Hours later, Gabriel was still sat in the same position on the shoreline, digging his toes into the hot sand, watching the sun as it cast crimson, pink and golden rays all across the sky on its slow dip towards the horizon. The sea lapped rhythmically and calmly just below his feet and he listened to it, his arms resting on his knees which were tucked up to his chest and his chin balanced on the bony surface of his wrist. Just visible in the distance was the wedding barge, decked out to the brim with banners and other assorted flimsy decorations waving in the faint breeze, the sound of laughter and music and the babble of a great crowd of voices drifting all the way over to where he sat almost tauntingly.

Balthazar had vanished some time ago, taking Castiel with him at first to explore Crowley's lair and find some kind of get-out clause or bargaining chip that they could use against the demon. But Castiel had returned alone after two hours empty-handed, and explained in a morose tone that Balthazar had disappeared in search of alternatives. He had then tried to convince Gabriel into returning to the library to look for clues elsewhere, but Gabriel ignored him.

He knew he was behaving completely irrationally. Jessica was the first girl Sam had ever loved, and she'd probably be the only one. That, coupled with the truly horrific way in which she'd died, and Gabriel could kind of understand why Sam was jumping at the chance to marry her if he truly believed she existed in this world. After all, Sam only knew about Gabriel's deal with Crowley – he hadn't mentioned how his voice had been stored within the same shell 'Jessica' now wore around her neck. But that didn't justify the kid's total dismissal of him, nor did it excuse him from completely abandoning Gabriel to face this alone.

His rage continued to roil inside him like a raging storm, fixed on many different targets; Sam for allowing himself to be duped so easily, Crowley for double-crossing him, the angel responsible for the whole mess, but mostly at himself for getting this bothered about everything. He'd told himself time and again that Sam didn't mean that much to him, that he was worth a laugh and not much more, that while he'd help the kid if he ever could, he wouldn't follow him around in the same embarrassing lovesick puppy way that Castiel did with Dean. And yet here he was, dejected and depressed like Sam had ditched him on prom night. He was an archangel for Dad's sake. It was frankly embarrassing.

The sound of the music and chatter died away suddenly to be replaced with a hush, which was soon broken by the familiar piano notes of the wedding march. Scowling as a fresh wave of bitterness and fury enveloped him, Gabriel turned his gaze from the now blood red sky to stare intently at the sand beneath him. At almost exactly the same moment, the water next to Castiel erupted in an explosion of froth and spray as Balthazar broke the surface. He looked absolutely frantic, a mirrored image of Castiel's own abject terror.

"The ceremony's just begun!" He explained, pointing at the ship. "Hurry up, Gabriel! We can still stop this!"

What was the point? It wasn't like he had any sort of right to determine who Sam could or couldn't marry, no matter what screwed up reality they were in. The kid wanted to end up tied to an octopus witch or demon skank, that wasn't Gabriel's problem. If Sam didn't care that his actions were royally screwing him, Gabriel, over, then why should he give a flying rat's ass about what happened to Sam? He believed in teaching lessons the hard way, didn't he? And to be honest, after the way Sam had treated him, marrying Crowley really would be his just deserts.

When Gabriel made no attempts to move, Balthazar's expression morphed into one of fury and he slammed his fist through the ocean's surface, making Castiel duck away from the sudden explosion of water it created.

"Stop thinking solely of yourself, damn it!" He roared. "You know full well that everyone on that ship is in terrible danger, and you are the only one that can stop it! You are the only one who knows what Crowley is capable of!" He paused to take a calming breath, before continuing at a much lower tone. "You care for that prince in the very least, and no matter how much you attempt to deny it, it is abundantly clear that his fate matters to you. Continue to sit idly by and you know Crowley will kill him – him and everyone else."

Gabriel didn't show any signs of listening, but he was soaking in every single word. And they'd taken him straight back to the Elysian Fields Hotel, cowering in the backseat of Dean's damned car, facing the very real prospect of going to his death. He could have run. He could have put the place behind him in a millisecond, but that would have meant leaving the Winchesters and a handful of gods – who really didn't stand a chance – against his older brother. Fleeing would have meant certain death for all but Sam, whose only option would have been to leave as Luci's meat suit.

