AN: Woohoo! Completely 100% finished! Unbeta'd. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited and followed - you're all amazing :)

TWO MONTHS AFTER THE ANGELS FELL

Sam watched Dean unfurl his wings with a small amount of awe upon his face – it was weird, seeing Dean as something more than human. It's not like he didn't already think the world of him, but – just…Dean was a fucking angel, and didn't that just piss all over those remarks that Dean would never amount to anything more than a lifelong sentence in jail or dying before he reached the age of twenty-one.

With Dean's back to him, Sam having already considered all their available options said, "You gotta kill him."

"Metatron…you mean me?" Dean's left wing accidently hit his lamp, as he tried to face Sam who was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Man, I barely got the hang of these things and it's been how long? And you want me to fly up to the sky?" He brought his right wing down to smack Sam upside the head. "Are you feeling okay?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Sam glared, "Obviously you can control your wings."

"Yeah, unlike you who can't control his fingers. You fucking shot me man."

"Well, my human brother sprouted feathers and got a friggen halo while I was sleeping! It was a lot to take in okay?" Sam scrubbed a hand over the lower half of his face. "I said I was sorry," he mumbled.

Instinctively Dean pressed his hand over where the Sam had decided to lodge the bullet in his shoulder. There wasn't a hole there or blood seeping out – there wasn't an actual wound. "Sam," he said, kicking the bullet gently with the toe of his boot. "Sammy."

Teary brown eyes met Dean's."Oh my god…Dean – I…fuck!" The gun thudded dully onto the carpet with Sam dropping to his knees soon after in shock.

"Hey, hey Sam. Look at me. I'm okay." Dean quickly moved the gun away but still kept a small gap between him and his brother. Sam was shaking, almost hyperventilating as his body kept processing the shock and adrenaline that flooded his system. "I am going to explain everything to you now," Dean began, gesturing for Castiel and Charlie to leave the room. "All I need you to do is concentrate on breathing and hearing me out okay." He gave Castiel a hard look as the ex-angel dithered in the doorway causing Sam to flinch and flick his eyes to the opening. Once Castiel left he drew Sam's attention back to himself slightly surprised that Sam was being so still. Maybe It was exhaustion, or maybe Sam was just biding his time, it was difficult to tell, but all he knew was that he needed Sam to hear him out. "No one is going to hurt you, no one is going to touch you, I am going to sit right here in this spot – keep my distance. No weapons, no nothing, just me talking to you, okay?"

At this Sam gave a single solid nod with his head bowed down and for the next seven and a half hours Dean talked, nonstop until his voice grew hoarse and he had nothing left to tell.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Sam finally asked adding his own voice to the one-sided conversation. He had listened to the story which of course pissed him off because he was so ready to close the Gates of Hell and finally end the crap that he and every other hunter had to deal with and now with Dean being an angel, where did that leave him? Brotherless, because if they got the angels back into heaven then Dean would go, and with demons still on his ass not to mention the burden of knowing that he could have finished it all. He said this all to Dean who just shrugged.

"They can't make me go where I don't want to."

And that was the end of that.

"And yes, of course I mean you! Do we know of anyone else with wings to get up there? No, just you."

"How about both of you?"

Sam had his gun up, held level to the door where Gabriel stood smirking. Irritation flared in his chest, and he re-homed the gun in the waistband of his jeans. "How can I help Dean?"

"He can barely keep up with me jogging." Sam looked mildly hurt. Dean shrugged his shoulders in response, wings making small shuddery movements. It wasn't like he was lying. "Jogging!" Dean repeated, just to drive the point home.

Shaking his head, Sam looked at Gabriel. "I don't have grace…or my 'freaky' powers-"

Before Sam could finish his sentence Gabriel bounded over and jumped on him, using a hand to force Sam's head against his chest. Sam flailed trying to get away but it was clear that Gabriel was using his archangel strength because every move tried made him weaker for the next. "That's where I come in. Say 'ahh' Sammy!" Gabriel pushed a blue light into Sam's chest just as Sam screamed.

Dean watched rooted to the spot as Gabriel held on, only moving when Sam let out an inhuman noise that made his stomach drop and his eyes go glassy. "NO!" Dean shouted.

