When Dean opened his eyes again he found himself staring at the circular ceiling fan inside Bobby's panic room. He bolted upright, tensing with the anticipation of being bound, but there were no restraints on his wrists or ankles. The door stood open. There was even a tray of food on the table. It was with a suddenness that he realized he was starving, and Dean attacked the tray with vigor.

After he swallowed the last bit of cheeseburger and downed the last drop of beer, he heard approaching footsteps. Expecting Bobby, Rufus or Garth, he stepped into the doorway, ready with a remark about the food when he saw his visitor was none other than Sam.

As always, the surge of joy that rose within him nearly made talking difficult. Still, he managed to say his brother's name just as Sam closed the distance between them and swept him up in a rough embrace. Dean held fast to him, glad that of all the insanity this place had to offer, at least he had Sam.

Sam drew back first, smiling down at Dean with such delight he was reminded of the kid brother he set off fireworks with all those years ago.

"Dean!" Sam enthused. "I didn't believe it when they told me you were back. But you're really here! You're-" Overcome with emotion, Sam clasped Dean to him again.

"Okay, okay," he said, half laughing at the way Sam exuberantly slapped his back. "Come on, Sam, let me breathe."

"Oh!" Sam immediately let him go and stepped back, looking almost sheepish. "Sorry. It's just that I'm so happy to see you. I missed you."

Dean smiled his way through the want to cry. "Same here. Damn, Sammy. It's like I haven't seen you in forever. What's going on here? They all said it was your idea to sneak into Crowley's place."

"It was." Sam beamed like a kid who just got a passing grade on a project. "See, they were letting me in there for free because I've got demon blood in me, and that's when I-"

"Wait. Are you sucking down demon blood?" Dean demanded, his joy replaced by disappointment.

"What? No! Well, not anymore. Dean, don't be mad, please," Sam begged, turning to follow Dean as he strode out of the panic room. "I had to prove to them I was Sam Winchester. A lot of the shifters like to dress up as you and I so..."

"So you start up again. How could Bobby let you do it?"

"He didn't," stated another voice from the top of the stairs. Dean looked up, scowled at seeing Gabriel there. He wore a half smile, his arms crossed at his chest. "In case you forgot, Dean, Sam there can make his own decisions." His gaze then went to Sam. "How you holding up?"

"I have a little headache, but I'm okay. Better now that Dean's here," Sam added with a smile for his brother.

Dean returned the smile, yet could not shake the sense that something seemed...off about him.

Gabriel started down the steps. When he reached Sam's side he clapped him on the shoulder. Dean didn't miss the way his face softened with intimacy, or the way his hand lingered on Sam's shoulder. "Go upstairs and get some rest. I'll fill Dean in on the details."

"Okay." Sam turned to Dean, hugged him again before starting up the stairs. When Gabriel abruptly slapped his ass on the way up and gave a leering smile Dean nearly swung at the angel.

"Son of a-!"

"Whoa there," Gabriel cautioned with a wagging finger. "Before you give me with one of your knuckle sandwiches you might wanna know a little something about Sammy."

"What's that?" he managed through clenched teeth. He took a step closer to Gabriel. "Because all I saw was you molesting my little brother."

"Molest?" Gabriel laughed merrily. "Please. What I do with and to Sam isn't any more of your business than what you do with my brother is mine. Ah, right, I had forgotten," he amended, tapping his chin while Dean stepped away and scowled. "You're a little fuzzy on that detail. I guess that's to be expected since the you that did all those things hasn't been around in three years."

Dean glowered at the angel. "Gabriel, if you don't start talking sense I swear I will knock your damn teeth out."

Gabriel laughed again. "I did miss you, Dean. All right, you want the story? Where should I start? Hmm. I know: my favorite subject." Smiling, he leaned forward and murmured, "That's Sam in case you weren't paying attention."

Dean's hands clenched into fists. He forced a smile, even though all he wanted to do was beat that smug face into a bloody pulp. Gabriel obviously knew this and chuckled.

He took his ease on the bottom step and looked up at Dean. "You know that my big brother got his hands on Sam in Detroit, and your plan to open the cage didn't work. So you and Castiel went to the big showdown to try and save him."

