"Hey."

Liam looked up from his drawing, lying on his stomach on the bed he used at Bobby's house. He pulled a headphone out, concerned by the serious look on Sam's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Sam smiled softly, walking in and closing the door behind him. "I just wanted to talk to you about something private. I know it's kind of getting close to when you usually go to bed, but this was the only time when you were alone."

"O… kay?" Liam swallowed, nervousness stirring in his chest. "What… what did you want to talk about?"

Sam walked up to the bed and sat down, still wearing that smile on his face that kept Liam's heart from beating too fast. "I wanted to talk to you about masturbation."

Eyes widening slightly, Liam pushed himself up onto his knees and set his drawing pad aside. He reminded himself that Sam wasn't angry with him as he smoothly shifted into sitting with his legs crisscrossed. "What about it?"

"Well, I've been doing some looking." Sam held out his hand, tilting it from side to side. "There's a lot of perspectives out there. But I can tell you that some people say masturbation helped them reclaim their body after sexual abuse." He held up a finger. "Now, there were also some mentions of masturbating compulsively. I know you feel a lot of guilt about it, but is it something you don't want to do that you do compulsively? Something you want to stop but you can't?"

"I…" Liam dropped his gaze, trying to think, trying to sift through the rather unpleasant memories associated with the act. He always wound up crying and feeling worthless, but he couldn't deny that while he was doing it, he got… almost like a sense of control. "I guess… I don't… I just feel like I should stop based on my guilt. I… I don't do it all the time, so I don't think it's… unhealthy or… or an addiction or anything." He felt his throat get a little tighter, and he shook his head. "I just feel like I shouldn't because of what my dad did to me."

Sam frowned faintly, but it wasn't a frown of disapproval. "Liam, do you… we've never really talked about your dad." He pulled his legs up on the bed, crossing them the way Liam had. "Do you… want to tell me about that?"

Biting his lip, Liam tried to summon a quick answer, but he found he needed more information. "I… what kind of stuff do you want to know?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with. Maybe something you feel is related to the masturbation issue?" Sam lifted his hands in a helpless sort of gesture.

Liam thought about it for a moment, and even though he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say, his lips started to move. "I… I just…" He wet his lips, gaze still averted. "I… I liked how it felt." He almost choked on the words. "Not all the time, but… but enough… but… but then, when it wasn't going on, when it was just me, alone with my thoughts… I got this awful, sick feeling inside. I knew it wasn't right, and I knew… I knew it was going to hurt me." He snorted out a quiet laugh. "I didn't know how much it was going to hurt me, but I still… I knew."

Nodding seriously, Sam kept his eyes trained on Liam, listening in open, unjudging silence.

"It kept going on… and on… and I started to just…" Liam lifted his hands, fingers curling as he struggled to pull the words out of thin air. "I could feel everything physically, but my mind was just… so numb and… and…"

Sam didn't interrupt, and he didn't press for an answer. He just waited patiently.

"…and my brain just shut everything out… and then the rest of the time, it was always different. Sometimes it was like my brain was being electrocuted, and other times it was like I couldn't feel anything at all." Liam sniffed. "But… I don't know what all of that means."

Sam nodded and waited to see if Liam would continue, and when he didn't, Sam slowly opened his mouth. "I… don't have all the answers, Liam. I wish I did. But I can tell you that those feelings—of your brain being electrocuted and the numbness—are normal trauma responses. They don't hit everyone, and they don't always hit in the same way, but they do hit."

Swallowing, Liam looked down at his lap. "Why…" He shook his head, feeling a tear slip onto his cheek. "Why did my dad do that to me?"

Sam looked at him with pain in his eyes. "I don't know, Liam." He reached out and gently wiped the tear from Liam's face. "But I can tell you it wasn't because of anything you did. I can tell you it wasn't your fault."

"But you don't even know what I did," Liam objected, sniffing as the tears started to come faster. "I—I would sometimes go looking for it, Sam, and I—I didn't try to fight him. I didn't kick or push or bite or—"

"Liam." Sam scooted a little closer. "It doesn't matter. Even if you were the one who asked, even if you went up to him and said, 'Daddy, will you touch me?' it doesn't matter." He shook his head. "You are not responsible for someone taking advantage of you. You are not responsible for the evil of other people. You didn't know, and you were—you are—a child, and you don't have all the answers, and he is your dad. He is supposed to steer you right and teach you what to do with those urges."

