Bobby couldn't resist bringing a hand to rub his temples in irritation as he read the newest instalment of Dean and Castiel's story. It seemed that, regardless of whether or not the phoney version of Sam was his Sam, he'd risk life and limb to save him. And for every inch Dean's unwavering loyalty was touching, his behaviour was sending him barrelling towards an early grave yet again.

"Idjit." He murmured to himself, sitting back in his chair and frowning deeply at the book.

"I'll need you to be a little more specific there, darling. You could be referring to either of your boys with that proclamation."

"Welcome back, Crowley." Bobby replied, deadpan, not moving as the demon walked over from behind him and settled himself into the chair opposite. "Find anything of use?"

Crowley's wolfish grin widened marginally. "I'm close to a breakthrough. I can't find anything that gives away which angel is responsible, but I'm near to finding a spell that will extract them all."

The demon had been true to his promise of help. He had been the one to realise just what stories they were living, and had promised to keep his teasing to the barest minimum, although this was probably something to do with the fact that two of the victims in question could smite him without a second's hesitation Even Gabriel, Bobby felt, would struggle to find the demon's jokes funny after his experiences. Ever since though, Crowley had used his inner circle of demonic sources to find something powerful enough to successfully pull the Winchesters and their angels out of the book's clutches. He had also sent out feelers to track down the angel to blame for the whole mess, but so far on that front he was coming up empty.

"Good. The way Dean's going, he'll end up dead within a day or two." Bobby grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

At Crowley's raised eyebrow, the hunter slid the open book across the tabletop. The demon took it and read the chapter quickly, actually sniggering at the mention of the curse and shaking his head when Castiel took the dive under the ice.

"I suppose it's a relief to know angel boy never changes. The day Castiel abandons his precious Winchester is the day he gets rid of that monstrosity of a car."

Bobby grunted in agreement, before reaching across and snapping the book shut. "How quickly can you get that spell together?"

"Once I find all the ingredients, no time at all. Although," Crowley tapped the book's cover with his finger, "Maybe we should leave those two at it. After all, the beast needs his curse broken. He just needs his beauty to wake up and realise he's in love."

Bobby glared at Crowley who was smirking. "I've told you before; this isn't funny."

"Only in your opinion, Singer. For me, this is hilarious. And I fully intend to never let Dean forget this."

The second he had been dismissed, Gabriel turned and swam out of the underwater palace as quickly as he could without bothering to wait for Castiel or Balthazar. He needed space, needed time to digest all of what had happened. He felt a strange mixture of emotion. He was angry and frustrated at his own helplessness; at how he would have no choice but to defy his Father's direct orders. He had to seek Sam out, because they had to escape this place together. He liked the kid, he couldn't leave him here. On top of that, there was also deep and aching sorrow, doubled by the guilt he still felt at abandoning Heaven all those years ago.

Following the same path Balthazar had led him down earlier Gabriel fled, leaving behind him a trail of bubbles. He just needed to take some time away from everyone else, to just sit quietly and think about everything that had happened so far.

He was a merman, and so evidently was the whole of Heaven in this world. Sam was a human prince, and their two worlds were far from at peace with one another. According to his Father, he should have left Sam to die, because it was what Sam would have done if their places had been reversed. He also had no power here; whoever had put him in this world had enough strength to seal away his Grace, which made him pretty much useless. He had a makeshift sword at his hip and he knew perfectly well how to defend himself with it, but it came with a horrible vulnerability.

Essentially, he was screwed.

He didn't know a single thing about what was going on, or what had happened in the previous cases Sam and Dean had been looking into. He hadn't paid attention. He had no idea how his current predicament and the others were linked. Basically, he knew nothing. And down here at the bottom of the ocean, he was just killing time and twiddling his thumbs, waiting for Sam to come up with a resolution all by himself.

Yeah, not happening. He had to find a way of spending time with Sam so they could work this out together, but without having his Father or any of his brothers finding out. Maybe he could wait by the shoreline for Sam to come wandering, and they could discuss their situation there at a certain time each day? That seemed to be the only logical option as far as Gabriel was concerned.

He had just made up his mind to set off for the beach when he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye. He glanced over his shoulder and saw with a feeling of dread nestling in his stomach that Castiel was swimming straight for him, looking anxious. He turned fully and forced a small grin onto his face, determined to get rid of the other merman as quickly as possible.

"Hey bro. Listen, sorry for the hasty exit."

