Chapter 2: An Overdue Bonding

Sam poured himself another cup of coffee as he looked over the counter at Gabriel. With a sigh he looked down at his letter and read it once more before going back to fixing his coffee. He had been woken by the sounds of arguing. He had come downstairs to find Gabriel and Razael screaming at each other but damned if he could understand any of it. He heard Dean's name mentioned several times and each time it was, Gabriel just seemed to get angrier. It had ended suddenly with Sam being yanked backwards by Castiel and wrapped in the angel's wings just as a bright light and ringing filled the house, an angel's true form.

Sam had thanked Castiel when the angel released him and then went to see what the fight was about with the dark haired angel trailing behind him. Gabriel, luckily, hadn't left and was staring at the spot where Razael had been but he didn't seem mad anymore, just pensive. It was then that Sam noticed the paper that was crushed in the archangel's hand. Moving closer he recognized the writing on the paper to be Dean's. He reached for it but the blonde had just pulled away.

"Dean's gone. He left sometime last night. Razael let him go. He left us all letters." Gabriel said before going to sit in his favorite chair, placing the crumpled letter on the table next to him.

Sam had watched as Castiel had all but snatched up his letter and read it. Sadness had rolled off the angel in waves. He picked up his own letter and read it, cursing his brother for his stupidity. He and Castiel exchanged letters and Sam wasn't surprised by what Dean had written to his mate. That just left Gabriel's letter but the archangel had refused to give it up. So that was how he and Castiel ended up making coffee and waiting for the blonde to say something more but having already been waiting for three hours Sam wasn't too sure if that would happen any time soon.

"I can't believe that Dean would leave. I just cannot seem to understand why he would do such a thing." Castiel said softly, almost startling him. "Doesn't he know that we still love him and want him with us?"

"Dean left because he thinks he protecting us." Sam said. "I don't think our initial reactions helped our case at all. Dean probably thinks that we can't handle him being a demon and went to try and find a way to fix it."

Castiel frowned. "Gabriel promised Dean he would help him."

"My brother has a very low patience. Three months probably felt more like three years to him." Sam said with a sad smile. "He misses us."

"I miss him as well but I would rather he have stayed here." The angel said. "It's not safe for him to be out there without his hearing."

"Dean isn't the only deaf person in the world Cas. Most deaf people can get along fine without help." The brunette said with a chuckle. "What Dean did though? Him running away? He did it with the best of intentions Cas. He just wants to be fixed so he can have his family back."

"Haven't you ever heard the old saying 'The path to Hell is paved with good intentions' Sam? There does happen to be a reason for that." Gabriel said suddenly. "Sometimes those 'good intentions' have the worst possible foundations that they been built on. This? This is one of those times."

Sam frowned and his green eyes sought out Gabriel's gold. "You've been awfully quite. What did he say to you in his letter?"

"I wasn't concerned with what he said in his letter." Gabriel admitted. "I was thinking about what Razael said. I realize now that he was right and that there was a lot that I should have told Dean. If I had then maybe he would have stayed instead of running. Now the shit is really going to hit the fan."

"Gabriel?" Sam asked.

"My selfish wants have put your brother into a lot of danger Sam. I didn't just take the keys to the Impala for fun. It was actually for Dean's own protection. This was the safest place for him until I could find a way to purge the demon blood from his system." Gabriel said softly. "I did something that I thought would make Dean very happy but with him waking up both deaf and as a half demon I didn't want to tell him. Now because I did something with good intentions I have put Dean at risk."

"What did you do?" The youngest Winchester asked. "I doubt it was anything bad."

"No. Not Bad. Not really. I adopted Dean. At the time I did it I didn't know Razael was alive. I wanted another child and Dean admitted that he wished he had a parent." The archangel sighed. "It seemed like a win-win. I was going to tell him as a surprise. Now...Now we need to find a way to change him back before Crowley gets his claws into him."

"Why would Crowley want Dean?"

"Because with the demon blood in him it makes him Nephilim." Castiel said suddenly. "Dean is half demon half angel."

"Wait what?" Sam asked. "I don't know if you remember this but our parents were human. No angel at all. I think we'd know something like that."

"When an angel adopts a human it gives them a small piece of Grace. It's so small that it doesn't hurt them but it still makes them part angel." Castiel said. "So right now your brother is the one thing that every supernatural thing in every world fears."

