Hello!

I hope you guys are ready for another chapter. In case you weren't aware there is a convention this weekend, and though I can not attend, I'll be watching it through Stageit, where you can pay (or sometimes catch a ride) to see the conventions. It's not the same as being there, but it's the closest I'll ever be.

Thanks go again to QueenOfHearts for taking the time to edit this!

Chapter Four

The second Castiel confirmed that Gabriel was who he was claiming to be, Sam could feel his heart almost burst out of his chest. He hadn't dared believed it when he saw Gabriel standing there. With how many times they had been deceived by people pretending to be someone else, there was always the chance that the one posing as the archangel was something else entirely.

It wasn't. Standing before him was the archangel whose death had been haunting him since they left Gabriel's body alone in the other world. Once he noticed how cold Gabriel was, Sam couldn't help but take a couple of steps closer, ignoring the look his brother gave him. If there was one person who would have been able to pick up the change in Sam since he found Gabriel and Rowena together, it was Dean.

At the full-body shiver Gabriel let loose, Sam couldn't hold back any longer. Wrapping himself around the archangel, the hunter took the chance to breathe in the scent of the angel he had thought was lost forever. Rubbing soothingly through the damp jacket, Sam held Gabriel close, thrilled that the archangel didn't pull away and instead snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"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."

Glaring as Dean began to open his mouth, most likely to say something about needing more answers, the full weight of the archangel suddenly slumped against him. Quickly, having caught Dean more than once as he passed out from blood loss, Sam hooked his arms under Gabriel and hoisted him up. Thankfully the archangel's vessel was small enough he could swing him into a bridal hold.

"Cas!" The angel made his way over; if it was from his worry over Gabriel or the frantic edge to Sam's tone, he didn't know. Two fingers pressed to Gabriel's forehead and a soft glow later and Castiel pulled back, the archangel still passed out. Clutching the body against his chest, Sam turned expectant eyes on the seraph, waiting for Castiel to explain what was wrong with Gabriel.

"His grace is even lower than it was when Ketch first brought him here. I suspect he's been outside far too long, and his body is trying to conserve as much energy as possible now that he's safe. Once he's in some warm clothing and has a chance to sleep he should be fine. It will take some time for his grace to build back up, but I do believe he will be able to recover fully."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sam's heart warmed at the thought that Gabriel had passed out because he was safe. It was a little thing to think about; that the archangel had finally given in while Sam was holding him as he believed himself to be safe from harm. The extension of trust was far more than Sam felt he deserved after leaving the archangel to die.

"I'll get a room ready while you hold the princess. Seriously, Sam, you can put him down on the couch. I don't think anyone would mind him taking up space until we get a bedroom set up."

Shaking his head at Dean's suggestion, Sam looked down at the face he thought he would never see again. Gabriel looked so peaceful in sleep, his face relaxed, hair loose around his face while Sam shifted his grip. "No, I'm taking him to my room. He needs somewhere familiar, and it's where we first had him when Ketch rescued him. Would you grab some clothes and maybe an extra blanket or two? He's got to be freezing if he was outside in this for any length of time."

Without waiting for a response, Sam started to walk out of the room. People moved out of his way as he carried Gabriel through the hallways leading to his bedroom. Jack was training with some of the older hunters, a small mercy that he didn't have to answer the Nephilim's questions until later. Getting the door open once he reached his room was a bit tricky, but he managed, and as the door swung open, Sam made a beeline for the bed.

Gentle, as though afraid Gabriel would break, Sam laid the archangel down on the mattress. Shutting the door behind him, the hunter got to work on getting Gabriel out of his wet clothing. With practiced ease, Sam removed the archangel's clothes down to his boxers. Though the material was damp, Sam didn't know if he would be able to handle seeing Gabriel completely nude. Turning down the covers from the other side of the bed, Sam glanced at the blond resting in his bed again before sighing.

Gabriel was still shivering and, personal issues aside, it wasn't good for his health to remain in any wet clothing. Grabbing a clean pair of his boxers, Sam was quick in removing Gabriel's last piece of clothing before replacing them with a dry pair of boxers. Before the underwear could get damp from the now-wet blanket, Sam picked Gabriel up once again and placed him under the covers on the other side of the bed.

Removing the comforter, Sam was just able to tuck Gabriel in before there was a knock on his door. Dean didn't even wait for Sam to call him in before he opened the door, thankfully carrying a towel, as well as fresh clothing and thick blankets. "Any chance I could convince you to take the comforter and his clothes to laundry?" Dean looked at the pile of soaked clothing with a raised eyebrow when he noticed the pair of boxers on top.

"Seriously, you couldn't wait until he was awake to sneak a peek?" commented Dean, shoving the clothing in a bag he brought with him. Removing the damp blanket, Sam put the two extra ones Dean brought over Gabriel's shivering form. It would take time for the heat to soak in, but watching Gabriel try to get warm was breaking Sam's heart.

"It's not like that; you know that he needs to be dry." Sam didn't turn to look at Dean who was still lingering inside the room; he didn't need to see his older brother to know the look the other would have on his face. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Sam was crawling with the need to curl around the archangel, to provide whatever warmth he could to the frigid vessel.

A giant sigh penetrated the room. "Sammy, I wasn't going to say anything when we thought he was dead, but you gotta either get over this or go for it. You're pining, and it never turns out good when you do that. Rowena is away for the holidays. Use the chance before she comes around again." Swinging around, Sam crossed his arms over his chest before shaking his head.

"You don't get it, Dean. There's nothing there; I mean sure I was sad by his death—" Sam didn't get the chance to finish when Dean held up the hand not holding the bag of clothing.

"You weren't sad, Sammy, you were outright depressed. You don't think I didn't notice how you couldn't even mention him? How unobservant do you think I am when it comes to you? All I'm saying is that the pixie is low on mojo. He's not going to run away until he gets his grace back. You might want to take advantage."

When Sam raised an eyebrow, Dean ran a hand through his hair. "You know what I mean! Not take advantage, but since he's typically a flight-risk use the chance when he can't fly away at the drop of a hat to get him to talk. You're normally for all that girly share your feelings crap. When he wakes up stow your mother-hen act for a minute and get him to talk to you before this blows out of proportion. The last thing I want to see is you hurting due to your own stupidity."

Knowing he wasn't going to win with Dean ready for a fight and wanting to help Gabriel through the small tremors he would still be feeling, Sam nodded. "Once he's awake and a normal temperature I'll talk to him, I can't promise anything else." Dean rolled his eyes but left, closing the door behind him which Sam was quick to lock.

Turning to face his roommate, Sam sighed before stripping his overshirt off and toeing off his shoes and socks. Climbing into bed beside Gabriel, Sam didn't dare reach out, though he did notice how just having his body inside the small space with Gabriel made the archangel stop shivering. Resting his head on the pillow, Sam left the lamp on, not wanting Gabriel to wake up in the dark, a learned lesson from when the archangel had been rescued from Hell.

Closing his eyes, Sam let his body relax, secure in the knowledge that the one he had been missing was beside him. For the first time in months, Sam slept without nightmares of dead whiskey eyes. Instead, he saw them glimmer in mirth.

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.