Castiel didn't respond to Gabriel's words, just grabbed his wrist and made to turn. "We have to get out of here." He whispered urgently, his expression deadly serious.

"What? Why?" Gabriel's tone dropped, and he cast a wary eye around them.

"You are being followed. We have to go, now."

Before Gabriel could say a word, two mermaids emerged from behind a cluster of nearby rocks and approached. They both had long dark curls that floated in the water behind their heads like creepy halos. They both had deep brown eyes that held identical, malicious glints. As he had noticed with his sisters back at the palace, they both wore shells over their chests; one a deep red and the other violet. Their tails were pitch black and sooty-looking. As soon as they appeared, Castiel's grip on his arm tightened. His eyes were blazing, and he was scowling deeply.

"What do you want?" He snarled ferociously before either of them could even open their mouths.

The mermaid on the right raised her eyebrows and smirked as she looked him up and down. "Daddy wasn't too good at teaching you manners, was he?"

Her friend chuckled as Castiel glowered at them. "We're not here for you, junior. Get out of here."

"That means you're here for me then, hm?" Gabriel asked coldly.

"Ooh, he's a sharp one." The first spoke without taking her eyes off Castiel. "I think I prefer the strong, silent type, though."

"Who are you?"

The mermaid on the left smiled, but there was no warmth in it. Her friend continued to stare at Castiel as if he were a piece of meat; he was returning her look with what Gabriel had dubbed his 'smiting face'. "My name is Ruby. This is Meg. Our employer wants to make you an offer."

"Your employer?" Gabriel repeated, ignoring the way Castiel's fingers had tensed at these words. "What's the occasion?"

Ruby shrugged. "He's observed your plight with the mortal prince for a while now, Gabriel. He wishes to help."

"Out of the goodness of his heart, I imagine."

"Oh no, there's always a price. But he's very reasonable, I think you'll find."

"I'm sure." Gabriel's tone was derisive, but secretly he was thinking it through. This employer, whoever it was, could end up being the perfect answer to his problem. All he needed to do was spend some time with Sam; the kid was a genius. He'd have the answer in hours, probably. "Who is this good Samaritan, anyway?"

"Crowley. He wants to offer you a deal."

At this, Castiel stopped glaring at Meg and turned to Ruby instead. "The sea witch?! Never!"

Struggling to keep his poker face at hearing Castiel refer to Crowley as a witch, Gabriel kept eye contact on Ruby who only faltered a second to glare acidly at Castiel. "What sort of deal?"

Castiel gaped up at him. "Gabriel, you cannot be serious! Crowley is a dangerous, manipulative lying -"

"He's the only way you'll be with the prince you love, merman." Ruby interrupted in an icy tone.

Once again, Gabriel's composure was tested at her suggestion that he loved Sam, but he managed to bite back the snort of laughter that had threatened to escape. Castiel was still staring at him in dumbfounded silence, obviously amazed that he hadn't immediately told Crowley's lackeys where to stick their offer. Both Ruby and even Meg were now focusing all of their attention on him, waiting for his decision. And it really did seem like the best idea on the table. Hanging around by the beach on the off chance that Sam came wandering by was laughable in comparison.

"Alright. I'll do it."

"What?!" Castiel cried, now looking angry. "Gabriel, what about Father?! He specifically told you -"

"I don't have time to explain this right now!" Gabriel replied sharply. "I just need to see Sam, okay? Dad's never going to understand that, so I can't listen to him! I need to take this deal, whatever it is!"

Ruby smiled coldly. "True. Leave your weapon here, though."

Obediently, Gabriel untied the seaweed belt from his hips and allowed it to sink to the sand below. Satisfied, Ruby and Meg turned and began to swim off in the direction Gabriel had originally been heading. He followed close behind, Castiel right beside him. No matter what choice phrases he hissed at the other merman, he refused to leave. Eventually Gabriel had to admit defeat. He half expected Ruby or Meg to insist that Castiel stay behind, but now that they had gotten Gabriel's agreement, they didn't seem to care. And judging by the looks Meg kept shooting Castiel over her shoulder, she didn't exactly want him leaving any time soon.

"You are making a grave mistake, Gabriel." Castiel hissed out of the corner of his mouth as they continued on, both pretending not to see the mermaid's continued flirtatious glances. "Dealings with the sea witch are problematic, and many have fallen prey to his tricks."

"Yeah, well, hopefully I've got more brains than the average visitor Crowley gets." Gabriel hissed back.