"Yeah, I know that already," Dean said irritably.

"Hey," Gabriel commented, lifting his hands in a pleading gesture. "You're an alternate reality Dean; I need to do my fact check first. What happened in your reality, anyway?"

Dean glanced away, his throat tightening. The memory of that day still felt as fresh, as real, as when Sam had him pinned against the Impala and was beating him senseless. "Sam was able to break free from Lucifer long enough to open the cage. He...he threw himself into it, and took Lucifer and Michael with him."

Gabriel gave a low whistle. "That's my boy," he said approvingly, earning another glower from Dean. His response was a pleasant smile. "I've been engaging in relations with your brother for some time now. You might as well get used to it."

"Shut the hell up with that already," Dean snapped, putting aside the thought of Gabriel and Sam being intimate in any way. "So what happened here?"

Gabriel's expression turned sober, something entirely new in Dean's experience with the former Trickster. "Michael dropped in on Castiel and you- well, the other you. Things happened and there was an...agreement."

It took Dean a moment to grasp Gabriel's meaning. "So you're saying the other me let Michael use him? Why?"

"That's the mystery," Gabriel replied, his expression darkening. "Only other one who was there was Castiel. He showed up here with Sam, half delirious, and just left. I will say this, though: he was not happy."

Dean could very well imagine that. He'd been on the receiving end of Cas's unhappiness when it came to giving in to Michael's demands. "Not a word to any of you then?"

"Nope. Of course, he only ever opened up to our Dean so..." he trailed off, waggled his eyebrow.

"Right." Dean nodded shortly. "Cas wanted me to see him later tonight. He said you knew where to go."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Of course. Poor little distressed Castiel. Losing our Dean really did a number on him."

Dean recalled the harshness in Cas's words, the icy tone of voice. "Yeah," he muttered. After clearing his throat he asked, "You said Sam was half delirious? What happened to him?"

Gabriel's face hardened. "Lucy left a mark on Sam's mind and soul. I was the one who helped him."

To this Dean couldn't help but be surprised. "You?" he scoffed. "Last I checked your way of helping him was killing me a hundred times."

Gabriel smiled slowly. There was a glint in his eyes, reminding Dean that despite his outward appearance, the little guy was an archangel. "My reasons might be a little too complicated for you so let me put it this way: he saved me when I stood up to Lucifer, so I saved him. I'm sure you remember it."

Dean thought back to that incident in the hotel, Lucifer storming the place and killing all the pagan gods. His harsh pep talk with Gabriel in the backseat of the Impala. Their reluctant partnership in order to break Kali's blood binding trap. The angel staying behind to let them get away. "Sam went back for you," he guessed.

"Bingo." Gabriel gave a half smile. "You weren't exactly thrilled but seeing as to how you were soft on one angel we thought you'd be soft on another."

Dean grunted. He didn't need to know how this world's version of him reacted to having a former Trickster on their team. "Are you still healing Sam?"

"He won't ever be completely healed," Gabriel answered with a sigh. "But he's getting better. He's got me watching over him. So," he said, rising to his feet and clapping his hands. "Let's say we get you cleaned up and ready for your big date with Castiel? I'm sure I can give you a few pointers."

"No thanks," Dean responded sourly. "You still didn't tell me Sammy's plan for Crowley's crazy hunter's lodge."

The archangel grimaced. "Ooo. Right. That. Well, it's kind of hard to explain."

Dean leveled him with a dead stare. "Try me."

"I'd love to, I really would. There's a few details I think you should hear from Castiel first. We need his help too. Hey! You could ask him for us."

"Wait. You're saying he isn't part of the plan?"

Gabriel clapped his hand over his mouth in a display of mock embarrassment. "Uh oh. I let something slip. Come on, Dean, where's your sense of humor?" he demanded when Dean took a step toward him. "Honestly, you're starting to remind me of Michael. No, my little brother isn't in on our plans. He never came back to us after the Apocalypse ended. It wasn't until Sam got inside Crowley's that we knew Castiel was here. He was even able to squeeze a few secrets out of him."

