Sam stared down at his small body in horror, and he did mean small. Compared to a few minutes ago, he was practically microscopic. His clothes hung off his body like they were blankets. What the hell had Gabriel done to him and why?

Gabriel snapped his fingers, making Sam's clothing shrink to fit around his now small body. Then he waited for the outburst that was sure to come.

"What'd you do to me?!" Sam asked. Then he gasped as he heard his own voice. Like his body, it was small, childlike actually. Gabriel didn't... Did he turn him into a child? He couldn't have, could he? Was something like that even possible.

"It's alright, Sammy. You're okay," Gabriel assured him.

"The hell I am?! I'm a shrimp! What did you do to me?!" Sam demanded to know as he took a step forward. Apparently Gabriel took gave him back the ability to move again.

"I turned you back into a child. I'd say you're about five at this point," Gabriel said.

"You what?! Fix it!" Sam screamed as loud as he could.

Gabriel shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo. Even if I could undo it, I wouldn't."

"I said fix it, you bastard!" Sam yelled before rushing towards him to attack him. It didn't occur to him that Gabriel was at least three to four times his size right now, nor it occur to him that even if he wasn't, he wouldn't be able to take the archangel on. He was just pissed and wanted to hurt Gabriel.

Gabriel easily caught the boy and picked him up. He brought him over to the bed, where he placed him on his lap and wrapped his arms around him tightly to keep him there.

Dean made a move to go towards them to help, but a firm shake of the head from Gabriel stopped him. He got the message. Gabriel needed to handle Sam now. He was his responsibility now, not Dean's. God, Dean hated that.

"Let me go!" Sam screamed as he tried and failed to pull away. When he realized it wouldn't work, he started kicking at Gabriel, somehow thinking he the archangel might loosen his grip.

Gabriel did not loosen his grip. Instead, he lifted his leg and crossed it over Sam's small ones, trapping them in place. "You need to calm down."

"Screw you!" Sam yelled and kept trying to get loose, no matter how futile he knew it was.

"I know you're upset, but you are not going anywhere until you calm down," Gabriel informed him.

Sam kept trying for a few minutes, all the while screaming at the top of his lungs to be let go. Soon though, he realized how useless it was and went limp in Gabriel's arms. "Why are you doing this? Is this another lesson to make us say yes. I was already going to."

Gabriel removed one of the hands that was holding Sam still and used it to run a hand through the boy's hair. His other arm remained firmly around the boy's torso. "I'm afraid this is no lesson, Sammy. And I already know what you were planning to do. That's why this had to happen. Angels can't possess young children. They don't have the capacity to consent.

Dean watched as Gabriel caressed his brother's hair and spoke to him in a comforting tone. Any reservations he might have had about this went away. It was clear to him just from this scene that Gabriel would be good for his brother. He would give him a good life.

Sam jerked his head away from Gabriel's touch. "No! You can't be serious! You're gonna get people killed!"

"That's not my concern," Gabriel said. He might sound callous, but it was how he felt about the matter. It wasn't that he wanted to see people die, but he'd chance it to save Sam, to protect one of the most selfless humans in the world. He didn't deserve to be condemned to Hell because Gabriel's brothers saw fit to drag him into this.

Sam turned to his brother, who hadn't moved an inch since Gabriel started chanting. "You let him do this to me? You're going to let him destroy our chances of ending this?"

"He didn't let me do anything, Sam. He had no say in the matter," Gabriel said.

"No, that's not true," Dean said. Well, okay, it was true. He couldn't have stopped Gabriel, but even if he could, he didn't think he would've. "I didn't do anything because this was the right thing."

"The hell it is! This isn't even going to stop anything! Even if you leave me like this, I well age back! They'll just wait. What's a few years to a couple of archangels? All that will change is people dying at Lucifer's hand!" Sam said angrily. God, he hoped that wasn't how this played out, and not just for humanity. He couldn't grow up all over again. He hated his childhood.

"It won't be like that. You won't age for a long time with the spell I used," Gabriel said.

"How long?" Sam asked with horror in his eyes.

"Centuries," Gabriel said.

Sam's eyes widened and he renewed his efforts to get away from the archangel. "No! You can't do that! Change me back!"

"Hey, it's okay. Don't be afraid. This is not a bad thing. I'm going to make sure you are happy and safe. It will be alright," Gabriel promised.

Sam ignored him and looked at his brother. "Dean, do something! Tell him to fix it!"

Dean shook his head. "He can't fix it, Sammy. It was a permanent spell. Besides, I wouldn't stop him even if I could. I told you, I won't let you go to Hell. If this is the only way, so be it."

Sam completely froze at his brother's words. Permanent. This couldn't be fixed? He would be stuck like this forever? Well, okay, not forever, but it seemed like that to him. It would several lifetimes stuck as a child. Everyone he loved would die before he even reached adulthood again. "No."

