Thank you so much VegasGranny and Ncsupnatfan for pre-reading. MaggieMay17 went above and beyond for this chapter. I feel she should have a co-writer credit for this chapter. She saw the opening in the Sam/Gabriel meeting and turned it into something so much more meaningful than I managed. Thank you so much hon xxx

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sam's feet slammed into the twig-strewn ground in a dark forest. He looked around, seeing through the inky darkness as clearly as if it had been twilight, and searched for other signs of life apart from him. All he could see were fireflies dancing on the air.

"Gabriel?" he said tentatively. "You listening? I'm here."

About damn time. Hold on. I'm coming.

Sam looked around, and then a short man appeared in front of him. Vast wings, golden even in the dark and as large as Sam's own, which had always dwarfed Castiel's when they flew together, were spread out behind him, before the man curled them away at his back. "Hey, Sam," he said.

Sam stared. He was seeing Gabriel's true form for the first time, ancient and other yet achingly familiar, too. Sam felt that same sense of home that he'd found when he visited heaven, that he'd sought when tracking Michael's monsters, but much stronger than either. It was so similar to what he'd had with his real family – what he had lost – that it took his breath away. Sam reeled and would have stumbled to hisknees but suddenly Gabriel was there at Sam's side, steadying him.

"Rough journey?" Gabriel asked, puzzled but grinning. Where Castiel's power had given Sam the impression of a soldier and Michael's that of a weapon, Gabriel's power felt like laughter: good humor and biting mockery and every kind in between.

Sam turned and grabbed Gabriel in a tight hug. He was so relieved to see him, to finally feel once more as though he belonged somewhere, that he clung to Gabriel like a drowning man.

"Wow, that's some grip you've got," Gabriel said in a constricted voice. "Don't forget you're the big brother now, Sam."

Sam quickly released him and stepped back, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment. "Sorry."

Gabriel gave Sam a considering look. "It's fine. It's just been a long time since I had a hug like that, let alone one from another archangel." Gabriel gave Sam a wry grin. "I forgot what that kind of brute strength felt like."

"Sorry," Sam repeated weakly, still feeling overwhelmed.

"It was good." Gabriel stepped closer, his short stature meaning he could see Sam's face clearly even though it was tilted down. "Y'know, to a celestial you, uh, you look just like him."

"Yeah, so I've been told. Everyone only saw Lucifer when Chuck first swapped us," Sam couldn't hide his bitterness. "They still do. I had to die before Dean and Mom saw anything different. I had to fry Cas's brain."

"Yeah, but there's a reason we called him Morningstar. You're…" Gabriel waved a vague hand, "bright, shiny. You look like my big brother, Sam. There's a reason grace feels like home. I lost my family too," Gabriel added quietly. "I chose exile, just like you did."

Sam managed a weak smile. "Still inside my head, Gabriel?"

Gabriel shook his head, grinning now. "You've been broadcasting a distress signal ever since Dad did this, it's how I knew what had happened, but now I'm just getting… relief, I guess. You were wary about Michael, instinctively hid yourself from him, but not me. You thought I was dead." Sam looked mortified so Gabriel quickly added, "Don't make this awkward, Sam. I liked the hug but I'm not trying to replace Dean. I know you're not Lucifer I hoped we could work together to do good things for this world and if we can be brotherly about it too that's good, right? Never expected it from you, though, after all the crap I pulled. Does this mean I'm forgiven for, well, everything?"

"It does," Sam smiled.

Gabriel whistled between his teeth. "Boy, oh boy, Dad did a bigger number on you back there than I realized. If bringing you to crazy-apocalypse-town is enough to wipe the slate on the Groundhog Day stunt I pulled at that Florida Mystery Spot, wait until you see what I've got to show you."

Sam knew he should probably ask what that meant, but he was so consumed with where he was and what it meant that he didn't bother. Anything Gabriel had to show him, good or bad, would be better than the situation he'd left behind.

Sam's family had been back there, but they were no longer the people he remembered, or who remembered him as he really was. Chuck had cut the strings, but he'd set the story in motion before he'd done that, and they were still following his script. Chuck created Magnus to be the villain, was probably controlling him from the outset. Chuck had known Sam would save Nick when it came down to it. He'd watched Sam and Dean from the beginning, and he knew there was nothing Sam wouldn't do for his brother. Dean needed him to save Nick, and Sam had done it. There was never really another option for him.

There had never really been a way home.

"It's more than bringing me here, Gabriel, and more than how it feels to be around another archangel. Last time I was here you sacrificed your life so we could get through the rift. It's all forgiven."

Gabriel grinned. "Good to know."

Sam huffed a laugh and asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Big work," Gabriel said, spreading his arms expansively. "There are a whole lot of angels here that need to be reset to factory settings to get rid of the bloodlust, and there are far too many monsters for one archangel to take out alone. The Tempter Demons are a tough kill, even without the vampires, werewolves, and all their pals to deal with, too."

"How many angels are there?" Sam asked.