Liam dragged his arm across his eyes, choking out another sob. "But—but if it wasn't me, then—then why?"

"Because people do the wrong thing. Because there's evil in the world, and good people—innocent people—suffer because of it." Sam took a breath, seeming to struggle with himself for a moment. "I…"

Liam looked at Sam through his tears, feeling the wetness on his cheeks and the snot trying to leak from his nose. He sobbed again, shoulders trembling, and he choked out a question that had plagued him for years. "They didn't love me, did they?"

"Liam, they—"

"Don't lie to me!" Liam dropped his head into his hands, crying harder. "Tell me—tell me the truth. I want to know."

Sam didn't say anything for a moment. "Come here."

Liam lifted his head and found Sam sitting with his arms spread, and he was launching himself across the mattress in seconds. He grabbed Sam around the neck and buried his face in the familiar-smelling flannel, cries wrenching out of him. He gripped the back of Sam's shirt, making himself as small as possible and trying to fit on Sam's lap.

"It's okay." Sam wrapped his arms around his son, speaking softly as he squeezed Liam tight. "Just keep breathing."

Shaking, Liam summoned his voice again. "I know they didn't love me." He gasped. "Remember—remember when we talked about how, if you love someone, you show them?" He grit his teeth, clinging for dear life. "They never showed me."

Sam ran a hand through Liam's hair. "I know, buddy." He pressed a kiss to Liam's temple, squeezing him again. "I know."

"But y-you do, right?" Liam drew a stuttering breath. "Because you—you show me every day?" His low self-esteem turned the statement into a question. "Right?"

"Of course I do, Liam." Sam cradled him, holding him close, and he started rocking back and forth. "I love you more than you will ever be able to understand, and it will never go away." He kissed him again. "You are my little boy."

Liam pressed his forehead into Sam's shoulder, keeping his eyes shut tight as tears continued to work their way across his face. He felt some relief, but even Sam's unconditional love for him couldn't take away the fact that he wasn't good enough for the people who had brought him into the world; for the people who raised him for the first nine and a half years of his life.

"I know it still hurts." It was like Sam was reading his mind. "It's okay that it hurts. You need to process it, and that will take time. It's okay to cry like this and get upset."

Sniffing hard, Liam gripped Sam's shirt a little tighter. He felt the sobs coming less frequently, and they didn't rack his chest the way they had before. Slowly, he started to calm, Sam's smell and feel and presence doing what it had done for him before. It brought him back to a place where he knew everything would be okay, even if the moment he was in was painful, and it brought him to a place of trust.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Sam asked, raking his fingers through Liam's dark red hair again. "We don't have to go to bed right away. I can just read while you draw, and we could just hang out."

Liam nodded with a whispered, "Yeah." He didn't let go, though. He wasn't ready to return to any kind of normalcy. "Can we—can we just sit like this for a little?"

"Of course we can." Sam shifted, like he was making himself comfortable. "We can stay here as long as you need."

Nodding, Liam stayed pressed against the man who had pulled him out of the darkness and into the light. He still remembered that first night with Sam. He remembered the overwhelming adrenaline of running away, but then, as it faded, the nervousness of wondering what Sam was like; the fear of the unknown. But Sam had met that fear with gentleness and kindness and understanding, and that had been more than a year ago. Sam had spent more than a year blowing Liam's mind with his unconditional love, and Liam knew he wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"I love you, Sam."

"I love you, too, Liam." Sam gave him another squeeze. "Always."

"Everybody wants to be a cat… because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at…"

Liam pulled his blanket a little higher, curled up on the couch with Calypso on his lap. "Is that true, Cali?"

Lifting her head, Calypso gave him a long stare, and then she offered a tiny meow. She started flexing her feet, kneading his thighs, and then she curled up a little tighter, putting her head down.

"I think you're right." Liam stroked her fur, putting his eyes back on the screen, and he started to slip down into his thoughts.

It had been a week since Sam came into his room and talked to him, and he had been struggling since that night. It was strange, because he felt like he had always known his parents didn't love him, and he felt like he had admitted it out loud before, but every time it was brought to his attention, it just… shook him.

Meowing softly, Calypso started to rub her head against his stomach.

