, but the archangel really looked like he could use it.

Castiel remains behind with Dean, who is gently passing his hands through the bruising and blows, searching for any possible broken bones. It's already obvious that there is internal bleeding, and Dean silently prays that the archangel can take care of that without the need of a hospital. To say that Michael did a number on him, is putting it nicely. Gabriel continues to flinch through each stroke and painful breath, almost whimpering from the pain but doesn't move away, not having the energy to do so even if he wanted. Dean simply apologizes as he continues being careful, feeling sorry for him and almost protective in the current state that he's in. Dean never thought he'd see the day he felt bad for the Trickster, but he supposed that there was a first time for everything. Gabriel looks over at Cas, who is still taking in the brutality of his injuries and feels his own emotions wanting to boil over.

He's never felt such sorrow build within him before, and have it replaced so quickly by rage.

Dean takes them in as well, knowing that it takes a lot of force and in this case, looks like a lot of anger to beat the crap out of this archangel. Gabriel was one of the toughest sons of bitches up there, but when it came to Michael it appeared as if the younger brother didn't stand a chance, and Dean was looking at that firsthand.

Slight bruising has started to form on the left side of Gabriel's face as well, along with just more under his cut lip where it appears he got a good punch to the jaw. Gabriel meets up with Castiel's eyes, as if mentally telling the younger sibling to stay the Hell away from their older brother, knowing that Castiel is not looking past his anger at the moment.

Castiel does understand however, heaving out a sigh as he puts two fingers to Gabriel's forehead, telling him that the brothers will take care of him.

Castiel was barely holding his own with Raphael. He knew that when it came to Michael of all angels, the thought alone was suicide in its own right to even consider.

Gabriel can only mentally say a "Thank Dad" as he sees his brothers resolution, and Castiel mercifully puts him out.

Knowing that an archangel's injuries can only be healed by another archangel (and he's pretty sure that none are willing to help right now), Dean knows that Cas' healing will have little to no effect here and goes on applying ice packs as Sam arrives with them. Dean is careful not to aggravate Gabriel's injuries and explains to Sam that he's got at least three cracked ribs, which he's sure are already healing. They will have to fix him up the old fashioned way if they want to help, but at least he's not dying on them, not at the moment anyway. Sam grabs the water bottle he brought with him and wets one of the small dish towels that Bobby provided, carefully wiping away the blood from Gabriel's nose, lip and the side of his face. At the same time, he can't help but wonder how the hell his brother could even do this to him.

He was certain the angels had their issues amongst each other, but even this had to be overdoing it.

Cas can only watch as the brothers carefully unbutton Gabriel's shirt, pulling it to the side along with his jacket and finding other smaller injuries throughout his torso and chest, as well as more heavy bruising. The most apparent is a heavy blow right in the center of his chest, where the breastbone meets his abdomen, and the brothers are pretty sure that his Grace has gotten quite the lashing itself. Castiel sees through it clearly, the source keeping the angel alive at the moment dwindling and looking as impressive as a nightlight at the moment.

When Michael meant to bring him down, he meant to bring him down hard.

Dean, noticing Cas' eerie silence behind him, mentally reminds himself in the back of his mind to make sure that the angel doesn't go anywhere and do something stupid, much like how he would. One trait he could have left alone in teaching him. He even makes sure to voice it, to let him know how serious he is in insisting he stand down.

"I don't need you doing anything stupid. You may have a new set of feathers but that doesn't mean you need to go finding Michael to prove anything to him Cas."

Sam also looks over at Castiel, hoping that he will heed Dean's words and not go off trying to pick a fight. He understands the angels anger, both of them do, but also knows that it's foolish to try and start something that he knows he won't win at. He's barely keeping it together with Raphael, and both men know that he wouldn't stand a chance again Heaven's greatest weapon.

Again, Castiel already knows this.

"Why would I do anything stupid?" he replies, his expression deadpan and unreadable as usual.

"I mean it Cas." These are Dean's only words, his jaw tight and eyes sharp, as if to tell him that not only does he not want him taking the chance, but Gabriel wouldn't either. At least not for his sake.

