"As you can see his wings already, your eyes probably won't explode during the transfer," Gabriel said seriously.
"Probably?" Dean repeated incredulously, "Screw that; I'm keeping my eyes shut, just in case."
Dean sat at the foot of the bed and tried not to appear as nervous as he felt.
"Last chance to change your mind," Castiel warned.
"Stop worrying, Castiel," Gabriel soothed, "Think of everything you can learn from Dean; the sexual experiences alone -"
"Shut up," Dean groaned, "You've been slutting around for centuries, Gabby."
"And it is a real shame I can't share those memories with my brother, so yours will have to do," Gabriel replied easily, "Tell him you consent to hosting him and I'll move the Angel cuffs."
"Cas, you have my permission, so let's do this."
Castiel watched Dean warily and wondered if the Hunter could really allow himself to be possessed by an Angel. Gabriel offered an encouraging smile and pulled a key out of his pocket.
"Final decision; tell your stubborn Angel yes or no," Gabriel prompted.
"Yes. Get on with it, Cas."
Even with his eyes closed, Dean could sense the bright light illuminating the room in the same moment the weight of the handcuffs pressed against his wrists.
Gabriel watched the glowing form of Castiel rise from the bed, leaving his vessel behind. The Archangel touched the motionless body with one hand to preserve him.
Dean felt the warmth on his shoulder first, as though the Grace embedded in his soul was welcoming the arrival of the rest. The light faded and the warmth spread through his chest and into the rest of his body.
A wave of dizziness washed over Dean. He hunched forward and opened his eyes when the glow had faded completely.
Instead of the spartan bedroom he expected, Dean found himself in the Impala. He was further disoriented by his position; the passenger seat.
Castiel was in the drivers' seat, though the car wasn't moving. The black windows were distinctly odd; confirming that Dean was not experiencing reality.
"Cas?" Dean said aloud.
Castiel turned to regard Dean curiously, "I'm here, Dean. Is this image suitable?"
"You've created this?"
Castiel nodded, "I thought being in the drivers' seat was a good metaphor. Would you like to take over?"
"Sure."
Cas opened the door to step into the darkness, which somehow supported his weight. The room came back in an instant. Dean felt warm and the presence in his head was strange, but not unpleasant.
Gabriel watched the exchange with interest. The relationship between Angel and vessel was incredibly intimate; without a sexual component. If Dean couldn't accept Castiel after this, Gabriel would seriously consider smiting him.
Dean stood up and flinched. Gabriel watched the energy swirl around as a silent conversation took place.
"All settled in?" Gabriel asked with a sly grin.
"Cas is freaked out about Balthazar," Dean explained. He tilted his head to the side and then rolled his eyes moments later, "And he wants me to assure you that he is 'concerned' rather than 'freaked out'."
"That does sound like Castiel," Gabriel agreed, "Let's go tell Sam who's riding in your head."
Dean groaned, "Bitchface Number One."
"Is that his constipated expression?"
"No; that's Number Four."
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Sam should have realized that his reunion with Faith wouldn't go as planned. He fell asleep in her arms and woke up hours later with a sore neck.
He was just starting to relax back into slumber when Gabriel came out to speak to Jane in a low tone and then disappeared again. Within minutes, Jane exited through the front door.
Faith had heard the rushed conversation and Jane's abrupt departure, "Who's Balthazar?" she asked sleepily.
"An Angel who was killed by Cas over a year ago," Sam explained, "Why?"
"Apparently, Jane brought him back to life and he is on his way here."
Sam groaned and dropped his head to Faith's shoulder. With Cas injured, he had been hoping to have a few days to rest before the next crisis descended upon them.
"What's Jane like?" Sam asked tiredly.
"She's great, but wary of Angels. She overpowered Gabriel long enough to throw him across the room," Faith explained with a smile, "The new Angel shouldn't pose a threat."
"Balthazar is a good guy hiding under a snarky, selfish bastard," Sam recalled, "I'm glad he's back, but if he wants revenge against Cas, I'd let Gabriel kill him."