Liam scratched her ears, a faint smile pulling on his lips. "Thanks, girl." He sighed, melting into the couch, and he found the cats on the television screen weren't doing a good job of distracting him. "They should be back soon… they've been gone for a while…" He slouched against the arm. "I want to be alone, but I don't want to be alone."

Calypso meowed again, and Liam got the idea she was commiserating.

"Yeah…" Liam continued to pet her, weary eyes landing on the TV again.

Seconds turned into minutes, the movie droning on as Liam tried to stay interested, and after about ten of those minutes, he heard a car pulling up outside. Immediately, Calypso got up and stalked toward the front door, growling softly, and Liam managed a small smile.

"It's okay, Cali. It's Sorzie and Dee and Uncle Bobby."

She ignored him, keeping her gaze fixed on the front door, and Liam rolled his eyes. He paused the movie and threw his blanket off, getting to his feet and hoping his socks would be enough to keep out the mid-September chill as he walked out front.

"Hey, Lee!"

Liam waved at them, watching as they pulled bag after bag from the Impala and started carrying them toward the house. "Need any help?"

"That would be great!" Dean jerked his head toward the car. "Just leave the oil, though. No point bringing it in when I'm just gonna take it right back out."

Liam nodded and started for Baby, offering weak smiles to Sam and Bobby as he passed them, and then he was looking at the trunk. He grabbed some bags and carried them in, helping his family unload the groceries and hardware they had picked up. It took maybe ten minutes, and then Liam was trudging back to the couch to lose himself to more movies.

"Hey, Liam."

Hearing his father, Liam turned and blinked in lieu of a response.

"I have something for you. Let me just—" Sam pointed toward the staircase. "It's upstairs. I just finished it last night, and you were pretty out of it when we left this morning, so—just gimme a sec."

Liam watched Sam leave, confused but curious, and then his gaze drifted over to Dean and Bobby. He gave them a questioning look, but they just smiled at him, so he looked back at the staircase.

"Okay, so it's nothing fancy—" Sam was saying as he walked down the stairs with a frame in his hands, "—but I thought you might like it." He walked over and gave Liam a smile before turning the frame around so Liam could see it.

Liam blinked, stepping a little closer to see the certificate. "Is that…?" He reached out, taking the picture from Sam and looking down at it. "It's a certificate of adoption."

Sam held up his hands. "I know it's not official, which really sucks, but I thought it would be good to have something to remind you that you're a part of our family."

"Liam T. Winchester." Liam swallowed, feeling a tightness in his throat. "I…"

Dean shrugged. "I mean, it's not like it's anything new. You've always been a Winchester." He nudged Liam on the shoulder, giving him a smile. "We just put it on paper now."

Sniffing, Liam looked up from the frame and smiled at his family. "Thanks. I love it." He wrapped his arms around it, holding it to his chest. "I really love it."

Sam leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm glad, buddy." He straightened up and gestured toward the living room. "Why don't we finish your movie, and then maybe we can get some school done."

"Ugh." Liam made a noise of displeasure that probably exaggerated his feelings, and then he flashed a small grin. "I guess we can do that."

Dean lifted his hand above his head and turned toward the door. "Bobby and I are going to go change some oil."

Bobby tipped his baseball cap.

Liam waved at them, and then he and Sam walked into the living room, both of them curling up on the couch. Sam immediately pulled Liam into his side, wrapping the blanket around their legs, and they settled in for the rest of the movie.

"You know that I love you, right?" Sam asked as the credits started to roll.

"Yeah." Liam kept his gaze on the screen, completely zoned out and not seeing anything. "I know that. I…" He slowly shook his head. "I can't stop… thinking about what I would say to them."

Sam rubbed Liam's upper arm. "You want to talk to them?"

"I don't know." He swallowed, still staring vacantly, able to picture his parents' faces in his mind. "I… I don't… I just want to…" He sighed. "I just want to ask them why I wasn't enough. But at the same time… I just want to rub it in their faces that—that I have a family now, and I belong, and I'm wanted, and—" He finally pulled his gaze away from the TV, looking at Sam with stinging eyes. "I just want them to know what they lost. And then—and then my brain says that they didn't lose anything, because I'm—I'm nothing special. But I… I want to believe…"

Sam looked at him, staying silent and looking very interested in what Liam had to say. He always looked like that, always so open and inviting and loving… he never looked at Liam like he was a nuisance.

"I just… want to believe… that I'm worth something."

