First of all SPOILER ALERT for anyone who did not see last night's ep 13x17 "The Thing"

This is partly a Coda for that episode, partly something I *hope* we see in the next episode. Mainly I just needed Cas and Gabriel feels, but oof, our poor archangel :'( So I hope you guys enjoy the little bit of H/c here.

Characters/ Season: Castiel, Gabriel, Sam/ Season 13 (Coda to 13x17 "The Thing"

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, some angst

Rating: K+

Welcome Back, Brother

Coda to 13x17

"So let me get this straight, Dean's in apocalypse world alone?" Castiel demanded, shaking his head. Not that he was surprised that Dean had pulled a stunt like that, but still…

Sam made a sound of annoyance in his throat. "He's with Ketch," he said helplessly.

"Because that makes it so much better," Castiel replied sarcastically, spinning around to face the younger Winchester again. "Why couldn't you have waited for me?"

Sam ran his hands over his face. "Look, I would have preferred you go with him too, trust me, but Dean wasn't waiting around for anyone, and…we've got other problems here."

Castiel inhaled deeply, his stomach twisting, his head still spinning at the news Sam had related to him when he had called earlier. Castiel touched his forehead briefly, trying to push aside his worry for Dean for the moment so he could think.

"Where is he?" he asked softly.

Sam pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded toward the dormitory wing. "Come on, I'll take you to him, but, Cas, he's…he looks like he's been through a lot."

Castiel felt his stomach twist again, but followed Sam. No matter his condition, Castiel needed to see his brother. Needed to see for sure that he was alive.

Sam led Castiel to one of the previously unused rooms at the end of the hall and put his hand on the doorknob lightly. He hesitated for a moment, before knocking a couple times, just light taps.

"Gabriel, um, you have a visitor."

There was no reply from inside and Sam gave Castiel a pained look before the angel stepped forward and simply took hold of the doorknob himself.

"Thank you, Sam. I think I'd better speak to him alone."

Sam nodded and retreated back down the hallway with one last hesitant look at the door. Castiel closed his eyes, steeled himself and turned the knob.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight that met him.

It was Gabriel, he could tell. It was his big brother there, flesh and blood; his grace signature familiar, yet somewhat weak. Alive.

But nothing about the figure before he reminded him of Gabriel. Not the Gabriel he had known. This was a diminished figure, sitting in the middle of the bed, arms wrapped around his knees, as if he hadn't moved since Sam put him there—and he probably hadn't. He was clean, and dressed in sweat pants and a too-big hoodie, but there were still scabs on his face. And scars. A plethora of scars. And ones that went far deeper than the skin.

But it was his eyes most of all that tore Castiel apart. They were on him as soon as he entered the room, wide with fear, the once-powerful archangel flinching away from his presence as if he expected Castiel to hurt him. As Castiel looked him fully in the eyes he saw everything. Not just the panic, and the pain, and the torment, but the pure brokenness. His eyes had once been warm amber, flashing with life, usually with a good dose of mischief. Now they were dull brown and lifeless. If it wasn't for the feeling of Gabriel's grace, Castiel never would have known this was his brother.

"Gabriel," Castiel somehow managed to choke out as he stepped closer to the bed. Gabriel looked like he wanted to bolt, but Castiel stopped, holding up his hands, and reaching out with his grace instead. He touched Gabriel's with it and almost flinched at the feel of the archangel's grace. It was raw, holes torn from it violently over time, just as scarred as his body. And it was weak, obviously never having had enough time to heal before it was torn apart again. Castiel felt rage boil up inside of him. The next time he met with Asmodeus, Prince of Hell or not, he would make the demon pay for what he did to Castiel's brother.

"Don't, please."

The voice was a whisper, and Castiel realized Gabriel was cowering from him, and he swiftly withdrew his connection with the archangel, realizing that Gabriel must have felt his anger and likely thought it was directed toward him.

Castiel held his hands out again and crouched on the floor by the bed, so he wasn't looming over his brother. "Gabriel, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. You know I would never…never hurt you." He thought wryly that Gabriel was one of the few of his siblings that he hadn't hurt. He'd died before Castiel ruined Heaven—or Castiel thought he had. Now…

"Gabriel, I'm…" he shook his head, closing his eyes and squeezing his hand into a fist as he thought of what he could possibly say. Sorry just didn't seem like enough right now. "Were you…were you with Asmodeus the whole time?"

Gabriel flinched at the mention of the demon, but he didn't say anything, focusing on the wall, refusing to look at Castiel. The lesser angel suppressed a sigh. Sam had said that he'd tried to ask Gabriel what had happened and he hadn't said anything. Castiel could still see the horrific scars on Gabriel's top and bottom lips. Perhaps he still wasn't used to being able to talk.

"Look," Castiel said and tried a smile, even though his brother still wasn't really looking at him. "You don't have to talk now. But I'm here, when you're ready."

Castiel thought that it might be best to leave Gabriel alone again, and he straightened up. But before he left, he reached into his pocket, remembering the small gift he had picked up for his brother. He pulled out a candy bar and slowly set it on the bed, about an inch from Gabriel's hip.

"I know how much you used to like these," Castiel said. "I, um…I figured you probably hadn't had one for a while." He kept his hand on the bed for a long second, before he slowly drew it away. He wanted to touch his brother, another, physical, reassurance that he was really there, but didn't think it would be well received at the moment.

Instead he gave a long exhale and straightened fully. "I'll leave you now. Just…let me know if you need anything."

He was just turning when he heard the soft rustle of blankets and the inhalation of breath before speech.

"Castiel."

It was only a whisper, but it stopped him. He turned back around and saw that Gabriel had shifted, his posture loosening a little bit. One hand cautiously touching the candy bar as if it might disappear any second. Then he raised his eyes and met Castiel's.

"It's good to see you again, bro," he said. The words were a little clumsy, and had only a fraction of the life in them that Gabriel had once had, but Castiel knew a start when he saw it, and he smiled genuinely and stepped back towards the bed. Unable to help reaching out and cupping the side of Gabriel's face.

"Oh, Gabriel," he said softly and slumped onto the side of the mattress, pulling his brother into his arms. Gabriel was stiff at first, his body was frail, barely skin and bones. He was broken, and wounded beyond what Castiel could imagine, but he was alive, and if Castiel had learned anything it was that with life there was hope. And when he felt Gabriel start to shake and tentatively raise his hands to clutch at the back of Castiel's coat before gripping tighter, as if anchoring himself to the real world, to safety, Castiel knew that they would get through this. It might be a long journey, but they would get through this.

"Welcome back, brother," he whispered and held his brother as Gabriel finally broke down into gasping sobs. But Castiel saw it for what it was—relief. The shock was wearing off and soon he would be able to start the journey to get his brother back on his feet. Back to the Gabriel he knew and loved.

They would get Gabriel back, they would get Jack and Mary back, and then finally, they would be a family again.

Because he knew that even if they couldn't be whole separately, then they could at least be whole together.

Next Friday I will be posting the beginning of my new multi-chap fic "Demons Within" it's set in S5 and there will be much angst and Sam whump so check it out if that's the kind of thing you like ;)