Chapter 3: Memories and Road Trips

Crowley stared down at the hunter watching him sleep. It was hard to believe that after all this time he finally had a way to get what he wanted and it all was riding on the most stubborn hunter he had ever come across. His stare slowly turned into a glare as he tried to figure out a way to make Dean do what he wanted to with minimal fuss but short of threatening his loved ones, who he couldn't find, he had nothing. There was no way the hunter would ever do anything unless it was for his family.

Dean rolled over, exposing his back to the demon. "Cas...love..you..."

That was another problem he faced. Dean's soul mate bond with Castiel. When he first took Castiel in it had been with a plan to get them back together to make them stronger so they could easily carry out any plans he needed them for. Now it seemed that it was working against him. What he needed was a way to ensure that the bond didn't interfere with what he needed. Nothing short a a major head injury would even make the hunter forget those he loved.

Bingo! His last train of thought had given him an idea. With a smile the demon began casting a spell, sealing away what memories that he knew he could get away with sealing. The memories were just little things that the hunter wouldn't miss, most of his childhood. Crowley smiled as he managed to lock away more they he figured he could. Everything else was far too fresh in Dean's mind for him to try. As long as he kept it up and sealed away a little bit every time the hunter was asleep then he could easily wipe Dean's mind in less then a week.

With a growing smile he reached down and gently shook Dean. The eldest Winchester jerked awake, his hand sliding under his pillow for his gun. Crowley thought the look of confusion on his face when he realized it was missing was more then worth it. He waved a hand in front of his face and Dean turned to him with a glare.

"What the hell is your problem asshole?" Dean snapped. "And give me back my gun!"

"I didn't want to get shot while waking you up. It's almost noon. I thought you'd be hungry so I got you some food." The King of Hell said, making sure the he was in a position for his lips to be read.

Dean shoved the hovering demon away. "Why? So you can poison me?"

Crowley frowned. "You're too valuable to kill mate. I'm just trying to keep you healthy."

Dean got out of bed stumbling slightly. He sat back down and shook his head, trying to will the dizziness away. He had the strangest feeling. It was almost as if he was forgetting something. He shook his head realizing what he had forgotten. He glared up at the demon.

"I guess I forgot to salt and trap the room last night. If I had I wouldn't have woken up to your ugly mug." Dean said.

"I left my hell hound outside last night to protect you." Crowley said, bringing over the foam box and some plastic ware. "Couldn't have anything happen to my only son now can I?"

Dean flinched and stood, heading for the shower. "Don't call me that!"

Crowley smiled as the door slammed closed behind him. "You'll be calling me Dad sooner then you think. Just wait and see."

Sam swallowed hard as he carefully picked his way among the jagged rocks, his knife held tight in his fist. He slipped a little in a pool of something red that he didn't want to think about. Two pairs of hands steadied him and he was grateful. Something warm brushed over him from both sides and he relaxed a bit. Hell wasn't a walk in the park but he was holding up okay.

"I'm fine. Really." Sam said to the two angels.

Castiel nodded and released him. "I know this is uncomfortable for you Sam but this will be over soon. We do not intend to linger."

"I'm fine really." Sam insisted.

Gold eyes appraised him but nodded and Gabriel released him before the angel continued on at a quick pace. Sam cast a nervous glance around before rushing to catch up to his mate, with Castiel trailing close behind, his angel blade ready. They soon came to a large wide open space that seemed to drag on forever. Sam froze as he remembered this place. This was the Cage. Gabriel was staring down at it with a look that clearly said that he wanted to be anywhere but here and Sam had to agree.

"Gabe?"

"I'm fine Sam."

"Liar. I'm in your head now remember?" Sam said softly.

"Will you both be okay?" Castiel asked, his wings shifting uncomfortably.

"We'll be fine Cassie. Promise. I'm just not looking forward to dealing with either Michael or Lucifer. Especially since they both believe me to be dead." Gabriel admitted, his own wings quivering. "Well let's get this over with. I don't want to stay down here any longer then I have too. Dean needs us to get back and soon."

