Ashes and Diamonds

by Scyllaya

Months after Lucifer and Michael got locked up in the cage Dean lives a normal life with Lisa and Ben. In the meantime Castiel tries to make order in the chaotic Heavenly Host, when Gabriel returns from the dead with orders from God himself. slash/het

Title: Ashes and Diamonds

Fandom: Supernatural

Author: scyllaya

Rating: for the entire story NC-17

Pairing(s): Castiel/Gabriel, Dean/Lisa

Spoilers: Entire season 5

Warnings: cursing, sexual content, violence, m/m (and angel incest if you consider them related that way)

Summary: Months after Lucifer and Michael got locked up in the cage Dean lives a normal life with Lisa and Ben. In the meantime Castiel tries to make order in the chaotic Heavenly Host, when Gabriel returns from the dead with orders from God himself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters in it. All belong to CW and Kripke. I'm making no profit.

Word Count: 47,347 (almost 100 pages, dude!)

AN: Title from Pink Floyd's – Two Suns In The Sunset.

"Finally I understand
The feelings of the few
Ashes and diamonds
Foe and friend
We were all equal in the end."

This is my very first Supernatural fanfiction. Little beta work from stark23.

Enjoy ^_^

Prologue

Muncie, Indiana

It was early Saturday morning in a little Downtown Diner, when the doors burst open and a heavily panting young girl ran inside. She looked around and after noticing that the place was practically empty she walked towards the kitchen a bit more relaxed.

'Sorry' she said immediately when she entered the kitchen and saw her boss. 'My alarm-clock seems to be dead.' The other woman in the kitchen regarded her with a raised eyebrow; she didn't look like she believed the excuse.

'You're comin' in late one more time, I'm gonna cut your salary.'

'Okay. It won't happen again. I promise.' the younger woman answered while she put on her apron. 'Besides, it's not like we have customers or anything this early.'

'One guy is waiting for his pancakes' the older woman said. The young girl got her blond hair in some order then peeked out of the kitchen. Her eyes went immediately wide, when she noticed the guy sitting in one of the booths.

'Oh my God!' then she covered her mouth.

'What?' asked her boss.

'Do you have any idea who that is?' asked the blond girl in a whisper, her voice full with excitement. Her boss checked out the guy again, but she had no idea why her employee got so thrilled.

'Nope' she answered and went back to make the hot chocolate the guy ordered. 'Someone famous?' the blond girl just stared at her.

'Duh. That's Carver Edlund!' she said with a grin on her face. Her boss just raised an eyebrow.

'Who?'

'Writer of THE most amazing story ever!' she got not reaction from the other. 'The writer of Supernatural!'

'Oh you mean that horror book your so obsessed about'

'It's not just a horror book! It's the most epic series of all time! That guy is a genius!' her boss just rolled her eyes.

'Whatever. Then take out the pancakes and the hot chocolate for Mr. Genius.' The waitress fixed her hair one more time, smoothed out her skirt and apron then grabbed the plate of pancakes and the big mug of hot chocolate to bring it to the table.

Chuck was sipping a cup of coffee, while reading a book with his glasses on. The young waitress put down the plate and the mug.

'Here's your order Mr. Edlund.' she said, absolutely failing to hide the excitement in her voice. Chuck looked up to her.

'Oh. You know me?' he asked.

'I am one of your biggest fans' she answered with a grin. Chuck smiled.

'That's good to hear…'

'Judy.' Chuck pushed the plate and the mug to the other side of his table. 'Is something wrong with it? Is this not what you ordered?' Judy asked.

'No, there's nothing wrong. It's just not for me. I'm expecting someone.'

'Listen, Mr. Edlund. Do you think that maybe… maybe you could sign something for me?' she asked in a small voice. Chucked smiled again.

'Of course, if you bring me some extra chocolate-syrup for these pancakes.' Judy smiled brightly.

'I'll be right back' she said then she practically started running towards the kitchen. Chuck smiled to himself again then he closed his book and put down his glasses. And everything just stopped.

Judy just in the kitchen-door, the by-passers outside the diner's windows, the cars, the wind. Time stood still. Chuck took another sip from his coffee then a blindingly white-light filled the entire diner for a few seconds. It didn't cause damage, everything just faded it the brilliance.

Gabriel grabbed the side of the table panting heavily. As the light was disappearing he raised his hand, where he knew the mortal wound to be. But he was unharmed, his grace was intact, his vessel's heart was beating again. He took another few breaths before trying to figure out where he was, and what happened. When the light completely returned back inside his vessel he looked up.

After a large intake of breath he went completely still. He froze, he was sure even his heart stopped beating. He felt definitely as that particular deer in front of the head-light. He tried to make his mind to work, to say something or ask something, but he just stared.

Chuck put down his coffee-cup, then leaned back on his seat.

'Hello Gabriel' and time started again. The kitchen door after Judy closed and the outside noise of people filled the air, the quiet-sound of the radio started and the low-buzzing of the air-conditioner was heard again. Gabriel still just kept staring, he managed to open his mouth, but he didn't really manage to form words. 'I ordered you some pancakes.' Chuck continued. Gabriel snapped out of it after this comment.

He first stared at the plate of pancakes and the mug of hot-chocolate in front of him, but still didn't know what to say after all these years. Hundreds of questions started to form in his mind but he just regarded the breakfast is front of him and smiled. Typical. He looked up again, a bit more relaxed and more in control.

'Good to see you again' he said.

'You too.' and that was so very typical again. He's going to have to ask questions and he's going to get maybe a few answers… 'Go ahead, don't think about it.'

Gabriel smiled again then his expression became darker. 'Lucifer?'

'In the cage, along with Michael' was the answer he got. Gabriel's eyes widened, but he didn't ask. He can get that information from others.

'So the Winchesters managed to get the rings and use it?'

'Yes' Okay. That was good news. The Apocalypse was over. He was about to ask his next question, when the blond waitress arrived back to their table.

'Oh. Hello!' she greeted Gabriel. 'Here's the chocolate-syrup and… 'she held out a well-crinkled book and a pen towards Chuck. 'Would you mind?'

'Not at all' Chuck answered with a smile, then took the book and signed the inside of the cover. Gabriel blinked in surprise but didn't comment on it. When Judy got her book back she read the inside and started to grin even more.

'Ah. Thank you so much Mr. Edlund! All my online-friends are going to be so jealous!' she grinned at Chuck again, then left.

'Mr. Edlund?' Gabriel asked. Curiosity got the better of him. Chuck smiled.

'Carver Edlund, writer of the Supernatural books.' Gabriel thought about this for a second then it clicked.

'The Winchester Gospel? You're writing the Winchester Gospel?' Chuck nodded. 'But that's…'

'The Prophet Chuck Shurley' Chuck answered. Gabriel stared at him for another second then shook his head.

'Hiding on plane sight?' the archangel asked then regretted it immediately, but Chuck didn't make a comment. 'Talking of the Winchesters' he continued.

'Both of them alive' Chuck answered and started to drink his coffee again.

'Why am I alive?' Gabriel finally asked. This was the question he wanted to be answered the most. Chuck put down his coffee then looked at him again.

'I have some work for you'

Gabriel leaned back on the seat, annoyed. 'Of course you do' he said.

He wanted to demand answers. He wanted to know why He left? Why He abandoned them? Why He never answered to any of them? Why did He allow everything to happen? But he knew he's not going to get answers for those questions.

'What is it?' he asked a moment later.

'I want you to return to Heaven and help Castiel' was the answer. Gabriel was surprised.

'Castiel? Why? What is he doing?'

'Well, he decided to get things in order back home, since Michael is not available.'

'Him? But how…?' the question died on his lips, because the answer was obvious. 'You gave him a promotion or something?' Chuck smiled again.

'He managed to get himself killed again, for the second time, by Lucifer this time. I can't just keep resurrecting him, now can I?' Gabriel laughed a little.

'Okay, he obviously going to need help with that, but that doesn't really answered my question. Why me?' Chuck regarded him for a moment.

'That was not my decision.' Gabriel frowned, that didn't make sense.

'What do you mean not your decision? I thought…'

'That you getting killed by your brother, while helping Sam and Dean gave you the out-of-Death free-card?' Chuck asked. Gabriel waited. 'It didn't'

The archangel was confused. If his decision to finally stand up against Lucifer, and on the side of the humans on top of that, was not the reason for his return, then what was it?

'While what you decided to do in the end did earn you some good points' Chuck continued 'I am still not pleased with everything else you did in the millennia before that.'

Gabriel froze again. He could've guessed that if someone would've asked. He felt his vessel's heart speeding up.

'Anyway' Chuck started again. 'I would not have brought you back… not yet.'

'Then why did you?' Gabriel asked carefully. He had a really bad feeling about this. Of course posing as some pagan god was something his Father would be mad about. So whatever His orders were he could not say no – not like he ever could – but this really started to sound like he's going to be on probation.

'Castiel asked for you' Chuck answered. Gabriel's frown deepened. Now that was what didn't make sense at all.

'He could talk with you?' was the first question he asked. Chuck shook his head.

'He prayed' Gabriel was dumbfounded again. He had another dozen new questions immediately. 'You're hot chocolate is getting cold.' Chuck commented. Gabriel shook himself out of his astonishment again.

'But I don't understand' he said honestly. 'Why would he pray for my help? We don't even really know each other. And the last time I was… well sort of a bastard with him.'

'It seems like what you did for the Winchesters was enough for him to set that aside.'

'That still doesn't make sense' the archangel said.

'You're going to have to ask him to clarify the matter.' Chuck answered easily. Then he put away the glasses and started to get up.

'Wait! That's it? 'Go and help Castiel'? That's all you wanted to say?' Chuck looked at him again.

'Basically' He said. Gabriel sighted. He was so not getting anymore answers this time. He was hundred percent sure of that.

'Am I gonna see you again? Like ever?' he asked.

'Sure' Chuck said. 'In time' He gave another small smile. 'Now, eat you pancakes and go look for your brother.' He said in a final tone, but still somewhat kindly and started to leave the diner, but He put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder while he passed him by.

A moment later when Gabriel turned back towards the entrance his Father was nowhere to be seen.

'Oh, and I pay the bill too, huh?' he asked looking briefly upwards, then rolling his eyes. 'Just perfect' he grabbed the chocolate-syrup in annoyance and squeezed plenty on his pancakes before he started to eat.

Chapter 1

One month later…

Cicero, Indiana

Dean rolled to his side as sunlight hit his face. The other side of the bed was empty and after raising his head to look at the alarm-clock he immediately knew why. He heard some light noises from downstairs, Lisa's voice and probably the TV she tried to get Ben to turn off. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

It's been almost a year, but it still felt weird to wake up like this. He shook his head after the thought entered his mind, probably he's never going to get used to it.

After taking a shower and getting dressed he headed downstairs to the kitchen. He was right. Ben was watching TV while eating his breakfast.

'Morning big guy' he said after he arrived next to Ben.

'Morning' the kid answered, but his eyes never left the screen. Dean went inside the kitchen and leaned to Lisa from behind, he hugged her and after giving a small kiss on her cheek he rested his forehead on her shoulder and tried to hold back a yawn.

'Good morning' Lisa smiled. 'Why are you up so early?' she asked.

'Couldn't sleep longer' Dean answered then he let Lisa go to pour some coffee for himself. Lisa sat down to the counter eating her cereal.

'Well, since you woke up you could take Ben to school. I could get to my class a bit earlier and do some paper-work before it.' Dean sat down too.

'No problem. I have to drive to pick up a car-part from a guy who lives in Harrison street anyway.' Dean answered.

This was also something he found hard to get used to, talking about normal every-day life stuff in a kitchen by breakfast. He smiled to himself.

'What?' asked Lisa.

'I'm doing normal stuff.' Dean answered. And Lisa chuckled; this was part of their conversations every morning.

'Mom! Dean!' called Ben from the living room.

'What is it honey?' asked Lisa.

'They're interrupting the programme! C'mon look!' Dean and Lisa got up to get to the TV. As they arrived a reporter was talking from a location. The screen said from Toledo.

'… to be able to explain the events of the last few hours. According to official sources the first explosion happened about an hour ago at the west coast of India, not far away from Juhu Beach, after that a series of very similar explosions were sighted in different parts of the world. Reports state that in the last hour the event repeated in Hail in Saudi Arabia, then outside of Berlanga in Spain. And after Delaware, Pennsylvania and Ohio, just minutes ago a major blast was seen here at the coast of the Maumee Bay. We got the following amateur video-footage from a couple who were in the Maumee Bay State Park as the explosion took place.'

The screen changed to a film, which was obviously taken by a small-camera. A young woman was seen in the picture standing in a park talking to the camera, smiling, when suddenly a major explosion of pure white light was seen right above the sea, which outshone everything for a few seconds. It looked like a column of light or fire that started a massive shock-wave of wind that shook the trees of the park and right after that an enormous wave of water was headed towards the bank. The girl from the video and the maker of the film were both running after that.

The news switched back to the reporter, but Dean didn't hear anything from what she said. A cold-shiver ran down his spine, because he knew exactly what that was.

'Son of a bitch' he muttered gritting his teeth and he felt anger rising in his chest.

'Dean, what?' asked Lisa, with concern.

'I know what that was' Dean said as he started to get to the back-door out to the garden. 'And it's getting closer to here.'

Lisa was following him and so was Ben.

'What is happening, Dean? What were those explosions?' asked Lisa worriedly while following the man outside.

'Fucking angels' Dean said as he tore the backdoor open to get out in the garden. The moment he was outside he shouted. 'Cas!' Lisa was just staring at him. She heard the name before. Once in a while Dean did tell her about things that happened before he came back to Cicero. But the only thing she knew for certain that Dean was calling an angel, no matter how crazy that first sounded – like child-monsters kidnapping people – so only just first.

'Cas! You hear me?' it seemed like no one's going to answer, but just before Dean was about to get further out to the backyard an ear-splitting noise tear through the neighbourhood. And a second later white blinding light exploded. Dean turned back to Lisa and Ben by reflex getting them both to the ground.

'Get in the house and cover your ears and your eyes! Don't look in the light, no matter what!' he shouted to them as he helped them getting inside. After they got in Dean headed outside again. By the time he got out of the yard the light and the noise was gone. The only sound was the alarm of the parking cars of the street that were damaged or turned around, all their windshields broken. The moment his feet hit the pavement someone or something was slammed hard into the road not far from him. But before Dean could guess what was happening a second figure appeared after the first.

It took Dean a moment to figure out what was going on. And the moment he recognized first Gabriel then the other person his eyes widened. It the middle of the road, where the broken asphalt looked like a meteor had fallen down, Gabriel was fighting. His jacket was torn and his face was bloody. He was mercilessly hitting his opponent, right until he was kicked in the stomach and flew backwards a few feet. When the other person stood up was Dean able to tell for sure that it was Raphael. He looked much worse then Gabriel, his face nearly a bloody-pulp, his shirt looked like it got burned and one of his arms looked nearly shredded.

Raphael tried to attack again, but Gabriel immediately grabbed him and pinned him to the ground again and hitting him a few times right after he was on the ground. As Dean saw it the Trickster-Archangel already won this fight, whatever the hell it was about. He didn't move yet. Getting in the way of two fighting archangels was not a life insurance, if anything it nearly counted as a suicide attempt, and who would know that better than him.

When Dean thought the fight ended was the moment he saw Gabriel's blade appear in the archangel's hand. Raphael was struggling, but he couldn't push the other angel away. When Gabriel raised his blade, Dean was about to cover his eyes from the light that seemed inevitable to come, was the moment Castiel appeared grabbing Gabriel's arm, and stopping him from striking down.

Seeing the familiar angel Dean considered somewhat safe to get closer. Gabriel was standing up, Cas' hand still on his right arm, like he was making sure the archangel didn't attack again. Which like this seemed weird to Dean, considering Gabriel was a freakin' archangels, while Cas… well, who knows, maybe he was that too now. When Dean arrived within hearing he saw Raphael getting up.

'Leave Raphael! I won't warn you again.' Dean heard the familiar deep-voice of Castiel. It was filled with strength and intent and with a hell of a lot of threat.

'You are no superior of mine' Raphael spat.

'I still suggest you leave, if you want to stay alive' Castiel answered, and now his voice was filled with so much authority and power that Dean could swear he even felt vibration in the ground beneath his feet.

'I will never obey a coward and a traitor' Raphael said and Cas really had to hold back Gabriel who was about to raise his blade and attack the other archangel again. A second later Raphael did disappear in a loud flap of wings. Castiel let Gabriel's arm go and Dean walked closer. But before he could get out a word out he heard Gabriel growl in frustration and the other archangel was gone with a wave of strong wind and an unpleasant pressure of power Dean could feel sweep through his body. Castiel took a deep breath and turned towards the man.

'Hello Dean' came the usual greeting. Dean spread his arms and looked around the street angrily.

'What the fucking hell is going on around here?'

Chapter 2

After everything went silent Lisa got up from behind the sofa in the living room. She told Ben to stay put and went to one of the widows to look out to the garden and the street. It seemed like whatever happened it was over. She saw some of their neighbours getting out of their houses to see what was going on. From the loud noises before she expected damage or chaos, but everything looked the same. She couldn't help but be confused. She was about to get out of the house too, when Dean stormed in again through the back door with a man right behind him.

The guy was slender, but not thin, only a bit shorter than Dean. He looked like anybody else, wearing dark trousers a deep-blue sweater and a dark jacket. Dean went immediately to Lisa after he entered the house.

'You both okay?' he asked. 'Where's Ben?' Lisa nodded, and Ben got out from behind the sofa.

'I'm here' he said. Dean visibly relaxed, then turned back to the guy.

'And now you're gonna explain to me what the hell just happened' he said gruffly.

'There is still no peace among the Host' the guy answered. His voice was way deeper than Dean's. 'There are sometimes severe disagreements.'

'No cryptic bullshit Cas!' Dean snapped, and Lisa understood now. He looked at the man – well apparently angel – again.

'That would require a rather long explanation' Cas said. Before Dean could reply Lisa cut it.

'Is it safe to go outside?' she asked. The angel turned his head towards her and studied her silently for a moment. She was about to feel uncomfortable under the unblinking stare, when the angel spoke again.

'Yes, Lisa. It is perfectly safe. Raphael returned to Heaven' he said. Lisa looked at Dean, but didn't ask an explanation.

'Ok' she said. 'I still have to get to my class and Ben needs to go to school, so.'

'But I wanna know what's going on' Ben said. Lisa just raised her eyebrow at her son. Ben gave up with a theatrical sigh. 'I'll wait in the car' and he got up to get his bag. Lisa also started to gather her things so she only heard some part of Cas' explanation. Although she figured that she wouldn't understand half of it even if she would be paying close attention. From what she heard it was about loyalty to Michael, rebelling seraphs, new order and God. She could swear she even heard the word 'cherub' somewhere, but that just seemed even weirder then the rest.

Before she left she got back to the living room one more time finding Dean pacing a little, but Cas in the very spot he stood when he stopped.

'I'm going now' she interrupted the angel's sentence about an archangel – oh her life got way weird in the last hour – with her words. Both of them turned towards her. Dean got close.

'I'm sorry' he said.

'For what?' Lisa asked.

'For the whole mess.'

Lisa smiled a little at the man. 'Don't get me wrong. I am freaked out, but you can explain everything to me later, ok?' Dean smiled back.

'Ok.'

As she got in to her car and started the engine, she couldn't help but think that probably their lives just got way more complicated.

When Dean looked around and saw the destruction on the street he was sure that some panic is gonna start as soon as people noticed it, but Cas just raised a hand and everything was back to exactly the way it was before the archangels appeared in a blink of an eye. Dean thought that it would be better to have whatever conversation they were about to have inside the house not in front of the clueless suburban neighbourhood.

After Lisa left Dean went to the kitchen to grab a beer and gestured Cas to follow him. He got out one from the fridge, than on a second-thought second one too. He turned back and offered one to Cas, who took it. Okay, so he was still the Cas he knew after all.

Dean sat down on one of the stools at the counter.

'Okay, so just that I get it right. You got back to Heaven to get things in order, but Raphael is pissing at your little brave new world?'

'Raphael is not the only problem, but he is indeed the most… difficult.' From what Dean remembered the guy 'difficult' was one word for it, definitely not the one he'd use. 'As I explained it, the number of the Host makes it impossible for anyone to be in charge of them on their own, thus the celestial chain of command to be intact is vital. And if I can't convince the rest of the seraphs to follow my orders the host will fall apart.'

'Who are these seraphs again?' Dean asked.

'The garrison-leaders, such as Zachariah was.'

'And Raphael's making problems?'

'More like a rebellion' Cas answered and he took another swig from his beer. Dean drank too. That didn't sound good. He was not about to get in the middle of this though. He was so done with all the angelic-bullshit for more than one lifetime, but still. What just happened. That couldn't be random.

'Was Raphael after me?' he asked after a few moments of silence.

'Yes' Castiel answered matter of fact without a beat, he never was one to beat around the bush that's for sure. 'Among other things he holds you responsible for Michael's imprisonment and for that the Apocalypse didn't succeed, just like me.'

'Am I putting Lisa and Ben in danger?' he asked then. He had to know. Because even if he decided to be done with everything, quit hunting and just live a normal life, he couldn't ignore it if it knocked on the front door, or exploded in the back-yard.

Cas seemed to think about this for a little, and Dean feared the answer. Cas won't tell a comforting lie, he's going to tell the absolute truth.

'There are quite some number of angels who left Heaven, and unfortunately not who are under my command, but those who do not agree with my leadership, and wanted Paradise on Earth.'

'That's not an answer.' Dean commented flatly.

'But it is a part of it' Cas said. 'With these angels leaving Heaven I must also spend a considerably higher amount of time here on Earth, to make sure they do not cause damage.'

'Dammit Cas! That's still not an answer! Do I have to leave so Lisa and Ben won't be in danger?'

'That is the answer Dean. No. I am going to make sure that these angels won't harm humans, especially not you and those around you.'

Dean took a deep breath. 'Okay.'

'Okay…' Cas sounded a bit puzzled, and as Dean looked up at him, he saw the frown on his face. Dean smiled to himself, a trademark expression of Cas' face.

'Okay, as in if you tell me that I'm not putting them in danger, I'm gonna believe you.'

'Thank you, Dean' Cas said before he took another swig from the beer, he was almost finished with it.

'Sure' Dean shrugged. 'I mean, if I want to be honest, I can't really trust anybody if I can't even trust you.'

A hint of a smile appeared on Cas, but before either of them could say anything more a beat of wings sounded and Gabriel appeared behind Castiel only a few feet away from them.

'Oh right' Dean looked at the archangel. 'You're alive after all.'

'So are you' answered Gabriel. 'Good to see you've made it.' Dean couldn't really answer to that one. He wanted to ask about Gabriel's miraculous return, but the air seemed tense and the archangel was not looking at him anymore, but instead he was staring at Castiel. There was silence for a few heavy seconds, but Cas was just calmly sipping his beer.

'So… umm… I've done some clean-up' Gabriel said. 'Where Raphael and I caused damage' he waited a beat, as if waiting for an answer, but then continued. 'I healed the people who got injured, and changed some memories to avoid any later problems.'

'Good' Castiel replied after another second simply. And there was silence again. Dean was once again about to ask something when Gabriel started talking again.

'Look, Castiel. I know I screwed up, okay? Raphael pissed me off with his bullshit, and it came out really badly, but I can fix it, okay?' Cas didn't answer again so the archangel continued. 'It was the worst move loosing my temper like that in front of the seraphs, but… I can really fix it, I just head back to Heaven and gather them and…'

'That won't be necessary' Castiel interrupted, and it's been a while since Dean heard his voice being this empty. Gabriel was strange too. He only met the archangel a couple of times – mostly when he still knew him as the Trickster – but him looking this edgy, was strange. No jokes, no grins.

'No! Listen' Gabriel objected. 'I'm… I'm sorry, okay? But just… just let me try, I can really fix it, they're going to listen, just…' he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'Just let me try, please.'

Dean could see that he had trouble squeezing out the words. And now he was really surprised, because this was definitely not the Gabriel he remembered. After a few moments of silence Castiel spook again.

'I'll deal with the seraphs.'

'Castiel…' tried to object the archangel again, but this time Cas cut him off.

'You've done enough.' Gabriel run his hand through his hair in frustration, then he was gone only saying a short 'Fine' right before it.

Castiel took a deep breath and put down his empty beer-bottle on the counter.

'What was that?' asked Dean.

'What do you mean?' the angel asked in return.

'What's up with Gabriel? You have to keep him in line so he doesn't cause trouble or something?' Castiel looked at Dean, now frowning.

'Why would you say that?' he asked.

'Well, I don't know, the guy looked line he was waiting for you to sign his death sentence or something. Is he making that big trouble upstairs?' Castiel was frowning deeper now.

'On the contrary' he told Dean. 'Gabriel's rather insistent in helping me make order in Heaven.'

Dean really felt that there's something that doesn't add up here.

'You're an archangel now too?' he asked Cas. The angel thought about it for a second then lightly shook his head.

'No. I am stronger than I ever was, but being an archangel doesn't just mean power.'

'But you're stronger then Raphael and Gabriel?'

'I believe so, yes. Why?'

'Because, that would explain why he acted so weird. Maybe he's scared of you.' Dean guessed, but it was a reassuring thought, if Cas was stronger than the archangels, and they were afraid of him. Castiel seemed to deeply think about that last comment, so Dean decided to continue. 'How is he alive anyway? Lucifer never really killed him after all? Did he just bail?'

'No. Gabriel was indeed killed by Lucifer. He was resurrected by our Father, just like I was. He returned to Heaven a month ago, and told me that he had spoken with God.'

Dean just stared after that.

'It is not so very surprising' Cas told him after he looked at his face. 'Gabriel was our Father's Messenger, it makes sense that he could talk to him.'

'Okay. So Daddy gave you all new marching orders?' Dean was not about to act respectful towards God in any way. As far as Dean was concerned, the guy was a bastard.

'No' Cas told him. 'He didn't give us orders, just for Gabriel.'

'And what was it?'

'I didn't ask.' Castiel answered simply. 'If it concerned me, Gabriel surely would've informed me about it.'

Dean really needed to smile at that.

'And you didn't notice Gabriel was acting all weird? I mean you surely know him better than I do, and it's rather obvious.' Castiel seemed to think about this again.

'I probably should've asked him about it already, but I had other things to take care of.'

'I'm just saying, cause y'know… most of your brother's are dicks. And you have a lot of shit to deal with upstairs, and Gabriel was mostly a dick too, but he did help us in the end. It sure helps to have an extra archangel up your sleeve. And he seems like he wants to help, so…' he let the sentence trail off. Castile nodded.

'I think you're right. I should talk to him.' Dean thought he was going to be gone any second now.

'Hey Cas.'

'Yes, Dean?'

'You're hanging around from now on? I mean… on Earth.'

'Of course. I told you, the rouge-angels are a threat to humanity.'

'So, I can call you, if there's trouble or something. Like angelic trouble.'

'Certainly' Cas answered.

'Still got your cell phone?' Dean asked. Cas lips curved up in that small-smile of his.

'I think a more traditional method would be simpler and quicker' he said.

'So I'm shouting till I'm blue in the face? And am I not off the angel-radar?'