Abandoning them hadn't been an option then, and that was before he and Sam had ever so much as shared a conversation without the latter going for a weapon or the nearest source of holy oil. So why the heck was it an option now?

Balthazar had just opened his mouth when Gabriel got steadily to his feet, his head rising and eyes once again steely and shiny, full to the brim and blazing with the fury of an archangel. He'd already wasted far too much time; without hesitating another second Gabriel hurried forwards and dived into the sea, starting on the swim out to the barge. He was dimly aware of Balthazar's voice calling about going for help, but he only had attention for Castiel. In a moment of genius the merman had grabbed hold of his wrist and using his hugely superior tail, began propelling them forwards at a much faster pace.

They reached the barge within moments, and Gabriel felt the first twinge of anxiety. Here he was, about to go up against a sea demon everyone spoke about with fear and apprehension, and he was practically weapon-less. While his chances against Lucifer hadn't been great to say the least, he'd had his blade and his powers. What did he have in this situation? Not even a voice with which to call for help. And yet despite knowing that, he couldn't just leave Sam to be killed.

So he grabbed a nearby rope hanging from the deck, held it tightly in both hands and used it as a counter-weight to walk right up the side of the ship. The sounds of a voice reciting wedding vows from somewhere above his head only fuelled the determination and anger now pulsing through him once more, and, ignoring the slight burn on his palms from the rough surface of the rope, he heaved himself over the railing and onto the deck.

At once, he became the centre of attention. The deck was split into two benched areas, packed with important-looking people all looking resplendent in fine dresses or suits, every pair of confused eyes locked on him. A rich, purple-coloured carpet had been placed as a walkway between the two, and it led to the very front of the ship where an ornately decorated altar had been placed. Behind this stood a priest who looked utterly bewildered by Gabriel's sudden and unannounced appearance. And just in front of him, both dressed in white, were Sam and Jessica.

Jessica, like the others on the boat, had turned to look at him as he scrambled into view but unlike them, who looked amazed or surprised, her expression turned downright nasty. Her pretty face became cold and stony, her lips curled into an animalistic scowl that didn't suit her at all, and her eyes flashed dark and icy. Sam, however, hadn't moved an inch. He just continued staring dead ahead, his eyes devoid of any sort of emotion. Gabriel met Jessica's look of pure poison with one of his own, and when she moved towards him, he stood his ground solidly.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a glacial tone. Then her eyes slid to a spot over his shoulder, and an almost hungry smile curved her mouth. "Time's up, lover boy. There's nothing you can do."

Before Gabriel could move, Jessica's hand shot out and gripped him around the throat in a vice-like hold. He scrambled backwards, fingers curling around her own, trying to pry them off but they wouldn't budge. It was if they were made of stone, and he was powerless. He was stuck in a weak human's body, unable to throw a demon off him by force alone. Already his lungs were screaming in protest, his chest felt like it was full of hot knives. His vision was going dark around the edges, but he could still hear her, hear her venomous tone as she whispered in his face.

"I'm going to kill them all, you know. Maybe I'll start with Sammy – he seems to be very responsive to my orders. Maybe I'll tell him to tie a rock around his waist and just jump straight off his boat. So stay with me a while longer lover boy, I want you to see that. I want you to watch your precious prince die."

"Gabriel!"

The archangel heard Castiel's scream from somewhere behind him before Jessica's fingers were forcibly removed from his throat and a scream cut the air, allowing him to breathe again. He spun to see Castiel clinging to the edge of the barge with one arm, the other curled around a sharp rock – identical to the one Ruby had made him leave behind before he first went to see Crowley – and hanging in the air. He then pushed it into Gabriel's waiting hands.

A very masculine snarl of rage caught his attention once more and he turned back. Jessica had stumbled a few steps away but she was recovering, a red slice on her forearm and eyes now no longer bottle green but deep, crossroad-red. Gabriel twirled the rock experimentally in his hand and to his relief realised it carried very much the same to the angel blades he was so familiar with.

"Kill him Gabriel, and break your tie with him!" Castiel urged from his spot on the railing.

