"Gabriel, Thor is going to be shocked when he sees your skill on the battlefield." Freya said. "I can't believe you kept it from us all this time."

"It wasn't easy believe me. Using tricks to fight is a lot harder than just swinging a sword at someone." Gabriel said. "I'm just happy that this time I can fight like Dad intended me to."

"Gabriel! Gabriel!"

Gabriel turned to find Darius quickly approaching. The young angel stopped and nodded politely to Freya before turning to Gabriel.

"Darius, hello again." Freya greeted. "I take it you wish to speak to Gabriel, I will give you privacy." Freya wandered over to the edge of the training field where Balthazar was still putting the young angels through flight drills in their armor.

"Gabriel, you said to come to you if I needed anything." Darius started timidly.

"Yes what is it" Gabriel asked. "What do you need, I'll see to it."

"Another tablet. One that I cannot fully decipher." Darius explained. "I know the words written, but their meaning is withheld from me. All except one sentence. 'Speak with the prophet.'" Darius held the tablet out in front of him.

"You can't." Gabriel said. "At least you can't without a vessel. You would have to go to Earth for that.

And before you even go you would have to learn how to properly don and wear a vessel. If you do it wrong you can cause irreparable damage to the vessel's mind and soul. And of course the vessel would have to be willing."

Gabriel looked to Balthazar "Hey Balth! Come here a minute."

Balthazar excused himself from Freya's side and hurried over. "Don't worry I'm behaving myself although it's not easy." Balth looked at Darius. "Well our little librarian has poked his head out of the library for once. I take you didn't call me over to yell at me for chatting up your mum after all."

"No, Balth I didn't, but stop trying to chat up my mother."Gabriel scolded lightly "I called you over because Darius needs to learn how to properly don and wear a vessel. I don't want another Jimmy Novak on our hands. His soul still hasn't recovered from letting Cas in."

"You know Gabby, it wasn't Cassie's fault." Balthazar said feeling the need to defend Castiel.

"I know it was Zachariah's fault. He should never have sent Castiel into a vessel without teaching him how to properly occupy one." Gabriel agreed. "And Michael should have put a stop to it before it happened. But after finding out how careless Raphael was with his vessels, it doesn't surprise me.

But I'm not about to let something like that happen on my watch. Teach him how Balth, I'll see about getting him a vessel."

"You should have let me know that you were planning on going on a hunt." Cas scolded as he laid his palm on Connor's ribs. "This could have ended much worse."

"We know that Cas, but it is what Dean and I do." Sam answered. "Gabriel did bring Connor and Murphy here to help protect the prophet."

"We just need a little practical experience you know?" Connor said as he stretched, broken ribs now fully healed.

"And you left the prophet with only Meg and Romeo for protection. Suppose this werewolf had only been meant to draw you away from this place?" Castiel continued. "Gabriel would have all our heads if anything were to happen to him."

"Okay Cas we get it." Dean said. "We screwed up. The next time we need to go hunting we'll be sure to ask for Uncle Cas' permission."

"What Dad's name have you been doing while I was gone?" Gabriel asked looking at the bloody cloths sitting in a pan on the floor. "Can't I leave you Muttonheads alone for any length of time?"

"Just a hunt Gabriel. There was a werewolf in the area and we thought maybe it was here because of us. We took care of it." Dean said.

Sam looked oddly at Dean "Yeah, we took care of it."

Gabriel glanced around the group. Something wasn't quite right but he couldn't put his finger on it. But right now he had a different mission. "Where's Romeo? I need to talk to him?"

"He and Meg are with Kevin." Murphy said. "They were doing guard duty while we were hunting."

Crowley spun around at the chuckle behind him.

"Expecting someone else?" Benny asked. "Maybe a werewolf with a couple of Winchesters in tow?" Benny shook his head. "Did you honestly think that I would allow it? You need to learn a bit of humility Crowley and accept the fact that I hold all of the cards."

"I'll get the Winchesters without your help!" Crowley said "There are plenty of others out there willing to take what I'm offering!"

"Oh I don't doubt it." Benny said. "Perhaps you should understand what will happen to them." Benny waved a hand and two vampires came forward dragging the body of the werewolf that was supposed to be bringing the Winchesters to him.

"You see Crowley, you get the Winchesters one way and one way only, from me. Send anyone else and they will end up just like him." Benny said.

"Why? Why is it so important that I get them from you?" Crowley asked.

"Because they are a means to an end. When Dean Winchester showed up in Purgatory he gave me a way to exact revenge for something that happened a long time ago. Dean and Sam are going to be my revenge against Gabriel. He has a soft spot for humans in general and Sam and Dean are among a handful that he personally takes an interest in." Benny explained.

"When my brother is dead and I am the Alpha vampire, I want Gabriel to know that I was personally responsible for everything that happened to his precious pets!"

Sam was rummaging in the fridge for a carton of orange juice and Murphy was pouring a cup of coffee. Dean and Connor had decided to get some rest and recover from almost dying at the claws of a werewolf. Gabriel and a somewhat ashen Romeo came out of Kevin's room. Romeo sat down at the table and Gabriel sat facing him.

"Look, I'm not sure I want to do this." Romeo said. "I've already been possessed once and I didn't like it!"

"Being a vessel is nothing like being possessed Romeo. You have to give your permission to become a vessel." Gabriel said.

"Whoa!" Sam said pulling his head out of the fridge. "What's all this talk about vessels?"

"We need Romeo to agree to be a vessel for a while." Gabriel said.

"What, you mean like having an angel inside of him?" Murphy asked.

"Yes.' Gabriel confirmed. "Romeo you will be just fine. I give you my word."

"Uh, isn't that what Cas told Jimmy Novak? No offense but I wouldn't exactly say Jimmy was fine when we talked to him during that time Cas had left him." Sam said. "Dude said it was like hanging on to the tail of a comet."

"Castiel was not properly trained in wearing a vessel when Zachariah ordered him to take a vessel to speak to Dean. He didn't know what he was doing. That wasn't Cas' fault. The fault was Michael's for allowing it to happen."

"Well yeti over there isn't making me any more inclined to do it." Romeo said nodding at Sam and crossing his arms.

Gabriel suddenly seemed to get a faraway look in his eyes, after a second he sat up straight in his chair. Murphy gasped and walked closer to the archangel a confused look on his face. "What the fuck! You're not glowing."

"Gabriel has asked me to speak to Romeo. To assure him that he will not be harmed." Gabriel turned to look at Romeo. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's a blessing really. And Gabriel has promised that no harm will come to you."

Sam grabbed a knife pointed it at the angel and demanded "Who are you?"

"I was called Diogenes by those who knew me before I gave myself to Gabriel." The vessel answered.