Chapter 18

Gabriel was having fun and he felt better that he was getting to dish it out to the other side. Mostly it was because it was payback to the demon that made his Cat suffer so long ago. It assuaged his own guilt that he hadn't been able to save her then even though he eventually got her out of the pit. And he was assuaging the guilt he had now since things hadn't gone to plan. So the best he could do was help out Sam and Dean and their friends to help her. It was complicated but he was up to the challenge just as long as they didn't find out what he was to her and what she was to him.

He had let Setna leave the dungeon area leaving him and Kesset to make their way out alone. He looked at Kesset and asked, "You gonna be okay kiddo?" He pointed at the wing he knew had been broken and been set.

Kesset looked at him and said, "It is fine. The princess must be found."

Gabriel had to admit that the whole guardian thing did work out even if it could be a pain in the ass at times. He was proud that the kid was toughing out the pain he had to be in and he figured he went on it this long, might as well keep going. He nodded and said, "Fine then. Don't complain if it starts hurting."

"Pain is meaningless."

"Try that on Cat when she's her normal size."

The pair started walking through the halls. Gabriel loved sticking it to a few low level demons but in the end it wasn't going to be worth much unless he or someone got rid of Lenya once and for all. They made their way through looking around for any sign of, for one, Angela and anybody that was not on the side of Lenya.

"This place seems interminable," Kesset muttered.

"And it's not even my own concoction." Gabriel finished stabbing a demon with an angel blade. He still had the thing around even though he really hadn't had the need to use it. "Personally I would have made it a fun house. There's the potential for entertainment."

Kesset shot a look at Gabriel. "Toying with people is entertainment for you?"

"Only to teach them a lesson."

Kesset couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. "That is not the way to teach people that something good is right in front of them." He deliberately mentioned the current situation since that was the reason he couldn't really hide his wings even though only three people could see them. "It still is wrong."

"It isn't as long as they learn something from it." Gabriel felt the need to retort even though Kesset was right on some level. He felt that his plan needed to be done even though it seemed that it was falling apart. Well he was going to make this right one way or another. There was another lesson the Winchesters needed to learn but it would come later.

Kesset couldn't help by heave an exasperated sigh. There was no arguing with the Messenger. His insane logic sounded right at times and that was because the angel made it sound like it was the right thing. It was why he allowed for his predicament to go on as long as it had and it was a relief that the Winchesters didn't mind his wings.

Gabriel knew that this had been hard on the kid and he was sorry about it but he couldn't risk the kid following up on his oath of veracity and blabbing about what his plan and involvement was. He gingerly patted the young guard on the shoulder and said, "Hey it only becomes deadly if they truly deserve it."

"And I just feel so much better."

Gabriel turned to get a good look at Kesset and smirked, "Seems like Dean-o has been teaching you quite a bit. I'm impressed."

"His insistence on familiarizing me with the things humans do is… unnecessary at times but educational."

Gabriel couldn't resist the chuckle that erupted. Well it seemed that things were looking up for Kesset even if it was probably not the best of times. He didn't say anything as they moved through the building until Kesset came to a halt at about the same time Gabriel did. He was looking around when Kesset tapped his arm and asked, "Do you sense that?"

Gabriel looked around and stared in a direction. He did sense it and replied, "Yep."

"The princess is being chased." Kesset felt his feathers ruffle at the agitation he was starting to feel.

Gabriel was not going to start petting wings when he noticed Kesset becoming agitated. But even he couldn't deny he was becoming agitated himself and would like nothing more than to smite something but… He caught wind of something else and he needed an entrance anyway. He gave a gentle slap to Kesset's shoulder, "Go get em tiger."

Kesset looked at Gabriel with a slightly puzzled frown. "I don't understand that reference but I have to ask what about you?"

"Me?"

"I'm not stupid. I know you look after her like Castiel. How that is so, I don't know and don't care." Kesset shot a hard look at Gabriel. He was in pain and he was getting more upset because he didn't like that she was upset.

Gabriel knew that Kesset needed to see some action if he was going to be any help. He'd hate to see what Sam would be like given the same circumstances but… He nodded, "First off, I won't tell you since it will never be your damned business. Secondly, she has you and from the look of things you need to be the one to go after her. Lastly, I have to go and rescue some people very close to Cat or she will never forgive herself when she's back to normal."

Kesset narrowed his eyes and relented a little. He understood even though he was not in a mood but he knew what was casing it. "What will you do?"