Faith shifted so she was sitting in Sam's lap so she could wrap her arms around him properly. It worked quite well due to their height difference. She remained there contentedly and savoured his unique scent until she heard Jane's voice outside the bunker. She couldn't make out any words or tone.
Gabriel sauntered into view, flashed a grin at the couple and then headed up the stairs to open the front door.
"How is Cas?" Sam called across the room.
"Comfortable," Gabriel replied mischievously.
Faith felt rather detached from the potential drama as Gabriel did something to allow the new Angel into the bunker. Jane winked at her reassuringly.
"Gabriel?" Balthazar greeted with shock, "Who else is going to come back from the dead? I'll keep my fingers crossed for John Lennon."
"I wasn't actually dead," Gabriel explained as he led the way down the stairs, "Did Jane explain how you came back?"
"The short version, yes," Balthazar confirmed, with a sidelong glance at Jane. She smiled shyly at him.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow at their interaction, "Sam, where's the key to this place?"
"Why?"
Gabriel smiled condescendingly, "That key opens other bunkers too. These two are going to need a place to 'get to know each other' and I'd prefer not to hear them having sex. Why knows what weird shit Balthazar is into?"
Sam didn't need further explanation to disentangle himself from Faith and search for the key.
"You can't talk Gabriel; you're proud of having a sexual history longer than a roll of toilet paper," Jane pointed out.
Balthazar perked up with interest, "Really? Well, that explains why you're more relaxed than I remember."
Jane pulled Faith aside to explain that Balthazar was back because she had wished so fervently for her soulmate. While the Dhampir wondered aloud how an Angel could develop a British accent, Gabriel was trying to take credit for the creation of the porn industry.
Sam returned and handed the key over to Gabriel without hesitation. He was startled to realize he trusted the irritating Archangel.
Gabriel grinned at the Hunter and winked. Sam rolled his eyes, knowing that his thoughts were as visible as a billboard.
Balthazar swung to the side abruptly, his body tensed for a fight. Gabriel moved to intercept him.
"Castiel," Balthazar said haughtily, "When I told you to get a piece of your favourite Winchester, this is not what I meant."
Sam turned sharply and saw Dean when he was expecting to see Cas.
Dean held up his hands defensively, "Cas is here, but healing."
Sam was shocked, "You're his vessel?"
"Yeah, to help Cas heal," Dean explained, blushing slightly.
The heavy silence only lasted a few seconds before Balthazar asked in a serious tone, "How badly is he hurt?" He sounded genuinely concerned, and Gabriel stepped back carefully.
"He had twenty-three feathers ripped out with pliers," the Archangel said quietly.
Balthazar was clearly disturbed by the loss, "If he recovers, I will be back to discuss my death."
Dean cocked his head to the side as he listened to Cas, "He will understand if you decide to kill him, but I won't sit back and let you."
"No-one is killing anyone," Gabriel commanded.
Faith sighed with relief when Gabriel, Balthazar and Jane disappeared. If Balthazar had attacked Castiel, the resulting fight would have been devastating. Her first concern was how she could possibly protect Sam.
A different type of confrontation was brewing between the Winchester brothers. Faith tried to give them space, but her hearing picked up every word.
"Spit it out, Sam," Dean instructed with a sigh.
Sar regarded his brother critically, "I find it hard to believe you consented to be a vessel."
Dean shrugged, "Cas needs a human soul present to help him heal. I have the missing piece of his Grace, which will speed up the process."
Sam continued to watch his brother with a speculative smirk developing on his face.
"You look stoned," Dean observed flatly.
"How's Cas coping with being in your head?" Sam asked, "The Vessel-Angel thing can be rather intimate."
"Cas is viewing childhood memories of you embarrassing yourself," Dean teased, "He is shocked that you were such a skinny dweeb."
"Sure, no concerns about the memories of you picking up women, watching porn or sleeping around?" Sam replied sarcastically.
Faith could hear the acceleration in Dean's heartbeat once Castiel was mentioned, in direct opposition to his casual outward appearance. Sam's comment on inappropriate thoughts triggered a definite spike.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Dean chided.
"It's your home base," Sam retorted easily.
"Whatever. Did Gabriel get Baby? I forgot to ask what that cow did to her."