'Right' Cas said, like he just remembered, and he stepped closer and reached across the counter to touch Dean's chest for a moment. Dean felt the power, mostly as warmth, run through his bones; at least it didn't hurt this time.

'Now you're not' the angel said. 'And I would suggest prayer.'

Dean just raised his eyebrows and tried to figure out whether Cas was joking or not. Looking at the angel's face he realized, that he just won't be able to tell that, and that made him smile.

'I'm glad you're back, man' he said. And knew it was true. He didn't see Cas in over a year and now that he was back, his presence reassured Dean.

'I am too' answered the angel, smiling lightly again.

'And nice new wardrobe by the way. Finally got bored of the tax accountant getup?' Cas looked down on his clothing.

'It was Gabriel's doing' he explained. 'He told me that only lower rank angels were wearing suits.'

Figures.

'See you around then' Dean said, and Cas was gone.

Even if he was done with his former life, and he didn't want to get back anywhere near Heaven or Hell or just hunting in general, it was still a good thing to have his friend around again. Then he made a mental note to himself to somehow get Cas to learn to use the front-door, because he was fairly sure that Lisa will not appreciate the angel popping in and out of her house randomly. Even if Ben would probably think it's cool.

Chapter 3

Lacul Roşu, Transylvania

When Castiel took off he immediately searched the globe with his senses for angelic presence. It was much easier than ever before. He could find all of his brothers and sisters who were on Earth, unless they were deliberately hiding from him. He saw the angels shining among the human souls, he saw his scouts who were looking for the angels, who refused to come back to Heaven when Castiel took charge. Gabriel of course was not hiding, and finding him was rather simple. In comparison it was like looking for the moon among the starts of the night sky.

So a few moments after he disappeared from the kitchen of Lisa Braeden in Cicero Castiel was standing in a small clearing high up in the mountains of the Carpathians. Gabriel stood at the edge gazing down to the lake and the view. Castiel walked up to him and looked around as well.

'It is very pleasant here' he said after a few moments of silence.

'Yeah, it's pretty sweet since most vampires got out of here' Gabriel replied with false cheerfulness.

It was false, Castiel saw it. Not that the archangel's voice or facial expression gave away anything, but his grace seemed restless. After Castiel returned – for the second time – and joined the angels in Heaven he realized that reading an angel's grace became just as simple to him as reading a human's soul. He could see the shifts, the changes and it gave away every emotion within an angel. Most of the time it was not helpful at all. The grace of most angels was calm and unchanging, Castiel could only see the smallest of emotions within his brothers, and it was nothing he couldn't see without gazing inside of them.

But Gabriel was different. His grace burnt like holy fire, it was blindingly dazzling like the brightest blue of the summer sky, and always changing, always different. Now the archangel's grace was forced tight around his vessel like an armour. Forged hard, strained to stillness. He probably knew Cas could read him so he was hiding, or tried to. Even at this state Castiel could make a fairly accurate guess, and it seemed like Gabriel was angry, and this surprised the angel.

'I know I messed up, you don't have to tell me again' Gabriel said after a while.

'That's not why I'm here' Castiel answered calmly.

'You need something else?' the archangel asked, and Castiel saw a slight shudder in his grace, that Gabriel suppressed instantly.

'You're angry, and I wish to understand why' Castiel said honestly. Gabriel laughed at that, but it was the complete opposite of joyful.

'Oh, so I'm even supposed to be happy? I try to keep that in mind.' Castiel sincerely didn't understand his brother's behaviour.

'The apocalypse was averted. You were resurrected by our Father and you're even the first angel in a very long time who could speak with Him. Now we have the chance to change Heaven to have peace in our family again. So even if not 'happy', you have no reason to be angered. So why?'

The only warning Castiel got before he landed hard on the ground with a furious archangel grabbing his jacket on top of him was the angry outburst of Gabriel's grace that washed over him. If Castiel thought that Gabriel's grace was burning before this he was incredibly mistaken. The anger and the burning fury of him was for a moment overwhelming and Castiel was sure that if he would be the lower-rank angel he once was his own grace would be suffering and maybe even his vessel would be burnt to dust in seconds.

'You! You anger me!' Gabriel hissed in his face. 'Brought back by Father? Is this maybe some payback? Throwing this to my face? Well let me tell you something! You may be my Life, but your also my Death, so I have every right to be angry!' he shoved Castiel down as the other angel tried to sit up. 'And there's no need for your sympathy crap. I will follow Father's order!'

Castiel was utterly confused. He didn't understand the anger in Gabriel, and directed at him he understood it even less.

'I… what was His order?' he asked.

'Oh! He made sure you get what you wanted don't worry. I am to help you, so I will. You do have a reason to be glad Castiel! Seems like you're Dad's new favourite.'

'I don't understand' Castiel told him honestly. He was calm, Gabriel didn't anger him and he really just wished to know what was happening. 'What does your return has to do with me?' he asked.

'Everything!' Gabriel shouted at him. 'I wasn't brought back because I chose to do the right thing or because I was a good son or because I passed whatever test Father came up with! Oh no. But for you!'

Castiel couldn't hide his utter shock at this, because it still didn't make sense for him. How would he have to do anything with his Father's decision?

'Why so surprised Castiel?' Gabriel asked. 'You really thought that Father's just going to forget that I played 'pagan god' for a millennia? He didn't want to bring me back! So whatever it was that you prayed for, help or a loyal general or an obedient right-hand man you got it, all right? He granted your wish and whatever it was, you like it or not, you got me. And I will do what I have to, so just let me fucking do it!'

'You're wrong' Castiel said silently after a few heartbeats, now understanding Gabriel. 'I did pray to Father, but I… I didn't ask for help, a general or a right-hand man, but for you.'

Gabriel's anger subdued almost instantly a little and confusion was written all over him.

'What?'

'I prayed and wished that you would return, but not for your help, just you' Castiel clarified. Gabriel's anger was now disappearing completely.

'What? But why?' he asked. He was out of breath, some hesitance was in his voice, like he didn't really want to hear the answer, but just had to ask it anyway.

Castiel took a deep breath before he answered. 'I returned to Heaven, but even those angels who welcomed me back or agreed to follow my lead didn't understand.'

'Understand what?'

'Why I did it. Why I did everything. Why I rebelled, why I chose humanity, gave up everything for them and was willing to sacrifice my life, my very existence. And I started to wish you would be among us because surely you would. You know humanity even better than I, so I just… If I could return, if Father resurrected me I thought that you deserve to come back as well, so I prayed Father would decide to give you your life again.'

Gabriel was just staring at him after his words, he opened his mouth a few times like he wanted to speak, but he didn't say anything. His grace was calming down, and after long seconds he took a shuddering breath then he leaned closer to rest his forehead on Castiel's collarbone. He still didn't let go of Cas' jacket and for a little time he was just resting there, taking deep breaths.

'You probably think I'm an idiot' he said, and it was almost a whisper.

'I have no reason to think that' Castiel answered. Gabriel's grace was no longer burning him as the last traces of his anger faded. But Castiel couldn't help but be surprised what it revealed. Anger's been the strongest emotion in Gabriel, but now that he was calming down the others could be seen by Castiel.

'Sorry' the archangel said.

'You're afraid' Castiel said taken aback. Gabriel inhaled sharply.

'You could say that' he answered finally after a few seconds.

'But why would—'

'I won't be' the archangel interrupted. 'If I can be sure that you won't send a quick prayer to Dad asking to smite me the next time I screw up.' He was only half-honest about this, Castiel guessed, but he didn't push it. He was however tempted to reach out with his grace to be calming, the way he would've done it with a human soul, but he didn't.

'Since I didn't pray for help, if you don't wish to stay in Heaven—'

'No' Gabriel interrupted him again. 'No I… first Father did order me to help you, so I can't really disobey when I'm kinda on probation already and… you… I want to help you, you deserve it. So if you want I will, you can trust me. There is a lot of trouble so you do need help, someone to trust, so I guess that would be me. I know I have a really bad reputation when it comes to this but, really… you can trust me.'

As Castiel saw how Gabriel's grace trembled lightly saying that, it was clear he did not try to prove, but he asked to be trusted. And Castiel couldn't help this time but to reach out with his hand and his grace to reassure the other. He didn't expect Gabriel to reach back immediately, with a force that was almost as vehement as his anger was.

Castiel's human senses were blinded immediately as grace reached grace. It was overwhelming in various ways. He was never this close to any of the other angels before, not like this, and it was powerful. He could feel everything that Gabriel was, like reaching and touching the very core of his being and he knew that the archangel could sense him just like this. Before his second return all angels who were higher in rank then him looked pure white to him and he could only see the lower-ranks clearly. But now Gabriel was not pure white, but he could also see the clearest, brightest blue in the angel's grace. He couldn't see emotions anymore, because everything was there all at once. And Gabriel reached for him even further, his grace surrounding and covering his own. Gabriel grabbed on to him, almost desperately, and Castiel reached back to welcome him. Something was disturbing the archangel a great deal, but even if Castiel didn't know what it was he wanted to help, just to be there, because it seemed like it was exactly what Gabriel wanted right now. Someone to reach out to, and someone who even reached back.

Castiel couldn't sense anything else, but when he felt that Gabriel's grace once again shifted, reforming and changing he tried to pull back inside his vessel to make his human senses work again. Gabriel was pulling back his grace a little, and when Castiel finally managed to make his body work again, the archangel was kissing him.

He let go of Castiel's jacket already. One of his hands were at the back of his skull, his fingers in his black hair and his left hand were on his side gently stroking skin under his sweater. Castiel couldn't react; he didn't know how to react. He just started to honestly think about whether he should pull away or not when the kiss ended and Gabriel leaned on his shoulder again, burying his face in his neck. Castiel still didn't react. Their grace was still close and he could feel Gabriel's breath on his neck then lips, gently kissing skin then his pulse, where blood roamed quickly under the skin, pumped by his heavy-beating heart. Fingers were stroking his side and stomach and the way his clothes were inordinate, he probably did that a bit more intensely just before. Their bodies were impossibly close and Gabriel's grip was strong, not aggressive but he still held himself firmly pressed up to his body.

Then Gabriel gripped his hip stopping the gentle stoking of his side, grinding hard against him, making it obvious to Castiel what the new emotion he saw in Gabriel's grace was. Lust.

'Gabriel' he said, and the archangel stopped immediately. The movement of his lips and his hips and a blink after that his grace pulled back abruptly. Castiel only saw the hint of his wings as he disappeared from above him. Castiel sat up and rearranged his clothes with a thought. Gabriel didn't leave, but he was standing again in the very spot Castiel found him when he arrived.

'Sorry about that' he said. Castiel couldn't help but frown when he saw that the archangel's grace was once again pulled close so very tightly, closing and shielding himself.

'For what?' Castiel asked and he stood up too and again he was standing next to the other. Gabriel looked at him.

'Don't you think I went a bit far?' he asked. And his face was searching, he tried to read Castiel, and the angel wondered whether Gabriel saw him as pure white, just like Castiel saw him in the past.

'No, it's okay' and it was, Castiel thought. Gabriel didn't seem convinced as he raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Castiel put his hand on his shoulder and just barely reached out with his grace as well. Then he pulled away and looked out at the lake again. He didn't know why Gabriel came here, but it really was pleasant. From the corner of his eyes he saw Gabriel smile and shake his head, and then the archangel reached out and put his hand on Castiel's cheek to turn his face back. For a few seconds he was just looking at him then he leaned closer.

For a moment Castiel thought that he's going to kiss him again, but Gabriel just touched his temple gently with his lips – barely a whisper of a kiss – then he was gone in the next blink, only leaving the echoes of his fluttering wings.

Chapter 4

Cicero, Indiana

Dean was doing some random check-up on the Impala's engine when a sudden 'Hello, Dean.' caused him to bang his head in the hood of the car.

'Cas! For fuck's sake!' he cursed after he got out from under the hood. 'This is the very last time I'm telling you this! Use the fucking front-door, would you? Ideally with the doorbell first.' Castiel was leaning against the Impala at the driver's side.

'My apologies. Are you hurt?' he asked. Dean shook his head no; he didn't bang his head that badly to be in need of divine healing.

'So what's up this time?' he asked. 'And before you start, I really hope you're not about to tell me I have some heavenly mission I need to do, because I'm out of business.' Cas looked at him for a second.

'I know Dean, it was clear for the first fourteen times.' Dean snorted. He knew that he was a bad influence on Cas in the past – not about the Free Will thing of course – but seeing Gabriel's influence on his friend was one disturbing novelty.

'Good. So what's up then?' he leaned back under the hood to continue his work. He heard Castiel take a long breath.

'We were having yet another discussion with the seraphim. Gabriel told me to visit you before I start to "morph into the dick of all angels".' Dean did chuckle at this.

'That bad?' he asked.

'Gabriel refers to Michael with that expression' Castiel explained and Dean grinned. Brownie point for Gabriel for that one.

'And where is the trickster of Heaven?' Dean asked next. Castiel didn't drop by that frequently, but Gabriel was always with him.

'He said that to avoid him slaughtering the Heavenly Host he needed preferably twenty to thirty drinks and something with a particularly high-concentration of sugar.' Dean really started to laugh at that. He stood up again to look at Cas. His face was serious and what he told was probably not a joke but an exact quote from the archangel.

'Okay. In this case I'm sure you need a drink too. Come on.' he wiped his hand with a rug and headed to the house, Cas of course following.

When he watched Cas sitting down to one of the stools and resting his elbows on the counter for a moment he thought that a few shots of whiskey would do the angel some good, but he only grabbed two beers from the fridge and he sat down in opposite of the angel.

'Do I want to know what the discussion with the seraphim was about or am I better off not knowing?' Dean asked after a few moments of silence when both of them were just drinking their beers.

'I highly doubt you would like it' Cas answered simply. Yeah, that meant that it was something really nasty.

'Then just give me the headlines' Dean shrugged. He was out of the big game, but Cas was his friend and one of the 'normal' things to do was to ask your friend about stuff while you were having a beer. Stuff like work, even if the work was being the Viceroy of Heaven.

'There are still angels down on Earth and my scouts can't find them. The seraphim who decided to obey me reported that there were a high number of angels that left Heaven again.'

'That really bad?' Dean asked. Of course he knew that was bad. Angels on the loose, and especially angels who were really big on the whole apocalypse-then-paradise stuff, was really bad, but there was a high scale of 'bad' when it came to heavenly business.

'The first war started with that' Castiel said. That was in the "fucking disaster" or in other words the 'we're all screwed" part of Dean's "bad-scale". 'Gabriel's rather distressed about this.'

'Damn' Dean commented. No wonder the Trickster decided to drown himself in sugar and alcohol, because this was the very thing he ran from in the first place as far as Dean knew.

'Well. They are not that high in numbers and the highest-ranking among them are seraphim, but it is still rather disconcerting.' Cas took a few large gulps from his beer and then put down the empty bottle to the counter. Dean wordlessly stood up and grabbed another one for him from the fridge. By Cas' behaviour Dean put this whole stuff down to the "we're probably going to die" part of his bad-scale, which even if it had a sinister name was only in the middle-range, and the entire discussion became less worrying for Dean in an instant.

Before Cas continued he took a swing from the new bottle. 'And the seraphim of heaven expect an instant solution. And I grew rather tired of them comparing me to Michael every time I make a decision.'

'Well, Gabriel was right. You really have to get out of there from time to time' Dean agreed. Cas sighed.

'He also said that it would be constructive for me not to loose my connection with humanity.' Dean nodded.

'We wouldn't want that' Dean finished his beer too. 'So y'know you can always drop by, if...' he pointed a finger at Cas' face. 'You learn to use the damn door.' Cas smiled a little, then nodded. 'But since I'm out of hunting it's not that exciting around here.'

'Trust me Dean. The less exciting, the better' Cas told him.

'Okay then. If you really want to keep up with the human stuff, we could do that. Human stuff.' Castiel was looking at him, like he was thinking about it.

'What about Gabriel?' he asked finally.

'What about him?' Dean asked in return.

'Would you mind if he accompanied me sometimes?' Dean had to think about that. He was not really up to getting buddies with the archangel, but…

'Is he done being a dick?' he asked. Cas looked up and frowned a little, and Dean could practically see the cogs turning in his head, it was such a familiar expression that Dean had to smile.

'Define "dick"' Cas told him and Dean burst into laughter. It was good to laugh again like this.

'He's done with the trickster stuff and pagan just desserts and everything?' Dean asked after he calmed down again a little.

'Yes' Cas answered.

'Do you trust him?' Dean asked.

'He's the only angel I can really trust nowadays' Castiel answered after a little. Dean nodded.

'Good enough for me. Then I won't banish him if he shows up' he grinned. Castiel smiled as well.

This was the moment he heard the front-door opening, signalling that Lisa was back from his morning Yoga-classes. She entered the kitchen a few moments later first looking at Cas, then at Dean, and then she visibly decided something and turned to Cas again with a smile.

'Hi Cas' she greeted.

'Hello Lisa' Cas nodded. She walked over to Dean to give him a quick kiss.

'Hey' Dean smiled at her. And of course as always she smiled back sweetly. Then she turned away again a little.

'What are you guys doing?' she asked.

'We're trying to prevent Cas turning back into dick' Dean said seriously. Lisa frowned at him.

'That is a surprisingly accurate description' Cas mused and drank from his beer again. This made Dean chuckle again a little.

'I'm never going to understand what you too are usually talk about, am I?' she asked. Dean grinned at her and Lisa was glad to see the genuine amusement in his eyes. A few months ago such an expression looked so very empty on his face.

'You just need more practice' Dean told her. Cas put down his beer and his face turned into one of the most annoyed Dean ever saw him.

'Elemiah is calling me back' he said and his voice was dangerously dropping down into a near growl.

'Seraph?' Dean asked with a raised eyebrow. Cas nodded then stood up. 'Kick his ass if he's being a dick' Dean advised cheerfully. Cas just nodded again and he was gone in the next second in a flutter of wings. 'And use the damn door next time!' he said a bit more loudly to the kitchen ceiling in general, and then he shook his head.

'Am I gonna get used to that?' Lisa asked. Dean smiled up to her.

'Nope. No chance, he almost gave me a concussion when he arrived this time' he told her. Lisa didn't answer that. 'I do try to train him to use the door, with no success so far, and I've been trying to teach him that for years.' Lisa laughed.

'I'm gonna take a shower' she said and gave Dean another kiss before she headed out of the kitchen.

She was just about to get into the bathroom of their bedroom, when she saw Dean standing in the doorway.

'Still not freaked out?' he asked. Lisa rolled her eyes then she held out her hand. When Dean got closer she pushed him down to sit on the edge of the bed, then she straddled him and sat on his lap.

'Dean' she started. 'Usually when it comes to friends a girl like me has to deal with football and beer and poker-nights. In your case it's divine beings popping in and out of our living room and archangels beating up each other in the backyard' she had to laugh at that. She was sure that her life just can't possibly turn weirder. Dean smiled too a little.

'Yeah, Cas just asked if it's okay for Gabriel to drop by, the way I know him maybe you just have to prepare yourself for football and poker too.' Lisa raised an eyebrow. It never stopped being surprising Dean saying that name so casually. She was not on the top of Sunday School classes, but the fact that Dean knew THE Archangel Gabriel never stopped being astonishing, even if Dean usually called him on a high-variety of names, from which none could be considered appropriate.

'You already asked me a few times. And no. I am not freaked out' she told him.

'Really?' Dean asked.

'I knew what I was getting into when I asked you to stay' she said.

'You've been expecting angels hanging around?' Dean asked and Lisa was glad to see the amusement back in his eyes, and she couldn't help but laugh. Dean encircled her waist at that.

'I've expected basically that anything could happen, even things I wouldn't possibly think about even in my wildest imagination' Dean searched her eyes for a bit then nodded.

'Ok.'

'Ok' smiled Lisa at him again. Dean then pulled her closer to his body, lightly stroking up and down along her spine and kissed her. Lisa put her arms around his neck and couldn't help but arch her back into the touch. Dean then started kissing down her neck, then her shoulder before raising his head to her ear.

'When do you have to get back?' he asked. Lisa closed her eyes as she felt his breath ghosting over her ear.

'About an hour' she answered. Dean started to stroke her thigh with one of his hands.

'Barely enough time, but what can I do' Dean said then started kissing down the side of Lisa's neck again. She started to push him down, but Dean suddenly picked her up turned around putting Lisa on the bed then leaning down over her.

They were kissing more intensely now. Dean's touches became stronger and quicker as both their breaths started to speed up. They were hastily loosing clothes and scooted up the bed into a comfortable position.

When Dean's lips touched her naked skin, kissing down her breastbone she couldn't help but moan pleasantly. She touched him where she could reach him, pulling him closer kissing his lips, his face, and his hands. Stroking his back, feeling the muscles shift under skin as he moved to push his body closer to hers. She hooked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and shoulders.

Dean groaned as he entered her, fist slowly, but speeding up thrust after thrust. Lisa pushed her fingers in the short hair holding him. As Dean sped up Lisa couldn't keep in the voice that broke out of her throat. But the only word she managed to say was his name. Over and over again. Dean held her close, cradling her head, kissing her feverishly. Sweat covered their burning skin and they breathed the same air, keeping each other as close as they could. Lisa's voice was almost a scream by the time she reached her climax, when Dean started to loose his rhythm. After a few deep thrust his body tensed up, then relaxed in Lisa's arms. For a few moments they were just breathing. Trying to calm down their breaths, then Dean raised his head and kissed her slowly but deeply, then rolling off her.

After their breaths evened out Lisa sat up and leaned over Dean with a smile on her face.

'You know what? If this is your method to make me accept weirdness in the house' she said. 'You can even have poker-nights with your angel buddies.'

Dean laughed as he shook his head. He reached out to give her another kiss before she stood up to get cleaned up.

Chapter 5

The nearly two years Castiel spent on Earth, mostly separated from the Host, then the one year he spent as a rebel were not that long for the angel not to easily find his place among them again. It was different of course. He returned to them to be a leader, not just a soldier, but he understood his brethren, and even if he gained some human habits he was still very much one of them. Mostly.

For moths he's been doing his best to strengthen his position even if there were many angels who did not approve of his return, but most of them did not dare to challenge him to a fight. First, because they obviously felt his power and secondly, returning from the dead for a second time gave the impression that they would not get rid of him even if someone managed to kill him. It was quite reassuring. He's been progressing slowly but steadily and step by step he could see that his work is not in vain.

This was entirely different in Gabriel's case. The archangel simply appeared in front of Castiel one day and after telling him that God resurrected him, he took his place on Castiel's side by saying 'Heard you're the new boss. Thought you might need a hand.'

Castiel was glad. He thought about the archangel for some time. Especially when one of his brothers failed to understand what humanity and free will was about. He was glad Gabriel returned and even more so that the archangel took his side and offered his help. Castiel thought that it will make things much easier. He couldn't be more wrong.

Gabriel was like a stranger among the Host. He's never been among them for long as his duties as the Messenger usually meant that he got his orders directly from God and he spent a lot of time down on Earth among humans. But that was before he left. Before that, even if he was very distant the Host still respected him. He was an archangel after all.

Now not just the seraphim but even the lower-rank angels looked at him sceptically. He was different. He did not demand respect and didn't try to achieve his authority again. He usually only talked with Castiel, and when he rarely did address someone else, they didn't understand him at all. He was joking and talking as a human. Using references that reminded Castiel of Dean. He talked about food and drinks and movies and places down on Earth to a point that generally not even Castiel understood what he meant entirely, although he did understand more than any other angel. After a short time Gabriel stopped interacting with other angels altogether.

When they returned to Earth, since the new rebels refused to return to Heaven, Gabriel was immediately more cheerful. They met with the seraphim in a place in-between they forged, where angels within their vessels and in their true forms could appear as well. But even so, Castiel had to realize that Gabriel's help, even if he was insistent with his constant presence, was not something the seraphim were fond of. The archangel who left them. Castiel heard the whispers among angels and probably Gabriel did too, even if he didn't seem to care. He didn't stop them even if they were openly insulting him; he just laughed or ignored them.

When he lost his temper when Raphael confronted Castiel was really not a good thing to do. It did show the seraphim that even with all his human mannerisms and odd behaviour he was still powerful, but it also gave Raphael the role of the confident leader who speaks the truth, which was rather unwelcome in Castiel's opinion. And of course it provoked Raphael to speak about the sins of humanity and the fault of Dean Winchester.

But after their meeting in Transylvania Gabriel changed somewhat. Castiel knew now the truth and understood why the archangel felt threatened or humiliated. Why he was angry and even scared, even if he hid it well. Castiel hoped that his help to be more productive after that, but he just didn't expect what really happened.

Castiel was once again among the seraphim and he didn't see Gabriel since the day before. He first thought that maybe the archangel decided to leave the Host once again, but again he was greatly mistaken.

When Gabriel returned after they parted in the Carpathians Castiel for a moment felt like he was facing someone different. He seemed fierce and determined, every part of his being showing authority. His grace burnt forming his true form, a majestic presence demanding awe and fear. He looked once again like Castiel remembered him from before The Fall. Archangel, Messenger of the Lord, Angel of Judgement. The seraphim were staring at him silently. His wings pure white and bright blue light blazing with power were spread wide as he arrived, and it seemed like the world around them – not Heaven, but not quite Earth – stood still and felt silent to greet the glorious angel. He closed his wings as he stopped before Castiel, then he bowed lightly – showing respect – before turning to the seraphim standing slightly behind Castiel.

Even Castiel fell silent for long seconds looking at his brother as memories filled his mind. The last time he saw the archangel like this was so very long ago it seemed like a different life, and in some way it really was. And now he wanted to bow, like he did back then, but he didn't. This was indeed a different life after all.

He didn't hear spiteful whispers after that day. No angel dared to insult him again. He was like before. Glorious, strong… distant. Or so did Castiel think, but after the seraphim left Gabriel reappeared, once again in his vessel, he dropped himself down on a couch that appeared under him and lazily stretched his arms. There was such an enormous difference in his behaviour and in him, even in the changing and shifting of his grace, that he really seemed like someone different.

'This was more of a torture then the new Indiana Jones movie' he said. 'I could really need a drink right now' then he turned his head to look at Castiel, smiling lightly. 'And so do you.'

Castiel was about to object but Gabriel didn't let him speak.

'Resistance is futile and you know that' he said. Cas almost rolled his eyes on that and he saw that Gabriel was already grinning by the time he nodded. And he saw how the archangel's grace glowed. Joy, identified Castiel.

Not so distant after all. And Castiel was more than pleased about that.

Gabriel was sure that his thousand years of paganism screwed him up permanently. The other angels, who were boring as hell, not to mention dull and annoying was only a small cause of this observation. He immediately knew, from the very first moment he was among the Host again, that he would be tempted to prank – torture – the hell out of every single one of them. They were all hypocrites and self-righteous dicks who thought that they knew everything about everything. And they were so very wrong about that.

So it's redundant to say that he didn't like to be in Heaven, and things only became slightly better after he was down on Earth again. It says much about the company he was forced to be a part of that Castiel was the only one who at least understood some part of what he was talking about. He didn't get movie and TV quotes, he didn't know celebrities and he really needed to learn more about sarcasm and figure of speech, but at least he understood historical references and general things about humans and eating and drinking (he really did understand drinking), and he even got some sex-jokes. God bless Dean Winchester for that. Gabriel was never more willing to appreciate his existence.