"You go find her. I know she's got you around her finger and I'll admit it works on me on occasion," Gabriel replied as he laid down the plan. "Stay with her no matter what even if you come across Cassy and anyone else. Get her out. I'll go help Cat's friends."

Kesset looked like he was going to ask who Gabriel was referring to when he called Castiel 'Cassy' but he nodded in agreement. It was clear to Gabriel that the guard understood what he was getting at and wasn't going to waste time asking questions. Gabriel watched as Kesset turned to follow and stopped him by saying, "Like father, like son… a good man."

It had been a nice thing to say and had his Cat been her full size and standing there she would have said something along the lines that it was okay to say something nice about someone. Gabriel could hear the conversation in his head on that one. She was the one that insisted that he should try to say one nice thing even if he didn't completely like them. The last time she said that, it had him wonder how much she knew about his activities since it was a little soon after the whole thing with the Mystery Spot business.

It was in his mind when he came across Bobby and Akira fending off a demon or two and having a hard time of it. He had changed his appearance to what Nick his protégé knew him as. He figured it would be better since the Winchesters would probably have questioned his motives in helping them and besides in his disguise he would be in a position to change his Cat back to her normal size and hopefully discourage any ideas that Sam or Dean were entertaining about ganking him… not that they would be able to do much but he wasn't willing to go against the wrath of Cat.

It was easy work using his abilities to toss the demons aside like they were nothing. They smoked out the moment Bobby started chanting the exorcism rite. Akira was holding a piece of old piping and ended up dropping it when they were gone. She said, "Well that went well."

Gabriel decided he liked the princess of the Kuran clan. He replied, "Thought you dhampirs could do better."

Bobby narrowed his eyes at the angel, "You'd be surprised. Now who the hell are you?"

Gabriel expected the question as well as the shotgun pointed at him. This was the tricky part since he was well aware that his Cat's friends and family had a fierce and pretty deadly way of protecting her. She would do the same thing for them and be ten times worse about it… Well he hadn't seen that yet but he was betting it would be that bad. He looked at the elder hunter and then at the dhampir and replied, "Just dropping in to fix something."

Bobby eyed the newcomer but didn't lower the shotgun. "Odd time to be coming in and offering a hand. What do ya want?"

"Like I said, I'm dropping in to fix things." Gabriel saw that this was going to be a bit harder than he thought but he could work with it. "I'm the guy that put the spell on your friend."

Gabriel thought that the two he was looking at looked like time stood still for them. After all it wasn't every day that the one responsible for whatever was going on admitted it freely like he did. In this case though there was no time to waste. It still was a bit comical to watch their faces though. He went with it, "Yeah, I put the spell on her and I came to fix it but then I found out that you lost her and…"

"She ain't lost. We're getting her back."

Gabriel raised his hands in appeasement, "Alright. Whatever floats your boat. All I'm saying is that I'm here to reverse the spell ahead of schedule."

"But… Sam and Dean mentioned that it was not possible," Akira spoke, frowning in confusion.

Gabriel had to be careful. He knew that the princess of Kuran was intelligent. She had earned her stripes in academia and worth her weight in gold. "You really think that I'm going to tell them everything about the spell?"

"You would if there was a gun pointed in your face," Bobby replied as he raised his shotgun. "Now why did you leave it this long?"

"Did those numbskulls tell you that I said that they needed to enjoy what they had?" Gabriel raised his brow aware that to Bobby he looked like a grumpy old man that was challenging another grumpy old man. At the old man's reaction Gabriel pressed, "They forgot to mention that little detail now did they?"

"You want them to appreciate her."

Gabriel and Bobby looked at Akira as she was staring at Gabriel. The angel was beginning to feel uncomfortable about it since her gaze was like she was trying to see past the exterior. He replied, "Something like that. If you must know my former student still talks to me on occasion especially when he's stumped on a job."

"You mean the warlock," Bobby clarified. He still had the shotgun raised but he still wasn't sure about the guy. "And you had him bring her to you just to tell them that you weren't going to do anything."

"Pretty much," Gabriel replied being glib after appearing to think about it for a moment. At the expression that he was getting from elder hunter he added, "It wasn't permanent. Just enough to let the people closest to her know how much she really means to them."