It took Faith a full minute to realize he was talking about a car. She rolled her eyes when she realized something else had not changed in decades.
Dean retreated to the garage when he learned Gabriel had put the Impala there. Sam watched his brother leave and suppressed he list of questions he wanted to ask.
"I didn't even know this place had a garage," Faith commented.
"It took us a while to find it; I only know about it because of the memory updates," Sam explained.
After lunch, Faith was introduced to the Shooting range before she ended up in the gym. Her thoughts regarding what she wanted to do with Sam were not helped by his description of 'workout clothes'.
"I found something like that in my room, but I thought they were weird undergarments," Faith realized.
"I could show you some moves, if you want?" Sam suggested, "Even if you don't want to hunt with us, a bit of self-defence is always useful."
Faith felt very uncomfortable in the tight clothing, right up until Sam looked up and forgot how to breathe. She was pleased that he found her attractive, as she was constantly fighting the urge to make a blatant move on the man.
Sam realized he was staring when Faith smiled at him. He cleared his throat and made a conscious effort not to ogle her body. He sternly reminded himself that she had fangs and would not hesitate to use them if she felt threatened.
Sam tried to ignore the blood rushing into his groin and wondered if offering to teach Faith some defensive moves was a stupid idea.
"Where do we start?" Faith prompted with a smile. She could hear the spike in his heart rate and found his shy expression to be quite cute.
Sam started with some moves to escape restraint, which Faith mastered very quickly. As he was showing her how to use his momentum and bodyweight to flip him onto his back, he silently hoped she did not realize he was rather turned on by the contact.
The first time Sam landed on his back Faith wore a happy smile. By the fourth time, it was a cheeky smirk.
"You're enjoying this," Sam huffed.
"Yes. Aren't you?"
"You're a lot faster and stronger than I expected," Sam admitted, taking the opportunity to rest on the mat.
"That book I read said Dhampirs make excellent Vampire hunters; it makes sense that I should have some advantages. Gabriel ripped a few pages out, but the rest was informative."
Sam abandoned his rest break on the mat and gave up the lovely view it provided. He sat up slowly, his thoughts on what the Archangel could be planning.
"Just when I think he's on our side, he's up to something," Sam mused, "He was Loki for centuries, so I shouldn't be surprised."
Gabriel appeared a few steps away from the worried Hunter, "My ears are burning," he said with a smile.
"What are you hiding?" Sam asked bluntly.
"More than you could ever comprehend," Gabriel replied cheekily, "Be more specific."
"About me; those pages you ripped out of the Dhampir book," Faith clarified.
"Nothing too worrisome," Gabriel said vaguely.
"Gabriel," Sam prompted.
The Archangel folded his arms over his chest, "Fine; there was an account about 'Loki' using a Dhampir to mess with some people. It was not my best year, alright?"
"I don't believe you," Faith said flatly.
"Too bad!" Gabriel replied cheerfully, "Jane and Balthazar are even more nauseating than Castiel and your brother. I'm going to take Linda shopping this afternoon. If I bring Meg back with me, you're not allowed to stab her."
Gabriel disappeared while Sam was spluttering a protest.
"I can see why you tried to stab him so many times," Faith mused. She held out a hand to aid Sam, who was still sitting on the mat. He was reminded of her strength when she easily supported his weight and pulled him to his feet.
Faith didn't step away once Sam was back on his feet. The butterflies in her stomach fuelled the smile she couldn't repress.
The alarm on Sam's face cancelled out the giddy happiness she was feeling.
"Your fangs," Sam said worriedly.
Faith backed away with one hand over her mouth. There was no itching to indicate hunger, but the tips of her fangs were extended just beyond the gums.
"Are you, uh, craving blood?"
"No; last night should sustain me for days."
Sam ignored the surge of irritation he felt at that reminder. He didn't want to admit he was jealous that Castiel had provided her with blood.
Faith swept his feet out from under him so fast that Sam could only grunt with shock. Her weight fell into him as she straddled his hips and pinned his shoulders down with her hands.
Her flushed face peered down at him intently, "It's not blood I'm craving."