Gabriel woke an hour later, cradled gently in the arms of the one thing he'd ever loved. He was finally here. After years of fighting to survive, scratching, clawing and searching for a way out, he was home. Her arm was wrapped around his neck and his face was still buried in her hair, the gentle scent of coconut coaxing a serene sense of nostalgia through him. The slow, rhythmic rise and fall of her chest a telltale sign she was deep in a comfortable sleep and as much as he didn't want to move, he knew he had to. Slowly, he wriggled free of her grip, making sure to pull the blanket up and around her as he moved. She didn't even budge and a self-satisfied smirk fell onto his face.

He emerged from the room, quietly clicking the door closed behind him, and headed towards the common area where at least the brothers would be waiting. He knew Dean was eager to leave, to get started on the journey to Apocalypse Land, but they still needed his grace. The thought of having to extract what little he had left in him sent a panic straight to his chest. He couldn't do it, not himself, not alone. There was only one person he trusted to have any part in that, and she was passed out in that room down the hall.

"Where's Liv?" Dean asked as Gabriel entered the library, his bag already packed and waiting at his feet.

"Sleeping," Gabriel responded nonchalantly.

"Sleeping? It's noon. What'd you do, screw her into a coma?"

"Uh… isn't that the goal? It concerns me that this occurrence seems foreign to you."

Sam's eyebrows raised as he choked back a laugh. He'd never admit it, but having Gabriel around was sort of entertaining. He certainly gave Dean a run for his money, he thought, as he watched as his brother's expression changed from shocked, to confused, to angry then ending on a little embarrassed. Gabriel's, on the other hand, stayed in smug amusement, his head tilted to one side as he smirked.

"You'll get there, kid. Keep practicing. Remember, it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean. But it doesn't hurt to have both," Gabriel taunted, tucking his lips into his mouth in pity as he gave Dean a pat on the back on his way past.

As Gabriel found a seat at the end of the table, he couldn't help but notice the intuitive and intrigued little grin set upon the tiny red-headed witch's lips two seats down. He felt her eyes burning into him and his eyes darted around in confusion mixed with a little bit of guilt.

"We need your grace," Dean informed the angel, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gabriel's stomach dropped. He knew he wasn't ready, he didn't think he ever would be. For a thousand years he'd played celestial juice box to Colonel Sanders and the thought of that needle piercing his neck again was nightmare inducing. He tried to shove those memories away as they fought to break loose of the confines he had sloppily locked them away in, trying to replace them with the sound of her voice and the touch of her fingers. Sam noticed the sudden change in Gabriel's demeanor, but if Dean had, he wasn't acknowledging it. He tossed the large metal syringe down in front of the angel carelessly, and it only angered Gabriel further.

"I need her," Gabriel confessed, rising to his feet in any attempt to get as far away from that device as he could.

"So go wake her ass up and get it done," Dean demanded.

"No."

The angel kept his voice and gaze hard as he stared at the man no more than twelve inches away from him. He was quickly tiring of this charade and every piece of him wanted to take Liv and walk out that door to leave them to figure this out on their own. All he'd ever done was give to them without ever receiving a damn thing in return. He knew he had to try and get along with them, but all he could think about at the moment was a thousand new ways to off Dean in another Groundhog Day loop.

"I don't know where you got this asinine idea that you can order me around like I'm one of your little soldiers, Dean, but I recommend re-evaluating it. We do this when I say so. Understood?" Gabriel's voice was almost sinister as he spoke, stepping threateningly closer to the eldest Winchester as he stared.

Dean's face hardened, but the slightest hint of fear crossed over his features. Even powered down, Dean knew he was no match for the archangel; he had no choice but to surrender. Gabriel knew Liv probably hadn't gotten any form of quality sleep since the last time she'd been in bed with him, and if she needed an hour or two she was going to get it. Plus, there was one thing he had to do before they set off.

Dean watched with fury burning behind his eyes as Gabriel grabbed the syringe from the table before he walked up the steps and out of the bunker. Why they had gotten stuck with the most unreliable being to ever walk the Earth as their only hope was beyond him. While deep down he was happy the unlikely couple had made amends, it was now only hindering his mission further.

