The Winchesters. Who would have thought an eternity of plotting and heavenly drama would come to a boiling point with these two yahoos smack dab in the middle? Gabriel wanted to laugh. It was pathetic to think of immortal, celestial beings tripping over themselves trying to influence the actions of two mortal hunters with less brains between them than a bonobo.

So why not let the Trickster have a little fun with them? Punishment for starting the apocalypse and sparking the Michael vs. Lucifer prize fight round two. And here they had the audacity to try and avoid the fate they had jumpstarted. As if they had the right.

Masquerading currently as an enthusiastic Japanese game show host, the pagan-disguised archangel took great pleasure in watching Lucifer's meat suit get it right where it hurts. Now for Michael's.

Except there was someone throwing themselves against the walls of his pocket dimension. Gabriel felt a twinge of irritation at whoever thought they could ruin his fun. He expanded his grace, planning to reinforce the walls when the feel of a familiar presence made him hesitate for a second too long.

The blue sliding doors of his game show set burst open to reveal a tall figure in a tan trench coat with messy black hair and bright blue eyes. No way.

"Cas!?" Michael-meat-suit called out to the angel with some cross between surprise, relief, and hope.

"Is this a trick?" Lucifer-condom added. The trio traded glances of confusion as Castiel assured the two humans that it was indeed him. Gabriel watched in stunned silence for a moment. He couldn't believe this was actually little Angel of Thursday, Castiel. All grown up.

"What are you doing here?" And apparently with a much deeper voice than Gabriel ever imagined the seraph would grow to have.

"Us? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Well, obviously. "You've been missing for days." Hm, that was Gabriel's mistake then. He didn't think anyone would take notice of the Winchester's momentary disappearance. Not for a while longer at least. Why was Castiel so invested in these two?

"Get us the hell out of here!" the younger Winchester demanded in slight desperation.

Castiel nodded, lifting his hands to touch the two Winchesters and fly them all away. "Let's go." Oh, no. Gabriel couldn't have that. Releasing the power of his grace, Gabriel revealed his presence to the angel long enough to zap him somewhere far away from the Winchesters until they could have a talk. He tried to raise his mental walls as soon as he was done, but was not fast enough to avoid hearing Castiel's disbelieving cry.

GABRIEL!?

Gabriel, Archangel and Messenger of the Lord, frowned as he perceived the restless whispers of his brethren echo through the halls of Heaven. Above them all, Michael and Lucifer screaming at each other with Raphael striving uselessly to serve as mediator. The hushed mutterings whispered of war. Terrible, irrevocable war.

"Gabriel, I'm scared" the fledgling at his side admitted, grasping tightly to the youngest archangel's hand. The honey-haired being, appearing no older than a young teen, pulled his hand free and crouched down so that he was almost at eye level with the young seraph. Gabriel replaced his hand on the fledgling's head, ruffling his younger brother's inky black hair.

"Don't worry Cassie, I'm not gonna let you get hurt" he reassured the young angel with a smile. The fledgling's lips tentatively grew into a smile and he nodded. Faith restored by his older brother's promise. Rising to his feet once again, Gabriel grasped the angel Castiel's hand and started leading them towards his private corner of Heaven. "We're blowing this joint."

Something in Gabriel's grace churned painfully at the thought. He and Castiel were angels. They belonged in Heaven with their brothers and their Father. But even God himself had begun pushing them towards war, and Gabriel could not bear the thought of witnessing what was surely to come. He had tried talking them down. Tried convincing the rest of the angels and fledglings to simply refuse to fight. But it was useless. Michael would not let Lucifer's rebellion against God stand and the other angels were all too eager to follow the echo of their Father's command. Regardless of the fact that none of them had even been their when He had issued it.

So Gabriel had decided to leave, and resolved to take Castiel with him. The Angel of Thursday was still so young, and the spirit of his grace had always resonated stronger with Gabriel's than it had with any of the other archangels. It was not too late for he and Gabriel to forge a new path for themselves. Castiel was inquisitive, curious, and took an express interest in the ever-evolving worlds that spun beyond Heaven's gates. If any fledgling could survive and grow to maturity outside of Heaven, it was Castiel. And Gabriel would be there to help him.

"We're leaving? Why?" Castiel asked, stumbling along at a slight jog to keep up with the archangel's longer stride.

"Michael and Lucifer aren't going to stop Cassie. There's going to be a war and if we don't leave, you and I will have to fight."

Castiel gasped in horror and picked up the pace slightly. "But I don't want to fight! I can't! Fledglings don't fight."