Gabriel poised himself, now ready to fight, as Jessica flew at him, all pretence forgotten. Her hands seemed to be going for his neck again so he dodged, his small stature making him light and quick on his feet. He avoided another wild sweep her arm took and used her open body to swerve forwards. But he didn't go for the killing shot – instead his fingers wrapped around the black string and with a single slash of the rock it was severed.

"No!" She screamed, but now very clearly in Crowley's voice.

Gabriel didn't hesitate; in one fluid motion he dropped the shell onto the deck and sent the rock slamming through it. At once his voice pierced the air and he was engulfed in a haze of beautiful golden light. With a strangled cry Jessica scrambled backwards, shielding her eyes, curling into a ball on the deck floor. The light felt blissfully warm and welcoming against him, delicious and homely and blessed. It burned hot like fire as it seeped through his skin, heating him to his very core, restoring him to full fighting fitness.

As the light finally faded, the first thing he became aware of was Sam. The hunter had finally turned around, and he was staring, jaw slack, watching the last remnants of Gabriel's stolen voice fade away. Then slowly, he shifted his gaze to the archangel himself. His eyes practically screamed of lost and confused puppy, and as he spoke, he took in the decorated barge, the altar by which he still stood and the wedding clothes in which he was dressed.

"Gabriel? What's going on? Where am I? What -?" Then he caught sight of Jessica, who was still lying face down on the deck, and Gabriel saw all colour drain from his face. It took a while this time, but eventually those warm brown eyes slid back to meet his, except now they were full of pain. "Gabe, what the fuck?"

"Long, long story, kiddo." He replied gently, mouth dry from lack of use. "So let's say we -"

But the words were stolen from his throat as an excruciating pain shot suddenly through his body, ripping a guttural cry from him instead as he doubled up on the deck. He could dimly hear both Sam and Castiel screaming for him, followed by the pounding footsteps of the hunter, but Gabriel knew exactly what the pain signified, especially as it was concentrated in his legs.

The sky was as dark as Jessica's eyes had become. The sun had set. His time was up. And as he watched, his legs sprang back together and became the moss green tail once more, flopping uselessly on the deck.

Then a new sound broke the air; harsh, cold laughter. Gabriel looked past Sam's worried face to see Crowley, now back in full octopus form, come slithering along the deck right towards them. Gabriel cried out a warning but the hunter turned too late. Crowley shoved Sam out of the way with one tentacle and sent Gabriel's rock spinning off towards the benches with another, before swooping forwards and scooping Gabriel up, pinning his arms to his sides. Sam stared, looking absolutely horrified at the specimen before him, and many of the gathered audience were screaming.

"You're mine now, merman." Crowley snarled and, grip tight enough to choke the archangel, they shuffled to the far edge of the barge away from Castiel and over the edge into the ocean.

"Gabriel!"

Sam finally scrambled to his feet and dashed to the edge of the barge, peering over. There was no sign of Gabriel or Crowley, only a torrent of bubbles and the deep, endless blue. Furiously, Sam glanced left and right until he finally saw what he was looking for. Hanging suspended over the side of the barge was a rowing boat, and it was towards this that Sam flew, lowering it into the sea, ignoring the shouts of everyone behind him. He still had no idea what had happened – the last thing he remembered was hiding from Gabriel in the castle grounds. But now Gabriel was in serious trouble, and Sam never wanted the archangel die because of him ever again.

Under the surface, meanwhile, Gabriel was struggling against Crowley's hold but it was useless. The demon was physically more powerful in every single way, and Gabriel had lost his only weapon. He couldn't stand being this useless; all he could do was battle pointlessly as the demon dragged him deeper and deeper underwater, further away from any hope of rescue. And just as he thought the situation couldn't get any worse, as they approached the ocean floor, he spotted Ruby and Meg awaiting them.

"Gabriel!"

Crowley came to an abrupt halt as the black-haired, blue-tailed blur shot past them and effectively blocked their path. Gabriel very nearly swore. What the hell was Castiel thinking?! He was unarmed – he'd given his only weapon to Gabriel, and that was somewhere back on the barge! And there was no way in hell, weird false reality or not, that he was going to watch his favourite baby brother get ripped to pieces by a furious sea-demon.

