A bright flash of white light filled the warehouse and Cas threw his arm over his eyes. He could identify what the blinding light was, but he couldn't explain where it was coming from. The harsh brightness faded he dared to move his arm and glanced around warily. Sam was now standing next to him, whole and unharmed. The Winchester stood frozen, awestruck by the figure that had appeared in the center of the vast room. "That is not possible," he whispered.
The light had not fully faded, still surrounding the newcomer and partially concealing her identity as Sam tried to determine what was happening. She was rather small, with light hair that flowed past her shoulders. The most striking thing about her were the wings. Smaller than the shadow of Cas' wings, for that was all Sam had ever seen of them, they were a bright, pure white. She held them proudly, if not a bit awkward. It almost seemed like she was not used to the feathered things.
"Ah, you show yourself," Raphael smirked, "A most wise decision if you wish for those three to live. I take it you are the nephilim I've been hunting?"
The figure lifted her head and met the archangel's gaze with a smirk of her own. "And so what if I am?"
"Then I shall kill you and be done with this."
"Are you sure you can manage it?" the woman tilted her head to the side slightly, a perfect imitation of Cas. "Do you not recognize me?" She allowed the bit of light that clung to her fade, allowing Sam and the archangel to finally see her properly.
"How?" Raphael thundered, "It should not be possible!"
"Oh, but it is," the woman taunted him, "And to answer your question, no. I am not a nephilim. You have no name for me because there has never been another like me."
"You are an abomination," the archangel hissed.
"Perhaps," she shrugged, drawing an angel blade, "But I do have a name that I'm rather partial to…"
Raphael lunged forward, prepared to end the creature before him. She twisted away faster than the eye could follow and buried her blade in his back. The archangel let out a cry of pain as she twisted it maliciously.
"Wanna know what it is?" she grinned, removing her weapon and kicking him to the ground. "It has a special meaning, you know."
"Go to hell," the dying angel spat.
"Been there," she rolled her eyes. "The name's Winchester, and it means that if you fuck with my family, I will hunt you down and I will gank your ass. No questions asked." With a final flourish she sunk her blade into the angel's heart, watching the grace erupt from his vessel's eyes before leaving blackened wings on the floor as the only sign he was ever there.
"Dean," Cas whispered hoarsely, "How?"
"Hell if I know," she shrugged, her wings bouncing along with the movement. "All I remember is trying to use some grace to get her and it burning me. I thought I was dead and then I could see Raphael and I knew I had made it here. I was just afraid it wasn't in time."
"It may not have been," Cas told her softly, motioning to where Gabriel lay on the other side of the warehouse."
"Gabe!" Sam cried, rushing to her side. He ran his hands across her face, down her neck, searching for a pulse as if that would tell him something other than what he already knew. "Oh, Gabe, I'm so sorry." Tears ran down his face as he pulled her limp body into his arms. "I never wanted… you shouldn't have… all I've ever done is cause you pain and now this. How can I live like this? Why didn't you let me die?"