Another sweet smile, directed at me. "Most recycled angels turn out to be pretty darn good humans. And the special ones, like Gwenny here, they are amazing humans and with time they can develop wings. Not like angelwings, but still functional up to a point. Now a human walking about with a pair of friggin' big wings attached will get noticed." I looked at my shoulders and felt tears prick in my eyes. I wasn't crazy, I really used to have wings! Gabe sipped his drink and continued. "To prevent all of Heaven and all of Hell to know about these few, special humans, their wings are cloaked with a very, very special feature. They are, for all intents and purposes, invisible, even for the owner. You need to meet very specific standards to be able to see an Earthangel's wings. Hell, I had to make a special trip to meet specifications."
Dean shifted. He never liked to be special, and this was hinting that he was. "Then how come Dean, Sam and I can see them?" Cas asked, his voice puzzled. Gabriel sighed. "Yeah... You three muttonheads... You were never supposed to, but with all your bouncing about the worlds, you just happen to meet requirements." Dean got up. "Just happen to meet requirements? What the Hell does that mean?" Gabriel held his hands up placatingly. "Whoah, fiestypants. Simmer down. It just means that you need have been to both Heaven and Hell. Not many people do, you know." Cas sat down again. "We have, and so has Jehoël." His voice sounded defeated and sad. Gabriel cocked his head at him. "Jehoël? What does he have to do with this?"
Cas sat with his head bowed, his lower arms on his knees and his wrists crossed, making him seem small and defeated. He lifted his head up to meet his brother's eyes. "He was in my regiment when we were sent down to get Dean out. I thought he had perished in the effort. Many have. But Gwen said the demons had him. They used him, to identify her as 'one of them'." Gabriel's eyes widened. "HELLS BELLS!" he burst out. Dean had sat down on the arm of my chair. "Sounds to me like the other team has found out about your secret." Gabriel got up and started to pace the room. "I gotta go. I have to check on my other protégés." He turned to Sam, Dean and Cas. "You guys... Keep her safe, ok? I'll be back as soon as I can!" And with that and another fluttering of wings, he was gone again.