.-~*~-.
Gabriel stared at the now unconscious Michael from inside the trap. Chuck was in the doorway but Gabriel paid him no attention.
Michael was destroyed.
"I'm sorry, Gabriel."
"Fuck off." The words flowed effortlessly and the stiffening of Raphael's body next to him was clear as day. Not that he cared. Chuck could go rot in hell for all he cared. That apology meant absolutely nothing to him. Not after an hour.
"Are you going to let us out?" Raphael asked, gripping Gabriel's shoulder in an oddly comforting gesture.
"You understand the situation?"
"I understand it, I just don't care. You just let Gabriel go through the worst verbal assault of his life because you were off doing whatever it is that you do when you're failing us. Let us out- or at the very least let him out."
"Let us out." Gabriel swallowed, turning his focus to Chuck, stomach churning. The words- words could hurt so bad. It had taken him an hour. Chuck hadn't bothered showing his face for an hour and in that time Michael had effectively drawn up every ounce of shame, guilt, and pain he had ever felt. "Now."
"I'm sorry." Chuck repeated. Gabriel didn't buy a word of it, leaning into Raphael's side as the archangel trap disappeared from around them. Without a single word Raphael hooked an arm over his shoulder and walked him to the stairwell, sidestepping them around Chuck as they moved.
God didn't stop him.
"Good luck with Michael." Gabriel muttered bitterly as they stepped out of the warding, Raphael taking them from the Bunker in a single flap of wings.
"So Dad's the prophet." Raphael mused after several long silent moments, his gaze wandering across the ruins of Asgard where Gabriel had brought them.
"No." Gabriel responded, picking a smooth, golden stone up off the ground. "Dad's dead. Has been for a long time."
"Denying the bitter reality of our situation will do you no good, Gabriel."
"I died for their cause, Raph-"
"And you left our brother to the mercy of Lucifer!" Raphael was angry, bitter, and he whipped around, staring at him with hurt, angry eyes. "Did you honestly expect me to leave him down there!"
"Michael dug his own grave!" Gabriel spun around, tightening his grip on the stone and staring at his brother. "There was always a choice, Michael always had a choice and instead he chose to fight! I-" Shuddering violently, Gabriel forced himself to sit down, to stare up at his elder brother. "You made your choice, and I made mine. But what I did? It could have been any of us. Any of us could have opened that Cage. You're the healer, the therapist of Heaven, tell me. If put in this impossible position, if put between humanity and your brothers- no, between caging Michael and the survival of the fledglings, which would you choose?"
"Between Michael and the fledglings…" Raphael's expression went a bit distant as he warily sat across from Gabriel, blinking after a moment. "That's what it was for you?"
"I lived on Earth for thousands of years, Raphael. Thousands of years I was among them. Not just the pagans but the monsters, the humans, and I saw the good. I saw humanity for what it was, and what it was? It was so much better than us. They're flawed and corrupt and- I will always choose them, because Dad- not Chuck, He was right. They're better than us, they will always be better than us. They try to, and they succeed. Us? We can never do that, because we are too obsessed with us. If it comes down to it, Raph. I'll do exactly what I did to Lucifer, and if it went back to it… I'd make the same call. Even after everything, I'll always make the same choice because humanity… it's worth saving."
"You'd let us all die, for them?" Raphael asked, tone carefully neutral. "I don't understand, Gabriel."
"I don't expect you to, I just expect you to accept it. We're all angry at Him, we have every right in the world to be. I'm not doing it for Him, I'm doing it for them. Don't do it for Him, do it for the angels, the ones in Heaven that Amara will wipe from existence if we don't stop her. Please, Raphael. You're my brother, and I love you…" A small shudder rippled across him as he was reminded of his speech- the one that had ultimately led to his death to Lucifer. Except this was Raphael. Raphael wouldn't kill him. "Tell me you don't share the sentiment and I won't ask again."