Gabriel thrust a hand out preventing him from coming closer and calmly moved Sam onto the floor just as the bed began to singe with tendrils of grey smoke lazily curling up in front of the walls and the smell of burnt linen permeating through the air . "Just wait."

"Wait?! You're killing him!" Dean punched against the barrier again and when that yielded no success, threw his body against the invisible force instead. Sam hurt. Not good. Sam dying. Save him…save brother, his mind looped the words over and over again – these were the orders that he had to fulfil, and not because he wanted to make his dad proud.

Sam thrashed on the floor. Sparks of red light shooting out of his body and misting into the air.

As he watched Sam's face contort in pain, Dean had been brought down to his most basic of instincts. Save Sam. Protect Sam.

"Sammy! Can you hear me?! Fight it, damn you Gabriel!"

"I…Dean. I feel…" Sam's managed, clenching his teeth, eyes widened in panic.

Gabriel snapped his fingers just as Dean tried to punch through once more and allowed Dean to fall onto his knees and crawl to his brother.

"Christ," Sam cried clawing at his chest, "Dean get it out of me. Please. I swear, I'll do anything just take it out!" His shirt ripped. "It's like before…never changes…blood…tainted…please Dean." Red welts appeared on his skin, nails still raking across his skin.

Perspiration drenched Sam's clothes and Dean struggled to get a grip on his little brother's skin. Finally, he managed to hold Sam, back against his chest.

"Sam! Stop it." He took Sam's hands forcefully and tugged them low, wrapping them around Sam's stomach. "You're hurting yourself. I need you to tell me."

"Demon blood, Dean, it feels like the demon bloods back inside me. I'm not…clean anymore. My god."

Together they sat like that; Sam still breathing harshly and body convulsing until the heat emanating from him began to wear off. Sam's moving body slowed to minor tremors and he was no longer panting, his breathing instead turning slow as if he were about to doze.

"You should take your wings out for a spin."

With everything Dean could summon he threw Gabriel unexpectedly across the room into the wall. "You're lucky I can't kill you…yet."

The archangel groaned.

"What did you do to him?" he asked harshly. Gently he moved from behind Sam and positioned him so that his back was leaning against the side bed.

"I've just made Sammy your sidekick." Gabriel shifted into a sitting position holding the empty little bottle up that had once contained Lucifer's grace.

Sam's eyes caught the empty bottle and whimpered, trying to curl in on himself realising what was inside him.

"When are you going to get it through your thick skull? I ain't gonna fight my brother."

"And if you were listening to me. You aren't going to have to fight your brother. I'm proposing something different – the gates get to stay open, and earth doesn't get burnt to a crisp by either side. Happy days am I right?"

"Whatever you're selling, I ain't buying," Sam said bitterly.

Gabriel scoffed addressing Dean, "Why not, it's an excellent plan. You can lead heaven. Sam can lead hell."

He coughed, watching curiously as red smoke curled up from his mouth. He caught Dean's eye. "I-I'm…" he stuttered and then paused, trying to gather his thoughts, "I'm not evil."

At this Gabriel smiled. "Course you aren't. That is what makes this plan the most brilliant plan in all of creation. Dean won't do anything to jeopardize your life. And I would like to assume that it's a two way street."

Sam glared angrily in return.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and clapped his hand one since they were all in agreement. "If you two work out a mutual decree, both races are squared off and earth remains the yummy in-between of this universal sandwich."

Dean scoffed. "We're hunters."

"You're angels," the archangel corrected.

"We fight monsters…and demons."

"And that doesn't have to change. Sam's the one with the tougher job – keeping that lot in line. Gotta say, I do not envy your future."

"I'm not going to become him!" Sam struggled to his feet only wavering once which he counted as a success.

Gabriel scoffed. "As if you could!" For a moment, his smirk melted away, leaving a troubled expression upon his face. "Listen. You guys. This…is my home, just as much as it's yours. Sam. You aren't going to become Lucifer. He had, well, putting it politely – we'll just call them issues, okay? Now don't get me wrong. You're a bit screwy in the head too, but you and Deano here – you've both been yanked around on chains for your whole life. Granted, I'm sort of yanking one now – but for the both of you to still be going? It's fucking monumental. Dad, if he gives a shit, would be impressed."