Castiel simply lowers his stare to the ground, quickly picking it back up to stare at Gabriel as his body starts to tremble. Castiel assumes it to be from the cold compresses now being applied over his skin, but he can also feel that it is from the immense pain still gnawing at his true form and decides to assist in anyway possible.

Knowing just as well as the hunters that his healing will more than likely do very little here, Castiel doubles his efforts and places a hand on Gabriel's forehead as well as his chest. A soft glow starts to emanate from his hands, leaving him a bit weary but otherwise unharmed as he dulls Gabriel's pain as much as he can, and even manages to get most if not all of the internal bleeding to stop. It takes time, much longer than his usual, but at least the archangel finds himself with a much better chance at actually being able to get through it and leaving Castiel a bit more relieved at his likelihood of recovery.

He slowly pulls away and backs up to the wall, allowing his legs to lower him to the ground and sit down as he rests. Dean looks over to him, noticing his complexion growing a little paler and even his face going a little thinner. It's obvious that he applied more effort than he was capable of giving, but Gabriel had done the same for him when he lay dying all those months ago at that hands of their brother, and Dean can understand the feeling of repaying the favor.

Castiel simply takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, letting his head rest against the wall as he starts to recuperate the strength he's lost. There's no question behind it. His brother was very well worth the sacrifice of power, and even if it took more of his borrowed Grace away from him to do it, Castiel was willing to help him in any way he could, simply because Gabriel was willing to do the same.

Hell, Gabriel had done the same. He was only returning the favor, just because they were family, and he did love his brother just as he did him.

It was all up to him now, as well as the Winchester brothers to help the archangel as much as they could. The journey wouldn't be easy, but at least he had them there to guide him.

It takes about an hour, but the hunters have finally taped up the ribs and see that Gabriel's healing is already kicking in, the bruises already starting to fade away slowly but surely. Castiel has even already recovered, slipping out of his meditative state and standing beside them as they finished up. After Dean and Sam carefully remove Gabriel's shirts and jacket and cover him up to his chest in the sheets, Sam and Cas kept vigil over him while Dean headed downstairs to update Bobby on the situation. The older man had remained downstairs, already getting calls from other hunters about a rise in activity involving angels and immediately wondering what it all meant.

Calls had always been coming in on his end, especially when the hunting community learned of the revival of all the vessels that had been kidnapped just months before, and had suddenly been brought back and returned to their lives as if nothing had ever happened. Being the one with ties to an angel, of course they turned to Bobby for enlightenment.

As Dean explains to him about Gabriel and Michael, Bobby asks about Adam, and Dean admits that he never got to ask him. Mentally he believes that if Michael is back in Heaven then Adam may be back on Earth, left a drooling lifeless mess that more than likely remembers nothing. He does say however that it's a good bet that Lucifer's dead, Gabriel being proof of what Michael is capable of. It's clear to them now, just how powerful the greatest weapon of Heaven truly is.


The four of them continue to watch over Gabriel as the archangel sleeps, and the next morning soon find that he has disappeared, without so much as a thank you.

Castiel gratifies the hunters himself, also apologizing for Gabriel's lack in manners and thanking them for their hospitality towards his brother, knowing their shaky past with him before. It's quickly forgotten. They simply take it as the archangel being unable to accept that he has somehow become part of their weird messed up family in some small measure and has yet to grasp on how to take it.

How the hell that happened, Dean can't even figure out, or really care to do so at the moment as he finally lets himself succumb to some sleep.

Little do they know, that Gabriel's sudden absence has a reason behind it.

To Be Continued…

Authors End Note: And I'm back! Woohoo! Please review as reviews make me happy. Also, unlike the first of this verse, anonymous reviews have been enabled so those who do not have an account here can give me their opinions too. I really hope I left you guys at a good enough cliffhanger to last you until next chapter since I do go back to work tomorrow and won't have another day off for 5 days. I'll try to squeeze some writing in but I can't make any promises. I'm trying to shrink chapters with this part since the last piece to this verse may have been a little long for some of you, so I am trying to work on that. Until next chapter. 8)