They waited for a few minutes, Dean shifting restlessly. Cas gave him a quelling glance.

"How long are we supposed to wait anyway?" he complained.

"Lucky for you, not long." Gabriel said sarcastically. "Good job, by the way. I'm not easy to find." Cas exchanged a look with Dean.

"I'm sorry, brother. I know you didn't want anything further to do with Sam. But with Sam in Heaven's jail, we had no other choice." Gabriel's eyes widened.

"What? What happened?" He held up a hand. "No wait, don't tell me. Michael."

"Of course," Cas said. "He's being irrational, as usual."

"And he's always hated Sam," Gabriel added. Dean peered at the archangel.

"Why?" he demanded. "I get why he might be pissed about Sam tossing Lucifer back into the Cage and dragging him in with them, and I guess ganking Lucifer was the last straw. But you're saying he hated him even before that."

"Michael's relationship with Lucifer's makes your co-dependency with Sam seem positively healthy," Gabriel said sourly. "When Luci fell, Michael had to throw him into Hell. Then he was charged with the task of facing him in the Apocalypse, and he went kinda mad for a while. Disappeared completely, which left me with a lot of his work to do."

"But he came back," Castiel said. "He 'got with the program' as they say." Gabriel flashed an affectionate look at his brother.

"Yeah, but I always wondered what happened when he was gone. What he was up to." The archangel shrugged. "It's not important. What is important is his jealousy of Sam, who had everything that Michael ever wanted from Luci and rejected it." Castiel's gaze shot to Gabriel's.

"You're not suggesting Michael wanted…" he broke off, swallowing hard. Gabriel was nonchalant.

"Yesterday I would have said probably not, you know how Michael is about such things. No, I meant the closeness between an angel and his vessel. It's a special relationship as you well know." Cas looked away and Dean shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you mean, yesterday you would have said that?" Dean said, picking up a sense of uneasiness from Gabriel.

"It's probably nothing," he said casually. But his stance was rigid and Dean could see right through him. He glared at the archangel. "OK, fine. Today the Nexus, which has been utterly silent since I was revived, woke up. And not in a good way. It was screaming and angry." Cas looked startled.

"What does that mean?" Dean demanded.

"The Nexus has a will of its own. It's alive. It was screaming and angry because Sam was… with someone else." Gabriel said sullenly. Dean stared at him horrified.

"No. No way. Sam wouldn't. He's not like me." Cas twitched beside him. He gulped suddenly. "Is Heaven's prison like human prisons at all?" Gabriel shook his head.

"No. I know what you're thinking and no, Sam won't have any contact with other prisoners. The only angels he'll see would be Michael and whoever is assisting Michael with the case. And a few guards, but they wouldn't touch Sam either. They can all detect the Nexus and they'd know whose it was." Gabriel told him.

"I'm telling you Sam's not on board with it. I might trade my body for better treatment or extra privileges but Sam wouldn't." Cas was utterly rigid. "If Sam's being… touched, he won't have had any choice about the matter." Dean said. Gabriel looked sick.

"If Sam's is being… forced…" he looked away. "That goes against all the rules on the treatment of prisoners."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Cas said softly. Gabriel and Dean both stared at him. Dean shifted into a fighting stance.

"Did someone touch you when you were imprisoned?" he said, his voice deceptively quiet. Cas looked directly at him.

"Yes. Leliel. She was rather insistent. I pushed her away of course and she got quite angry." The angel blinked as Dean's fists clenched.

"She really is a piece of work," Gabriel commented. "She tried kissing Dean too, with equally unsuccessful results." Cas gaped at him, then turned to Dean.

"I don't understand. She is quite attractive." The angel said in surprise. Dean looked at him like he'd gone mad.

"Dude, that chick is crazy. Nuh-uh. No way." He looked back at Gabriel.

"So, will you help Sam?" Dean demanded. "Michael said they would assign counsel and that you'd probably be it." Gabriel sighed.

"Yes, I'll do it. I know what you think of me, of my decision to leave. But I offered Sam everything I could. It wasn't enough. Still, he's in this situation because of me, at least in part. So, yes. I'm in." Gabriel replied. Dean sagged with relief, he hadn't been sure what they were going to do if Gabriel had said no.

"OK, so what's the plan?" Dean said. Gabriel looked thoughtful.

"I think Castiel and I will have to go and scope things out upstairs." Gabriel decided. Castiel nodded, and Dean frowned.

"Cas got thrown in jail himself last time he was up there. That's why he didn't go after Sam when Michael first took him," he pointed out.

"Nobody would dare stand against me when I'm at full power," Gabriel said immodestly. "Not even Michael."

"Fine. What am I supposed to do?" Dean growled. Gabriel and Cas exchanged glances.

"We need information," Gabriel told the hunter. "There's far too much we don't know about how the lapsit exillis came to be found, how it ended up on earth for us to find and set this whole sorry mess off. So why don't you go and poke Metatron with sharp pointy things, see if you can get some answers." Dean grinned viciously.