Gabriel returned an hour later empty-handed and Dean wondered where the hell he'd ran off to and why. The angel didn't even share a passing glance to the four occupants of the library as he headed back down the hall to the bedrooms. He knew it was time, this had to be done. The longer he delayed doing it, the farther away the end was, and he needed this to be over for many reasons. The main one being right behind the old wooden door in front of him.

It creaked quietly as he pushed it open. She was still there, exactly in the same position he'd left her in. Her bare shoulders peeked out from underneath the quilt he'd covered her with, tempting him back to the bed and distracting him from what was to come, even if only for a moment. Gently, he curled himself back behind her, the warmth of her body comforting as his arm draped around her middle. She didn't flinch and he stilled, taking in a moment he'd been so desperate for for so long.

His lips drifted to her shoulders, dragging slowly as he kissed her exposed skin, each one moving higher and higher over her neck and jaw until he'd reached her cheek. He saw the corner of her mouth tick up into a sleepy, lopsided smile as he roused her gently, his lips mirroring hers as he continued his ministrations. The little wrinkles besides her eyes creased her skin as her smile grew and he kissed them softly, appreciating the new feature that had appeared in his absence. He was here after all this time to love the new parts of her just as much as the old, and he couldn't wait to discover them all.

"Hmm," she hummed, leaning back against him slightly, "I missed waking up like this."

"Oh yeah? Get used to it, you got a few more decades of it at least," he threatened, pulling his arm against her to roll her onto her back.

Before he could react she pushed herself up and pressed her lips to his in a firm, yet simple kiss. Her hand wound into his hair as she deepened it, somehow she knew this was it. There wasn't a sinking feeling or nerves, he could walk out that door right now and this time she knew he would be walking back through. As his hand slid from her ribs down to her hip it wasn't desperate or pleading, instead his fingertips were soft and gentle, ghosting over her skin like an old friend. Like he'd done it a thousand times and would do it a thousand more. Their lips moved in perfect synchronization, everything about being with him at this moment was effortless and easy.

"I need you to do something for me," he whispered, his voice changed, as he brushed her hair from her face.

It was time to go. Their small window was up and it was time to get back to work. She kicked herself for wasting a night, for not grabbing him and kissing him as soon as he'd stabbed that cocky prick Loki right through the stomach. What had just begun was already ending, those twelve hours she could have been here wrapped in his arms were gone.

As his eyes snapped shut, she pushed her forehead against his; she knew what was coming. They needed grace, and there was only one way to get it. Her arms wound around his neck and she guided his head into the crook of her neck, silently consoling him. This would be different. His hair was soft beneath her fingers as they drifted to his curls, scratching softly in the way she knew he loved. She was certain this was going to be hard, the memories that might resurface would linger and haunt him, but she'd be there this time. He was no longer alone.

When he pulled away she kept her arms around him until she'd been drug up into a sitting position, locking him into the safety of her embrace for every second she possibly could. The syringe was in his pocket; without ever putting his eyes on it he passed it over to her and she watched as his shoulders slumped forward. Her heart hurt as she saw the transformation before her eyes, she knew she needed to act quick to pull him free.

Quickly, she located her discarded clothes, throwing them on before running to him and grabbing his hands.

"Look at me," she instructed, "Gabe, look at me."

Her fingers squeezed his as she waited for him to respond. While she knew she couldn't be forceful, she had to get him out. Finally, his eyes rose to meet hers and she smiled, she knew Asmodeus had used her form to taunt him so she wasn't sure if any of her efforts would even be beneficial, but she had to try. Slowly, she led him to the bed, pushing him down by his shoulders to sit on the edge as she nestled herself between his knees. She was taller than him here, his head level with her chest and chin upturned as he kept his eyes on her.

Instincts guided her motions as she leaned down and kissed him. Her lips remained still, just lingering as she captured his upper lip between her own, waiting for his response. It took him a moment, but as he took in the sensations around him, he felt his chest settle. This wasn't like before. She smelled the same, her touch was soft and familiar, not a cheap carbon copy and the steady beat of her heart sang out as she hovered above him. He molded his lips to hers, accepting every thing she offered in any attempt to calm himself down. Spurred on by his returned affection, she pecked a few more soft fleeting kisses to his mouth before pulling away.

"I love you," she assured him, "are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he grumbled in response, wrapping his arm around her waist.

