A/N: Thank you guest Mrs.E for your review! Last chapter, folks. And next Monday and Wednesday I've got two one shots.

Episode 5: Together Or Not At All

"So this Rowena, seemed like you recognized the name," Gabriel said as Castiel drove them into Boston.

"Unfortunately," the other angel muttered.

"You met her in our world?"

"Yes. And if her counterpart here is anything like her, she's ruthless, power hungry, and would murder her own son if it profited her." Castiel sighed. "But she is powerful. Perhaps powerful enough to help us."

"At a price," Gabriel surmised.

"Yes."

Gabriel worked his jaw. They didn't exactly have much to trade in. In fact, their experience in this world had proven that they were the commodities. And if this witch was as power driven as everyone else was, she'd probably be more interested in enslaving them than helping. Which made seeking her out a very bad idea.

But they had little choice.

Gabriel glanced at his brother. Castiel's jaw was set in stone, expression grim yet determined. He had more fervent reasons for wanting to get back to their universe. Gabriel, well, he didn't really like this world and wasn't keen on making it his permanent residence. But he didn't exactly have anything waiting for him back home, either. Not the way Castiel did.

But he could, if he tried. The unborn nephilim deserved a chance. And…maybe he could do a better job of being there for his little brother. Someone needed to.

"We could offer her the Men of Letters bunker in Lebanon," he suggested.

Castiel shot him a scandalized look. "We can't do that."

"The Winchesters aren't there, and will never be there. And even the Brits wrote the place off. It's not like we're stealing it from someone."

"There are powerful artifacts in the bunker."

"Exactly my point. You said this Rowena will want something worthwhile in return for helping us."

"Which she will then likely use to hurt people," Castiel countered. "We can't allow that."

"Not even to get home?"

A muscle in Castiel's cheek ticked. "The British Men of Letters still monitor the place. If Rowena moved in, they would respond, and could be killed. Mick helped us. I won't repay his kindness with betrayal."

"He didn't help that much," Gabriel grumbled. "And his little mission almost got you killed."

"The bunker is off limits," Castiel said sharply.

Gabriel huffed. "Fine. Then what else you got?"

Castiel fell silent, and a moment later pulled the vehicle to a stop along the curb outside a Victorian style mansion. He turned the engine off and eyed the place with constipated discontent, but also resignation.

"I think we'll have to just play it by ear."

"Really?" Gabriel drawled. "There you go again, not thinking things through."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "I have thought it through. Either we approach Rowena and hope she can be convinced to help us, or we turn around and find a place to hide for the rest of eternity while the pagans rule the world. Or go work for the Men of Letters and help in the fight. Is that what you want to do?"

Gabriel bit back a snarky retort. No, that wasn't what he wanted. Not deep down.

He shrugged. "Okay, let's go make nice with the wicked witch."

They exited the car and made their way up the drive to the house. Gabriel's fingers twitched with the urge to draw his angel blade, but going in armed wasn't exactly the way to build trust. Still, he didn't like feeling…vulnerable. In their world, Gabriel was one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Here, though, he was much farther down on the food chain. It was irksome.

They came to the door, which had a large, ornate knocker in the shape of a grotesque gargoyle. Castiel grabbed the metal ring and hammered it against the door three times. The heavy iron reverberated dully through the other side.

Gabriel almost started whistling as they waited for a response, but it was only a few prolonged beats before the door clicked and swung open. A woman with long blond hair and wearing a skimpy dress with jangling jewelry stood on the other side.

"Yes?"

"We're here to see Rowena," Castiel said.

The woman gave them a cursory once-over, then stepped back to allow them entrance. The foyer was just as opulent as the exterior of the house. This Rowena had good tastes. Gabriel roved his gaze over the decor as they were led through a hallway, past some sitting rooms, and finally into what was probably originally a ballroom, but that currently possessed a throne of cushioned royal purple set near the back wall. A petite woman with ravishing red hair lounged upon it, a long maroon dress hugging the curves of her hips. Gabriel couldn't help arching an eyebrow at her.

Castiel huffed under his breath beside him, and Gabriel glanced over in time to see him rolling his eyes.

"Visitors," the blond woman introduced.

Rowena gave them a mildly curious look. "Not many men seek the audience of the Mega Coven," she said with a lilting Scottish accent.

Castiel's jaw ticked. "We were told you're one of the most powerful witches on the planet," he began. "And we require some…unique assistance. We're from an alternate world and need help opening a portal to get back."

Rowena lifted a delicate brow. "An alternate world? How interesting. That would require some powerful magic."

"Can you do it?"

"Of course I can," she replied haughtily. "But why would I want to? I know who you are. And two pet angels will give the Mega Coven enough prestige to rival the Pantheon."

Gabriel almost groaned. Again? Now this was just getting tiresome.

