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"Castiel!" Gabriel snarled, landing in the clearing where seven angels circled around his baby bro. He pulled his wings back in a posture of extreme aggression and advanced slowly. He was the Messenger, not a warrior, but he knew how to fight. Had fought, after all, in the last War when most of these angels were only fledglings.
Castiel didn't even look at him; wouldn't split his attention, but Gabriel felt the relief flood through him and into his Grace. That filled Gabriel up with a little warmth. That his brother was glad to see him.
Or was it because Castiel saw his inevitable death at the hands of his brothers.
A momentary, uncharacteristic self-doubt fleeted through Gabriel and it was then that Castiel glared at him with a side-long glance. He suppressed a smirk.
One of the angels glanced at Gabriel dismissingly before looking back, his eyes widening and jaw gaping. "Gabriel!" he called, shocked. "But you were lost to us. Why are you here?"
Gabriel didn't respond, didn't do anything except draw his sword, snap his fingers and appeared in the circle of angels, back to Castiel's.
"Gabriel, brother, he rebelled. His life is forfeit. Why are you saving him?"
"He's my brother. And so are you. So I'll give you one warning, and one warning only: leave now. Leave Castiel alone. I won't let you take him."
"I'm sorry brother, but orders are orders. We have to take him. He must answer for the crimes he has committed."
"Then I am sorry too," Gabriel said softly. "And I will personally pray for you." He paused. "All of you."
He didn't make the first move. Or the second. But the third, the fourth. And he danced with those angels, at first defensively, not wanting to harm his brothers, but that changed when Castiel grunted in pain.
A quick glance assured him that his little bro was all right, but the angel that had sliced him was precariously close. He banked right hard, blade flying in his hand like an extension of his arm, all liquid grace and deadly precision. Arm extended, a gentle flick of his wrist and the tip was embedded in the throat of the angel. A bright light flare as Grace was permanently flushed out.
His whole demeanour changed; it was like Gabriel had been possessed. Once he saw the bloody scratch on his little brother, he dropped the Trickster persona and before the group of angels stood the Archangel of Last Judgement, the Divine Herald and the Angel of Death. Stood, essentially, the Archangel Gabriel in all his righteous glory and wrath. And he fought, and reigned judgement down upon his siblings, bringing them to their deaths and their ends.
And when he was done, when the bodies of his siblings lay on the floor, the burnt ashes of their wings around them, he knelt and he prayed for them.
He was also called the Angel of Mercy.
Cas stood next to him, sword loose in one hand, the other on Gabriel's shoulder. "Brother, I'm--"
"--Don't you dare say sorry, little one. You have no reason to be sorry," Gabriel cut him off softly. "It's not your fault. It wasn't even theirs; they were just following orders. It is Michael and Raphael and yes even Lucifer who I blame for this. If they had just listened to me!" He stood, eyes dark with anger, wrath and sorrow. "And yes, I even blame our Father. Angels shouldn't kill other angels. We're family and family is fucking important! Look at the fucking Winchesters! All they've been through for family! They spent years with their father hunting down Azazel to avenge their mother's death. And when John Winchester vanished? Sam and Dean hunted him down. Then the deal that Winchester senior made for Dean, Dean for Sammy? When Dean died? Sam hunted Lilith down all for revenge. And now? Now it's Apocalypse Now, they say they want to save the world, but it's more than that. It's about two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other, and yet still love each other. It's important! Family. When did we forget this basic truth? When?" He reached out, and manhandled his little brother into his arms. "You are my family now. You are important to me. And I'm never going to let you go, even if it means I have to put up with that Winchester you're in love with. "
"Gabriel," Castiel cut him off, blushing. "You say it like it's a bad thing."
"He's a Winchester. You look up stubborn, self-repressed, self-centred, emotionally challenged and you'll see their pictures there," Gabriel whined, holding him close, muffling his face in Castiel's neck.
"You love a Winchester too, brother," Castiel commented, looking down at his elder brother. It amused him that such a powerful archangel like Gabriel had chosen a vessel so small, barely even above the height of an average human woman. He was almost delicate, fragile. He jumped when a finger wormed around his back and prodded him in his shoulders, just where his wings would appear if he wasn't in a vessel.
"I'm not delicate or fragile," Gabriel hissed, slightly annoyed. "And this was tall when I recreated this body! And I like this body." He wasn't sulking. The Archangel of Last Judgement would never sulk.
"I know, brother. I didn't call you here to have you fight, you know. I just wanted you to pass my words on to Dean and Sam. I didn't want..." you to fight your brothers, was silent, but Gabriel still heard it.
"I know, Castiel. I know. But I couldn't let them take you. I love you. And besides... Father told me to come to you." Gabriel knew it was a risk telling his little brother that. He knew that Castiel had been searching for God since this whole shit storm had happened. And he hadn't found Him.
He was right; Castiel's face shuttered immediately. "You know where our Father is?" Castiel all but roared. It was enough to make him wince.
"No, little one. I don't; I said Father told me to come to you. I... I prayed. Something I've not done since I fled Heaven. And He said He was proud of me. Proud of me!" Gabriel turned around, wings suddenly appearing only to wrap himself up in them, hiding away. "How can he be proud of me?"
Castiel moved around the figure of his brother, hand outstretched to prise the feather away from his face. He hesitated briefly before boldly parting the archangel's wings and standing in front of him. He tilted his head at the sadness on Gabriel's face, the utter despair. He opened his arms, spread his wings, before finding himself with an armful of archangel. Again.
"Gabriel, you are worthy of redemption. Of love, and our Father's forgiveness," Castiel asserted firmly. Despite what had happened, he still believed that there was a purpose that He had planned.
"I prayed, Castiel. I prayed for forgiveness and He forgave me. After what I've done. Why couldn't He forgive Lucifer?"
"He forgave you because you repented. Lucifer didn't. Thus you proved worthy of His forgiveness. And mine, Gabriel."
"Castiel," Gabriel clutched him in flurry of needy Grace and desperation.