"Castiel, get out of the way!"

"Never." Castiel said firmly, his voice chilling. "Release my brother, now."

"Castiel you moron, leave!"

"How exactly do you plan on stopping me, merman prince?" Crowley spat. "You and your precious brother here played integral parts in the thwarting of my plans, so that isn't a very clever place to be right now."

"Now that wouldn't be a very good idea." Came a strong voice from behind them.

At once, the fleeting panic Gabriel had been feeling evaporated as Crowley turned. Balthazar was floating just behind them, but he wasn't alone. Their Father was right beside him looking livid, the golden trident held tightly in His grasp, the pointed spikes of which were pointed directly at Crowley's chest. Judging by the rage blazing in His blue eyes, if He had a clear enough shot, Crowley would have been blown to smithereens.

"Release my son, witch. Now."

To Gabriel's utter amazement, Crowley only smiled calmly. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

With a deepening scowl, the trident was raised an inch or two higher. "I said release him."

"And I told you no can do. As you can see from our agreement here," With a snap of his fingers, the parchment Gabriel had so nonchalantly signed appeared suddenly in Crowley's hand. He brandished it like a shield against the trident, practically shoving Gabriel's signature under his Father's nose. "Your precious son signed himself over to me, forever, unless he was able to complete his task. He failed, so now he's mine. And there's nothing you can do about it."

His Father seemed to freeze, His eyes fixed to the signature looping the paper in front of Him. Then, to Gabriel's bewilderment and dismay, He lowered the point of the trident, meeting Crowley's smug glare with utter contempt. "Take me in his place."

The sea around them instantly became a hubbub of noise.

"NO!"

"You can't be serious!"

"No! It was my mistake, I should pay for it!" Gabriel's voice rang out the loudest, all of his desperation and guilt flowing into his scream.

"SILENCE!" Crowley roared, tightening his hold on Gabriel so much that he choked, before turning back to their Father, brandishing an entirely new parchment with a second snap of his fingers. "Do we have a deal?"

"Father, no!"

But He wasn't listening. The trident suddenly glowed a bright yellow, before a beam of light shot from it and hit the parchment leaving behind a scrawl of His name. The effect was instantaneous. The second the writing was complete, a hurricane of golden light utterly engulfed Him, hiding Him from view, the trident falling from His hands and onto the sandy floor below. Balthazar tried to reach a hand to grab Him but the second he touched it he was catapulted away, leaving behind nothing but a stream of bubbles. Gabriel and Castiel could only watch, horrified, as the hurricane of light began to contract and shrink, and when it vanished entirely all that was left was a thin, weedy, scraggly creature a few inches high that could only bend and sway weakly in the current.

"It's mine. It's finally mine." Crowley whispered to himself, finally releasing Gabriel and sweeping the fallen trident into his hands instead. It glowed golden to his touch and he held it close to his chest. "The power of the sea is mine!"

"You bastard!" Gabriel had finally snapped.

Seeing his Father reduced to something so pitiful over his own stupid mistake had made his rage overtake his common sense, and he made a swing for Crowley and the trident. The demon blocked his attack with ease, before shoving him away with the weapon as if he weighed no more than a feather, sending him barrelling into the sandy floor with an impact so hard, it knocked the wind from his lungs. He looked up, panting hard, to find himself face-to-face with one of the trident's glowing spikes, Crowley smiling haughtily above it.

"I'll teach you not to fool with me, you little brat. You'll -"

Whatever was meant to follow, Gabriel never found out because at that moment a metal barb appeared from nowhere, slicing through the top of Crowley's arm. He gave a howl of pain and rage, before spinning about, Gabriel peering around him. And there was Sam, floating in the water, an empty harpoon gun in his grip.

"Sam, get out of here!" Gabriel yelled. With a nod, Sam turned and began to swim back to the surface.

"Not so fast!" Crowley yelled. "Ruby! Meg! After him! Oh, you're not going anywhere, lover boy." He added in a purr as Gabriel tried to squeeze around him to protect Sam from the two mermaids who had given chase.