But then again these things with the angels – who he very wisely decided to ignore – were only the smallest element why he thought that his pagan years messed him up. The larger part of it became evident on that bloody day in Transylvania.

Sure he was angry at first. Angry at himself for screwing up, angry at his Father and even at Castiel. And once he let his emotions to get loose he couldn't stop them.

The truth… that felt good. He didn't have a reason to be angry at Castiel anymore and it also helped to get his shit back together. Get back to business-mode. It was ridiculously easy to impress the seraphim. He dropped his entire pagan-god disguise he became so very used to in the past centuries and they were all just staring and gaping and they probably wished to crawl into a hole to hide. It was funny on some level. And that felt good too. To let go of his power like that. To allow his wings to be spread wide, his power to wash over everyone around him. Yeah it was pretty sweet.

So getting back the respectful archangel-status: Check. It was easy, it made his life easier and it helped Castiel a lot. And oh yes, Castiel. He was the very reason Gabriel came to the conclusion that he was screwed.

It was one thing that he was not used to be around angels anymore. And it was also true that he spent so much time as something, someone different that it was pretty hard to go back to the old-ways, and he really didn't want to if he was honest with himself.

But all this would not be a problem if not for that day. His mind kept wondering, getting back to that day over and over again. And a part of him – which he labelled as his inner-trickster recently – kept giving him suggestions. Well normally, he always listened to his inner-trickster, since he had the most awesome ideas, but now he was pretty sure that wanting to screw the new Viceroy of Heaven was not that awesome an idea.

He didn't know where to put the whole thing. It went back to the problem that he was not used to be around angels anymore. The last time he spent so much time with others was before his Trickster intermezzo, and now he was still thinking more like a pagan than an angel. He came to the conclusion that it would be a bad idea to push the other angel down on the next horizontal surface, even if his inner-trickster supplied some vivid pictures immediately. He still kept the conclusion and was more than willing to keep himself to it.

Of course that did not stop his mind and once again as he looked at Castiel he remembered the touch of grace, then the taste of skin and lips. He remembered soft hair and quickening breath, a heavy beating pulse under his mouth and power, oh that was almost the best of it. He pushed and Castiel pushed back, Gabriel thought that it was impossible to get any closer to anyone than that.

Unless you push in something else than grace. His inner-trickster corrected him helpfully, and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath at that thought.

And this was exactly the reason he thought that paganism screwed him up. So very human, or even better, how so very pagan of him to hunger for sex and power.

And the thing that was even more disturbing, or even downright scary, was the thought that actually it was not the power and not the sex he wanted more of after getting a taste. That what triggered everything was not that superficial. It was not just the heat of a body and the taste of skin, not even the blazing power he felt to his very core, but the one who reached back. The one who prayed for him, who seemed like he cared. That day, Gabriel wanted to take and Castiel gave.

And even thought he did not pull away that time, and he didn't push Gabriel away either. Would he…

'Gabriel.' The archangel opened his eyes to find blue ones capturing his attention instantly.

'Yeah?'

'I said I'm going to Cicero to Dean' Gabriel nodded. 'Would you like to accompany me?' Castiel asked, and Gabriel raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'Won't he be pissed?' he asked. Normally he wouldn't care, but pissing off Dean kind of equalled with pissing off Castiel.

'He told me that it was okay, when I asked' Castiel informed him. Gabriel was way too old to act like a teenage-girl so he suppressed the pleased-smile that wanted to spread on his face.

'Sure' he answered instead. That's it. Just keep it up, cool as a cucumber. He pushed himself away from the wall and was ready to go, when he saw Castiel raise an eyebrow. He wasn't smiling, not exactly, but something close. And he knew that face of him. It was the 'knowing' face, and with this knowledge came the realization that he once again forgot that Castiel could read him, not his mind, but… he looked away and cleared his throat.

He really was screwed, to a level that he started to suspect that maybe it was some divine form of payback for all the mischief and just desserts. And this whole thing was way beyond ridiculous, when the Hell did he became this unsure of himself, this needy – fucking pathetic seriously – that he was focused this much on someone else entirely. He probably was suffering in the biggest identity-crisis of the millennia, and that was so not cool, not at all. He tried to pull his grace back into his vessel a bit more, when he felt Castiel grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and pulling him.

'Let's go then' he said without looking at him dragging the archangel after him. And right before they took flight he felt Castiel's grace reach out to him to touch and pull.

Oh fine. Maybe he was not entirely screwed.

Chapter 6

Cicero, Indiana

When Ben first saw Castiel it was right after the explosion. He saw the bright light and heard glass shattering when his mom and Dean covered him and took him into the house. He saw his mom covering her ears and heard Dean telling them not to look into the light. He didn't cover his ears; the shouting was not that loud.

When Dean came back to the house Ben really wanted to know what was going on, but he had to go. When his mom got into the car Ben asked who the man with Dean was, and Lisa told him he was a friend of Dean.

And he was not human. That one was way too obvious. Later that day he asked Dean who his friend was and he told him he was an angel. Ben didn't exactly picture angels like that, not that he thought about them before. But Dean knew stuff like that, so if he said the guy was an angel, then he was one for sure.

'Okay. I did see and done some pretty crazy things in my life' Dean said while he looked over the table in the kitchen. 'I had to fight a Dracula, been hunting the Big Bad Wolf and once I even saw a walking-talking giant depressed Teddy Bear. But this…' he looked at Lisa. 'This goes to the top of my list.' he said then he shook his head smiling.

'Oh, you mean having a garden-party with your angel-friends?' Lisa was nearly chuckling.

'It's bizarre' Dean told her.

'Tell me about it' she answered.

'Yeah, it's totally Gabriel's fault' Dean said, like for the tenth time in the past few hours.

Ben already heard the story with Dracula and the one with the Teddy Bear too. He even remembered the ghost making Fairy Tales. It was pretty hard to get Dean to tell stories. First it was impossible, and even later he said that his stories were not fun, but Ben told him that he already knows there are monsters out there, so what gives? So once in a while he did get him to tell him some hunting-stories, not much, but some.

Ben was helping washing some vegetables when he heard his mom shriek. He turned around immediately.

'Hello Dean' Cas greeted. 'Lisa.'

'You have to stop doing this!' Lisa pointed a finger at his face then picked up the bowl she dropped, luckily it didn't break. Ben just had to step closer, when he saw Cas.

'Woah' he blinked in surprise. 'Dude, you're really an angel!' Castiel turned his head towards him and just stared. 'They're gone, why are they gone?' Ben asked. Both his mom and Dean were looking at him now.

'What are gone?' Dean asked him.

'The wings' Ben told him. Cas tilted his head and they appeared again. It didn't exactly look like wings, not with feathers and such, just something wing-like, just light or like it was just flowing around him.

'You can see them' Cas observed. Ben nodded.

'They weren't there the last time. You were just glowing then' Ben told him.

'I see' Castiel nodded. 'That is quite special.'

'Hell no, man!' Dean interrupted getting Castiel's attention again. 'I know for a fact that it doesn't matter if it's Heaven or Hell, being special is anything but good.'

'No need for concern Dean' Castiel told him. 'It was merely an observation. Apparently Ben has a rather wide range of perception, since he seems to be able to perceive my true form within this vessel. But it means nothing more than that.'

'But what does this mean?' Lisa asked.

'As I told you, it means nothing beyond what it is.'

'Is it a superpower or something?' Ben asked. Now that would be awesome. The way his mom and Dean were looking, they didn't see the light, and they didn't think it was awesome at all. The light on Castiel was not much, he just seemed brighter. Like he would be standing in the sun, while everyone else was in the shadows.

'It's a high level of observation-skill' Cas answered. Ben thought about it.

'That cool?'

'Way cool kid' answered another voice. And they all turned to the newcomer.

'I'm not a kid! I'm 11' Ben replied automatically. The other guy was only glowing for a little while, but then it was gone and he looked normal.

'And I'm way over 11 thousand, everyone's a kid for me here.' Gabriel grinned.

Ben thought about it for a second then shrugged. 'Fair enough' he said.

'Okay' Lisa exhaled slowly. 'How about you all getting outside while I finish up here.' and before Dean could open his mouth. 'No, really. Out. I'm good.'

'Cool' Gabriel laughed. 'I brought dessert' and he was gone. Cas a second later. Dean and Ben followed; Lisa took another deep breath before going back to work.

Dean wanted to make the burgers, but Lisa hushed him away. Thus the reason he ended up sitting in front of two angels in the other side of the garden, with Bean and Lisa frying burgers on the porch. Castiel was silent unless they asked him a question, but Gabriel seemed to be set on to avoid even a second of silence. Mostly it was just nonsense. He did tell a few short anecdotes about pagan gods then he started to blab about the other angels. Before he could start with another long monologue Dean interrupted.

'Okay. So what's up with Ben seeing you guys?' he asked.

'It's a rare human trait' Cas told him.

'Please tell me this doesn't mean he's a potential vessel or something' Dean said, and he really-really hoped that he will get a good answer.

'He is not of a vessel-bloodline' Cas assured him. Dean sighed in relief.

'But it is quite unique' Gabriel said, but Castiel disagreed.

'Not necessarily. He is still a child, so it may pass.'

'What? Kids can see angels in their true forms?' Dean asked.

'Naw' the archangel shook his head. 'Not all of them. But they do have a higher tendency to see without getting their eyes burnt out.'

'They are more receptive to all forms of the supernatural than an adult that is certain' Cas added.

'Yeah, well he is not that small' Gabe mused. 'So maybe it is something special.'

'I really don't like the way you say 'special'' Dean looked at the angel.

'Relax' Gabriel flicked with his hand. 'It doesn't mean anything. It's a skill, like being good at sports or to have musical talent. Nothing to worry about.' Dean looked at Cas for confirmation and Gabe had to roll his eyes at that. Of course he knew Dean didn't trust him, like at all, the most time, but seriously.

'Gabriel is correct' Cas told the human, and the archangels spread his arms with a smile in a "Told you so" gesture.

'Okay. But is it a kid-thing or a talent-thing in Ben's case?' Dean asked and this time Gabriel didn't have the urge to roll his eyes. Dean was worried, it was obvious. The archangel figured it was not surprising. His life sucked big time since he was four and all because being 'special' in Heaven's point of view.

'Nothing's simpler than figuring it out' Gabriel said and stood up from his chair. 'Hey kid!' he shouted. 'Come here for a sec!'

Ben started walking towards them. The trust of kids was cute even if it got them in trouble sometimes. Dean's and Lisa's face was not that trustful. Dean's suspicion he understood, and he must've told some stories to his girlfriend.

'What's up?' Ben asked when he arrived. Gabriel got down to one of his knees in front of him.

'We are gonna play a game' he told him. Ben looked at Dean, then back to the archangel.

'What game?' he asked.

'Very simple, and very interesting. Because I gotta tell you most people can't do it. But I'm betting that you can' he smiled a little. When Ben turned his attention to Dean again Gabriel had to look at him too. 'Relax Dean-o, I'm not gonna hurt him.' But sure enough Dean looked at Cas again. Gabriel turned back to Ben instead.

'Are there rules?' the kid asked.

'No rules. It's simple.' He held out both of his arms, palms up. 'The only thing you have to do is to tell me if you see anything. And if you do, tell me what it is that you see, m'kay? Ben frowned, but nodded.

Dean and Cas were watching the scene. Dean didn't really get what Gabriel was up to, and he was more than surprised when Ben spoke again.

'An action-figure. How do you do that?' he was staring at Gabriel's hands. Dean didn't saw anything.

'It's an angel-thing' Gabriel told the boy.

'A tree' Ben continued. 'A baseball… campfire! Hey that's cool, doesn't it burn?' Gabriel shook his head. 'Snowflake' Ben made a face. 'I'm not a girl, make other things' he demanded and the archangel laughed.

'Storm-trooper!' Ben declared a lot more cheerfully. 'Light-bulb… what's that?'

'What does it look like to you?' Gabriel asked.

'Well…' Ben frowned a little. 'Almost like a firefly… but it has much bigger wings.' Gabriel closed his palms.

'And finished. Looked cool, huh?' he asked Ben.

'Except for the snowflake' Ben replied. 'And that was the game?'

'More like show and tell' Gabriel replied.

'Ben, why don't you go back to help your mom a little' Dean said. Ben looked at the archangel again.

'Can you make bigger things too?' he asked. Gabriel stood up.

'Maybe next time, ok?' Ben nodded and went back to his mom.

'And what was this about?' Deana asked.

'Gabriel confirmed that Ben's perception is not due to his age' Castiel answered. 'It is a talent.'

'Don't start with you worrying Dean' the archangel continued before the hunter could say a word. 'It really is nothing. It's not because of any supernatural-influence, and he's not a psychic or anything. I know you have some pretty bad experience, but it is nothing dangerous. It's not even remotely close to what Sam went through with his vision and everything.'

Dean's face immediately darkened at the mention of his brother. And even Castiel's expression became way more serious. Gabriel looked from one to the another.

'Is it that touchy a subject?' he asked, but didn't get an answer, just a really unfriendly look from Dean. 'Oh c'mon! If it disturbs you this much, why didn't you keep your little brother with you?'

Dean stood up in an instant.

'You know what? I just started to think that maybe, just maybe you stopped being a bastard.' he stepped closer staring at the archangel. His 'unfriendly' expression turned to one which promised violence. 'But I was wrong, so get the Hell out.'

'What?' Gabriel asked in surprise. 'You serious?' it was a pointless question because Dean looked nothing but serious. When Gabriel turned to Castiel, the other angel was also just staring at him, it was not easy to read him but, he looked a bit pissed too. What the hell?

'Seriously?' Gabriel asked again. 'I'm being a bastard just because I dare to ask about Sam and whatever the Hell happened between you too?'

It was rather obvious that Dean stopped himself from punching the archangel by sheer willpower, and then he shook his head.

'Gabriel' spoke Castiel and his tone held an unspoken warning.

'You know what Gabriel' said Dean. 'You've done a lot of shit since I know you, but messing with me using my dead brother is way below even your level.' he was unnervingly calm now, but Gabriel suddenly understood what was going on. He looked at Dean then at Cas as he realized it.

'No way' he said. It was astonishing, unbelievably so. 'You think Sam is dead?'

That put Dean off immediately.

'He jumped into the cage while Lucifer inhabited him' Castiel said and Gabriel saw the bare confusion on his face.

'Yeah, but he's alive' Gabriel told them.

'You're better not messing with me about this' Dean said.

'I'm not. Sam's alive!' the archangel told him again.

'How do you know that?' asked Castiel.

'Father told me when I came back and asked about what happened. He told me both of you were alive. I thought you knew that! Seriously!' He assumed that maybe Sam and Dean decided to get separated for a while – it happened before – but this, this was unbelievable.

Castiel seemed to be thinking very deeply by the time Dean got himself together enough to speak again.

'Can you find him?'

'No' came Castiel's answer immediately. 'I just tried to locate him, but the Enochian-sigils must be still intact. He's hidden.'

When Gabriel and Castiel started talking again Dean didn't even hear what they were talking about. Question after question popped into his head, but soon everything was washed away by a relief so overwhelming that it cleared out everything from his mind. None of the questions mattered. Nothing mattered, but just the thought that his little brother was not suffering in Hell. He was alive and out there somewhere. He could cry at the thought, maybe he even was. That didn't matter either. Nothing mattered just that he could say:

Sam is alive.

Chapter 7

Dean was more then torn about what he was about to do. He was packing the Impala's trunk in the early morning chillness. To anyone he would've looked determined and sure of himself, but inside… inside he felt guilty. Right after he told Lisa that his brother was alive she knew that he would leave. Of course she did. And Dean wanted to leave, no… he needed to leave, because it was Sam, his little brother, out there somewhere and he had to find him.

Telling Ben was even harder. Dean saw that the boy was devastated by the news and Dean had no idea how he was supposed to make it even a little better. He didn't know whether he should make promises, whether he should tell them that everything's going to be fine and he would come back as soon as he can, but such promises never ended well in Dean's life so far. He was not sure if he could keep it, even if he promised.

He wanted to return, he was sure of it, even more than that, there were not many things he's ever been surer of.

As he slammed down the trunk and turned around to get back in the house he saw Castiel and Gabriel standing on the driveway. Castiel of course was staring at him with a slight head-tilt, obviously thinking about what could go around in Dean's head at the moment.

'What?' he asked him.

'I see that this is difficult for you'

'Your observation skills never cease to amaze me Cas' Dean replied somewhat annoyed. That triggered a quiet noise of amusement out of Gabriel. Dean just threw him a look, that he thought was a sufficient way of telling him not to open his mouth.

'I came to tell you' Castiel said. 'that you can focus on finding Sam without worrying about Lisa and Ben. I can make sure that every possible threat is dealt with.'

'Finally some perk of being friends with the new boss, right Dean-o?' Gabriel added. He had that particular smile on his face, which gave Dean a bad feeling. He saw it before, Gabriel was sugar-coating his annoyance or anger. He turned back to Cas.

'You're gonna keep an eye on them?' he asked the angel. Maybe he even sounded a bit hopeful. A large part of feeling guilty about leaving Cicero was that he wouldn't be here to protect them. Raphael came here before to find Dean and as far as the hunter knew there were some angels out there that really would just love to see him suffer for stopping the Apocalypse, and that was so un-fucking-believable, being hunted for saving the world.

'I'm afraid I will be otherwise occupied' Cas answered. Great. Then a really horrible thought entered his mind and he could only hope that he was wrong.

'Tell me it's not gonna be him' he said nodding towards Gabriel, the archangel raised his eyebrows.

'That stings, y'know' he said.

'No, I need Gabriel's assistance dealing with the Host' Castiel said and that was a relief. He knew that technically Gabriel was not a bad guy. He helped them against Lucifer, hell they never would've known about the Horsemen Rings without him, but there was no way in Hell, that he was gonna trust the freakin' Trickster to protect Lisa and Ben. As far as he knew they were just some random unimportant humans in Gabriel's book, so just no. He was about to ask what Castiel meant then by saying that he's gonna deal with every threat, when two other angels appeared behind the Viceroy.

Two Angels – obviously, since they just appeared out of nowhere with a rush of wind – one of them a looked like a young woman in her late twenties, early thirties maybe, and looking at her clothes she was nurse or doctor. Any other time Dean would've told them that it was a perfect combination for a wet-dream. An angel dressed as a nurse, seriously? It was Gabriel's signature in a giant red neon-sign. But Dean kept his observation to himself. The other angel was slightly more disturbing, because it was a kid. Not that small but he couldn't be more then 12 or 13. Short blond hair and pale skin and by his clothes, whoever the vessel was, he didn't come from an upper-class environment.

'Who are they?' he asked Cas.

'Israfel' the woman nodded at Dean. 'and Jophiel.' Cas introduced them. 'I asked them to remain here in Cicero.'

'I'm gonna be honest with you Cas. It's great that you thought about this, it really is, but I don't know them. And in my experience, most angels are not to be trusted' Dean said. He was seriously debating that even Gabriel would be a better choice then two complete strange angels; he at least knew that the Trickster was definitely not in the Apocalypse-team of angels. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Gabriel leaning to the wall with a roll of his eyes. Dick.

'I trust them' Castiel said. 'Isn't that enough?' Dean was still hesitant. He trusted Cas, of course he did, but that didn't mean that he could prevent an angel from doing things behind his back. There were ways of bending orders or hide things from an angelic superior; Cas was the proof of that. He's done it more then once before he openly rebelled.

'Dean.' Cas voice became sterner. It was a signal that he was done with bullshitting. 'I've been their superior since the time of our creation. They fought on my side when we laid siege to Hell to raise you. They did not believe Zachariah's lies about my rebellion and after they came to know the truth they attempted to leave the garrison and join me, but were imprisoned in Heaven until my return. I freed them and they were the first angels to offer their support and loyalty to me. Is that enough or do they need to die first to earn your trust?'

Cas was definitely done with wasting time on Dean's trust-issues.

'Okay, fine.' Dean replied angrily crossing his arms, he wasn't defensive, maybe it just slightly sounded that way. He looked at the other two angels again and nodded as greeting. 'Hey guys.'

'It is very good to meet you in person Dean' the woman – Israfel – greeted. The kid was just looking at him and it was hundred-times creepier than Cas' stare.

'Castiel told us' he started. Yeah and no kid should sound this crisp and authoritative. 'that you killed our old superior Zachariah' he said and Dean didn't really know what to think of that.

'So?' he asked.

'Israfel and I think that guarding your beloved ones would be an appropriate way of showing gratitude for that.' Oh, well. That was surprising.

'Really?' he asked. Then he thought about what Castiel said just moments ago. They wanted to rebel, and Dean knew exactly what Zach's Bible booth-camp was capable of.

'Yes' Jophiel answered, and again they way he spoke reminded Dean of Cas, but once again a bit more unnerving, him looking like a kid and all. 'We were pleased that Castiel choose us for this assignment.'

'Really? Not feeling that babysitting is below you Jo?' Gabriel asked from his spot next to the garage wall. As the kid turned his head towards the archangel Dean saw the change in his expression. Most angels were not that big on facial expressions, but the way the lines of his face hardened as his eyes narrowed slightly Dean could see the anger below skin that surfaced in a blink of an eye.

'You don't know me, Messenger!' he nearly spat the words and his voice dropped a little lower and became more quite.

Gabriel shrugged. 'Well y'know, I just thought—'

'Gabriel!' interrupted Cas. 'I'm sure that some of the scouts need to report on their progression and receive new orders' he said.

'Sure they do' Gabriel answered sounding bored all of a sudden. Cas turned his attention to him then, but just merely raised an eyebrow. Gabriel snorted, then he was gone between one second and another. There were a few seconds of silence before Jophiel spoke again.

'You shouldn't allow such disrespect' he told Castiel. 'He's not—'

'Let me be the judge of that, Jophiel' Cas answered and ended the discussion before it began.

Lisa was not thrilled about the idea of stalking angel-bodyguards, but Dean told her that like this he would be sure that they're safe while he's away.

Ben was more than thrilled. He was immediately all over Jophiel as soon as they appeared in the house. According to him having an angel-buddy was awesome.

Israfel seemed very set on being a good-little bodyguard and even offered to make this easier for the humans. Cas really did chose right angels, they were definitely not from the dickish-type.

'If it would make put you more to ease, if you wish you won't notice our presence while we're here' she told her.

'No. I think it's better if I can actually see you while you're stalking me' Lisa answered.

As Dean was standing at the front door ready to go he suddenly didn't know what to say. He turned to Ben first kneeling down to be on eye-level with him, but before he could say anything the boy was hugging him, which Dean returned immediately.

'Be good, ok?' Dean asked and Ben nodded. 'And don't break your angel' he added with a smile and Ben smiled in return. Then Dean turned to Lisa.

'Look, I—'

'Dean, I know. He's your brother, you have to go' she smiled encouragingly. 'You need to find him and we're going to be fine.'

'Yeah' Dean hugged her too, embracing her tightly and stroking her hair.

'And you should know that I understand if you—' this time Dean cut her off with a kiss.

'I'm coming back' he told her after it. 'As soon as I can.' It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be to say this. Lisa smiled again nodding, but her eyes were glistering with unshed tears. 'It's gonna be fine Lis' he told her then. 'Just don't forget the Angel 101.' Lisa laughed at that.

'They're overly literal, have no concept of personal space and one should never ever try to have a drinking contest with any of them' she said smiling brightly. Dean laughed a little too.

'There you go' she embraced the hunter once more before stepping back. Dean ruffled Ben's hair as he stepped away then headed towards the Impala. Before sitting behind the wheel he looked back once more and Lisa waved her hand smiling at him.

She will be waiting for his return, and Dean was not the man who would disappoint a beautiful girl. He got into the car and drove out to the street.

He was only a block away when Castiel popped in to the passenger's side in a rush of wind and sound of feathers. Dean managed not to jerk the wheel, how about that? He was getting used to the stuff finally.

'What is it?' he asked the angel after a few seconds when he realized that Cas won't say anything.

'Nothing. I just thought that maybe you would rather travel having company.'

'Don't you have important angel-business you need to do?' Dean asked.

'I'm sure that Gabriel will be able to keep things in order for a few hours with minimal bloodshed' Castiel said in an utterly serious tone. Dean looked at him for any sign of humour, but he still couldn't decide. Maybe a half-joke, it was really hard to tell.

'I feel like I'm repeating myself, but seriously, what's up with him?' Castiel thought about it for a little.

'I believe he's not comfortable being among other angels' he said.

'But you just sent him to deal with other angels.'

'That is correct' Castiel confirmed.

'You don't see the paradox in that?' Dean asked.

'Just because he doesn't like something or is not comfortable doing doesn't mean that he can avoid it forever' Cas answered then turned to look at the hunter. Dean saw the curl of his lips that was barely a smile and the slight amusement in his eyes. Dean had to laugh at that.

'You're freaking screwing with the Trickster Cas' he said.

'Not at all' Castiel replied. 'He just needs a little shove sometimes.' Oh Dean knew that Cas could be a sneaky bastard, but this really cheered his mood. He pushed in a tape, turned on the volume and continued his drive with an angel passenger towards South-Dakota.

Chapter 8

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Dean was at Bobby Singer's house for the past few weeks now trying to locate Sam every possible way without any success. He didn't use any of his known aliases, so they couldn't track nor cell phone nor credit card. It was frustrating, to say the least.

It was good to see Bobby again. The old hunter welcomed him when he drove in to the Salvage Yard and took the news about Sam first a bit sceptically, but after he seemed to decide that God was a rather reliable source, he was not that sure about Gabriel though, Dean couldn't blame him.

Cas dropped by from time to time, sometimes along with Gabriel, but he had no news about Sam. The Enochian Sigils were really useful while Sam and Dean had to hide from Heaven and Lucifer, but now it was the biggest inconvenience. He informed Dean that he told his scouts to keep an eye out for Sam while they were searching for angels but none of them reported anything so far.

Gabriel was anything but helpful. On the rare occasions he accompanied Cas to Sioux Falls he usually just sat down on to a chair or the sofa in the library and did nothing more than make a few comments that were either meant as funny or insulting. He was more than happy to criticize most ideas that came up. Anytime Dean was just about to be fed up with his bullshit he either left on his own or Cas sent him away to do some angel-business.

One evening after Bobby went to sleep Dean headed out to the yard to get some fresh air. His eyes were tired from looking at his laptop's screen for hours. He was walking around a bit, stretching his arms and back when he noticed a figure leaning against one of the rusty old cars Bobby's yard was full of. As Dean walked closer he recognized Gabriel. He was surprised to see him.

Gabriel didn't turn to him, but he had to know the hunter was there.

'What do you want?' Dean asked as a way of greeting. He was still a bit pissed about some of the archangel's comments from a day before.

'Nothing' the angel answered.

'Then what are you doing here?' he didn't get an answer for that one. 'You're weird, you know that?' he asked then and Gabriel chuckled.

'So they keep telling me.'

Dean stepped closer and leaned against the rusty door of the run-down truck. 'I'm gonna be a good sport here and ask what's going on.' Gabriel looked at him then.

'Like you care Dean-o'

'Okay, first of all stop calling me that! And second, I think that is entirely mutual' Gabriel didn't replied to that again so Dean continued. 'But I know that you're not as big a dick as you act most of the time.'

