AN: I'm so, so, so sorry that this took so long! I have a million excuses as to why I haven't posted (the big one is I haven't been on my laptop in a while), but I know you don't want to hear them, so I'll just leave it at the apology. I must warn that there will be a good amount of time before my next post, too, because I'm going away with my family for a week. Plus, I've got a busy couple of weekends ahead of me, so yeah...

"Alright," Sam groaned, picking his head up from the table and scrubbing his face with his hands. "One more time..."

"A demon beat up my lil' bro using your big bro, Sam!" Gabriel shouted in frustration. "What more can you get out of that?"

"What was said, Gabriel?" Sam asked with barely contained frustration of his own. The archangel had no patience and was beginning to grate Sam's. The man had even been pouring himself drinks for an hour or so to put up with it – he swore to himself he would never question Dean's drinking habits again.

The two were still in the motel room, still in the same positions on the bed and at the table, yet still out of options. Sam's exhaustion was obvious. His face was drawn, his eyes were drooping, and even his hair was disheveled. Never before had he done so much research but received so few results. He again felt like was uselessly sitting there doing nothing. He desperately needed to rest; half of his mind had spent the last hour persuading him to sleep, but the other half refused to until he found something useful.

To Sam's amazement, Gabriel looked just as strung out as he was. The archangel's appearance was less haggard than Sam's, but his stress was nonetheless apparent. Every so often, he would hop off the bed with a suggestion only to stop mid-thought, realize a fault in his plan, and flop back on the bed dejectedly. He was so restless that he had resorted to pacing a few times, but each time, Sam had yelled at him to stay still. Gabriel simply did not like this game; he was supposed to make the rules and watch everyone else dance for him. He was an archangel and a trickster, not some demon toy. The salt on the wound, though, was that he actually, really, truly cared about the people involved, blood relation or not, and he would not forgive himself for failing.

"Alright. This one's for the girls," Gabriel began sarcastically and received an obviously unamused warning face from Sam. "Beelzebub was taunting Dean about doing as he told or something, and then Castiel was being taunted about being good. Castiel refused, so the pain started. I really have to hand it to Cassie for how long he's held out. For all I know, he's still holding out. Of course, I don't know, since I was bitch-slapped out of his head by the bastard of a demon inside your brother!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Sam cut in. "You were cast out of Cas's head? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"I thought my obvious pain was indication enough, Samsquatch," Gabriel shot back scathingly. "Besides, what good does that really do us?" he added with a mocking expression.

Sam grumbled something about research, but Gabriel still could not see the relevance. As the time ticked by, the silence was only broken by Sam's typing, or clacking to Gabriel as it was the most annoying sound he'd ever heard. Finally, the archangel looked out the window of the motel room to see the faint orange glow of dawn. He practically hit himself when he realized that he had allowed Sam to stay awake all night hunched over the too-low desk and staring at the too-bright glow of his laptop. Ignoring the man's indignant squawks, Gabriel closed the computer over his fingers and dragged him over to a bed. He assured Sam that he would keep thinking and that he wouldn't leave, but the promises fell on deaf ears – as soon as Sam was horizontal, he was asleep.

Telling himself that he wasn't really breaking a promise, since he had to move to think and it was only the parking lot, Gabriel quietly left the room to pace freely. Soon that wasn't enough though, and he found himself flying to random locations simply to clear his head. He felt a little guilty for leaving Sam, but that motel room was killing him, and it would be much more productive if he could have a little freedom. He reasoned with himself that he wouldn't be gone for very long, that he would be there when Sam woke up.

"Besides," Gabriel thought out loud as he materialized in a field of donkeys, "Sammich knows how to pray."

