.-.-.-.-.
Bitten
.-.-.-.-.

Two days earlier…

Sam had Dean slung over the saddle in front of him as the horse galloped into town. Dean groaned in pain, and Sam winced as he slowed the horse to a trot. The hospital was on the other side of town, but the sign for the mad scientist was down the next alley. He quickly made up his mind as he dismounted and led his horse to a post. He began to pull Dean off the saddle when a large, black nose blocked his view.

'Baby, move!' he said, pushing the horse's face aside. He gathered Dean into his arms and turned toward the alley. He took a few steps and turned back when he heard the horse follow. 'No, Baby! Stay with Charger. Stay!'

'Sam…Sam, it's no use,' Dean slurred, tapping his bitten hand against Sam's chest.

Sam shook his head in denial. 'No, it's not,' he insisted. 'You're gonna hate me later, but at least you'll be alive to hate me.'

He jogged down the alley to the next dirt road and looked for the next sign. Across the way was a small, two-story building nestled between a feed store and a hat shop. The sign that hung above the door proudly declared it was a 'Toy Shoppe.' One of the O's had been replaced by a heart. A heart that looked suspiciously similar to the alchemic symbol for vitriol.

Sam hurried across the road then banged open the door, surprising the man that sat behind the counter. He didn't miss how the man quickly wiped everything off the counter, sending the various items clattering to the floor.

'I need your help!' Sam said as he set Dean's feet on the ground and propped him against the wall.

'I think you need a doctor,' the man said, pushing his hair back as he looked between Sam and Dean. 'He doesn't look well…'

'Look, I know what you are!'

'I'm a toy maker! I make toys! A doll's not gonna help your friend,' the man insisted. He jumped as the door to the back opened.

'Gabriel? What's going on?' the newcomer asked.

'Cas, go back to what you were doing. I got this,' Gabriel said.

Sam looked over the new man. There was a lot of blood on the man's hands. 'Is it you?' he asked. 'I'm not here to turn anyone in. My brother needs help. Please!'

'Look, you crazy loon,' Gabriel shouted, drawing Sam's attention back to himself. 'Whatever you think is going on, isn't! Just leave!'

Sam glared at Gabriel and pulled out his gun. 'I tried to ask nicely, but I'm running out of time and options. Either you help him or—'

'Hey! Hey, leave that dumb dog alone, y' stupid…moose-crab…thing,' Dean said as he pushed off the wall.

'It's okay, he can handle himself,' Castiel said as he guided Dean to a chair. He lightly touched the stone skin on Dean's left hand before he pulled a small flashlight from his vest pocket and pointed it at Dean's eyes. 'When was he bitten?'

'Tha' feels nice,' Dean mumbled.

'About an hour ago,' Sam replied as he moved to Dean's side. 'Can you save him?'

Castiel turned off the light and nodded. 'The tourniquet bought you just enough time. I'll have to start right now.'

'Wow… You're a really pretty angel,' Dean said, staring into Castiel's eyes. 'Are there any rules 'gainst angels hookin' up with the dead?'

Castiel blinked in surprise and ignored the sniggers coming from his brother. He smiled softy at Dean. 'Everything is going to be all right,' he promised. He pulled off his tie and tightened it as much as he could around Dean's upper arm. He held out his hand, and Gabriel handed him a syringe.

'Is that a "yes"?' Dean asked. 'Since this is Heaven, it should so be a "yes".'

Castiel's smile widened as he stuck the needle in Dean's neck. 'Who knows?' he said as Dean slumped forward. 'Quickly, get him to the lab,' he said as he stood and led the way to the back of the shop.

Sam picked Dean up and followed Castiel through the back door and into a room that was decorated like any normal house. Castiel unlatched a small door that led under the stairs and ducked inside. Sam soon followed with Gabriel right on his heels the whole way as they moved into the cellar.

'You don't see any of this,' Gabriel said as he flicked a switch on the side of the wall, lighting up the small room.

Sam breathed in sharply. He had been expecting blood-spattered walls and grime on every surface. Odd-looking tools. Failed experiments. Something. Anything that would remind him that he was relying on the help of a mad scientist. The room was pristine. Aside from being underground, it looked like any other operating room. It looked…normal. 'What…'

'Set him on the table,' Castiel said as he moved to the sink and washed his hands free of the blood.