'Oh really?' Gabriel asked and Dean just saw as his face shifted to an expression the hunter knew very well. Trickster. Dean shook his head.

'Y'know what? Forget it' Dean said and pushed himself away from the truck.

'Castiel had to go back to Heaven for a little while because Raphael was throwing a fit again so until he comes back I have to deal with the scouts and the few seraphim who are down here' Gabriel said. Dean leaned back.

'Okay, and?' Gabriel seemed to think about this for a while.

'And I can't fucking do it' he said finally and continued before Dean could react. 'I'm not a fuckin' general. I never had to deal with this stuff in the first place! I was never part of the hierarchy and the chain of command. I got my orders from Father and I didn't have to lead garrisons, I was just doing my own fucking business!' he got angrier. 'Oh and it's not like any of them likes to listen to the runaway post-boy. And most of them are dicks, and that's saying something coming from me. Dull, idiotic, arrogant dicks.' he took a few deep breaths and run his fingers through his hair. Dean blinked in surprise for a few times.

'But aren't you way stronger then them? You could just teach them a lesson, you're good at that.' Dean suggested.

'Yeah, it's not like I can walk around in full-power archangel-mode 24/7 and beat the shit out of anyone who passes my way. That goes under the 'WWMD' label.' Dean thought about it for a second.

'What would Michael do?' he asked amused and Gabriel nodded.

'And "all-things-Michael" is the very thing that pisses Castiel off the most, besides I'm not like my dick of a brother.' They were standing in silence for a bit.

'You wanna hear my opinion?' Dean asked after a while.

'You're gonna tell me whether I want it or not' Gabriel replied. Dean grinned.

'Well, I thought you were done with this shit when you decided to stand up for what you believed in' Gabriel rolled his eyes.

'It's different.'

'What's different?'

'I've been helping you! You and Sam and humans in general. I get humans. I've been down here on Earth more than any other angel in creation. I understand how things are here, but I don't get angels! The only ones I've ever spoken with more then a few times were the other archangels. And guess what? Two of them are in a cage in the Pit and the third one loathes me so much that he probably wants to kill me, the sooner the better.'

'Yeah I see how that sucks, even if I'm more than happy that your big brothers are locked down.' Gabriel smiled. 'And you seem okay hanging around Cas.'

'Yeah he's… he's great.' Dean raised an eyebrow. 'Would've gone crazy by now if it was not him in charge. And probably he's the only reason that most angels don't just tell me to fuck off. And the reason I haven't done it by now.'

'Then just stop the whining, man! Seriously? Are you archangels programmed to be drama-queens, or what?' Gabriel's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't interrupt. 'It's simple. Cas wants to get Heaven in order and so far as I heard there are not many angels who can be trusted. So no matter how hard it is or how you never done it before, suck it up and do the damn job! Cas needs your help so you better not let him down.'

Gabriel sighed then looked up at the night-sky.

'Right as always Dean, right as always' he chuckled. 'You seem to be making a bad habit out of hauling me over the coals.'

'You seem to be asking for it every time' Dean answered grinning again.

'Look at that. I come here to watch your ass and this is the thanks I get? I feel way too underappreciated.' Gabriel was back to his cheerful Trickster-self.

'Calling you on shit is my way of saying thanks' Dean countered. Gabriel chuckled again.

'Tell you what. I may have some way of getting some info on Sam.'

'And you're telling this now?' Dean asked and he was about to get pissed again.

'Yes I'm telling this now because Castiel probably won't like it one bit. But if there's no other lead on your brother then I'm gonna follow this one.' Dean's brows furrowed.

'Is it dangerous or crazy?' Gabriel tilted his head from side to side while he thought about it.

'Probably both. Definitely crazy and a little dangerous too, but not dangerous as 'deadly'.'

'So what is it?' Dean asked.

'We're gonna need Castiel for that so I tell you when he comes back.' Gabriel answered. Dean wanted to object. 'No, really. There's nothing we can do until Castiel comes back so it would only just drive you crazy. I'm not telling.'

'Fine.' Dean crossed his arms. It was getting chilly.

'Okay Winchester, I think we had enough sharing and caring to last till the next century at least so get back and go to sleep.' Dean didn't complain. He was pretty tired.

'And you're just gonna stand here all night?' he asked before he headed back to the house.

'Until any of my imbecile brothers needs some hand-holding. Told you I came to watch your ass, but don't worry I can entertain myself just fine.' He wiggled his eyebrows then grinned widely.

'I really didn't need that picture. You're freakin' DVD scarred me for life already.' Dean turned away to get back to the house when Gabriel burst out laughing.

Castiel returned two days later from Heaven. As soon as he popped in to Bobby's study Dean shouted for Gabriel to get his ass there immediately. When the archangel appeared as well the hunter started questioning him about the possible lead he was talking about. The last two days didn't provide any new information about his brothers and after weeks of searching he was really starting to get angry about this.

'You see Heaven is not the only place having problems right now' Gabriel started. 'And while normally that would be bad, I think that there is a way to use it to our advantage this time.'

'You don't mean Hell, are you?' Castiel turned to him.

'Not Hell in general, but someone from there' the archangel explained.

'We are not going to intervene to the power-struggle in Hell' Castiel said firmly.

'What kinda' power-struggle?' Bobby asked.

'Last year when you trapped Lucifer and Michael, both sides lost their leaders. In our case Castiel acted quickly and Raphael is complaining but he's not openly rebelling' Gabriel continued. 'But Hell is an entirely different matter. Because you and your brother' he looked at Dean. 'Managed to kill everyone at the top of the food chain. Azazel, Alistair then Lilith. There is no obvious leader right now and that is a serious first.'

'Okay so the demons are fighting among themselves. That's good' Dean stated.

'Not entirely' Gabriel corrected. 'So far they were quite busy among themselves, that is correct, but Earth is still their favourite play-ground. And what gives a demon more credit than violence and destruction among humans?'

'No fucking way' Dean exclaimed.

'Yes way. The Fallout of the Apocalypse. You took out the bosses and the mass is chaotic' Gabriel said. 'It's the same on both sides. Angels sided with Castiel or they keep being loyal to Michael, which gives them a great disadvantage since big bro is luckily not available, but we are far from peace, trust me. Downstairs on the other hand it seems like the major part of the power-struggle already went down and the demons are now gathering around two potential leaders.'

'I don't think I like where you're going with this Gabriel' Castiel said. The archangel looked at him.

'Hey. You're the one who wants to find Sam. I'm merely giving you an option.'

'Keep going' Dean told him.

'The new possibly leaders are demons you know' Gabriel said. 'Right now securing their bases and getting more power is what's on top of their list. They would probably do anything to make that happen.'

'You're not suggesting that we make a deal with some demon' Bobby interrupted gruffly. 'Or to help them.'

Castiel was staring at the archangel with his brows furrowed.

'Not precisely a deal, or not necessarily. Just some information-exchange or—'

'You said that I know these demons' Dean interrupted.

'That's why I considered this idea at all' Gabriel said. 'One of them is the child of Azazel. Dirty little bitch you probably would pay to kill.'

'Meg' Dean spat. Gabriel nodded.

'But she's not the one who I would suggest to go to' the archangel smiled. 'The other one is the demon we need.'

'Who?' Dean asked. He saw the realization on Castiel's face before Gabriel said the name.

'Crowley.'

Chapter 9

Eden, North Carolina

Castiel was not delighted by the idea to say the least. His status as the new Viceroy was still fragile. The seraphim seemed to finally settle on his side but there were still many angels who refused to believe that he was brought back by God. Raphael openly rejected even the possibility to work together with him. He was maybe still upset about the Ring of Holy Fire and the 'little bitch' comment, but he didn't accept Castiel's leadership and the rough-angels all around the world were another problem he still had to deal with. Gabriel's return also caused some disorder even if the Host didn't know about his years as a pagan god; that would've caused way more disturbance.

So if the seraphim or just the lower-angels of the garrison ever come to know about him negotiating with a demon, the consequences would be severe.

'I'm not saying that we have to do this' Gabriel said to him after they returned to the new 'Green Room' Castiel forged right after his return to Earth. Gabriel appreciated the humour in Castiel's choice of town. The Green Room itself looked nothing like the place Zachariah used. He had to make sure that it was sufficient to meet with angels with and without vessels alike. He didn't seem to decide how it should look like so it was ever changing. Sometimes it was rather empty, just an empty hall with columns on both sides, with light colours everywhere. Sometimes it was shaped as greenhouse, so basically it was never the same. Once in a while Gabriel changed it to his own liking, Castiel never seemed to mind. It was space carved out of the human world, barely part of it, close to Heaven but just not reaching it.

This time as Castiel arrived with Gabriel on his heels the room immediately turned into something that resembled a hotel-lounge, with a coffee-table and a few armchairs and sofas. Gabriel flopped down to one of the chairs while he kept his eyes on Castiel who stood straight not looking really at anything but obviously contemplating his alternatives.

'It's just an option Castiel' the archangel told him.

'You do realize how it would effect my position in Heaven if the other angels hear about this? Making a deal with a demon?'

'I do, trust me' Gabriel answered. 'But my position on the other hand sucks anyway' he added and Castiel finally turned and looked at him. 'It does' Gabriel continued. 'I have nothing but my past glory and my title as an Archangel. It means nothing in Heaven right now, but it's enough to bargain with the Crossroads King' Castiel furrowed his brows. 'And if the other angels get wind of it you can simply say that I did it behind your back.'

Castiel regarded the other angel for long seconds thinking about his words and the possible outcomes of this scenario.

'I won't be able to stand up for you in that case' he said after a while, but Gabriel smiled.

'I know, don't worry' he seemed rather casual about it. 'Worst case you'll have to kick me out of Heaven' he shrugged and said it like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. 'It's not like I can't get along down here on Earth. No biggy' he shrugged casually again. Like being cast out of Heaven was nothing of import, maybe it was not for Gabriel.

'You're willing to risk this just to find Sam Winchester?' Castiel asked then. Gabriel only kept silent for a few seconds before answering.

'He's your friend and you want to find him' he said. 'Besides, I own those two this much. They stopped the Apocalypse, right?' he smiled at that again. It was not a grin that meant amusement and it was also not his smile that promised anger or danger. It was almost serene. Castiel stared at him, catching glimpses of the archangel's grace. He was pleased.

'If you are certain about this—' Castiel started.

'I am' Gabriel nodded.

'Very well then' Castiel agreed.

Silverton, Colorado

Finding Crowley was nothing but a matter of choice for Castiel. It was rather easy, maybe even easier then the first time he had to track him down and this was a good enough cause for some concern. Gabriel first wanted to go alone, but Dean wouldn't have it and Castiel was also inconvincible to stay away. And there was no way Gabriel wanted to argue with both of them, one maybe, but both? Not an option.

The angels were more then surprised that unlike the last one Crowley's new property was not covered in Enochian Warding Magic. Castiel was way beyond suspicious after that. Crowley's taste did not change. It was only slightly smaller than his last mansion, this time there were no demon-guards either.

As the three of them appeared inside the library Crowley merely took a glance at them before standing up from his desk and walking towards them. He seemed way to relaxed considering that two of the most powerful angels of Heaven just popped in to his house.

'Was about time' he said. 'I started to think that I need to put up a giant arrow to the roof so you get here.'

'You've been expecting us' said Castiel. 'Why?'

'Let's not get ahead of ourselves' Crowley answered. 'Since I'm sure this is no social visit on your part I'd like to know what it was that finally convinced you that you need my help. Because you obviously do, just wondering about your point of view.' He leaned against his desk and looked at his visitors expectantly.

'You have some guts facing us alone and demanding answers' Dean told him.

'He is far from alone, Dean' Castiel told him and the hunter saw how he looked around in the room. Before he could ask about it he heard a loud growl coming from somewhere around the desk Crowley was leaning to. Dean couldn't stop the cold shiver that ran down his spine. Hellhounds were on the top of the list of creatures he hated the most. Their presence, the light smell of sulphur, ash and flesh reminded him uncontrollably at Hell and whenever he heard the howl of a Hellhound he could practically feel the Hellfire on his skin and the scent of blood and steel. The demon put out his hand and patted the hound's head that was about at the level of his chest.

'Easy boy! The angels are not here to harm us, are they?' he asked then looked at Castiel and Gabriel.

'That's why there were no demon-guards' Dean said. And the way the angels looked around in the room, there had to be about four or five hounds in the library. He knew that Cas and Gabriel were strong, impossibly strong, but he never got the chance to ask about whether they can fight or burn Hellhounds as they can do to demons or whether they were dangerous even to angels. He really wanted to know that right now, but didn't ask it, later if he doesn't get torn apart today.

'They are incomparably more loyal than any demon' Crowley answered, still petting his hound's head, and Dean had a crazy moment of curiosity about whether this was the same Hellhound that saved them in West Nevada when they were searching for Pestilence or not. 'And they do give me a great advantage against Meg's sorry excuse of a Hellhound pack. They're barely puppies but she feels high and mighty about possessing them, rather foolish if you ask me. Of course she is not strong or old enough to control real hounds.'

'Sam' Dean said interrupting him. 'We're here because of Sam. He's alive and we need to find him.'

'Of course I should've guessed that much' Crowley commented and then finally stopped stroking his pet Hellhound's head. 'And the fact that you are here I assume means that your Intelligence is probably nearly as good as mine' he added.

'Cut the crap demon' Gabriel interrupted. 'We're here for business so let's talk about that.'

'We are talking business' said the demon. 'I have more than one reason that I wanted you to come here.'

'Okay. And your reasons are?' Gabriel prompted with fake enthusiasm.

'My reasons angel, are that we once again have the same problems. Of course I don't know everything about what went down upstairs in the past year, but I can assume. And since you're here you probably know about what's happening on my side.'

'We have no interest in the power-struggle of Hell' Castiel told him.

'Of course you do, you wouldn't be here otherwise' Crowley replied with a smile. 'And it is good, because without exaggeration I'm about to offer you the deal of the century, or even better the millennia.'

Gabriel and Castiel exchanged glances then the archangel turned back to Crowley.

'Fine. Let's hear it and we'll see whether it's anything were interested in' he told him. Crowley smiled again.

'Selling sin to saints, I'm better than ever' he declared.

'I'm not a saint and 'Sin' is my fuckin' middle name' Gabriel retorted. 'So how about we stop the chit-chat and get down to business?' Crowley snorted but it was in amusement.

'First of all I want you to get rid of my adversary and her followers' Crowley started. 'In exchange I'm going to seal down every Hellgate along with all demons besides my colleagues working at the crossroads.'

'Keep going' Gabriel said.

'That triggered you interest, didn't it?' Crowley smiled again.

'Why would you lock down all demons?' Dean asked.

'Because their mindless killings and chaotic tendencies are not good for business' the demon answered. 'Secondly we need to agree to cooperate in securing the Cage.'

'What do you mean securing the Cage?' Castiel asked. Crowley looked at him then at Gabriel.

'You can't possible be this ignorant' he declared. 'Because I don't know about you but I don't exactly see our survival ensured as long as that bloody thing just barely keeps locked.'

Dean saw the realization on the angels' faces as they looked at each other again, but he had no idea what that meant.

'What do you mean by that?' he asked since it looked like none of them will explain.

'There are 66 seals missing from the cage' the demon said. 'And I know for a fact that there are more then plenty demons who would just love to get it open again. How about your side?' he looked at the angels again. 'Anyone eager to do that? Maybe to free one or both archangels?'

There was a long silence after that. Castiel and Gabriel looked at each other for a long time and Dean guessed they were having some private conversation about this, and then they turned back to Crowley.

'We also want you to help Dean to find Sam' the archangel said.

'Gladly' Crowley said. 'Then I want a promise that Heaven will allow all crossroads demons to freely operate on Earth.' Gabriel nodded. 'Anything else?'

'No, let's do this' Gabriel said.

'Oh no, not with you' Crowley said when Gabriel wanted to step forward. 'Since I'm going to be the new King of Hell I only deal with the Viceroy of Heaven.' He said then looked at Castiel. 'A little birdie told me about your promotion. Congratulations, by the way.'

Gabriel's expression turned hard and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

'That is not an option' the archangel said.

'Then there's no deal' Crowley answered. 'Or do you think I'm dense? I would be signing my own death-warrant. You're powerful Gabriel, but you're not on the top of the pyramid. A contract with you would not stop Castiel to act as he sees it fit.'

'All right' said Castiel after a few beats of silence and Gabriel turned to him immediately.

'What? No!'

'The deal is suitable and has great advantages not just for now but for the future. Especially for humans on Earth' Castiel said then he looked at the demon. 'Besides, Crowley is correct if you would seal the deal there would be nothing to stop me from burning him to dust after he served his purpose.'

'I just knew I had to be careful with you' Crowley said with smile bowing his head a little, but whether the gesture of respect was false or true was impossible to tell.

'You can't make a demon-deal Castiel' Gabriel insisted. 'You know what would happen if the Host figures it out.'

'That's why I have another request if you want to deal with me' Cas told Crowley.

'And what would that be?'

'That you swear not to tell any soul alive or dead about this deal, ever.' Crowley seemed to think about it.

'Well, it's a pity that I can't brag about my biggest deal in my entire career, but all right. I swear. But of course I need something in return to make it even. So how about you agree to a non-aggression clause?'

'Meaning?' Castiel asked.

'It means that after Meg is gone, the new seals are in place and I closed down the Hellgates, Heaven will not interfere with Hell ever again and vice versa. Let's make Earth neutral-ground.'

'You wish to make peace with Heaven?' Castiel asked, not even trying to hide his surprise.

'Not peace, just neutrality. Because I had more then enough that I need to deal with angels or anything related to Heaven for more than one lifetime.'

'So we should just allow demons to freely do whatever they want on Earth?' Cas asked.

'Only we would stay, and we're Crossroads Demons. We don't kill, we don't torture, we merely supply. We don't force humans, they call us if they want something.'

'In exchange for their souls' Dean cut in. Crowley looked at him.

'All part of Free Will, I thought you're rather high on that' the demon answered. 'So? Do we have an agreement Castiel? Deal or no deal?' he asked turning back to the angel.

'Deal' Cas said after taking a deep breath.

When Crowley stepped closer Dean pointedly started to examine his shoes, but Gabriel didn't look away. And when the demon put his hand on Castiel's neck to angle his head and pull him closer the archangel felt anger rising up in his grace. The moment their lips met he clenched his fists and it was hard not to rush forward and tear the demon apart.

He was at the limit of his tolerance when Crowley finally pulled back, but he didn't step back just yet. His face was still only inches away from Castiel's when he spoke.

'It really is a shame that you made me swore secrecy. I don't think there's a luckier demon in all of Hell, getting such a sweet kiss from the Viceroy of Heaven.' He moved his hand from the angel's neck but when his palm reached his cheek Castiel jerked his head away. He was completely expressionless. 'Why so hostile all of a sudden, darling?' Crowley grinned and Gabriel couldn't stand it any longer.

The lights flickered and the Hellhounds moved around restlessly – some of them growling – in reaction when the archangel simply appeared between Crowley and Castiel pushing the demon away.

'You better keep up your part of the deal, demon' he said. Dean never heard his voice getting this low and dark, it held a deadly promise and barely controlled anger. Crowley stepped back finally.

'I always fulfil my part of a contract' he answered.

'Fine' Gabriel said, practically growling. 'Then help Dean find Sam, that is you priority. And we go kill some demons' he said turning away, then grabbing Castiel's arm and they were gone in a heavy rush of wind that caused most of Crowley's papers the fly off his desk.

Dean was a bit pissed that they just left him alone with Crowley and half a dozen Hellhounds. He didn't exactly feel safe, but it was not like he could do anything at the moment about it.

'So, how do we find Sam?' he asked the demon. Crowley looked at him then reached into his pocket to get out a cell phone.

'It's Crowley' he started talking after the other side picked up. 'I want you to come to my house in Silverton… No it's not an emergency, but it is rather important right now' he waited a bit then looked at Dean. A smile appeared on his face just before he spoke again. 'You're brother is here.'

When Gabriel grabbed him and took flight Castiel expected to arrive back to Eden, but the travel barely lasted for a fragment of a second then Castiel felt the world settling around them as they tore out of space and reappeared in the human sphere again. He barely noticed that they were only a few miles away from Crowley's mansion when he felt his body being pushed against a wall.

Gabriel's grace was burning under his skin as he pushed himself entirely against Castiel, he grabbed his face with both hands and captured his gaze with his own eyes.

'Do you think that I will stand the stink of that Hell-spawn on you?' he asked, then pulled himself even closer with body then grace and crushed their lips together vehemently. When he felt the slight-taste of sulphur on the other angel's lips he couldn't stop himself from pushing forward even more in his anger. Much more stronger with grace and kissing the other with even more aggression. How dare, how dare some demon do that?

When he felt Castiel's grace flaring up his first thought was that he will be pushed away. But power encircled him, nearly overwhelming him for a moment, he was welcomed and he was held. And when Castiel parted his lips to grant him entrance Gabriel couldn't stop but roll his hips forward and moan into the now deepening kiss. His right hand let go of Castiel's face to touch more, to feel more, not just grace but body as well. His fingers travelled down on the side of Castiel's neck then to the collarbone he felt under clothes. Pushing his hand below the other angel's jacket then stroking down his side down to his waist. His other hand reached back to push his fingers in soft short hair while he stroked up Castiel's side again, this time touching skin with his hand under the thin sweater.

Suddenly Castiel grabbed his jacket and turned them around in a second slamming Gabriel to the wall this time. The kiss broke, only for a second when Castiel looked him in the eyes with his darkened blue ones. Then he kissed first. Keeping one hand on the archangel's chest while the other cradled his head. Gabriel put both of his hands on his waist pulling closer, then down on his hips to crush them together even more tightly.

They stopped suddenly when Castiel, and – through his grace that was so very close to his own – Gabriel heard the call. Haamiah was calling Castiel and Gabriel hated the seraphim more than anything right now.

'No, no no…' me muttered quietly while his lips were still touching, but Castiel pulled away. They looked at each other again. Castiel seemed to think about something very deeply while his gaze travelled down from Gabriel's eyes to other parts of his face then his lips before locking their eyes back together again.

'I'm going to kill someone for this' Castiel declared as he pushed himself away from the wall and Gabriel and took off.

Gabriel slammed his head against the wall, probably a bit too hard because he heard the brick breaking under his skull. He licked his lips and closed his eyes for a moment to savour the feeling. His grace was still wildly burning not to mention his body. All part of him ached to touch again. A wide grin appeared on his face, he just couldn't help it. He forced his body to calm down after he opened his eyes again then he spread his wings and followed Castiel back to Eden.

Chapter 10

Silverton, Colorado

Dean thought that having a garden-party with two angels was going to be the most bizarre thing he ever did in his life, but now sitting in Crowley's living room sipping some ridiculously expensive bourbon while a Hellhound sat at his feet he seriously had to reconsider his previous assumption.

He was more than glad that Sam was alive, in this was he could kill him personally. He was way beyond furious with his brother. He didn't even know where to start the list why, there were just too damn many reasons. He emptied the rest of his drink with one swing at the thought, which was probably one hell of a disgrace to do with such an expensive brand.

'Want another one?' Crowley asked holding out the crystal-bottle. Dean raised his glass and the demon refilled it. Yep, definitely the most bizarre thing ever. Dean felt the Hellhound move by his feet. He couldn't see it, but felt that it was there, there was warmth spreading from it even if it was not touching him.

'Could you send the damn hound away?' he asked.

'I didn't told her to stay' Crowley answered then he sat back to his armchair after he refilled his own glass. 'She seems to like you' he added while he looked down – probably at the hound – then he grinned at Dean.

'Why the Hell would it like me?' Dean exclaimed with a groan. Crowley was looking at him for a few seconds before he answered.

'You soul' he said. 'It's rather particular. Resurrected by angels, touched by grace so to speak, and yet no angel can clean off the mark of Hell from it.' Dean fixed the demon with a stare. 'It's a fascinating combination.' The demon continued. 'My other hounds were also curious, but Aphrodite is one of the dominant females of the pack and she's rather selfish.'

'You named your Hellhound "Aphrodite"?' Dean raised an eyebrow.

'She is a true beauty' Crowley said with another grin. 'You don't know much about the hounds, do you?' the demon asked.

'They tore me apart and dragged me to Hell. Nothing much I need to know' Dean answered. Then he felt the hound move by his leg again. It lay down.

'She likes you. Sat down next to you. This means that she would listen to you if I'm not around' the demon told him.

'Awesome' Dean drank again.

Crowley's expression turned rather serious as he looked at Dean again. 'She never liked a human before, not even other demons but me. This is more then spectacular.'

'Yeah, forgive me if I'm not getting enthusiastic here.'

'You could have a puppy' Crowley offered.

'Just stop it!' Dean groaned. Crowley smiled in amusement then finished his bourbon.

'Want another drink?'

By the time Sam arrived to the mansion Dean already had six drinks and was no longer bothered by Aphrodite's presence. The hound must've felt his calm since she scooted a little closer and rested her head next to Dean's tight on the couch. In the last hour or so he and Crowley even found some mutual topic to talk about. It started with trash-talk about Azazel then Lilith and by the time they realized that they loathed Alistair the most and for the same reasons – the bastard was dead, cheers to that – it was only a matter of minutes before they started to talk about Ruby and then Meg. In the last twenty minutes they were trying to figure out the most suitable insult that would be perfect for the bitch.

Dean was in the middle of telling about the time Meg possessed Sam when the younger Winchester stepped into the living room – speak of the Devil. Ha! – Aphrodite immediately jumped to her feet in alert just as Dean felt the tension in himself by the sight of his brother. Dean wanted to rush over when he first looked at him. He wanted to wrap his arms around him to make sure that he was fine and alive, but he didn't.

'I think there are some phone calls I need to make' said Crowley as he stood up then grabbed the nearly empty crystal-bottle. 'And I bring a new bottle while I'm at it' he added then he simply disappeared from the room.

There was a heavy silence that followed the demon's departure. Aphrodite stepped a bit forward. After the few hours the hound spent by his side Dean became much more aware of her every movement. Now she was preparing herself for a fight, obviously feeling Dean's anxiety and anger. Then Sam started walking towards them and she immediately growled, which stopped Sam dead in his track. He was looking approximately to the place where the hound stood.

'Easy girl' Dean said. 'Sit' and how about that? She really did listen to him. Dean felt the hound sit down next to him again as she fell silent.

'You have a Hellhound next to you?' Sam asked.

'Seriously? That's the first thing you're gonna say to me?' Dean asked in return.

'It's the most disturbing.'

'Far from it Sam.' Both of them fell silent after that again.

'Can I get closer or is it gonna tear me apart?' the younger Winchester asked.

'She probably won't' Dean answered shortly. And when did he start calling it a 'she' again? That really was somewhat disturbing.

This time when Sam started to walk closer Aphrodite didn't move and she stayed quite. Dean thought that she was probably looking Sam cautiously though.

'What the hell, Sam?' Dean asked when his brother arrived in his filed of vision.

'Dean look—'

'No! You look! How the fucking hell could you do this to me? I thought you were dead.' Dean congratulated himself for not shouting just yet.

