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Chapter Twenty-Six

The sound of air rushing past her ears was all she could hear. She knew she was screaming, but even that was drowned out. Falling backwards was a heart-stopping terror Candi never could have imagined.

Then, she hit what felt like cement.

The world faded for a moment, then came rushing back as water filled her nose, her eyes, her ears. She forced her arms to move, her legs to kick.

She felt her body being pulled by the undercurrent. Then, there was a surge, and she was thrown against the side of the cliff. She nearly blacked out again. She took in a gulp of air before she was pulled down again.

And the memory returned. Long, thin fingers. Silver, wicked thin tails. Black, reflecting eyes. Her father, struggling for his life. Candi herself, screaming her lungs out on their boat, knowing she needed to jump into the water and help her father, but being too paralyzed with fear.

Candi clawed at the water, trying to force her way up. Again, she broke the water, only to be slammed into the rocky cliff. This time, the world dulled into a deep black.

Gabriel flew to Isaac's house first. When he realized Candi wasn't there, he squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated. He thought of Candi, of her long, dark braid, her blue-grey eyes, her warm body against his.

And he found her.

He was there in less than half a second. He watched Dean push Candi over the cliff. He heard his own scream torn from him by the wind.

Next he was standing in front of Dean, shoving him to the side. Dean's eyes lit up with surprise, then humor. "Hey, dick wings."

Gabriel didn't have time for a comeback. He didn't even see where Candi had fallen. The waves below were frothy from churning against the rocks.

Jump, he thought.

He couldn't.

What are you waiting for, you useless twit? Jump!

A strange, gasping sound originating from his chest pulled itself out of his mouth. He swallowed back the choked sob.

Jump!

He heard Michael's voice, as if he were there with him. "Think of the big picture here, Gabriel. Angels and water don't mix. The sacrifice isn't worth it."

Michael had lain a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, looking with him into the Red Sea, where a seriously wounded angel had fallen in battle. He was still alive, but the mortal wound from Lucifer's followers would not heal. And water dimmed the angel's powers.

Gabriel watched the angel flounder in the water, his grace ebbing.

"He was one of the best," Gabriel had said. He couldn't tear his eyes from the struggling soldier.

Michael turned Gabriel away. "Not all lives can be saved, Gabriel."

There she was.

Gabriel jolted out of the memory. For a fraction of a second, Candi had emerged from the water, only to get pulled under again.

Jump!

Gabriel snapped his fingers. A small rowboat and two life jackets appeared in the water. He glanced back at Dean, who smiled slowly. Castiel came up from behind and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Gabriel didn't wait to see what would happen next.

He jumped.

He wasn't there for the most recent fall. For Metatron's spell to take effect on all of Heaven's angels. It must have felt something like this.

With a splash, he landed in the water.

For an endless moment, he felt himself spinning out of control, trying to readjust his position. Then, fighting against the current, he searched for Candi.

He spotted her body sinking fast below him. Kicking his feet hard, he dove down. He pushed the water away from him like a curtain, just as Candi had taught him.

He swam not for his life, but for Candi's.

Finally, his hands grasped her jacket. He grabbed her around her middle for a better hold, then kicked his feet as hard has he could. The surface looked miles away. The current pulled at him. He held tightly onto Candi as the waves smashed him into the cliff side. The blow knocked the air out of him, but he was still an angel. It would take a lot more than that to kill him.

One of the life jackets had floated its way over to them. He desperately grasped for it, blinking away salty water that streamed into his eyes.

He grabbed it, and held on as the current tried to pull them under again. When the surge was over, he quickly strapped the jacket onto Candi. The boat was only five feet away.

He fought the currents, but they slammed him against the cliff again. He spluttered, shaking wet hair out of his eyes.

Again, he kicked for the boat. His fingertips slid across the wood, but he lunged again, and this time he had a hold of the small craft. He hoisted Candi in, then pulled himself up.

All he wanted to do was lay there and catch his breath, but Candi wasn't moving.

"Candi," he rasped. He shook her shoulders, then flipped her onto her back. "Candi!"

Her eyes remained closed. She wasn't breathing.

Immediately, because his powers weren't returning fast enough, he started compressions. He plugged her nose and parted her lips with his own, breathing life into them.

Nothing.

"Come on," he murmured, compressing her chest again. Then he blew into her mouth.

She sputtered, and water shot from between her lips, dribbling onto the boat. She gasped, pulling in a deep breath. She hacked and coughed.

But she was alive.

Relief overwhelmed Gabriel. "I'm right here. I'm right here, Candi."