Sam had just broken the surface when he felt two pairs of hands encircle his ankles and he was dragged back under. He became aware of an arm circling around his throat, blocking off his oxygen and making him choke, but then it was removed. He turned, massaging the tender skin, and saw Castiel and Meg locked in a fierce-looking fistfight just behind him. A short distance from them were Balthazar and Ruby, each holding pointed sticks of rock and both going for the kill.

Back on the ocean floor, Crowley was taking aim up at the group with the trident. "Say goodbye to prince charming, lover boy." It had begun to glow when an idea struck the archangel.

"Cassie, Balthazar, grab Sam and move!" Gabriel shouted.

They didn't hesitate. Balthazar dealt Ruby a fierce blow to her shoulder before shooting upwards and grabbing Sam around his upper arm, hauling him away, Castiel right on his tail.

"This works too, you know." Crowley said joyfully, now moving the trident. "I always prefer a moving target, after all."

"Yeah? Good." Gabriel spat, before lunging forwards and grabbing the far end of the trident. The resulting tip sent the attack shooting through the water but rather than hit its desired target, it struck Ruby and Meg who had been following the mermen and Sam in the same blow. They gave identical, piercing screeches of pain before simultaneously exploding in a shower of bloody gore. Gabriel used Crowley's momentary distracted horror to dodge around him and he swam as quickly as possible to the surface where Sam was clinging to the edge of a rowing boat, gasping for breath.

"So wait.. I was going to marry Crowley? Tell me I'm delusional. Please." He begged.

"Kinda not the best time to talk about this, Sammy. We have to -" Gabriel began, but he was cut short by a loud cracking noise coming from the bottom of the boat. They only had a moment of confused silence to stare at it before something erupted from underneath them, lifting them both high into the air. Acting on instinct alone, Gabriel grabbed Sam's hand and they dived back into the relative safety of the water, before turning.

That's when the full horror of the situation hit them like a freight train.

Crowley was utterly gargantuan, towering over them like a skyscraper out of the water, the enlarged trident held braced and glowing brightly in his hands. The water surrounding him roiled and crashed as his tentacles flopped, each the size and width of a truck. The clouds above his head were stormy black and churning, a sudden gale-force wind appearing from nowhere to rip and tug at them. Pointing the trident at the ocean, which instantly began to churn as if he was the epicentre of a massive storm, Crowley began to speak in a voice that rumbled like thunder, sending a cold chill slipping down Gabriel's spine.

"I am the ruler of the ocean! The waves obey my every command, and the sea is utterly mine to control!"

Another tip of the trident sent a particularly large wave crashing right into them, forcefully hurling Sam into the air a short distance before he landed with a splash just as the wave broke; Gabriel stared around for him but he was too far away to see if the hunter returned to the surface or not. He tried to swim to the place he'd seen the hunter vanish, but Crowley thrust the trident into the water just before him and swirled it into a circle, creating an underwater vortex that stretched right to the bottom of the seabed. The current was too strong for Gabriel to fight; all he could do was cling to a nearby rock and watch in disbelief as several sunken ships, roused by the force of Crowley's power, rose to the surface once more and began to circle the vortex.

"I warned you not to mess with me, brat!"

The next moment the trident shot a beam of light right at the rock Gabriel was using for shelter, causing it to explode and fling him into the air. He spun a few times as he tumbled, before landing with a thump right into the eye of the vortex, knocking him breathless for the second time. He looked up just in time to see Crowley aiming straight at him.

Forcing his aching body up, Gabriel managed to just about roll out of the way of the first attack but Crowley was already taking aim once again. As far as he could see, there were only two outcomes. Sam was gone, maybe even drowned. Castiel and Balthazar were nowhere to be seen, and really, what exactly could they do against this? So he could either wait and dodge until Crowley's aim was true and he exploded just like Ruby and Meg, or he get ripped apart by the walls of raging water surrounding him. Either way, his chances of leaving this vortex alive were slim.

While Gabriel was cursing the very existence of the vortex, Sam felt quite the opposite. He was fairly certain that had Crowley not summoned it, he really would have drowned. The currents and waves had been far too strong for him to swim to safety, but the conjuring of the vortex and its lifting of the shipwrecks had brought one brushing right past him. He'd managed to grab hold of a trailing rope from the broken mast, and dragged himself out of the water and onto the deck where he lay for a few moments, regaining his breath.

