Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 11

Sam gently cradled the too still body of his friend. He had no healing powers, not that they would make a difference now. Dean was dead and it was his fault, if he hadn't distracted him…

"Don't Sam."

He looked at his oldest friend and boss and managed a slight nod. He understood that Dean's death wasn't really his fault, no matter how much it felt like it. "Sorry."

"Well this isn't right."

The voice had Ach on his feet and protectively in front of the two in less than a second. Silver eyes met yellow even as Ash summoned his staff, feeling Simi shift against his skin, wanting to come out and protect him. He saw Shemu'el lower Dean to the ground even as the temperature plummeted. "Leave demon." He warned. Technically since there were no humans in danger from the creature he should leave it be but he held no love for the creatures and would happily destroy it.

"Not without what belongs to me." He pointed at Dean's body and Sam actually snarled at him.

"You don't own him."

"And what would you know little Dark Hunter? I bought him fair and square before he was even born. His own mother, dear Mary, sold him to bring back her precious John. Wonder what she would think of dear old husband now if she knew just what he'd done to her darling baby boy." The demon smirked.

Sam was shocked by the revelation. Dean's mother had…no, there was no way any mother would knowingly sell their child to a demon, was there? If she sold him before he was born, had Dean even been conceived yet? "Well you got him killed so he doesn't belong to you anymore." It was a weak argument but all he had.

"Shemu'el has a point. His body is of no use to you and you can't bring him back."

"Red tape is a pain, true. But there are ways around it, Crossroads Deals exist for a reason after all. Pity you don't have a soul, bet you'd sell it for him." Azazel looked at the shorter of the two men, the Dark Hunter obviously cared for Dean but since he had already sold his soul he was of no use. But there were others who cared for the boy and could be manipulated into making a deal. He would have his perfect general somehow. Jake was pathetic, he'd killed him himself when he ran after knifing Dean. He had put too much work into the boy to lose him now, too many years of manipulating people and events. John had been the hardest but in the end he had swallowed the false information and turned on his own flesh and blood. Dean had been isolated and hurt, ripe for the picking….until his idiot daughter had lost track of him in Dark Hunter central. Finding him again had been difficult, the house had been well protected, but in the end he had driven the boy out of hiding and back onto the road from where he was easily snatched. Now it was looking like it was all for naught.

"You should be used it to." A new voice called and Azazel began to turn only to gasp as a blade emerged from his chest. He stared down at it in confused horror. Why were they interfering now?

Acheron stared at the blade emerging from the demons chest, able to feel the power radiating from it and as the body dropped he realised why. The man standing there was nothing remarkable, unless you could see beyond the surface of the vessel. He knew what the man was immediately. An angel, an Archangel to be precise but what was one doing on Earth? They had not walked the world in over two thousand years and yet here one was calming killing a demon.

"He always did talk too much." Gabriel muttered before sheathing his sword and looking over at the group, sad eyes locking on Dean's body. "This wasn't meant to happen." He whispered.

"What was?" Acheron demanded and the angel looked at him before flicking his hand and their location changed to that of a room with Dean laid out on a bed. Acheron tensed, he didn't like being moved without his permission. But the angel simply sat down and sucked on a sweet.

"For starters it was never meant to be Dean with demon blood but his baby brother, except little Samuel was never conceived let alone born. Someone screwed up majorly there." Gabriel answered, leaning back in his chair. "Not that I knew, haven't been back up there in millennia."

Acheron frowned at that, an Archangel away from Heaven? That meant…."Gabriel? Didn't you die?"

"Nope. I left, went into a sort of witness protection to keep away from the infighting. These days most know me as Loki, the Trickster god. It's been a good hiding method. Guess I wrecked it though by killing Azazel." He muttered, there went all his centuries of careful plans. But Dean, well he held a bit of a soft spot for the young hunter who, if he had actually been a Trickster, had killed him. Thankfully he was an angel and the bloodied stake hadn't even hurt. "So with no little Sammy it was Dean Azazel claimed as his and fed his blood to, killing Mary at the same time for disturbing him. John went into hunting and took little Dean with him, doubt I have to point out to you two what sort of life the kid would have led. It kept Dean fresh in Azazel's mind as John hunted him and the demon fixated on him."

"But what for?" Sam demanded, finding himself unable to look at the body anymore. He had failed to defend the one truly mortal friend he had and it hurt. Acheron calling him Gabriel had answered the Dark Hunters question on who and what the newcomer was but why was he here?

"To open the gates of hell and then lead the demon army in conquering humanity and freeing my annoying older brother from his cage." Gabriel snapped and Sam swallowed, oh.

"The demon blood would leave Dean more open to influencing and able to control the army without being vulnerable himself to the normal methods of protection." Ash leant back in the chair that had been provided. Not a bad plan, though it could have used some work. Why infect so many if you only need one? To get the best of the lot? All he had to do was take and raise the child, train it to be the best. Ash glanced over at the bed, if he was to bring Dean back it had to be soon but would the boy end up being a threat to humanity? He had shown some abilities already, would he succumb to the blood that ran through his veins?

"Yep." The angel agreed and then got up and moved to stand over the body before looking at Sam. "You aren't like most of your kind. I've seen a few over the centuries but you…there's none of the rage that most carry. Instead you lock yourself away. So why come after him?"

Sam hesitated, the angel was right. Outside of his families descendants he had simply stayed away from anything that could make him live and feel. So why had he let Dean in? "Because he's my friend." And Bobby would hate him if he just left Dean to die too. "He matters."

Gabriel smiled, knowing it was the best he would get for now. He put his hand on Dean's forehead and let his Grace flow, healing all the damage dealt by the blade. Then he reached further, pulling Dean's soul back into the body and anchoring it inside. He hesitated and then took it one step further, letting his Grace infuse Dean's body and soul, feeling the demonic blood boil away under the onslaught even as Dean's body became sturdier, harder to injure. If the boy was going to hang around Dark Hunter then he would need the advantages he was gifting him.

Sam flinched back as the room flashed with white light and then blinked and looked around in confusion. This was his house, more specifically the guestroom he'd set aside for Dean despite the hunter being long gone. He took a deep breath and then looked at the bed only to stare with wide eyes at the breathing body upon it. He moved closer and reached out to touch Dean, feeling the warmth of his skin. "Dean?"

TBC…