"Son, we need to talk." Gabe looked up from his work. "Dad? What's wrong?" His Father sat down in the chair opposite Gabe's desk. "I know you have been playing guardian angel over your brother and his friends." 'Oh crud... I'm in for it...' Gabe swallowed hard. "Look, Dad..." His Father raised his hand and shushed him. "I'm not mad, I'm not even annoyed. It works. It has saved the day, hasn't it? " Gabe smiled relieved. "Yeah..." Suddenly his Father stood up again. "Keep an eye on Dean... Something is up, and I think you might be needed. Be that storeklerk if you want. Or stay hidden. I don't care. Just keep the man safe. I have some other things to handle and can't do it." He got out as sudden as he had come in. Gabe scratched his neck. 'Oh well... Here we go again.''
He popped into the local store again, just in time to see the black Impala roll into the parking lot. Dean entered the store, and raised his hand in greeting. Gabe smiled, truely glad to see Dean up and about. When Dean came to check out, he noticed a stack of pies. Gabe smiled at hem. "Afternoon, sir. I see you have quite the liking for these." He tapped the pie box on top. Dean smiled his dazzling smile and his jade eyes twinkled. "What can I say? It's the ultimate food for me." Gabe nodded. "I can see how you can say that. By the way, how's that shoulder? I hope it's not still sore." Unknowingly, Dean rolled it and the corner of his mouth twitched just a bit as the stitches pulled. "It's ok. Thanks for asking. Nice to know you care." There was a hint of sarcasm in that last remark. Gabe pounced on it. No way in hell that he'd allow this smart and wonderful soul, to feel like he was not worth the concern. "But sir, of course I do." He glanced around, making sure the store was empty. "You safed me from that punk. The lords know what he might have done otherwise. You take your shopping and go home. This is a one time thing. Can't keep giving the goods away, but any future pie you buy here, is for free. My treat." Dean looked stunned. "Thank you. That is very kind!" Gabe waved it off. "That's ok. Now you enjoy your pie. Vær trygg!" Dean happily took his bags and left the shop. Gabe watched him go, put the bags in the trunk and rev up the Impala. Then Gabe snapped his fingers and, invisible, sat Shotgun, while Dean sped home to the bunker, singing along with AC/DC at the top of his lungs.
"Sammy! I'm back!" Dean called. He put the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter top. Gabriel smiled as his other favorite hunter entered the room. "Hey. You're back quick. No robbers this time?" Dean smiled. "Nope. And guess what... You were right!" Sam cocked his head. "About what?" Popping the milk into the fridge, Dean answered: "That old guy, that got held up last time, he gave me all this for free. And..." Grinning like a pumpkin he turned to his brother, who looked quizzically. "...he told me any pie I'd get there, would be on him!" Sam smiled. "You're kidding, right?" Dean almost skipped when he unpacked the pie and put it away. "Wouldn't dream of it, Sammy. Oh, by the way, I listened more carefully at what he said, and it was definitely something like 'vair trick'. And in the context, I'd say it is a kind of blessing or goodbye." Sam nodded, impressed. "Let's eat first, research later." Gabe frowned at the last bit. 'Oh no... Why can't those two yahoos leave things alone?' Sam started preparing a sandwich for him and his brother. "You know, I caught a case. Not that far from here too. Looks like ghost." Dean walked over. "Yeah? How'd you figure that? Awe no, man... No mustard!" Sam threw him a bitchface, never even pausing his work. "I know you hate mustard, Dean. This isn't yours. It's mine. That one is for you, cheese, bacon and pickles with mayo. There's been people getting killed, all in the same building. Doors bolted, windows latched. No prints on the scene, nothing but the victims. Whatever slices them up, it isn't a regular killer." Gabriel sat at the table, invisible, and admired how the brothers worked in sync. It was like watching a ballet with kitchen utensils. 