Running his hand along Liam's cheek, Sam wore a kind smile. "You are worth something, Liam. You have always been worth something." He pushed a strand of dark red hair back. "It's okay that you want your parents to know what they lost. Because they did lose something, and it was a very big something. It was so important, and so amazing, and so unique."

Liam closed his eyes, trying to soak in the words. "I just…" He inhaled. "I just want them to know that they didn't win." He shook his head. "They probably wouldn't even care. But I just…"

Sam brushed his hair back again. "It's okay, Liam. It's normal to want that. I… I honestly don't know if they'll ever take responsibility for their actions, but… I will always be here to tell you what a big mistake they made."

Liam opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Dad." He let his gaze drift downward. "Maybe… maybe someday, like after I'm eighteen, I can… I can go see them."

"If that's something you want to do, we can figure out a safe way for you to do it."

Liam uncurled slightly, shifting on the couch, but he stayed close to Sam. "I guess I don't have to figure it out today."

"No, you don't." Sam squeezed Liam and then stood up, putting his hands on his hips. "Alright. School time."

Groaning, Liam dragged himself to his feet. "Fine. If we have to."

Sam tousled his hair. "We have to."

So, they walked out to the kitchen, Liam's mind wandering back through their conversation as he continued to think about what he would say to his parents if he could. He thought briefly about drawing them a picture and taking it to them, just to show them that he was talented, and the sketches they had always made fun of had led to hard work and practice that made his art remarkable. He thought about having a girlfriend and showing them what a healthy relationship he had when compared to their hateful, abusive mess.

"Lee?"

Liam grabbed Sam around the middle. "I love you."

Sam chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around Liam and holding him tightly. "I love you, too."

And Liam smiled.

"Wow. You have some seriously sucky dreams."

Liam jerked, eyes snapping open as he flew into an upright position. "What—?" He swallowed, looking around and quickly finding a familiar man leaning against the bedroom wall. "Gabriel?"

Pulling a sucker out of his mouth, the archangel twirled a finger in the air. "Ding, ding, ding! You win the prize."

"Um…" Liam shifted in bed, wringing his hands in his lap and wondering what Gabriel was doing in his bedroom. "You said… you said not to summon you until we had all the rings, and we don't—"

"Have Death's yet. I know." Gabriel pushed off the wall and started to meander around the room, picking his way through Liam's belongings with mild curiosity. "I just thought I'd pop in and see how the morale of the team was going. Unfortunately, you all still seem pretty determined to see this through to the end."

Liam wet his lips, trying to decide whether he was safe or not. "Well… we're not about to let the world be destroyed just because two brothers have issues." Feeling a little braver, he let out a soft laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "Can you imagine me destroying the whole planet because of those dreams I have that are seriously sucky? Or because I'm traumatized by what my parents did to me?"

Gabriel put the lollipop back in his mouth. "Yeah, I've heard the spiel." He picked up a history book, turning it over in his hands. "I still think you're all incredibly stupid, but I felt a sense of benevolence wash over me when I realized you got the third ring. I think Castiel and Balthazar need to start putting some serious effort into converting angels." He put the book down and grabbed a drawing of a cat and a butterfly, cocking his head to the side as he looked at it. "I won't say I've been helping, but I've been snooping a bit, and I'm finding some angels who are getting suspicious of the orders they're receiving."

"You mean… they might be willing to help us trap Michael and Lucifer?" Liam squinted. "But… I thought Heaven wanted this battle."

Gabriel put the picture down and turned around, leaning back against the small desk. "Oh, the higher ups do. Angels that are of Castiel's rank or higher know they released Lucifer on purpose. But the lower angels… like, for example, your little friend, Samandriel. They have no idea what's going on, and some of them have been working missions involving humans for years. They're attached to the human race, and they like Earth, and they don't want to see people get hurt. Believe it or not, some angels still hold true to our Father's original plan."

Liam looked down at his lap, pursing his lips as he thought. "So, they might be willing to help us. Would they even have the strength to take on two archangels?"

Gabriel crossed his legs at the ankles, pulling the sucker out of his mouth again. "Oh, goodness no. But if I can start feeding them a steady dose of archangel Grace… well, they might stand a chance of landing a blow or two in the big battle."

"If you…?" Shaking his head, Liam tried to follow the conversation, comparing what he was hearing with what he knew of Gabriel. "You're saying you would be willing to give out some of your Grace to other angels, even though we don't have all four rings yet? Even though you think this whole thing is pointless?"