When the needle pierced his neck, his grip along her middle tightened as he tried to tether himself to her and her alone. His eyes snapped shut, the darkness behind them welcoming the nightmares as they broke free from the shoddy walls holding them back. Asmodeus' voice began echoing inside his head. The room grew colder. The soft surface he'd been seated on turned to stone as the horrors came to life. It'd been a ruse, he knew it had… he'd been down there all along.

"Hey, eyes on me," he heard a familiar, delicate voice call out, it sounded like it was underwater, "Gabe, open your eyes baby."

Her own anxiety began to rise as she watched him. His face was twitching, his breath coming out in erratic pants through his nose and she had no idea how to free him. She knew she couldn't remove the needle, she couldn't do this again, but she also couldn't continue with him in this state.

"Gabriel!" she called out again, bringing her free hand to his cheek, caressing the ridge with her thumb, "come back to me, come on. Get outta there."

Immediately, his eyes shot open, locking onto her concern-stricken face. It was her, really her. He was in the bunker still, in the bed he'd shared with her just that morning. He felt his muscles relax, hers following suit and he let his head fall to her chest in front of him, the tug of the needle on his neck stung as he moved.

"You're okay," she cooed, sliding the hand from his cheek to the back of his head, cradling him against her, "right?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly, "just do it."

Her thumb was frozen in the plunger, her focus solely on him. His breathing had regulated, she could feel him exhaling against her collarbone, and his shoulders had released from their contracted position. When she was certain he was fine, she began to pull her finger back, his swirling, silver grace slowly seeping into the glass vial. While she knew this was no easy feat for him, she couldn't help the swell in her chest as she shared in this extremely intimate moment with him. Just when she thought they'd done it all, here he was clinging to her as she extracted the very thing that defined him from the body that Loki had designed for him. She knew it should maybe scare her, intimidate her, that the thing she loved was actually that shining vapor her thumb was pulling at, but she knew he was so much more.

"Stop," he snapped, his hand darting to the wrist of her right arm.

"I don't think this is enough," she guessed, seeing that not even a quarter of the small vial was filled.

"It's gonna have to be. It's more potent than it looks."

Nodding, she pulled the needle from his neck and threw it down onto the nightstand behind her. When she turned her attention back to him, the tiny bead of blood forming from his puncture took her by surprise. She'd never known him to bleed outside of the past few days; she still hadn't gotten used to it. Quickly, she pressed her thumb against the spot, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. While she fretted, he pulled her face to his, kissing her with a renewed gusto. When his tongue lapped against her lips she responded equally as eager, happy he seemingly was free from his traumatic memories.

"You know I need you, right?" he premised, his voice heavy with adoration.

"Yeah, I do," she responded confidently, "You're a mess."

"Mhmm. I don't know why you stick around."

"Maybe because I'm a mess too. And together we make one hell of a dumpster fire."

"You make it sound so romantic."

They both laughed, her arms coming to wrap around his neck as he pulled her into his lap, her knees coming to rest on either side of him.

"Romance is one of my strong suits," she continued, pecking his lips after she'd finished speaking.

"Oh is it? I love you and all, but whoever told you that has a nose that's a few inches longer now," Gabriel teased in response.

"What?!"

"Liv, you are the least romantic being I have ever come across. Now I'm not saying that's a downfall, but it is a fact."

"Oh you just wait Casanova, I'll show you romantic. I'll have you puking into a vase of roses before you know it."

"Point proven."

As much as she didn't want to admit he was right, there really was no denying it. She tilted her head in defeated agreement as he eyed her smugly, she'd been in one relationship her entire life and it was sitting in front of her currently. He breathed another laugh through his nose before planting one final kiss on her lips, wishing it could be more.

"Come on, Dean's got his panties all in a bunch out there and I'm over it. Time to finish this nonsense," Gabriel revealed, lifting her off the bed with him as he stood, "Are you all packed up?"

"Pretty much, I just need a blade," she replied as her feet hit the floor.

"I'm sure Tweedle-Dum has a spare you can borrow."

"Who's Tweedle-Dum?"

"Any of them, all of them."