'Dean—'

'I thought you were in Hell!' Aphrodite growled. 'Every day, every fucking day for more than a year I woke up with the thought that my little brother is suffering in Hell! That while I'm living my life you get torn apart day after day over and over again. But you were not. You were here. Alive and doing God knows what with Crowley! You just decided to tell me. Not to fucking tell me, Sam!'

'Dean—' The older Winchester jumped to his feet and Aphrodite jumped up at his side the same time.

'Shut up!' Dean shouted and the hound barked. Dean put his hand in front of her; her head was just above the level of his waist. 'You let me believe that you were dead and in Hell! You let me believe that you were gone forever!' Dean pointed at Sam's face still holding his glass. He looked at Sam for a second before shaking his head and emptying his glass. 'How could you fucking do that Sam? Explain it to me.'

Sam took a few breaths looking at Dean, but his eyes kept shifting down to his side.

'Could you… could you just send away the fucking Hellhound?' he asked finally.

'Stay' Dean turned to the invisible creature standing by his side then he headed to the door. She listened again, not following them out. They walked out to the hallway. Dean closed the door then turned to his brother.

'Okay. No Hellhound. Explain' he said.

'I wanted you to be happy' Sam rushed to words out.

'Happy?'

'Just listen…' Sam pleaded. 'I knew you wanted to stop. I knew you had enough of our life and you had every reason to do that, to just stop. I wanted to give you that. A life without hunting! Without the family course! You wanted to be done with everything and I wanted you to be happy and free of all of this!'

'So what?' Dean crossed his arms over his chest. 'You were planning to leave me in the dark for the rest of my life? To never tell me? To make me believe you were gone?' he was dangerously close again to shouting now.

'No of course not' Sam objected. 'Just—'

'Just what? It didn't even occur to you how I will feel when you just come back? "Sorry Dean, I've been alive all this time actually, but I thought mourning my death would make you happy". What the Hell, Sam?'

'It's not like that!' Sam insisted but before he could continue they were suddenly interrupted by Crowley, Castiel and Gabriel appearing in the hallway. Castiel was staring at Sam in surprise. He probably didn't expect to see him this soon, while Sam was looking at Gabriel in wonder, probably surprised to see him alive. Castiel however snapped himself out of it rather quickly.

'We have some news' he said then opened the door to the living room to get in. Crowley and Gabriel were both following him closely.

'We are not done yet!' Dean told his brother before he went back inside as well. Sam sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before he followed them.

Castiel's news was more than worrying. It turned out that Crowley was once again right. There were angels down on Earth who wanted to free Michael from the cage. Castiel's Scouts captured one of the rough-angels who refused to return to Heaven at Castiel's call and from the information they gathered from him, the Roughs are arranging their lines and they're getting organized to make it happen.

'How much can you trust what he said?' Dean asked. 'Wasn't he just trying to scare you guys or something?' The hunter didn't fail to notice that the Hellhound was once again sneaking around him, like a… well like some stray puppy. The metaphor once again disturbed Dean a little, because One: The hound was not stray; and Two: no way he should call an invisible infernal monster-hound a puppy.

'He did spill rather easily' Gabriel said, after looking somewhere behind Dean. The angels probably noticed Dean's new fan, but they didn't say anything. 'But he was telling the truth. Trust me; Castiel can be pretty scary if he wants to be.'

'Knowing that there are not just demons but also angels who will try to open the cage again our priority should be the make of the new seals as soon as possible' Castiel said without commenting Gabriel's words.

'Well that would sound just perfect if not for Meg being still alive and out for my head' Crowley said. 'That filthy little whore of a Devil won't let me go around making seals' Dean just had to smile at the term. It was the winner of their previous debate about Meg.

'That's a risk you'll have to take' Castiel said. 'The possibility of Lucifer getting out of the cage is obviously a greater threat than Meg.'

'The two is connected' Gabriel interrupted before Crowley could object. 'Even if the seals are more important, which takes us to another problem' he said.

'Which is?' Crowley asked.

'Well, I thought about it. And since there are forces on both the side of Heaven and Hell who want to re-open the cage it won't be secure enough with just angelic and demonic seals.'

'And what do you suggest?' Castiel asked.

'That we need a third party' the archangel said.

'Who?' asked Sam.

'Someone human' Gabriel answered. 'If the seals are from three different origins then there's no way the Roughs or Meg and her demons can break them even by the narrow chance that they cooperate.'

'Human?' Dean asked. 'You mean a witch?'

'No. Witches usually serve demons. We need a mage. Someone old and powerful enough to be able to make seals.'

'Mages are really hard to find' Crowley said. 'How do you want to locate one and convince them to get involved? As I know they keep themselves as far from Heaven and Hell as they can.' Gabriel smiled.

'Luckily I've been around on Earth for a while now so I know someone' the archangel said.

'Meg is still going to sabotage my every step even if she doesn't manage to kill me' Crowley said. 'She has to be dealt with'

'We can do both' Gabriel told him. 'We can have angels hunting Meg so that you and Castiel can focus on making the new seals.'

'Maybe I missed something' Dean stepped in. 'But I thought it would be bad if other angels knew about Cas working with Crowley. Who can you trust not to gossip about it in Heaven?' Both Gabriel and Castiel seemed to think about this for a few moments then a smile appeared on Gabriel's face. It was half-amused, half-dangerous even if it missed the glint of mischief that usually was there. He looked at Castiel.

'If I get permission for it, I think I know the perfect angels for the job.' Castiel looked at him for a while, then a realization drawn onto his face.

'You want to summon the earth-bound angels' he said. Gabriel nodded. 'Only God can order that.' Cas told him. Gabriel smiled again.

'True, usually. But I have a loophole now. Father ordered me to help you, so your permission is more than enough.'

'How would it be enough?' Castiel asked. 'I remember when you refused to summon them for Michael.'

'Father never ordered me to obey Michael' the archangel told him. 'He was never my superior, but you are.'

'Do you think that it's wise?' Castiel asked him then.

'Who are the earth-bound angels?' Sam asked them. Dean was also curious about it. Crowley was looking at Gabriel with a guarded expression, he probably knew. Gabriel was smiling again as he turned to the Winchesters.

'Oh they're our little Terminator-squad' he said. 'They are only ever summoned for three reasons: to kill, to destroy or to torture. Obedient and deadly. You might've heard about their greatest hits. The Egypt-job is quite famous.'

'You mean the Ten Plagues of Egypt?' Sam asked with wide eyes.

'Yep' nodded Gabriel.

'And only you can summon them? Why? I thought you were the Messenger or something' Dean asked.

'That's only one of my titles De' the archangel told him. 'The one that makes me in charge of them is called "Judgement". I can't summon them without a direct order, but they are my little Heavenly Horsemen.'

'That doesn't sound really good' Sam said honestly.

'They're loyal to me' Gabriel said. 'I'm the storm cloud they're the lightning.'

'Summon them' Castiel said.

'Are you serious?' Dean asked.

'Desperate times' Castiel answered him. Dean saw the satisfaction on Gabriel's face. He seemed very eager to call his buddies. The next second he was gone from the room.

'Where did he go?' asked Dean.

'Just outside to the garden' Cas told him. Dean headed to the door. Sam and Castiel both followed. 'Dean. Are you aware that there's a Hellhound following you?' asked the angel in the hallway while they were approaching the front door.

'Yeah Cas, I'm aware. She likes me' and he left it at that. Cas didn't ask about it again.

Out it was already dark. Castiel stopped right outside and the Winchesters did the same. Gabriel was standing a little further in the garden. Hands by his side and eyes closed. They could only see him because Crowley's yard was well lit. Dean wanted to ask what the archangel was doing, when he saw Gabriel opening his eyes and raising his arms.

His eyes were shimmering with power; Dean never saw an angel's eyes shine before, just when they were dying. Around him the grass started to burn in a circle pattern leaving burnt grass that was slightly glowing. Then a bit further away from him, but also in a circular form other small flames appeared before leaving signs behind. Gabriel drew a circle and made the necessary symbols by burning them to the ground around him. He was silent for another second before he started talking. The Winchesters were able to recognize Enochian but they couldn't understand him.

He recited the words slowly and surely before raising his hands above his head to say the final words. The circle and symbols around him started glowing brighter and it changed from deep orange to a piercing blue colour.

The rest happened suddenly. There was bright light coming from somewhere high above them, that exploded and four separate bowls of light fell from the sky and slammed to the ground like four comets or white-blazing meteors. Both Sam and Dean covered their eyes at the second explosion but then it was dark and silence again. When they looked up again there were four women standing around Gabriel.

Castiel started to walk closer and the Winchesters followed. They didn't understand what Gabriel was saying to the four as he was still speaking in Enochian. When they arrived to them Gabriel stopped talking and stepped closer to stand before Castiel. The four were standing behind him in a little half-circle.

'All done' Gabriel said. 'Castiel. The Earth-bound. Azrael…' he raised his hand gesturing at the first angel. She was – or rather just her vessel probably – slim and pale, her blond hair straight, reaching down to her waist, her eyes were the coldest and brightest grey-green so it almost looked white in the darkness of the garden.

'Nathaniel…' Gabriel looked at the second one. She had short and curly red hair and her eyes were such bright hazel that it almost looked reddish.

'Hayyel…' the third angel looked the most 'normal' from the four. Her brown hair was long and wavy and green eyes were searching them with curiosity.

'And Sammael…' the fourth angel looked the youngest. Looked 16 or 17 at most. Dark hair encircled her face and dark eyes were looking at Gabriel, nothing and no one but him.

'There is a demon inside the house' said Nathaniel.

'And a Hellhound right here' added Hayyel.

'They are not you targets' Castiel said.

'Yes. Gabriel already told us what we need to do' Azrael answered.

'About humans…' Sammael spoke. 'What are our orders Gabriel?' The archangel turned to them.

'Your targets are strictly just the demon Meg and her followers. Minimize human casualties as much as you are capable of. We are fighting for humankind as well, not just ourselves. I don't want innocent bystanders slaughtered or destroyed. Just demons! Death of humans only if it's absolutely inevitable.'

The four nodded in union at Gabriel. It looked really creepy how they were synched, like they were tied together by the same string. Gabriel turned back to Castiel.

'Do we have our marching orders?' he asked.

'Yes' Castiel nodded. Gabriel grinned and span around to face the four angels again.

'All right ladies! Let's rock!' the four disappeared then, but not like other angels. There was sudden outburst of light from all four of them, then it was gone and so were the angels. Gabriel turned back to Castiel and the Winchesters.

'So… who's ready to visit a mage?' he asked.

Chapter 11

Dean was most certainly not ready to visit a mage. They were in the middle of the night, he was tired, he was angry a most of all he was beyond his limit of supernatural for the day. So he told Castiel and Gabriel that if they really wanted him to go they'll have to pop in tomorrow morning after he got some sleep. Gabriel just simply nodded. He told Cas to remove Sam's sigils before he zapped them back to Sioux Falls.

He pointedly ignored Sam after he told him to go to sleep and talk to Bobby first thing in the morning then he walked into the almost completely dark kitchen. It was past midnight but he had to call Lisa. She picked up her phone after a few rings.

'Hey! Sorry to call you this late' Dean started.

'It's okay, I wasn't sleeping yet. What happened?' Dean smiled a little at that.

'You know me this well?' he asked.

'You wouldn't have called this late otherwise' she told him.

Dean took a deep breath before answering. 'I found Sam.' There was a few beat of silence before Lisa spoke again.

'You don't sound really glad' she said.

'He was fine all this time, Lis. He just didn't tell me. He just… he just decided not to come back, not to tell me he was alive, I… I just don't know how he could do this to me.' Lisa was silent for a bit again, clearly thinking about what to say.

'What did he tell you?' she asked.

'Not much. There were other things… a lot of stuff happened.'

'Dean. You have to talk to him, you know that.'

'Yeah.'

'So, now that you found him… what now?' Dean looked at the ceiling. He wanted to say that he gets in his car next thing tomorrow and drives back to Cicero, but…

'Yeah, that's also why I called you' he said instead. 'I can't go home yet. There are things I need to do… to help Cas, bad things could happen, so…'

'You need to save the world?' Lisa asked and Dean could hear in her voice that she was smiling.

'Something like that' Dean smiled too. 'But… I am going back.'

'I know' Lisa answered immediately. 'More than that, I'm absolutely certain.'

'Really?'

'Yes, really. You want to know why?' she asked, she was still smiling. Dean could picture her lying in the bed under the cover looking at the ceiling or the painting on the other side of the bedroom.

'Why?' Dean asked.

'Because just now you called it "home". You never did that before.' Dean smiled, and yeah, she was right.

'Well, how about that?' She heard Lisa laughing in the line. She was beautiful that way and it was so good to hear it right now. 'The angels are okay? No trouble?' he asked then.

'No trouble, don't worry. We're perfectly fine.'

'Okay. I let you sleep now.'

'Okay. You should sleep too.'

'I'll try' Dean answered. He was being honest; because he wasn't sure he will be able to rest tonight.

'And be careful. Watch you back' she said.

'I'll do my best' and that was the best he could say. There was no point to promise he will be fine. That's all he could do. 'G'night Lis.'

'Goodnight Dean' Lisa said in return then Dean closed his phone. He took a deep breath then headed upstairs to lie down. Who knows? Maybe he can sleep a bit.

Animas, New Mexico

Dean complained about using 'Angel Air' again even if it really was stupid to drive two states when they could arrive there in a second. He could always convince Cas to let him drive before, maybe he could've persuaded him this time too, but Gabriel grabbed his arm and the world shifted around him before he could really start with his argument.

The first thing he did when he regained his balance was to shrug off his jacket because it was damn hot. He knew they were going to New Mexico but they were in the freakin' desert. Cas and Sam appeared next to them.

'What are we doing here?' Dean asked. Gabriel pointed behind his back and both Winchester's turned around.

'A circus?' Dean asked perplexed. He really didn't expect that. There was a comment about Sam and clowns on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped himself. Gabriel started walking towards the tents and trailers. Castiel and the Winchesters followed him.

'Couldn't we have just appeared right next to him?' Sam asked as they were walking in the midst of the Arthepius Carnival.

'No, he's too strong to be found that way' Gabriel said. 'I pulled a few strings and asked a few people what they know about him and they directed me to this place' the archangel said. Dean was more than a little jealous that both angels were wearing their jackets without a problem. Must be nice not being affected by temperature. A girl was sewing some clothes sitting on a small stool next to one of the trailers, Gabriel walked over to her.

'Hey there! You know Éli?' he asked. She looked up and raised an eyebrow at them.

'Who wants to know?' she asked. It was obvious she expected trouble.

'Is he here? He's an old friend of mine and I heard he was travelling with you' the girl seemed sceptical.

'Friend? Hard to believe he has any kind of friends' she shrugged. 'I saw him in the stables. But I warn you. If he owes you money or something, there's no way in hell you gonna see a nickel from it.' Gabriel just smiled at her then started walking again.

Dean started to wonder what the Hell a powerful mage was doing in a run-down place like this. They reached the stables, which was only a few slim putrid columns that kept a faded dirty tent in place. Gabriel scanned his surroundings, then he let out a huff and went to a shady corner where a few old wood-boxes laid scattered with some old rugs. He stopped and looked down, and then he kicked something.

'Hey, Éli! You alive there buddy?' the only response was a really annoyed grunt that came from somewhere under the rugs. Gabriel rolled his eyes then reached down and touched the figure with two fingers. The next moment the figure jolted up vehemently and the others only saw that Gabriel was tossed to the other side of the stable by an invisible force. The archangel slammed into another pile of crates.

'Fucking Hell Éli?' he shouted after throwing some broken crates aside and getting up, brushing dust off his jacket and jeans. 'It's me, dammit!'

The figure – apparently Éli – was sitting now. The guy looked like he was in his late 40's, with untidy beard and even messier hair that reached down to his shoulders, black fading into grey. Even with serious goodwill he looked like a pathetic homeless-guy with the mother of all hangovers. He wore suit that probably started off as green, but now it looked more grey and brown than anything. He narrowed his dark eyes and tilted his head back a little looking at Gabriel.

'Bloody hell… No one managed to kill your sorry ass yet?' Gabriel walked closer again. 'What do you want you pratt? I was taking a nap!'

'Yeah, that's not gonna happen' Gabriel said reaching down and pulling the guy to his feet and starting to drag him out of the tent. He was limp to his left leg. 'We need to talk.'

Dean looked the guy over once more and he just couldn't keep quiet.

'Seriously? This guy?' he asked in disbelief, because yeah, Chuck as a Prophet of the Lord was shocking enough, but this drunken bum as one of the most powerful mages in the world? This just had to be a freakin' joke.

'Crowley would've loved this place' said Dean looking around in the messy trailer.

There was dirty laundry everywhere with empty bottles scattered on the floor, magician props in all places, one big-ass medieval armour in the corner and some left-over food rotting on the bed. It was dark and dirty and smelled worse than a dump. Castiel looked at him.

'You're being sarcastic' he observed. Dean didn't dignify that with an answer. Gabriel dropped the mage down to a chair next to the small table that was in the end of the trailer. Castiel and Dean stood a bit further, somewhere in the middle, while Sam saw it better to stand at the door. Éli looked like he was either going to pass out or throw up any minute.

'You're really serious with this guy?' he asked the archangel. Gabriel just sent him a look.

'Hey dumbshit!' he snapped his finger in front of the guy. 'Don't pass out!' Éli just grunted in response. Gabriel looked around the trailer again. 'I gotta say I have the feeling that you lost your style.'

'Not your business jackass. What do you want?' the guy asked. Gabriel sighed.

'Well, I'm just dying to know what the hell are you doing here and especially looking like this, I mean you've never looked older than twenty and I just can't wrap my head around why you're limping, but my curiosity has to wait. I'm here on business.'

'You?' the guy asked. 'What could you possibly be up to that could involve me? Last time I checked you just snap your fingers if you need something. You broke your magic fingers or something?' Dean repressed a chuckle. 'And I'm limp because some bloody Nazis in Buchenwald broke my legs over and over again about sixty-seven years ago, 'cause they were bloody curious how many times it will heal instantly before it stays broken.' he kept looking at Gabriel. 'The answer's 1022.' There was some silence after that. 'I gather the Nazis didn't break your fingers, right?'

'Don't be a smartass Wiłsuvski!' Gabriel said, defusing the moment with some arrogance and insulting. 'Before I explain why we're here—'

'Right! You brought some buddies. Care to introduce me?' he said. Gabriel rolled his eyes again.

'Sam and Dean Winchester and Castiel' he said annoyed. 'Guys. Éli Wiłsuvski!' the mage regarded them for a while, or maybe he just focused on staying conscious, it was hard to tell. 'So, before I explain why we're here' Gabriel started again. 'There's something I need to tell you. I'm not who you think I am.'

Éli looked up to Gabriel again. 'You mean you're not the Archangel Gabriel who pretended to be a Norse God?' he asked and Gabriel's eyes widened a little in surprise. 'You think I'm n'idiot?'

'How the hell could you possibly know that?' Gabriel asked. Éli laughed, that nearly ended in a cough and as if he just remembered something he fished out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket to light up one. After he exhaled the smoke he looked at Gabriel again.

'Back in Selah' he started. 'I saw you.' Gabriel seemed to think about this. He furrowed his brows. 'I saw you descent from the sky in a blaze of light. That's not something one would forget or not to recognize again even inside a piece of meat under glamour.'

'But my arrival to Selah was more than two thousand years ago' Gabriel said. 'I… you knew then? From the start?' he asked in disbelief. 'Why didn't you say anything or told the gods?' Éli just shrugged after taking another drag form his cigarette.

'Was not m'business' he said. Gabriel laughed. 'An since you wanted to start with this little confession, and from the fact that you have one of your brothers with you, I assume it's heavenly business what you're here for, and in that case you can get the hell out right away, because I'm not meddling with your feathery-kind.'

'Not happening' Gabriel said. 'And it is not just heavenly business, it's everyone's business.'

'It ain't no business of mine I can tell you that right away' Éli answered.

'You're gonna have to listen anyway so suck it up' Gabriel shoot back.

'Or what?' the mage challenged.

'Okay, that's it' Dean interrupted. 'Do we really need this pathetic son of a bitch? Because I gotta tell you, I doubt he could get a rabbit out of a top hat let alone build a seal.'

'Watch you mouth sonny' the mage looked at him pointing one of his yellow from nicotine fingers at him.

'Or what?' raised Dean his chin. This turned out to be a bad idea because in the next second he heard the loud clatter of metal and before he or any of them could do anything the armour that was gathering dust in the corner stood up and grabbed him by the neck and raised him from the ground. It wasn't strangling him, but the metal bit into the sensitive skin on his neck and even grabbing the arm to hold himself up it was nearly impossible to breath. Sam was just about to grab the armour too to help him when…

'Enough!' Castiel's voice shook the trailer. 'Let him go, now!' he commanded. His voice was dangerously low and it cracked with power. 'Or I will destroy you and your golem in a second.' There were only a few moments of silence before Dean felt the armour – fucking golem, dammit – release him and he fell to the ground gasping for air. Sam was at his side grabbing his shoulder and asking whether he was fine over and over again. Dean would've told him to save it but he couldn't find his voice yet. He coughed then started to get up, his brother pulling him to his feet.

'I had enough of the useless chatter and irrelevant quarrel' He stepped closer to the mage and there was a presence Dean could practically feel on his skin. Some heavy electricity in the air as everything started to look smaller. It's been years since he felt it and it's never been this strong before. 'You will listen to what we are here to tell you and you will not harm anyone if you want to live' he finished. 'Gabriel… please continue.' The archangel cleared his throat.

'Of course' he said.

'I should know you' Éli said. 'I should've heard about you' he was looking at Castiel. 'But I haven't. So who are you angel?' he asked. He was taken aback a little.

'He is Castiel' Gabriel said again. 'The Viceroy of Heaven.' Dean saw Sam gasp at that and Éli's eyes widened almost comically in reaction. 'So the reason we're here. About a year ago Lucifer escaped from his prison in Hell and of course wanted to destroy humankind. Sam and Dean managed to close him back into the Cage along with Michael, but the 66 of the seals that were broken for his freedom are still not replaced. There are unfortunately both angels and demons who want to re-open the Cage to free one or both of my brothers. We have a plan. We want to build new seals to close the Cage once and for all, but since there are demonic and angelic forces alike against us it would be not secure enough if we would be the only ones building them. There's a demon, the Crossroads King, who wants to keep the Cage locked as well, but only celestial and infernal magic is hardly the most perfect combination. What we need is a bridge, a third party to help us so that no demon or angel would ever be able to break all of it again. You are the most powerful mage that I know, so we are here to ask for your assistance. Not just to help Heaven, but to ensure the safety of humans as well.'

Dean doubted that Gabriel even took a breath while he explained all this, not like he needed to. Éli was looking at the archangel again; he took one last drag from his cigarette before tossing it to the floor and putting it out.

'And tell me, Gabriel… why should I help?' he asked quietly.

'To protect humans, to stay alive, to stop the end of the world before it starts, from the goodness of your heart, because you're my friend. Pick one' he answered while he shrugged his shoulder.

'Well… first of all. We are no friends Gabriel, forget about that. And since when do Heaven and his angels give a damn about what happens to humans?'

'Many angels don't… but I do, and Castiel does. And we're the ones asking you' the archangel answered. Éli started laughing, but it was bitter.

'You… you care about humans?' he laughed again. 'If that is true' he started again once he quieted down. 'Then let me ask you something Gabriel, oh glorious Messenger! The time when my legs were broken forever, and an entire continent was choking on blood, where were you, friend? Where were you during those years? On what beach were you drinking and fucking while millions prayed for you facing their deaths? Were you just ignoring their pleas and begging or were you already deaf to the suffering of men? You were here, you were among us. And you did nothing. So tell me, where were you? And why should I help you?'

Gabriel was staring at the man and he was staring back at him, waiting for an answer. The silence grew longer in the dirty trailer of the mage, and then Gabriel looked away and leaned to the wall. Éli was smiling at him then, but not with amusement.

'No answer?' he asked.

'That is not—' Castiel started, but Gabriel interrupted him.

'No. Éli wants an answer, I can give that' he said still looking to the side before turning his eyes briefly up, then looking back at the mage again. His voice was really quiet, almost a whisper. 'I'm not deaf to prayers. I can hear them all, like I could always and like I always will. And I can hear the pleas and the begging and the screams. Just for the time I was here talking with you there were 267 mothers praying for their lost or dying child, 168 men begging to end their suffering, 189 were praying for forgiveness, 92 were praying for their own lives, 641 asked for guidance, 84 children prayed to survive and much more. And just over the time I said that more than 200 from them already died.' He looked up again then took a deep breath. 'In war, sickness, accident, killed by a loved one, killed by a murderer, killed by a monster or an animal, killed by hunger, I can't even name all the causes… I was here, in the last millennia, I was. So what do you expect me to say Éli? Is that my sin? That I didn't stop wars that humans fought among themselves? Is that what I should've done? Stop the Romans? Stop the Nomads? The crusaders or the arabesque? Should've stopped the wars fought in my Father's name? Or the conflagrations that burnt down cities? Maybe I should've stopped the Black Death? Maybe I should've killed the conquistadors, or the slave-traders in Africa. Maybe I should've levelled and burnt down the entire Third Reich.' The archangel looked back to Éli. 'Is that the sin you see I committed? They I am guilty, because no, I haven't intervened. But I heard the pleas, I heard the prayers, and I always hear them die, every single one of them… so what do you think, Éli? Is it a worthy punishment for my sins? To see all that, to hear all that and not to know what to do… or am I not suffering enough?' and with that he looked once again away from the mage, turning towards the sky that was not seen inside the run-down trailer and he was gone in a beat of wings.

There was a really long silence after the archangel was gone, only the outside noises of the circus-people were heard. The mage took out another cigarette and stared for a while looking at the blue-white smoke curling and changing in front of him, then he looked at Castiel.

'I'll help you Viceroy' he said in a small voice.

Chapter 12

After he left, no… after he fled from New Mexico and Éli's trailer there was only one place he could think of to go, there were only them he could stand to be around right now. Talking about it made the prayers roaming in his mind scream louder begging for his attention. He wanted to close them out even if he knew that he couldn't, he never could and there were just too many. He needed to be around them now, the earth-bound. He loved them, even if he reformed his concept of love in the past millennia he spent among humans, it was still true. They never argued, not among themselves and not with him, they never demanded answers or asked for explanations. They always listened, not just to his orders, but him too. When the Fall was close and he heard nothing in Heaven but hateful words between Michael and Lucifer, when none of them listened to him he always gone to be with them instead. When Lucifer refused to hear him out, when Michael rejected his pleas to talk with his brother instead of fighting, when Raphael simply turned away refusing to help him, he went to them.

It was so rare that he could just be there. When his Father ordered it he summoned them, gave them their orders and just after it was finished was there a brief amount of time, when the four could tear themselves out of the human body they were born into in that life and reach the skies in their true-forms. Their grace was tattered in black and burnt with blood-red fire, darker than any angel due to the countless death and destruction they laid on Earth or humans and the countless lives they lived as ones, but Gabriel didn't mind. The moment they were free to that short time they flew to him, gathered around him. Wished him strength and told their goodbyes, barely the lightest touch of grace that was nothing but love, before their grace turned once again back into human souls and descended down to Earth into human woman's womb to start yet another circle of their never-ending life of Death and Rebirth. He missed them, always missed them.