Gabriel sighed. "It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that your family is going to stop at nothing to defeat my brothers. You're going to find Death, and you're going to get all four rings." He shrugged his shoulders. "If we're going to do this, we might as well do it right."

"And… you thought appearing to me was the best way to relay this message?" Squinting, Liam scratched at his hands nervously. "I'm just a kid. Why would you come to me?"

For the first time since he appeared, Gabriel seemed hesitant to talk, and he pushed off the desk to walk around the room. "You're the driving force behind all of this." He put one hand on his hip and gestured with the other. "I mean, don't get me wrong, even without you, they would be fighting to win this. They have to save the world and be the ultimate force for good and blah, ba-blah, ba-blah." He waved it off. "But you are here, and they are doing this for you. When they think about their goals, there is one face in the forefront of their minds, and that face is yours. Don't doubt the power you have in this situation, kid." He faced the bed fully, spreading his arms. "You're involved in this, and even if they're not gonna let you fight, you're going to be an influence."

Liam swallowed, nodding a few times. "Okay. I can see that." He bit his lip, thoughtful, and tilted his head to the side. "I guess you want me to tell them about this visit. You want me to tell Castiel and Balthazar to start converting angels." He cracked his knuckles, still fidgeting with his hands. "If you're going to be giving angels your Grace, you'll need to know who we're converting. Are you going to give me a number or something?"

Gabriel pulled a slip of paper from his jacket pocket, approaching the bed and holding it out. "I want this to be strictly business. No random calls asking for my help with this, that, and the other. No trying to convince me to do more than I've agreed to."

"Got it." Liam took the paper, staring at the phone number for a moment before looking back up at Gabriel. "You know, if you let us call you about not-so-strictly-business things, you could have a new family. I know you lost your old one, but that doesn't mean—"

"Yeah, we're not going there." Gabriel reached out. "Sweet dreams, kiddo."

"Wait—"

Gabriel's fingers made contact, and suddenly, Liam was lying down in the sheets and staring up at the ceiling, morning sunshine streaming through the window on his left. He sat up, looking around, blue eyes searching for any sign that Gabriel left more evidence of his visit. He looked down at his right hand, finding it curled into a fist, and he slowly opened it to reveal the paper Gabriel had given him.

"Sorzie!" Liam threw the covers off. "Dean! Bobby!" He scrambled out of bed and darted into the hall, not knowing if they were already awake or not. "Guys!"

"We're down here!"

Liam ran down the stairs and into the living room, taking a quick look around before spying his family in the kitchen. "Guys!" He rushed in and found them awaiting a breakfast that Sam was at the stove cooking. "Someone call Castiel and Balthazar. They need to hear this, too."

Sam turned slightly, still holding onto a frying pan with eggs in it. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes." Liam nodded vigorously. "It's a good thing."

Dean, who was leaning back against the counter, set his coffee cup aside and pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'll call Cas."

Liam nodded again, bouncing on his toes, and he looked at Bobby, who was sitting at the kitchen table. "It's a really good thing."

Bobby took a sip of his own coffee and gave Liam a knowing kind of smile. "Something really good happened while you were supposed to be sleeping?"

"Hey!" Liam held his hands up. "I didn't do anything!"

"Hey, Cas. Could you come to Bobby's with Balthazar? Liam—"

"Yes?"

Dean pulled the phone away from his ear, giving the angels a look. "Thanks." He slipped the device back into his pocket and nodded to Liam. "Alright, bud, we're all here."

Liam held up the piece of paper he had been given. "Gabriel visited me last night."

"What?"

"What do you mean he visited you?"

"Are you sure it was Gabriel?"

"How about we let the boy talk?" Bobby gave the others a glare and then gestured to the floor. "It's all you, Lee. Go ahead and tell us what happened."

Liam nodded. "He woke me up in the middle of the night. He said he knew about us finding the third ring, and he said that Castiel and Balthazar need to start trying to convince angels to fight on our side." He held up the piece of paper. "He gave me his number and said we should call him when we convert angels, and then he'll start giving them doses of his Grace to help them become more powerful."

"He was just barely cooperating with us before." Dean grabbed his coffee but didn't drink it. "Why would he decide to be helpful all of a sudden?"