It ended up being a standoff for a few minutes and it was a wonder that none of Lenya's minions came after them. Being in tuned with his Cat and with Castiel, Gabriel was getting the sense that things were sort of going well but could turn south really fast. It was Akira who said, "I think they learned pretty well… we all have been reminded. I think the first thing is to make sure we get her out otherwise I think…"

"Don't beat around the bush. People will be bigger bitches than usual," Bobby interrupted. He lowered his shotgun and stared at Gabriel. "We'll let ya tag along and when this is over…"

"Don't worry. Everything will be fixed."

Lenya was impressed with the Winchesters and with the Dragovich vampire. It wasn't that hard to identify a member of that illustrious family of vampires. They were the ones that were the most loyal to the Kuran clan and they were the ones that caused quite a bit of havoc with the demons. Not to mention there was a particular branch that actually ran Carpathia prison. It had been a bitch trying to get Lykos out that one time. This Dragovich though was something else.

He was facing one of her more stronger demons and he was pretty good. As good as to be expected of a Dragovich. She did manage to have fun with a couple of them over the centuries when she wasn't playing with little sister, both male and female and she had different results. This one was different; it was like the difference she had noticed with Sam.

For the most part it was fun to watch but occasionally she liked to get her hands dirty. It would be fun to tangle with a Dragovich. She smirked at a blow that sent her minion flying and the flash of silver that she recognized to be Absolution. "Not bad for a Dragovich."

Christian had timed his entrance as he had been instructed to by Sam. He had to admit that he didn't like the fact that they had to resort to some deception and he got the impression that the youngest Winchester had a mind that was cold and calculating when it came to the welfare of the people that mattered the most to him. He also had to admit that it was pretty good for one thought of on the fly and working with someone that annoyed the hell out of you; he figured that out by the way Sam mentioned the warlock Nick.

He had to admit that Nick had him convinced that he was two-timing them and he was tempting to interfere too early. He held out though and let it play out, moving when he saw the opportunity. He had taken his cue when he had a clear view of the demon and it was enough to free Sam and Dean with a little help from the warlock. Then it was a fistfight which ended with a few demons dead from Dean's knife and being pissed from being shot with iron. He dished out plenty of hurt using Absolution. It was strange but having been trained in sword craft, he was used to it.

He was well aware though that a lot of trust was being issued by the Winchesters, Sam especially, with his handling of his friend's blade. He had refrained from being glib about having handled the blade previously. It was what pretty much brought them together fully on one of their missions. He just picked it up without any thought to the possible consequences to himself and stabbed the thing that would have killed her. Certainly Absolution seemed to take a liking to him since then and Angela teased him about her sword wanting a spit and shine.

He turned when he heard Lenya comment on his swordsmanship. Christian knew that it wouldn't be too hard to guess that he was a Dragovich. He had the classic features but he also had the fighting ability that had been famed throughout the centuries. He was just more mild mannered about using it; he was an academic and it made him a sort of black sheep of the family. It was a nice way of conveying the lesson that you couldn't judge a person's ability by their appearance alone.

Glancing at the demon, Christian dealt a final blow to the demon that just decided to charge right at him and ended up impaled on the blade. It was one of those moments where you just look at it and wonder if your opponent was completely stupid or not. Then again he lived through trench warfare volunteering for the British. He turned to face the demon and twirled the blade in his hand. He stared at the demon as she simpered at him.

Lenya liked what she had seen. True she had lost a few good demons but she got to see what they were capable of. She decided to tease the vampire, "Are Dragoviches still too good to talk to their opponents?"

"I don't like to waste time on chit chat," Christian replied. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Lenya. "Are you going to join your own party or not?"

"Well I figure I might as well since little sister escaped though I get the feeling that she'll be back." Lenya shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing important. She smiled slowly at Christian. "But you know that don't you?"

"I know enough that if she were normal sized that she would give you what you deserve." Christian backed into a slight stance. "And there are plenty of others that you've pissed off that have taken a number."

"Well I'd hate to disappoint them." Lenya waved her hand and a baton extended. It wasn't a blade but she could use it in a stabbing motion. She certainly was strong enough to. "You know how to use that thing?"

"We'll see." Christian replied as he held up Absolution. He felt the blade pulse. It had been doing that since he went into the place after Sam and Dean did. He wasn't sure of what it meant but as long as it didn't do anything to the point where he lost a hand then he was okay with that.

The two clashed swinging their weapons at each other. Christian got a few hard clouts to his body that was certainly going to leave a bruise or two. He gave it back by delivering hard strikes with the pommel and his fist. He got a couple of strikes across his face, one coming from the left and the other from the right and drew blood. He rubbed his jaw before delivering a forward kick to Lenya's midsection, pushing her back.