And just like always before the moment he appeared on their side they gathered around him, asking nothing just being there. First Gabriel was angry, wanted to destroy or kill something, but a few moments later he realized he was too tired to do that. So he just let himself feel the dark shadows of their grace reaching him, supporting him, loving him. And kind words echoed in his head.

'Glorious Gabriel, you are our truth and strength and light and love. Always.'

Eden, North Carolina

While Sam and Dean were helping Éli doing his own 21 seals Gabriel either was with the earth-bound searching for Meg and other demons, helped Castiel or most annoyingly he played the errand-boy. It would've bothered him a few weeks before, but now he didn't mind. There were books and scrolls or artifacts or special ingredients either Éli or Castiel needed for their own seals and since he knew Earth the best he was the one getting these. He seriously thought that he should thank his Father that at least Crowley was not sending him off to get something, he was the Crossroads King, he probably had everything he needed stashed somewhere already.

He arrived back to Eden to Castiel's Green Room from yet another errand. The room looked the same for a while now, a bright large study with bookshelves from ground to ceiling on every wall. Castiel was at the round table in the middle of the room drawing symbols on a large parchment. Gabriel walked over to him, stopped slightly at his side and tossed the two scrolls to the table he was sent to get.

'Thank you' Castiel said without looking up from his work. In the past two weeks it was nothing but spells and rituals, the making of the seals. Castiel already made 14 out of the 21 he had to do on his own before him, Crowley and Éli could do the final three.

'It was a bitch to get these, you know that? It was in a temple buried under the fucking desert in Upper Egypt and I just spent two days looking for them if you hadn't noticed. It sucked almost as much as the artifact Éli asked me to get, my only clue that time was that it's on a ship that sank somewhere on the Atlantic' the archangel waited for a respond. Castiel finished one of his symbols before looking up.

'Thank you… very much' he said. And Gabriel had to fight the urge to strangle him, or y'know something similarly aggressive. Castiel looked at him for a bit, maybe waiting for a reaction before turning back to work.

'You know what? I think that you are deliberately trying to piss me off' he said.

'What makes you say that?' the other angel asked. Gabriel shrugged.

'Figured it has to be your version of a hobby… or you just can't stand me most of the time.'

'That is nonsense' Castiel replied. Gabriel was watching him work. It's been two weeks since Silverton and their encounter and since then, nothing. Okay, they were damn busy, but like this it looked like nothing happened and it was pissing Gabriel off more than he could define it. He just couldn't figure out what the Hell Castiel was thinking. He was not really expressive – well most of the time anyway – and he didn't tell him anything. It was way beyond ridiculous, and Gabriel simply had enough, he wanted to know, he really needed to know now. He was seriously contemplating to just grab the other and do every single thing to him he had imagined in his spare hours.

'You know what?' he asked instead. 'I figured out what our problem is'

'We have a problem?' Castiel asked, still not looking at him, and he was doing that 'answer a question with another question' thing again, which was literally driving Gabriel nuts sometimes.

'We're acting too human' he said and continued because Castiel would surely just ask to explain himself. 'Because if we would be textbook angels many things would've happened differently.'

'I'm not sure whether that would've been good' Castiel said.

'Yeah, I'm not talking about Celestial business' the archangel answered. 'Remember our first argument? Back in the Carpathians?'

'Of course.'

'Do you know why that happened? Because we've been acting too human with each other, if we would've acted like every angel in creation, I would've told you about my resurrection in detail as soon as I arrived to Heaven and you would've told me your part, correcting my misassumption right away. Instead, well… you know what happened.' Castiel's hand stopped and he seemed to think about it for a little.

'I believe you're correct' he said then.

'So. Is there a chance to be a bit more angelic this way?' Gabriel asked.

'I think there is no obstacle to do that' Castiel answered. Gabriel smiled.

'Good. So… what are we doing?' he asked.

'We're preparing to make the next seal' Castiel answered. He was still not looking at him.

'No' this time he didn't continue until Castiel glanced up to look at him. 'What are we doing?' he gestured between them. Castiel put down his pen and straightened up then turned around. He leaned to the table, resting both of his hands on the table on his side.

'Apparently nothing' he said. His face didn't show anything and Gabriel never before hated it this much that he couldn't read Castiel's grace. It was pure white, blank.

'And why is that?' he asked. Castiel kept looking at him and his face was still unreadable.

'You tell me' he said and then Gabriel saw the light shift of his expression. It was a bit amused or playful, but there was something else he couldn't decide on immediately, but when he did it made his blood boil within his veins. A challenge?

The archangel stepped closer, putting his hands next to Castiel's on both sides and standing as close as he could without touching. He didn't reach out with his grace either, two encounters taught him that doing that would be the moment he throws his mind out of the window, and he didn't want to do that just yet. Their faces were inches away, just like their bodies and Gabriel felt his own breathing speeding up and his heart started to beat more intensely in his chest. His skin was warming and every part of him just wanted to close the gap between them. He tilted his head to the side a little and his mouth was ghosting over the skin on Castiel's neck. Castiel took a deeper breath and the way his pulse sped up as well was a cue to Gabriel to proceed. He put one hand to Castiel's side right under the thin sweater to touch skin and started to stroke lightly as he laid the first kiss on the pulse beating under skin.

'I've been wondering' Castiel spoke, his mouth right next to Gabriel's ear and the deep voice and the breath he felt there sent another wave of heat through his body. 'How long you would wait without doing anything?' he asked. Gabriel kissed the side of his neck again, before moving to go further up.

'Why wait?' he asked in return. He stroked the muscled stomach under his hand and was more than pleased when he felt goose bumps appear on the soft skin.

'Because I wanted to see again the Gabriel I remembered' this stopped him and he had to lean away to look at the other angel. He didn't speak but waited and stared at the deep blue eyes of him. 'The Gabriel who once walked over to me and gave me strength' the archangel searched his mind to remember any previous meetings with Castiel, but there were so many angels in the garrisons he just couldn't recall anything special. 'The one I remembered to be fierce and strong and the most glorious of the archangels.'

'Glorious Gabriel, you are our truth and strength and light and love. Always.'

He heard the words forming in his mind; he remembered it from time to time, but…

'You were our truth and our strength. You were light and… I wanted that Gabriel… not a Trickster.' The next second Gabriel was kissing him holding his face.

'Oh, thank you' he whispered between kisses. The words once spoken at a time long forgotten were now uttered again. And Gabriel was kissing him deeply, devouring his mouth he reached out with his grace too. And just as Castiel reached back – always, always reached back – he parted his lips as well kissing him back passionately, pulling himself closer to Gabriel's body.

The archangel reformed their surroundings with a thought then turned Castiel around and pushed him down on the double-bed that appeared in the room. He pulled away a little to just look at him. Oh how could he not remember? The words, the words he remembered, recited in his head first just after the Fall when he felt – for the very first time in his existence – powerless. He felt that he failed then, that there was surely something else he could've done. And now? How could he ever deserve this?

'Just before' spoke Castiel. 'You told me that we've been acting too human with each other. So don't' his deep blue eyes didn't leave him for a second. 'Be honest with me and say what you want.'

'Castiel' he grabbed the angels face again.

'Say it!' he said, nearly commanded with a strong voice. Gabriel leaned down and rested his forehead to Castiel's, he closed his eyes before answering.

'I want you' he said then, in a much more confident voice than he actually felt himself to be. Castiel reached up with his hand to cradle his skull, then raised his head a little so that his mouth was just over Gabriel's ear, then he whispered.

'I'm already yours.'

Gabriel covered his body with his own as he crushed their lips together once again. This time as Castiel encircled him with his grace the archangel was overwhelmed for a few moments, he moaned into the kiss as he felt it. Before Castiel was pure power, a burning presence surrounding him, but now he felt him. He felt his admiration, his awe and love. Gabriel pulled him up grabbing his jacket and jerking it down violently, then pulled his blue sweater and Castiel raised his arm right away, then he pushed the angel down again.

He started kissing his neck again while stroking his side up and down, feeling skin and mapping muscles and ribs under his fingers. He dragged his mouth to the collarbone, then going down further leaving a wet trail of kisses on his skin. He started to kiss down his breastbone while he tore down his own jacket then getting rid of his T-shirt only removing his lips from his chest for a second. He slid up then and grabbed the back of Castiel's neck and kissed his already dark-red and swollen lips.

They were finally touching skin to skin and Gabriel rolled down his hips searching for friction for his growing arousal. Even so, still having layers between them, they both moaned to the kiss as they felt the hardness of each other.

'I want you so much' Gabriel said as he pushed his hips down again, they were both breathing heavily now. Castiel had his arms around Gabriel's neck and shoulders pressing, nearly clawing his skin with his nails. 'And I want you to want me.'

Castiel hooked one leg around Gabriel's hips in respond then grabbed him and turned them over. He sat up straddling him stroking down his chest and stomach with both hands as he put his weight down pushing their groins once again together. Gabriel moaned loudly and gripped Cas' hips to push him down further while he raised his own hips as well. He desperately wanted to get rid of the rest of their clothing.

Castiel leaned down leaving an open-mouthed kiss on the archangel's chest before closing his lips around one of his nipples. He darted out his tongue to taste then he bit down with his teeth gently on the sensitive skin. Gabriel groaned and pushed up his hips again. He really needed to get out of his jeans since it was way too tight around his dick now.

'I thought you never did this before' Gabriel said as Castiel reached the edge of his jeans with his kisses.

'I didn't' Castiel answered simply before he unbuttoned the slacks and dragged the zipper down slowly. Gabriel's heart started to beat even more violently as the pressure eased up. He heard as Castiel's shoes hit the floor then.

'We could just' Gabriel started trying to steady his voice. He licked his lips. 'make the clothes disappear' he offered. Castiel slid up a little looking at him then he smiled – Gabriel never saw him truly smile before – and sat up again.

'True' Castiel said and his breathing was also heavy. 'But…' he reached down to his belt and unbuckled it. 'Isn't it more enjoyable this way?' he asked as he unbuttoned his own trousers and pulled down the zipper as well. Gabriel jolted up immediately and started kissing him again while he pushed his hand into the open slacks to press down to the hardness. Castiel thrust his hips up to the touch closing his eyes and taking a sharp breath. The angle was not good for Gabriel to do what he wanted so he put his arm around Castiel's slender frame to turn them over again. He pushed down trousers and boxers as soon as Castiel hit the mattress and the angel raised his hips willingly to help.

Gabriel started kissing up his tight while he grabbed his hips with one hand. He wanted nothing more than get rid of his own jeans and flush their bodies together tightly slide his hard member to Castiel's, but that could wait.

Castiel's breath shuddered and a moan escaped his lips when Gabriel slid his tongue along his length. He grabbed Gabriel's head twisting his fingers into gold-brown hair almost painfully when the archangel first licked the tip then closed his lips around the head of his dick. He swirled his tongue around under the head once before taking him entirely. Castiel grabbed the sheets under his hand and his grip on Gabriel's hair also strengthened, he could barely keep in his voice as the archangel moved slowly up and down. When Gabriel pushed his tongue harder to the thick flesh Castiel couldn't help but thrust up with his hips.

'Gabriel' the archangel moaned around his dick in response and the vibration sent another jolt of pleasure through Castiel. Gabriel let him go after that and Castiel opened his eyes when he felt his hand on his cheek.

'You're lucky that I have practice' he said between kisses he laid on the side of Castiel's face and jaw line. 'And that I don't necessarily need to breath' he said and Cas felt as his lips curled into a smile at the next kiss.

'I'm more than willing to rely on your experiences' Castiel managed to say. He saw Gabriel's grin before the archangel pulled away. When Castiel raised his head to look at him the archangel was sitting on the edge of the bed getting rid of his boots. Cas sat up again and crawled a bit closer to put kisses on Gabriel's spine. The other angel arched his back in reaction throwing his head back. Castiel kissed his exposed neck and put both of his hands on his shoulder, at the next kiss – just under his ear – he glided his hands forward reaching his chest spreading his fingers over muscles. The moment he bit down on his earlobe was when Gabriel's grace flared up and Castiel found himself on the bed again with Gabriel on top of him now without the rest of his remaining clothing. He wanted to say something but was cut off by Gabriel kissing him and pushing their groins together and now, without layers, it was glorious.

Pre-come and spit slicked them up lightly so they slid together easily. Gabriel once again reached out with his burning grace and so did Castiel in return. They were kissing, mapping each other with their hands, bodies pressed together tightly in heat, sliding and pushing more feverishly by the second, their grace twirling and merging together. It was so perfect, but Gabriel knew he wanted more. Oh so much more.

'Castiel—'

'Yes, Gabriel. Yes' he responded immediately, knowing without words being this close in body and grace. Gabriel shuddered as pleasure shook through his body at the words. He was painfully hard now. He let Castiel's lips go as he slid down a bit and raised himself up a little to make room for himself. He coated his fingers in lubricant, he doubted he would be able to create anything else in his current state of mind and arousal, but this was more than enough right now.

He groaned in union with Castiel as he pushed his first finger in. Oh he wanted this so much and he was sure that he would go insane if he couldn't have it soon. After he pushed in his second slick finger could he reach the spot inside and Castiel nearly screamed his name in reaction. Gabriel knew he couldn't hold back much longer. As Castiel started thrusting back his hips Gabriel pushed in his third finger to stretch him out a little more.

'Gabriel' panted Castiel. His voice was impossibly deep and wrecked. 'I want you… Gabriel!'

The archangel pulled his fingers out and Castiel barely choked back a whimper at the loss. Gabriel kissed him then and Cas wrapped his arms around him right away as the archangel pushed inside with one slow steady trust. Gabriel grabbed him, burying his face in his neck with a loud moan, kissing, licking and biting skin as the tight, wet heat encircled him.

He waited a little, both of them just breathing heavily for a few seconds then Gabriel pulled out nearly entirely before thrusting back in still keeping a slow pace. He did it a few times before he started to speed up his movements. Castiel already met his first hard thrust with his own so he snapped his hips forward even stronger and after a slight change of his angle he could hit the right spot deep inside Castiel to drag loud moans of pleasure out of him.

Castiel's grace reached him almost desperately and as Gabriel let his own power wash over the other it was finally perfection. They were as close to one another as to no one before. Surrounded by heat and power and pleasure and each other.

Gabriel was only slightly aware of Castiel shouting his name and screaming 'Yes' over and over again in the extensiveness of sensation as he drove inside deeper, harder, faster. He was completely lost and nothing existed but Castiel.

He felt as Castiel reached his climax by the wet heat on his stomach but even more so by the explosion of grace that washed over him and he could feel Castiel's release himself. It was more than enough to send him over the edge as well and he came, a release not just to his human body but also for the power of his true-self and he knew Castiel felt it, just like he felt his a few seconds before.

Minutes – or even hours as far as they could tell – passed as both of them were just panting heavily. Two hearts beating violently in their ribcages, sweat cooling on heated skin. Gabriel managed to order his muscles to move so he pulled out and rolled off Castiel a bit. But there was no way in hell he would move another inch from his side right now. He leaned his head on his shoulder and kept an arm over his stomach stroking lazily. His body was basking in after-glow and he was tingling with power. He doubted he could be ever happier than this. Castiel put his hand over his and Gabriel slid their fingers together.

'That was…' Castiel started, but he trailed off. Gabriel chuckled.

'For the record' he said. 'It's usually not this good.' There was a short silence and Gabriel just knew Castiel was frowning even though he couldn't see his face right now. 'I mean, it will be with us… but it was not with anyone else.' Castiel stayed a bit quiet again after that then he took a deep breath.

'Since I have nothing to compare this to and I don't plan to compare you to anyone in the future… I don't give a damn' he said and at the end his voice was half-annoyed with a bit of amusement. Gabriel laughed again. That was most definitely his influence.

'Castiel' he spoke again after he stopped his laughter and he popped himself up to an elbow to look at the other angel. Castiel opened his eyes and looked at him. Hi hair was messy, his lips still a bit swollen and he looked up with so much love and honest interest in his eyes that Gabriel couldn't stop the smile appearing in his face even if he wanted to. Gabriel leaned closer putting a hand on Castiel's cheek. He was only inches away when he said. 'I love you' and sealed it with a gentle kiss, lips connecting slowly.

Chapter 13

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Dean managed to escape Bobby's study just as yet another shouting match started between Éli and the old hunter. Dean couldn't blame Bobby; the mage was driving him insane as well most of the time. He was literally crazy. Right now he was convinced that Bobby is a spy for the Nazi Occultists, who want to steal his secrets. Yesterday he thought that the government set a spy-satellite above them because they want his secrets as well. His freakin' golem was standing at the door night and day, but luckily it never moved. It seemed like Cas managed to scare the guy enough not to do anything stupid. The mage refused to use a cell phone or any other technological equipment. He was nuts.

His stories either sounded like a bloody Stephen King novel or a cheap porn movie. Dean will never be able to scrub his brain clean of the story of how Éli met Gabriel at a Summer Solstice Festival, way too many information about the event.

He got out of the house as Bobby raised his own voice while Éli kept name-calling him in God-knows what language. He walked a bit away from the house until he couldn't hear the argument anymore. Just as he got his phone out it beeped, signalling a new message.

'Seal 18 down. I hope you boys are being busy too. Tomb at Saqquara, there's a golden artifact you might need. Crowley.'

Dean really didn't know why Crowley had the urge of reporting on his process. He made a deal with Cas but he kept texting Dean instead. It was weird. Still it was good to have extra info from time to time; he barely had to do any research. Éli, Crowley or Cas and Gabriel knew what was needed and even the location, well mostly.

'Tell Gabriel: Golden Artifact in a tomb at Saqquara. Not urgent. Dean'

He sent the message to Cas. The whole seal-building business turned out to be rather boring fro him. No fighting demons or angels, just getting stuff together and sometimes going out somewhere so Éli could do the latest spell oo ritual. His phone beeped again.

'Gabriel says: He just got back from that fucking desert, so he hates you! He will deliver it as soon as possible. Castiel.'

Dean had to laugh at that. He just sent back a short text saying 'Tell Gabe to suck it up.' Then he dialled the number he wanted to call in the first place. Lisa picked up after two rings.

'Hey baby' Dean greeted cheerfully.

'You're in a good mood' Lisa observed.

'Yeah a bit' Dean smiled.

'So how's the world-saving going?' she asked next.

'Pretty good' Dean answered. 'It's not like I had to do much in the past two weeks, but the rest of the gang is doing fine. How are things with you and Ben?'

'Pretty good' Lisa said. 'I got used to our guardian angels by now. They can be pretty fun.'

'Oh really?' Dean asked, it was surprising.

'Yeah. Israfel is ok. I managed to convince her to wear some of my clothes instead of the scrubs so she doesn't look that weird anymore. She's not really talkative, which makes her a good listener, like she's curious about anything' Dean smiled at that. 'I even got her to help me make dinner yesterday.'

'You got an angel to do kitchen duty?' Dean asked, yep that was his girl alright.

'Yeah well she could handle the knife so I got her to chop the vegetables, but you were right about the 'being too literal' thing. I told her to cut it to the same-sized pieces and I swear she made them perfectly identical, and it only took her about two minutes. It was pretty phenomenal.' She laughed then.

'How's Ben?' he asked then.

'Well, he misses you, but he really became attached to Joey.'

'What Joey?' asked Dean in confusion.

'Oh, Jophiel, sorry. Ben nicknamed him and it's somewhat more comfortable to call him that' Lisa explained. 'Since he follows Ben around to everywhere, he became really used to him. I guess he sees him as his new best friend. Which is you know, 'cool' because you have an angel best friend too. I'm a bit worried what would happen if he leaves.'

'Wow, that much, huh?' Dean asked.

'Well they are together 24/7 and Ben really likes it. He has a big and strong big brother-figure who has super-powers, you can imagine.'

'Yeah I see how he would like that. So is Jophiel… Joey also okay?' he asked.

'It is, because I don't have to worry about Ben. Not when he's at school or practice or anything, because he has an angel with him and he keeps him occupied, even helps him do his homework.'

'Really?' Dean asked in disbelief. 'How did Ben manage to get him to do that?'

'It started with History-homework, apparently the once boring class became interesting since Ben has someone who had actually seen these things and can tell him about it. I asked Joey why he does it and he said that Ben thought him about baseball and other human customs so he is glad if he can return the favour if his knowledge is useful. And boy, it is. I swear these angels know everything, well not about modern stuff, but still. Ben got an A for his last History-test, so I can be nothing but glad. I mean a playmate, a bodyguard and private-teacher in one' she laughed.

'I make sure to tell Cas that he really chose the right angels' Dean answered, because yeah, maybe he also might have to say sorry for not trusting Cas with his judgement in the first place.

'But it is still worrying somewhat, because Ben asked me to ask you whether Joey could stay even after you come back.' Lisa continued.

'I don't know Lis. I'm pretty sure he has to go back to Heaven.'

'That's what I told Ben but he insisted that Cas came to visit you so Joey could come too. And listen, I know that he's not a kid, I know he's actually a powerful creature that just looks like a boy, but… Ben really likes him, so could you ask Cas maybe… if it's possible?'

Dean took a deep breath. 'I can ask, but I don't think any angel will stay down on Earth after this current situation is solved' he told her.

'Thanks for asking anyway' Lisa said.

'Dean!' the hunter heard Sam calling him and he turned around. Sam was standing in the door. 'Cas and Gabriel are here' he said.

'I gotta go Lis' he said to the phone. 'I call you later'

'Ok, bye' Dean hung up and got back into the house. Gabriel dropped in once in a while, usually bringing the latest magical item or whatever Éli had asked for but Cas didn't. Both of them being here meant bad news. He just knew it.

And sure enough, both angels looked deadly serious, which was nothing new for Cas, but Gabriel was an entirely different matter. Éli was sitting by the desk, silent for once, while Bobby and Sam were standing on the right side of the room, both of them already looking worried.

'What happened?' Dean asked.

'Raphael left Heaven and joined the Roughs' Castiel said. And he really didn't need to explain how much of a bad news this was.

'The fucking bastard' Dean commented. He hated Raphael's guts since the moment he heard that he was the one who killed Cas for the first time, but now he got into his bad book for good.

'It gets better' Gabriel said. 'He killed eight Scouts and Xaphan, a Seraph and nearly his entire garrison left with him.'

'And let me guess. They want to free Michael' Dean said.

'And probably Lucifer too' Castiel said. 'Since they were very displeased that the Apocalypse didn't play out as they wanted.'

'Okay, and what can we do about them?' Dean asked.

'Nothing much against Raphael for now, but my Scouts are trying to locate as many Roughs as possible' Castiel said.

'Yeah, but since they have Raphael on their side now they won't be lurking anymore' Gabriel said. 'And they will fight the Scouts'

'Unfortunately yes' Castiel agreed. There was a few beats of silence, before Gabriel started speaking again.

'This is going to turn into another War' he said. 'It's the same fucking scenario.'

'What scenario?' Sam asked.

'The Fall started just like this. An archangel and his followers rebelled; we all know how that ended.'

'It will be different' Castiel said and reached to get his phone out of his jacket. 'Castiel. Come to Bobby Singer's house, immediately' he said then he hung up.

'I'm not your flunky, so it better be important' said Crowley as he appeared behind them in the doorway.

'How many seals have you finished so far?' Cas asked.

'Eighteen, just as I told Dean not long ago' the demon answered.

'Éli?' turned Cas to the mage.

'I'm ready to make the sixteenth, I have everything I need' he answered.

'And I have three prepared that I can finish today, that's seventeen. How soon can you finish all 21?' he asked then.

'One week will be enough for me. Care to inform me while the sudden rush?' Crowley asked.

'Raphael joined the Roughs' Dean told him.

'My work depends on how soon I can get everything together' Éli said.

'Make a list' Gabriel told him. Éli grabbed a sheet of paper and started writing. 'If you get everything in time, can you finish them all in a week?' the archangel asked.

'Certainly' Éli answered like it was the most natural thing in the world.

'I think I will be able to make all seals as well' Castiel said. 'And that means that we need to make the final three seals after the week is down.'

'But of course everyone will know that we will be there' Gabriel added. 'Are there still Hellgates open?' he turned to Crowley.

'Only a few are left, but I've been busy with the seals and Meg is still out there.'

'The earth-bound are looking for her. They killed and interrogated demons all around the globe. They will find her' Gabriel said.

'You said that everyone will know where we will be, how?' Bobby asked.

'Because everyone knows where the Cage was closed the last time' Gabriel said. 'And the final three seals must be set to place there.'

'But then every demon and angel who wants to stop it will be there' Sam stated.

'Exactly' Gabriel agreed. 'That's why it's gonna be anything but easy. Especially since Castiel, Crowley and Éli will be out of the game'

'Why?' Dean asked.

'The final three seals must be connected for all 66 to work' Crowley answered. 'And there's a ritual that's need to be done for that.' Éli nodded at him from his chair in confirmation.

'So we need to hold the line and secure the area until the ritual is finished' Gabriel said.

'Are you kidding me? Against a horde of demons and a garrison of angels and Raphael?' Dean asked is disbelief, because that sounded like suicide.

'Not just the four of us De' the archangel corrected. 'We're gonna have the Scouts and my four favourite little sisters' he said.

'Can't you just call down the entire Host?' Sam asked looking at Castiel. 'You're the new boss, right?'

'I can' Castiel said. 'If we want to burn down the entire Earth. Even a battle between my Scouts and the Roughs could cause very serious destruction' he told them.

'So will the Scouts and those four chicks be enough?' Dean asked. 'Against all those angels and demons?'

'Don't forget about me' Gabriel said. 'You might forget it from time to time but I am an archangel.'

'So then, we know what we need to do then' Castiel said. Éli held out the piece of paper he wrote down his list on. Gabriel took it. Castiel looked around in the room.

'Then we meet one week from today, in Lawrence' he said before both of them disappeared.

'I have a feeling that this won't be this easy at all' Crowley said.

'When it is ever easy?' Dean asked in return.

'I think I have to think of some extra back-up for our little night-out' the demon said after that, Dean looked at him. 'If you're alright with it' he added.

'Sure' Dean answered puzzled, because really what was up with the demon. Crowley disappeared from the study in the next moment. 'What the hell is with Crowley?' he asked no one in particular, thus everyone.

'I guess he tries to get on your good side' Sam said.

'Why the hell would he want that?' Dean asked in return, he really didn't get it.

'Well, since anyone who's on your bad side eventually dies' his brother said. Dean thought about it for a second. All right, fair enough. Crowley was pretty dedicated to survival after all.

Chapter 14

This time Dean insisted on driving and strange enough the angels didn't complain. Gabriel simply took off with Éli the night before after the 21st seal was done. And that left Dean driving the Impala towards Kansas with Sam sitting shut-gun, while Bobby followed them with his van on the highway. They were driving for hours now and the silence really started to get to Dean. They were once again headed towards some major showdown, once again to Stull Cemetery and they couldn't just get into a battle with angels and demons without talking first.

Dean just knew too well that no matter what, there is always a possibility that one of them won't survive. Although with Cas and Gabriel on their side they can be resurrected probably without problem, but still. There is always the risk that something happens, so he couldn't left things the way they were right now.

'How did you get out?' he asked ending the silence that almost seemed endless. 'From Hell, how did you get out?' he clarified. It was a rather good starting point for this conversation Dean figured.