Gabriel put his arm out, blocking Castiel from approaching the table. 'First, we discuss payment.'

'Gabriel, there's no time,' Castiel said, pushing Gabriel aside.

Gabriel stumbled and huffed in indignation. 'Fine. You start, we talk. If we don't reach an agreement, then you stop.' He waited for Castiel's nod before looking up at Sam. 'All right, you tall and disgustingly handsome thing, what are you gonna give us in return for saving your stupid brother? Cockatrice bite is a tough save.'

Sam shrugged helplessly. If it came to it, they could probably sell the horses. Or, at least, his horse. 'We have about fifty dollars,' he said miserably. It probably wasn't enough.

'Should I stop?' Castiel asked offhandedly as he cut through Dean's shirt.

Gabriel rolled his eyes with a sigh. 'Okay, how 'bout you tell us where you were. Cockatrices ain't exactly common. Not 'round here.'

'We were…uh…'

'You're hunters. We know what you guys are, and you know what Cas is,' Gabriel said, waving his hand as Castiel. 'So, where were you?'

'We were following a lead on a Maddy,' Sam said, moving his arms helplessly.

The sound of scissors being embedded into the wood of a workbench echoed off the stone walls of the cellar.

'Cas?' Gabriel said warily, narrowing his eyes at Castiel's back.

Castiel turned around with an indifferent gaze, holding a bone saw. 'I'm fine,' he said tersely. 'I assume it was a lab?'

Sam nodded, keeping an eye on Castiel. He didn't think he wanted the man cutting into his brother. 'What are you doing?'

'The venom's already claimed his hand. Amputation is the only option,' Castiel replied. 'Whose lab?'

'H-his name is Azazel. He's wanted for—'

'A lot,' Castiel interrupted. He shared a look with Gabriel and nodded to the stairs. 'See what you can salvage from his lab. That will be the payment.'

Sam shook his head in confusion. 'Wait. You want his old equipment?'

'Equipment, tools, notes, anything,' Castiel replied, setting the saw next to Dean. 'He has created a few new strains of viruses. I would like to create some vaccines.'

Sam nodded as he let Gabriel take his arm and lead him back up the stairs. When they reached the living room, he let himself fall heavily onto the sofa and stared up at Gabriel. 'There's…a lot of stuff in that lab,' he said shakily. He couldn't get the image of the saw out of his head.

'Well, Cas wants stuff he can use,' Gabriel said as he sank down beside Sam, throwing his arm over the other's shoulders. 'You're gonna take me to that lab, then we'll pick over what's still there. Damn good deal. You're gettin' off easy, you majestic beast of a man.'

Sam looked at Gabriel out of the corner of his eye. 'I don't know if you're trying to flirt with me or comfort me,' he said eventually.

'Both? Here, we weren't properly introduced. I'm Gabriel, and my brother, Castiel, is fixing your brother right up,' Gabriel said as he rubbed his hand along Sam's back.

Sam scooted away, giving Gabriel an uncertain stare. 'Your brother is…is a Maddy!'

'And yet, you're letting him operate on your brother,' Gabriel pointed out.

'Like I have a choice,' Sam growled.

Gabriel gave Sam his space, but offered a small smile. 'Cas isn't that bad,' he insisted. 'He helps people. Honest. I saw how you looked at the lab… You were surprised. Not what you were expecting, right?'

Sam shook his head and looked away. 'Yeah. We usually see…'

'Human-animal hybrids?' Gabriel said with a laugh. 'Yeah…there's a reason Maddies have a bad name, but… A few bad apples don't ruin the whole bunch. I mean, there's plenty of crazy doctors out there… Everyone is capable of doin' crazy shit.'

'But they don't have the Darkness,' Sam said as he stood. 'They don't have those…' He gestured at his head as he paced the small living room. 'Normal crazy doesn't make people create automatons to do the killing for them! A bad doctor's not gonna bring you back as a monkey if he accidentally kills you!'

'Hey… That's what Zachariah did… Howler monkey, right?'

'Look, what I'm saying is that there is a difference between a normal criminal and a Mad criminal!' Sam said as he leaned on the fireplace mantle.

