This has been edited by QueenOfHearts

Chapter Six

While he enjoyed the attention ever since he arrived at the bunker, Sam hardly let Gabriel out of his sight. It wasn't that he had far he could go. The draining of his grace left him weak in a way he hadn't experienced before. Except for trips to the bathroom, he hardly left Sam's room. Snuggling once again into the hunter's warmth, Gabriel wondered how long the moose of a man would remain worried about him.

The brunet had brushed aside anyone who wanted to take more than a handful of minutes of his time, claiming he needed to be there for Gabriel who was still recovering. The archangel didn't mind; in fact, he loved how Sam was spending all his time with him. They would watch movies on his laptop, read together and best of all, sleep in the same bed. It was something else, to have the hunter wrapped around him, giving him a sense of security while he slept.

Opening his eyes, Gabriel looked at the familiar sight of Sam's chest. They had started each night trying not to touch one another, but by the time Gabriel woke up he was always wrapped in Sam's arms, held tight against the man. He didn't know who it was that moved first through the night, but he couldn't bring himself to care as it got him exactly what he wanted. Sam twitched in his sleep, tightening his hold on Gabriel before his nose scrunched up, and his eyes slowly opened.

"Morning, Samsquatch, sleep well?" Originally Sam had thought the archangel was teasing him for their cuddling, but he was able to explain that he genuinely wanted to know if the hunter was sleeping well. A soft smile graced Sam's lips before he nodded, not jerking away as he had the first couple of days of sleeping together. "Yeah I did, you?"

Humming, Gabriel nodded, his hand still resting on Sam's firm chest. "I think I might even be ready to try staying up for a couple of hours downstairs. My grace is slowly recovering; I didn't even have to take a leak yesterday. Still, nothing I can use to help, but it might be enough to leave this room for a bit."

Sam's smile turned into a frown while he looked at Gabriel, his hand which was resting under the covers at the small of the archangel's back flexed. "Are you sure? There are a lot of people here who wouldn't think twice about taking advantage of a powered-down archangel. I've spoken to them, let them know that if it weren't for you, they never would have made it out of there… but I can't guarantee that they won't try something."

Laying his head to rest just under Sam's chin, Gabriel curled in against the taller man's body. "You'll keep me safe, Samster. Besides, while I'm not up to par with Cassie right now, I might have enough in me to defend myself against a human if needed." A hand found its way to his hair, Sam's large palm holding his head securely while fingers tangled in his blond locks.

"You shouldn't have to defend yourself at home, Gabe." A fluttering sensation started in Gabriel's chest at having Sam refer to the bunker as Gabriel's home.

"I know, it's just going to take a while is all. Once I'm up to par and can help out I'm sure they'll turn around. Probably doesn't help that I'm monopolizing the time of their precious leader."

Sam blushed a faint red at the comment, which Gabriel saw as he pulled back. With slow movements the archangel got out of bed, Sam jumping up to pull on a pair of jeans and overshirt. It had taken a couple of days to convince the younger Winchester that he wouldn't mind if Sam slept in his boxers, having wanted the human to be comfortable. While he wasn't ready to have his chest bare, Sam did remove his pants at night once Gabriel was tucked in.

"You mind passing me some pants and a shirt?" Sam quickly got his clothes together, passing Gabriel what he would need so that he didn't have to walk around in his boxers. Dean had thankfully been able to swing by a second-hand store and get him a few changes of clothing, along with couple packages of underwear. It wasn't the silk the archangel was accustomed to wearing, but it didn't chafe and was comfortable enough until he got his mojo back.

Once both men were dressed, Gabriel reached out and placed his hand on Sam's arm for balance while he pushed off the bed. The first time standing was always the worst, when he had to figure out his balance before he could take a step. Sam was still so patient with him, waiting until Gabriel was ready before helping him walk to wherever he was going.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Gabriel let go of Sam's arm, missing the contact as soon as it was gone. Carefully, the archangel walked to the doorway, Sam opening the door and waiting for him to come through. They made their way down to the main rooms, people stopping to look while Gabriel reached out every now and again to place his hand on Sam and steady himself. The second that Castiel spotted him, Gabriel felt a rush of need to see his younger brother.

"Gabriel," the angel called out, standing from where he had been speaking with a couple of people who looked like they had been in a fight and lost. Castiel finished whatever he was doing and rushed forward, opening his arms and wrapping them around Gabriel in a tight hug. One arm circled Castiel's back while the other patted his shoulder for a moment. There was a rush of grace from the younger angel, reaching out to the small bits Gabriel had been able to build up.