Gabriel ran his hand through Sam's hair again. He knew it probably wasn't as comforting as it was meant to be, but it was the best he could do.

"It's okay, Sammy. You'll live for centuries. How many people can say that?" Dean asked with a small, sad smile.

Sam gave his brother a betrayed look. "How could you? You knew this could never be fixed and you stood there while he did this to me."

Dean walked over and knelt down in front of his very little brother. "No, Sammy, I didn't let him do anything to you. I would never allow anyone to hurt you. That's why I had to let him do it. I won't see you go to Hell, Sammy. I won't!"

"So instead you'll let Lucifer and Michael destroy the world?! And what makes you think I'll even live through that! Gabriel's spell may keep me from aging, but I doubt it makes me immortal. I can still be killed, probably even easier than before because I can't defend myself. You are not saving me, Dean!" Sam said angrily.

Dean glanced at Gabriel. If his brother was unhappy now, he was going to be livid when he found out Gabriel was taking him to some other universe for the rest of his life.

Gabriel took a deep breath. "That won't happen because you won't be anywhere near Michael or Lucifer. There are several other dimensions in the universe and you and I will be going to one."

"What?" Sam asked in disbelief.

Dean looked at his brother sadly. "I told you I couldn't protect you anymore. I can't take care of you anymore, but Gabriel can. You'll be okay with him. I can already see that."

Sam's eyes widened and he started struggling violently once more. "No freaking way! I'm not going anywhere with him!"

Gabriel tightened his grip just slightly, not enough to hurt the boy. "Yes, you are, kiddo."

"No! It's kidnapping!"

"It may be, but it's what's happening," Gabriel said in a slightly firm tone.

"Please, Sammy, try to understand, it's the only way to protect you," Dean said.

"I don't want to be protected!" Sam yelled.

"Too bad. You're going to be. I swore to protect you when you were a baby. This is the last time I'll ever be able to do that and I'm going to make it count," Dean said firmly.

"I'll never forgive you for this!" Sam snapped at his brother. This was the worst betrayal he'd ever felt. His brother was abandoning him. No, not just abandoning him. He was allowing him to be kidnapped by an asshole archangel. He was ignoring Sam's wishes. Hell, he'd gone so far as to allow Sam to be turned into a child for several lifetimes.

Dean was hurt by his brother's words, but he understood them. He knew Sam would hate him when he found out what was going to happen. He knew he'd feel the same in Sam's position.

"Don't do this, Sam. This is the last time you will ever see your brother. Don't let this be the last thing you say to him." Gabriel advised.

"The both of you can go to Hell!" Sam said before closing his eyes, willing this all to be a bad dream.

Dean stood up. "It's okay. Go, please. It's only going to be harder the longer you're here."

"You're better than I ever gave you credit for, Dean," Gabriel said. For a long time, he always saw Dean like Michael. Someone who claimed to serve others, but usually put his selfish desires first. Dean just proved him wrong. He was ready and willing to let the person he loved the most go in order to protect him.

"You too," Dean said.

"I'll take care of him," Gabriel promised before disappearing with Sam in his arms.

Dean stared at the spot where his brother had disappeared from and broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Gabriel appeared with Sam in the house he had in the new dimension. He appeared right in Sam's room, wanting to get the boy to bed. The room was a typical small child's room. It had a small bed in the middle of the room with bedding with cartoon characters on it and a stuffed bear laid on it. There was a small, blue and white dresser for Sam's clothes on the the left of the bed and toy box full of any toys a kid could want on the right. Gabriel knew Sam wouldn't be interested in any of that now, but when he regressed, he would like it. Gabriel had everything set up before he approached Dean.

Gabriel placed Sam down on the bed. "Stay there please."

Sam was completely despondent. The anger was gone. Well, not gone, but taken over by shock and mental exhaustion. He just didn't have it in him to even yell anymore. He couldn't believe this was happening. His whole life had changed in mere minutes.

Gabriel went over the the dresser and picked out a pair of pajamas. It was a white shirt and a pair of plaid bottoms. It was the most neutral thing he had for him. Everything else had some kind of child-like look to it and he didn't want to risk a fight over it.

Gabriel brought the clothes over to Sam. "Okay, why don't you change into these and we'll get you into bed."

Some of Sam's defiance came back and he glared at Gabriel, crossing his arms and refusing to move.

Gabriel sighed. "I'll change you myself if you'd prefer."

Sam huffed and snatched the clothing from the archangel's hands. He then quickly got undressed and into the pajamas.

Once he saw that Sam was done, he drew back the comforter on the bed for him.

"I'm not really five. I don't need or want you to tuck me in," Sam said before climbing into bed and pulling the covers over him.

Gabriel headed to the door and shut the light off.

"I hope you know I hate you for this," Sam said, making his voice as angry as he could.

Gabriel didn't answer. He looked at him for a minute and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.