Sam frowned and thought about it before a stray thought occurred to him. "So if Gabriel made Dean his son by giving him his Grace does then same thing account for demon's giving their blood and if the answer to that is yes then-"

"The answer is yes. To both parts Sam." Gabriel said softly. "Crowley was able to have a child by me as unintentional as it was."

Sam felt numb. His brother was now the one who could break down the walls of the worlds. The son of Crowley and Gabriel, the King of Hell and The Fourth Born Archangel. Dean was going to be in a lot of trouble unless they could find a way to help him. Sam idly wondered if maybe he should give Bobby a call and see if he had seen Dean and inform him of what had happened. Then again that might not be the best idea in the world. Bobby saw them both as his sons and the last he wanted was to have the older hunter upset. With a sigh Sam took another sip of his now cold coffee.

"Do you have a plan Gabe?" Sam asked softly. "I need my brother back."

"I do. I just need to take a trip. I don't really want to go alone but I can't take you with me and I am not leaving you here by yourself." Gabriel said looking down.

"Why can't you take me?" The hunter asked. "Afraid I'll get hurt?"

"No. I need to go into hell. I need to talk to Lucifer. The only thing that would protect you if I took you along is a soul mate bond. We've made some progress Sam but I don't think you've made nearly enough. I'd go alone but I don't think I could trust myself enough which is why I was going to take Cassie. That would leave you here unprotected. And after the fight Raz and I just had I don't think I'll be seeing him for a few weeks." The archangel said as he stood from his chair. "So now I just need to-"

"I want to."

Gabriel blinked and turned to look at the red faced human. "What?"

Sam's flush darkened. "I want to complete our bond. I know this isn't the best time but I've been trying to bring it up for a while. I want to complete our bond so that I can go with you. I don't like the thought of you seeing Lucifer after the stories you've told me. So...Please."

Gabriel chuckled and turned to look at Castiel, who was watching them curiously. "Do you mind waiting an hour or two? Just until the bond settles?"

"I do not mind. It is best for you to have an active connection before going to hell. A few hours will not make that much of a difference at this point. While you two bond I will go and inform Bobby of what has happened in case Dean tries to contact him." The angel said standing. "With any luck Dean will have talked to Bobby and we can get a clue where he was going to go."

Gabriel nodded. "Just be careful okay Cassie? You might be the only person who can sway Dean at this point."

Castiel nodded and spread his wings and was gone with a gentle flap. Gabriel went over to the cabinet and pulled out the two herbs they would need. He turned and appraised Sam for a minute. It was clear that the hunter was not really ready to take the next step but wanted to do it to protect him. Smiling to himself he figured that the best thing to do was to give Sam what he wanted but with a twist. It was the best thing for the hunter.

"Here. Take these up to our room and light them and get ready. There's something that I have to look for in the bathroom real quick okay?" Gabriel asked, handing the herbs to his soon-to-be mate.

Sam nodded and took both and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing up the stairs. With a chuckle the archangel followed at a much slower pace. Heading into the bathroom he reached into the bottom draw and found what he was looking for. Catching sight of himself in the mirror he hardly recognized himself. He couldn't remember ever seeing such a smile on his face. Then again he'd never had a partner like Sam either.

His train of thought slammed to a screeching halt. He thought over his past relationships with his male partners and frowned at the conclusion he came too. Glancing down at the tube he decided to make this as painless on Sam and possible and took care of the messy work himself before redressing and heading into their room. Sam was laying on the bed, a pillow on his lap and he looked nervous. With a grin Gabriel stripped out his own clothes to join him, tossing the pillow aside as he went.

"You know I just had an interesting revelation about you Sam Winchester." Gabriel said as he kissed the hunter. "A good one."

"Yeah?" Sam asked, curiosity running wild in those green eyes.

Setting the tube aside for the moment that archangel took his time exploring the body underneath him. "Yeah. This bonding will be special for me in a way too. You'll be my first."

Confusion and pleasure lit up those eyes. "I know I can't be your first male over. That was Lucifer. And you admitted to being with Michael."

"Maybe so." Gabriel admitted, doing something that pulled a loud moan from the hunter. "But you are the first male that I will have ever willingly bottomed for."

The brunette froze under him. "Are you serious? None of them you really wanted?"

"What can I say? I was naive. I wanted to be loved so bad I just went with it despite the pain." The angel said softly nibbling at a hip. "At the time I thought that was the way it was supposed to be."

