Gabriel was sitting beside Sam gently touching his hair as he slept. He hadn't moved so much as an inch since Lucifer and Michael left. He sat there and watched his son sleep, and vowed never to let something like this happen again.

Gabriel soon heard someone enter the room. He turned to see Castiel. "Hey, bro."

"Hello, brother. I apologize if I'm bothering you. I couldn't wait to see how he was," Castiel said. From the moment he found out what happened to Sam, he'd wanted to rush over, but Lucifer told him Gabriel wished to be alone with Sam.

"You're not. Come on over," Gabriel said.

Castiel walked over to them. He gasped when he got a look at Sam's wing. Lucifer told him what happened, but it was different than actually seeing Sam's torn wing. He just couldn't believe what those… monsters had done to his nephew. Harming an angel's wing was one of the worst things you could do. It got even worse when that angel was a fledgling.

"It'll heal. It'll just take a couple times. Wings are the hardest to heal," Sam said.

"Gabriel, I'm sorry. Most of those angels were from my garrison," Castiel said. He felt very bad about this. He should've been paying more attention to the angels under his command.

"It's not your fault, Cas. You didn't know what they were planning. I know you would've stopped them if you had," Gabriel said.

Castiel nodded. "It's likely that Vashti was the leader of all of them. He was the one that was most vocal about Sam since it was revealed that he existed, at least in my garrison. He's also very much a Michael supporter. Do you think Michael ordered this?" From what he gathered, Michael was the one to kill Vashti, but that could be to make sure the angel couldn't tell anyone he was responsible.

"No, I don't. Michael is the one that started to heal Sam. I don't know why, but he helped my son. Plus, he had plenty of opportunities to hurt Sam, but he didn't," Gabriel said. He didn't think much of his older brother, but he didn't believe he had anything to do with what happened to Sam.

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked.

Gabriel realized that Cas hadn't known about the training that Michael had been giving Sam over the last month and a half. He quickly filled the seraph in.

Castiel was more than a little bit shocked. He couldn't believe his nephew would willingly work with Michael for over a month after everything the archangel had done. "Why would Sam do that?"

"I don't know. I was too angry to let him tell me. I'm gonna have to rectify that mistake when he's better," Gabriel said. He regretted the way he reacted even more so now that Sam was hurt. He would make it right as soon as he could. He couldn't say he wouldn't still be angry, but he would at least listen and try to understand.

"I can understand why that would make you angry," Castiel said.

"Yeah, but I should've waited until I was at least a little calmer before I talked to him. Listen, Cas, I need you to do something for me," Gabriel said.

"Anything," he said immediately.

"I had to leave Dean and Bobby pretty abruptly after that earthquake. They know something's wrong. I need you to go and let them know that everything is alright," Gabriel said. He wouldn't be able to go himself, at least not for a while. He couldn't even think of leaving Sam right now.

"Is there anything I should omit?" Castiel asked.

"Well, if you can spare some of the details, please do, but I doubt that's going to be possible. Both Dean and Bobby will insist on knowing everything, and they won't stop worrying until they do," Gabriel said.

"Alright," Castiel said before flying away.

Gabriel heard a groan from right next to him. He immediately turned his attention back to his son, who was just starting to open his eyes. "Hey, kiddo."

"Dad?" Sam asked.

"I'm right here," Gabriel said before brushing a bit of Sam's hair back.

"Where am I?" Sam asked, not recognizing his surroundings.

"You're in Heaven's infirmary. You're gonna be okay," Gabriel promised.

Sam thought back a little. He vaguely remembered Michael telling him they were taking him to the infirmary. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"No, none of that, Sammy. This is not your fault," Gabriel said firmly.

"I…I disobeyed you," Sam said.

"I know. You don't need to worry about it. I'm not angry," Gabriel promised.

"Will you be later?" Sam asked. He was smart enough to know that sometimes a trauma diluted an angry reaction, but it might come back once things were better.

Gabriel chuckled a little. "All things considered, I think we can let this one go. You shouldn't have disobeyed me, but It's a small thing, and I see no reason to dwell on it now. I don't want you to either. No matter what, you didn't deserve what happened to you."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," Sam said.

Gabriel sighed and nodded. "When this is over, you and I will sit down and have a talk, a real one, not just me yelling. I promise, you'll have a chance to tell me your side."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for not listening before," Gabriel said

Gabriel soon heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned to see Michael.

"I don't mean to interrupt anything, but I need to heal him," Michael said.

Sam stiffened as he heard that. He remembered how much it hurt when Michael started healing him earlier. He didn't want to feel that again. "No!"

Gabriel turned back to his son and took his hand. "Hey, it's okay, son. It will only hurt for a few seconds."

"No, it kills!" Sam cried.

"I know, but it's the only way it'll get better," Gabriel said.