"You're still so young, Gabriel." Raphael responded, a smile curling on his lips. "I never stopped loving you, never once did I stop loving you. You're my brother, and you're right. I will never stand beside Him again. I will stand with you, though."
"Swear to me, Raphael."
"I swear on the lives of all the angels in Heaven." Raphael responded, smile broadening as Gabriel lifted his gaze to meet Raphael's. "We need to talk about Michael, though."
"What about him?" Almost immediately Gabriel averted his gaze, looking off into the distance.
"I don't think he's mentally going to be able to partake in this fight."
"We need him." Except after the verbal assault, Gabriel didn't want him. Knowing just how far gone Michael actually was- they had the Winchesters as allies. Even if they could get him to think rationally about the fight… Michael would probably kill Sam and Dean.
"We need the warrior of Heaven, I would never send Michael into battle in this state. I never would have brought him back. Why did Chuck make that decision?"
"Lucifer claimed he had him brainwashed, and unfortunately… if he wasn't lying, it's our best option."
"I don't like it." Raphael responded.
"Neither do I. But how else can we replicate Michael's power?"
Raphael shifted in front of him, quiet as he rose to his feet. Gabriel lifted his head and watched his brother as he paced, grace thrumming beneath the skin of his vessel as he clearly thought over the options. There weren't any, though. If there were-
"Purgatory."
"What are you talking about?" Gabriel asked, getting to his feet and searching Raphael as he continued to pace.
"When Castiel killed me…" Raphael took a deep breath through his nose, meeting Gabriel's gaze slowly, "The power of Purgatory was running through his Vessel, every soul of every monster that ever lived, and the way he overpowered me… it was a way that only Michael or Lucifer could have done."
"You want to funnel all the Purgatory souls into yourself?" Gabriel asked slowly, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"No." Raphael responded, averting his gaze with a sigh. "We need to add to the power of the four of us- without Michael. The obvious solution is to channel it into the seraph we already know can handle the energy."
"You want to power Castiel up with the souls of Purgatory?" Gabriel was openly staring and pretty sure his jaw was slack. Of all of the crazy plans, Gabriel never could've guessed this one, not in a million years, and there he was. Raphael recommending… well, it wasn't a secret what Purgatory had done to Castiel.
It also wasn't a completely terrible idea. As long as the leviathan were kept at bay, there would be nothing to corrupt Castiel in such a feat. It was… ingenious.
"You're sure, Raph?"
"I want to kill the little traitor." Raphael admitted with a bitter smile, "Yet, he may be our best option if Michael is unable to help us."
"I'd really prefer if you didn't kill Castiel. It was a lot of bullshit to get him away from Luci."
"I will refrain." Raphael responded, offering his hand.
"And Lucifer?"
"I'm aware. Again, I will refrain. I'm not particularly happy with him."
"Would it help if I reminded you that we're married?"
Raphael made a face, eyeing him -or more likely his grace- with disdain. "I can comprehend why you would stoop to that level of desperation, but I remain baffled that Lucifer felt it was necessary."
"We're about to go against Amara." Gabriel reminded Raphael, "And guess who'll be on the front lines? I can give you about a hundred reasons why he'd do everything in his power to guarantee I don't turn on him."
"I've seen you suicidal before, Gabriel."
"Lucifer hasn't." Gabriel responded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm not going to kill myself. Not if I can avoid it. I have a month after Amara's dealt with to figure out something."
"Which is why you bowed to Heaven, you want them on your side when you turn on him." It shouldn't have surprised him that Raphael was nosing around in his memories, but it was a bit disorienting. How much had Raphael seen? How long had he been looking?
Laughing softly, Gabriel grinned at his brother with no real emotion. "You saw right through that. I'm surprised he didn't."
"You shocked him too much for him to recognize what you were actually doing. Deception has always been one of your strongpoints."
"Remember when I blew up Mars?" Gabriel asked slyly and Raphael groaned.
"I try not to. Can we go now?"
"Yeah." Gabriel responded, taking his brother's hand and allowing him to fly them back to the Bunker.
~-.-~