'And I'm saying there's a difference between a bad Maddy and a good one. Cas is a good one. Look at the wonders of today,' Gabriel said as he stood and slowly made his way next to Sam. 'The motorwagon? A Maddy created that. Motion pictures? Maddy. Aeroplane? Maddy, again. Clockwork prosthetics—which, I might add, you're brother's probably gonna have to get—well…a Maddy came up with that technology. Same with a lot of farm equipment. This is all stuff we're used to seeing and using.'

'The Massacre of 1829,' Sam said quietly. 'And 1830. '31. '32… All caused by Lillith before she even turned twelve. The…Deathbots in South Carolina… They still haven't found two of them. The acidic snails of Tennessee. The poisoned water supply in New Orleans. Over half the population died.'

'Not everyone was hurt,' Gabriel said. 'The vamps and weres made it out okay. And the wendigos…and the rugarus…uh… Non-humans. But a Maddy did come in time to cure the humans that were left. Um… Sorry. Continue.'

'Azazel's…special children…' Sam said, gripping the mantle tightly.

Gabriel's breath caught and he quickly looked away. 'Yeah… Those poor kids… But…that doesn't make all Maddies bad. I mean…they hurt other Maddies, too. No one's safe from…from the bad ones.'

'The good ones tend to register,' Sam said as he looked over at Gabriel. The noticed the shorter man was fidgeting nervously.

'Yeah… Barely a step above slavery, right?' Gabriel said bitterly. 'Constantly checking in… Getting approval to even look at a book. When they are allowed to make anything, the government takes it. Or whoever was rich enough to pay for their lab. Registered Maddies are clerks and pets. If they get a doctor position, they're kept on a short leash and aren't allowed do anything past part of a procedure. I thought we were past the whole slave thing. It's 1851! Monsters have rights, blacks have rights, women have rights, but Maddies? Just 'cuz there's way less of them doesn't mean you can just push 'em around! Why do they have to be treated as less than human?! 'Cuz there aren't any monsters out there with the Madness to tip the scale back?'

Sam sighed heavily and pushed off the mantle. He stared at the fireplace before nodding. 'Sorry,' he whispered. 'Dean and I… We lost our mother to a roaming experiment gone bad. Our dad tried to stop it, but…it got him, too.'

'And we lost our parents to a cave-in and pneumonia,' Gabriel said. 'Doesn't mean we avoid caves or have a panic attack at the first sign of a cough.'

'That's a little different. You can't prevent—'

'And you can't prevent a person going crazy. It's about ten percent of Maddies that are unstable. Less, if you consider how many that aren't even registered. Passing as normal,' Gabriel pointed out. When Sam faced him again, he held out his hand. 'Let's try this again. Hi. I'm Gabriel. I make toys.'

Sam looked down and took Gabriel's hand, giving it a quick shake. 'Sam. Sam Winchester.'

'The Winchester boys… At least I know you won't let me get killed while we're looting Azazel's lab.'

.-.-.-.-.

The ride to the lab had been spent in relative silence. Sam rode on Dean's horse, and Gabriel rode on Charger. Sam was thankful for the lack of conversation.

Shortly before they had left, Castiel had emerged from the cellar, declaring the operation was going to take more time than he had originally anticipated. He had let Sam see Dean before effectively shooing Sam and Gabriel out the door with the promise that Dean was going to be perfectly fine.

Sam's thoughts dwelled on the image of Dean's missing hand. The stump of where his wrist was, covered in bloodied gauze.

They reached the dilapidated cabin in the middle of a sparsely wooded area next to a small creek and dismounted.

'This is it,' Sam said quietly. 'I had to leave our wagon here.' He gestured to a small nomadic wagon that sat a few yards away from the cabin's entrance. 'That should make bringing things back easier.'

Gabriel clapped Sam on the back as he walked up to the front porch. 'Great! Let's get started, huh?'

'Yeah. And be careful. Don't touch anything. Azazel booby-trapped the place,' Sam said as he followed Gabriel through the door.

Gabriel snorted softly as he kicked at a pile of debris. 'I've been in a lab before,' he said. 'I live with a Maddy. I know how to navigate this crap.' A small, wooden box with an intricately carved family crest caught his attention. He walked up to box, ignoring Sam's warnings to be careful. As he stared at the box, he noticed that there were a few worn spots on the left and right side. He reached out and placed his fingers over each spot and applied pressure.

