A/N: For kitsune911. And I know I've said this before and then come back with something to post, but my queue is once again empty. So, no update planned for Monday. (But who knows, I may write something super fast between now and then lol.)

Oh, there's also a little spoiler for the episode in this if you haven't seen it.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Some lines from 13x18. Thanks to 29Pieces for beta reading and catching my typos!

"Get 'Em Back Alive"

Castiel stood in the bedroom doorway, watching Gabriel sitting cross-legged on the bed with eyes squeezed shut and rubbing at his temples as though in mental anguish. Hearing Asmodeus's voice on the phone had reverted the archangel back to his mute, terrified state, and Castiel didn't know what to do for him.

Sam jogged down the hall. "Alright, I did what I can to help with the bunker's warding, but who knows if it's enough." He glanced at Gabriel. "How is he?"

Castiel frowned at his brother. "I don't know."

Gabriel suddenly went still, and the lights flickered as a grinding noise indicated the bunker's system had abruptly shut down. The emergency lights came on, dousing them in darkness interrupted by flashes of bright red in sync with the blaring alarm. Gabriel made a terrified sound.

Castiel exchanged a tense look with Sam and let his angel blade drop down from his sleeve. Sam's throat bobbed, but he also drew his angel blade, and together they made their way down the corridor. The warding on the walls was pulsing a smoldering red, almost as though screaming in response to whatever assault was taking place. Castiel's chest tightened in apprehension.

Yet as he and Sam crept toward the front of the bunker, no invaders came charging to meet them.

Until they reached the war room.

Three demons that had already infiltrated the bunker surged out from one of the adjoining hallways. Sam flipped one onto the map table and stabbed it. Castiel met the second, taking a punch to the jaw. He punched back twice before grabbing the demon's shirt and flipping it onto its back. Castiel thrust his angel blade straight through the demon's heart, and its mouth flew wide with a scream and fritzing orange lightning.

Castiel heard a grunt and spun around. The third demon had Sam pinned back against one of the consoles. Castiel stormed over and slammed the demon face first into the panel, then twisted him around. Planting a hand on the demon's forehead, he summoned up the might of glory, burning out the putrid essence from within.

Sam sucked in several ragged gasps. "Thanks."

Castiel let the body drop to the floor and gave a short nod. He started to search for more assailants, when Sam's eyes suddenly flew wide. Castiel pivoted toward the stairs just as Asmodeus was descending. Yet before he could react, the Prince of Hell flicked his index and pinky fingers at them, and an invisible force slammed into Castiel's chest. Both he and Sam went flying into the control panel.

Asmodeus meandered toward them. "Your warding wasn't designed for the likes of me, Samuel."

Castiel pushed himself upright, jaw clenched from the effort, but that was all he could manage. Asmodeus's power was holding him firmly in place. Sam too.

The demon folded his arms behind his back. "I've come to claim what's mine."

Scuffling sounded from the back corridor, and Castiel glanced over to see two demons dragging Gabriel out. The archangel wasn't even putting up a fight, just making distressed sounds in the back of his throat, lips pressed together as tightly as if the stitches hadn't been removed at all. Castiel's stomach lurched at the display, especially when Gabriel's eyes blew wide with terror and a whimper emanated from his throat as Asmodeus strolled toward him.

"Ohh, I missed you, boy," the demon drawled. "I'm gonna have to punish you rather severely, I'm afraid."

Gabriel jerked in his captors' arms, wild, animal like noises gurgling behind sealed lips.

Asmodeus cocked his head for the demons to take him out.

Castiel gritted his teeth and poured every ounce of strength into breaking free, but it was useless. The pressure against his chest constricted his breathing and held firm like a vice.

Asmodeus turned around. "And as for you two."

He thrust both hands out, and Castiel couldn't hold back a guttural cry as excruciating pain ripped through him. Sam also screamed, legs kicking futilely. It felt like his insides were literally being torn apart, and Castiel clutched a fist against his stomach.

"Boss."

The agony briefly stopped, and Asmodeus turned an irritated look toward a third demon that had come through one of the corridors.

"We found something you should see."