'They know exactly what the other does, where he is and how he will react. It's beautiful!' Dean threw a tomato to Sam, who effordlessly plukked it out of the air, without averting his eyes from the slice of ham he was putting on his lettuce. "So, got a lead on who our mook is?" Dean asked, while he caught the mugs Sam shoved at him across the counter. "Not yet, but that won't take long, right?" Dean poured coffee and added milk and sugar for his brother. "I wouldn't be so sure, Sammy. Cut and dry ceases rarely happen with us. You know that. " He carefully slid the mug back at Sam. He caught it and took a sip. "Aaaahhhh. Thanks Dean. Guess you're right. But one can hope... And we could ask Cas to come along, just in case." Dean took a large gulp of his black coffee. "Maybe. He's still a bit off though. That trip to Norway drained him. Odd thing that. Some Mook lures him all the way out there, traps him in a Holy Fire circle, and then... Nothing. For two weeks. No action taken against us, no torture for him. Just leaving him there to rot. Doesn't make sense." Sam nodded and took a bite from his sandwich. "But he was out for like twelve hours. It did affect him in some way. I'm just glad he got out before he went down." Dean frowned. "Mmm. Me too. But that is why I think it's for the best if we keep him on stand-by. You know, pray him over if we need him. He should recover." Gabe felt his heart warm. Those muttonheads really cared for Cas. The brothers just sat and ate, and discussed the upcoming hunt. And Gabe felt increasingly uneasy about it. He decided he'd tag along for a bit.
Bobby sat in his chair, listening to the radio and reading a book, when the escape hatch to his heaven opened and Gabriel came in, hauling someone unconsious along. "What the HELL, Gabriel!" he yelled. Gabe looked over his shoulder at him. "Good. I could use your help here, Bobby. The guy is annoyingly tall to begin with, but all the pie and burgers add a lot of weight too." Bobby's breath hitched. "Is that... Dean?!" he asked, worried. When Gabe nodded, he rushed forward and grabbed the hunter's legs. "Next room, Angel. I have a cot there." Gabe backed into the appointed room and together they put Dean's limp body on the cot. His jeans were ripped and bloody and long scratches ran down his left thigh. "Is he..." Bobby started. Gabe shook his head. "I put him under. Physically he is only clawed. Nothing major has been nicked, so he should be fine, although I think he might want to clock me one, once he wakes up." Bobby shook his head. "Why would you wanna do that? He knows you, he'd have listened to ya." Gabe followed Bobby into the other room, and they sat down. "Well, I'm supposed to be dead, remember? So he would want explainations first, which would have taken too long, since they were on a hunt. They thought it was a simple salt 'n burn, but to me it just didn't feel like it was. So, I tagged along uninvited. Had to stay invisible, but that's just a minor inconvenience. We were barely at the scene, when something started clawing up the appartement. The boys grabbed some iron, and laid the saltlines, but that didn't hold long. Of course it wasn't a ghost, but they didn't know what it was. I could see it, and I could see it was after Dean. He was the one getting ripped up, so I pulled him out of the way. He wouldn't have left Sam behind, but he was safer than Dean would be if he stayed. Someone put a hellhound on his tail, and the mutt was hell-bent on getting him. I dropped a line to Cas, and he got Samsquatch out. Since a hellhound can't get into heaven, I hoped you could watch Dean-o, while I go and put a leash on the mutt, and it's master. I'll heal the cuts first."