And then he was thrown back a few feet by a small explosion of flame and dust. He blinked in surprise as he realized that he wasn't laying on the ground. Sam had caught him and was holding him up by his arms. He was fortunate in that the blast went out the back end of the box. Out of its side, a charred coil bounced. Beneath the soot, he could make out the glint of copper. He looked up and grinned embarrassedly. 'Right. Don't touch anything. Got it.'

Sam shook his head as he righted Gabriel and moved to the back of the room. 'Let's just get this done, all right?'

Gabriel nodded as he followed Sam through a hole in the back wall. 'So, uh, why were you guys after Azazel? I know he's got a nice price on his head, but is it really worth the risk?' Gabriel asked. They headed down a set of stone steps, and he slipped, barely managing to catch himself on Sam's arm.

'It's…a little personal,' Sam quietly replied. There was more than one instance where Azazel had invaded his life. He settled on the one that would draw the least amount of attention. 'That roving experiment?'

'Oh… Yeah. Sorry. Um… If it's any consolation, he created that strain of pneumonia that got my mom,' Gabriel said as he looked around the dank cellar they now occupied. There were three open doors, one on each wall. 'Geez. Would it hurt him to clean up the place? How did he get any work done?'

Sam glanced down at Gabriel before heading to the door on the left. 'I don't make it a habit to ask.'

'Well, I mean…from a toymaker standpoint. Gotta know where everything is. And take Cas. His workspace is immaculate. He thinks I'm messy!' Gabriel said as he entered the small lab just behind Sam. He looked around the dimly lit room in dismay. It had looked like the good doctor had left in a hurry and had taken everything truly useful. To the untrained eye, there was plenty left for scavengers.

'What do you—' Sam caught Gabriel as the other tripped over the solidified carcass of the cockatrice. 'You really need to stop doing that. Do you wanna wait outside?'

'Not if I keep ending up in your arms,' Gabriel happily replied. He pouted as Sam's hands left him. 'Right, okay, so uh… Just grab his journals and notes…and anything that doesn't look broken. Or broken. I'll sort it all out.'

'Right. Stay here,' Sam said, pointing at the work bench where Dean had been slumped hours earlier. 'I'll bring everything to you, and you can decide what to keep.'

'That's gonna…' Gabriel trailed off as his thoughts caught up with his mouth. He was going to complain about how long Sam's plan would take, but the longer it took, the more alone time he'd get with the taller man. 'That works just dandy,' he said as he obediently sat on the bench and watched Sam move through the room.

As Sam brought various items and books to him, Gabriel had to keep his mouth shut. Everything was useless. Maybe he would be able to salvage pieces for his own work, but nothing would work for anything that Castiel liked to make. Castiel had to have known it would be like this. He must have been desperate if he was sending Gabriel on this wild goose chase. He thought Castiel was getting on just fine. That he had adapted well. Even Chompy was tolerable most of the time. Sometimes, even a little fun to be around.

Sam brought over a small gadget with ornate, gold filigree, and Gabriel turned it over in his hands. Who would leave something so valuable? He immediately thought of his brother's 'Chompy' personality. Some Maddies didn't comprehend value. Or have their priorities sorted. Had he known looting the abandoned labs of Maddies gone…mad would be so lucrative, he would have started ages ago.

But how did one get into the Maddy-hunting business? His eyes slowly shifted up to Sam's back. Sam was in the business. Maybe he could give some pointers.

'So…how did you and Dean-o get into the whole…hunter-thing?' he asked innocently as he rearranged his piles, placing precious metals and anything Castiel might be able to salvage in one pile, and everything else in another.

'Well…after our parents died, we were placed in an orphanage,' Sam replied. He turned around, his arms full with a large stack of heavy tomes, and noticed that Gabriel had moved certain objects around. He set the books on the bench and turned back to the shelving to pull more books. 'I was… We ran away, and…well, one thing led to another, and we just…fell into it.'

'How do you fall into hunting?' Gabriel asked. He flipped through a book. It was standard mad scientist stuff: human anatomy, reanimating dead tissue, proper disposal of reanimated dead tissue being a menace… He recalled a rat he had brought back to life when he was ten. It chased a family of squirrels out of a tree and ate the tree. He was glad that he had performed the resurrection several miles outside of town so that no one would connect the incident to him. He was quite proud that he was able to exist undetected.

