Chapter 4: A Traumatic Act of Love

Gabriel carefully looked around the area that the others had brought him to. It was a warehouse that was right at the edge of a large wildlife preserve and backed by a river. It was the perfect place for a werewolf to hide; it had food, water, shelter, and was largely abandoned. The perfect place to set up a den. Even with all this something still wasn't right. He knelt down and checked some of the prints in the dirt and glanced around.

"Well?" Dean asked. "What do you think?"

"I think something isn't right." Gabriel said looking at the large, wolf-like prints in the dirt. "You were right though. All the signs are here that this is a werewolf."

"But you don't think that's what it is do you?" Sam asked, watching his boyfriend closely.

Gabriel stood and looked around again. Something was not right about this at all. His Grace was responding madly to the area and it made him jittery, putting his latent battle senses on high alert. Whatever his hunters were after he was certain that it was not a werewolf despite the signs. He summoned his blade and used it to take a measurement of the prints and wasn't surprised at all to see that they were bigger then what they should be.

"Gabriel what's wrong?" Castiel asked. "You're growing defensive and your Grace is...acting strangely. Should we be worried?"

"This isn't a werewolf. I'm not certain of what it is yet but it's not a werewolf." The archangel said confidently. "Now I just need to find it."

Gabriel glanced around the area again, his well trained eyes taking in every detail. The angel suddenly whirled about and threw his blade much like a throwing knife at the sudden presence he could feel. The blonde's archangel blade was in his hand almost instantly, ready for anything. A girlish shriek rang out making the other three jump before they could even draw their weapons. Turning they were greeted with the sight of Crowely staring slack jawed at the angel blade that was sticking out the wooden crate behind him less then an inch from his head.

"What are you doing here?" Gabriel snapped.

The demon took a moment to compose himself. "I heard you were in the area hunting and came by to say hello. Didn't know that was going to get caught up in the hunt and nearly get stabbed in the face by an angry archangel now did I?"

Gabriel stomped over and pulled his blade from the wood. "I wasn't angry till you showed up, just on the defensive. Just be grateful I wasn't aiming to kill."

Crowley looked at the hole in the wood. "If this is what you call not aiming to kill then I'd hate to see you actually try and kill."

The archangel glared and his Grace crackled over his skin like lightening and his golden eyes turned blue. "I've been killing since I was ten years old. Michael and Lucifer both trained me. I could kill with my eyes closed if I have to."

A low pitched growl built in the silence following the archangel's statement. Turning to the source they found a large wolf staring down at them from a stack of crates. It's glowing yellow gaze took in the five and the hunters raised their guns. Gabriel put up a hand and they held their fire, not sure why he was stopping them.

"Is this it?" Gabriel asked quietly.

"Yeah." Sam replied. "That the same thing that attacked us last night. What is it?"

"Úlfheðinn." The archangel responded. "The Norse version of a werewolf. Keep your weapons drawn. Aim for the head or heart. Back away slowly and quietly and make no sudden moves. This thing is drawn to quick movements and loud noises."

"We're letting it go?!" Dean hissed, not willing to leave while the thing was still alive.

"No. You are getting out of here so I can take care of it. Now move your collective asses." Gabriel said, his voice cold.

The creature took a step, it's eyes fixed on Gabriel. "Hveðrungr..."

Gabriel's glare grew. "So you recognize me. That makes this a lot easier. Why did you come? This is far from your home in the Norse-lands."

The creature said something else and it's gaze moved behind the angel and fixed on Dean, licking it's lips as if the hunter was going to be dinner.

"They are under my protection." Gabriel said. "They hunt things like you. Especially when they go after innocent people. Go back to where you belong and I'll let you live."

Speaking again the creature crouched low.

"Guys get out of here slowly. He's going to attack."

Sam hesitated as Dean and Castiel began to back away. He didn't want to leave Gabriel behind. He knew exactly how strong this things was and what it could do. The angel was risking a lot. Far too much if you asked Sam. He did want his boyfriend hurt.

"Gabe come on. Let's just go." Sam said softly, remembering the angel's instructions. "I don't want to leave you here with this thing."

"Sam go. Now."

"Gabe please!"

"It's not the first one I've faced and killed. Just go."

Sam nodded and as he stepped back he felt something under his foot and his balance went out. The hunter felt someone grab his arm but it was too late. He hit the ground hard, several metal pipes rolling off the top of a crate to hit the ground. The Úlfheðinn let out a loud snarl and leapt at the downed hunter. Gold wings appeared and Gabriel flung himself at the wolf, catching it in midair and the two went falling. There was a crash as they went through the large plate glass window and out of view. The crash that followed their disappearance rang with the sound of breaking wood and ringing metal.

"Shit! Sammy!"

"I'm okay Dean!" Sam said even as Crowley helped pull him to his feet.

"Sorry mate. I wasn't able to catch you." The demon said. "Where'd they go?"

Dean rushed over with his mate. "Son of a bitch. That thing didn't waste any time did it?"

