Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. If I did, Gabriel and Balthazar would have much bigger roles...

A/N

Sorry for the late update…. My friend accidentally broke my laptop, so I'm using my sister's. The one shot(s) will have to wait until one or two weeks from now, though. So, I'm eternally sorry to all of you, but here is the next chapter!

Also, thanks to all my regular reviewers! You guys never fail to make my day :)

Chapter 3

Gabriel sat back, watching his little brother hover in the air, trying so hard to soar upwards like all of their other siblings. His miniature wings beat the air frantically, but after a few seconds, he fell back down with a dull thud. He was certainly making progress, but he wasn't gonna fly anytime soon.

Gabriel's heart continued to break for the poor kid, who had placed his new teddy reverently on a tall cloudbank nearby. Gabriel decided to cheer him up. Getting up, he strode over to his little brother.

"Come on, kiddo," he said, scooping the fledgling out of the air.

The tiny angel pouted, "I'm never gonna be able to fly, Gabriel," he said, burying his head in the archangel's shoulder.

"Hey," Gabriel interjected, holding his little brother at arm's length, "don't say that. Why would Dad give you wings if you'd never fly, huh?" Castiel cocked his head to the side in thought, silent. "Exactly," Gabriel continued.

"Could you teach me?" Castiel asked hopefully, his big blue eyes pleading.

Gabriel shook his head, "Sorry, kiddo," he said, "Your wings are gonna have to grow a bit more before you can fly." His little brother looked down, lower lip trembling. Gabriel hugged the tiny angel close before swinging him onto his back, taking to the sky in a rush of wings.

"Where are we going?" Castiel asked, raising his voice over the wind rushing by. Gabriel smiled, saying nothing.

"Where are we going, Gabriel?" Castiel repeated, poking his neck insistently.

"I'm not telling," Gabriel replied, flying in a loop, making his brother giggle a little the way he always did, "it's a surprise."

"Hmph," Castiel harrumphed frustratedly. Gabriel just flew on, laughing quietly to himself.

Touching down gently, Gabriel let his little brother scramble off of his back. The fledgling looked around expectantly.

"Where are we?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Close your eyes," Gabriel countered, "no peeking."

Castiel squeezed his eyes shut, putting both hands over them. There was, of course, a tiny gap between one of his fingers. Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at him, then bent over and made a face at Castiel, who giggled.

"I knew it," Gabriel declared, straightening up, "you're good, kiddo, but not that good." Castiel gave a muffled sigh, closing the small gap in his fingers. Gabriel waited until he was positive that the fledgling wasn't peeking, then put a hand on his back, slowly leading him forward.

The clouds in this part of Heaven had a slight golden tinge, as opposed to the pure white ones that were everywhere else. Gabriel knew that his brother would love it here. Leading Castiel to the edge of the clouds, Gabriel took a deep, satisfied breath.

"Okay, kiddo, you can open your eyes now," the archangel said gently, ruffling Castiel's hair. The tiny angel slowly lowered his hands, peeking open one eye. In a moment, his eyes flew open in shock.

Gabriel surveyed the scene in front of them, "Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, looking down at Castiel, who nodded, "It's Dad's newest project."

Past the edge of the clouds, a mile below the two angels, a beautiful scene unfolded. A glistening blue river wound through a dense, green forest. Trees swayed silently in an unseen breeze, and golden light danced on the ground. Fruits and flowers of every kind hung delicately from bushes and trees.

"Can we go down there?" Castiel asked, his eyes wide with hope.

"I'll take you someday," Gabriel promised.

The dirty blonde archangel watched as Castiel hopped carefully from cloud to could, tiny wings fluttering just enough to propel him from one to the other. Gabriel was really proud of his little brother. Where most probably would've given up, Castiel pushed past to the extent of his abilities, and Gabriel couldn't help but admire that about him. What really broke his heart, though, was the fact that even trying so hard, pushing his limits and the extent of his undersized wings, but he still couldn't fly like all the others.

Looking on, Gabriel watched the fledgling kick the clouds forlornly, stirring up little wisps of puffy substance that floated delicately back down. Gabriel's tiny brother flopped down on the edge of the clouds, looking out onto the Earth.

Gabriel got up to comfort his little brother, but he suddenly felt a prickly feeling in the back of his neck, as if someone was watching him. Turning around, he saw a figure looking at his little brother. Amber eyes, dirty blonde hair…

Was he looking at himself ?

Gabriel squinted at the figure, who was definitely a spitting image of himself. But there was something… off about it. Him. Whoever. The figure's—it couldn't really be him, could it?—head turned to look at him. He—whoever he was, smiled sadly, and then the image vanished, leaving Gabriel staring into empty space.

Turning back to watch Castiel, Gabriel shook his head, deciding that it was just a trick of the light. Or he was going crazy. Either way.

But when he looked back, the only thing he saw was a blur as his little brother fell.

Gabriel didn't think, he just ran. He dove off the edge of the clouds, his brain shutting down, running on only instinct. He beat his wings faster, diving at incredible speed. The ground rushed up as he scooped his brother out of the air, flaring his wings and shooting back upwards, clutching the tiny angel close to him, his hold not wavering for an instant.

"What were you thinking?" Gabriel yelled, after making sure that his little brother was deposited safely on the ground.

"I just wanted to fly," Castiel said quietly, shaking a little.

"So what if you can't?" Gabriel shouted, "Did you even think? What if I wasn't watching? What if you hit the ground? What if… What if…" Gabriel could barely breathe. The wind was obviously messing with his lungs. And making his eyes water. Because he didn't cry. Nope. Never.

Castiel looked up at him with wide eyes, suddenly throwing his arms around his legs and hugging him tight.

"Don't cry, Gabriel," he said, his voice muffled from where his face was pressed into the archangel's leg, "I'm sorry."

Gabriel stayed there shocked for a moment, then knelt down and picked up the little fledgling, cradling him close. "It's okay, kiddo," he said, deciding that maybe he was crying, just this once.

"Let's go home."

A/N

Ok guys…. There it is. This chapter was so cute, it kinda made me want to cry. Like I said, my laptop is broken, but I'll still try to post again ASAP.

Please review! All reviewers get a hug from baby Cas! :)