Dean nodded, unable to conceal a smile. Sam hadn't lost his touch with people. "What about Balthazar? Is he on our side?"

"He's on Balthazar's side," Gabriel responded with a snort. "Neutral as far as we can tell. We don't even know if he's been with Castiel this whole time."

Dean crossed his arms, mulling over this new information. "Guess that's something else I better ask Cas about."

Gabriel smiled. "Just what I was thinking. Oh," he added. "If you see Balthazar, ask about my horn. I'd really like it back."

Dean smirked. "Right." He glanced at his watch. "I got some time to kill. I'm gonna check on Sam," he said, brushing past Gabriel. "Come find me when it's time to go."

"Of course. Don't keep your little brother too long now," Gabriel requested as Dean opened the door. "We have...things to talk about as well."

Dean sent him a scowl, debated on saying something but ended up shaking his head and leaving. The last thing he saw before he closed the door was Gabriel's wide grin.

Dean found Sam lying on a cot upstairs. Bobby and Rufus were nowhere to be found; as Dean passed a window he spotted Garth reclining on the hood of one of the junkers outside, a joint in one hand and bag of potato chips propped against him. He wore a smile of utter contentment. Dean grunted. Least someone around here was happy.

At hearing footsteps Sam lifted his arm from his eyes. His face lit up at seeing Dean, and he greeted him with a warm, 'Hey,' as Dean settled onto the end of the cot. He sat with his hands draped between his knees, the smile he gave Sam sympathetic. The way Sam's gaze lingered on him, Dean had to wonder if he was even aware that he wasn't the same Dean from this world.

He noted his brother's pale, drawn features. "Your headache from the blood detox?"

"It's not as bad as it was before," Sam assured him, easing onto his elbows. "I only had to drink a little to prove I was me. Gabe's been helping me get through that, too."

"Gabe, huh?" Dean shook his head, gave a little laugh. "I gotta tell you, Sammy, I never thought you'd become friends with that Trickster."

"Former Trickster," Sam corrected, his tone that of a child abruptly telling his parent he was wrong about something. "He's helped me a lot, Dean. I'd still be a mess if not for him."

Dean found he was responding in a tone he once reserved for Sam when he was much, much younger. "Right. Former Trickster. And I'm glad he's taking care of you," he added, though the words stuck in his throat. "So what are you two anyway? BFFs?"

Sam's smile was warm, if a little shy. "You could say that. Like you and Cas."

The reference to his other self's involvement with Cas resulted in an unexpected feeling settling in his heart, especially when paired with the memory of their encounter in the dressing room. Somehow able to push those feelings aside, Dean gave a half smile. "Guess you'd know all about it, huh?"

"Dude," Sam said, laughing. He almost sounded like himself. "I'm telling you, the minute you guys hooked up you were like Romeo and Juliet. I'm serious," he stressed when Dean gave a disbelieving exclamation. "You were always together. I mean, sure, he didn't have his mojo but you never left him behind. You let him ride shotgun a few times, hell you even let him choose the music. Dean, you never did that with me. And there wasn't a thing Cas wouldn't do for you. The first time he showed up with some pecan pie-" Sam broke off to laugh again. "I don't think I'd ever seen you that happy before. It was awesome."

Throughout the telling Dean couldn't help but smile, though he had to fight back the sorrow too. This world's version of himself never had to experience Cas's ill-thought plan of obtaining souls to help him win the angels' civil war, his rebirth as arrogant god, his demise as a faulty host for Leviathan. How the madness he inherited from Sam broke him to such a degree he refused to acknowledge his mistakes. And now Cas was lost somewhere in Purgatory, fighting for his life, hiding, or dead for all Dean knew. He glanced away, unwilling to let Sam see his pain.

"I'm sorry," Sam said swiftly. "I didn't mean to bring all that up. It's gotta be hard knowing Cas is in that place."

Dean drew in a shaking breath, nodded. "Yeah. It is," he admitted quietly. "He, ah, doesn't seem like the type to do that. You know." He gestured for effect, unable to voice the truth. "Did he tell you why?"

"Why what?"

"Why he's there."