Castiel reached out gave Sam a quick heal just in case before the hunter tried pulling away. "Sam what are you doing?"

"I'm going after Gabriel!" Sam said. "He needs help!"

"Sammy wait." Dean said catching his arm. "You heard Gabriel. He said he's fought these things before. If we go over there we might just be in the way."

"I am not letting Gabe do this by himself Dean. If it was Cas would you leave him?" Sam asked.

The eldest hunter sighed. "Alright. But we go slow. We already got our asses kicked once by this thing. If Gabriel sees us and tell us to run then make no mistake Cas is going to take us back to the motel before going back to help."

Sam nodded knowing it was the best he was going to get.

"Well are you coming?" Crowley said as the demon grabbed the door and ripped it off it's hinges. "I want to make sure that things isn't ripping the archangel to shreds."

At those words Sam rushed forward with his gun drawn, carefully making his way through the heavily packed warehouse. It was easy to see where the angel had been as there was a large section where the crates had been smashed, meal pipes went bent, and a there was a trail of blood. They followed the trail until it disappeared into a large puddle and then the trail vanished.

"I don't see them." Dean said. "Where the hell could they have both gone? One's a giant wolf and the other has six massive wings. It's not like they just vanished!"

"Cas can you sense them?" Sam asking, trying to quell the fear he was feeling.

"No. Gabriel's Grace is covering the area. I can't find him."

"Damn it!" Sam said kicking the nearest crate and sending it skittering across the floor.

"Relax Sammy." Dean said. "They can't be far. Let's split up. Cas go with Sam. I'll take chuckles here. With our bond we can reach each other if one of us finds Gabe okay?"

"Agreed. We'll check the north side of the building. You and Crowley take the south." Cas said.

Dean nodded and grabbed the dark haired angel and kissed him soundly. Pulling back he grabbed Sam's arm and gave it a squeeze of reassurance. With everything that had been going on he was certain that if the archangel was hurt, or worse, that his brother might not recover so easily. The four went their separate ways. Cas lead the way telling Sam to stay behind him as he could take more then Sam could and told the human that the archangel and Dean would never forgive him if he let Sam get hurt. Luckily it didn't take them long to find more blood splatter.

Castiel knelt down and touched the blood looking at it. "Not human. Gabriel must have injured the creature. I think we're getting closer to them."

"Any signs that Gabe's been hurt?" Sam asked, keeping an eye out just in case.

"No. There's no signs the he's been injured but Grace doesn't eave a trace either." Castiel said. "He could be injured. There is no way to know until we find him."

"And how do we find him?"

The scream that answered Sam's question made both their hearts stutter in their chests. That wasn't the sound of a wolf in pain but of a human in agony. The both ran forward weapons at ready. What greeted them when they turned the corner was the creature laying dead, it's body twisted into an almost unrecognizable heap of flesh with it's fur being the only thing that proved what it was. A silver spiraled archangel blade was sticking out of the top of it, proving that Gabriel had put up a fight.

"Where is he?" Sam asked. "I don't see him."

"Neither do I." Cas said before yanking the archangel's blade out of the twisted flesh pile. "GABRIEL!"

"Wait! Listen. Do you hear that?" Sam asked.

The sounds almost of a whine or whimpering reached their ears.

"Where's it coming from?" Sam asked looking around in the dimly lit area.

Castiel closed his eyes and concentrated. Gabriel's Grace was everywhere due to the fight so he wasn't able to pinpoint his brother. He could only hope that if he reached out with his Grace that Gabriel would be able to answer him. He was nearly bowled over by the sudden rush of panic that came with the archangel's Grace but Castiel was able to pinpoint where his brother was.

"This way Sam!" Casitel said following the feeling while reaching out to his mate. ^Dean we found him. North side near the northwest corner of the building.^

^Be right there.^ Came the worried response.

Castiel turned to the corner of a stack of crates and stopped in horror. He felt Sam run into and he fell to his knees, his heart in his throat. Gabriel was laying on the ground, tears streaming down his face, eyes shut tight and teeth clenched as he twisted on the ground in agony. The reason for the agony was clear; one of his large wings was broken, the bone sticking out of the flesh leaving the wing to dangle and causing blood to stain his golden feathers.

"Gabe!" Sam said rushing forward.

He rushed forward and dropped to his knees, sliding across the smooth concrete. The reached out and grabbed his boyfriend, pulling him close, running his hands over him in an effort to see if there were any other injuries. From what he could tell with all of Gabriel's moving, his wing was the only injury. Sam startled at the sound of someone coming closer and raised his gun but relaxed a bit when Dean and Crowley turned the corner.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean said, pulling the same move Sam had to be next to the angel. "Gabe. Gabe can you hear me?"

The angel gave a shaky jerk and twisted as his wing was jarred, pulling a scream from him.

"CAS! Get over here and help!" Dean snapped at his mate.

Cas rushed forward, his face pale and looking as if he were going to be sick. "I...I can't-"

"Look out!" Crowley said getting down on the ground next to Dean and griping the angel tightly to keep him still. "We need to numb the pain. He's in too much pain to help himself."