'Crowley busted me from the Cage' Sam answered looking out of the window. And Dean was surprised by that. Because yeah, King of Crossroads and all, but how was the demon strong enough for that?

'How?' he asked.

'He said that it's easy to get a kitten out of a tiger's cage since the bars are wide enough' Sam said and there was a bit of silence again. 'That's why I helped him, trying to find Meg and hunting other demons.' The younger Winchester added.

'Was that his condition?' because that would explain a lot of things.

'No' Sam shook his head. 'He asked after I was out and made sure you were fine.' Dean was listening to the roam of the engine for long moments then he took a deep breath.

'Why didn't you tell me?' he asked but he still didn't turn to look at his brother, it was easier this way. Sam seemed to think about it, but it was more likely that he already had his reasons prepared in his head; he just tried to figure out the best way to tell this to Dean without pissing him off even more.

'You would've left Cicero' Sam started finally. 'So I wanted to give you time to see whether it will work out with Lisa or not. If I would've shown up we would've hit the road and you wouldn't have give yourself the chance to live that life' he took a deep breath, trying to form his words again. 'I knew you would be angry, really… but I thought that I take that chance. And I still think what I did was right. I can but hope, that you forgive me for it, but I heard you talking on the phone with Lisa, at least every second day, and I'm glad I could give you enough time for that to happen. Because you're more than just my big brother and if the price for you to see that too is that you're pissed at me, so be it.'

Sam sighed and he kept staring out of the window, while Dean kept his eyes on the road in front of him. The silence started to grow longer, while Dean thought about what his brother told him.

'I really would've left' he said after a while.

'And you would've regretted it, eventually' Sam added. 'And this way you have more than some duty, you think you have, of protecting me. Just like what we talked about, before Detroit, that being my brother is not only who you are.'

Dean waited for some time before shaking his head.

'Don't even think that you're off the hook this easily' he said in his best scolding big-brother voice, and then he shoved in the tape that was in the cassette-player. The next second Metallica's 'Seek and Destroy' blasted out of the speaker. Dean turned up the volume a little. And finally he turned his head to look at his brother. 'Because you're gonna pay for all this bullshit. Big time.' He turned his attention back to the road, but he saw Sam's lips curl into a smile from the corner of his eye.

'Feel free to think out the suitable punishment' he said.

'Damn straight I will' Dean agreed. 'And you're gonna be begging for mercy, Bitch.'

And he nearly missed it because of the loud music, when Sam shot back a quiet 'Jerk' in response.

Lawrence, Kansas

The sun was setting by the time they reached the Stull Cemetery. They grabbed all weapons they could need, shotguns loaded with rock salt shells, holy water. Dean shoved Ruby's witchknife to his belt and one angelblade that rested in the trunk of the Impala. Everything was silent. There were no demons roaming the area or angels for that matter, not yet anyway. They spotted Cas and Crowley who were talking among the gravestones.

'Where the hell is Gabriel and Éli?' Dean asked as soon as he reached them.

'They'll be here shortly' Castiel assured him. Then Dean felt something brush his leg and he jumped I surprise, hearing Crowley chuckle was enough not to draw a weapon. Dean rolled his eyes, of course. Before he could complain there was the familiar presence once again brushing his side.

'Aphrodite! Cut it out!' he ordered to the seemingly empty spot next to him. The Hellhound moved a bit away, but Dean just knew that it was still within reach. 'Why are we not under attack by now?' he asked then.

'None of our enemies would be stupid enough to attack me directly' Castiel said. And he probably had every reason to sound arrogant, considering. 'It's the ritual they want to stop, so they'll wait for it to start, because if they can break it off all 63 seals that were made would shatter.'

Dean scanned around the place but the only thing that caught his attention was some movement in the grass here and there, he looked at Crowley.

'That's your back-up? Hellhounds?' he asked.

'The crossroads demons would be rather useless, but my pups will attack every demon or Hellhound that gets close' the demon answered. Dean thought about it for a second.

'Okay, that's actually a pretty good back-up' he admitted. 'If' he pointed a finger at Crowley. 'They don't just decide to tear us apart too.'

'Don't worry' the demon said. 'They're very well trained' Dean looked around again.

'How many did you bring?'

'Eight males, Aphrodite and my little darling Hera' he petted an invisible hound on his side. And by the size of it, it was probably the Hellhound Crowley had on his side at the incident with Brady.

'You have a weird thing for Greek mythology, don't you?' Dean asked, but before Crowley got the chance to answer they heard the loud beat of wings.

Gabriel was standing now far away from them and the company he arrived with was more than bizarre. There were five human-sized stone-statues standing behind him. They were roughly cut from a light-coloured stone, human shaped, looking somewhat like warriors. The much more disturbing thing was the giant armour that stood there as well. It was way larger than any human could possibly be. It looked somewhat like Éli's old golem, but this armour was new and shiny and it was carrying a huge fucking sabre.

Right next to Gabriel stood a young man in black. His dark-hair was wavy and reached his shoulders, beard was finely cut on his chin and the long coat made him look like he just stepped out of a Matrix-movie.

'Who the hell are you?' asked Sam next to Dean looking at the stranger. The man smiled a little.

'It's Éli' he said simply, which really made the Winchesters' and Bobby's eyes grow wide in surprise. 'I'll explain later' the mage said.

'Okay' said Dean. There was no way he was getting into this, it had something to do with magic, and he wasn't touching that subject with a ten-foot pole if he could help it. 'Where have you been?' he asked instead.

'Had to pick up my bodyguards' Éli pointed back over his shoulder at the statues, then he looked at Cas and Crowley. 'Let's get started, shall we?'

'The other angels?' asked Dean, while Éli walked past him, and he really didn't want to look at the statues and the big-ass armour which started walking after the mage also walking past him. He had to admit. They were fucking scary.

'Oh, they're near, don't worry' Gabriel said, and then the archangel looked at Castiel. 'So, am I in charge?' he asked.

'Yes' Castiel answered. 'Noncf khys Lonsa. Noncf khys Busdyr' the Viceroy added in Enochian, which made a smile appear on Gabriel's face. Castiel turned from them then and he joined Éli a bit farther away, where the five stone-golems stood in a large circle around them, the armour walking up and down a like being on watch.

'Though you were not a general' Dean said to the archangel.

'Desperate times' Gabriel answered and he turned his back to them and walked a bit away. When he stopped he raised his head to the sky and closed his eyes. Only a bare second later the four earth-bound angels appeared right behind him, standing in a perfect line. In the next moment dozens of angels started to appear from thin air. They were in vessels of young and old, women and men, in all kinds of ethnic groups. When the beat of wings finally stopped Sam and Dean were looking around in amazement, since in front of them there were probably way more than a hundred angels, standing like they would be statues as well.

Gabriel opened his eyes and looked around. He straightened his posture and closed his hands behind his back. He was silent for a few seconds, before he started talking, addressing all angels in front of him.

'This battle might be the last in this war or just the first followed by many' he started. 'Anyone who comes to this field is our enemy! Every soul, every creature, angels and demons alike. .Enemy!' he raised his voice a bit and Dean felt a sharp uncomfortable sensation in his ears. Gabriel's true voice overlapped lightly. 'And you will strike them down fiercely and without mercy! For this victory, no price is too high! And no sacrifice is too great!' he paused for a second. 'The first battalion will be led by Azrael! Second battalion will follow Hayyel! Third battalion is under Nathaniel! Fourth and fifth! You're leader is Sammael! If any of them falls your last order stands or you join the closest battalion and follow the orders of its leader! And if Raphael joins the battle…' he looked around shortly among the angels. 'Get the fuck out of his way!' he took a deep breath. 'You are dismissed' he added quieter, probably only for the four angels standing behind him. The next second the angels disappeared in the sound of their flapping wings and so many all at once was loud as a hurricane.

Sam and Dean were staring Gabriel in surprise and also a bit dumbfounded, because seeing and hearing this was the moment when the picture of the laughing Trickster munching a candy-bar became nothing but a distant memory. It was not Loki standing before them, but the Angel of Judgement.

After the angels were gone Gabriel's posture relaxed again, then he turned around.

'Huh… well, this wasn't as hard as I thought it would be' he said, sounding relieved.

'Yes, you're a natural born Montgomery' Crowley commented then the demon went to join Cas and Éli in the circle of golems.

'What now?' Sam asked.

'Be prepared. The party is already starting' the archangel answered.

'Angels?' Dean asked as he stepped to stand next to him.

'And demons' said Gabriel.

'Sam, Bobby!' Dean turned around. 'Stay back close to the ritual, with the… golems.' It was really weird to say that. 'I stay in front with Gabriel' he said and took out Ruby's knife. 'You only need to get rid of the demons who somehow get past us' For once none of them argued and they hurried back where Castiel, Crowley and Éli were already preparing the ritual, first by burning the The Sigil Of Ameth into the ground, the Enochian founding of the entire ritual.

'You're feeling this heroic today?' asked Gabriel.

'I have a big bad archangel on my side, so nothing to worry about, right?'

'It started' Gabriel said looking far into the distance. Dean couldn't see anything, but he heard the Hellhounds around them growl low in their throats. Demons must have been approaching them. The sound alone was enough for Dean to feel the adrenalin preparing his muscles, sharpening his senses and causing his heart to pump blood over his body faster. He knew that these hounds were on his side, it still was more than comfortable to have this many in his presence. The sun nearly disappeared in the horizon now and he saw the almost full-moon on the dark-blue sky. At least they will see even after sunset.

Suddenly a huge explosion of light split through the darkening sky. Dean covered his eyes for the seconds everything looked like it was bathing in daylight again.

'Fuck' Gabriel exclaimed, he walked a bit away from Dean and was about to take off when Castiel materialized next to him.

'Raphael' the Viceroy said. 'I need to stop him immediately.'

'No!' Gabriel opposed. 'You need to finish the spell. I'll go.'

'I can defeat him and you can finish the ritual' Castiel said. And no, there was no way in hell Gabriel was going to let that happen.

'No, Castiel. It's a risk we can't take' he told him. 'The rest of the seraphim follow you. They can't loose you. If anything would happen to you Heaven will be beyond repair, and we can't take that chance.' Castiel was looking at him.

'You said that no sacrifice is too great' he said to the archangel.

'None' Gabriel agreed. 'But you' he said with a smile. 'I'm not that important.'

'Gabriel, no!' grabbed Castiel his jacket before he could flew to the battlefield. The archangel encircled him with his arms suddenly, wrapping him in grace for a short moment.

'It's gonna be okay, trust me' he said very quietly, then he claimed his lips for a short kiss before capturing blue eyes with his gaze again. 'I have faith' he said and he was gone.

Castiel stood there, clenching his fists at his sides looking out to the distant fight and when he saw the first explosion of grace in the horizon, signalling the start of the battle between the two archangels, he knew he wasted too much time already.

AN2: Noncf khys Lonsa. Noncf khys Busdyr. - Translation: You are Power. You are Glory.)

Extras:

Éli's Golems

The Sigil Of Ameth

Metallica – Seek and Destroy

Chapter 15

Dean didn't have time to be shocked at Gabriel kissing Cas right before he disappeared, because the next second he found himself alone on the edge of the cemetery, and he saw the first demons appear in his filed of vision.

'Oh, I'm so screwed' he said, as he gripped the knife in his hand tighter. But before any of the demons could get close enough for Dean to fight them, he felt movement beside him. Crowley's Hellhounds rushed past him, some of them growling threateningly. He saw demons being dragged down to the ground, or bit in the arm or shoulder by invisible teeth. He tried to figure out what would be the best to do. Run back to the other side to join Sam and Bobby or stand his ground for a while, even without Gabriel.

There were too many demons approaching for the ten Hellhounds to hold them all off. But the closest demon was quickly stopped when with a loud clatter of steel and the cracking of wood it was cut in half at the waist by an enormous blade that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Dean immediately recognized Éli's giant golem as it walked out in front of him, now with blood dripping from the sabre. First he thought that the monstrosity would be slow, but he quickly had to see that he was wrong as the armour attacked the demons closest to it. He grabbed one by the skull with his empty steel-glove and smashed the body so violently to the ground that Dean heard the loud crack of bones even from the spot he was standing in. Before hurling the broken body far away to the slowly deepening darkness it smashed it once again to the ground, this time hitting a gravestone as well. Dean was so stunned by the view that only the sound of screaming snapped him out of it.

He couldn't see the hounds, none of them, but he saw the blood splashing out of the opening wounds, saw the tear of skin and muscles and as the demons were desperately trying to get out of the way of both the bloodthirsty and vicious pack of Hellhounds or the merciless destruction of the giant golem. Dean figured he was not that screwed after all. That was way more back-up than he ever worked with, and right now he had to do with what he had.

He started running towards a demon, who was wrestling with a hound and just when he managed to kick the beast off from his body Dean plunged his knife in his chest to the tilt, the bastard didn't even see him coming. He heard some noise from the hound, then the sound of paws hitting dirt as it ran away to attack its next target.

Dean barely dodged the half-broken body of a black-guy that landed right next to him, probably the golem got him, but he didn't waste time in stabbing it in the neck to finish it. He saw from the corner of his eye as a demon got torn apart by hounds, probably at least two of them.

Three demons were trying to overpower the golem, but it was just grabbing them and tearing them off his frame like they were nothing. The steel was covered in blood nearly in all places, not to mention the sabre it still held in his giant fist. Dean kicked the next demon that appeared next to him in the stomach before he lunged forward to cut its throat. The body barely hit the ground when the next demon was already rushing at him, but before Dean could do anything it was suddenly tossed to the ground by an invisible force that tore into its body from the side. Dean only looked for a short second as the Hellhound took the body apart, then he got moving again.

When he felt the ground shift under his feet his first reaction was alarm. He didn't even have time to check his surrounding before he got hit and he landed hard on the ground. The attacker was no demon, he knew immediately. He never saw the guy in the grey suit before, but he knew he was an angel, and definitely not one of the friendly kinds. He plunged Ruby's knife to the ground and got out the angel-blade from his belt as he tried to get to his feet, but he was squashed flat back onto his back nearly right away. The angel was walking closer to him without hurry his hand raised in front of him. Dean couldn't hear the screams of the demons or the sound of the clattering metal of the fighting golem. So the angel zapped him away, and who knows how far. He had a weapon, but he couldn't move.

'It is entirely your fault' said the angel still approaching. He was only a few feet away when Dean heard a ferocious growl from above his head. The angel's attention snapped up and he raised his hands in protection just a second before he was yanked off to the ground. The hunter was never happier at the arrival of a hellhound, which was of course still weird, but he didn't think about it.

Dean felt the weight disappear from his body and he sat up. The angel was on the ground one arm, bleeding heavily and half crushed, just above his head as he tried to hold up its attacker. When claws gashed into his chest and stomach he shouted. Dean didn't see the clawed paw of the Hellhound, but saw as suit, shirt, skin and flesh were torn apart on his front so deeply that Dean saw the white-colour of ribs in the moonlight peeking out from the deep red of his blood. The next wound appeared on his shoulder, the hound clearly bit down, the angel was pushing the hound with his injured but free arm, but as the teeth sank in deeper he couldn't get away. The collarbone snapped first breaking into splitters, then the rip of skin and sinew was heard, then the joint popped out of its socket with a loud snap. The whole arm was nearly ripped off when a silver blade appeared in the angel's free hand and he plunged it into the Hellhound's side with full force. Dean heard a painful yowl from the hound as the angel's shoulder was dropped from it's teeth.

Dean got to his feet with an angelblade in his own hand. The hound already attacked back, closing his sharp teeth around the neck of the angel and crushing his throat, when Dean got there and sank the angelblade into the guy's already torn and bloody chest. The angel's mouth opened to a silent scream but only light came out, just as out of his eyes, grace exploding as the angel died within the torn body.

The hunter saw that the angel's head was still slightly up in the air, and by the look of it the Hellhound still had it's jaws tightly on the throat. The blade of the angel looked like it was floating in the air, still inside the hound's body. Dean's first though was that he doesn't have time for this, but damn, it just saved his life…

'It's okay. Let him go' he said. He noticed that his breath was quick, probably from the adrenalin pumping in his veins. The angel's head landed on the ground with a thud. 'Okay.' Dean said again. He was pretty close to the hound and he was sure that it was not a good idea to do what he was about to, namely trying to get a blade out of a pissed and injured Hellhound. He had a thought. 'It's you, isn't it?' he asked. 'Still following me around, huh?' then he reached out slowly. He put one of his hands out, and he managed to land it on the hound's back. He felt rough skin under his palm, which nearly felt like scales. He suppressed the urge to stop as the memory of the hounds attacking him came into his mind. 'I'm not gonna hurt you' he said then and oh, wasn't that the most ridiculous thing to say to a fucking Hellhound? He reached towards the blade, grabbed the hilt and pulled it out as quickly as possible. The hound merely yowled shortly, but didn't move under Dean's hand, which was a relief. The blade was covered in blood so dark-red that it looked more like black than anything. 'Okay. There you go, that's my good girl.'

The hound fell silent, and the first thing Dean noticed was that the scale-like skin under his fingers turned softer and it suddenly felt like short silken fur. Then he dropped the blade in his hand in surprise and jumped back a little when the hound became visible.

Only it didn't look like a Hellhound. He remembered them clearly and they were monstrous and disgusting, this… she looked like, well, a dog. One fucking huge black dog. Her size didn't change, which made her head reach a height just above Dean's waist. She looked roughly like the combination of a Greyhound and a Doberman, thought way larger and muscular than either.

'What the hell?' he asked in disbelief, because something really strange was going on around here. The hound kept looking at him, no wound on her side anymore, and Dean would've expected any kind of colour for the eyes that kept staring at him – probably something like red or yellow – but he didn't expect to see the same hazel eyes he knew from the mirror. He quickly decided that there was no way he's gonna be able to figure this one out in the next minutes. 'Oh I don't have fucking time for this' he growled. He looked around and realized that he had no fucking clue in which direction was the cemetery. He got Ruby's knife out of the ground and both angel-blades, then he looked back at the hound, contemplated whether he was crazy for a second. 'Can you show me the way back?' he asked. And he had no idea if the damn, suddenly very visible, Hellhound that didn't look like a Hellhound could understand him at all. She was not a real dog, so… he didn't continue his train of thought as the hound started moving in a direction and Dean followed. She either understood him or she was going back to her pack, both options meant the same destination. He started running, the hound just in front of him, although she could probably run faster than this, among trees and bushes in the nearly complete darkness.

A few minutes passed and Dean still had no idea where he was. Still no sound of a battle. He started to wonder how the hound got to his side so quickly, but he didn't ponder on it for too long. Then the hound stopped abruptly, she first cocked her ears, then a low growl started to sound from deep within her throat as she snarled dangerously. Dean had Ruby's knife in his hand in the next second looking around for any sign of danger. There was obviously one.

'Didn't think I would be lucky enough to find you alone like this' came a female voice somewhere from the darkness and Dean cursed, he was so damn fortunate today. He heard other growls coming from the same direction. Shit. For some time that was the only sound in the dark woods, the growling of hounds, then with a rustle of branches invisible Hellhounds attacked. Probably two, the hound on Dean's side immediately attacked back and after a short battle of teeth and claws they disappeared in the bushes, though Dean could still hear them. He was alert, expecting danger any second now and he didn't have to wait long. Meg got him on the side sending him to the ground, but only for a second as the hunter jumped up nearly immediately. Knife in his hand he faced the demon. Meg still wore the body of the black-haired girl Dean last saw her as. She was smiling contented while looking at the hunter in front of her. The sound of the hounds fighting became louder again, they came closer.

Dean attacked this time, but the demon got out of the way of his knife, grabbing his hand and kicking his side, it was painful but Dean didn't loose his balance this time. He twisted his arm to get it out of her grip, then stabbed in her direction, but only managed to tear her jacket. The howling became distant again as Dean was facing his opponent.

'You're screwed, you know that bitch?' Dean spat.

'Oh, I don't think so sweetie. I think it's exactly the other way around' her smile grew a bit wider and Dean attacked again. He managed to get a blow in with his fist, but it didn't do much damage as Meg attacked back right away this time throwing her entire body at the hunter while grabbing his wrist painfully to get him to loose his weapon. Dean held the knife as long within his fingers as possible, but as Meg's grip tightened he couldn't keep it anymore and it fell out of his hand. As soon as the knife hit the damp ground Meg grabbed him, pulling him to his feet and slamming him into the closest tree. Her hand closed around his throat as she leaned closer smiling even wider than before.

Dean still heard the sound of the hounds fighting so he couldn't expect help from there. He grabbed the demon's forearm with both hands, but she was of course too strong to get rid of her this way. It started to get hard to breathe as her hand was gripping his neck painfully, and Dean was trying to get his head together how to get out of this. He knew Cas was doing the ritual and Gabriel was battling Raphael so he had no idea how he could get help, then it hit him.

'Az.. Azrael' he managed to say, but it was barely a whisper. And even if usually it was not his cup of tea he was really out of options right now so he started to pray for the angel's help, hoping she would hear that. Meg's eyes narrowed dangerously and she closed her fingers even more forcefully. But then a hand closed around her elbow from the side gripping down so hard that Dean heard the bones break immediately. He was breathing hard, coughing as the demon's hand vanished from his throat. The hand that gripped Meg belonged to Azrael and she pulled the demon's arm sharply backwards, breaking it with one smooth movement.

'I guess you forgot that you're on the top of Heaven's most wanted list' Deans said as soon as he was able to, his voice was strained even so. Azrael forced her down on her knees, still holding the broken arm. The angel closed her other hand around the back of her neck and Meg screamed. Dean heard the sizzle of flesh and smelled the stink of burnt hair.

'I've been looking for you darling' said the angel in a slow even voice. 'I don't want you to run off just as I finally found you' Meg was panting hard now and her eyes widened impossibly large in fear and switched to pure-black. 'Are you all right, Dean?' Azrael looked at him.

'M'fine' Dean said as he straightened up.

'Now then, there's no time to waste' she said then switched her attention back to the whimpering demon at her feet. She shifted her hand from the back of her neck to the front, holding her throat. And Meg started screaming again when Dean saw as the flesh began to burn under the angel's fingers.

'No! Pleasee! NO!' screamed the demon, but her pleas soon turned into inarticulate screams. And Dean watched as the heat spread out on her, burning clothes and skin. She was fighting the angel, trying to get out of her hands, throwing her body in agony while screaming endlessly. Azrael didn't let go, she didn't even budge, Meg simply couldn't move an inch from her hands. And Dean watched as the demon was burnt by grace inch by inch, slowly until her screams died out, the moving of the body stopped and everything she once was crumbled and there was only ash within the angel's fingers.

'For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return' said Azrael as she wiped her hands on her jeans, and then she looked at the hunter again. 'We should return to the cemetery' she said. Dean nodded, then…

'Hold on…' he looked around in the woods. He couldn't here the sound of fighting anymore, and soon enough the black hound appeared from the bushes, she looked a bit beaten, her jaw was bloody, but overall fine. 'Okay, let's go' he said as soon as the hound arrived next to him. Events of the past half-hour convinced him that it was good to have her around, just in case.

He felt then as the world shifted around him once again and he was standing in the cemetery.

'Dean!' he heard Sam calling and his brother was on his side the next moment. 'You were gone, are you okay? We've been looking for you.'

'Yes, I'm fine. Some fucking angel zapped me off, probably wanted to kill me, but we took care of him' he said and didn't stop the urge to pet the hound's head. She saved his life, she deserved as much. Sam was frowning at him.

'Is that a Hellhound?' he asked.

'You can't see her?' Dean asked in return, but Sam looked even puzzled.

'Of course I can't' Sam said.

'Weird' Dean said looking down on the hound. 'Later' he said when Sam kept looking at him questioningly. Dean looked around then. The Sigil Of Ameth was glowing in a bright golden colour on the ground and Crowley, Éli and Cas were within the circle. And not just Azrael, but all four earth-bound angels were standing there. They probably just arrived, because Cas turned around to look at them. Éli was reciting in some old language and Crowley was standing quietly, with his eyes closed. They explained what they were doing and the way it looked Crowley already finished his part of the spell and now he kept himself in focus. The Seal of Hell was in place then, and Éli was in the middle of his own part making the Seal of Earth.

'Why are you here?' Cas asked looking at the other angels. 'You should be helping Gabriel!' he said and he sounded commanding and furious as well.

'He won't need us' said Sammael and she turned away gazing at the sky. Dean didn't need to ask.

He had to cover his eyes once again as darkness was turned into light. As he opened his eyes just a little to peek out his jaw nearly dropped and his eyes widened. Not far away from them was an enormous column of light, brilliantly white and blazing. It started from the ground reaching high up to the sky and as higher Dean looked he saw that it was widening, it's diameter much broader high in the sky, while down where it was touching the ground it was rather narrow, it looked like a funnel, like a tornado or…

'What is that?' he asked. It was a wonder he was able to speak.

'That is, what your Bible calls the 'Trumpet' said Castiel and both Winchesters and Bobby turned to look at him at that. 'Gabriel's "Call to Arms" to the entire Host' he finished while he was looking at light.

'But you said that would burn down the Earth!' Dean shouted. Castiel didn't answer first and Dean had to snap his attention back to the sky.

The scene he found himself looking at caused him to shake. He didn't know whether it was fear or something else, there was no way to tell. The darkness off the night nearly disappeared completely as he saw the angels arriving.

It looked like a magnified meteor-shower. Burning white comets of light were falling from the sky towards the ground slamming in one after another. And it wasn't just dozens, not even hundreds, but thousands. Everywhere around them, like all starts were falling down from the night-sky. They appeared from so high that it was impossible to see where they were coming from and as their numbers were increasing the ground started to shake lightly under their feet hit after hit.

'The Earth will be unharmed' Castiel said still standing in the circle. He couldn't leave it until the ritual was finished. 'They are all in their true forms, so I believe Gabriel is pursuing Raphael. They are not battling on Earth. The Host is invading Hell.'

Extras:

Dean's Hound (pic – background is "Dark Woods" by J. Andrew Jameyson, the picture of hound from .com)

Chapter 16

Even before Gabriel's Trumpet disappeared from the skyline the four earth-bound angels left the ritual-site to vanquish the demons still invading the cemetery. When the last angel was gone from the sky the darkness wrapped the hunters around suddenly, it was really hard to see before their eyes adjusted to the lack of brilliance. Dean still heard Crowley's pack of Hellhounds rampaging in the open field and saw the moonlight reflecting on the bloody shell of the steel-golem of Éli still grabbing and breaking bodies apart like they were china-dolls. The stone-golems were no longer around the sigil burnt into the graveyard ground, but marched forward to the field as well. They were not as impressive as the armour, but they stopped any demon that managed to get past the massacre of the field.

The hound on Dean's side was standing with every muscle flexed, ready to fight any moment, but it loyally stayed by the hunter's side instead of blazing away at the demons. The stone golems were not that far away. And when Dean saw one of the statues crumble to pieces he was ready to continue the fight with Ruby's knife in his hand. Sam and Bobby both raised their shotguns, aiming at the demons approaching. Aphrodite reacted first though, she dashed forward towards the enemy, she burst into a dark could of dust, disappearing again, reshaping to her material form just before the fragment of second she bit down to the closest demon's throat. Dean saw the black smoke tearing out of the human host's mouth a second later, but the hound let go of the neck and jumped into the demonic cloud turning insubstantial again. Orange-yellow flames erupted right above the dead human body and when Aphrodite appeared again, the demon was gone, burnt it the flames. Dean had to admit, she was one badass pup.