Gabriel jumped and slid down the steep cliff, his wings stabilizing him as he went and Sam couldn't help but watch in awe. For a minute he didn't see his mate as the Trickster but as the archangel he truly was. It was Castiel's chuckle that brought him back to himself. He flushed and the dark haired angel took his hand and helped him down. They made it with very little effort but the hunter still stumbled when he made it to the bottom.

"You okay?" Castiel asked softly.

Sam nodded and turned his gaze to Gabriel who was staring into the Cage and facing down none other then Michael, still in the body of Adam. Michael seemed shocked to see them. His eyes were trained on Gabriel's wings and his mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. Gabriel didn't seem to care but looked past his eldest brother as if waiting for something. It was only when Gabriel folded his wings up tightly behind him that Michael seemed to come back to himself.

"Gabriel? Gabriel is that really you?" Michael asked softly.

Those golden eyes flicked to him and then back to the Cage.

The pain that radiated off of Michael was almost tangible at the small act. "Gabriel please..."

The archangel stiffened but didn't look back at him.

"Please Gabriel. Please look at me. Please say something." Michael said coming closer to the edge of the Cage.

"Something." The archangel snapped, his body tense.

Michael reached out of the Cage and tried to touch his brother. "Gabriel..."

Gabriel pulled away almost violently, his wings puffing up in agitation. "Don't ever touch me. I never want you to touch me again."

Michael frowned, his hand dropping. "Gabriel what I did was for-"

"The needs of the many. I know. I understand. It still fucking hurt. I loved you and just used me as a way to get me to make more Ambronise and to get your rocks off. Just answer me this. Did I ever mean anything more then that to you or was I just a means to an end?" Gabriel asked, his voice cold as ice and it had Sam clenching his hand tight around his knife.

The First Born gave him a sad look. "I always loved you Gabriel. I was just never in love with you. I'm sorry I couldn't be what you needed me to be but I did try. I tired and I failed."

"Sorry for being a failure in your book." Gabriel snapped. "Now go find something to do."

"It wasn't like that Gabriel!" Michael yelled, pain clear in his voice, even as he tried to grab Gabriel again. "You weren't the failure. I was. I was supposed to protect you and I failed. I failed and you changed. You weren't the same Gabriel that loved to play games and pull pranks for the fun of it. You were just a shadow of who you used to be and when you...When I found your body something inside me died. Do you know how bad that hurt?"

Gabriel let out an inhuman sound that had the First Born flinching and Castiel pulling Sam a bit further away. "Do you know how bad it hurt to find out that you used me as fucking bait to distract Lucifer long enough to get his Cage ready? I spent twenty years dying as his play toy and I don't think for once second it ever crossed your mind as to the damage it would leave me with. So do us both a favor okay? Don't talk about hurting. You know nothing about it you selfish bastard."

"That doesn't sound like the Gabriel that I remember." Lucifer said stepping from the shadows, his form that of his previous vessel Nick once more. "Did your death at my hands really make you so bitter, Little Brother?"

Gabriel gave him a smile and Sam felt the angel brush softly against his mind, taking in the comfort that the hunter gladly gave him. "Hello Luci. Just the angel I needed to see. We need to talk."

That had Lucifer tilting his head in a confused manner and Michael frowned. "You want to willingly spend time in my company? After everything that's happened between us?"

The youngest archangel nodded. "This is important otherwise I never would have come here."

Lucifer's blue eyes flicked over to Sam and Castiel. "Hello Sam. Castiel. It's been a while."

Gabriel's wings shot out and blocked them from view. "They aren't here to see you. They are here to support me. Now are you going to talk to me or am I wasting my time?"

Lucifer took a moment to appraise him before nodding. "We can talk. What do you need?"

"I need to know how to change a half demon back into a human."

Th devil blinked, the shock clear on his face. "Why would you need to know that?"

Gabriel's anger was almost visible. "Because right now my adopted son is running scared topside because he's been turned into a half demon."

"Adopted son?" Michael asked. "When did you adopt a son?"