He raised a hand to snap his fingers and explode these pompous witches, but Rowena lowered her head and said a few words in Latin. Chains shot out from behind the throne before Gabriel could react, and cuffs snapped around one wrist, then the other. Sigils flared purple for a brief second, and Gabriel almost doubled over as his grace was locked down tight. Beside him, Castiel staggered in chains and dropped to one knee.

"Mm, that's better," Rowena hummed, and rose lithely from the throne. "Sabine, find some suitable accommodations for them, would you?"

The blond witch nodded and turned sharply on her heel to leave.

Gabriel gave his chains an experimental tug, but this witch was powerful; he could feel the strength of her magic completely neutralizing his grace. He would have said 'I told you so' to Castiel, except they'd both come in knowing the risks.

It had never sucked so much to be proven right.

Rowena clapped her hands twice, short and sharp, and five other women came into the room to take up guard positions around them.

"Bring that one," Rowena instructed, pointing at Gabriel.

"Hey now," he protested as two of the witches moved forward to grab him by the arms. "You know, everyone's making this big deal about angels being a prize on Earth, but as you can see, we don't have much power cut off from Heaven."

Rowena just gazed at him with a schooled expression as he was hauled forward.

Gabriel craned his neck back to look at Castiel, who seemed to be struggling to rise under the pressure of the sigiled chains, but one of the remaining witches simply planted a heel into his shoulder and shoved him flat to the floor.

And then Gabriel was manhandled out of the throne room and down the hallway into another room. He blinked in surprise at the lavish bedroom with a four poster bed and deep maroon, velvety curtains. There was a wine hutch next to an armoire, which was where Rowena headed. With a flick of her hand, the two escorts released Gabriel and left the room, closing the door behind them.

He looked around warily.

Rowena sipped from her wine glass as she regarded him ruminatively. "Oh, the spells I could do with ingredients like angel blood and feathers," she mused, lips curving upward.

Gabriel stiffened. "Whoa, back the spell train up, Red." He flashed her a debonair smile. "Besides, doesn't look like you need any help in the supreme power department."

She gave him a simpering moue. "Flattery will get you nowhere," she said, but set the wine glass down and canted her head at him. "You are handsome, though. Perhaps you would like to be my consort?"

Gabriel arched a brow. "Well, in that case…" He raised his hands and jangled the chains. "I'm gonna need some more…flexibility."

Rowena smirked. "Do you take me for a fool?" She sniffed disdainfully and picked up her glass again. "Wine?" she offered. "I don't imagine angels need sustenance, but surely you can enjoy certain…delicacies." She tossed a sultry look over her shoulder at him. "I could make this a mutually beneficial arrangement for the two of us."

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but then hesitated. "And what about my brother?"

Rowena blinked. "I also didn't take angels for caring about anyone except themselves."

Yeah, Gabriel was getting that. The sad part was…that was the general rule back home, too.

She shrugged and went on, "He's cute, but not my type." Setting the glass down again, Rowena sashayed forward and raised a hand to walk her fingers up his chest seductively. "I can make it worth your while."

Gabriel's jaw tightened, and with great restraint, he reached up to capture her hand and lower it. "Tempting. But I'm not down for a life of slavery, even one in a gilded cage. And I've spent my life letting people down, so now I gotta make it right by trying to get my brother and me home." He quirked a coy smile at her. "Can we make another kind of deal?"

Rowena's expression smoothed into cold detachment, and she stepped back from him. She picked up a bell from the hutch and gave it a small chime. The witches from before entered the room in response.

"Take him back," Rowena said dismissively.

"Come on," Gabriel wheedled. "Can't we talk about this?"

But Rowena ignored him as he was yanked away and escorted back to the throne room. Castiel was where they'd left him, slumped on the floor, but with a fresh cut above one eyebrow that suggested he might have tried to fight back and gotten smacked for it. Gabriel's lips pressed into a thin line as he surveyed his brother for other injuries.

Castiel merely glanced up at him as he was shoved forward so roughly that he landed on his knees. The witches backed away after that, but still maintained a perimeter around them.

Cas flicked a wary look at them before turning back to Gabriel and keeping his voice low. "What did Rowena want with you?"

Gabriel snorted. "What everyone else in this forsaken world wants—angels as power trophies."

Castiel hung his head.

Gabriel surreptitiously roved his gaze around the room, trying to gauge what avenues of escape they might have. They were powerless with the chains, but maybe Cas could pick the locks like he'd done before. Maybe Gabriel should learn that particular trick.

"You can say it," Castiel spoke up softly.

"Say what?"

"That coming here was a stupid idea and has only made things worse."

"We-ell, things are only a little worse, really," Gabriel replied. "And we've gotten out of tough scrapes before."

