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Gabriel sighed as he shook his head. He waited until the Winchesters were out of the bunker before dropping in next to Castiel. "You alright, brother?"
Castiel jumped and turned to stare at Gabriel. "How?" He blinked, his brow furrowing.
"Eh." Gabriel sat down next to Castiel. "Father had a few choice words for me."
"He brought you back."
Gabriel nodded towards the end of the room. "Not just me."
Balthazar appeared in the doorway and huffed. "Don't think I'm not still mad at you, little brother."
Cas stood up and wrapped Balthazar in a hug. "I am sorry."
Gabriel smirked at Balthazar's uncomfortable expression. "Don't crush his wings, Cas."
Cas just hugged tighter.
****
Balthazar looked over the bunker's dungeon. "Got a nice little hidey-hole here, don't they?"
Gabriel stood near the door watching him. "Yeah, you see a problem with Cas?"
Balthazar turned and let his wings spread out to touch the walls. "He's coming apart at the seams. He's being handled."
Gabriel leaned against the door. "I'll step into it the next time he's pulled and see if I can figure it out."
"Hmm. Just don't get yourself killed again."
"None of them are Luci."
"True." Balthazar smiled as he strode towards Gabriel. "Let's give the bratty boys heart attacks, shall we?"
Gabriel smiled and pushed away from the door. "Put your wings away, Balth."
"Oh, if I must."
****
Dean just stared at them for a minute before dropping to sit down. "Tell me you were brought back just now and not like right after you'd died."
Gabriel and Balthazar exchanged glances as Cas sat a cup of soup in front of Sam.
"Two days ago for me, why?"
Dean nodded and gestured towards Cas. "Oh, just wondered if you were what got Cas out of Purgatory or not."
"What?"
Sam batted at Cas's hands as he tried to hand Sam a spoon. "You missed some stuff. Dean and Cas ended up in Purgatory for a year."
Balthazar blinked and turned to look at Dean. "Well, that makes you just a little more interesting, doesn't it?"
Dean glared at him and sat down across from Sam. "Sammy started God's trials to close down the gates to Hell."
Gabriel shook his head. "That's...not great." He cocked his head. "Shit. I'll be right back."
Dean and Sam both frowned as Gabriel disappeared.
"What was..."
Balthazar pointed at Cas, who was staring at a wall. "I'm stretching time for you two so you can see it. Something's messing with Castiel."
Dean frowned and turned towards Balthazar. "We know that. We haven't figured out what yet, but he's doing this weird pause thing lately."
"Since Purgatory?"
Sam nodded. "Seems like it. I don't remember him being weird like this before him and Dean died."
Dean frowned. "We didn't exactly die, Sam."
Sam shrugged. "You know what I meant."
With a wave of his hand, Balthazar hushed them both. "Let's see what Gabriel can figure out."
****
Gabriel stared at the broken Deans everywhere on the floor of the warehouse-like space. "You're worse than Luci, Naomi." He turned towards where she was standing between him and a blank looking Castiel. "Just so you understand, that's really bad."
Naomi gave him a bland smile. "You're supposed to be dead."
Gabriel smirked as he cocked his head. "You're supposed to protect angels, not...torture them." He snapped his fingers and Castiel abruptly started moving.
Castiel looked around at the Dean-copies. "What has..." He frowned and turned to stare with narrowed eyes at Naomi. "Why are you making me kill Dean?"
Naomi sighed. "Really, Gabriel. Now I'll have to start all over. A thousand kills nearly had him programed."
Gabriel shook his head. "Even if you had put him up to it, he'd have broken your control. Castiel and Dean break all the rules."
Naomi stepped closer. "Well, we'll just have to change the players. Won't you help me, Gabriel?"
****
Cas slumped forward and his wings unfolded from his back just as Gabriel wrapped his hand over Dean's eyes while Balthazar did the same for Sam. Cas sat gasping.
"Cas?" Dean fidgeted in Gabriel's hold. "Cas?"
"He'll be alright, Deany-bear." Gabriel concentrated for a bare moment and let go of Dean's eyes. "See?" He lifted his chin at Balthazar, who made a face at him, but did the same alterations to Sam to allow him to drop his hand from Sam's eyes.
"Whoa."
Cas grabbed at Dean. "You are alright?"
"Me? Dude, I'm fine. What the fuck happened to you?" Dean started to reach for one of Cas's wings, but stopped himself.