"Indeed." Castiel muttered in a tone that suggested he very much doubted it if the offered deal was even a consideration. Gabriel ignored him. The kid wouldn't understand even if he did try to explain his reasoning, so what was the point in arguing about it?

Finally, a bizarre looking structure appeared in front of them. It was balanced on several pillars of rock, beneath which was an inky blackness that seemed to stretch on forever. The structure itself was enormous and looked like it was built from the bony remains of a huge animal. The entrance was a skull with a gaping mouth, jagged fangs stretching from its ceiling and out of its floor. Beyond this were several turrets made of the creature's bones, and a strange pink light was shining dimly from within. Without hesitation, the four entered.

After swimming a short distance down had previously been the creature's throat, they found themselves at the entrance to a wide cavern, at which point Meg stopped Castiel and held him in place.

"You can stay here with me. We wouldn't want you to try anything heroic, would we?"

Castiel looked ready to argue but he caught Gabriel's eye, who shook his head. He seemed willing to fight back anyway for a moment or two, but eventually he retreated a little away from her and looked on from a distance. The cavern was filled with the pink light which appeared to be coming from a mounted stone basin in the very centre. The floor was mostly bare but with the occasional strand of slimy seaweed and shiny stone. Fixed to the far wall was a gigantic black shell, the opening of which faced them but was doused completely in shadow. It was this that Ruby approached.

"Sir, we have him. He's agreed to see you."

Gabriel honestly didn't know what to expect when he saw movement from within the shell. Maybe Crowley with a tail, which would have been weird enough for him. But what he saw as Crowley slid into sight made him crack several ribs as he tried desperately not to laugh. Because the King of Hell didn't just have a tail. His body from the chest down was black and leathery-looking, ending in eight thick tentacles, the underneath of which was a poisonous shade of purple complete with suction cups. Around his neck was a black string ending in a golden shell.

"Hello, lover boy." Crowley smirked.

Gabriel knew he was supposed to answer. He was supposed to greet Crowley in return. But all of his energy was currently invested in not bursting out laughing, so all he managed to do was nod his head. Luckily, this seemed to work because Crowley's grin grew and he continued.

"I'm sure my associates have explained the situation. I'm willing to make you an offer; perfectly fair and realistic. Everybody wins. Are you interested?"

"Wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Gabriel replied, finally regaining his composure. He'd woken up a couple of days ago with a tail, all his family had tails, why was he so shocked Crowley had been turned into half an octopus? Honestly, by now, he was fairly certain he'd be fine with seeing Bobby Singer as a centaur or something equally bizarre.

Crowley smiled hungrily. "Good. Here are my terms. I'll give you three days as a human with your precious prince, and all I ask for in return is your voice." He then heard Meg clearing her throat somewhere behind him, and assumed that Castiel had made a move forwards at this.

Gabriel blinked. "My voice?"

"You got it. In order to stay that way forever, should you choose to, all you have to do is get prince charming to fall in love with you before the sun sets on the third day. And by that I mean he gives you the kiss of true love."

"And how exactly is he supposed to do that if he is unable to speak?" Castiel couldn't seem to stop himself.

Crowley turned to the other merman and chuckled. "Don't underestimate body language."

Gabriel smirked. This deal was exactly what he was looking for. He would be human – which would be exactly what he was now, minus the tail – and together he and Sam could start finding a way out of this mess. And even if it took longer than the allotted three days, they would have at least made some sort of headway by his deadline. It wasn't like making Sam kiss him was essential; he didn't need to be human for the rest of the time he spent in this world. It was perfect. He'd just need to mime and hope Sam was good at charades, that was all.

"And if I can't get Sam to fall in love with me?" Gabriel felt ridiculous saying it, but he had no other choice. He had to play along with this whole façade, at least for the time being.

"If he doesn't fall in love with you by the end of the third day, you'll turn back into a merman and you'll belong to me. Forever." Crowley said with a nasty smile.

"No, Gabriel!"

But Gabriel was still smirking. Yeah, I'll belong to you right up until Sammy works out how to bust us out of here. "I'll do it."

With a snap of his fingers, Crowley was holding a roll of parchment and a quill. "This is the outline of our deal. All you have to do is sign it."

He thrust both into Gabriel's hands and, ignoring Castiel's continued protests from behind him, Gabriel hastily signed his name along the line at the bottom. The instant he had finished, both the parchment and quill vanished from his grasp with a faint pop. Crowley meanwhile was busy looming over the basin which was now glowing sickly green, mumbling words under his breath that Gabriel was unable to catch. Then suddenly, two ghostly looking arms made of green vapour flew up from inside the basin, stretching high towards the ceiling and then reaching towards him.

