Hellooo ladies and gents! I'm so sorry for the wait and such, I've got exams and stuff making my life Hell, and it's hard to set aside time to write for you. :(

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, or even the whole story thus far! Talk to me about what you wanna see in the future of this fic, or where you want it to go! I love love love your feedback!

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Enjoy!

The dilapidated building loomed in the distance, and Sam's heart hammered through his body, calculating escape routes in his head. The posse surrounding them hadn't made a single move to lower their weapons, and it was glaringly obvious that they were trained professionally.

Army? government? militia? Who the hell were these people, and how did they know Gabriel- Gabriel's number?

The archangel was gripping his arm with clammy hands, trying his hardest to seem at least a little bit stronger than he was. Gabriel was slowly regaining the power he'd had and his grace was healing fast, but his personality was still almost a complete 180. No matter how desperately he tried to hide his emotions and fears, Gabe's walls had all but shattered around him. There were no quips and pranks, because he was just too exhausted to manage them.

It was heartbreaking to watch him try to hide his panic as they shuffled into the dark forest, and Sam squeezed his hand with what was hopefully a reassuring glance.

Dean and Cas were walking just ahead of them, not holding each other like Sam was with Gabe, but close enough to brush hands together as they made their way through the shadows. Dean's shoulders were tense enough to cut diamonds and Cas' hands were fists at his sides.

The building ahead was long abandoned, and looked old as all Hell. Shingles were coming off the roof and dirty white paint chipped away from the ancient stone walls in thick layers. A stout bell tower that probably hadn't been used in decades perched on top of the roof above the heavy wooden door. A cross- crooked and windblown- teetered at the very peak of the spire and Sam couldn't help but wonder where God even was.

"Patrol returning from the enemy bunker" Smith murmured evenly and quietly into a walkie talkie, hidden in the rusted church donation box nailed up next to the door.

"... What is your status?..." Crackled a gruff voice.

"You-" smith stopped, glancing over at Gabriel, and nearly chuckling with disbelief. Sam instantly felt the urge to snarl, glaring outright at the stranger and tightening his grip on his angel. "You're not gonna believe this."
There was a hazardous sounding buzz and the second in command yanked on the thick front door to the old church.

These guys were ready for war.

The front door was reinforced with steel and a homemade automated lock system. Rooms and weapons storage were built into what used to be a sanctuary with chain link dividers. It was lit by several sterile looking bare bulbs. Windows that were once probably beautiful and covered with murals of stained glass stood boarded and dark. Sam could barely restrain his huff of shock.

"Nice arsenal. What are you guys- minute men?" Deans voice echoed a little down the cavernous space. Smith gave a little huff that Sam assumed was amusement.

"I guess you could call us that." A new voice spoke from behind them. Gabriel jumped a little, but bit his lip against his gasp. Sam wrapped a tight grip around his angels waist as he spun on the spot to look at the newcomer.

He looked so familiar. He was shorter, on the later side of forty, and had deceptively kind eyes for a hunter. He smiled at the Winchesters and their angels as he seemed to recognize them, too. Sam just couldn't seem to pull where he knew this man-

"Welcome to The Resistance. It's a huge relief to see you boys alive." He extended a hand to the closest Winchester- Dean- but only gave a smile and nod to Castiel when the angel refused his hand. Sam took it, shaking firmly. "Especially you." He beamed when he reached Gabriel "the last time I saw you, you were not lookin' good..."

"I-I remember you..." He practically whispered it and burrowed further back in Sam's arms. "You put them on me..." The collars. The lanky hunter could barely hear the words, but he felt the archangel shaking and his arms wrapped around Gabriel without a thought. There was something about this guy, though... Sam knew him.

"Yes..." He hung his head a bit, his eyes filling with guilt. "I'm so sorry about it. And of course you don't remember the last time we met- I'm just glad you're breathin'." Sam was wracking his brain now, searching for how he knew the short, weathered man in front of him. Sharing a glance with Dean, Sam seemed to understand. Just in time for the older guy to turn to him. "You're Sam, right?"

"I'm on your side, okay kiddo? I won't hurt ya." The new guy was raising his hands- surrendering- but Sam knew better, gripping the gun in his hands, cursing their shakiness. Tears blurred his vision and his heart hammered; what if Gabe was already dead?

