A.N.: a bit of a rubbishy update given the time it's taken, but real life got in my way. More soon, I promise.

(xxxx)

Sam was not comfortable. Sure, the bed was soft enough, and the room was fully equipped with everything he could possibly need, but he was not comfortable. Yet again, he'd found himself in a position where he was babysitting Hella and Cas, while Dean struggled with his man-crush and Gabriel ran off to save the world. Gabriel went off and put his life in danger, and Sam waited like a lost puppy.

He was starting to feel more than a little useless.

Hence lying, fully clothed, on the bed, at seven forty nine in the evening.

Oh, he thought, as he stared at the clock on the bedside table, oh… seven fifty.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

Hella pushed her head around the door, and stood awkwardly for a moment.

"Can I… we need… can we talk?"

"Sure." Sam pulled himself up, so he was sat against the headboard. Hella perched awkwardly on the foot of the bed. "What's up?"

"Um, so… You know I'm cool with you and Dad, right?"

"Yeah…" Sam started, warily. There was no way this conversation wasn't going to be awkward. He could appreciate that talking to your dad's new boyfriend must be an odd experience, especially for Hella who was probably a hundred times older than Sam, and now he was weirding himself out and oh dear god the train of thought has derailed, it's crashed into the countryside killing everyone on board, it's burst into flames as the engine is dragged ruthlessly through trees and over rocks, the few survivors screaming, wailing for their right to live, bemoaning their fate and…

"Sam?"

"What? I… what?"

"I said, 'how do you feel about him'? I mean… I know it's not the sort of thing you'll want to discuss with me, but… I need to know."

"Oh…" Sam blinked, his brain flatlining. "I… Hella, this isn't… I mean, adult relationships aren't straight-forward. It's…"

"I know that." She rolled her eyes. "God, do you think I'm a total social reject?"

"Well, you had been pretty much a recluse until six months ago."

She frowned at him, unimpressed.

"Just humour me, Sam. I need to know. How serious are you and Dad?"

Sam puffed air out through his cheeks, shrugging.

"We're… I don't know, Hel, it's not an easy question."

"Do you love him?"

Sam stared at the bed sheets.

"I'm in love with him."
"So… you do love him?"

"I… Yes. I do."

Hella stared at him for a moment, apparently thinking about this. Sam gave her a wary smile.

"Don't." She said, eventually. She shook her head, staring at him with sad eyes. "Just… trust me on this. Don't love him. He can't love you back."

"Whoah, what?"

"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm saying it for your own good. Just look at his case history. He's never been the one to settle for just one person. Please don't love him, because I don't want to see you hurt. I'm sorry." Her eyes wet with tears, her lip wobbling, she ran from the room. Sam, perplexed, followed her.

"Hella! Hel!"

His words resounded off her bedroom door, which she slammed shut in his face. He stood there, staring at the wooden panel for a moment, before slowly returning to his own room.

Maybe it was a teenage girl thing, he told himself.

Maybe she was just going through some teenage girl thing.

She probably didn't mean it.

He lay down and resumed staring at the clock.

(-*-)

Dean and Castiel returned from their drive, library books in tow, to the darkened apartment.

"Cas."

"Yes?"

Dean stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head and smiling.

"We should get some sleep. Night."

"Good night."

Castiel smiled and wandered towards the room he had earlier been assigned. As he passed Hella's door, however, he could hear stifled sobs.

"Hella?"

There was no response. He poked his head around the door.

"Hella?"

She was fidgeting, writhing, crying in her sleep. Cas gently shook her, perching on the side of the bed. "Hel. Wake up."

She jolted herself awake, looking around the dimly lit room with tears in her eyes. When she saw his face, she let her head fall back against the pillow and cried.

"It's alright. It was a dream." Castiel found himself using the words he remembered Dean saying to him. He placed his hand on Hella's shoulder. "Dreams can't hurt you."

"No…" She sniffed. "Dreams can't."

"I'll let you sleep." Cas stood to leave.

"Wait." She grabbed his wrist, red-rimmed eyes staring at him defiantly. "We still need to talk."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

"Very well." Castiel sighed, and sat at the foot of her bed. "What do you wish to know?"