Sam averted his gaze, but not before Dean saw the flash of unease in his eyes. "Sammy," he commanded. "Tell me."

A look of embarrassment crossed his features. "Well, it's not really for me to say," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Cas...changed after you left. I think he stays there because he's got nowhere else to go."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean demanded. "Didn't you tell him he could come here?"

"I would have," Sam answered with a nod. "But Bobby doesn't want him here. See, he's a little sore at Cas for leaving. I was in pretty bad shape. No one knew if I was gonna make it."

Dean's chest tightened at the thought of his brother in distress, possibly dying, and no one there to help him. He'd make damn sure to ask Cas what the hell he was thinking for abandoning Sam. "What about Gabriel? Wasn't he with you?"

"Not then, no. I don't know when he got here. I blacked out a lot. One day I woke up, and he was just sitting in that chair." Sam gestured, Dean not missing the little smile on his face. "It was...weird at first. I thought he was going to tell me that I dreamed everything or something. He was wearing the Dr. Sexy scrubs."

"You gotta be kidding me," Dean groaned, and Sam gave a little laugh.

"Like I said, weird. But he just smiled at me and said, 'The doctor is in, Sam. You're gonna be just fine.'"

Though the implications of such a statement made Dean grimace, he had to hand it to Gabriel for coming to the plate when no one else could. He gripped his brother's shoulder, nodded. "I'll give him a candy bar or something for it."

Sam smiled, obviously pleased by Dean's promise. He brightened then. "Oh, you're going to see Cas tonight right? Maybe you can talk him into joining us."

"Yeah. 'Gabe' said that much," he said, unable to keep his sarcasm back.

"If anyone can do it, it's you," Sam went on, smiling broadly. He went to rise. "I'll go find Bobby and-"

"Whoa there," Dean interrupted, holding out his hand the instant he saw Sam sway. "I don't think you're going anywhere right now. Bobby will be around. Talk to him after you take five."

Sam laid back down, only to abruptly sit up and grab at Dean's sleeve. "Can you stay? At least until I'm asleep."

The request made Dean smile in disbelief. "Aren't you a little old to be asking me that?" he teased, but at seeing the genuine worry in Sam's eyes he sobered. "You're serious."

"Gabe usually does it, but I'd like it if you did, Dean. Like you used to, remember?"

Unbidden, the memories of all those nights in hotels across the country came rushing back: Sam asking for water, wanting a story or waking up in tears after a bad dream. And, one time, when Dean woke up from a bad dream to find Sam had crawled into bed with him. His telling Dean not to be scared because he had checked under the bed for monsters.

Dean's eyes watered, but he managed to keep from crying. "All right," he agreed softly. "I'll stay."

Sam smiled, gave him a quick, hard hug, and laid down. A little smile touched Dean's lips as he watched Sam drift off. It soon faded at recalling his prayer just before that wavelength zapped him from one Purgatory into another.

Sighing, he lifted his gaze to the ceiling.

Cas...

"Oh ho! I know that look," Gabriel said, his sudden appearance startling Dean into a curse. He smiled as he strode in from the hall. "Getting close to the time to see your one and only. Want me to help spruce you up? He's used to a certain kind of clientele."

"Shut up," Dean snapped, keeping his voice low out of respect for Sam.

Gabriel's brows lifted. "Ooo. Feisty. Castiel will help with that."

Dean pushed himself to his feet and closed the distance between them in seconds. He stood over him, a finger in his face. Gabriel kept smiling. "The only reason I haven't smashed your nose in is cause of what you did for Sammy. Don't push it."

"I wouldn't dream of it," came the less-than-sincere promise. "Besides, I'm going to help you get out of here."

Dean looked at him with renewed interest. "Right now?"

"First you help us with our plan. Talk to little Castiel, get him on our side, get my horn from Balthazar and I can send you back to the picturesque Purgatory you're used to." Gabriel smiled, held out his hand. "Deal?"

Dean stared down at Gabriel's proffered hand, weighed his options. There weren't many. That, and something about the situation with Cas just didn't sit right with him. He needed to know what happened.

After a moment he slapped his hand against the archangel's.

"Deal."