Again Gabriel's grace jerked in unease. The fact that Castiel hadn't fully reached maturity wouldn't be a problem if things got truly bad. Archangels could imbue lesser angels with grace. And Gabriel didn't doubt that Michael would force grace into Castiel to make him a fully-fledged seraph if need be. Ready and willing to fight and die for the archangel's stupid war. Just thinking of the fledgling at his side having his childhood stolen made Gabriel sick and he tightened his grip on Castiel's hand.

"I won't let that happen Castiel. That's why we're leaving. I have friends in a place called Asgard. They've agreed to hide us. We'll be safe there." Gabriel smirked. Unlike his older brothers the Messenger had connections outside of Heaven. He already had everything arranged for he and Castiel's disappearance. New identities that Gabriel was looking forward to utilizing. And with any luck the others would assume they had died in the chaos and no one would come looking.

"Okay, as long as I'm with you" Castiel agreed, softening Gabriel's smirk to a warm smile. Castiel was special, Gabriel could sense it even now. So he would assure that the angel could grow up outside of the influence of his overzealous siblings. Castiel would grow up free.

When the pair reached the secluded corner of Heaven Gabriel called his own the archangel released Castiel from his grip and placed both hands on the seraph's shoulders. "Now wait here Cas. Don't let anyone see you. I'll be right back; I just need to get one more thing before we go."

Castiel looked up at his older brother nervously. "Promise?"

Gabriel smirked and ruffled the fledgling's hair one more time. "Promise." Castiel nodded, faith cemented, and Gabriel took that as his que to leave. Beating his large golden wings and flying off to the vaults that held the heavenly weapons.

Gabriel left the two monkeys to run circles in his maze under the supervision of one of his projections and flew off to the small, reinforced corner he had stashed his little brother in. The small world had taken on an appearance to match the state of Castiel's grace, and Gabriel was slightly shocked to find himself standing at the top of a rocky cliff face overlooking a roiling ocean. Dark clouds in the distance suggesting an oncoming storm. Okay, so little Cassie had apparently become moody while he was away. Good to know.

"Good to see you bro." he greeted, when Castiel refused to turn from staring out at the ocean to say hi to the brother he hadn't seen in some millennia.

Castiel finally turned, face darkened in a scowl as he glared at the archangel. "I don't want to believe it's you" the young seraph admitted and Gabriel nodded his understanding.

"It must be overwhelming" he admitted.

"I want to believe you are a Trickster wearing Gabriel's face." Castiel made a gesture with his wrist and his angel blade slid into his hand. "I want to believe this blade will be enough to kill you."

Gabriel snorted in amusement and scoffed. "Yeah but we both know that's not the case, right Cassie?"

Castiel frowned and took a threatening step in Gabriel's direction. "That remains to be seen." The seraph lunged.

Gabriel just barely had time to avoid taking an angel blade to the face and waved his hands in shock. "Woah, whoa, whoa! Let's all just calm down!" he objected, frowning as he was forced to draw his own archangel blade to parry Castiel's furious attacks that refused to cease.

"Calm down? Calm down!?" Gabriel resisted the urge to simply use his grace to subdue Castiel by force. He wanted to talk to the seraph, and he doubted tying him down would win him any points. "Release the Winchesters!" he demanded, making a particularly rash swing towards Gabriel's neck.

The Trickster deflected the blow, but Castiel's momentum sent him reeling forward and Gabriel had to jump back to avoid accidentally slicing the young angel open with his blade. As it was, Castiel still hissed in pain as the blade nicked him across the face, just barely missing an eye. "Dammit Cassie, you're gonna hurt yourself" Gabriel rebuked him. "Don't make me do something we'll both regret!"

Castiel snarled, and in the pocket dimension, lighting flared across the sky in response. "Not until you let the Winchesters out!" Growing frustrated with the seraph's refusal to listen, Gabriel snatched the angel's wrist as he lunged once again and twisted it enough to force Castiel to drop his angel blade. One more and the angel dropped to his knees, arm now held painfully behind his back. Gabriel didn't like putting his younger brother in this condition, but if that was what it took to make the seraph listen, so be it.

"Alright enough" Gabriel commanded, stepping a bit closer. "There're some things I need to explain to you."

"I've heard enough of your lies" Castiel huffed bitterly and jerked his head back to crash into the archangel's. Not enough to hurt, he wasn't nearly strong enough to do so. But enough to shock Gabriel into releasing his hold. Before the Trickster could get his bearings and snatch Castiel back, the angel threw himself out of this corner of the pocket dimension and back towards the Winchesters.

Well, at least the kid still had his spunk.