Cas blinked and his wings curled forward to cradle his sides. "She would have eventually sent me after him for real."
Gabriel sighed as he pulled out a chair from the table to sit down. "I meant what I said to Naomi..."
"That bitch? She was messing with him?"
Gabriel nodded. "She was programing him. Killing copies of Dean over and over."
Dean frowned. "What?"
Balthazar clapped Sam on the shoulder. "You stay here. We'll be back."
"Wait..."
****
Cas let Balthazar cradle him as they appeared somewhere Cas couldn't place. "Where are we?"
Gabriel grinned. "One of my Trickster hideouts. I like this one. Snow without the cold."
Balthazar eased Cas down on the edge of the giant bed. "Your wings are hanging out, love."
"Your halo is peeking a bit as well." Gabriel knelt down in front of Cas. "Your vessel?"
Cas shook his head. "He's dead."
Balthazar touched Gabriel's shoulder. "Castiel..."
"No."
"What?"
"I'm just Cas." Cas frowned. "I have done...terrible things..."
Gabriel poked Cas in the knee. "We've all done things. You're frayed around the edges. Lay down."
"I don't need to sleep."
Gabriel shook his head and touched Cas again, knocking him out.
Balthazar tsked as Cas fell backwards onto the bed. "That was just mean."
"He needs to rest. She was tearing into him further than I've ever seen done."
Balthazar sat down and spread himself out across Gabriel's very comfortable couch. "We're going to kill her, yes?"
Gabriel handed him a glass of liquor and sat down at the other end of the couch. "You got over little Cas killing you very quickly."
Balthazar shrugged. "He...You and I both know he has been pushed here or there for so long that the only thing he's ever chosen for himself was a trip to Hell to get that Winchester." He made a face. "Volunteered."
"Up until then at least." Gabriel knocked back his glass. "We will end up dead again if we stick with them."
"Well, Father seems to have a soft spot for all of us."
Gabriel let his wings expand. "Hmm." He turned his head to frown at Cas. "Your vessel, he's still in there somewhere?"
"Makes pithy comments once in a while."
Gabriel nodded. "Cas' vessel...Jimmy? Right?" Gabriel turned to look at Balthazar. "He's not in there."
Balthazar blinked and let his own wings loose. "That just doesn't happen, Gabriel."
"Neither does an angel deciding their name is a nickname given by a human."
"True." Balthazar sighed. "He'll stick with those bloody boys. Who's going to tell them that the trails will kill Sam?"
"Who told them to try it in the first place?"
****
Sam huddled over his cup of soup as Dean shouted at the ceiling. "That won't actually help."
Dean huffed and sat down with a thump. "He looked like crap. Even Gabriel looked tried. Like he'd had to fight to get Cas back or something..."
"That's sort of what I did." Gabriel appeared with his wings tucked up behind his back. "You can handle seeing wings and halos now, but full on smiting you should still close your eyes for."
Sam exchanged looks with Dean. "Why are you...helping?"
A bowl of candy appeared on the table. "Eat a candy. Both of you." Gabriel grabbed a sucker from the bowl and started to unwrap it. "You know, I remember Cas when he was tiny. Barely the size of the Impala." Gabriel pushed the bowl towards Sam. "It won't make you feel worse. Just pick something."
Sam pulled a string of licorice from the bowl. "Why?"
Gabriel slid the bowl across to Dean. "Don't argue. If it helps remember I'm an Archangel that can smite you. Pick something."
Dean frowned, but pulled a candy bar from the bowl. "Answer Sam's question."
Gabriel leaned back in his chair. "Balth is watching over Cas while he gains back some of the power that was being burned up resisting the programing he was being subjected to." He waved a hand as the brothers opened their mouths to interrupt. "Wait. Just a second, I'm getting there you impatient children."
Sam huffed as he chew. "You helped save the world, Gabe, so just tell us why."
Gabriel pointed at Sam. "That's why."
"What?" Dean put down his half-eaten candy bar. "That doesn't even..."
"Dean, eat the candy." Gabriel sighed. "You call Balthazar Balth, don't you? Me, I became Gabe somewhere along the line, when you aren't mad at me, and Castiel is Cas."
"That's important? I figured Cas would tell us to call him by his whole name if he didn't like it."
Gabriel shrugged. "I don't think occurred to him that protesting would work on you two. Thing is, with angels, even me, names mean something."
Sam leaned back. "Names have power."