Her hands grasped his arm, holding it like a lifeline as she tried to steady her breathing.

He held her against him, bulky life jacket and all.

He would never let Dean hurt her – or anyone – again.

Dean threw Castiel off him. The angel fell heavily to the ground. He groaned, curling up into a fetal position.

Next was Sam. He pulled out a gun and took aim.

Dean sneered at him. "Really, Sammy?"

"Believe me, Dean," Sam said, "This one will hurt."

"Lemme guess – it has a devil's trap carved on the bullet? Well. We all know how well that worked last time."

"It'll take you down long enough."

"For what?" Dean raised his eyebrows. He started circling Sam. Sam's mouth twitched, but he didn't answer. He kept the gun aimed at Dean's heart.

"Oh, were you actually thinking of killing me, Sammy? Your big brother?"

Dean laughed internally at everything about Sam's stance. He was trying to be confident, but there was no truth to it. Sam would never go through with ending him for good.

Castiel attempted to hoist himself up from the ground. He got to his knees, then swayed. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth. "Shoot him, Sam," Castiel rasped.

But still, Sam held the gun steady. His eyes bore into Dean's. "I will fix you," Sam said.

"Come on, Sam, come up with something more original. I've heard the same chant from you ever since I've changed." Dean was inching closer. "You're starting to sound like a broken record."

Then, so fast that Sam would never see it coming, Dean flashed behind him and knocked him to the ground. He kicked away the gun, then punched Sam hard in the chest.

A huff of air escaped Sam, but he threw a punch back. They grappled for a few seconds before Dean had Sam pinned down again. He punched him hard in the face three times before he blacked out.

Dean stood over his brother, itching to reach into his jacket, pull out the first blade, and finish the job.

Something knocked him hard in the back. Dean staggered forward, but didn't fall. He whipped around.

Castiel was on his feet, breathing heavily.

Dean allowed a slow smile. "Cas."

"Dean."

A few endless seconds ticked by, then Dean swung a fist at Castiel's face. Castiel ducked, but stumbled. Dean kneed him in the stomach.

"Dean," Castiel gasped as he fell to his knees again. "Stop."

"Make me." Dean slammed a fist into Castiel's jaw, and he went sprawling. Fat drops of rain were falling from the sky now. The thunder rumbled overhead.

"You're my friend," Castiel panted, trying to push himself up from the ground. "We've been through so much –"

Dean hit him again. "You hate who I am," he shouted. "You loathe this."

Castiel was shaking his head. "No, Dean. I can never hate you."

Dean paused, his fist halting in mid-air. He felt a twist in his gut from Castiel's words. "You're lying," he breathed.

Castiel grabbed the front of Dean's shirt. His lip was bleeding. "I may have lied to you in the past," he said firmly, holding Dean's gaze, "But I swear on Heaven's angels – that is the truth. You're my friend. I –"

Castiel swallowed, paled. "I love you, Dean."

The emotion that blazed inside Dean's core was so strange, so foreign to his demon mind, that he threw his fist into Castiel's face one last time, effectively knocking him out.

"That's it," Dean said, reaching inside his jacket. "I'm ridding the world of your feathery ass once and for all." He drew out the first blade. Felt the power coarse up his arm, through his body to the tips of his toes. He lifted the blade. He felt the rush.

And then he didn't.

Castiel lay on the ground, curled like a child. His trench coat was sprawled around him, stained from the grass, and now spotted with rain drops.

Dean couldn't do it. He couldn't take the plunge.

The rain came down harder, plastering his hair to his head. He blinked, trying to get the moisture from heaven out of his eyes. He swiped at them. Took a deep breath. Raised the blade again.

With a scream, he plunged downward.

The first blade sunk into the ground an inch from Castiel's head.

The moment he let go, the power dimmed from the blade. Soon, it was just a jawbone. Useless.

As he felt the power ebb away from his veins, other emotions filled him.

Pain. Fear. Loss.

Love.

"Cas?"

Castiel didn't move.

"Cas?"

Dean turned Castiel so he was laying on his back. His face was slack, eyes closed.

"Cas!"

He felt for a pulse. But he already knew.

Castiel was as good as dead.

The grace was gone.

"No, no, no, no." Dean gathered Castiel into his arms, pulling him into his lap. "You stupid, stupid angel," he murmured.

Then, turning to the sky, he yelled, "If any of you haloed dicks can hear me, Cas needs your help! Please! You can't just let him die!"

There was no answer. Dean curled himself in around Castiel's body. The rain continued to soak through his clothes, into his skin, down to his bones.