Sneaking inside the vault was easy, and the young archangel carefully scooped up the Horn of Gabriel, the only thing that could forcefully recall him back to Heaven once he went missing. Instrument in hand, Gabriel exited the vaults and started making his way back to his awaiting brother.

"Gabriel." Gabriel's grace seized at the all-powerful voice that called his name.

Turning towards the voice the archangel dropped his gaze to the floor and resisted the instinct to drop the stolen weapon. "Father."

"What are you doing Gabriel?" Gabriel's wings twitched at the question. As if God didn't know exactly what Gabriel had been planning.

"What does it look like I'm doing Dad? Leaving." Was God going to try and stop him? Well he wouldn't. Not unless He put a stop to this war before it started.

"That is unimportant Gabriel." What? He, an archangel, abandoning Heaven wasn't important? Gabriel felt his grace twist in sadness at being so easily dismissed, even if it did mean leaving was going to be much easier than anticipated. No one likes being told by their Father that they didn't matter. "I am speaking of your intent to take Castiel."

Gabriel froze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Above him thunder boomed and the very foundations of Heaven shook. Gabriel felt his legs give out beneath him, forcing the archangel to his knees, wings shaking in fear. The Messenger bit his lip to keep from making pitiful noises of distress. "DO NOT PRESUME TO LIE TO ME."

Gabriel choked on the force of his Father's command and he recanted. "Yes. I am taking Castiel with me. We are leaving Heaven. For good."

"No."

"You can't stop me. Free will remember?"

"Not in this. I will not permit it. You may leave. But Castiel must remain."

Gabriel balked at the statement. As if he would leave his favorite little brother to become another faceless pawn in his brother's conflict. He wouldn't let it happen. "Why? He doesn't deserve what will happen if he stays. He's too young and Michael will tear his childhood away if I don't take him with me!"

The pressure bearing down on the archangel eased and a sorrowful aura brushed Gabriel's grace. "It is as it must be."

The archangel sprung to his feet. Glaring up at where the presence of his Father was strongest. "Then tell me WHY!"

"He has a destiny Gabriel. The road ahead is long and perilous, and Castiel is one of the three who will be needed to see it through."

Gabriel shook his head in denial, hands curling into fists. "Well screw destiny! He's just a kid. YOUR kid! And you've never even bothered to show your face to him! So tell me, what right do you have to make this decision?"

The imposing force returned in full and Gabriel collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. "I AM THE LORD GOD" the voice of his Father proclaimed. "Now you may choose. Leave Castiel here and join your pagans, or take up arms with Michael against Lucifer. These are your only options. Either way, Castiel will stay, and he will fight."

Gabriel felt the pressure on his grace ease enough to climb to his hands and knees. He couldn't fight. Not his brothers. But leaving meant abandoning Castiel. So instead he begged. "But I promised him. I promised Cas I would take him with me. He's waiting for me. Please Father, don't make me do this." Something unfamiliar pricked at the corners of Gabriel's eyes and for the first time in his long existence the archangel realized he was crying.

"That does not matter. I have already sent Michael to retrieve him." Gabriel's heart seized and he frantically scanned through the celestial voices floating through his mind for either that of the fledgling or his eldest brother.

"Michael? What are you doing here?" Cassie.

"Father sent me to retrieve you. Lucifer has betrayed us and plans to make war against God. Now come. We must join our brothers in battle." In his mind's eye, Gabriel could see Castiel backing away nervously from the archangel's outstretched hand.

"But Gabriel-"

"Has left." Castiel's face turned stricken, bright blue eyes wide in disbelief and betrayal. Gabriel shook his head. No, he hadn't. But the archangel knew he had been gone too long. And it was Michael's word against an absent Gabriel's. "Now come" Michael continued. "You must be made ready for battle and placed into a garrison."

Gabriel watched helplessly as Castiel's small fledgling hand took Michael's and the small angel was immediately encased in bright light. The Messenger turned his face away and when the light faded he felt without looking back a new presence of a fully-fledged seraph. Young, but no longer a fledgling by any standard. Gabriel could not bear to look back and blocked the scene out of his mind.

"Now, what is your choice?" Gabriel did not lift his head towards his father's voice, but did climb to his feet, grip tight on the Horn of Gabriel.

"I'm leaving." Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to fight the swell of emotion welling inside him. He turned and flexed his wings in preparation for flight.

"Gabriel." He paused, but still did not look back. "You will see him again." Maybe God was attempting to comfort him. But that hardly mattered under the circumstances.

The young archangel scoffed. After what just happened, he doubted such a reunion would be a welcomed one in Castiel's eyes. "Screw you." Gabriel took flight with nothing but the sound of rustling feathers left in his wake.