"It was you, then, in my dream."

"Yes."

"When you said you aren't supposed to have that sort of power…"

"It's too… angelic." Castiel looked down at the bedspread, shame creasing his brow. "Empathy is one thing, but dream-walking… I can't control it. It just… happens."

"Then why keep it so secret? Especially from me, Cas, it's my head."

"I know. I felt… I hoped that it wasn't really happening. That it was my own dream."

"Are you going to tell Dean?"

"I should. After how he has taken care of me, dishonesty would be a bad idea."

"But you don't want to."

"I know how Dean feels about me." Castiel sighed. "I don't need empathy to know. Now I am without powers, now I am human, he finally sees me as a real friend. An equal. My suffering may not be a level which he can relate to, but we are on the same level. This would be a reminder."

"A reminder of what?"

"Of who I am. Of what I've done."

Castiel rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, turning a weary gaze on his niece.

"I don't want to give him a reason to leave my side."

Hella smiled a small, conciliatory smile.

"I don't think he will. But… I think you have to give him the chance. I think you'll only upset yourself more if you don't."

Castiel sighed a half-laugh, and clutched her hand in his. "You're wise, young demi-god. Good night."

He stood, smiling wearily, before heading to the door.

"Uncle Cas?"

"Yes?"

"When Dad left today, I followed him."

Castiel looked at her for a moment, reading in her face everything that she didn't say out loud.

"Hella," he said, eventually, "the wisest beings know to take their own advice."

(-*-)

Gabriel emptied the contents of the stone goblet into the bowl, watching as the various mystical items swirled together. He did one last check of the area (an abandoned car park in a particularly desolate Russian town; the only place there would be a mile-wide certified empty diameter), and set a match to it.

The runes he had painted on the floor flickered and shone, before brimming with light.

The floor shook, and the light grew unbearably bright, but Gabriel stood his ground. It was like being at ground zero when a comet hit.

Eventually, the air stilled.

"Jehoel." Gabriel bowed his head. Even he found himself duty-bound and slightly terrified at the sight of the angel.

This particular face of the Metatron had taken a female vessel for the sake of its vendetta.

Jehoel turned her large, green eyes on the ring of holy fire that surrounded her.

"Gabriel. You mean to stop me?"

Gabriel swallowed back fear. A five and a half foot tall, mid-weight, prematurely grey-haired woman should not have struck fear into him like that, but then, he could see her real form. Castiel's true form had been about as big as the Chrysler building. Gabriel's was roughly the size of France. But Jehoel… She would have taken up the continent of Europe, and then some. Fifteen faces, nine pairs of wings, all glowing the colour of the cosmos.

"Not… Not to get in your way or anything. I just want to, uh… talk."

"You always were impudent." She sighed, turning her large, staring eyes on Gabriel.

He'd forgotten how much he hated family reunions.

(-*-)

Sam woke to see a mug of coffee on his bedside table, and Hella sat in the chair by his bed.

"Hel?"

"I owe you an explanation."

"Yeah, you do." Sam sat up, taking the coffee but making a point of looking as perturbed as possible.

"I shouldn't have said that yesterday." She smiled awkwardly at him, her fingers idly twisting strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Or you could have explained what you meant."

"I will. Just… Sam, how much do you know about Dad? I mean, really know about him?"

"Probably not as much as I should," Sam's brows drew together in worry. "Why?"

"Maybe you should look him up. I'm not going to rat him out or anything, but… maybe you should start asking questions."

She let that sentence sit in silence for a little while longer, before she stood and moved towards the door.

"I'm going to wake Dean up now. Cas is making breakfast. Come join us."

And she left. Sam felt very confused.

"Gabriel," he prayed, knowing the archangel would hear him. "I think Hella's worried about you. She's acting weird. I miss you already. Come back as soon as you can… I love you."

He waited a few minutes for a response, but none came. Sighing, Sam got dressed, started up his laptop, finished his coffee and opened up the internet.

He hesitated for a moment, before his fingers picked out the letters. "Loki myths and lore".