Author's Notes: Here's another chapter! I plan on updating every second day or so. I'm a bit behind on outlining for the Debriel story (sorry I got sick, but I'm better now!) I'll be posting updated on Twitter as I get this done! (Kinda stressed for time for a Christmas story, yeah?)

This has been edited by QueenOfHearts!

Chapter Three

It was cold. Hunching over on the damp ground, Gabriel tried to conserve as much body heat as possible, his hands stuck under his armpits while he shivered. Eyes clenched tight, the archangel fought against waking up and making this a reality instead of a horrible dream. Hearing people nearby, Gabriel grunted before opening his whiskey-colored eyes and taking in his surroundings.

He was on Earth. Not the universe where he died, the blade of his brother stripping the life from him, but the Earth he had come to love. He could feel the presence of his father in the very ground he was laying on, and though he wished he could have been resurrected in a bit warmer climate, he was alive. There was only one being who could have pulled him out of The Empty.

"Dad?" questioned the archangel, unknowingly the only one left of the original four of this world still standing. Getting no answer didn't surprise Gabriel though he wished he could have had the chance to speak to his father after so many years of being without Him. Sighing, Gabriel trembled as a frigid wind blew over him, pushing his predicament to the forefront of his mind. He was stuck in his current form with no money, no means of transportation and no grace.

It was just there, a simmer at the very bottom of the proverbial well. Not enough to do much of anything, and even flying would be out of his capabilities until he was able to eat and rest as a human. Forcing himself to stand, Gabriel tried to place where he was. Coming up with a location took a minute. He had only remained in the area for a brief time before his death, and during that time though he was low on grace, he wasn't without completely.

Stumbling forward, teeth chattering, Gabriel slowly trudged his way through the slush. Each step was painful as his socks became wet inside of his shoes. The coat he was wearing wasn't warm enough, his hands exposed, and he was about ten seconds away from hyperthermia. Still, Gabriel only knew of one place where he would be moderately safe. After another mile, he finally saw his salvation, the bunker.

Even with the bunker in sight, Gabriel couldn't walk any faster. It was slow-going arriving at the front door, however, once he did Gabriel pulled a hand out from the warmth he had been able to gather and knocked loudly. It took a while for someone to answer, and during that time he wondered if maybe the boys were out on a hunt. It would be just his luck to freeze to death in front of the shelter while the Winchesters were out fighting off some monster of the week.

Eventually, however, after another knock, someone did answer the door. It wasn't someone Gabriel recognized, though he did realize right away that this person was not angel-friendly. There was an angel blade shoved under his chin as soon as the human realized who he was. "Angel," muttered the human, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

The way Gabriel saw it, he had two options. One was trying to fight off the human and flee, but by the way his body was slow to respond even with a threat he didn't think he would make it far. The second was to hope that there was more than an angel-killing machine in the human he could exploit. Holding his hands in the air, Gabriel tried to stop his hands from shaking but was unable to; he was too damn cold even under pressure to prevent his human vessel from reacting.

"Listen, I'm here to see Sam and Dean Winchester. I'm a friend. I mean sure we had our differences, but if you would just tell one of them that I'm here then I'm sure they'll let me in." For a moment Gabriel thought the guy was going to run him through, making his resurrection all but pointless but instead, the stranger snorted.

"Those Winchesters do keep some strange friends. Stay here." Shutting the door in Gabriel's face, the man left, presumably to get either Sam or Dean. Not daring to look threatening when he was so low on grace, Gabriel remained where he was shivering in the cold until the man came back. Instead of being followed by one of the boys he instead had a specific pair of handcuffs in his hand.

With a long drawn-out sigh, Gabriel thrust his hands out. Not a second later he could feel what little grace that remained being squished even farther into his being. The hunter didn't allow him a moment to grow accustomed to the new sensation before he was being tugged inside, the angel blade kept at his back while Gabriel walked ahead. There were others in the building, so many more than Gabriel thought there would be.

Eyes swiveled toward him, but no one offered more than a glance before turning back to whatever they were doing. Once they reached the library, he could hear a sound he didn't think he ever would again. "I'm telling you, Sam, it's a simple salt and burn. I don't need backup."

Who would have thought he would feel relieved at hearing the brothers argue? Gabriel nearly laughed at the situation, up until he was standing in the doorway. There they were, the two he had expected along with his baby brother who was trying to keep the peace between them. Managing a smirk, Gabriel puckered his lips together and let go a long whistle.

The first to turn was Sam, his eyes widening while he took in Gabriel's form. Dean swung around at the sound as well, and Castiel's wings stretched their broken feathers in surprise as he spotted Gabriel. Sam's reaction was something Gabriel hadn't been expecting, the taller human taking a step forward, his hand outreached as if he was going to touch him.

"Gabriel?" questioned the tall hunter, his hazel eyes never leaving the archangel. Holding his bound hands up, Gabriel shrugged. Soon his hands were captured in Castiel's firm grip. The seraph didn't ask before pressing two fingers to Gabriel's forehead, using the barest amount of grace to confirm who and what he was. Once the grace retreated, Castiel turned his gaze to the man who was still holding a blade to Gabriel's back.

"Remove the cuffs and put the blade away." There was no room to argue with the tone Castiel used. Even Gabriel felt the need to obey for a second. Instead, he held his hands to the man who was quick to comply.

"Thanks, Bro," commented Gabriel once he was released. "I think I've had enough angel blades being pulled on me for a bit."

Unable to stop the full-body shiver that ran through him, Gabriel realized what he must look like to those in the room. The unknown hunter had left, leaving Gabriel alone with those he had come to see. Glancing around the room, the archangel shoved his hands under his armpits again, hopeful to get at least some warmth. Taking in the decorations, Gabriel couldn't help but smile.

"I see you guys got festive, not a bad job either. Could use a bit more glitter, and we have to get an actual nativity set, but overall not bad." Gabriel ignored the eyes staring at him; he knew what they wanted; they would want to know how he was alive and why he was there and not in the other world. He had no answers to give, only an idea and one that he wasn't ready to face right then.

"Gabriel, exactly how low is your grace right now? You're shaking." Focusing on Sam who had taken a couple of steps closer, Gabriel opened his mouth to brush the concern away, not wanting to let them know how much he needed their help when he saw genuine worry in the other's gaze. Leaning forward a bit, hopeful to catch even the slightest bit of warmth from the taller man, Gabriel sighed.

"I have maybe a spark left. I'm all but human. I guess that Dad brought me back and decided to shove off before restoring my grace. Gotta say if you guys deal with this all the time, kudos to humanity for not giving in. I'm cold."

He expected one of the humans to say something derogatory about him having to suck it up. What he didn't anticipate was a pair of long, and blissfully warm, arms circling him. Hands reaching out to brace against a firm chest, Gabriel curled his fingers in Sam's shirt, the sharp pain from his frozen digits worth it to slowly feel the heat seeping from the human.

"Come on; I'll find something for you to change into. It will get better once you're not soaked. We'll get you a hot shower and some warm clothes, and you can burrow into a cocoon of blankets until you warm up."

Gabriel was going to thank Sam for the gesture, and more importantly the chance to get warm when he felt his eyelids begin to droop. Nuzzling against the hunter's chest, the archangel didn't bother being embarrassed at his behavior. Before he knew it the events of the day caught up and he couldn't help but surrender to the darkness, shutting his eyes as his body slumped into one of the few people he felt he could trust.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.