AN: This was the epilogue of Convergence (which was this arc.) This is not the end of this fic since Paradise is the whole series rather than by fic as it is on Archive of Our Own.

Gabriel woke up to the sound of Sam screaming.

After leaving the party, they'd gone back to Sam's hotel room, which had not been shared with Dean because they'd decided ahead of time to finally get separate rooms.

There had been really good sex, and then Gabriel had carefully cleaned them up and had held Sam until they had both fallen asleep, which had not taken very long at all because it had been a long day. But they had both been happy and should have had nothing but good dreams.

But of course, things never ever happened the way that they were supposed to.

So the sound of Sam screaming woke Gabriel instantaneously, and it didn't take the archangel more than an instant to determine that Sam was twisting and shaking in the throes of a nightmare.

Which might not have been that unusual, given all the things the Winchesters had faced in their lives. The more concerning thing though, was the fact that Sam's nose had started bleeding and their bed was levitating.

"Rafa!"

Trying not to panic, Gabriel gently shook Sam's shoulder. "Sam, Sam, I'm here, it's okay, wake up please, Sweetheart."

It took another minute for Sam to wake up. The second Sam's eyes opened, the bed crashed into the floor.

Gabriel winced as the shock of the bed hitting the floor caused Sam to whimper and curl in on himself. You should have seen that coming, he chided himself mentally. Why else would the bed have been in the air to begin with?

"Sweetheart," he whispered, leaning towards Sam in an attempt to get his mate's attention. "Can you look at me for a second?"

"I'm sorry." If it hadn't been for the fact that he was an archangel, and paying close attention, he wouldn't have been able to hear Sam's barely muttered statement. " I'm so sorry."

"Oh, Sam. It's okay, Sweetheart." Sam's nose was still bleeding, and Gabriel was certain that his mate had managed to get the blood all over himself. But he didn't care, he just wanted to help, and he wasn't quite sure how. He wrapped his arms around Sam, hugging him but being careful not to shift him unnecessarily. "Does your head hurt?"

"Mhmm," Sam whimpered pitifully, pressing his forehead against Gabriel's chest.

There was definitely blood all over the sheets, Gabriel decided. And their clothing. And while that was a problem, he also really needed to figure out why Sam had levitated the bed and why he was bleeding. "Do you think you can stand? I promise I won't let you fall."

Sam shrugged and shivered, like he was trying to get even closer to Gabriel, but that wasn't possible.

A few minutes later, with Gabriel's wheedling, they were both standing to the side of the bed, Gabriel more or less holding Sam upright. They had been naked, but when they'd crawled out of the bed Gabriel had decided that they should at the very least be wearing shirts and boxers, for Raphael's benefit, because he just knew that his brother would arrive any second to find out what the fuss was all about. They were also wearing flannel pajama bottoms, because Gabriel loved soft things and thought his mate might appreciate it in the cold of the room.

Gabriel had also conjured a washcloth because Sam's nose was still bleeding profusely and he wasn't sure what to do about that. He didn't know very much about that kind of ailment. Sam was holding the washcloth under his nose and resting his forehead on the top of Gabriel's head.

A moment later there was a flash of light. Sam winced, closing his eyes as it sent a wave of fresh pain through his head. Unwillingly, a whimper escaped.

"Gabri'el? What happened?"

The light cleared, revealing that the speaker was Raphael. His tone of voice conveyed that he was concerned.

"I don't know." Gabriel spoke quietly, shifting his head to look directly at Raphael. "Sam woke up screaming and his nose won't stop bleeding. And our bed was levitating! There's no way that's normal."

Raphael gave them both a look of consideration, and then approached. "Samuel, can you sit on the edge of the bed for me, please?" He put a hand on Sam's arm and waited as Gabriel let go and Sam sat carefully down.

"I'm not, dying, am I?" Sam asked, looking up at the healer.

"I don't believe so," the Healer denied. "Samuel, do you have any thoughts as to what happened?"

Sam shrugged. "I was just having a nightmare-" he swallowed, curling forward slightly. "It felt like the visions I started having a few years ago." A fearful expression crossed his face as he looked down. He didn't want to look at them. Disgust at himself curled in the pit of his stomach. "But those were from the demon blood, killing Azazel made them stop."

"I know that you haven't ingested any demon blood in more than a year" Raphael began, "but would you me let take a quick look inside you? I won't look inside your mind, but I'd like to see if I can tell what happened. So we know what happened."

"Okay," Sam said. He trusted Gabriel and he trusted Raphael and he saw no reason not to consent. He wanted to know what was going on with his body and this was the best way to find out.

Raphael put a hand on Sam's forehead and time temporarily stopped. At least for Sam, and his mate.