Cautiously, Gabriel reached back, letting his fragmented grace touch Castiel's in an equivalent to a hug. "Brother, I thought I lost you once again. Sam had told us how you came back, and how you've been faring but it's nice to see you up and about." Gabriel nodded, enjoying the feeling of another angel around him without wanting to hurt him. If there was one angel that he trusted it was Castiel. He knew what had happened over the years and the lengths that Castiel had gone through to try and protect humanity. While some decisions were not the ones Gabriel would have made, he knew where Castiel's loyalties were, and that seemed to be rarer and rarer each day.

"Well, I'm here now. Once I'm back to full power, I should be able to help with the Heaven situation. You were right, maybe what they need is a couple of screw-ups, not the robots Dad created." Castiel pulled back, his bright blue eyes so full of hope that Gabriel would be able to aid them. Other things needed to be done, Michael needed to be stopped, and the new monsters he was making had to be killed off, but Heaven was their home. If they could help even a small fraction of it, Gabriel wasn't going to throw away the chance.

"You can save Heaven, Uncle?" the small voice came from behind Castiel, and Gabriel looked to the one speaking. He had only a few moments with Jack, ones which were surrounded by people including Lucifer. Now looking at the boy, Gabriel couldn't help the swell of affection for his nephew.

"Yes, Jack, I can help Heaven. I need to gather a bit more power. All this sleep and food I've been getting has been helping, but I'm not yet strong enough to help clean everything up."

Jack's gaze drifted down, and Gabriel couldn't help but reach out. Keeping one arm hooked around Castiel, Gabriel held out his other to the boy he hoped would accept his offer. "Unlike those who stayed in Heaven, I know there are other means of restoring grace besides hooking up to the head office. Shouldn't take more than a couple more weeks here and I'll be able to teach you how to do the same."

The hand which clasped his own was warm, and Gabriel used what little strength he had in his arm to tug the Nephilim forward into his hug with Castiel. "We'll get you fixed up; I just have to store some reserves and heal as much as I can in the next couple of weeks. Can you hold off that long for me?" Jack nodded, his eyes darting between Gabriel's as if trying to read his sincerity.

"Come on, fledgling, I haven't had a chance to see the place since I died, and I'm sure it's changed. Why don't you show me around and I'll try to answer whatever questions you have. Just not about the birds and the bees. You need to go to your Dads for that one." Hearing Dean groan behind him, Gabriel laughed as Jack took Sam's former place at his side while they explored the bunker.

Glancing back as Jack started to show him the library and the decorations spread through the place, Gabriel caught Sam's eye. Giving the hunter a wink, the archangel made sure to pace himself through the day while listening and bonding with the Nephilim. For the most part, Gabriel ignored those in the bunker, instead focusing on his nephew who wanted to know everything about what happened before the fall, of how Heaven and Earth were before things went to shit.

By the end of the night, Gabriel was almost too tired to make his way back to Sam's bedroom. Jack was quick to help him, letting the archangel lean against him until Gabriel was at the doorway. "Thank you, Uncle," spoke Jack, his hand twitching for a moment before he pulled the archangel into a hug. Gabriel was quick to embrace the Nephilim back, having grown fond of Jack during their day together.

"Any time, Kiddo, we'll have you back to being able to take on archangels in no time okay?" Jack pulled back and nodded, not for the first time looking at Gabriel with hope. Entering the bedroom, Gabriel wasn't surprised to see Sam there waiting for him. Without having to ask, the hunter helped Gabriel remove his clothing until he was down to his boxers and the archangel slipped under the sheets.

When Sam joined him the hunter was shirtless, a sight Gabriel enjoyed before he too was under the blankets. "You did well today, Gabe. Jack's been withdrawn since he lost his powers. That's the most open I've seen him since we got back."

Humming, Gabriel turned toward the hunter, shifting until he was almost touching the man. "He's a good kid; somehow my brother wasn't able to completely ruin him in the time they had together. You guys did good."

A strong arm wrapped around him, pulling the archangel against Sam's chest. A bit surprised, Gabriel remained stiff for a moment before melting against the hunter. A hand rubbed his back lightly, fingers trailing along his spine in a soothing touch which lulled Gabriel to sleep, curled around his human.

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.