'We were…running away and fell into a wendigo's lair. An old mineshaft,' Sam said with a small smile. 'Barely escaped with our lives, but…we got out and ran into a hunter on his way in. I think he felt sorry for us. He took us in. Fed us, clothed us…just…took care of us. Dean started going on jobs with him and picked up on the trade. A few years later, I joined them. And then…Azazel resurfaced. So we've been following his trail ever since.'

Gabriel nodded. It sounded pretty similar to his own life story. No parents. A brother he had to take care of. The whole reason he and his brother were in the nearby town was because they were trying to intercept Azazel. Apparently, they had picked the right place, but they had been expecting Azazel to come around in another two months. He was already long gone. At least they knew for certain that their calculations had been close. They could do it again. They could be patient.

'What about you two?' Sam asked, setting another stack of books next to Gabriel.

'Cas showed signs pretty early that he was a Maddy,' Gabriel said. 'Mom… Dad was already dead. Cave-in at the mine. So it was just Mom and us. She didn't want Cas to be taken away, so we just started moving around. Every time someone would start to get suspicious, we'd pack up and leave. Then she got sick. I was twelve at the time, and Cas was barely seven. A lot of people in that town died.'

He lightly stroked a book's cover, wondering if he had given too much information. He didn't even know if anyone knew just how specialized Azazel's strain of pneumonia was. The only survivors were carriers of the Madness. In the aftermath, Azazel had swept through town and collected a handful of Maddies to be test subjects. His brother included.

'Has it…just been you two?' Sam asked, pulling Gabriel from his thoughts.

Gabriel nodded. He looked up when Sam's hand landed lightly on his shoulder. 'We've just kept moving ever since. Gonna have to pack up here soon, too. The magistrate's been givin' Cas some pretty hard stares…'

'I'm sorry.'

'Not your fault.'

'Dean and I… We move around a lot, but at least we have somewhere to go back to. Someone that cares that we're okay,' Sam said as he sat next to Gabriel. 'I can't imagine what it's been like for you two.'

'Hey. We have yet to overstay our welcome,' Gabriel said with a smile. 'Been a couple close calls, but Mom taught us well. We always have an urgent telegraph waiting on the line. Usually go with a family member dying and needing to get there to help sort out the estate. Works like a charm.'

.-.-.-.-.

Sam and Gabriel had managed to sort through the first room and load the items that Gabriel had deemed worthy onto the wagon just as the sun was setting.

Sam looked out into the distance. Somehow, Gabriel had convinced him that they should stay until they had gone over every inch of the cabin and its cellar. He was worried about Dean. No matter how much Gabriel assured him that Dean was in good hands, Sam still felt unease brewing in the pit of his stomach.

His stomach growled as the smell of food wafted through the air. He reentered the cabin and found Gabriel in front of the small wood stove, cooking up a fish. 'You can cook?' he asked, his amusement clear.

'Someone had to learn,' Gabriel replied, not looking up from the frying pan. 'Cas can cut them up just fine. Skinning, boning… Perfect cuts. We played butcher shop for a few months one time. No one suspected a thing. Just don't ask him to cook anything. What you'll get is burnt and raw. I don't even know how he does it.'

Sam sat down at a small, worn table and watched Gabriel work. His movements were quick and precise—probably from working as a toymaker. 'So…where will you be headed next?' he asked. Part of him was truly curious, and part of him wanted to know where Gabriel's brother was going to be. Just in case Castiel turned bad.

'Probably more west… See the territories. They're a little more accepting of Maddies. At least…that's what I've heard. Could just be a lie intended to draw them out,' Gabriel replied as he placed the cooked fish on a tin plate and set it in front of Sam. 'Eat up, Sammy. We've a got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.'

Sam sighed as he poked at the fish. He wanted to check on his brother. He looked up as Gabriel moved a strand of hair out of his face.

'Dean's in good hands,' Gabriel promised. 'The best thing you can do is stay out of way. Cockatrice bites are hard work, but if anyone can do it, Cas can. It's taxing on the body, so your brother's gonna be unconscious for a while, anyway.'

Sam nodded, unable to disguise his worry. His brows came together as Gabriel leaned closer then quickly pulled away.