"Yeah, something like that." Gabriel frowned. "I took a quick trip around Heaven before I came back down here. It...doesn't look good."
"Cas said he destroyed a bunch of it."
Gabriel shook his head. "I'm not talking about that. It can be rebuilt. I'm talking about the angels themselves."
"Naomi is messing with them too?"
"Looks like it. I couldn't find one angel that hadn't been touched." Gabriel frowned. "I let Naomi think she got to me too. It'll buy us a little time. This bunker is very well built for keeping both above and below from hearing what's going on in here."
"So what should we do?"
Gabriel looked from one to the other. "Gather up anyone you like that's still alive. Get them here." He stood up. "Make sure they all eat one candy from the bowl. I'll go see if I can talk to some of your dead friends."
****
Cas blinked awake and frowned.
"Oh, don't be such a sour puss. You sound a lot better."
"Where is he?"
"Slinking around Heaven to recuit some spies amongst the human souls that knew the bratlings when they were alive."
Cas sat up. "You have not killed me."
Balthazar frowned and flared his wings. "Am I supposed to? Just because you killed me while you were a little crazy?"
Cas blinked. "Forgiveness is not something you typically give so freely."
Balthazar smiled a little. "There is that, yes. Luckily for you it was explained to me why we were brought back. Killing you would unravel a big chuck of the why." Balthazar lifted his wings in an imitation of a shrug. "What can one do?"
Gabriel arrived in a flurry of wings. "I'm going to program her, ugh."
Balthazar stood and patted Gabriel down as he shook his wings, shedding a few feathers. "You seem alright."
"I'm fine. She just...she's so sure she's doing the right thing. 'Fixing' them she says." Gabriel shuddered and dropped another feather. He smiled a Castiel. "Ready to go be smothered by Dean's yenta qualities?"
"He makes an excellent hamburger."
Gabriel snorted.
****
Charlie unwrapped one of the candies from the bowl. "So, let me get this straight...You know not just one pretty angel, but three?"
Balthazar smiled briefly before leaning over towards Sam. "She's a little...ginger, isn't she?"
Sam rolled his eyes, and started to cough.
Gabriel pulled the candy bowl away from Charlie. "Three. Although, two of us have been dead for a time."
Cas frowned at Sam's coughing. "Gabriel, could you heal Sam?"
Gabriel frowned. "Nope. It has to run its course. Don't worry. You just keep from completing the trails and you won't die. You'll wish you had, but you'll recover."
Sam nodded miserably. "Good to know."
Dean came in carrying a tray. "Dinner is served."
Balthazar raised his eyebrows. "He cooks?"
Sam smiled a little. "He's nesting."
"I have a kitchen now." Dean smiled wide as he sat plates down in front of each of them. "So, what's the plan?"
"Luring Naomi away from Heaven."
Charlie looked around the room. "Do we have anything we can use as bait?"
"Not really."
Dean cocked his head. "Cas was pushing us to find that Angel Tablet, right? So that's what Naomi wants."
Balthazar sat up. "Angel Tablet? What tablet?"
Gabriel smacked himself in the forehead. "The one Luci stole."
****
Gabriel held the flashlight as Dean brushed off the box.
"You're sure this is it?"
Gabriel nodded. "It is warded against angels. Even I'd burn if I touch it. Don't open it."
Dean swallowed. "You know she can control my body if she shows up."
"What do you think the candy was for, sugar?"
Naomi appeared near the far wall. "Well, if it isn't Gabriel trying to steal what isn't meant for him."
Dean glanced from one to the other. "Can I ask a pressing question?
Naomi sighed as she gave Dean an exasperated look. "What is it?"
"Why don't you have wings?"
Naomi frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Dean looked from Gabriel shaking his head to Naomi staring at him. "You don't have wings." He jerked his head to Gabriel. "Gabe does, but you...don't."
Naomi blinked several times and sort of froze.
"Well, you've broken her."
"I did what?"
Gabriel sighed. "She's a sister for Fate. Come on, before the other two show up to kill you for it."
"Wait, what?"
"Bring the box, Winchester."
****
"So, wait, I'm confused."
Balthazar smiled. "That's a good look on you, Sam."
Sam rolled his eyes. "She's not an angel?"
Gabriel shrugged. "She thinks she is. Like the nobodies in The Matrix think they are in a real world."
Charlie frowned. "So...she works for Heaven because she thinks she's an angel?"
Cas sat down next to Dean. "I thought she was an angel."