The large doors out to the garden suddenly opened, and the blond witch from earlier along with some others started carting in on rolling pallets two super sized, antique bird cages. Gabriel's brows rose in disbelief.

"Okay…now things are looking worse."

Heels clacked on the floor as Rowena entered from the opposite side.

"Excellent," she said to the blond. "Before we get our pets situated in their new homes, I want to collect a few feathers for some spells."

Gabriel's spine jerked ramrod straight. No way was he or Cas revealing their wings…but he suspected a witch as powerful as Rowena could find a way to force them with magic. Which would be just as bad as that Kentucky Fried douchenozzle extracting their grace.

Cas's eyes were wide and on the verge of panic as two witches closed in on him to grab his arms and drag him toward the center of the room. Gabriel was hauled over as well and deposited unceremoniously at Rowena's feet.

The red-haired witch tapped her fingers together as she considered them gleefully. Yet before she could start some kind of incantation to manifest their wings, a loud boom reverberated throughout the house. Everyone whipped their gazes toward the sound, and Gabriel thought he heard a distant scream.

A witch came running into the throne room. "We're under attack!"

The words were barely out of her mouth before intruders were pouring in from the outside garden. Gabriel caught flashes of black eyes as the meatsuits attacked the witches. Spells started flying from lips, but these demons were of the stronger variety, and responded with their own powers of deflection and levitation. Screams from both sides rent the air.

The inner doors banged open, and Gabriel's heart lurched as Asmodeus strode in. The demon's eyes immediately found the angels, and his mouth curved into a sneer.

"I've come for what's mine," he announced.

Rowena's shoulders shook as she seethed at him. "I don't see your name on them," she spat.

Asmodeus narrowed his eyes. "I bought and paid for those two, and I'll be taking them back."

His irises swirled into yellow pools as he shot out two fingers toward Rowena. Gabriel launched himself off the floor and tackled her, driving them both to the floor behind the throne, with Gabriel landing on top and their faces a mere breadth's apart.

Rowena arched a brow at him.

Gabriel was distinctly aware of their bodies pressed so close as he shifted to lift his chained arms. "Let us help fight."

Her lips thinned.

Another scream and explosion rocked the air.

Gabriel threw a look over his shoulder to check on Cas, and spotted him trying to scrabble away from the melee. Gabriel whipped his attention back to Rowena. "What's more important to you?" he demanded.

Her eyes flashed with fury, but at another female scream, she shoved Gabriel off and uttered a few words. The sigils flared purple before the cuffs snapped open and fell to the floor. Gabriel's grace flooded back into every crevice and cranny of his vessel, and he leaped to his feet, summoning his angel blade.

Grabbing Rowena's hand, he yanked her up and dragged her along as he darted toward Castiel. Gabriel pushed Rowena down next to Cas and spun to cover them as a demon charged. Gabriel thrust his blade straight through the demon's chest, and a fire of orange light spurted throughout it. These morons hadn't seen an angel in so long, they'd forgotten to fear them.

Gabriel glanced back in time to see Castiel's chains come off. Then the younger angel was on his feet, his own blade dropping from his sleeve into his hand.

Gabriel's mouth quirked with exhilaration. It'd been too long since he'd fought side by side with a brother.

Half of the witches had been decimated, and now the demons converged on the two angels. With a grace and dexterity honed eons ago, Gabriel and Castiel spun and struck as though engaged in a dance. They cut down every demon that dared launch an attack on them.

Gabriel had just finished off one of the last when Castiel suddenly dropped to his hands and knees, doubling over with a pained cry. Gabriel whirled to find Asmodeus standing across the room, forefinger and pinky outstretched.

"Did you think you could get away from me?" he raged.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and drew his shoulders back. The air crackled with electricity and rustled with the fanning of his wings. His eyes burned hot with angelic essence rising to the surface.

Asmodeus scoffed. "You think you can take me, boy? You're cut off from the might of Heaven. You're weak!"

Cas grunted and fell onto his side.

Gabriel didn't even raise his hand as he let his full power explode with righteous retribution.

Asmodeus jerked, expression shifting to surprise. And then fire erupted from his chest. He threw his head back with a scream and flailed as the flames quickly devoured him, until there was nothing but a puff of ash, and then silence.

"And by the way, that's a stupid suit."

There was a breath of silence, and then the sound of scattering as the few remaining demons fled. Rowena looked up at him with raised eyebrows from where she was crouched on the floor.

A wave of exhaustion crashed over Gabriel, and he swayed slightly. He'd used way more juice than he should have. But it was worth it. Turning around, he carefully lowered himself to the floor next to Castiel and reached out to grasp his brother's shoulder. "You okay?"

Cas nodded, eyes narrowing on him. "Are you?"

"I'll live," he said wearily.