"There's morphine in the Impala." Dean said suddenly. "Will that work?"

"Truthfully? I have no idea. I don't know anything about angels. I just know that's he's going to make it worse the way he's thrashing around." The demon said. "We need to get of of here and someplace clean. Where's your motel?"

Dean rattled off the name of the motel just as Sam's phone started ringing. Crowley griped Gabriel tight and he and the archangel vanished. Dean grabbed Cas and it seemed to bring the angel out of the shock he was in. He blinked and looked around before grabbing Sam and the three of them appeared in the motel room, where they found the demon sitting on top of the archangel in an effort to keep him still. Dean rushed from the room and out to the Impala, grateful for once they it had been Gabriel who had taken them.

Sam's phone kept ringing and Crowley turned to glare at him. "Answer that before I break or do something useful. Castiel get over here and help me hold him still."

Sam hastened to answer his phone while a pale Castiel moved forward to keep his brother still. "Hello? Bobby?"

*Guess again Sam.*

Sam froze as the voice that haunted his nightmares came from the phone. "Lucifer..."

*Good. Now listen closely. You want to help Gabriel right?* Came the Devil's voice.

"How did you know what happened? You're in hell." Sam growled.

*I may be in hell but right now I'm the only one who can help you help Gabriel. The first thing you are going to need to do is tell Castiel to help Gabriel banish his unbroken wings. All three sets can work independently from each other. Leave the broken set out and it will make him easier to treat.* Lucifer said. *It will also lessen his pain from his wings moving.*

Sam hesitated, not really wanting to take advice from Satan but a sharp cry from Gabriel cemented his choice. "Cas! I need you to pull yourself together. I need you to banish his unbroken wings. Can you do that?"

The dark haired angel seemed to gain his confidence back now that someone was taking charge of the situation. Between himself and Crowley they managed to get the pained angel into a good position for the dark haired angel to work. Castiel's own black wings appeared as he focused his power. There was a brief flash and then Gabriel was left with one set of golden wings. As he was laid back on the bed his pain did seem lessened as his other wings were no longer bumping into the broken one.

"Okay. They're gone. We have some morphine. Will that help?" Sam asked.

*It will but not for long. It'll keep him calm for maybe fifteen minutes. Twenty if you're lucky. Give it to him anyway. It will dull the pain long enough for you to get what you actually need to help him through this.* The calm voice of Lucifer said. *And do me a favor and get the demon away from him.*

Sam was silent for a moment at the Fallen's words as he eyed Crowley. "Why?"

*For Gabriel's own safety. Send the demon to get what you need. For now have Michael's vessel give him the morphine. A thousand milligrams. I know that is considered a lethal dose but you need to remember that Gabriel isn't human. There is a large needle in the table by the door. Five thousand milligrams. Use only a thousand understand?*

Sam nodded just as Dean came in from outside. "I can't find the morphine anywhere."

"Table next to you. Open the drawer." Sam said.

Dean opened it surprised by the huge needle. "What the hell?"

"Give him a thousand Dean." Sam said to his brother before turning back to the phone and putting it speaker. "Okay now what?"

*Send the cockroach to your hunter friend. He'll need black cohosh, chokecherry, red willow bark, skullcap and devil's claw. That will be have to be made into a tea. Pure spring water is best. For the bone itself you'll need two different things. For healing the bone you'll need ashwagandha, but be careful because it is toxic. The other things you'll need are sumac and pinon. Those you'll have to apply to the wound itself.*

Dean startled at the voice a bit as he drove the needle home in the archangel's arm and slowly made sure to give him a thousand, watching as Gabriel began to settle. "Is that...Lucifer?"

*Just shut up and listen to me because right now I am your only chance at making sure Gabriel will ever fly again. Now get to it.* Satan snapped.

"Crowley can you remember all that?" Sam asked, looking for a pen.

"Yeah I got it. Be back in two shakes." The Scotsman said vanishing.

*He gone? Good.* Lucifer asked. *Shut up Michael. You'll get your turn.*

"Yeah. He's gone." Dean said. "Why the hell are you helping Gabe? You killed him."

*He's still my brother. Now listen closely. Keep that cockroach away from Gabriel. Don't let them be alone. The gifts and the attention is a courting sign. Don't give him a chance to get that close. Understand? Keep him safe.*

"I will." Castiel said. "What else do we need to do for Gabriel? He's still in a lot of pain."

*He won't be fore long Castiel. I promise.* Came a new voice, Michael's voice. *It'll take a day or two for his wing to fully heal but you're going to need to make sure he drinks that tea. It'll keep his pain to a minium. I know this is going to be difficult but right because Gabriel is in too much pain to help himself but trust me when I say that the best thing that can be done is to keep that demon far away from Gabriel while he heals. This process is going to painful and long and with what you'll be giving him and he won't be thinking clearly. Understand?*

"Yeah." Sam said. "So what else are we going to need to do to help him?"