Gabriel really didn't want to be rough with Castiel, but he couldn't let the Winchesters discover his identity. At least not yet. So with a surge of grace he threw the seraph back against a wall and willed a piece of duct tape over the young angel's mouth.

"Hi, Castiel!" he pseudo-greeted his younger brother with a forced smile. Gabriel lifted his hand to send the angel back to the cliff, hesitating for only a moment as he caught the frightened and concerned expression on the angel's face. Directed, once again, towards the Winchesters. It only took a sweep of his hand to block the lesser angel from this corner of the pocket dimension and Gabriel tracked the younger's path just to make sure Castiel made contact safely. The young angel really needed to stop struggling so much, it was taking all of Gabriel's self-control to keep from accidentally injuring him.

"You know him?" No shit Sherlock. If only the giant moose knew.

"Where did you just send him?" Gabriel turned his attention back to the two idiots as he took in Michael-suit's tone. It had just a hint too much protectiveness and righteous anger in it. Gabriel did not appreciate the insinuation, forget the fact that these two thought he was one of their common monsters, or at most a pagan god.

It was about time the three of them had a talk.

After making his point clear, Gabriel once more dive-bombed the Losechesters off into another TV land special and flew off back to where he had stashed Castiel. The setting had not changed, but this time the archangel had taken precautions. Not wanting to fight the young angel anymore, Cas was slumped against the side of the rock face with duct tape still over his mouth as well an encircling his arms and legs so he could not move.

The minute Gabriel made himself visible Castiel's struggles multiplied. The lesser angel let loose several muffled protests bordering on panic as he tried to wriggle free as well as get away from the archangel. Gabriel lifted his hands in placation. "Whoa hey, Cassie, relax. I'm not gonna hurt you, kiddo." In response Castiel just narrowed his eyes in a glare and pressed himself further back against the rock. Gabriel sighed and plopped himself down beside his younger brother, reaching towards the duct tape over his mouth. "I'm gonna take this off, okay? No screaming or biting please." He pulled the silver tape away gently and breathed a sigh of relief when Castiel didn't immediately start shouting at him.

Letting his head fall back against the rock Castiel sent a side-long glare at his older brother. "What have you done with Sam and Dean?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes with a groan. "Always about tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumbass. Is that really all you care about Cassie?"

"Let me go Gabriel."

"No." Castiel huffed and renewed his attempts to get free of Gabriel's bindings. The archangel placed a hand on the lesser angel's shoulder and pushed him back. "Look. We need to talk."

Castiel turned his face away. "I have nothing to say to a lying coward like you."

Ouch. "That hurts Cassie" Gabriel laughed, hiding the sting stabbing through his grace at the condemnation. "Is that really what you think of me?"

Finally, the lesser angel turned to face the elder archangel with a deep frown. "What else did you expect? You promised to take me with you." For the first time Castiel's cold and angry façade broke to reveal a flash of confusion and hurt. "Why did you lie?"

"I didn't." Castiel rolled his eyes; jeez where did his sweet little Cassie get all this attitude? Clearly the kid had been spending too much time around Dean Winchester. Gabriel shook the lesser angel's shoulder, "it's true Castiel-"

"Then what happened?" the lesser angel snapped.

Gabriel bit his lower lip and turned away under Castiel's scrutinizing look. "Father." Castiel's anger was quickly smothered and his face morphed into a carefully crafted mask of neutrality. Yeah, that's what he thought. "Remember when I went to the vaults?" A careful nod. "He was there. He told me he wouldn't let me take you. I could either go alone or join the war."

"So you left."

"Yeah, I left."

For a minute the two angel's shared an intense moment of staring. Carefully reading the state of one another's grace. Castiel broke eye contact first. "Let me go Gabriel."

The archangel bristled. "Really, that's all you have to say? Broken record Cassie."

"It doesn't change anything, does it? What's done is done. You made your choice and I have my charges to protect."

Oh and didn't Gabriel have a thing or two to say about that little detail. Gabriel opened his mouth to broach the subject when a ping went off in his head. Looked like the dancing monkeys had finally had enough. The Trickster grinned. "Hold that thought." Castiel opened his mouth to protest but Gabriel snapped the duct tape back on before he could get out a sound.

"Mmph mm!"

"Relax, let big bro handle this" Gabriel climbed to his feet, wiping imaginary dirt off his pants. He flashed a cheeky grin at the struggling seraph. "I'll be back." Crap. Both angels flinched at the phrase and suddenly Gabriel didn't feel like smirking anymore. "Just sit tight and try not to hurt yourself" he ordered, pointing a finger down at the angel before flying off to where Sam and Dean were doing a crappy Knight Rider routine.