After a few steps through the field, Gabriel disappeared and reappeared in a silent forest. Without breaking stride, his steps continued. He pivoted as he flew to another random destination. A few more steps found him in an alleyway. Some more brought him to a different motel parking lot. Next, he was outside a candy store; then, a strip club; then, a cemetery. Distantly, Gabriel wondered if anyone saw his magic act but couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. Finally, he landed on a slanted rooftop, which he almost fell off of. With a laugh, he caught his balance and noticed a chimney to his right. The archangel smirked and perched himself gingerly on the edge.

"Now," he began, voicing his thoughts again. "Beelzebub, that tricky bastard." He hung his head backward and exhaled loudly. "What do you want this time?" His thoughts wandered to their last meeting so long ago. It had been in a disgusting forest setting, a mirage the imposing trickster had created himself for his latest victim. The demon had stumbled into it, too, quite by accident, and gotten in the way of Gabriel's fun…

A loud thump alerted both predator and prey. The man Gabriel was messing with seemed to come to his senses with the noise and ran for his life in the other direction. Furiously, Gabriel sought out who was interrupting his game. He turned slowly and found himself looking down on a handsome man with a cunning smirk. He was perched on the ground as if he had just jumped out of a tree with his head titled up. As he stood, he ostentatiously stretched his long, lithe limbs and raked his long black hair away from his black eyes.

Gabriel himself wasn't wearing a human, but he was maintaining the guise of one. His figure stood taller and broader than the stranger, and his fair hair complimented his light eyes. His angelic power was trying its best to shine through the disguise, but Gabriel held it back tighter now faced by a threat. If possible, he would avoid a fight; fighting meant showing his power, which would draw Heaven's much unwanted attention to him.

Both beings knew that the other wasn't human. They could each feel the supernatural energy rolling off each other in waves. Gabriel immediately registered that the calm man in front of him was a powerful demon. Beelzebub, however, couldn't see through Gabriel's haze and took him for face-value: a lowly though well-built trickster. The demon took Gabriel in with lazy eyes, pushed off the tree, and slowly approached the trickster with a threatening gait, laughing to himself about the predator becoming the prey. Gabriel stood still, waiting for the demon to make the first move. He stiffened slightly as the demon walked toward him and didn't take his eyes off the demon's face, but seemed otherwise unaffected by the advance.

"Brave," the demon remarked as if it was a compliment.

Gabriel only chuckled.

"Something funny?" Beelzebub asked from behind him.

"Well, yeah," Gabriel answered. "You."

"And why am I funny?"

"You think you're stronger than me."

Standing in front of him again, Beelzebub asked coyly, "I'm not?" Without warning, he threw a magical attack at Gabriel.

Gabriel deflected it easily with a wave of his hand. "No, you're not," he then stated simply with a self-satisfied smirk.

Narrowing his eyes, Beelzebub examined Gabriel again. "You are strong for a trickster."

With the smallest of smiles, Gabriel replied, "I am, aren't I?"

"Then why are you wasting this power as a simpleton and a joke?" Beelzebub purred. "With the right help… No, with the right friends, you could be so much more."

"I am no joke," Gabriel informed him curtly.

"All tricksters are jokes," Beelzebub stated sounding bored. "All you do is bother people. You don't kill you; you don't damn souls to hell; you just cause a few laughs. Where is the fear in that?" Gabriel did not respond, and Beelzebub became noticeably irritated by it. He expected the stupid trickster to start grovelling at his feet, to beg that he be taught the wonders of demonic destruction. Instead, the trickster saw himself above Beelzebub! The demon's eyes glinted as he added, "And apparently you need to be put in you place."

Although he saw the attack coming, Gabriel was hit much faster than he could react to. His body flew back, curling around the invisible force that hit him, arms and legs like streamers in front of him. He was propelled through the air into the nearest tree which shook with the deafening collision of his back and head against the strong, rough bark. Though nothing held him in place, Gabriel did not slide to the ground. He remained firmly pinned against the tree; the jagged bark painfully pressing into his neck, where he could feel deep cuts forming. Using the same predatory gait, Beelzebub slowly followed Gabriel's flight and taunted, completely disregarding any attempts Gabriel made to free himself. He restrained Gabriel's legs and wrapped his arms around the tree in a numbing position, bending them backward and in the wrong places.