"Now, speak." Crowley ordered, bringing the shell from around his neck and pointing it towards Gabriel too.

"Gabriel, stop!"

"What, like this?" He asked, ignoring Castiel once again.

Crowley gave a harsh, mirthless laugh. "No, fool. I need the language of your soul. Nothing less will do."

Not knowing what else to do, Gabriel began to speak in Enochian, the language of his true heritage. That seemed to please Crowley, because he practically beamed and shouted orders to continue. Gabriel did so, watching as one of the arms extended so that it was right in front of him, before flying in through his open mouth. It was an extremely odd sensation, feeling the hand probing around inside his throat; made worse when he felt it grab something.

The next moment, the hand was removing itself once more, clutching a small ball of golden light. As was his natural instinct, Gabriel pressed his hands over his lips, eyes widening when he heard his voice coming from the light. The other ghostly hand came to close around it as they were both sucked backwards, vanishing into the shell that Crowley was still holding.

Without warning, a beam of white light shot out from the basin and wrapped itself around Gabriel, trapping him within a bubble. Then came intense heat, stabbing and burning at everything below his hips. He doubled up in pain, letting out a shout that nobody was able to hear, clenching his fists so hard his nails embedded themselves into his palms. Then came the oddest sensation Gabriel had ever experienced; like he was being split in half. He looked down at where there had previously been a tail. Now, kicking weakly in the bubble created by the light, were the familiar legs of his vessel.

Before he could form any sort of thought regarding this dramatic change, the bubble vanished from around him and he was left floating in the water. This then immediately created a problem. He had lost his ability to breathe.

He signalled frantically to Castiel who shot forwards, grabbed him around the chest and dragged him towards the ceiling of the cavern where there was a hole, Crowley's laughter ringing in his ears. His chest was already burning and he could see spots appearing on the outline of his sight. Castiel propelled them upwards with speed so alarming, it made Gabriel's head spin. Finally, just as he feared he was going to pass out, he felt his head break the surface.

Gripping Castiel tightly and dragging in several gasps of air, he collapsed against the merman, hacking and coughing. He felt like utter shit. Every single bone in his body ached, his lungs felt like they were on fire and his throat was painfully dry. He tried to speak, tried to tell Castiel just what a crap-tastic idea this had turned out to be, but no sound came out. He swallowed and tried again, but nothing happened. And then he remembered. Sagging against his brother, he glanced around, dragging his sopping wet fringe out of his eyes. Just to their right was the same shore he'd dropped Sam off before.

"I am unsure what I will tell Father.." Castiel was saying as he helped Gabriel towards the beach, sounding both angry and worried. "He specifically ordered you to stay away from them, Gabriel.. And now you are one of them.."

Gabriel responded by rolling his eyes and shaking his head, trying to drown out the rest of the merman's mumbled sentences. Once they reached a point where he could put his feet down and touch the ground, he removed his arms from around Castiel's neck and half dragged himself up the beach where he collapsed on the hot sand, breathing heavily. Castiel remained half-submerged in the water, chewing on his lip. With that expression and his shining blue eyes, he looked every inch like a puppy that had been left outside in the rain.

Gabriel's legs still felt shaky and unstable beneath him, but they supported his weight with only a little trembling as he stood. He trudged up the beach towards the cliff, looking for anything that could have washed up on the shore from the ship. He was in luck. Just in front of the stone cliff face he found a broken part of the mast, still with a large section of sail attached. He ripped it off and tied it around his completely naked body like a makeshift toga. It would do temporarily to stop him from being arrested for public indecency or something like that.

Castiel was still waiting when he ambled back down the sand, slipping every so often. He still looked torn between what his next action should be. Gabriel sat himself back down in front of his brother and pointed to the water behind him, then pressed a finger to his lips. Castiel looked ready to argue, but Gabriel glared and shook his head. No, of course Dad shouldn't be told about this. Castiel hesitated, then nodded. Gabriel smiled, pointed right at Castiel and then again to the ocean.

"What will you do, brother?" He asked, looking doubtful.

Gabriel jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the castle at the top of the cliff. Find Sammy, of course. No sense wasting what little time I have, right? Castiel followed his thumb and gulped, looking nervous. Then something seemed to strengthen within him because he nodded.

"I understand. Good luck, Gabriel. If you are unable to earn Sam Winchester's love in your given time, I will do all that I can to ensure that Crowley does not find you." And then he turned and vanished back underneath the waves with a splash.