Asmodeus regarded him for a moment, then called the other two demons back down. He nodded toward Castiel and Sam, and the lackeys came over to haul them up. Sam stumbled, barely able to breathe even though the pain had stopped. Castiel had only a moment to think of fighting back before an angel blade appeared at his throat and he was yanked forward, their whole train following the demon into the library.

Asmodeus slowly drew to a stop at the sight of the rift glowing in the middle of the room. "Well, now, this is interesting." He turned to Castiel and Sam. "Would I be correct in assuming this is the doorway to the other world our boy Jack went and lost himself in?"

Castiel glowered at the demon. Sam, also, lifted his chin defiantly.

Asmodeus smirked. "I see now why you needed an archangel. Their grace is one of the ingredients, yes? But if you got the doorway open, and you're still here, that begs the question: where is your brother Dean?"

Neither of them said anything.

Asmodeus chuckled. "I think perhaps we should stick around a little while after all."

Castiel cast a surreptitious look at the rift, and noted that it had thinned a fraction since the last time he'd checked on it. Time was running out, which meant Dean would be on his way back soon. And Castiel couldn't allow him to come stumbling into this with Jack and Mary. They'd be wholly unprepared, and then Asmodeus would get his hands on Gabriel and Jack.

No, Dean needed warning. And there was only one way to do that.

Castiel turned slightly to catch Sam's eye, and flicked a pointed look at the rift. Sam's brow furrowed. Castiel narrowed his gaze and shot a stern glance at the doorway again, then back at Sam, raising his brows meaningfully.

Sam's expression finally slackened with understanding, followed by alarm. He gave Castiel a subtle head shake. Castiel almost growled, and skewered Sam with a fierce look. He was going to do this.

A muscle in Sam's jaw ticked as he glared back, and Castiel understood what the young Winchester was saying—he didn't want to leave Castiel here. But this was their only shot. Castiel would distract the demons so Sam could get through and find Dean.

He glanced toward where Gabriel was being guarded, a single demon basically holding him by the scruff of his neck. He was too far away for Castiel to get him through as well. But perhaps Gabriel could make a run for it here, as there were only three demon minions for Castiel to contend with. Besides, Asmodeus wouldn't kill the archangel; he needed Gabriel's grace to keep up his powers.

Sam flicked a fearful look at Castiel, but Castiel ignored it. The others were the priority.

Meeting Sam's gaze, Castiel clenched his jaw and took a steadying breath. Then he shot his hands up to grab the hand holding the angel blade to his neck. With a violent thrust, he pushed it away from himself and spun around, cranking the demon's arm back until it cracked. Fingers loosened, and Castiel wrenched the blade away. Sam elbowed his captor in the face, and Castiel tackled that demon as Sam broke free and bolted for the rift.

Asmodeus turned, eyes widening, and gave a shout, but Sam was already through.

Castiel flipped his blade over to stab one of the demons, but the oxygen suddenly punched from his lungs as something hit him full force and sent him sailing through the air into a bookshelf. Pain speared down his spine, and he crashed to the floor, winded and vision spotting.

"Go after him!" Asmodeus snapped.

Castiel struggled to get up, but gasped at the shock of agony that rippled through him. He tasted copper in his mouth and coughed out a glob of blood. Somewhere he heard Gabriel whimpering.

Footsteps calmly walked over, and Castiel turned his head up as Asmodeus loomed over him.

"Oh, you shouldn't have done that, boy."

o.0.o

Sam fell face first into a snowbank as he flew out of the rift. For a moment he flailed in place, completely disoriented, but then adrenaline caught up and he looked around frantically. He was on an old dirt road surrounded by woods, and he staggered toward the tree line, practically collapsing behind the nearest trunk and pressing his back against the bark. Just in time, too, as he heard a 'brrp' from the rift, signaling someone had come through behind him.

He chanced a peek around the trunk, and quickly whipped back behind it. Sam held his breath, listening to the demon's footsteps crunch in the snow as he took a look around. Sam hoped he wouldn't come far. He was unarmed and couldn't take a demon in a fist fight alone.

After several excruciatingly long moments, there was another spritzing sound, and when Sam glanced out from behind the tree, the demon was gone. But that didn't mean it wouldn't be back, or that Asmodeus himself wouldn't come through.