"Y-yeah..." He choked a little, trying to get air back in his lungs "You're- you're that guy. The one that got- that got the collars off..." He never thought he'd see him again.

The man that freed Gabriel's grace.

"That's me. Name's Rick Mendez."

"I never- I mean, I never thanked you; you saved our li-"

"Don't mention it, Kid." He smiled gruffly, looking at him warmly. He took a deep breath and-

"How'd you make it out?" Dean asked abruptly, arms crossed where he stood at Cas' side. Sam saw the flashes of gunfire in his head and heard the vaguely familiar man screaming for them to run.

"It was..." He rubbed a hand over the scruffy beard that Sam didn't remember from the last time "it was rough- gave me a nasty limp an' a bad knee- but we move along. Welcome to the Hunters' Resistance Militia."

"The what?"

"A revolt?" Both Winchesters spouted simultaneously. Sam was more awed than anything, and a warmth wrapped around him as he squeezed Gabriel's waist. These people didn't seem to be a threat. At least- not now. He felt the tense muscles of the archangel's back relax slightly under the pressure, and kissed he crown of his head for good measure. That prompted a meek little smile- with the shadow of a smirk- out of his angel.

"You're fighting Harkness?" Castiel asked with a hesitant air of relief, disbelieving tension still filling his blue eyes and rolling off his shoulders in waves. Dean wrapped a hand around Cas' bicep, a show of reassurance that no one but Sam would notice. His brother had an eyebrow raised skeptically where he leaned against the chain link and held onto his angel boyfriend.

"Yes. Many of us worked for 'im for at least a little while, til we found something we just couldn't justify." His brown eyes turned stormy and Rick pushed his glasses a little further up the knobby bridge of his nose.

"Justified?" Dean broke in "these angels are being tortured, sold and- and killed!? How long did you 'justify' it?" Gabe shook a little bit, regaining tension and turning his head to meet Sam's eyes. His honey eyes glazed with terrorizing memories and misted with angry tears. He was so sick of feeling so weak. Sam knew he felt useless for being so fragile, and Gabriel was just sick of the tears. Of everything, really.

Mendez sighed laboriously, every move laced with guilt "I worked for Harkness for almost two years. He commissioned my engineering skills for a project, but I didn't know what it would be used for." He squared his jaw, meeting Dean's eye roll and snarl head on. "Oh, right- your life's an open book, inn'it kid?"

That shut him up.

"So, what do you guys do here?" Sam cleared the awkward silence as best he could, dying for a subject change. They could discuss their moral compasses later.

Rick smiled proudly at that, and the thick tension began to lift in less than a second, despite Dean's glaring at him.

"We've been listenin' in on Harkness's plans for a few months now, and we think we got 'im in a position to make the pig squeal." Smith broke in, gruff and smug through his beady eyed spectacles. His arms crossed in front of his chest, and his lips quirked with military reserve."That bunker's where they seem to take the angels; where they load em up and switch em out. That house over yonder was one a the biggest hubs in the Midwest."
He paused

"Hubs for trafficking. They were sellin' them for big bucks-" There was small whimper by Sam's side, and an old beer bottle- not yet moved from a nearby table- suddenly shattered without a touch.

"What in the Hell was that!?" Smith exclaimed at the broken glass.

Sam tried to shush Gabriel as quietly as possible, nuzzling into his golden hair for just a moment as the vibrating waves of electricity started to slow around the distressing angel. Gabe trembled, a little, frustrated grunt rumbling shortly in the back of his throat. Sam wanted nothing more than to tell him it was okay that he still wasn't over what happened to him, but the younger Winchester knew he'd just embarrass him. Sam settled for squeezing Gabe's hip, trying to ignore how Rick's eyes bore into the two of them with understanding.

"I know this is hard-" Damn right it's hard "But we need to ask you some questions."

"He's not answering anything if he doesn't want to-" Sam already started to pipe up.

"We have questions for all four of you."

Oh.

"What kind of questions?" Dean squinted at them, standing forward, and stepping just barely in front of Cas. Rick raised an eyebrow this time.

"Just some things about what you know about all this."

There was something so subtle and almost sinister about it, that Sam couldn't explain. Just a gut feeling that made him think something bad was going to happen.