Dean opened his eyes and saw painfully familiar, tacky wallpaper. "What the..." the hunter mumbled, confused. "Well, good morning, princess. Glad you're up." Dean whipped his head around. "BOBBY?! But.. But.. Oh no... Am I...?" He couldn't voice the question. Bobby sat on a chair, next to the cot. "Don't worry. You're fine. You can go back to your brother shortly." Dean struggled upright. "But, you... You are... Aren't you?" Bobby chuckled. "Yeah... Sadly I am. Life is getting a bit dull up here sometimes, but then Sam and Cas call me to help them jailbreak some scribe, or you get dropped in by someone, and then life gets to be a lot more interesting for a bit." Dean frowned. "Sam and Cas did what?" Bobby looked uneasy. "I take it your idjit brother didn't tell you, even afterwards? Well, what's done is done. They got the guy out, and at least Cas got his own grace back." Dean snorted. "So that's how that happened. I'll have to rip them a new one once I get back home. Speaking of..." He turned his green eyes on Bobby. "...how the hell did I get into your heaven? Last thing I remember, we were on a salt 'n burn. It turned ugly, as usual, and I felt something claw my leg..." His gaze shot to his leg, taking in the tattered and bloodstained jeans. "So that was true... No cuts or scars on me though... Did Cas drop me off here? What about Sammy?" Worried, he tried to stand, but Bobby held him down. "Settle down, Motherhen! It wasn't Cas that dropped you off. He got Sam out, what I heard." Dean narrowed his eyes, and they got a suspicious gleam. "Then who the hell did drop me off, Bobby? I didn't just decide to visit you, I know that for sure." Bobby scratched his neck. "Well now... I'm not entirely sure that's up to me to tell you, son..." All of a sudden Gabriel appeared in the room."That's ok, Bobby. I'll drop that bombshell for you." Dean jumped back on the cot. "GABRIEL?!" Gabe popped his ever present sucker out of his mouth and smiled. "Right you are, Dean-o! Surprised to see me?" Dean got up menacingly. "You were dead... Cas saw the burnmarks from your wings. He was totally broken up about it for weeks, and you're telling me it was a HOAX?!" Gabe backed up a bit. "Easy there, big guy. First of all, I died. Yes I did." he added, seeing the incredulous look in Dean's eyes. "But, like it happened with Cas before, I was fixed. Can't tell you more than that. As I heard, neither could Castiël on the occasions he died. When I found myself all back to normal, I decided on another career change. I became a guardianangel. That's right: I have been keeping an eye out for certain people, including my baby brother, and you and Samsquatch too. This hunt tingled my spidersense, so to speak. So I tagged along for a bit. Glad I did, too. Apparently, that short time you were batting for the other team, you managed to piss off some demons, and one of them set a hellhound on you. Let it claw up some residents in that appartement building, so you and Sammy would get wind of it, and come check it out. I got you just before it went for the kill. I dropped a line to Cas, pretending to be you, so he could get your baby bro out." Dean had sat back down and fidgeted with his torn jeansleg during this speech. When Gabe had finished, he got up and clapped him on the shoulder. "I don't know what to say, man. Thanks... I guess we owe you big time." Gabriel smiled. "No, you don't. You once reminded me of what was really important, then you saved the world, umpteen times, I might add. You just make sure I don't need to neglect my other charges because of you." He winked at Dean. "I fried the mutt and it's mook master, so it'll be safe for you to go home. Want to say goodbye to Bobby, before I windex this all from your brain?" Dean threw him a pleading look. "Do you have to? I mean... I'd like to remember my guardianangel..." He looked at Gabe with a mischeivous twinkle in his amazingly green eyes. Gabe chuckled. "Sorry, bucko. Maybe some other day. Go hug your surrogate Dad, before we zap home." Dean turned to Bobby and, uncharacteristicly, hugged him tight. "Thanks, Bobby... For everything... Ever. The Trickster is right. You've been more my Dad, than my real Dad ever was." Bobby hugged Dean back. "You and Sam, you were my boys. And I'm glad I adopted you both." Both men had moist eyes when they broke apart. Gabe ran a finger over his eye. "Come on, bucko, time to get your 6'1" ass back home and your memory modified. Oh! Just to make things more real..." He snapped his fingers, and black, stinking goo drenched Dean from head to toe. "What the..." the hunter started. "Hellhound blood. You're going to have to look like you killed it. After all, you did, after it had dragged you off." Dean wiped the smelly gunk out of his eyes and glared at Gabriel, who merely grinned and snapped his fingers again. They vanished, leaving Bobby behind to mop up the blood that had spilled from Dean onto the floor.