"Now that's a plan I can get behind," he said happily.

"I know how much you love flying," Gabriel said with a wicked smile. "So why don't I drop you off on the way?"


Arriving in Heaven caused something of a stir and Gabriel had to admit, he'd missed that. Lesser angels gaped in shock at him before bowing their heads respectfully. More senior angels had more complex reactions. Some, like Castiel's friend Jegudiel were genuinely delighted to see him. But others were less pleased.

"Gabriel," Remiel said acidly. "I see rumors of your most recent demise were exaggerated." Gabriel gave her his cheekiest smirk.

"What can I say? I'm a hard angel to keep down!" He coupled this with a waggle of his eyebrows, just to see Remiel squirm. And the pretty Asian woman's form she was wearing was quite attractive.

"You are as disgusting as ever," she said stiffly. "And your choice of traveling companions has failed to improve I see." She flicked a contemptuous look at Castiel.

"Why are you here, Gabriel? You've no interest in Heaven's operations." Gabriel gaped at her.

"I'm here for Sam Winchester," he told her. She looked confused.

"Sam Winchester? He's not here." Remiel faltered. "Why would you think he was? He's still alive and even if he were dead, there's no place in Heaven for that… abomination." Gabriel peered at her.

"Michael took him a few days ago. He said Sam had to stand trial for killing Lucifer and brought him here to wait in Heaven's prison pending arraignment." Castiel said urgently. "Are you telling us Michael didn't bring him here?" Now it was Remiel's turn to stare.

"No, not as far as I am aware. I have not seen Michael, and until I see him, I am in charge here, and I would not have sanctioned such a thing. Sam Winchester may be an affront to all that is good and right and natural. But his slaying of Lucifer is not viewed entirely unfavorably, at least by me." Castiel blinked at her.

"You've never been humanity's greatest champion," Gabriel drawled. "So why aren't you pissed at the short-circuiting of Armageddon?" Remiel squared her shoulders.

"Because I abhor waste. Our father was never specific about what he wanted from the End Times, but the mass slaughter of billions did not seem provident. I believe he wanted something else. Perhaps he got it, perhaps we will never know. Joshua believes the outcome was copacetic."

"Well, in that case, maybe we should just go check out the cells for ourselves," Gabriel said easily and grinned at Remiel when she prickled. "I'm not accusing you of lying, maybe Michael sneaked Sam in when you weren't looking."

"So you won't accuse me of lying, just incompetence?" she replied scathingly.

"Michael's an archangel. He could be standing right next to you as we speak and you'd never know if he didn't want you to." Gabriel told her, letting his authority leak into his voice. That stiffened her spine.

"If Michael is free from the Cage as you say, why doesn't he come and take his rightful place?" Remiel demanded, a single tear escaping from her eye. Castiel blinked in shock.

"I don't know," Gabriel said, exhausted suddenly. "Until just now, we assumed that's what he had done." Remiel nodded.

"Very well. Follow me." She turned on her heel and strode away in the direction of the prison.

"I know where the jail is," Gabriel said mildly. She gave him a condescending look.

"Not well enough for my tastes," she informed him. He grinned at her.


Sam was curled up against the far wall of the cell, his eyes unfocused. Michael eyed him with irritation. He'd pushed the Winchester kid too far and he'd retreated inside himself to protect himself from whatever Michael chose to do to him. The archangel considered the matter. On the one hand, anything he did now would probably not register in his mind. On the other hand, it did mean Sam wouldn't resist… His mouth twisted. What was he doing here? He unlocked the cell and walked over to where Sam was sprawled. He looked like a discarded doll, Michael thought. He knelt down, pleased he had switched back to Adam's body again. John Winchester was too tall and the construct was uncomfortable compared to this lovely, cozy vessel. Adam had not been too pleased with him, but hadn't put up a fight.

He stroked a hand down Sam's arm and watched fascinated as the hairs on his arm all stood on end. But it was the only reaction he got. Sam's eyes remained distant and he didn't move. Michael leaned closer, smelled the dried sweat and old fear on Sam's skin. He reached out with one finger and dragged it across Sam's lips. They were remarkably soft, and he pressed at them harder until Sam's mouth opened under the pressure. He slipped his finger into Sam's mouth. It was warm and wet and Michael shivered. He felt Adam push back inside him. What the Hell are you doing? For God's sake, he's my brother! Half-brother, Michael corrected. Whatever, he's blood. This is gross, stop it. He squashed Adam down harder.

Michael pulled his finger out of Sam's mouth and looked at the hunter's lips. He was beginning to understand Lucifer's obsession with the young Winchester's mouth. He was assailed suddenly with a vision of that mouth on him, of thrusting his length between those luscious lips and he swallowed. He moved forward, tentative and nervous. Which was stupid because he had all the power here. Sam Winchester was nothing, was less than nothing. He brought his mouth to Sam's, gentle at first then crushed the hunter's mouth beneath his, thrusting his tongue between those lips that so entranced him. Sam remained stiff and cold under him. He shoved him away suddenly, furious. He wanted, and Sam was refusing him in the only way he could.