Then, using the railing to haul himself up and keep balanced, he glanced up and spotted Crowley – not that it was difficult to miss him. He was looming over the opening of the vortex, pointing the trident down into it and shooting beams of light. It didn't take a genius to work out that was where Gabriel was. Crowley was utterly focused on hitting Gabriel, probably believing Sam to already be dead. And that was when inspiration struck.

Gripping the railing to avoid being launched overboard into the churning chaos beneath, Sam ran the length of the ship and climbed to the wheel, steering it towards Crowley. Driving the boat and keeping it on course against the ferocious current almost wiped him of his remaining strength, but he gritted his teeth and kept the wheel turned towards the demon. Just as Crowley had raised the trident for a new assault, Sam's boat rode the crest of a wave, forcefully driving the broken bowsprit of the ship straight through the demon's enormous chest.

With a piercing scream of agony and anguish that cut the air around them, Crowley doubled over, clutching at the wound left by the broken ship, the trident slipping from his grasp and disappearing beneath the waves. Almost immediately the stormy waters began to subside, and the swirling vortex vanished into nothingness. Then, with a groan, Crowley pitched forwards entirely, heading right for the ship. Sam only just managed to dive off the side before the demon collided with it, and both he and it exploded, sinking under the water once more.

Gabriel broke the surface a moment or two later. He stared around frantically, once again looking for any sign of Sam. Planks of rotted wood floated here and there, and a great cloud of smoke rose from where Crowley and the ship had impacted. The scene was horribly familiar, except this time there was no sign of the hunter. Panic rising in the back of his throat, Gabriel dived underwater and stared around but it was hopeless. The water was thick with blood and scraps of flesh; he wouldn't have been able to spot Sam even if he were right in front of him.

Gabriel shot back to the surface and continued turning wildly in every direction, occasionally calling the hunter's name. But there was never any answer, never any indication that he had survived Crowley's attack. Gabriel felt his stomach tie itself in knots as he completed yet another rotation with no difference in what he saw. Sam couldn't be dead, not now. Not after everything they had gone through. Sam was out here somewhere and he would search all night if he had to, because the kid needed him, and hell, he wasn't too proud now to admit he kind of needed him, too.

"Sam!" Gabriel screamed until his throat felt raw, but nothing other than the now gentle lapping of the waves answered. "Come on kid, don't you dare be dead! SAM!" The clenching had now spread to his chest, and the remnants of how he had felt on that beach were beginning to seep back into his consciousness. "Sam Winchester, where are you?! SAMMY!"

"Gabriel! Gabriel, over here!"

The archangel spun to see Castiel a short distance off, waving him over. Desperate for news and praying to his Father, wherever he was in the real world, that Sam was still alive somewhere, he swam over and reached the merman within moments. His panic and anxiety must have been as clear as day in his face and behaviour, because the moment he drew level, Castiel smiled and placed both hands on Gabriel's shoulders.

"Sam is alive. He managed to swim most of the way to the beach. Balthazar and I found him, and he was practically unconscious. We took him to the shore, and I returned to find you." Castiel smiled wider. "He's alright, Gabriel."

Gabriel couldn't speak, didn't trust himself to for fear of saying something horribly embarrassing. Instead he just slumped forwards, all of his tension and fear and worry evaporating on the spot and leaving him feeling loose-limbed and deliriously relieved. Sam was alive. He was going to be okay. Now all they had to do was find a way out, and this time there was no looming deadline hovering over them. But first, and most importantly, he had to see Sam.

"That was a completely suicidal idea, I hope you realise."

"Ah, let it go, Gabe. It worked, didn't it?"

"It was still insane. You could have died, Sammy."

Sam grinned and leant back against the rock he was propped against, staring up at the smattering of stars high above his head. Gabriel was sat awkwardly in the shallows, his tail tucked underneath him, and his gaze was fixed on the hunter. Sam had been stirring when he and Castiel had returned, and the archangel had had to fight a truly insane desire to hug him. Seeing Sam moving and breathing and opening his eyes just seemed to confirm for Gabriel that he was, in fact, okay, but he still felt the need to hold the hunter close and feel the thrum of his heart, actually hear him breathing.