Rolling his eyes but smiling fondly, Gabriel got back to his feet and walked down the beach. He was certain he'd find somebody eventually, and then all he'd have to do was silently communicate that he wanted to see Prince Sam. But that was if he met anybody before he lost consciousness. His body still felt incredibly weak, and tugging the sail off the mast had robbed him of most of his energy. Already, his feet were beginning to drag, his throat and chest were still burning, and there wasn't a part of his body that didn't ache.

And then he heard it from just around the corner, hidden by the cliff.

"Bones! Come back here!"

Gabriel felt sweet, warm relief flood through him. Because he knew that voice anywhere. He forced his body onwards and, using the stone wall of the cliff to keep himself upright, he managed to round the bend. The beach stretched out before him, an endless stretch of golden sand and beautiful blue waves. A wide stone pathway had been cut into the cliff face itself, leading directly from the palace above down onto the sand. Just in the distance, Gabriel could see a wooden pier to which several small boats were tied, bobbing in the calm water.

And there, halfway down the beach with a golden retriever, was the hulking figure of Sam Winchester. He was laughing as he threw a stick into the water and watched as the dog bounded after it, spraying water everywhere. Gabriel tried to call out for him before mentally slapping himself; he really had to remember important stuff like, you know, lacking a voice. Instead, he pushed himself off the cliff and walked down the beach a little, waving his arms in an attempt to catch Sam's eye. And considering how every one of his limbs felt like dead weights, he considered this quite an achievement.

But it ultimately came at a price. He had taken only a few steps when his knees buckled without warning and he fell to the sand. He tried to get back up but it seemed his body had reached its limit; it felt like he had become bolted to the floor. And of course he couldn't shout out to get Sam's attention. For the first time in a while, Gabriel felt a churn of anxiety in his stomach. There was the very real risk that Sam would leave the beach without glancing his way and seeing him, especially as he was partially hidden by large rock formations from the cliff. If that happened he would lose his chance, and given how weak he currently felt, he wouldn't be able to give chase. He had to get Sam's attention, now.

Looking around, Gabriel spotted a pastel pink shell right next to his leg. He scooped it up and threw it with as much strength as he could muster. It was frankly pathetic and didn't cover half the distance between him and Sam, but it did bounce off one of the nearby rocks. The sound was enough to catch Sam's attention and he turned, and the last thing Gabriel saw before he blacked out was Sam's jolt of surprise when their eyes met.

Crowley instantly knew something was wrong the moment he reappeared in Bobby's motel room.

Ever since the Winchesters and the angels had been sucked into that mysterious book, he had been a constant proverbial storm cloud. Despite how amusing the situations were, he hadn't cracked a single smile. Not the smallest one. And yet as the motel room materialised around him, Crowley could hear the unmistakeable sound of someone sniggering, albeit quietly.

Bobby was sat at the room's only table, the book open in front of him, as he always was whenever its enchantment lifted enough for them to view the next instalment. Except this time his shoulders were shaking ever so slightly. Although the movement was barely noticeable, it was in such stark contrast to the moody silence Crowley had grown accustomed to that he instantly spotted it. It was frankly unnerving. After so many times of seeing the hunter his grouchy self on every occasion he dropped by, the drastic change in character was a shock for the demon. He crossed the room in a few steps, watching Bobby carefully and smirking.

"Finally coming around to my point of view, darling?" He asked as he looked over the hunter's shoulder, curious to know what had happened now to provoke such a reaction.

The picture immediately captured his attention. What he saw was not funny, not in the slightest. It showed an underwater cave, in which Gabriel was signing a sheet of paper. And just in front of him was a grotesque version of Crowley with his legs replaced with the slimy tentacles of an octopus. He glared acidly at the offending page, suddenly filled with a newfound determination to find this angel and deep fry it, extra crispy.

Crowley only stopped glaring at the book when he noticed Bobby was angling his phone, snapping a picture of the illustration. The demon instantly made a snatch for the device but Bobby was too quick for him, stuffing it back into his pocket. Scowling, Crowley turned his glare on the old hunter instead, folding his arms over his chest after he had slammed the book shut.

"Delete it." He hissed.

"Only when you get rid of that ridiculous picture of me and you on yours." Bobby replied calmly.

Crowley paused, his glare only intensifying, before snapping a rather sulky, "No."

Bobby shrugged. "Then deal with the fact I have a picture of you looking like something straight out of a creepy Japanese porn movie."