Perhaps it was carelessness on Christian's part or perhaps it was a lucky strike. The baton hit his wrist and knocked Absolution loose and it flew off into the shadows. He wasn't helpless though and held up his hands in a defensive posture. He was ready for the swing with the baton and blocked and grabbed the demon's wrist. That only left him with his right to block the other strike the demon sent his way but she grabbed his arm and he couldn't break free.

"Just let go, Dragovich. It'll end bad for you one way or another." Lenya smirked at the vampire as she squeezed his wrist and then slammed it into the wall she had pushed him against. She slammed it again getting a grunt from the vampire. "I thought you Dragoviches were tougher than that."

Christian gritted his teeth and growled slightly. He twisted his body and brought the arm he had captive onto his knee. He slammed it twice before he was viciously thrown halfway across the room. Christian landed on his back and slid on the ground, winded from the blow. His adrenaline was still up but that hurt like a bitch. He looked up to see the demon and she was upside down and coming towards him with her intent clear.

Lenya held her baton in a grip that indicated that she was going to stab the vampire. The tip was blunt but could still do plenty of damage. She raised it, "A pity. Just like the others."

Christian couldn't do much of anything since he had been winded. All he could see was the tip of the baton coming towards his chest. It wouldn't kill him but would give problems later. It never made contact. Rather he heard a screech and felt the spray of blood on his face. Looking up he saw something round sticking out of the demon's abdomen and there was a slice on the underside of her arm. He blinked since he knew only one person who could do that. He turned to see Sam following through from the throw. It had him wondering where the hell he learned how to do that.

There wasn't much time to think about it since Lenya was screeching in anger and obviously in pain. Christian managed to roll out of the way as the demon pulled the chakram out. She growled, "Not fair Sammy."

There was no way for Sam to avoid it when she threw it back at him and with the intent to kill. Christian was too far away to be of help to Sam as the chakram headed straight for him. He didn't need to worry since it was snatched right out of the air as a large dog appeared and grabbed it like it was playing fetch. He recognized Cerebus but he looked different in that he looked larger than what he had seen him previously.

Christian got to his feet and moved to stand next to Sam and muttered, "Nice timing."

"Don't want Kira pissed at me," Sam replied as he took back the chakram from Cerebus and gave him a rub.

"You and me both," Christian countered with a slight chuckle as they turned to look at Lenya. "You want to take her from the front or behind."

"If Dean said that…"

"Get over it." Christian looked around and found an old brass candlestick. This was a warehouse and anything would work as a weapon. He picked it up and twirled it in his hand to get it comfortable in his hand. "Brass… pfft. Better than nothing."

"You think that you can get away with that Sammy?" Lenya was glaring at the pair of them. Her ire though was focused on Sam.

Sam held the chakram in his hand and adjusted his grip on it. He thought it was a lucky throw even though he had the know how courtesy of Hapi riding his ass. Mostly it was reflex reaction to helping out a friend. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with the demon since he didn't have the demon killing knife and he had no idea where Absolution was. He did notice that Lenya was holding her side and looked at the chakram. It had him wondering whether or not it was made like Absolution or something.

There wasn't much time to think since Lenya actually charged for him. Sam was lucky that Christian was there to slow her down. He jumped in front of Sam and caught her head on but she flung him aside like he was a rag doll but that was after stopping his downward strike with the candlestick. She grabbed him around the neck and squeezed in a choking manner and threw him aside.

Cerebus was also there but she used the brass candlestick that she had snatched from Christian and swung it, hitting the dog. The blow was enough to knock him aside and he whimpered in pain. It left Sam open and he tried to defend himself but Lenya grabbed the wrist holding the chakram and grabbed him by the neck and rammed him into the wall and squeezed.

"You may be the prize bull but I don't take kindly to your interference," Lenya hissed as she watched Sam struggle.

Sam for his part put a hand on her wrist to try and relieve the pressure from around his neck. It wasn't doing much and his air was getting cut off. It was enough for him to drop the chakram and he was starting to black out. He grunted for air and made a breathy plea for Dean or someone when all of a sudden the pressure was gone and he was on his hands and knees gasping for air. He then heard a voice that had him gasp in fear.

"Youse not hurt my Sammy!"

A/N: Gabe helps out Bobby and Akira and looks like Lenya gets a surprise and Sammy may have a heart attack. Keep watching for the conclusion of Memory Resolved...