"The better question is why would you need to adopt a son?" Lucifer asked, his confusion clear.

"I guess you would have forgotten since it did affect you but you took away my ability to have kids remember?" Gabriel asked softly. "Right after you ripped my only son apart before my eyes and then broke my wing and left me for dead."

"You...You still have the binding?" Lucifer's voice sounded pained for some reason.

Gabriel let out a huff. "Considering that you're the only one who can undo it then that would be a yes. I still bare your binding mark."

The look on Lucifer's face was filled with a mixture of regret and heartbreak. "Just how many times did you try to have children Gabriel?"

The youngest archangel glared. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because that mark was supposed to wear down. The more you tired to have children the quicker it would wear out. Why didn't you try?" Lucifer asked. "The Gabriel I know would have kept trying."

"The Gabriel you knew began dying when you turned him into nothing more then a sex toy. He finally died when you killed his son in front of him The nail in his coffin was when he realized that you took away the one thing that brought him the most joy in life." Gabriel said, his voice cracking. "It killed me to know that I could never have kids again so I gave up. I quit after the second time I tried. I quit trying because I couldn't stand knowing that it would never take!"

Sam came forward and pulled Gabriel to his chest, feeling his mate's pain as if it were his own. He tangled his fingers in Gabriel's hair rubbing and whispering words of love and affection across their bond. Sam even sent pictures of him willing to bare a child for the angel if he could. The sudden rush of love and adoration nearly sent him to his knees. It was enough for Gabriel to regain his strength and force himself to face his brothers once more, this time with Sam nestled between his wings, arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Lucifer and Michael were both watching them shock on their faces but it was Michael that spoke first. "You...You have a mate."

Gabriel nodded. "Yes. We completed our bond before coming here."

Lucifer swallowed hard and looked away. "You said you need to cure your son?"

"Yes. I adopted Dean Winchester as my own."

If either angel had been shocked by that they didn't show it and Lucifer nodded. "You'll need a few things. One of my feathers, a piece of hair from a relative, the fang of a vampire, the skull of a holy man, poison from a djinn, and blood from a hell hound."

"And what do we need to do?" Sam asked, not scared at all of his former possesser.

"Take the skull and fill it with the blood. Add the fang first and then the poison. My feather and the hair must be added last and at the same time." Lucifer said.

"And this will fix Dean?" Castiel asked coming forward. "It will heal my mate completely?"

"Mate? Okay then you'll also need one of your feathers too. Add it at the same time as mine and the hair." Lucifer said quickly amending his spell. "That will actually help purge the blood quicker."

Gabriel was staring at Satan hard. "Odd."

Lucifer looked up at the single utterance. "What is?"

"I expected to have be ready to make some kind of deal with you. Like maybe paying an arm and leg for a cure. Or maybe even another wing since you already took my firstborn." Gabriel said, his formerly broken wing twitching rapidly until Sam reached up and gently rubbed it.

The taller angel actually flinched at that. "Gabriel what happened to your wing and with Razael...That was all an accident. It was never supposed to go that far."

"Well it did. I lost my only child and I can never get him back." The archangel snapped.

Michael flinched at that and looked away.

Lucifer turned on him. "You never told him?"

"I was going to wait until he was fully healed. By the time he was Gabriel was..." Michael trailed off. "If I had known that Gabriel was going to do what he did I would have told him."

Lucifer glared. "And you call me evil. Since you kept the secret you can tell him the truth."

Michael took a deep breath and nodded, standing a bit straighter to face his younger brother. "Gabriel... Razael didn't die that day. He...he was hurt very badly but didn't die. We managed to save him. It took a long time before he was able to do anything because of the damage but he's alive. Your son lives, Little Brother."

Gabriel turned away from him. "Really? Another lie Michael? How many more do you plan to telling me? How much more pain would you like to see me in?"

Sam sent a wave of confusion at his mate and what came back was enjoyment. Sam hid a smile in one of those golden wings. It seemed his mate was channeling his Trickster at the moment and wanted to get as much revenge as he could. He turned to look at Castiel, who had the same look of understanding as he did. It seemed that the younger angel knew what was happening too.