Liam shook his head. "He just said it's becoming obvious that we're going to get all the rings. He said if we're going to do this, we should do it right."

Sam flipped the eggs in the pan, a frown pulling on his lips. "So, maybe he saw how determined we were and… had a change of heart?"

"It's possible." Castiel stared down at the floor, blue eyes contemplative. "He left Heaven before my time. I don't know much about him, but what little I do know tells me he's… softer, I suppose, than Michael and Lucifer."

Balthazar slipped his hands into his pockets. "We don't even know if the phone number is legitimate. He could be messing with us."

Running a hand through his hair, Sam let out a soft sigh. "I don't suppose he would like us calling him just to see if it works." He grabbed some salt from the counter and seasoned the eggs. "So, we've got to change an angel's mind and, once they've agreed to help, call Gabriel with some actual information." He put the salt back and looked at Liam. "He didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"

Liam shook his head. "No. He just wanted to give the information to me because… well, he said I was a driving force." He shrugged. "I don't know exactly what that means, but… he said not to doubt my power."

Bobby reached up to scratch his beard. "Well, he's telling us he's willing to help. I say while Castiel and Balthazar are recruiting angels, we need to be working on a place to put them. We need a place where they can hide from the angels in Heaven, where Gabriel can start giving out his Grace, and where they can practice using those powers in preparation for this fight."

"I couldn't agree more." Dean took a sip. "We've got to figure out where all this is going down."

Sam nodded, lifting the pan from the stove and gently sliding the eggs onto a plate. "Dean, get your breakfast." He grabbed an egg from the nearby carton and cracked it against the corner of the counter. "I'll grab my laptop, and we can start looking for options right away."

Liam glanced down when he felt Calypso rub up against him. "We should make it far away from Bobby's house and from our home base."

"Definitely," Sam agreed, and then he looked at the angels in the room. "How are you guys going to get angels alone and talk to them about what Heaven is planning?"

Castiel pursed his lips, staring down at his shoes, hands buried deep in his pockets. "If we were to track angel activity, we might be able to intercept angels while they're on Earth performing duties." He squinted slightly. "We'll have the disadvantage of not knowing everyone's rank and, therefore, not knowing who all is aware of Heaven's plans."

"Yeah, but that could be a good thing." Balthazar put his hands on his hips. "If we start killing those who don't agree to help us, we could reduce the amount of angels Michael can call on during the big battle."

Liam looked between the two angels. "Gabriel also used Samandriel as an example of an angel who doesn't know what Heaven is really planning. Maybe you can use some kind of ritual to start with him?"

Nodding, Castiel got a concerned look on his face, something Liam couldn't quite identify but knew he didn't like. "There is something else we need to think about: Raphael."

Balthazar cursed under his breath and then held out a hand toward Liam. "Sorry, kid." He looked at Castiel. "Raphael hasn't been active in eons. Do we really think he's going to be a threat?"

Sam turned away from the stove, spatula in hand. "I take it he's another archangel?"

"Yes." Castiel shook his head. "If Michael calls on him, I have no doubt he will enter this fight." He lifted his gaze from his feet and directed it at his brother. "If we start to encounter and interrogate angels, we may be able to gather information about him, but… with how dormant he's been, I don't know that we'll be able to get much."

Bobby drummed his fingers on the table. "Well, if Gabriel is willing to mete out some of his Grace, he could be involved enough in this fight to take his own swipe at an archangel."

Forking some eggs into his mouth, Dean leaned back against the counter and crossed his legs at the ankles. "Maybe, but he told us if we summoned him before it was time, we'd be stains on the walls. We also haven't converted any angels yet, meaning we don't have a reason to call him. Do we just wait for him to show up in Liam's dreams again and ask about Raphael then?"

"If it was a dream." Liam cupped his hand over his chin. "He might have actually been here. And if he knows what's been going on and how many rings we have, he might be watching us. Maybe we just need to discuss what we want to ask him, and he'll find some way to respond to us."

Sam flipped the eggs in the pan. "This is a mess."

"Maybe." Dean shrugged, grabbing a piece of toast and dipping it in the yolk of an egg. "But it's our mess. We've totally got this."

Castiel gave a serious nod. "We'll get started on recruiting angels right away. We—"

"Stay for breakfast." Liam clasped his hands together, pressing them to his chin as he stared up at the angels with wide eyes and a wobbly lip. "Please?"

