They appeared in a flurry of limbs and brightly colored feathers.

As soon as his feet his solid ground he was out on the attack in the defensive. Gabriel shoved away from his brothers, even going so far as to burn Lucifer's hand when he refused to let go. The Morning Star withdrew quickly after that hissing as his hand sizzled from the contact.

His brother was like a feral animal as they backed him into a corner.

Michael cupped Dean's head and forced them both down as a sharp edged wing glided over the spot their heads had been in moments ago. He had the vague feeling that had the Archangel not had the reflexes he did that he would have just lost his mind. Literally.

"Gabriel! Gabriel, brother, you need to calm down!"

Raphael had his hands held out in front of him carefully.

"It hurts? It has to hurt? Let me help you!"

A green sort of energy was bubbling around his outstretched hands and the Archangel in question eyeballed them carefully. It wasn't until they had gotten closer that the two Wincehsters got a good look at the Archangel who started the Pagan Apocalypse. All comments and stabs that Dean had prepared on his tongue faltered at the mere sight.

Sam gagged.

Not only was his lips sewn shut, sloppily he might add, but half of his face was clearly melted right off. Muscle and tendons and veins hung from the bones in the skull like little bits of tuft and string. It was as painful as it looked, it was making even a war-hardened Archangel cry. Tears, most likely salty, were dripping from his red eyes down into the melted side of his face which probably did not help.

Salt and open wounds.

They do not mix well.

While his face was obviously the focus point it was clear that it was not the only injury to be noted. He had a visible limp where he swayed back and forth pacing in a small cautious line. His arm was favored as he held it close to his stomach and it was bent in a way that no arm was ever meant to be bent in.

He was as skittish as a frightened animal hyped up on primordial juices.

Gabriel, The Archangel, and mind numbing terror was two things that should never mix.

Raphael took a step forward ignoring Lucifer and Michael's warnings to wait and whispered to the injured angel softly to let him help. Gabriel spit and threw his head around but made no moves to keep his brother from advancing. Hands caressed the side of his face not melted off and the back of his neck.

The dark toned archangel knew exactly what he was doing.

He leaned in close and whispered so softly in was almost silent.

"Let me help you Sunshine."

Gabriel looked torn between shoving his brother away or tackling him as best as he could in a hug. He settled for the latter, whining he reached out for the elder archangel and his brother obliged.

"Oh, little hummingbird, what have they done to you?"

Tears continued to fall from his bloodshot eyes as his brothers hands enveloped his, he was pulled as close as he could be as to not disturb the wounds to his face and any others that might have been out of sight, Gabriel whined out of either pain or impatience to fix the pain, perhaps both, and gave those hands a tug to get a move on. Raphael made a soft sound from deep in his chest as he took in the damage up close, eyes going over every inch to see everything they could and take note every detail.

Someone had tortured his youngest brother and he wanted to know every fine detail so he may turn this back on whomever had dared to start it.

"I can fix it", electric blue eyes turned to meet their golden counterpart and one hand let go to brush the back of its fingers against the smooth skin that had not been melted away, "I can fix it."

Gabriel choked and clutched on his hands as tight as he could, so much so that his knuckles popped from the exertion, Raphael lifted a blood covered hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.

"I can make it better."

He got a small nod for his effort and the hands tightened around his once again, Raphael matched the grip with one of his own as he turned to face the others, spitting out demands and action.

"I need a table, a counter, something flat to lay him on."

Sam nodded, eyes transfixed on the trickster archangel, his eyes downcast and clutching the older archangels hand like that of a scared child after gaining security after having had a mind numbing night terror. This was so unlike the trickster archangel that he was used to seeing, laughing and shining.

"Now Winchester."

Nodding again Sam turned and they followed as he showed them the way to the Library, that table should be big enough. Michael and Lucifer silently helped the elder hunter in clearing away the books, papers, and lamps from the table. Tossing a blanket over the cool oak Sam backed away as Raphael guided the skittish angel to lay on the table with a gentleness he had never thought that the archangel would possess.