Michael, however, became more upset at Gabriel's words. "It's not a lie Gabriel! Razael is still alive! I swear to you!"

"Yeah. Just like you swore to save me too." Came the bitter response. "Lucifer I am going to need that feather now."

Lucifer nodded as Michael seemed to deflate. It seemed that the eldest archangel was devastated by the fact that the smaller blonde refused to believe him. The devil released his pure blinding white wings and curled one around and pulled a few primary feathers out. He didn't come any closer to the edge of the Cage though making Sam frown. He sent his worry to his mate and he responded with a wave of reassurance. Nodding Sam let Gabriel go and the youngest archangel went forward to collect the feathers.

When he reached the edge of the Cage, Gabriel held out his hand. Lucifer shook his head and made a come here motion. With a wary look and a frown the blonde slid closer, putting his arm through the bars of the Cage to reach for the feathers. With a grin Lucifer rushed forward with almost blinding speed and pinned Gabriel's arm against one of the bars and held on tightly.

Sam went to move but Gabriel sent him a clear message to stay put. The youngest archangel knew Lucifer was just trying to intimidate him. Michael had also moved closer but seemed hesitant to interfere unless something more happened. Gold eyes locked with blue and Gabriel refused to be intimidated by Lucifer. He was not the same naive angel he had been all those years ago and he no longer feared angering him. His days as the devil's pet were long since over.

"Let go Lucifer." Gabriel said, his voice a low growl.

"No. Not until you hear me out and this might be the only chance I get to do this so I am going to take it. I know you won't believe me but I am sorry for what I did to you. At the time it seemed right but I know now that I had no right to take my frustrations out on you." Lucifer said softly. "I know you'll never forgive me for what I made you into but the least I can do is admit that I was wrong and that I never should have done it. I made you suffer because of my jealously and I know that it destroyed you in some way. I hope that maybe you can find the strength you need to move past it. I can only hope that you've found it in your mate."

"Good to know." The small blonde snapped. "Now fuck off."

Lucifer nodded and slipped his feathers into Gabriel's pocket. "There are a few extra just in case. And before you go I would like to give you my apology if I may?"

Gabriel looked confused. "Isn't that what this is? You giving me your feathers and that whole speech wasn't the apology?"

"No. This is."

Lucifer's other hand came up and fisted into the smaller blonde's hair. He pulled Gabriel hard against the bars, ripping his shirt open, and smashed their lips together, splitting both of their lips open. The devil's other hand came up and gathered the bit of blood there before he reached down. Lucifer pulled back from the kiss and pressed his blood covered finger's against his younger brother's stomach and whispered a few words. Gabriel's eyes went wide and the spell went off with the force of a small explosion, sending the youngest archangel flying back and into Sam and Castiel's arms.

Gabriel struggled to catch his breath, his arms wrapped tight around his stomach where the spell impacted. Tears fell from his eyes at the burning pain that radiated from that spot. He felt Sam wipe away his tears even as he heard someone shouting angrily and the sounds of flesh striking flesh. Taking a few moments to just breath Gabriel was finally able to relax enough that the pain began to recede. Opening his eyes he was met with Sam's worried green.

"Gabe are you okay? What happened?" Sam asked worriedly.

Gabriel sat up slowly with help from Sam and he looked down at his stomach, surprised to see that the runes and ink there were running off his skin like water. "The binding..."

"My apology to you, Little Brother."

Gabriel looked up at the Cage where Lucifer was currently pinned against the bars by Michael, with Castiel's blade at his throat. Apparently having said what he need to Lucifer shook Michael off and turned and headed deeper into the Cage. Gabriel watched him go, one hand pressed tightly against his stomach. Michael looked between his two brothers, seemingly torn between checking on them both. With a small nodded from the youngest archangel, Michael disappeared after the Morningstar.

Castiel turned back to Gabriel with a look of confusion. "Are you alright? I feared the worst when he cast that spell."

"It hurt worse when he put it on." Gabriel admitted. "Now come on. Dean needs us."