"Gabriel..." How Sam wished at that moment that he could tell the angel everything he felt about him but he couldn't make the words come out.

Gold eyes locked with green. "If I didn't think you really cared about me Sam I would never have given you my feather. I trust you completely. More then anyone I've ever been with willing or not. I thought I was in love with Luci but you don't see my feather hanging around his neck do you?"

Sam shook his head, his hand grabbing for his necklace, a half inch feather that was laminated against a small pendant. "Am I the only one you ever wanted to give your feather too?"

"Yes. That was why it hurt so bad..." Gabriel reached up and touched his own necklace, a matching one with the feather Sam had made for him out of his own hair. "Best not to think about that now because it's in the past and I have you here with me now and nothing is going to take you from me."

Sam suddenly grabbed the angel and flipped them over, kissing him hard. "I love you Gabriel. Let me show you what it's like to be with someone who truly loves you."

Sam grabbed for the tube and prepared himself before going to do the angel but he was surprised to find him already done. He may be a virgin with men but he had taken the time to learn what to expect. With a grin and a kiss he slowly sunk himself into the angel's willing body, stopping whenever he heard a sound of pain and not moving until he was sure that the pain was gone. By the time he was fully seated the angel was in tears. Sam kissed them away and slowly moved, taking the time to make sure that there was only pleasure.

He was surprised by just how sensitive Gabriel really was but if all his encounters were pain filled then he could understand that the angel didn't have a concept of true pleasure. The angel was also very vocal. Between the screams of pleasure and the shows of affection neither of them lasted long. As they reached their completion, Sam felt something in the back of his mind give. A rush of love, affection, and wonder slipped in and it made him nearly dizzy with joy when he realized that he was getting an echo of Gabriel's feelings.

As the angel lay trembling under him he tried try to pull away only to stop when Gabriel clung to him. He didn't need to ask any questions as a rush of 'please', 'stay', and 'contentment' echoed across their new bond to him. It seemed that Gabriel wanted to make their physical connection last a little longer. Knowing just what to do he flipped them once more, never losing the connection between them. Gabriel laid on his chest, his shaking subsiding as their bond settled into place and Sam couldn't help but tangle his fingers into those blonde locks. With a smile Sam settled down to wait for Gabriel to be ready.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"So Dean is not only a Nephilim but he's also deaf and now you can't find him?!"

Castiel winced. "Yes. Which is why I came to ask you for your help."

Bobby glared. "So if you're mated to Dean why can't you find him?"

"He's closed the bond. He did it after realizing that touching it as a half demon brought me much discomfort. Since then he has kept it closed for fear of hurting me." Castiel admitted. "Please I need your help. Has Dean been in contact with you at all?"

The older hunter shook his head. "No. I haven't heard from Dean since he called me to let me know you guys were going to a safe house for a while. That was five months ago."

Castiel let out a frustrated noise. He had no idea where to even start looking for Dean other then here. He sat down and put his head in his hands. Turning inward he stroked his bond with the hunter, his heart heavy when there was no acknowledgment. With a sigh he came back to reality to find the older hunter staring at him hard.

"You really love him don't you?"

"He's my soul mate. I would do anything for him." Castiel said softly. "It was my love for him that made me chose slavery over death. Anything just to be with him."

Bobby nodded. "Your cell phone number still the same?"

Shaking his head the angel held out his new phone, the one Gabriel had given him.

The hunter quickly took down the number. "Tell Sam and your brother to give me a ring too that way we can get this show on the road. There is a vast network of hunters out there and even if I don't know something then someone else will. We just need to get the word out. I'll have everyone keep an eye out for him and the Impala. I'm sure someone will know something."

"Thank you Bobby. This means a great deal to me."

Bobby waved him off as he picked up the phone and opened a small notebook and threw it on the desk in front of the angel. "You want to thank me? Start dialing. We have a lot of names to go through."

Picking up the book and his phone Castiel could help but feel a small spark of hope ignite in him. With so many people keeping an eye out for Dean someone was sure to know something. He was getting one step closer to finding his mate. With a smile he dialed and the number and listened at the phone was picked up.

"Hello?"

"My name is Castiel. I'm calling on behalf of Robert Singer. We're trying to find someone, another hunter. He's in trouble but he doesn't know it yet and we need your help."

"Sure! Anything for Bobby! Who are you looking for?"

"A young man who drives a black '67 Impala by the name of Dean Winchester."