"Raphael was the gentlest angel in Heaven, once."

He jumped at the sudden appearance of Michael at his side, the commander nodded when they made eye contact, and he moved to help in anyway that he could. Raphael ignored them all for the moment leaning over the side of the table, a hand pressed to Gabriel's good cheek, whispering something down to him in enochian.

There was never a verbal response to whatever he had said but Gabriel gave a soft huff and another low whine.

"Raphael, brother, how may we be of help?"

Turning, he gazed at the other two archangels for a moment, before taking lead again.

"Lucifer he responds best to you, stay at his head, talk to him, tell him stories, anything, just distract him."

The blonde angel nodded and moved to do as he was directed, leaning over the table at Gabriel's head and whispered something down to him, what he had said exactly was something that remained between the two of them but it was something that made the bound lips twist as best as they could into a semblance of a smile. A hand pet his hair back softly as they talked back and forth, well, Lucifer talked, Gabriel stared up at him encaptured by whatever he was saying.

"Michael he has told me some of the damage we cannot see, though it does not worry me as much as his face does, he has holes in his feet and," he made a face in disgust unable to go on, "Least to say they got creative."

"Holes in his feet?", Dean voiced his presence for the first time since they had tumbled into their living room.

Raphael spared him a pained glance and nodded once, "They were trying to crucify him when he broke free. All of this came before."

"What do you need of me?"

Turning back to Michael he pulled him away a bit to keep him out of hearing range for Gabriel, Lucifer's soft voice still floating around the room as he told a story from their childhood. The elder archangel took on a look that was down right murderous but he awaited Raphael's order as to what he should do.

"First I need to get the thread free from his lips and then begin growing the skin back on his face."

"What can I do to help you brother?"

For a moment it looked like the Healer had lost his steam, Michael set a hand on his shoulder and they shared a look, then he snapped right back into it.

"I need to fetch some things from my workshop, but I need you and Lucifer to get him to calm as much as you can."

"We won't let you down little brother."

He nodded and left them in a hurry, Gabriel seemingly heard the near silent ruffle of Raphael's wings, he turned away from Lucifer's distractions and his brow furrowed in confusion. He had promised not to leave! He'd promised not to make it better again!

And what did he do?

He left!

Sam made a sound of alarm when the broken messenger tried to push himself up and Michael and Lucifer gathered around him to hold him steady against the table he'd been placed on.

"I'm gone for not even a minute and you two can't keep him still?"

Raphael walks up from Sam's right, the hunter jumps in surprise and it amuses him, a bag draped over a shoulder full of odd colored jars and other exotic plants. Setting the bag on the side of the table he leaned over Gabriel's head and wrapped a hand under his chin forcing him to look up. Something was passed between them and he gave a light scratch to the underside of his brother's chin.

"I'm going to take off your shoes, alright?"

Gabriel nodded and settled down as his voice floated in his ears and Lucifer returned to tell him more stories.

Hands steady he pulled the left shoe and then the right, socks following soon after, just as he had said there was holes in the middle of his foot. Straight through and when Raphael pulled his toes back slightly to peer at it the line shined through.

"Pass me the pouch in my bag."

Michael leaned over to hand over the aforementioned pouch and returned to rubbing his hands over Gabriel's upper arm. Scooping out a large finger full of this violet goop and rubbed it all over the wound and wrapped it up in bandages before moving to the next.

With that out of the way he turned and focused his attentions on Gabriel's face.

"I'm not going to lie to you little brother, this is going to hurt, perhaps very badly."

Gabriel whined and shook his head, he was putting all his faith in this guy and here he was going to have to live through the pain again as the original damage was fixed? No thank you. He tries to pull away this time but doesn't get very far.

"No little brother."

But the hands pull him back and steady him against the table.

His eyes fill with tears as Raphael leans over him and the glint of a small knife flashes in the light.

"I am going to snip the stitches, but you need to sit as still as you can."

There's sudden tension against the stitching keeping his mouth closed and a snip as the first one is cut.

Four down and finally he opens his mouth as best as he can, and he screams.