Gabriel sighed. "Yeah, see, she's being punished for something she cooked up with Crowley back a ways. The Sisters can't talk to each other or it lengthens her punishment. Easiest way to make her docile about her sentence was to make her think she was an angel, so everyone else had to think it to to keep up the fiction."
Balthazar nodded towards Gabriel. "Archangels would have been able to tell."
"Demons like Crowley would buy into it just like the rest."
Sam frowned. "What for?"
"She tried to seize power that wasn't hers. You know the usual."
Cas frowned. "Why is the Angel Tablet so important?"
Gabriel spread his wings out and refolded them against his back. "It can force every angel to fall."
Dean's eyes went wide. "That's why you had us hide it in the Archives?"
Sam nodded. "This place is warded really well and the box the tablet is in is warded against angels. This is the safest place for it."
"That's easy to get to, yes." Gabriel put his hands on the tablet. "Now that we've got breathing room I think we ought to find out why someone wants everyone out of Heaven."
Balthazar tapped his chin. "You think it could be Metatron? He's been pissed about getting pushed aside for a long time."
Gabriel frowned. "I thought he was missing."
"So where you, what's your point?"
****
Cas leaned into their wings as Gabriel and Balthazar bolstered him from either side. "Thank you."
Gabriel pushed lightly against him. "We'll help you bet the odds again, Cas."
Balthazar squeezed them tight with his wing. "Won't be hard. Find the new little Prophet and rescue him, find an angel that doesn't want to be found, and save the world."
Gabriel frowned. "What Prophet?"
****
Kevin smirked at Crowley as he glared at Kevin for having figured out he was being held by the demon. "See? I don't really care. You can't make me do anything."
Crowley narrowed his eyes. "We'll just see about tha..."
The whole boat rumbled and Kevin looked around trying to find the source of the noise as Crowley started to look scared.
He turned his face up towards the ceiling. "We had a deal! You don't send anyone to recuse him and I don't kill him. It was working just fine!"
Kevin pushed away from the desk as light filled the boat to the point he had to squeeze his eyes closed tight.
****
Kevin tore through his hamburger as everyone watched him. "So, then he sent in these two demons that looked like Sam and Dean, they were horrible copies though, they got me anything I wanted. It was weird."
Gabriel carded his fingers through his wing as he stared at Kevin.
Balthazar looked from Gabriel to Kevin and back. "What is it?"
Gabriel shrugged. "He's just off is all."
"Off?" Sam looked Kevin over. "What do you mean?"
Gabriel sighed. "The whole canceling the end of the world sort of messed with the expected order of things. He shouldn't be the Prophet right now. It is just...off."
Dean frowned as he sat down between Cas and Kevin. "Would Chuck still be alive?"
Balthazar frowned. "Chuck?"
Gabriel grimaced. "It isn't important."
Cas blinked. "Why isn't it important?"
Gabriel rubbed his forehead. "Just...don't ask, alright? Please?" He smiled. "I'll get Adam out of the Cage from a point where he's not yet crazy if you leave it alone."
Dean raised his eyebrows. "Wow." He narrowed his eyes as he watched Gabriel's wings tuck down tight. "You look like you are waiting to get hit."
Gabriel ducked his head slightly. "There are a few things I do obey orders about, Dean."
"Huh." Dean looked worried, but he waved his hand. "Fine, fine. Whatever. Listen, if you pull Adam out with no soul I will stab you. I don't care if it'll hurt you or not."
"Without a soul?"
Cas curled in on himself. "I made a mistake."
Sam touched Cas's shoulder under the wing. "You didn't mean to leave my soul behind."
Balthazar shrugged as Gabriel turned his head to look at him. "You know they work better as a pair. Cas went to drag Sam out of the Cage to bring him back to Dean."
Gabriel's wings flared out. "We'll be right back."
****
Gabriel held Cas against his side as Balthazar let his halo loose to shine on them both. "Your caring is great."
"It is a burden that gets me into trouble."
"That's Naomi's work speaking there." Balthazar tugged them in against him. "Cas. Brother. You have always cared. There are those that envy your ability to care as you do."
Gabriel pressed the edge of his wing into Balthazar's shoulder.
Cas sighed. "I have failed so often that I don't even know where to begin to atone."
Gabriel pressed his lips to Cas' temple. "You have learned. That's all that can be asked of you now."
They sat next to each other until Balthazar patted them with his wing. "Let's go fill that bunker with people for Cas' family, shall we?"
****