"What if... No, never mind." Sam started, then sighed and gave up. "I don't know man, it had to be an angel but I can't think of any who'd want to help us."
"Yea, Cas is the only one who isn't a dick and we know it wasn't him." Dean grunted, frowning while his fingers tapped away absently at the table he was sitting at.
"Pretty much all the angels who've helped us and might be inclined to do so again are dead. Balthazar, Gabriel.. Hell, even Cas has died more than once already helping us." Sam sighed again, getting up from his bed and stretching slowly, his shoulders popping loudly. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk. Maybe I'll remember someone we missed while I'm out." He shrugged, grabbing a few easy-to-conceal weapons and tucking them about his person.
Dean just nodded, frowning and evidently still trying to think up any other angels. "Hey, get us lunch on the way back."
"Pie? Again?"
"Pie. Again." Dean confirmed, smirking over at Sam. "Can never have too much pie, Sammy."
"That's debatable, but fine."
"Hey, Cas?" Dean tried a little uncertainly, glancing about.. Even though he'd been expecting it, it still made him tense automatically when Castiel appeared with the sound of beating wings.
"Hello Dean." Castiel responded, somewhat stiffly.
"Hey man. About yesterday, we're ok, right? I was just wound up after the demons, is all."
Cas relaxed slightly, nodding once. "We are ok, Dean. I understand. Did you need me for something?"
Dean nodded, visibly relieved that any in depth feeling talks weren't needed. "We're still trying to figure out who or what saved us. We're pretty sure it was an angel, but we can't think of any who'd want to help us."
"Undoubtedly you and Sam are not popular in Heaven at this time." Castiel confirmed with a slight tilt of his head. "You wish for me to look into it further?"
"I mean, if it's no trouble for you." Dean nodded again, eyes fixed to the angels face.
"Of course not, Dean." Cas stared back intensely, remaining in place. "Was that all you required?"
"Uh, yea. You can stay a while if you want though. It's not that urgent." Dean offered, gesturing to a chair at the table.
Sam wandered along deep in thought, not paying full attention to where he was going. He passed several blocks before he came up besides a diner, and – with a soft sigh of exasperation over his brothers eating habits – entered to check their menu for any pies.
It was only after he'd placed his order and was waiting patiently for it to be served up that his attention was caught.
"Psst, Sasquatch!"
He frowned and looked around immediately, seeing no one looking his way. The voice and nickname were definitely familiar, but... No, best not to dwell on it. He received his order and was just leaving when his attention was caught a second time, a small sign in the window catching his eye.
'SAM, meet me out back. Weapons not necessary, thx.'
Frowning deep, Sam glanced about once more before he finally left. And, after a quick internal debate with his curiosity and his common sense, promptly turned and made his way down the alleyway besides the diner, cautious.
He had left the light behind and was carefully moving forwards in the shadowy alley, Ruby's knife in hand, when the other spoke.
"I said no weapons, Sasquatch! Can't you read?"
Sam straightened immediately and stared, disbelief etched across his face. "...Gabriel?"
"In the flesh~" Gabriel clicked and the alley was suddenly flooded with light, revealing the rather tired looking archangel. "What, you thought Cassie was the only one who could pull that particular trick?"
"No but.. He's the only one who has so far. Apart from you now, I guess." Sam stood still, lowering his knife before a thought occurred to him and he raised it again. "..You are you, right?" His words now laced with suspicion. He held the knife out slowly, his other hand creeping round for his gun. Gabriel merely rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh, taking the offered weapon and making a neat slice down his arm. "Not a demon, not a shifter, not anything but plain old archangel. Ok?"
Sam relaxed again, hand leaving his gun and reaching out to take back his knife. "...Dean is gonna be pissed."
"Because his angel isn't special anymore?" Gabriel grinned, slinking closer to Sam and running a critical eye over the hunter.
"Mm something like that.. Wait, so that was you back at that warehouse? With the demons?" Sam found himself grasping Gabriel's shoulder with one hand, staring down at the smaller man. "You're the one that saved us?"
"Sure sure, you muttonheads were in one hell of a fix." Gabriel smirked back, making no move to shrug off Sam's grip. "Figured you needed a little o' archangel magic."
"Huh. Thanks. Dean probably won't say it but he's grateful too."
A gleeful look crossed Gabriel's face at the mention of Dean again, and he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with Deano."
"What the hell!?"
Sam heard Deans raised voice before he even reached the door, and he hastened over to it past several scandalised occupants of the motel.
"Sammy! Did you know about this?!" Dean demanded the instant Sam entered the room, gesturing to a clearly amused Gabriel. Castiel stood to one side silently, a curious onlooker.
"No Dean, I only found out like ten minutes ago." Sam protested his innocence in a dry tone, crossing the room to put the food down on the rickety table. He unpacked the pie, knowing it was a good way to placate his brother before he really got started.
"Heeyy Deano, some gratitude would be fantastic." Gabriel chirped up, the words slightly distorted by his new lollipop.
"Gratitude? All you ever did was kill me and torment Sammy!" Dean fired up instantly, irate at finding a supposed-to-be-dead-archangel in their room.
"Dean, Gabriel." Sam sighed, hands raised slightly as he turned back around to face them both. "Can we please just.. not fight? Dean, it was him that saved us with those demons. Gabriel.. Just, don't. To anything you might be thinking about doing. I'm tired. And Dean, as much as he was an asshole before, I think he could really help us with the whole Apocalypse thing. So can we please just, give it a rest. At least for one night?"
Both Dean and Gabriel looked chastened at that, and the human nodded. "Sure, Sammy. But - and I don't care how much he might be able to help – he's not staying here all night."
Gabriel batted his lashes at Dean, pulling the lolly from his mouth with a deliberate obscene popping sound.
"S'matter Deano, worried I might crawl into bed with you? Or maybe with Sambo?"
Dean opened his mouth to answer furiously, but this time was beaten to it by his brother.
"Gabriel, enough!" Sam frowned at him, unamused and annoyed.
"You two are no fun, you know that? Send candy if you need me." Gabriel winked at Sam, and vanished with a loud snap of his fingers.
"What the hell, Sam? Next time just bring back a stray puppy, please!"