Powerless, as he always was against Liam, Castiel stuttered for a moment. "I—well, we—um—"

"I'll take mine over easy," Balthazar said, walking over to the coffee pot and looking at Dean. "Mugs?"

Castiel gave Balthazar a look. "We have work to do."

"We've been working non-stop for months." Balthazar followed the silent point from Dean and found himself a cup. "It's breakfast time. I want eggs."

Liam turned up the power of his puppy eyes. "It's just for a little, Castiel…"

Hesitating for another second, Castiel conceded. "Very well. I'll have mine over easy as well. Not that I know what that means."

"Yay!" Liam wound his arms around Castiel's torso, squeezing the angel tight.

Castiel looked at him for a moment, and then he smiled. "Yes. Yay." He glanced at the pot in Balthazar's hand. "I believe I will have some of the bitter drink as well."

Liam let go of Castiel with a smile and walked up to Dean, holding out the scrap of paper Gabriel had given him. "Here. You should have this 'cause you're the leader."

"I'm the leader?" Dean took the paper, confused. "I'm not the leader."

"You're totally the leader," Sam said, sliding the next two eggs onto a plate. "Liam, do you want yours scrambled like usual?"

Liam nodded, grabbing the plate and carrying it over to Bobby, as logic dictated that's who the eggs were for. "Yes, please!"

"Thanks, bud." Bobby took the plate and grabbed a fork, using it to point at Dean. "You're the leader, Dean."

Dean spread his arms. "I never agreed to this."

"It has to be you," Castiel said, blinking his owlish eyes. "We're all following your orders."

"I—" Dean shook his head. "We do this as a team, and I—"

"Yeah, but every team has a leader." Balthazar took a drink of his coffee, oblivious to the temperature, no doubt due to an angelic tongue. "You're the leader."

Dean sputtered for another moment, looking around the room, and then he threw his hands up. "Fine! I'm the leader." He shoved the paper with Gabriel's number into his pocket before angrily stabbing his eggs. "I'm the freaking leader."

Liam giggled to himself, pointing over his shoulder toward the living room. "I gotta get Cali her food." Not waiting for a response, he turned and walked across the room to the side of Bobby's desk, where a plastic container of cat food was sitting. "Come on, girl."

Calypso traipsed over to the bowl next to the container, mewing softly.

"You're so patient." Liam scratched her ears and then opened the container, scooping some food into the bowl. "My good girl."

Meowing again, Calypso dipped her head and started to eat.

Liam watched her for a moment in silence, and then a smile pulled on his lips. "We're gonna win this, Cali." He pet her a few times, his smile growing wider. "I know we are."

Calypso stopped eating and looked up at him, staring for a second before offering her answer.

"Meow."

Liam tapped his fingers on the table, the tips of his thumbs touching, shoulders slightly hunched as he stared at his cellphone.

"You know, staring at it isn't gonna make it ring any sooner."

Liam looked over his shoulder with sarcasm on his face. "Thanks, Sorzie." He looked back at the phone, biting down on his lip, and he drummed his fingers some more. "They've been gone for a long time. They should have found Samandriel by now." He balled his hands into fists and brought them up to his mouth. "I thought Samandriel would be willing to help, but the longer they're gone, the more I think something horrible happened. What if Samandriel had backup and they overpowered Castiel and Balthazar? What if—"

"Lee." Sam eased into the chair across from Liam. "It's not gonna do any of us any good to worry." He folded his arms atop the table, smiling. "They're going to be smart about it. They're going to look out for backup and make sure Samandriel is alone before they approach him."

Liam unclenched his hands and flexed his fingers, as if trying to grab his emotions out of the air. "I know, but…" He let out a frustrated noise. "Why won't they just call?"

"We thought it best to surprise you."

Liam startled, jumping out of the chair when he saw three very familiar angels in the kitchen. "Samandriel!" He rushed to the one in the middle, throwing his arms around his neck. "You're going to help us!"

"Liam!" Samandriel took a half step back when he received the hug, and he quickly wound his own arms around Liam. "You've gotten so big! You're much taller than you were when I last saw you."

"Yeah, I grew a lot!" Liam still had to look up, but not nearly as much, his lips split in a wide grin. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine. I spent a lot of time wondering where you went after you left Heaven." Samandriel smiled for another moment, and then his gaze shifted to Sam. "Oh. I, uh…" He kept one arm around Liam and used the other to scratch the back of his neck. "I apologize for my hand in keeping your son captured."

