The toilet flushed, the sturdy white door to the bathroom opened, and Dean walked back into the room. Castiel had appeared not a minute earlier, arms full of clothes and camp gear he was laying out on the bed. Dean watched for a minute, leaning against the bathroom door.
"How'd you get your wings back?" Dean asked dully.
Castiel inhaled and looked around the room, obviously unsure how to break the news.
"What is it?" Dean asked, interest piqued.
"Gabriel."
Dean started, then stood up from the table.
"What?" he whispered viciously, "that son of a bitch is still alive?!"
"Yes," Cas replied simply.
"Where the fuck has he been!?"
"In hiding," Cas replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Dean had to admit it was: Gabriel was a selfish, self-serving, cowardly piece of shit-
"I found him," Castiel interrupted Dean's fuming thoughts. "He never fell from Heaven because he wasn't in Heaven at the time. He is still an archangel."
"He wants to fight the darkness with us?"
"I didn't ask."
"Ah, ha..." Dean stumbled, blinking, "wanna try that again?" Dean said threateningly.
"There will be time for that later, Dean," Castiel replied dismissively, thoroughly immune to Dean's ire. "I asked him to heal me... so I could save Sam. I convinced him it was in his best interests that Sam be saved," Cas paused, then ticked his head to the side with idle thought, "it also seems Gabriel has somewhat of a soft spot for Sam, albeit warped."
Dean felt like he was going to be sick. Again.
"Unreal," he murmured to himself, shaking his head with closed eyes. He breathed through it.
"So," he finally spoke up, "after this all went down with Sam, you just met up with everybody before you came to me, huh?" Dean said bitterly, "Crowley, Gabriel. Who else?"
"No one else. And Crowley came to me," Castiel clarified and Dean's eyes widened indignantly, "for the record," Castiel added.
Dean held still, processing, before he gave a small groan and rubbed his forehead, overwhelmed.
"Again. From the beginning," Dean demanded. Castiel nodded and the two of them sat down at the table near the window.