Dean heard Castiel's voice behind him as the angel started to speak in Enochian, reciting his – and the final – part of the ritual. Both Éli and Crowley were standing in their focus-points, linked now to their own 22 seals. The Sigil turned from golden to pure white the second Castiel uttered the first words and as he was speaking it started to glow brighter and brighter enveloping all three of them within.

A second stone-golem crumbled as the demons tried to get through even more viciously than before, they must've known how close the ritual was to its ending and it was their last desperate attempt at getting through and stopping it. Both Sam and Bobby fired their guns at some demons that could get closer, it only stopped them a little, but it was enough for Nathaniel to come back from the field and burn them out of their skin with dark-blue flames only by touching their chest lightly, the next moment the angel was gone again. They were holding the line; with the rest of the angels battling down in Hell they could hold the line against the demons. Dean wouldn't be able to explain it, not even to himself, but the second he saw the two demons burn to chalk in the angel's blue flames, he knew it. They're gonna win. Everything's gonna be fine.

And as Castiel spoke the final Enochian words the Seal of Heaven set to its place, linking and merging with the other 21 of its kind. Magic of heaven connected to Hell's through the power of the Seal of Earth. The hunters felt the ground lightly shook under their feet again as the 66 seals joined together like puzzle-pieces, and then everything went silent. Like even the sounds of reality fled from the ancient magic and its power. Then the Hellhounds howled, even Aphrodite not far from the hunters, a long steady sound that filled the night-air.

Seemed like the demons knew what was happening, but before they could run away Castiel could finally step out of the sigil. He appeared on the field in the midst of demons, and he was blazing with grace and power, his human shape glowing like a touch in the shadows and his righteous fury even affected his surroundings. Heavy wind started as storm clouds hid the starts and the Moon. Thunder rumbled deep from the sky and just as the last jewels of the night were veiled by darkness demons screamed in agony. Their dark form burning out of flesh by divine force in one glorious second.

Dean felt a strong wave of power and saw blinding light and everything went black…

Dean woke up to the feeling of someone tugging his jacket. The first thing he noticed was that it was still dark; he blinked at the night-sky clearing his vision as he felt cool wind on his face. Someone pulled his jacket again. Dean raised his head, he almost jumped, and then he relaxed as he recognized the now familiar hound, which was still pulling his jacket with her teeth to urge him to his feet. Dean's head didn't hurt, which was a relief, but every bone in his body ached. The adrenaline cleared out of his body and so now he could feel the dull pain caused by his encounters with the angel and Meg. He grabbed the hound's neck to pull himself up then he stood to his feet.

'Oh, you're alive, good' he heard Crowley's voice. He turned around to look at the demon. 'And you took one of my hounds, just perfect.' Dean wasn't sure whether he hit his head or not, but that didn't make sense.

'Huh? What?' Crowley pointed at the hound on Dean's side.

'Her! You took her' he said.

'What? She's here, I didn't take her' he just woke up and had no idea what was going on at all, not to mention Crowley's current bullshit, which he understood even less.

'I beg to differ. She's not longer a Hellhound' the demon said, and Dean couldn't react to that, he just kept staring, Crowley rolled his eyes in annoyance. 'You can see her, yes?' Dean nodded. 'Does she look like a Hellhound to you?'

'Well no' Dean admitted. 'But I got nothing to do with that!' he said.

'You have everything to do with that' Crowley answered. 'I told you she likes you and while I was busy with the ritual you claimed ownership over her.'

'What? No, I didn't!' Dean opposed again.

'All Hellhounds once belonged to humans and as those humans became demons in Hell their hounds became Hellhounds, because they always change to a form that suits their owner's soul' Crowley explained and he looked way more than a bit annoyed and he was probably cursing every deity in creation because he had to put up with a Winchester.

'But what do you mean I claimed her? I didn't…' then it clicked. He remembered his nonsense words of comfort he said, when he pulled the angel-blade out of the hound's body, that's when she became visible. 'Oh…' Crowley just rolled his eyes again. 'And what am I suppose to do with her?' Dean asked then.

'Don't know, don't care. She's yours' Crowley replied.

'I don't need a Hellhound' Dean exclaimed, because yeah, what the hell should he do with a pet hellhound?

'I told you she's not a hellhound anymore you moron' Crowley once again had that look on his face, which meant that he would crawl out his brains if it would stop this conversation. 'Meg's hounds were hellhounds, my pups are hellhounds, but you are not a demon! So she's a Blackhound, companion of warriors, just like she once was before her first owner turned into a demon. Get it?' from his tone he doubted the Dean will.

'That doesn't change the fact that she was one.'

'It does. She's yours; she's as vicious as you are. See Meg was a bloodthirsty bitch, so her hellhounds were bloodthirsty bitches, my hounds are like me. You're a hunter, she's a hunter. Is it clear, yet?' Dean looked down to the hound sitting at his feet just looking at him, Dean turned back to Crowley, but the demon was already gone. He looked back at the hound again and it was ridiculous. She was tearing apart demons and an angel a short while ago, but even being this huge and muscular she managed to widen her big brown eyes and she just kept looking at Dean.

'Oh, come on! That's not fair! You were a Hellhound an hour ago, you're not supposed to pull this off!' his words didn't cause any reaction, so the Blackhound still just kept looking. Dean groaned. 'Fine!' he pointed a finger at her. 'But if you cause trouble, so help me… you're gonna regret it!' She jumped to her feet. Dean just couldn't fucking believe it. 'Let's find Sam' he said after that.

She dashed away immediately and barked at Dean from behind a grave a few moments later. Dean walked over to find his brother out cold, but he didn't seem injured. Aphrodite was sniffing his face; Dean just shook him to get him awake. After he managed to get Sam up on his feet they went to find Bobby. The old hunter was conscious and was leaning to a tree since he dislocated his shoulder somehow – and that's gonna hurt like bitch – that needed to be put back into its place. Dean looked around to find the others and he noticed Cas standing at the edge of the cemetery gazing at the sky.

'I'll be right back' he told Sam and Bobby then he walked closer. He just stopped next to him, not saying anything for a few moments.

'So… we win?' he asked. 'Seals are secure and Lucifer and Michael gonna spend the rest of eternity in the Cage?'

'Yes' Cas answered.

'The Rough angels?' the hunter asked then.

'Dead, mostly, or will be' Dean kept his comment about that because yeah, he had his share amount of trouble in this battle but to imagine that there were dozens, maybe a hundred angels dead out there, killed on this field. The silence grew longer between them and Cas just kept searching with his eyes, but probably not just the sky in front of him, but everywhere else.

'Is he out yet?' Dean asked then. It was not hard to figure who Cas might be looking for. The angel's voice when he answered was barely a whisper and so unsure Dean didn't hear it in a long time, maybe ever.

'No.'

Dean looked at his friend and while he hated empty phrases, since he always thought that they were just giving false hope he spoke again.

'I'm sure he's gonna be fine' and maybe, just maybe he really believed that. It was Gabriel after all, archangel and Trickster, there was no way that bastard would just be gone forever. Castiel didn't answer and when Dean looked away to gaze at the night-sky too he heard the flutter of wings at his side and the angel was gone.

He took a deep breath and walked back to Bobby and Sam. He needed to eat and shower and sleep, Bobby needed to get his shoulder fixed and there was nothing left here to do.

'Let's hit the road' he said as he arrived. The other two agreed immediately and they started walking out from among the graves. They almost reached the Impala – not a scratch on her thank-God – and the van when someone called out to them.

'Hey guys!' they turned around and it was Éli, still looking young and healthy, with that big-ass steel-golem standing behind him. 'Anyone can give me a ride?' he asked. Dean looked at him, then at the golem.

'Sure man, but you gotta leave the Transformer though.' Éli just blinked at him with a blank face and yeah, he hated technology he wouldn't get a reference like that. And that thought made Dean's mind turn to Cas again, wondering whether he was ok or is he ever gonna come back to Earth again. He sucked at goodbyes, so maybe he was gone for a long time again, or for good. Dean pointed at the golem for Éli to get it. The mage shrugged.

'No problem' he said and slammed a hand to the metal, the next second the golem fell into pieces and the metal sank into the ground like it was shifting sand or water. Then he looked expectantly at Dean again.

'And you're riding in the back with my hound' he said again as he opened the driver's side door.

'Your what?' Sam asked, his eyes growing wide in horror. Dean just smiled before he got in.

Epilogue

Cicero, Indiana

Sam sat down back to his chair after he opened his new bottle of beer. When Dean first told him what they're gonna do he seriously thought that he was nuts, but hearing that this is not the first time, well it still sounded way more than bizarre. His brother sat next to him with a beer in one hand and his cell phone in the other, typing a message. He looked peaceful and Sam was more than glad to see him this way. He took a refreshing sip from his cold beer and leaned back, relaxing, it was a good feeling. Castiel on the other hand was sitting stiffly on his chair, and looked anything but relaxed. Although it was really hard to tell how relaxed he actually was, since the angel's posture was always rather stark. The only time Sam saw him sitting loosely was when he finished a liquor-store, and that was also not something he could've called 'relaxed'. So here they were having – as Dean called it – their "We stopped the Apocalypse Again" party. This was, all things considered, really an awesome thing.

'Smug bastard' Dean muttered still looking at his phone and Sam had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

'What is it?' he asked, because Dean's gonna start talking about it anyway.

'Crowley' Dean answered and it was nothing surprising by now. 'Do research' Dean said. 'He's fucking telling me to 'do research'. Not like he couldn't just answer the freakin' question.'

Of course. The only reason Dean ever texted the demon was Aphrodite. Sam couldn't see the hound, he was only aware of her presence if she came really close or if Dean touched her, and it was still way beyond creepy. He knew her size, approximately, and knew how she looked like since Dean told him, but a huge invisible hound, it was creepy, the fact that Dean treated her presence as it was nothing out of the ordinary was also quite weird. It was not usually like his brother to just accept some supernatural creature that's stalking him. When he asked Dean just said that she's fine, totally dependable. A supernatural guard-dog, as Sam labelled it, what else could a hunter need, right? But it was not like he could do anything about it, so he just had to put up with the fact that she's there, always next to Dean. Alright it was somewhat reassuring, especially after Dean told him how Aphrodite overpowered an angel to save him. He did wonder though how Lisa put up with all-things-Dean that entered her life.

'Don't you think he has better things to do, then tell you how to keep a supernatural hound?' Sam asked him.

'Doing what?' Dean turned to him. 'All hellgates are closed, no demons out there to hunt him and he has his ass secured from Heaven with that non-aggression clause. He's just being a bastard.' Sam smiled.

'He is a demon' he told him.

'He's a lazy bastard and probably drinking bourbon in some Las Vegas casino with Éli' Dean answered. Sam thought that it was a pretty accurate guess. Éli seemed like he wanted to enjoy his re-magic youth, back in the car-ride from Lawrence, when Sam asked him what happened. Éli just shrugged saying 'I was in a bad mood, shitty century, now I'm better'. And the fact that the mage seemed to change his own body depending on his mood was astonishing. Sam accepted way before that despite all his crazy quirks that Éli was really someone powerful, but when he appeared in the cemetery young and strong with his golems, Sam changed that to someone un-fucking-believably powerful. The fact that he was hanging out with Crowley only came to light a few days later.

'I believe he just enjoys angering you' Cas suggested.

'Thank you Captain Obvious' Dean said. 'I know that' he added as Cas just kept looking at me.

'Then why does it still anger you? If you know that it is his intention?' the angel asked then.

'You better not get into it Cas' Sam said. 'It's better if you don't, trust me.' Castiel seemed to consider this, and then he nodded and drank from his beer again. Dean was typing a new message. If Dean wouldn't kick his ass for even assuming it, he would say that his brother enjoyed arguing with Crowley, or he just liked to know that the demon was behaving, maybe it really was just the Blackhound, or Dean allowed Crowley to try getting on his good side for getting Sam out of the Cage. It was no way of figuring it out for sure.

Lisa came out of the house with a tray of sandwiches in her hands, but her face was pissed and not cheerful. She put down the tray onto the table behind Sam, Dean and Cas before turning to the angel.

'Cas. There are three polar-bears in pink tutus dancing around in my kitchen' she said, her voice was annoyed, which was no surprise by now and Sam tried his best not to start smiling. He glanced at Dean and saw that his brother was doing the same, with lot less success. Castiel actually rolled his eyes at her statement, before taking a large breath.

'Gabriel' he said a bit loud. The archangel appeared right next to them, with Ben thrown over one of his shoulders.

'What? We were just upgrading this party to an epic level' he said grinning, then he turned Ben around to look at him. 'Right big guy?'

Ben seemed more than excited, and was also grinning. The archangel put him down.

'Yeah! Gabe's gonna make me some tigers next!' he said and he looked more energized than he would've been on Christmas morning.

'Gabriel!' Lisa exclaimed putting her arms around her chest and Sam needed to try really hard not to smile. Dean wasn't so lucky; he started chuckling quietly as he tried to hide his face behind his beer bottle. Sam knew that he was gonna start laughing too, and very soon as he looked at Lisa's expression and Gabriel's grin. It was on, in grand total this was the third round today of – what Sam called – the epic battle of Lisa and Gabriel.

'Relax' Gabriel flicked with his hand. 'Just some fun. Totally harmless. They're gonna be awesome.'

'Doesn't beat the slow dancing aliens' Dean said as he could stop his chuckling for a second, it turned out to be bad move, since Lisa looked at him.

'You're not helping' she said seriously. Dean hid behind his beer again, but his shaking shoulders gave him away and Sam also couldn't help but laugh, even if he tried to stop it. Gabriel was also laughing, he did it openly, probably remembering that old prank. And Sam had to realize, the three of them had an inside joke, it was weird, fun, but weird.

'Oh come on' the archangel looked at Lisa again. 'They're not even real, not really.'

'Right, like the mess I have in the living room from the not real Star Wars battle that took place?'

'It's not like I can't fix that' Gabriel said.

'No tigers!' Lisa said pointing a finger at him. The first two rounds were won by Lisa. Gabriel stepped down and stopped doing whatever crazy shit he was doing, but it seemed like he won't budge this time, he grinned. Sam really couldn't decide where to put all this. Was it just Gabriel messing around and Lisa being unfortunate enough, because she couldn't ignore him as perfectly as the Winchesters? Maybe. They kept glaring for a few moments at each other, before Lisa's face turned determined and she leaned a bit to the side to look past Gabriel, a dangerously satisfied smile appeared on her face. Gabriel turned around to follow her line of vision, to see that she was looking at Castiel. Gabriel switched his eyes from one another, before looking at Lisa again, with an expression of great indignation.

'No! That's not fair, you can't gang up with Castiel!' he said it like Lisa was breaking the rules of the game they were playing.

'Oh, really?' Lisa asked still smiling and raising an eyebrow, she looked back at Cas again. 'Can I?' she asked. Gabriel turned his head back to stare at the other angel.

'I see no obstacle to it' he said. Lisa's face turned smug, while Gabriel's turned into an over-dramatized expression of hurt shock.

'No tigers!' Lisa repeated.

'Traitor' Gabriel told Cas, and boy could he pout if he wanted to. Sam and Dean were both laughing at the face he made, like a kid whose toy was taken away. Then Gabriel threw his head back with once again a rather theatrical gesture saying 'Fine!' he looked at Lisa. 'The house's gonna be fine, no tigers.' And it was Ben's turn to pout.

'But mom!' he objected.

'Ah, don't sweat it kid, we lost this round, it's time to admit defeat' Gabriel told him. 'You can still play with the game-console'

'Right, cool' Ben agreed and he rushed towards the house.

'You are corrupting my son' Lisa told him, but this time she was not really pissed. Gabriel just laughed. Sam had to admit Lisa's worry was understandable, especially after the approximately twenty minutes long little show Ben pulled off asking Castiel to let Joey come back. The entire scene just reeked of Gabriel, probably that made Cas switch over to Lisa's side.

'Okay-okay' Gabriel said, putting his hands in the air in defeat. 'I'm done for today, relax.'

Sam had the impression, especially since Lisa won all three rounds so far, that Gabriel probably had a soft spot for women. He couldn't remember any female victim from his Trickster days, only guys and there were of course the earth-bound. Sam didn't actually know them, he didn't even speak with any of them, but two of them already dropped by randomly just today with some trivial matter. First it was the red-haired angel – Nathaniel if Sam remembered correctly – asking Gabriel to do something about some Seraph who was pissing her off, because she was gonna torch him if he didn't quit being a dick. Gabriel was only gone for about ten or fifteen minutes, problem solved. Then two hours later it was the blond-one – Azrael – telling him about Sammael sitting on some cliff in Greenland refusing to speak with anyone but Gabriel. It turned out she didn't like it that the lower-rank angels of the garrisons were afraid of her. This time it took Gabriel almost an hour before he got back to Cicero. When Dean asked why Gabriel was dealing with stuff like that instead of Cas, the angel told him that the earth-bound would not listen to him anyway and that Gabriel would insist on handling every problem concerning them. So yeah, Sam had the feeling that Gabriel had a soft spot for women, or he had a strong big brother vein if it came to little sisters or anyone who could be considered as one, thus his constant mischief to drive Lisa up the wall, then making it better by playing nice. He probably tested the waters, seeing how much guts Lisa had. He was weird, but he was there, and somehow both Sam and Dean and even Lisa put up with his bullshit, even if he was still more annoying than anything.

'I see that because of the evil conspiracy that was formed behind my back' Gabriel spoke again, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jacket. 'I need to do some penitence, showing how very sorry I am.'

'Such as?' Lisa asked while she sat down next to Dean. Oh and she looked even more smug than before.

'I've been thinking in gifts' the archangel said.

'That sounds more like bribe than penitence' Lisa said. Sam couldn't help but chuckle again; Dean on the other hand looked at Lisa with pride and amazement. Fair enough, who else could tell that their girlfriend engaged a battle of wills with an archangel?

'Just think of something' Gabriel said. 'It's a symbol, y'know. Peace-offering' he said. 'I'm good at that, I'm sure you know it.' Lisa took a sip from Dean's beer after he offered before looking at the archangel considering it.

'Whether you are or not, I haven't heard about it yet' she said.

'C'mon, you must've. It's even in the Gospel, back when I first had the pleasure of encountering Winchesters.'

'What gospel?' Lisa asked in surprise.

'The Winchester Gospel' Gabriel answered before Dean could interrupt. Lisa's eyes widened in amazement, while Dean buried his face in his hand.

'There's a Winchester Gospel?' Lisa asked completely baffled then he looked at Dean. 'Why haven't I heard about this before? What kind of gospel is it?'

'It's nothing, really' Dean answered.

'It's a book series' Gabriel supplied helpfully; he was probably trying to piss Dean of right now, since he obviously noticed the elder Winchester's reaction. 'It's called Supernatural. It's cool, we're all in it. Sam and Dean, Castiel and me, even you and Ben' he said, then with a smile he added. 'Do you want the published ones?' he asked.

'That is a good peace-offering' Lisa said. Gabriel just snapped his fingers with another grin.

'It's already on the bookshelf' he said. Dean groaned he was anything but happy about it.

'Gotta check out the oven' Lisa said then as she went back to the house, completely ignoring Dean's attempts at protesting against the books.

'Perfect, just perfect' Dean said, then he glared at the archangel. 'I have freakin' ex-girlfriends written down in that fucking book, with every single detail' he said. Gabriel just shrugged.

'She would've found out about it eventually' Gabriel said. Sam was frowning, something was not right, just something…

'Wait a second' he said looking at Gabriel too. 'Cas is not in the gospel. The last book is 'No Rest For The Wicked', and it ends with Dean going to Hell. We haven't met Cas before that.' That's what was bugging him; it was not like Gabriel to make a mistake like that.

'No' Gabriel said. 'The last book is 'Lazarus Rising' and it starts with Dean crawling out of his grave, there are plenty of chapters with Castiel in it.

'A new book was published?' Sam asked in horror, because that was just so not cool. Dean nearly exploded.

'No fucking way!' he cursed.

'Yes way' Gabriel said. 'It was published a few months ago' Dean started fuming, draining his beer bottle then he jumped up once again cell phone in his hand.

'I'm gonna fucking kill him' he muttered as he waited with his phone at his ear. There were a few moments, before Dean shouted. 'I'm gonna fucking kill you Chuck!'

Sam was not surprised at his brother's reaction, but he was frowning at Gabriel's eyes widening then staring at Dean in amusement.

'No!' Dean shouted in the phone. 'Don't you fucking give me the food and shelter crap! We said no more books, and by that we meant, that no more fucking books, Chuck!'

Gabriel burst out into a loud laughter at that, squeezing his eyes shut and leaning on his knees. Sam saw him laughing many times, but never so uncontrollably. Dean also turned a little and looked at the archangel like he was crazy. Castiel's eyes narrowed too maybe he also thought that Gabriel suddenly went mad. The archangel then looked up at Dean, his eyes were teary from laughter and he was taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

'What?' Dean asked him.

'Ask him whether he thinks that you deserve to meet God' Gabriel said.

'Huh?' Dean looked at the archangel in confusion.

'Just ask him whether he thinks that you, Sam and Castiel deserve to meet God or not' Gabriel repeated and all three of them were staring at him puzzled. Dean repeated the question to the phone anyway, even if he didn't understand what was going on. He waited for the answer.

'Chuck?' he asked after a few moments. 'Hey Chuck!' Sam was about to ask what happened, when everything stopped.

The trees, the birds, and the wind they just froze. All sound was gone in a second, not even the clouds were moving in the sky anymore. Castiel stood up immediately and Dean lowered his phone as well, both he and Sam were looking around in alert.

'You really are a trickster, aren't you Gabriel?' came a voice from the porch. The Winchesters turned around to see Chuck standing there. In dark jeans a white shirt, hands in his pockets. Gabriel chuckled then shrugged.

'I'm sure I got it from you Dad' he said with a cheeky grin, rolling on his heels. He had the perfect expression of the cat that ate the canary. Dean dropped his cell phone, but probably was not even aware of it. Sam was just staring with wide eyes, completely incapable of uttering a word. And Castiel, he was first looking at Gabriel, then turned his attention towards Chuck and was just looking.

'You do realize' Chuck said as he walked closer. 'That none of you will remember this unless I want you to' he didn't stop by him but walked to the table and poured himself a drink. Sam wasn't sure, and his brain cells were not working properly right now, but he didn't remember having any scotch out here. But then again, hello? God.

'Ah, come on Dad, be a good sport and throw us a bone' Gabriel told him, still wearing his satisfied grin. Chuck turned around and looked at him he seemed to be thinking about it, tilting his head from one side to the other lightly a few times. He raised his hand and pointed a finger at Gabriel, still holding his glass.

'And you are getting way too shameless' he told the archangel, and Gabriel grinned again.

'Oh my God!' Sam exclaimed. It was a bit late reaction, but this was the time he needed to get his brain-functions under control again. Gabriel laughed again.

'Exactly' he said. Chuck turned to look at Sam and Dean and Cas, and he sighed. He pushed himself away from the table and walked over to the chair Cas was sitting before. He looked at them again after he sat down.

'Okay' he said then. 'Now I could say "Let's hear it" and listen, but I already know what you would say so it's better if you just listen instead.'

None of them reacted; it was not really a question whatsoever. Chuck took a sip from his drink before he started talking again.

'There are things in this world that change, but also those which are constant. Humanity always changes, while staying the same in general. And all pieces form one whole… Gabriel?' he raised his glass towards the archangel.

'Perfection in imperfection' Gabriel said immediately, probably quoted what he heard many times before.

'And believe it or not' Chuck continued. 'Not everything happens for a reason. But there are things which are iron-clad. And no, I'm not talking about destiny, but the contrary… Gabriel?'

'Free Will of choice is the most precious of gifts one can receive, but it must be earned, and it's always the harder path.' It was certain now that Gabriel quoted, probably his Father's words. He must've said it before, to others as he was the Messenger.

'And it always comes with a price' Chuck added. 'But I don't need to explain it to you. You learned that the hardest way. You fought and succeeded.'

There was silence after these words and Sam saw as his brother was shaking lightly. He couldn't tell whether it was anger, fear or something else.

'Is this some game for you?' he asked. His voice was shaky, barely kept under control, it was still way more than Sam could've managed.

'No' Chuck smiled lightly. 'It's the world as it is supposed to be' He said.

'Perfection in imperfection' Castiel said, looking at his side, slightly at the ground, frowning, obviously trying to understand, and he probably did.

Chuck stayed silent for a while before standing up and emptying his glass, Gabriel took it from him. He turned to look at the archangel and kept his gaze on him for a little while before looking at Castiel.

'Gabriel' he said, while still looking at Cas. 'This' He turns back with raised eyebrows. 'Is not what I meant when I told you to help.' Gabriel's eyes flicked to Cas for a glance. Castiel visibly paled, and it was one of the most intense emotional reactions Sam ever saw on the angel. Gabriel on the other hand furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. Utter defiance written all over his face. He and Chuck kept staring at each other and Gabriel's face turned more stubborn as the seconds passed by.

Sam had to admit that it was pretty brave – or stupid, it depends – from Gabriel to defy God (GOD!) this openly, if that was what the staring match was about. Dean informed him very – very, very – briefly about Cas and Gabriel ('It's not that weird. They're not actually guys, and they're not brothers like that, right?' – Dean said that time, he obviously ran it through his head a couple of times to come to terms with it).

A small smile appeared on Chuck's face, while Gabriel looked like he was about to start throwing a tantrum. Then Chuck shrugged and looked away.

'But what can I do?' Gabriel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'Free Will and all that' Chuck continued. 'It wouldn't be exactly smart to rebel against myself, right?' he asked turning to Gabriel again.

The archangel pinched the bridge of his nose while he squeezed his eyes shut. Chuck's smile turned into a grin.

'You're giving me a headache' Gabriel said and Chuck started laughing, the archangel opened his eyes. 'Seriously, driving me crazy right now' then he took a deep breath. 'Wait… free will?' he asked after his Father's words sank in. Chuck sobered, only a little smile stayed.

'It's not like you haven't achieved it high-handedly already. And let's be honest… You earned it' He looked at Castiel at that, His smile growing just a little wider. 'Okay then… play nice kids.'

And He was gone, time starting again in the moment of his departure. Sam just slumped back down on his chair simply blinking. Dean sat down slowly staring in front of him. Cas looked like he froze to the spot he was standing in. Sam saw as Gabriel dragged him back to his chair then pushed him down by his shoulders taking away his beer after that.

There was something in the back of his mind again that nagged him to come to surface.

'But is He going to come back to Heaven? Did we do the right thing? What is with the angels who died? Free will for us or all angels?' the younger Winchester heard Castiel asking.

'Don't' Gabriel said. 'He never answers but questions He wants to and it's impossible to guess what He's gonna do' he took a large swig from his beer when Sam finally realized what was the thing nagging him in his mind.

'My fangirl dated God.'

Gabriel spit out his beer and started coughing violently, while Castiel just turned towards him with eyes wide open, complete shock on his face. Dean started laughing despite of himself and Sam joined him a second later.

~THE END~