"Not so strong now, are you, trickster? Where is all that power you boast of? Did you think that little fast ball was all I could do? Do you think this is all I can do?"

To prove his point, Beelzebub grabbed Gabriel by the collar and threw him into the air. As he reached his vertex, he was flung left then right. When he finally started falling again, Gabriel was seemingly punched in the stomach and sent back into the air. The onslaught continued in a similar manner for some time before Gabriel finally slammed painfully into the ground, but instead of struggling to regain his feet, the archangel did not move at all. He didn't even breathe. He laid exactly as he was on his stomach on the hard ground with his face pressed into the dirt and leaves. He was not afraid of, weaker than, or even hurt by the demon carelessly tossing him about, but he was amused by him. He kept his face strictly drawn to appear unimpressed as the demon jerked him off the ground to his feet. His knees did not wobble as his arms crossed to stare down the demon.

Beelzebub scrutinized him once more for long silent moment before speaking. "Well, I must say I am impressed," he granted. "Are you even hurt?" Gabriel only scoffed indignantly in reply. "You'll make a glorious ally," Beelzebub exclaimed allowing a small amount of awe to leak through his voice. "Tell me, please, what is your name? For I am Beelzebub, lord of the flies and all other nasty things that can't be suppressed."

"Ally?" Gabriel spat, ignoring the demon's introduction. "Why in Heaven, Hell, Earth, or Purgatory would I be an ally to you, you bottom-feeding smoke cloud?"

Beelzebub's eyebrows shot into his hairline as he took in Gabriel's words. Through a calming breath, he said, "You'll be an ally to me because there can't possibly be any worse enemy to have. You're just a trickster - a strong trickster, yes, but a lowly trickster nonetheless. Besides, in due time, you'll be begging me to spare you."

Gabriel's interest piqued. "And whyever would that be?"

"Because the end of the world is on its way, and I will be ushering it on its path."

"How so?"

Beelzebub was eager to answer, assuming Gabriel's questions meant he was winning him over. "Let's just say that I'm an avid reader, and when a recent convict brought a new leather-bound holy book with him, I was curious. Ever heard of Christianity, trickster? It's a relatively new and rather small cult whose entire code so far is based on death and destruction. Wonderful literature, really; a wonderful read. It sounds like such… fun," he chose the adjective carefully and let it slither out of mouth, still attempting to entice Gabriel to join him. "In fact," he continued after a moment, "I want my own name in this book. I want to be remembered as a part of such a wonderful, destructive religion, so I'm going to test out these stories of theirs and see if their god tries to stop me. If he doesn't it will be obvious that he doesn't really exist, which means that I will easily be able to take his place. Of course, I'll need a right-hand man..." he trailed off invitingly.

Hearing the demon challenge his father so nonchalantly filled Gabriel with an uncontrollable rage. "You're asking the wrong brother," he spat, barely above a whisper due to his anger.

"What was that?"

Before he realized what he was doing, Gabriel's wings were spreading to their furthest, most threatening stance, his halo and eyes were blazing, and his blade was in his hand. The archangel advanced with long strides toward the demon, holding his weapon in a striking position. When he had Beelzebub off the ground and against a tree, he pressed the sharp point of his blade into his throat and reveled in the indisguisable shock and anguish on the demon's face. He allowed himself a moment to gloat his grace, before beginning his threats. Gabriel still did not want to fight, but if he had to now he would.

Leaning in close so his breath could ghost across the demon's flesh, Gabriel growled, "I said, that you are asking the wrong brother, or is that story not in our holy book yet? I am the archangel Gabriel, messenger of God and renegade Heavenly warrior. If you ever mock my father again, I will smite you six ways from Sunday, banish you to Purgatory, and make damn sure that you never rise again. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I understand," Beelzebub answered gravely, "but I'm the following-orders type." His voice was still even, as if one of the strongest creatures in any dimension was not holding a blade to his throat. At the same time, Gabriel felt the demon trembling beneath his grasp, and was thereby not mislead. "I was never hard-wired to be a stupid, little soldier like yourself, angel. My family isn't codependent and dysfunctional like yours," he sneered. His countenance was once again under control, and his eyes danced with mischief and anger.