Okay, Gabriel would be the first to admit, being trapped in holy fire by two idiot humans was embarrassing. But not so much as having to face Castiel's look of complete and utter disappointment after being forced to release the young angel under the older Winchester's threats.

As the sprinklers put out the burning oil that surrounded him, Gabriel watched the Winchesters turn to leave the warehouse feeling more shame than the archangel ever had in his existence. "Castiel, wait" he called, just loud enough that the angel alone would hear. The seraph froze at the doorway and for a fleeting moment, Gabriel feared he would simply leave. But then, shoulders sagging slightly, Castiel turned to face him; closing the door so they could have some manner of privacy.

"If you plan on throwing me into another pocket dimension I warn you to leave the Winchesters out of it. Or the next time I'll advise them to follow through with their threats." The lesser angel's voice was steady and Gabriel didn't believe for one second that he was bluffing.

The Messenger threw his hands into the air and groaned. "I'm not going to- Look, enough about the Winchesters. Jeez, for the love of Dad Cassie, can't you see what siding with them is going to do to you!?"

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

For the second time that day Gabriel was thrown for a loop by the ignorance of the people he was talking to. "Do you honestly think they care about you? Cause to me it doesn't seem like they give a damn that your grace is dwindling because of them. They just want an angel in their back pocket so they can avoid dealing with the consequences of their own actions."

Castiel crossed his arms and lifted his head defiantly. "I seem to recall Dean Winchester threatening to deep fry you if you did not release me. I believe that qualifies as some level of concern. And they will stop the apocalypse. It doesn't have to be fought Gabriel. Sam and Dean will save the world."

"Pfft. You honestly believe that? You believe in them that much?" Gabriel asked, letting his concern for the younger angel's safety begin to leak out.

Castiel's face softened ever so slightly and the corners of the seraph's lips twitched upwards. "As much as I ever believed in you." And if that didn't just break the archangel's heart.

Gabriel dropped his gaze to the ground with a self-depreciating smile. "And look how that turned out" he chuckled before looking back up with all seriousness. "They're going to get you killed Cassie."

"Perhaps. But it is not as though I have not died before" Castiel revealed with a nonchalant shrug. "Goodbye, Gabriel." The young angel turned to leave once again and Gabriel swiftly flew so he was standing right at Castiel's back.

"Come with me."

Castiel turned with a look of surprise on his face. "What?"

Gabriel's heart sped up with hope as he grabbed his younger brother by the arms. Why hadn't he thought of this before, it was genius! "Come with me. Like we planned all those years ago. You and me. We can forget about Earth and Lucifer and Michael. As long as you're with me I can replenish your grace and we can sit this whole thing out. What do you say little bro?"

Gabriel could see it. Just him and Cassie. Loki and… well, whatever new name he would come up with. It didn't really matter. He and Castiel could ride out the apocalypse with the other pagans and after a few centuries, when whatever was left of humanity started to repopulate the world -because honestly those monkeys bred like rabbits- the two of them could wreak some classy Trickster havoc.

Gabriel couldn't imagine anything better, but Castiel was shaking his head. "No Gabriel."

The rejection stung, and when his little Angel of Thursday pulled away, Gabriel couldn't find the strength to stop him. "Please, Cassie" he begged. Damn it all Gabriel, archangel and Messenger of the Lord, was begging. "Don't make me watch this destroy you."

"It won't."

"It will. This road you're going down, with those two, Dad told me that day. He told me it's gonna be long and bloody. And those two codependent numskulls are going to be so wrapped up in worrying about each other that they won't even remember to think about you. They'll abandon you."

But Castiel wasn't listening anymore. He was already opening the door again. "Then so be it."

Gabriel called after him, "I won't watch them ruin you Cas. If you walk out now I won't be around to catch you when they let you fall." He wouldn't be able to bear it.

"I wouldn't ask that of you Gabriel." Even as Castiel said it, Gabriel caught the hitch in the lesser angel's grace, and that caused a respondent stab in his own. Castiel had already been denounced by the rest of his family, now Gabriel had just done the same. Bravo Gabe, bravo.

"Cas-"

The door to the warehouse shut, not even slamming, just a gentle click and Castiel was gone. Gabriel could sense his younger brother sliding into the back of the Winchesters' impala and traced his grace as they took off down the road.

Gabriel only lingered a moment longer before flying away. Praying to a father who wasn't even listening that maybe someday he would get the chance to make things right. Or at least, that He might watch over the lonely little seraph who was trying his best to make it down the road that no other angel, Gabriel included, had the courage to.