Sam was only distantly aware of what was happening. His horrified realization of how his life was going to end had driven him deep inside himself as a last desperate resort to protect his mind. But he was still dimly aware of Michael, back inside Adam, pushing his fingers in his mouth and kissing him. But it was like watching a movie, impersonal, with no power to affect him. He felt the Nexus inside him quiver. It knew, he thought, it knew what was happening was not the touch of his bonded mate, but someone else and it was… angry. Sam mused dispassionately on that. He hadn't had much opportunity to investigate the Nexus, but it seemed like it was a living thing inside him. It apparently had some strong opinions. He reached out to it, and it reached back, surrounding him with warmth and love. Sam was baffled. If Gabriel was no longer in love with him, and if he'd doubted that before, he was certain of it now he'd rotted in this cell for several days. But Gabriel's love was here, in the Nexus. So why couldn't Gabriel feel it? Sam didn't care, he decided. It wasn't like he was going to see Gabriel again. He was going to end his days in this cold cell, brutalized and murdered by the insane archangel brother of his bonded mate and his dead ex-lover. But the Nexus would surround him, and ease his passing.


As Remiel had predicted, Sam did not appear to be anywhere within the confines of Heaven's prison. Castiel raked a frustrated hand through his hair, a habit he seemed to have picked up from Dean, Gabriel noted with amusement.

"Now what do we do?" his brother breathed. "If Michael's not here, where is he? And what is he doing?"

"Michael's gone rogue," a new voice said. Gabriel looked up at the familiar tone and shifted into a fighting stance.

"Leliel. I should have known your fingerprints would be all over this mess," he sneered. Leliel gave him and Castiel a supercilious glance before turning her attention to Remiel.

"Remy, darling. I am most distressed to hear about what has been happening. Lucifer's death was shocking enough but now I hear Michael is off doing who knows what with Sam Winchester…" her voice cracked on Sam's name in a way that made Castiel very afraid for his young friend's wellbeing. "Gabriel and Castiel are here causing more trouble no doubt. Please, let me help." Her voice throbbed with sincerity. Gabriel wanted to be sick. Remiel gave her a sweet smile.

"Leliel, it's good to see you. No, for once Gabriel and Castiel are not the cause of my current discomfort. Tell me what you know about Michael!" Remiel's voice was fluttery with admiration and Castiel began to wonder about her sympathies.

"Nothing more than you, I'm sure." Leliel said casually. "We all felt it when Lucifer was slain, and I grieve for the loss of my brother. I heard about Michael from your very lips and made some obvious deductions from that." Remiel's face flickered with uncertainty.

"Lucifer's death is sad, but not unexpected, sister," she told her. "Michael's behavior is less easy to explain. I simply cannot imagine what he is doing." Leliel examined her fingernails.

"I do have considerable resources at my disposal. I'm sure I can find out what has happened to our brother," Leliel mused. "Charge me with this task. I will not let you down." She gave Remiel a sultry look that made the smaller angel quiver. Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at Castiel.

"In that case, Castiel and I will take our leave. There seems to be little else to be discovered here." Remiel spun around.

"Not so fast, Gabriel. Like it or not, you are the most senior angel here. You have responsibilities." Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"You're going to insist?" he asked her. She nodded. "Very well, I delegate all that responsibility to you. With two exceptions. Any matters relating to Castiel, or to the Winchesters, you will bring directly to me. Is that understood?" Remiel visibly started and Gabriel gave her a wolfish smile and let a little of his power leak out.

"I'm corrupt, debauched and defiled. But I am not stupid." She shivered with sudden fear. Leliel sneered at him. "Come, Castiel. It's time to leave." Gabriel turned the younger angel away.

"We need to get a message to Dean," Castiel said urgently. "Metatron might have information on Michael's whereabouts." Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"Why would Metatron know anything about Michael?" he said dismissively.

"Metatron was Curia Regis, back in the day." Castiel reminded him. "They supported Michael against Lucifer, remember."

"So contact Dean through your bond," Gabriel said impatiently. Cas looked down at his feet.

"You're not bonding?" Gabriel said surprised.

"I haven't broached the subject with Dean yet." Cas said stiffly.

"And you're not planning to either are you? Castiel!" Gabriel looked shocked. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Cas glared at him.

"Does Dean strike you as the forever love type?" he snarled. "I'm making the most of our time together. I don't want to go through the pain of a broken bond." Gabriel shook his head.

"I think you're making a mistake, brother," he told him.

"Aren't you the poster child for that?" Castiel said savagely. Gabriel backed off. Castiel was right, he was in no position to judge.