Gabriel pulled a face which luckily went unnoticed by Sam. Since when had he and the real Castiel swapped places in their scale of pitiful Winchester-puppy-love? This was ridiculous.

"Yeah, I forgot. Can't leave you with our knucklehead brothers, seeing as you don't have a modicum of my patience." Sam grinned, finally turning back to face Gabriel, who forced his expression back to mild concern. "You'd probably lock them in a closet until they fessed up after dealing with it for a day."

Gabriel grinned easily, and shrugged. "What can I say, Sammy? It's hopelessly blatant that they're crazy about one another. Man up and tell one another, that's what I say."

For some reason, at that, Sam's grin flickered for a moment before he nodded. "True. Speaking of, wonder what fairy tale they're stuck in. Hope it was as traumatic as this Little Mermaid crap we've had to suffer."

"Yeah, I – wait, what?" Gabriel blinked, and then stared at Sam hard. "What did you just say? You knew what this was?" Sam didn't respond, and Gabriel didn't need to be able to read the kid's mind to know he was currently mentally screaming a whole list of profanities. "Sam?"

Sam sighed, sounding distressed, and ran a hand through his hair. "I worked it out after I left you in the library."

"And you didn't think that maybe coming back and telling me this little revelation would be worthwhile?" Gabriel snapped, irritated.

"Didn't think it was important, really." Sam replied with a cold edge to his voice. "Knowing what I did didn't exactly affect any outcomes, did it? Wouldn't have made a difference if I had."

Gabriel paused. "Wait, was this the reason you ran out on me that night?" When Sam didn't reply again, he made a high-pitched, exasperated noise of disbelief. "Just why the hell did this realisation make you freak out and abandon me? And can I point out, if you hadn't had this little meltdown, Crowley wouldn't have enchanted you and this whole mess could have been avoided!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Sam now sounded angry, too. "You were the one that started it by not telling me everything about that stupid deal!"

"What, that whole kiss of true love thing? I didn't mention it because it wasn't relevant!"

"It was a way of breaking Crowley's hold on you! How was it not relevant?!"

"I'm sorry Sammy, you're right! I should have mentioned a part of the deal that we couldn't have broken because, and I can see how you might have missed this, we're not in love!" The words stung a little in his mouth, but it was true. Sam certainly didn't love him and he.. Well, yes, he liked the kid. But love? He'd leave that sappy stuff to Dean and Castiel, thanks.

"It would have worked, you jackass!" Sam snapped, then froze, his face going from flushed with anger to the colour of sour milk in the blink of an eye.

All the anger suddenly flew from Gabriel's body, and he gaped at the hunter for a moment or two. "What?"

Sam sighed heavily, but managed to keep eye contact this time, though they swam with barely supressed humiliation. "Really? You see it in Dean and Cas, but not with me? I mean, even Dean noticed."

"Ouch."

"I'm serious, Gabriel. If it was down to me, it would have broken." He said this in a voice barely above a whisper.

Gabriel didn't know what to say, didn't know if there even was anything to say back to that. Unless he was seriously misunderstanding the situation, Sam had just admitted to being in love with him. And the whole love thing didn't suit Gabriel, not really. He had flings, he messed around, and nothing was ever serious. He cared about Sam a lot, no point denying it. The thought of Lucifer – to quote Dean – wearing Sam to prom made him feel protective and like a toddler; Sam was his and he wasn't sharing. And when faced with the idea that Sam had died.. But were these feelings strong enough for what Sam wanted from him?

"Sammy, listen -" He began gently, but the words were stolen from his throat as a blinding white light enveloped the two of them where they sat, and the next thing Gabriel was aware of was a violent tugging around his navel as he was heaved upwards at a tremendous speed.

Author's Note: Okay, so maybe my hopes of finishing this fic last weekend were a little optimistic.. ^^' There's only a few more chapters to go, though! And then, as I said before, I'll be disappearing for a few months to focus on my last year - it's more than a little hectic already. And because of that, I can't really say when I can post again, but I'll do my best to finish this in the next few weeks :)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy ^^