The blade broke the demon's skin. Gabriel leaned further in to make another threat but was thrown yet again into a tree before he even opened his mouth. Never even disoriented, he took to the air with his powerful wings and dove to attack the demon from the unexpected angel. In the following fight, both beings were beaten badly, but neither tired. Gabriel's grace continually healed him, and Beelzebub's magic provided endless stamina. They traded fewer blows than Gabriel was comfortable with, and quickly the archangel realized that the demon relied on his magic to fight. Gabriel was constantly dodging flames and electricity or being tossed into the air or twisted in impossible directions; however, whenever physical blows connected, the demon faltered.

Gabriel felt his grace tightening around him before he saw Beelzebub's mouth opening in a chant. Assuming Heaven was angry and therefore cutting him off, the archangel felt a new wave of determination wash over him. He charged the demon while he was concentrating on his spell and impaled his angel blade into the demon's ribcage. Beelzebub howled; he melted to the ground and turned into a pile of ash, which seeped into the ground and out of sight. The only remaining traces of the abomination were the blood stains on Gabriel's blade which he immediately wiped clean with the moss of a nearby tree.

Though he had successfully killed his agitator, Gabriel's rage remained. He stalked through the forest of his creation for an unmeasurable amount of time still seething, instantly blasting any creature that crossed his path or disturbed his peace. He was unable to remove that filthy demon's words from his memory. It was going to take many years of carefree fun and pedestal-breaking to clear his mind...

Gabriel was torn out of his memories by a small, terrified, and broken cry. Immediately on his feet, he glanced around the empty street below him before returning to his thoughts. The cry came again moments later, and Gabriel realized that it was inside his head. Castiel was calling him.

Cassie? Castiel, I'm here! he shouted internally.

I did it, Gabriel, Castiel's voice whispered. It sounded like the squeak of a frightened child not the growl of his impressive brother. I did it. I did as he said. It's begun. What have I done? Oh, brother, what have I done? he cried.

Gabriel could hear his broken sobs and knew his brother was breaking down, already being torn apart by grief and self-loathe. He could practically see Castiel curled up in a ball in a corner, hiding his tear-streaked face. Although he desperately wanted to find Castiel, to fly to him and to comfort him, all of his instincts screamed otherwise. Why suddenly was Castiel speaking to him but not showing himself to him? Whether Castiel knew so or not, he was still being used by Beelzebub, and Gabriel was not foolish enough to run directly into the arms of a demon for sentiment.

"And the Brother of the Millennia award goes to yours truly," Gabriel muttered to himself while gracefully alighting from the rooftop.

That was when he noticed it.

The hose spigot attached to the back of the house was dripping a thick, red liquid. The puddle in the driveway from last night's apparent storm was also thick and red. Gabriel flew to another random neighborhood far away and found the same signs – any form of any water was thick and red.

"Well, shit." He recognized this. He knew what it meant – and it both impressed and disturbed him. His next flight brought him directly back to Sam's motel room where the man was still asleep, stiff as a board with his back to the mid-day sun. He ran to the bathroom to try all the taps and found the faucet, shower, and toilet only spewing thick, red liquid.

"Sammy, get your well-formed ass out of bed," Gabriel exclaimed while aggressively shaking him. "I know what he's doing!"

AN2: I'd also just like to apologize if this chapter sounded forced or choppy. The others practically wrote themselves, but this one was a bit challenging.

AN3: I am extremely sorry for the amount of errors in this chapter. That was embarrassing. I edited and re-uploaded the chapter. Please, forgive me!