Hello all. I would like to thank QueenWoofy, Little Cinch and darkeyesgirl for the wonderful reviews. I would also like to thank all you lovely people who have favoured and followed this story since my last update.

So here is the next chapter, it again takes place at the time of season 9, episode 6 'Heaven Can't Wait'.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.

Dean was happily sitting on the couch with Cas when the door opened and a strange man walked in, though he had that aura about him making Dean not even question who he as. That and he had just had a rather garbled conversation with Sam telling him that the Rit Zien maybe after him and Cas. Though why the angel would go after the fledging he had no idea. I mean it wasn't like Cas had any pain right now was it? If he had been his adult self then maybe, but baby Cas? No way.

"So you're the Rit Zien I'm guessing." He said as he stood and turned to the angel while also pushing Castiel behind him and wondering if he could get to his angel blade which was by the door.

"Yes Dean Winchester I am, though I am surprised you have heard of us." The angel replied looking at him intently as if he was reading his soul, which he probably was. Damn it, that was creepy.

"Ditto. I ain't nothing special." Dean blustered back trying ever so carefully to edge towards the door while keeping Cas out of sight.

"The name of the righteous man is known by all angels Dean." the Rit Zien responded as if this was a well known fact while moving so he was in-between Dean and the door making it impossible for the human to get the blade.

"Well ain't that just peachy. What do you want?" Dean asked crossing his arms. Okay so he had no weapon, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"The child. Its pain screams to me, and yet I sense nothing from him. I do not understand it." the Rit Zien replied trying to look past Dean at Castiel, not that Dean was having any of that.

"Yeah well you want him you'll have to go through me." Dean growled. There was no way he was letting this thing hurt Cas.

"That is of no consequence to me Dean. Your pain needs healing too." The Rit Zien replied taking a step towards the human.

"Great just what I always wanted." Dean muttered getting into a fight stance while simultaneously trying to keep Castiel behind him but the fledgling wasn't having any of that.

No one threatened the righteous man while he was around and did not face the consequences. Castiel may have only been a fledgling but he knew it was his role in the world to protect the righteous man, and he would no matter what it cost him. Though he was scared, of course he was. But he would protect Dean as was his destiny. With that in mind he worked his way around Dean, though only managing to get to stand beside him before Dean was trying to push him backwards again. Not that Castiel was paying much attention at this point. Because now he was frowning at the angel in front of him. Because however much it should not be the case, Castiel knew this angel, he could put a name to the face.

"Ephraim." He uttered confused at how he knew that.

"How is it that a human child knows my name?" Ephraim asked just as confused as Castiel, though when the angels turned to Dean they both saw that he was less so.

"Your guess is as good as mind." Dean replied when no one else spoke and both the angels were looking at him. He couldn't let this Ephraim know that the kid was Cas.

"I think not. Tell me, who or what is he?" Ephraim asked moving once more towards Dean with his hand outstretched.

"He's bat-girl." Dean replied offhandedly while trying to make Castiel go back behind him.

"No he is-" Ephraim started only to be interrupted by a new voice joining the conversation. One filled with authority, making all eyes in the room turn to its owner.

"None of your concern Ephraim." Gabriel said as he walked into the room, his angel blade in hand ready to fight if needed, though he hoped they could find a peaceful solution to this. Behind him Sam slipped in as well and moved so he was covering Dean and Cas if a fight started.

"Gabriel." Ephraim said with awe in his voice as he stared at the archangel standing in front of him.

"The one and only." Gabriel replied spreading his arms and with a smirk on his face, back to the jokey Gabriel the Winchesters knew.

"I thought you were dead." Ephraim said still not able to comprehend what was before him.

"Nope, just on vacation." Gabriel replied with a casual shrug.

"And now?" Ephraim asked wondering what Gabriel's arrival in this room with the Winchester brothers signified to the angels as a whole.

"Now I am not going to let you harm any more people." Gabriel replied with a serious tone. There was no question on that one.

"but the pain Gabriel, you do not understand." Ephraim tried to explain, but how could an archangel understand the pain he felt radiating off all the humans around him. How could he possibly understand what needed to be done.

"No Ephraim, its you who doesn't understand. It's not your fault our father did not design us to understand emotions." Gabriel replied his voice taking on a more gentle tone as he looked at the bewildered and confused angel in front of him.

"The pain needs healing." Ephraim tried again. He needed to do this. It was his role, his reason for existence, surely Gabriel would understand that.

"Yes it does, but not the way you're going about it. You need to stop." Gabriel explained hoping that he could get through to the angel in front of him.

"Is that a request angel to angel? Or is that an order from the new commander of the host?" Ephraim asked. He was confused about Gabriel's reappearance but he knew one thing, they needed a leader, and who better than the last archangel?

"I don't know-" Gabriel replied looking round at the people in the room, from the ones who represented his old family, the angels, to the ones that represented that which he had come to think of as his new one, the Winchesters.

"We need a leader Gabriel, and as the last remaining archangel you are the obvious choice." Ephraim said trying to persuade Gabriel to take up that role that was ordained for him by their father.

"And if I became your new commander would you follow the order to stop killing humans?" Gabriel asked with a sigh. He knew what he was going to have to do. He didn't want to do it. Hell he wasn't even the right person to be doing it, and he certainly wouldn't be any good at it. But it needed to be done.

"I would no matter what their pain." Ephraim pledged. He would follow any command that Gabriel gave him if it would give him the order of heaven back into his existence. Someone to follow, something to fight for.

Gabriel didn't reply straight away, he instead looked at the people in the room. Her looked at Sam and saw that that the younger Winchester had a look of hope on his face at the idea of Gabriel taking control of the angels, hope that he could unite them and stop them from hurting humanity. He looked to Dean and saw that he was looking more cautious, but still, there was hope there, his was more personal, his hope was that with Gabriel at the helm he could protect Castiel. And then he looked at the fledgling and what he saw in his eyes broke his heart. Castiel's eyes were filled with happiness at the thought of Gabriel leading the angels and them joining up with their family, it didn't even cross the fledglings mind that if Gabriel did this he would be leaving his little brother behind. And if he did this he would, because there was no way he would take Castiel with him, there was no way he could protect him if he did that. No it would be better if the angels thought that Castiel was dead or gone. Something he could arrange as there new leader.

If he did take over the angels, he would have all the information he needed at his finger tips. He would be able to find the way to revere the spell, find out where it was, and find a way to reopen heaven. He could limit the human casualties in this war, for he was the 'rightful' leader of the angels. The one who would stand out from the rest, and all angels would flock to his side. He knew that. But he would be leaving Castiel with only the Winchesters to protect him. What if something happened? But what would happen? He could make sure that Metatron never found Castiel, he would have an army of angels on hand to ensue that. There really wasn't a choice. He needed answers to fix what was wrong, and those he knew he could not get by the Winchesters side, but as the leader of the host he could.

"Looks like I'm getting the band back together then." He finally said with a resigned sigh putting his angel blade away and walking to the angel in front of him and putting his hand on his shoulder. "Go find us somewhere we can work and I will call our brothers and sisters to join us." With that Ephraim nodded and left the motel leaving the Winchesters and Castiel staring at the archangel in there mist who had just become the new leader of the heavenly host, god help them all.