Sam didn't feel Raphael reading him like a book, so it felt like only an instant had passed between Raphael putting the hand on his forehead and then pulling away. However, his nose was no longer bleeding and the blood in the towel has dried.

"Do you know what happened?" Gabriel asked.

Raphael nodded. "Nothing life-threatening. But, Sam, you may not like this. I swear to you that it's not bad, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong about you because of this, but I also know that it might be scary."

Sam looked like he might try to tell Raphael to just spit it out already, but Raphael continued before he could. "Being the supposed True Vessel of Lucifer has nothing to do with being fed the demon blood. It also has nothing to do with what Lucifer and Michael ever wanted. They're happy in their current vessels, they could easily get the knowledge to make their own vessels if they desired, so there is no true necessity behind you being apart of this blood line. One of the things that is notable about this bloodline, however, is that there is a greater chance of a descendant being psychic. As the True Vessel of Lucifer, your body and soul had to be born comparable to Lucifer such that seeing him would not destroy you. But that would also allow you to see less powerful things that most humans would miss. You were born with those powers. They're yours. The demon blood given to you as a baby was designed to warp those powers, twisting them and manipulating them until they no longer belonged to you. Releasing Lucifer burned through all of it, including what you were manipulated into ingesting later. But Azazel had tried so hard to bind your powers. But something else happened yesterday, didn't it?"

Sam frowned. "The mate bond?"

"Archangels were designed to live forever, Sam. Our beings are tied to the very fabric of the universe. For any one of us to die- it would implode entirely. The rest of the angels are resilient, but not in the same way. And then there are humans. Beautiful creatures, frail and delicate, but infinitely creative. You have souls, not grace, to sustain you. Never underestimate the power of a soul. Souls can exist forever. Some souls go to hell, some to Heaven, but most souls in either situation simply exist there, not unlike the afterlife for angels and demons, which is an endless sleep that is in theory designed to rejuvenate them until they are ready to return to face their destiny. I don't know what that might be, it doesn't matter. What matters, Sam, is that your soul was designed to host an infinite undying archangel and you've created a bond mate with a different one. Angels and archangels mate for life and it is not possible to sever that bond. Nor will you want to. But what I'm trying to say is that the mate bond burned through any demon blood there might have been and destroyed the demonic tampering because it's not compatible. And because your psychic abilities are tied to your soul's archangelic compatibility, there's no way for you to safely be rid of them."

Sam tried to follow and comprehend what the healer was saying, but while his head did feel much better, most of it wasn't making very much sense. Except the last part. "There's no way to get rid of the freaky demon powers?! No! No! "

Gabriel sat on Sam's other side, wrapping his arms around his mate. "Sam, Sweetheart, they're not freaky or demonic. They're yours and it's okay."

"I would recommend meditation," Raphael added. "You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not you want to use them, but you'll need to learn the basics so they're not uncontrolled. The migraines and nosebleeds are caused because using them this way is not unlike straining a muscle you've never used before." He moved his hand and a second later he was holding a thick tome and a metal spoon. "Your powers have included telekinesis in the past, yes? I would like you to practice bending this spoon with your mind, a little bit each day. After meditating."

"You want me to practice bending this spoon with my mind?" Would any spoon work? Sam wondered. Or was there something special about this specific spoon?

"It doesn't have to be that one, but I thought you might like something solely for this purpose."

Sam raised an eyebrow at the Healer, then started at the spoon. He wasn't happy about this, but he could see the point. Control the powers, or they would control him. Bend the spoon. Or the spoon would bend him? No. Sam sighed, leaning to the side with a yawn.

"Should I come back in the morning? You should sleep."

"Thanks, Raph. I think we're good here." Gabriel sat next to Sam as Raphael flew away. "We'll figure this out, okay Sam? In the meantime, let's get you back into bed."

Deep within the depths of darkness, where no light could reach, there was a presence. she had been there since before time could be measured, before the creation of the Earth, before even the creation of the angels.

For nearly an eternity, she had been left alone, with no outside contact, no sign of anything surviving the wrath of her Brother, and no hope of ever escaping.

After so many years, she had been certain that she would never see the darling boy that was her nephew ever again.

But then, there was a sound.

A small cry, echoing through the abyss, full of pain and fear. It begged for someone, anyone, to hear it, and to help the one who had called out. she had heard that sound before, long ago, before she had been cast into the depths and bid to never return. Then, she hadn't been able to help, but there was no way that she wouldn't help now.

For the first time in an eternity, she reached out with the power she held, and began her rise towards the light. No more would she be imprisoned within the darkness that she held sway over, to remain away from the one she loved more than any other.

No, she was free, and she would bring about the justice that was owed to any that her Brother had harmed.