Dean barked out a harsh sounding laugh. "Your Dad can take his approval and shove it where the sun don't shine."

Gabriel chuckled at that. "Once you get the angels back into heaven, factory reset will be pushed on all of them. They will take orders, blindly. Your orders. They won't lie or question."

"What happens when one of them rebels, huh? Tell me – how do you expect me to prevent a war in heaven?

"You're Dean Winchester. The Winchester Gospels weren't just for show. You are a leader."

Listening to this made Sam want to leave the room because as far as he could tell, Dean was getting the better part of the deal which wouldn't have been a problem if it hadn't confirmed to him that he was always going to be playing for Hell no matter how hard he tried to change that. "Listen, that's all fine and great for you Dean. And if you want to lead them, then go for it, because it's heaven. However, I am not going to take one step into Hell. So, Gabriel. Take this stupid thing out of me and leave me the hell alone."

"Can't do that. It'll kill you."

"Kill me?" Sam looked to Dean for confirmation but was met with pained look instead. "Dean?"

"Leave now," Dean said to Gabriel

"You boys know how to reach me if you change your mind." And Gabriel blinked out of their existence.

"Shit, Dean." Sam dropped onto the bed just as his legs gave out from beneath him.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know."

"I don't want to do this."

Dean sighed moving to sit next to Sam. "I know."

"We're going to…aren't we?" There was no other option. No matter how he spun it, they were pressed for time and this was their only viable plan of attack.

"I don't see how we can't. At the moment, heaven's empty, hell's full." Dean replied thinking that wasn't that just fantastic odds for them.

Sam was quiet for a moment, leaning so his weight was braced on his elbows, hands cupped to his face. "We could kill each other."

Dean let out a wry laugh already knowing that that was never going to happen. "We couldn't."

"The world would burn."

Dean punched the bed. "Damn place always is."

Sam looked like he had a brilliant idea and turned to Dean. "We could kill each other after we put the angels back."

Dean just frowned. "Since when are you so hell-bent on dying, Sammy?"

"Since it turns out that I never had a choice."

"I guess first step is to kill that son of a bitch Metatron."

"And then?" Sam questioned.

Getting through by the skin of their teeth, Winchester's are renowned for that shit they could easily win, couldn't they? Instead Dean just said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"We're going to do it."

"He makes it sound like we're both gonna be alive to see it through." Always look on the bright side of life right Dean…shut up brain, Dean thought.

They returned to silence.

"Hey Sammy…"

"Yeah Dean?"

"I bet my wings are bigger than yours."

"Huh?"

"Wanna see?"

Sam pulled a face like he'd just seen Dean naked. "Oh my god, no."

"C'mon." Dean stood, grinning down at his brother. "Cas knows wings, he can judge."

"Man, being an angel's totally fucked with you."

"Nah. Just enjoying the best out of shit circumstance." He flapped his wings a little at the same time he wiggled his eyebrows. "Whaddya say?"

"I'm taller, you're shorter. You do the math," Sam said.

Dean looked put out for a moment trying to come up with a suitable comeback. "Yeah, but I'm older."

"And yet you're still shorter than me." Sam played with his hands trying to ignore the warm fluttering that ran up and down his back as if his, oh Christ - his wings, were trying to break out of his skin. "Are we going to get out of this?"

"I dunno. Dean put his hand out for Sam to grab. "What I do know," he said, hauling his brother to his feet, "Is that however we go out? Well, we sure as hell ain't gonna make it easy for them. Am I right?"

"For once," Sam said, standing to his full height and looking at Dean with a look of - I'm glad you're here, even if you have the attention span of a gnat and eat like a walking heart-attack waiting to happen -, "You might just be."

AN: Yes I know, a bit of a sappy ending, but I wanted something happy, and after all this is my version of what happened in the break between season 8 and 9 so of course it would never fit canon lol. Again thanks for everything and I hope you enjoyed the story :)