The rain was coming down hard by the time Gabriel pulled the small rowboat up on the rocky shore. Candi tried to stand, but she was visibly shaking. Gabriel quickly lifted her into his arms and carried her safely to shore.

He set her down against a small building that held men's and women's restrooms. The roof overhead kept the area under it dry. As Gabriel felt his wings shake off the heavy wetness of the sea, he felt his grace surge. With a snap of his fingers, he produced a large, fluffy blanket and draped it over her shoulders.

"I'll be back," he said. "And when I am, I'll take you someplace warm and safe."

Candi nodded her head. Her lips were purple from the cold, wet rain. "Where are you going?"

Gabriel kissed her forehead. "I'm going to put a stop to Dean once and for all."

He stood. Candi stood with him. "Take me with you."

Gabriel gently took her hand and kissed it. "Not this time. But you should know something."

"What?" Candi's blue-gray eyes were more blue than gray, her lashes dark from the rain.

Gabriel kissed her parted lips. "I'm kind of in love with you."

Her eyes widened, and she smiled.

He smirked, then flew away before she could say anthing.

He was at the top of the cliff.

The scene was different from how he had left it. Sam was sprawled on the ground. Dean was sitting in the mud, holding an unmoving body close.

Gabriel felt cold. He set his jaw and marched up to Dean.

"You killed him," he said softly. Dean looked up. Gabriel saw the pain in his eyes, but it didn't register. "You killed my brother."

He reached for his angel blade.

"You're going to pay for that. And for Candi."

"Gabriel." Dean's voice was hoarse. "Do it."

Gabriel froze, the angel blade held tight in front of him. He frowned.

For a few endless seconds, they stared at each other, golden eyes on green. Finally, Dean broke. "Kill me!" he shouted angrily into the rain.

"No!" Sam had regained consciousness. He was swaying on his feet behind Dean. His long hair lay in strands against his bruised face.

Gabriel looked back at Dean, then blinked a few times. Something was different.

He noticed the first blade sunk several inches into the mud a few feet from Dean.

Then it hit him.

Dean wasn't a demon anymore.

But did that change anything?

Dean ducked his head. When he looked up, his face was tight. If it hadn't been raining so hard, Gabriel might have been able to see tears. But it was impossible to tell. "If you don't kill me, at least save him."

Dean looked down at Castiel's face.

Sam had moved closer. "Gabriel. I'm begging you."

"Shut up, Sam."

In seconds, Gabriel made his decision. Lowering his angel blade, he knelt next to Dean and felt Castiel's forehead. "He's still alive," he said. "But not for long."

"Help him." Dean's eyes found Gabriel again. Gabriel saw a pain in them that reflected his own when he thought he'd lost Candi.

Gabriel looked back down at Castiel. Using Metatron's grace as a temporary fuel-up was never a good idea.

"I can't take him to Heaven," Gabriel said slowly. "He doesn't have time."

"Then what? You have your grace – heal him. Do something."

Gabriel shook his head. "Castiel's dying because Metatron's blood was corrupt in Castiel's body. It's been slowly killing him ever since he injected it. Cas needs his grace back."

Sam knelt down next to them. "Cas," he whispered. He looked up at Dean. Dean refused to return his brother's gaze.

An idea flashed in Gabriel's mind. A crazy, risky, life-changing idea. He didn't think he was brave enough to even speak it out loud. He touched Castiel's forehead again. In a matter of seconds, it would be too late.

Gabriel took in a deep breath. "Metaton's grace is just like any other angel's. It's not compatible. But… because an archangel's grace is so refined…"

Dean was staring at Gabriel. "So?" he prompted. "Gabriel, whatever the solution is, do it!"

"Bossy as ever," Gabriel said. He closed his eyes. Imagined Candi. Thought of Cupid's words. He turned to Sam.

"Sam, Candi is just down the slope, on the beach by the restrooms. Check on her, would you?"

Sam looked from Gabriel, to Dean, to Castiel. He nodded and stood. Gabriel could hear his footsteps retreating.

"Give him here," Gabriel said. He pulled Castiel off Dean and into his own lap. "You might want to turn away," Gabriel said.

"But—"

"Dean, unless you want your eyeballs to melt out of your face, I suggest you do as I say," Gabriel snapped.

Dean hesitated, then obeyed.

Gabriel held Castiel's face between his hands. "You're lucky I like you, Castiel," he murmured.

He closed his eyes, willing his grace to detach itself from his body. He gathered it up, pried it from his very being.

Then, he opened his mouth, and with a bright light, it shot out of his body and flowed into Castiel.