Sam dipped his head in a nod. "I understand you were very kind to him. I appreciate that."

Liam noticed Sam didn't say he forgave Samandriel, but Liam just squeezed the angel again and then stepped back. "So, you're going to help us, right?"

Samandriel got his smile back, and he put a hand on Liam's shoulder. "Yes, I'm going to do everything I can. I can't promise I'll be all that helpful… fighting has never been my strong suit… but I'm going to try."

"You'll be great." Liam grinned, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Everyone's helping in their own way. Even if you don't fight, there'll be stuff for you to do." He looked at the three of them, silently wishing they could stay. "I know you have to leave. You have to keep hiding from Heaven." He took a breath. "But we're gonna find a good hiding place, and then we're all gonna be together."

"I'm looking forward to it," was Samandriel's response. "But you're right, we should probably go."

Castiel took a step forward. "We aren't sharing the details of our actions until we have better methods for hiding. But as long as it's safe, we'll be in touch. Once we have somewhere to go to hide, we can call Gabriel and begin strengthening our forces."

Liam gave Samandriel another hug, and then he gave Castiel a hug—maybe holding on a little longer than necessary—and then he gave Balthazar a hug, even though they weren't particularly close, because he felt guilty about only hugging two of them.

Sam offered a two-fingered salute. "We'll see you around."

There was a gust of wind, and then the kitchen was down to two occupants. Liam heaved a sigh and turned around, looking at Sam with a weak smile on his face.

"Pretty soon, you're gonna be an honorary angel."

Liam laughed softly, walking back over to the table and sitting down. "You think so?"

"You keep making all these angel friends, and you're gonna be with us when we're with them, hiding from Heaven." Sam smiled softly, shaking his head. "Gabriel can probably give you some archangel Grace, or something like that, and then you'll be a real angel."

Liam spun his phone on the table. "I…" He propped his elbow on the table, dropping his chin into his hand as he continued to spin the device. "I was never very good at making friends. Or at least, not ones that lasted. I… I don't know about most of the angels I know, but… but Castiel… I know he's the kind of friend who doesn't leave. I know he's going to be there for me when I need him."

"I think you're right." Sam turned the kitchen chair sideways and stretched his legs out. "I know it was a little unconventional, how your relationship started. But… I think Castiel is invested in you. And I think you do a good job of being a friend back."

Liam huffed out a quiet laugh. "Well, I try really hard." He smiled then. "I like Castiel. I should tell him how much I like him. I tell him I love him, but I don't think I tell him I like him, and there's a difference, you know?"

"I do know." Hazel eyes glimmering with something like pride, Sam leaned against the table.

"I like you, too! And Dean! And Bobby!" Liam put his other elbow on the table and pressed his palms to his cheeks, smiling over at Sam. "I just like my whole family."

Sam smiled a little wider. "We like you, too, Liam." He reached out, poking his son on the nose.

Liam took a moment to just relish his relationship with his dad, and then he jumped on to the next topic like the moment had never happened. "So! We gotta find a hiding spot."

Sam nodded, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. "Yes. Yes, we do."

"We need, like, a cave." Liam pursed his lips, thoughtful. "Or maybe like a bomb shelter."

"Yeah… something underground." Squinting, Sam started to tilt his head. "Out in the middle of nowhere. Rural America."

Liam hummed, scrunching up his face even more. "How are we going to do this?"

"I have no idea." Sam held his expression for a moment more, and then he shrugged, putting a smile on his face. "But we'll figure it out. We always do."

Liam mirrored Sam's look. "Okay!" He stood up, grabbing his phone and shoving it into his pocket. "If you tell me what to do, I can help you look."

Sam rose from his chair, sliding it back into place. "And this isn't just a ploy to get out of doing schoolwork, right?"

"Um…"

Laughing, Sam walked into the living room. "We can do both. Mix a little research with a little school."

"Awesome!" Liam threw himself onto the couch, waiting for Sam to join him with a laptop or a book. "Let's do this!"

We're gonna find a way to win. I know we are.

Author's Note: Hey! I hope you liked the update, and if you're interested, I just posted a list of the different stories I'm working on but haven't been posting. Let me know if you want to check it out, and give me feedback on what story you would like to see next!

Thanks for reading!