The pair walked from the room, Gabriel always one step behind her as they made their way down the hall and back to the group not so patiently waiting on them. Her stomach was in knots as she replayed the information Sam had given her about the world they were about to travel to, and the risks. She had to admit she felt a little off her game ever since Gabriel had returned, she didn't want this life anymore and it was showing.

"Here it is! The final ingredient, a fresh serving of archangel grace," Gabriel announced as they entered the library.

Gabriel popped the vial onto the table with a flourish, the other occupants of the room all looking at it skeptically. Liv knew they were thinking exactly what she had, that it wasn't enough, but she hoped and prayed it was. She wasn't pulling any more from him ever again.

"This is what you call a serving?" Rowena questioned, lifting the bottle and squinting at the contents.

"That is the jet fuel of divine emissions, it'll be more than enough to get the job done."

Dean scoffed at Gabriel's terminology, earning him a laugh from Liv as Rowena began to perform the spell. The five travelers prepped for their journey, each fiddling with something in their hands as they waited for the rift to open. Gabriel shared a glance with Liv, his eyes nervous as he began to think of all the things that could happen to her over there, things he may not be able to control. It was too late to try and convince her to stay, not that she would anyway, but he'd already seen her on her deathbed once. It wasn't anything he planned on seeing again.

"Koth Munto Nuntox," Rowena chanted, throwing her hands up towards the back of the room.

A waving, orange rip of light tore through the air, shocking Liv slightly. She'd seen a lot of things in her days, but nothing like this. On the other side of that little static line was a whole other universe, a land much worse off than here. It's appearance was certainly deceiving. Gabriel noticed her unease, even if it was slight, and his hand came to rest between her shoulder blades reassuringly.

"Stay with me," he whispered to her, and she nodded in response.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Castiel asked, his eyes scanning the group.

"Yeah, all right," Sam responded.

"Let's do this," Dean added immediately after his brother.

As they took a step towards the rift, it began to fritz like a lightbulb burning out before wilting to the side and crackling out of existence, leaving the room in the same state it had been seconds before.

"Okay…" Dean muttered, confused.

"Well, that was… fast," Castiel commented next.

"Very, very fast," Sam added.

"I told you we needed more," Liv mumbled to Gabriel, trying to hide her words from the rest of the group.

"One could even say premature," Rowena tacked on, just adding insult to injury.

"Um… I thought it would be enough," Gabriel confessed, his shame very evident in his voice.

"All right, great. What do we do now?" Sam asked, his frustration growing.

"Hell if I know," Dean answered, equally as irritated.

"You do know. We all do," Castiel concluded, earning a frightened glance from the witch, "We need archangel grace. Gabriel's obviously running a little low, and we don't know how long it'll take him to recover. So that leaves exactly one source on Earth."

"No," Sam snapped, fear falling over his features.

"I don't like it either but there's no other way. We need Lucifer."

Gabriel hung his head at the revelation. As if it wasn't bad enough they were being dragged into Apoco-Land with the three Amigos, now Lucifer was getting involved. This was getting worse and worse by the second. While he was almost happy this hadn't panned out, leaving him a few more hours of what he hoped would be peace with Liv, it wasn't turning out to be as simple as he'd thought it would be when we agreed to help. As the three left the room to formulate their plan, he was left wondering what was coming next.

"I thought it was fine…" he mumbled to her, his eyes averting embarrassingly.

"I know. We'll figure it out," she assured him, linking her fingers through his, "and if we don't, doesn't really affect us now does it?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she smirked up at him and he responded with a smile. She was technically right, they could walk away right now if they wanted to. Gabriel was useless to them now without enough grace to spare to open that rift. He knew she never would, unless it was deemed impossible, but it did give him something to hope for.

As it was every time he was in this close of a proximity to her, it was impossible not to lean down and kiss her. She was a constant refuge, a stronghold, when he needed her she never failed him. He'd always been confused as to why his brothers thought the humans so weak. She was far stronger than any celestial being he'd ever known, never running from any challenge that stood in her way. In the face of betrayal she forgave, in her heartache she soldiered on and when his world was crumbling around him, she'd stood by him to help him pick up the pieces, selfless and willing to sacrifice no matter the cost.

They weren't sure of how much time had passed, wound around the each other as they poured their affections unhindered into the other. Her hand came up to the collar of his shirt, pulling at the fabric to graze her fingertips over his skin, and it was then he remembered they were not alone in the room. Easing back slowly, he pulled away, clearing his throat as he locked eyes with the red-haired witch still seated at the long table.