Michael approached Sam on the other side of him. "Sam, I promise, I will be as quick as I can, and when I'm done, it'll feel a little better."

"It's okay. Just squeeze my hand. It will be quick," Gabriel promised.

Sam squeezed his father's hand as hard as he could and waited for the pain.

Michael placed a hand on his nephew's wing and allowed his Grace to flow through it.

Sam screamed as the pain increased by about fifty percent.

Michael took his hand away. "Okay, it's done. Some of thorn pieces are fusing back together. I should only have to do this one more time."

Sam groaned. "Again?"

"Yes, just one more time, but not for a few hours," Michael said.

"Then we can go home, and you can rest in your own bed," Gabriel told him.

"I'll be back later," Michael said before starting to leave.

"Wait. Michael?" Sam called.

"Yes, Sam," he answered.

"What's going to happen to those angels?" Sam wondered.

"I don't know yet, but I don't think mercy is a concept any of us can see right now," Michael said.

Gabriel lifted an eyebrow at Michael in surprise. What the hell was up with his brother. He'd killed Vashti and helped Sam, and now he seemed just as intend on getting justice as the rest of them. What was going on?

"You shouldn't worry about the fate of those angels. Whatever it is, they brought it on themselves," Michael said. He was sickened at the thought his nephew felt any kind of concern for those angels. He was sickened both at the angels and at himself. They'd believed Sam was a danger, but here Sam was worried about the lives of people who attacked him. How could they have ever thought he was a danger? How could Michael have?

"The only thing you need to worry about is healing, kiddo," Gabriel said.

"I should go now. Get some rest, Sam," Michael said before leaving the room.

"Dad?" Sam called out.

"Yeah."

"There was an Earthquake right after it all happened. Did I do it?" Sam asked. He felt like he must have. He felt a massive amount of power consuming his body when it happened. What had happened as a result? Had he hurt anyone?

"The Earthquake was the result of six seraphs launching a brutal attack. You're not to take the blame for anything that happened today," Gabriel said firmly.

"But…"

"Nope, no 'buts'. Nothing that happened was your fault. Now, I want you to go back to sleep. You need to rest," Gabriel said. He could see his boy's eyes fighting to stay open. He was obviously very tired.

"I am tired. It feels a lot like it does when I get done smiting," Sam said.

"You used a lot of power. I'm surprised you were even able to wake up on your own. Go on, go to sleep. I will be here when you wake up," Gabriel promised.

Sam finally gave up the fight to stay awake, and closed his eyes.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Michael walked down to the prison. Not long after leaving Sam and Gabriel, one of the guards asked to see him. Michael approached an angel standing just outside the door to the cells. "Caleb."

"Thank you for coming, sir. Thaddeus demanded that I get you, and he wouldn't shut up until I agreed," Caleb said.

Michael sneered as he thought about that little coward demanding anything after what he did. "I should be the last person he wants to see right now."

"May I ask what he and the others did? I can only guess that it would take a lot for a guard of Heaven to be imprisoned. It have anything to do with the chaos earlier?" Caleb asked.

"They attacked a fledgling, and they will all pay for that," was all Michael said before bypassing the guard and heading for the cells. He walked by the other bastards that were imprisoned with Thaddeus, all of whom had the good sense to back away in fear.

Michael stopped at the last cell on the right. "Just when I believe you people have reached the final level of stupidity, you demand my attention. Did my attention work so well for Vashti?"

"Why are we here? We did what should've been done from the start," Thaddeus said righteously.

"Which one of you was it? Which of you tore into his wing? Was it you? We both know how much you love to cause pain. Torture has always been your thing, and the more helpless, the better. Was it your idea? Were you the one who decided to go six seraphs against one fledgling?" Michael asked coldly.

"No, against a disgusting abomination!" Thaddeus snarled. "We did what should've been done the second he stepped one foot into this place. You should've done it. You would've if you hadn't turned into such a coward since Lucifer's return.

Michael reached through the bars and grabbed the angel around the back to one of his wings, causing the seraph to scream. "I'm a coward! You attacked a child. It doesn't get more cowardly than that, but somehow you managed to. You attacked him six against one. You sliced your blades through his wings!"

"He deserved it! He shouldn't exist!"

"And you think you should?" Michael asked before producing his blade. "I would love to do to you what I did to Vashti, after of course taking this blade and tearing your wings to shreds, just as you did to my little fledgling nephew. Do you know why I don't? Because your fate will be public. Because we are going to make an example of you," he said before pushing the seraph away from him and addressing the rest of them. "We will make examples out of all of you!"

There were several whimpers at the archangel's words.

"By the time we're finished with you, no one will dare touch that boy again! I will make sure that anyone who even considers it remember every last one of you, and they will shudder to think of the same fate being delivered to them!" Michael vowed before storming away.