'Yeah, so uh… Just focus on keeping me alive. If I'm dead, then Cas'll take it out on something or someone,' Gabriel said as he turned back to the stove and tossed a fish into the small frying pan. He berated himself for even thinking about kissing Sam.

Sam watched Gabriel's back. His movements had become stiff and jerky, and his ears were tinged with a hint of red. He gave a little smile as he turned his attention back to the fish.

.-.-.-.-.

The next day was spent in the main lab. There, they found a stack of cages, most of them empty, and a few with dead rats. The door to one of the cages had been chewed through, and the inside was littered with gravel.

'Guess we know where the cockatrice came from,' Gabriel said as he poked a dead rat with a stick. It twitched then locked its jaws onto the stick, foaming at the mouth and staring with milky-white eyes. He jumped when Sam shot its head off. He quickly backed away and placed his hands behind his back as he stood in the center of the room. 'Not touching!'

Sam was thankful that the rest of the day went without incident. He still couldn't figure out just what Gabriel was after. His choices of what to keep were random and ranged from small tools for measurement to bits of bone and even a small key. Almost all of the books had been rejected. When he tried to bring it up, Gabriel had brushed him off with a short explanation of 'I know what Cas likes.'

They started on the third and final room in the early evening. It was even more of a mess than the other two. And a lot bloodier. Apparently, Azazel had been experimenting on wayward travelers.

Gabriel pulled Sam out of the room, suggesting that they rest for the night. He made fish again, not that Sam had much of an appetite after seeing jars full of eyes that actually followed his movements. That had been unsettling, but the lungs in the glass case…still breathing and covered blackened veins… They had been dripping slowly with black ooze. He shook his head and forced himself to take a bite of the fish.

That night, Sam was plagued by nightmares. Needles and Azazel's voice filled his mind. Promises that he was going to be special. All of the new thoughts and ideas that came to him. Going from being scared of the needles to interested and inquisitive. Asking what was in them.

'Something special,' was always Azazel's reply. Followed by praise of how Sam was his favorite. That the Darkness liked Sam more than the rest.

Then anger. So much anger when he lost interest in what Azazel was doing. The thoughts and urges left him. He had wanted his brother back. He didn't like seeing the animals in cages. Didn't care what their insides looked like. He no longer felt the need to try to fix the girl that Azazel had broken so easily. The Darkness hadn't taken hold of her properly, and Azazel had let out his frustrations on her. He could no longer comprehend a way of helping her besides death. He feared he would be next if the next injection didn't take hold.

His name was being called. Dean was there and armed with an axe. There was so much blood, but he didn't care. Dean was there to save him. And just behind Dean…Azazel with a sick grin and a knife.

Sam jolted awake, crying out for Dean. He breathed heavily and looked over as he realized he wasn't alone.

'Sam. It's okay,' Gabriel whispered. He rubbed Sam's back as he looked over the man. 'It's okay. You're safe.'

Sam ran a hand through his hair as he shook his head. 'Yeah. I know…' He exhaled shakily. He let Gabriel rub his back, grateful for the contact.

'It's almost morning,' Gabriel said softly. 'I'll make us some breakfast. We'll finish up here and head back. Okay?'

Sam nodded and swallowed. The sooner they left, the better.

Gabriel had been silent for the rest of their time in the lab. Sam hated it, but he didn't know how to break the silence without sounding like he was desperate for a distraction. He flinched when Gabriel finally did speak as they were finishing loading up the wagon.

'Won't be long now, Sammy,' Gabriel said with forced cheer. 'Your brother'll be all fixed up and ready to go by the time we get back.'

'Thank you,' Sam said. He smiled in relief.

'No problem. I'll be extra nice and throw in a list of places where you can get some nice prosthetics,' Gabriel said as he climbed onto the seat in front of the wagon.

Sam climbed up next to Gabriel and took the reins. With thoughts of his nightmare still lingering, his worry for Dean's health and safety grew the closer they got to town.

As it turned out, Dean was fine. Alive and fitted with an overly complicated prosthetic arm.

Between Dean insisting on leaving in the middle of the night and Gabriel's poisoning, Sam was feeling pretty run through. He felt dishonest for not saying anything as he watched the pair of Maddies pile seemingly random items into crates. He refrained from arguing when a stick of dynamite was tossed into the mix. Come morning, it wouldn't matter.