"Well don't stop on my account," she purred, "I love a good romance. Do let me know if you ever need a third…"

Gabriel's face lifted in curiosity and consideration as Rowena batted her perfectly embellished eyes at the duo, the look alone filling his mind with a fantasy he just couldn't push away. Liv noticed immediately, lazily smacking the back of her hand against his chest, silently scolding him and jostling the images from his mind as he snapped back to reality. As he tried to apologize to her with his eyes, neither of them noticed that Rowena had risen from her seat and was sauntering towards them, her gaze floating up and down the angel as she stopped in front of him.

"Size of the boat indeed," she hummed in appreciation as she stopped at his midsection.

Gabriel quickly grabbed the first thing he could find, a very old, tattered book off the shelf to his right, and covered the bulge that had formed in his jeans. He couldn't remember when that had popped up, but he was telling himself it was certainly when he'd been hot and heavy with Liv before the rude interruption. When he glanced over at her, her eyes were rolled so far back into her head he could barely see her pupils. He was in trouble and he knew it.

"You lucky girl," Rowena praised as her attention turned to Liv, tapping her finger lightly on her nose in congratulations.

"I don't even wanna know…" Dean groaned as he took in the sight before him, Gabriel covering his groin with a book as Rowena seductively eyed a very flustered looking Liv, "Sam has a plan."

"Uh… okay," Gabriel stammered, shifting uncomfortably, turning his body more towards Liv to hide from prying eyes.

"So… we find Lucifer, Rowena we assume you can do that for us?" Sam began, "Bind him with the cuffs and Gabriel, we're hoping you have a way to get some grace from him. We have the archangel blade, so, whatever you need to get it done."

"Uh, that's it?" Gabriel scoffed, his voice filled with concern, "You're just gonna waltz on up to Lucifer, throw some magic cuffs on him and call it a day?"

"We'll figure out the minor details on the way," Dean added, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No. We'll figure out the major details now. I like being alive! I'm not marching up to my volatile brother and throwing a match on him… again. Didn't work so well the first time, not gonna work this time either."

"Well he isn't at full strength," Sam cut in, trying to defend their only idea.

"Yeah? Neither am I, so that's a moot point."

"All right, what's your plan then?"

Gabriel's face had hardened, his lips pressed into a tight line as his nostrils flared. These idiots were going to get everyone killed. His gaze fell to the woman at his side, her eyes looking to him for answers, answers he wasn't sure he had. His mind ran through all their playing cards: a witch, a wayward angel, a busted archangel, and three hunters. All in all it wasn't a bad team, it was just a matter of using them all properly, and safely.

"You, Red," he began, pointing his finger at Rowena, "I know there's something out there we can give him to knock his ass out long enough to get him here. Can you find it and can you make it?"

"I know just the thing," she beamed, her charming yet wicked smile lighting up her face.

"By tomorrow, I should have enough to do a little shapeshifting, I think… Knowing my brother, he'll be wallowing his troubles away somewhere seedy, let's hope it's a bar. I go in, play a little bartender, work a little magic, sneak some of Red's magic potion into the drink and bam, Luci will be locked down to get what we need from him."

"Wait…" Liv cut in, "can't we use him somehow? To keep that door open longer than twenty four hours? We obviously now know that the amount of archangel grace has a direct effect on the life of the rift, what if we kept adding to it…"

"Like grace on tap?"

"Exactly. Keep the spell active, the door open and drain his ass all at the same time."

"That's… actually a great idea," Sam commended, a smile pulling at his lips.

"Great. When do we leave? How long 'til you can find him Rowena?" Dean jabbered, confident and ready to put the plan into action.

"A few hours, tops," Rowena replied, "I still have enough leftover ingredients from finding Gabriel, should be no problem."

"Tomorrow," Gabriel concluded, "first thing. Tonight, I say we kick back, drink, eat, have a little fun. You all need to lighten up a little and I want some time with this one before we head off on another life threatening adventure. Deal?"

The brother shared a look, silently deciding that it wasn't worth a fight, "Yeah, deal," they answered in unison. A few more hours wouldn't hurt.