Gabriel sighed. "Not as many as there should have been. Bobby Singer and his people, and the other rebel groups around the world, have whittled down their numbers, but we were still looking at thousands to find and deliver back to righteousness and Heaven when we started. There are about a thousand left now, and unfortunately, they're the smart ones that aren't stepping up willingly to be reprogrammed."

"How do you reprogram them?" Sam asked.

"That's the tricky part. We've got Naomi's old equipment, and some of her minions are doing their bit—that bitch is rotting in Heaven's jail—but it takes time, and they can't keep up with demand. Mostly, I've been doing it old style."

"Which is?"

"We'll get to that later," Gabriel said. "You've just arrived, and you've had a long day." He smirked. "And by day, I meant months, since you've not actually slept properly since Dad did the whole switcheroo. Catatonia doesn't count. Besides, I've got someone special I've been wanting to show you, and she's been waiting up specially."

Sam frowned. "Who are you talking about?"

Gabriel winked. "Come with me."

Sam spread his wings and followed Gabriel as he took flight. It wasn't a long flight, so he guessed he was still in the same country he'd arrived in, and when he set down, he was able to nail down the state he was in from the battered building they were in front of, unless it had been relocated in this world the way Bobby's place had.

The lights above the sign that had declared the name were just broken bulbs, and the red and white paint was faded to shades of grey, but Sam was able to pick out the name. It was The Roadhouse.

With it came a wash of memories that stole his breath.

"Which one is it?" he asked, remembering that Gabriel had referred to one woman, not two.

In answer, Gabriel tapped on the door and inched it open, speaking in a whisper, "He's here."

The door opened fully, and a woman stepped out. Her hair had always hung loose when Sam had known her, but it was now scraped back from her face in an elastic. There were more lines on her face than had ever had a chance to form in his world, and her eyes were tired, but it was unmistakably her, and Sam was across the space between them and pulling her into a hug that he focused on making gentle to not crush her.

"Ellen."

She drew a breath against him then said in a slightly muffled voice, "Well, Gabriel, I can't say you didn't warn me."

Sam released her and stepped back, his eyes prickling, his face heating with shame. As incredible as it was for him to see Ellen again, she wasn't the woman that he'd known. To her, she'd just had her personal space invaded by a stranger.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay," she said. "Like I said, I was warned you'd be emotional. And I figured I owed you this since you've come here to help us." She patted his arm. "You had something special with your world's version of me?"

Sam nodded. "You, I mean she, was amazing."

"And you lost her," she stated.

She clearly knew at least some of the story already, but Sam still felt uncomfortable as he replied. "She lost her life going after the Devil in our apocalypse. She sacrificed herself so me and Dean would have a chance at ending it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Was it worth it?"

Sam bit his lip, hating what he had to say, "Nothing was worth losing her, but ultimately it gave us our shot, and that led to us winning in the end."

"Then it was worth it," she said. "If I know that, she would have known it, too."

Sam didn't know if that was true. Ellen and Jo had died so Sam and Dean could kill Lucifer with the Colt, but that hadn't worked. It had kept the brothers alive long enough to win in the end, but Ellen needn't have died if they'd known the Colt wouldn't have worked on an archangel.

"And Jo…" He let the question hang, not sure if he wanted the answer or not. Ellen was alive, and that was great, but there was no guarantee her daughter would have survived this nightmare world long enough for Sam to arrive.

Ellen shot a hard glance at Gabriel and said, "You didn't say they lost Jo, too!"

Gabriel shrugged. "How would knowing that have helped you sleep better at night?"

Ellen narrowed her eyes and then softened as she answered Sam. "She's fine. Right now, she's in Zone R4 with her crew, bringing some refugees in."

"Zone R4?" Sam asked.

"What used to be Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland," Gabriel said. "Jo is in Raven Rock right now. There's an old government installation there that a lot of humans took shelter in during the first waves of the war. Getting them to leave and come west is more of a challenge than getting most folks here as they're the ones that think they're safe."

"Jo will get them out," Ellen said confidently. "She's the best at persuading them."

"Why are you bringing them here?" Sam asked. "Is it because you're here to protect them, Gabriel?"

Ellen snorted. "Gabriel here? Kid, we've not seen him in weeks. No, they come here as it's where we're starting over from. We've seeded the towns around us with survivors, and we've got a group of reprogrammed angels patrolling the border."

"I've been busy," Gabriel said defensively.

Ellen nodded. "We all know that, and we're grateful for it, but the occasional progress report would have helped stem the panic of some of the insecure ones."

Gabriel threw up his arms. "Who's not insecure in this place, Ellen? I've been run ragged since the moment Mickey and Luci took off."

Ellen's eyes snapped to Sam. "Gabriel said they're dead in your world."

"Michael is. I killed him. Lucifer is…" Sam's hands clenched into unconscious fists. "He's more complicated."

"He's as good as dead," Gabriel said. "He's not a threat at least. Ain't that right, Sam?"