Castiel then threw Rowena a wary look, and Gabriel saw his hand tighten around his angel blade.

Gabriel gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning to the witch. "So, we just saved your coven. Think that buys us a trip back home?"

Rowena regarded him neutrally for a long moment before finally lifting her chin. "Word of your arrival here has spread pretty far, and everyone wants to get their hands on you. It's…probably better for the balance of power if you were not in play."

"So, you will help us get back?" Castiel asked suspiciously.

Rowena shrugged. "There is a spell for it. However…it requires some archangel grace."

Gabriel instinctively tensed. Seriously?

Castiel's jaw visibly tightened, and he flicked an uncertain look at Gabriel.

The archangel sighed. "Yeah, alright. I got some archangel grace."

"Gabriel, you're weak," Castiel tried to protest.

"It's fine, Cas," Gabriel cut him off. "Besides, once we're back home, I can recharge."

Rowena was looking at him with intense interest again, but she didn't make a move to renege on their deal.

"Uh, you got a place I could have some privacy?"

Rowena gestured to the remaining witches to clear the room. "We'll wait outside."

Castiel shot him a hesitant look before reluctantly following the witch out into the garden.

Once alone in the throne room, Gabriel turned the angle of his blade around. This was going to suck.

He lifted it to his neck and made a tentative cut, hissing as the celestial steel cut straight down to expose his true form. He twirled his finger, drawing out some of his grace, and then squeezed his eyes shut and forced as much healing into the slice as he could.

His legs turned to jelly and he almost collapsed. He was utterly drained now. Any attempt to use his powers at this point would probably make him pass out. But they were so close to getting home…it was worth it.

He looked around the throne room until he spotted a cabinet of potions, and went over to pick up an empty vial, which he deposited the grace in. Then he shuffled his way outside.

Castiel's eyes widened when he saw him. "Gabriel!" He hurried over to lend him a supporting arm.

"I'm alright," Gabriel said. He held the vial out to Rowena. "Oh, and, there's a little extra in there. As a thank-you."

Rowena's brows rose a fraction, and then she surged forward and clapped her hands around his face, pulling him in for a kiss. Gabriel automatically snaked an arm around her waist and kissed back, his other hand carding roughly through her red curls.

Only when his lungs twinged did Gabriel pull back, breathless. Rowena's lips curved upward as she smoothed her hair back down. Beside them, Castiel was pointedly looking at his shoes, waves of exasperation wafting off him.

"Look me up in your world," she said.

Gabriel grinned. Maybe he would.

Rowena turned to face the open yard and started saying an incantation. She poured some of the grace into a bowl set on the ground with some other ingredients she must have gathered while Gabriel was busy. Smoke rose in lazy tendrils before there was a snap and crackle of light. The space several feet ahead bent and wavered, a glowing crack forming in the air.

Gabriel exchanged a look with Castiel, feeling a tremor of trepidation that this rift hopefully led to their world, and not another alternate version. Cas squared his jaw and nodded, then took the first step. Gabriel kept pace with him, and together they strode through the portal.

They came out in a wooded area on the edge of a highway, the earth damp after an early morning dew.

Gabriel gave Cas a meaningful look. "So…"

Mouth pressed into a grim line, Castiel fished his phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. Gabriel listened to it ring once before the line clicked.

"Cas?" a tense voice asked.

Castiel visibly sagged with relief. "Dean."

"Where the hell have you been?" the Winchester demanded. "You can't just go dark like that. We had no idea where you were or if something had happened to you."

Gabriel snatched the phone away. "Hey, lay off. It wasn't his fault. We kinda got thrown into an alternate universe and just now managed to get back."

Dean didn't say anything.

Castiel took the phone back. "It's a long story. But, um, Gabriel can't fly at the moment, and we could use a ride…"

"Where are you?" the hunter immediately asked.

"Um…" Castiel craned his neck back to look at the sky, determining their position in the cosmos. "Nebraska…"

"Never mind, I've got your GPS. We'll be there in three hours."

"Thank you." Castiel disconnected the call. "I suppose we'll just wait here, then."

Gabriel frowned as he surveyed the deserted stretch of highway. Not a diner in sight. He was too exhausted to go walking searching for one, though. He lumbered over to a tree and leaned against it, sliding to the ground. Castiel gave him a commiserative look.

"You truly believe the nephilim won't be evil?" Cas asked softly.

Gabriel angled his gaze up at him. "I believe the kid deserves a chance."

"I want to believe that too…"

Gabriel arched a brow. "Well. Then what do you say we give it a chance? And if it turns out evil…I'll do what needs to be done," he said seriously.

Castiel was silent for a moment, but then slowly nodded.

Gabriel leaned his head back against the tree trunk. He didn't know what lay ahead of them.

But he felt better knowing he and his brother had each other's backs.