A/n: There are not words for how sorry I am that this is so late. Things are picking up (emotionally) over here but I am still struggling to write. Thank you all for your love, support, and encouragement.


The early morning was quiet and lonely. The lack of sound was eerie in its own right. The dark void stole sleep from Gabriel. It left him feeling scared.

He trembled and whimpered as his own mind attacked his sense of safety. Cruel memories sank their vicious claws into his conscious mind. Tears clung to his eyelashes as he reflexively kept his eyes scrunched closed. Terror started to swallow his very being when suddenly a wave of calm and security crashed over him.

Sensing Gabriel's fear even in sleep, Sam rolled over and curled close to the angel without touching him. Warmth radiated off the hunter and Gabriel was drawn to it. He hesitantly shifted closer to his hunter, breathing in his comforting scent. This man was Home now and the angel desperately wanted to feel the protection that came with being home.

The angel shakily wiped the tears from his sightless eyes with his good hand. He took in a trembling breath as he slowly slid his good hand across the bed towards his mate. He was shaking horribly by the time he reached Sam. His skin flushed hot as he tiredly skimmed his fingers up the hunter's arm. His heart fluttered as he gently mapped out Sam's arm and shoulder with touch.

The longing to be held was overwhelming. But his desire could not be fulfilled. His sub-conscious was still scared and damaged. The closer he pulled himself towards Sam, the worse the anxiety under his skin got. Still, the fear of being touched was overridden by the need for Sam's protection from the dark.

Gabriel swallowed down his fear and unease. He took little calming gasps as he dragged himself closer to his human. Sam was stretched out so Gabriel found it strangely easy to curl into the hunter.

The alarms in Gabriel's mind telling him he was being touched and that it would hurt were going off. Still, he shoved them down and began to purr softly as he snuggled against Sam. The hunter was all warmth and hard muscle wrapped up in the scent of old books. The entirety of this knowledge made Gabriel smile softly.

His mind was still panicking slightly but Gabriel didn't care. He wanted to feel that love that Sam gave him when he was awake. He clung to that need as he squirmed into the space under Sam's arm.

"Gabe?" Sam's sleep-drenched voice startled the angel slightly, making him freeze. All the movement had awoken the exhausted hunter. Gabriel immediately felt horrible for being selfish. Sam would still be asleep if Gabriel hadn't been such a child about his nightmare and the eternal darkness he was in, "What's wrong, Baby?"

Gabriel whimpered pitifully and hid his face against Sam's broad chest. His trembling hands clenched in the hunter's shirt. He didn't want to say anything, he wanted Sam to go back to sleep. The hunter deserved to sleep.

"Gabe, Sweetie, please talk to me." Sam's voice was loving and tender despite still sounding sleepy. He moved his hand and gently began to stroke Gabriel's hair softly. He shushed his quivering angel gently. He smiled tiredly as the angel began to slowly relax against him.

"I-I had a bad dream, S-sammy." Gabriel whispered shamefully. He felt like such a pitiful creature. An archangel shouldn't be scared of something harmless like a nightmare. He wasn't a child. He should be above cowering from a bad dream.

Sam frowned sadly and gently pulled the angel up into a better hugging range as they lay there. Gabriel squeaked softly at the movement but let Sam move him. The angel flushed brightly as he was moved so they were chest to chest. Gabriel was allowed to hide his nose against Sam's throat as the hunter hugged him lovingly.

"Everyone gets bad dreams, Gabe. Even the strongest, bravest men." Sam kissed Gabriel's hair while hugging him just under the wings. He smiled softly as he felt the angel uncurl slightly and cling to him, "You don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed of being scared by one. Especially not after what you've been through. Shh… Just rest, Gabe. I got you."

Gabriel's sightless eyes slipped closed tiredly. He purred happily as he was held in his lover's arms. He still felt panicky from the touch but it was worth it. Sam was so warm and he smelled so good. The comfort that came from being in his arms made Gabriel yawn cutely as slumber started to take him over once more.

Sam sleepily hummed as he tenderly stroked along Gabriel's spine. He smiled and kissed Gabriel's hair sweetly. As he soothed and cared for the angel, Sam started to drift off again as well. For a single tired moment, he could believe that they were normal and that their love had sprouted like it was supposed to. Not like how it had grown out of tragedy and abuse.

~*~z~*~

Dean sat up in bed, back to the headboard. Much like his angel, he was fully clothed aside from his shoes. Completely ignoring the angel sleeping between his legs while it rested its head on his stomach. The only acknowledgement he gave his boyfriend was petting the angel's hair with is free hand.

Dean's occupied hand held up the horseman's bloody pendant. It shimmered and glistened in the vague sunlight that seeped in around the dark curtains. The pendant was so small and looked so harmless. But this only made Dean sneer in disgust.

He was so tired of tiny artifacts holding so much power over people. This simple necklace from an evil creature held the freedom of his precious angel. He literally held Cas' safety in his hands. They just needed to use this filthy little artifact to take on an entire kingdom of evil fairies.

Could their answer really be this simple? Could a single ritual throw them before the court so that they could gather the information they required? He needed his angel to be safe. He just couldn't think about Cas acting the way that Gabriel was. It was unthinkable.

"Dean?" Cas murmured weakly as he shifted so he could look up at the hunter, "What're you doing?"

"Nothin', Babe." Dean sighed as he put the pendant on the nightstand. He shifted his focus down onto his precious angel. He looked into sleepy blue eyes and found what true peace felt like. He smiled tiredly.

Dean moved to lie down. He pulled his angel up to him, kissing him tenderly. Cas purred softly into the slow slide of lips. The angel's strong arms slowly wrapped around the hunter. He manifested his wings, using them to hide himself and Dean from the world. Only they existed for a few short minutes.

Dean's fingers tenderly played in wild black hair as they got into a comfortable position to lay next to each other. Cas purred tenderly and Dean hummed happily in response. Their lips gently played with each other's as they both started to drift off. It was hard to think about all the pain in the world when they had each other like this.

~*~z~*~

Sam hated rising late in the day but after a night of hunting a dullahan, it was to be expected that he was exhausted. Though, it kind of had been worth it. When he finally awoke around ten A.M., there was a sweet angel sleeping in his arms. It took him a bit to remember how they had gotten like that until he remembered that Gabriel had had a nightmare of some type.

Sam's heart fluttered sweetly with love as he stared at his sleeping angel. Gabriel had actually fought his own discomfort in order to get comfort from Sam. This made the hunter feel incredibly honored. He wanted nothing more than to cradle his lover to his chest.

Though, he supposed he could currently. As long as he was careful where he touched, he could hold his angel. This truth made his eyes water.

Sam carefully curled closer to his angel. He kissed his hair and lovingly stroked over his feathers. He couldn't help but smile as his angel began to purr gently from the touches. For a few simple moments here, it felt like they were normal.

He clung to this feeling. He clung to how it felt to just be a normal human hugging his boyfriend in bed. There was no damn flower controlling their lives. They were not owner and pet. His boyfriend was not horribly damaged. They were simply two people who loved each other sharing a bed.

He would cling to this feeling desperately until his lover awoke once more.

~*~Chapter End~*~