Sam was confused. If Ellen thought Lucifer was dead, who did she think he was? How had Gabriel explained the arrival of a fifth archangel?

"He's not a threat anymore," he confirmed. "Technically, I took his place. But I'm not a threat to anyone."

"I hope you're wrong about not being a threat," Ellen said, then when Sam frowned, she went on. "We need power, Sam, an archangel to back-up shorty here. We've already got plenty of angels. We need an archangel that we can trust to take out the nasties before we can start over."

"I can do that," Sam said. "It's why I came."

That was partially true. Sam's drive had been to get away from his world because of his situation in it, but he had come here to help and save people, too. Gabriel had been right when he said Sam needed a mission. Saving this world was his new mission.

"What do you mean start over?" Sam asked.

Ellen opened her mouth to answer, but Gabriel spoke up before she could. "We'll get to that later. I don't want to spoil the surprise of my big reveal. And we're not there yet. Sam needs to get to work."

Sam was suspicious of what Gabriel was hiding from him, not certain he was going to like it, but he reassured himself that starting over had to be a positive thing for this world, however it came about. He'd given his trust to Gabriel when he'd opened the rift, choosing his guidance over his own choices, and this was the first step.

"What's first on my to-do list then?" Sam asked.

"We'll start you on something easy," Gabriel said. "Finding angels and bringing them to me. I'll be doing the same, and we can stay in touch over archangel radio, so you'll know where to bring them. Round them up, and I'll do the rest."

"And how do I round them up?" Sam asked.

"You could follow your nose," Gabriel suggested. "Or your grace since that's actually more accurate. There's a sense of home about being around other angels, though it's weaker than for me or Michael. If that doesn't work for you, go to the places humans need to survive and start there. That's where you'll find the hostiles. There are over seven thousand hospitals in the continental US, and that's not including Southern Canada before the Northern Ice Fields begin. There's also all kinds of food reserves and weapons caches. If you can think of a place a human would go to for supplies in a post-apocalyptic world, that's where you're going to find angels. They like to deny the humans what they need."

"And when I find them?" Sam asked. "What am I delivering them to you for?"

Ellen gave Gabriel an incredulous look. "He doesn't even know what you've been doing to them?"

"I was easing him into it," Gabriel said. "He's had a tough time of it lately, Ellen, and I didn't think throwing him straight in at the deep end was the way to go." He turned his attention to Sam and said, "You don't have to do this part, Sam, since you've already done too much. When I have them, I strip them of their memories back to where they started. They get to keep combat training and angel life skills but lose the whole murderous mission part of life."

Sam's heart sank. "You take it from them the way I did Nick?"

Gabriel held up his hands. "You don't have to do that part. I've got the reserves to deal with what I'm taking. All you have to do is find them."

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd taken Nick's memories of Lucifer from him, made them his own, and that had been hell. The thought of doing it again was abhorrent, but he couldn't leave Gabriel to do it all alone.

If Sam was stripping the angels down, too, it would be finished faster. He could help to make the world safe and prepare it for 'starting over' sooner than if Gabriel was doing it alone. Ellen, Jo, the rest of the people in this world would have their safety faster.

He wasn't weak enough to refuse to help them have that because he wanted to shield himself from more. Besides, nothing that these angels could have done, nothing he would take from them, would be worse than what he took from Nick.

"I'll do it, too," he said, pleased by the determined note to his voice. "You've got to go over it with me, though. I did Nick, but that was all there in the open, easy to find, and he's human. I think stripping angels of millennia of memories is going to be more complicated."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and examined Sam, and then nodded. "It's your choice." He clapped his hands and brightened. "And it'll make things easier and faster for me. Okay, you've done it once, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to do it again, but I'll go through it with you. The side-effects can be a problem at first. Once you've built up the barriers, learned how to block them, you'll be fine."

"I took Lucifer from Nick," Sam said. "I can handle anything else."

"Yeah, I think you can," Gabriel agreed. "Great. Ellen, you should get some rest. Thanks for waiting up for us. I know you don't get it, but you did something special tonight."

Ellen looked doubtful. "Uh, sure."

"You did," Sam said, his lips curling into a small smile. "I know this is about a mission to you, and I'm nothing special, but seeing you here makes it easier to handle what I left behind."

She patted his arm. "I'm glad it helped, but you're wrong. You are special. I don't know what you were leaving or what happened to you there, though Gabriel said it was bad, but it was us you chose to come to save, and there's not a single human here that won't appreciate that." She smiled slightly. "Gabriel said the whole world-saving thing isn't new for you, but it is for us. Our world was destroyed, and thanks to you and Gabriel, we have a chance of getting some of that back. Thank you."

Sam was touched by the emotion in her voice as she said it. For a moment, he saw the woman he'd known and cared for in the face of the virtual stranger.

It felt good, right. It was another sign that he'd done the right thing coming here.

So… Sam is with Gabriel now. Things will be easier for him. Dean, on the other hand… He's not going to handle this very well.

Until next time…

Jadey's World xxx