Sam lurched to his feet and put a little distance between himself and the rift, but not enough that he wouldn't see Dean coming. He had to warn his brother about Asmodeus in the bunker. Sam knew that was why Cas wanted him to come through, but damn the angel for being the one to sacrifice himself so Sam could escape. Sam could only pray that Asmodeus wouldn't do anything to him in retaliation.

Sam glanced at his watch. Dean had to be on his way back any minute, hopefully with backup. Jack had at least proven he could take the Prince of Hell once before. He might be their only shot at saving Cas and Gabriel.

A twig snapped in the woods, and Sam spun around. He'd forgotten that he was technically still in dire straits, as this world was overrun with angels who hunted humans for sport. And who knew what demons and regular monsters were doing.

He reached up to rub his arms, a chill creeping underneath the sleeves of his flannel. He hadn't exactly been dressed for a winter excursion. Speaking of which…this wasn't the same place at all that the other rift had opened up to. Sam's heart dropped into his stomach at the implication. Panic threatened to overwhelm him, and Sam had to force it down. He turned back toward the rift, nerves on edge for any sign of incoming travelers, and hoped his brother would arrive soon. And that his other brother could hold on long enough for them to get back.

o.0.o

Castiel hit the floor with a thud, a garbled wheeze punching past his lips. Blood coated the back of his throat and he coughed on it, which made his broken ribs shift and grind against each other. He bit back a cry and tried to curl in on himself.

Asmodeus cracked his knuckles. The physical beating had been unexpected; Castiel hadn't figured the Prince of Hell for one to get his hands dirty. But Asmodeus had a volatile temper that had been surprising, as evidenced by Castiel's blood speckling his once pristine white suit.

Crouching down, the demon gripped him by the back of his neck and lifted his head an inch off the floor. Castiel choked on a gasp.

"Gabriel here knows not to cross me," he leered in Castiel's ear. "It's a lesson he learned rather well, and with time, you will too."

Castiel blinked through blood dripping into his eyes, and tried to muster a defiant glare, but it may have been thwarted by all the blood and his half-lidded gaze. His grace was sputtering to repair the damage. But he managed to flick a look toward the corner where Gabriel was huddled behind a bookcase, face pressed against the wall as though that could hide him. He hadn't escaped in the distraction, hadn't even tried. His demon guard didn't even need to stand very close to him to keep him subdued. Castiel couldn't believe how…broken, the once mighty archangel was.

Asmodeus shoved Castiel back down and straightened. "Isn't that right, Gabriel?" he called, and the archangel let out a strangled mewl.

"Leave him…alone," Castiel growled, propping himself up on one forearm. Fire burned in his lungs from where one had been punctured and the other struggled to make up for the decrease in oxygen. He grimaced as his grace swirled around the rib and started to wrench it painfully back into place.

Asmodeus slowly turned back to him, arching a brow. "Still insolent, I see. Well, then."

Castiel's chest hitched as he braced himself for another beating, but Asmodeus didn't storm toward him. Instead, he pulled a black box from the inside fold of his suit jacket and set it on the table. Gabriel started making panicked noises and thrashing against the wall. One of the demons went over and he immediately cowed.

Castiel frowned, but then his eyes widened as Asmodeus lifted out a glass vial attached to a syringe gun.

"I'm sure a minor angel's grace like your own is incomparable to that of an archangel," the demon said casually as he stalked toward Castiel. "But call it an object lesson. You're mine now."

Castiel pushed himself upright in an effort to fight back, but Asmodeus merely flicked a hand at him, and Castiel was flattened with a concussive force that smashed against his broken ribs with crushing weight. He didn't even have the breath to cry out.

Asmodeus knelt down beside him and placed one hand on his head, turning it sharply to expose the side of his neck. "I own you, Castiel."

He jabbed the needle into Castiel's carotid, and this time Castiel did scream as part of his grace was torn away, siphoned into that glass vial. His muscles spasmed, vision whiting out in agony.

Somewhere in the background, Gabriel was having a fit.

o.0.o

Dean sprinted down the road until the rift came into sight, its edges nearly touching and making small sputtering noises. He spun back to Charlie and Ketch.

"Okay. The thing's gonna be closed any minute. We gotta get going."

Ketch cast a hesitant look at Charlie. "Dean, you need to go through. Bring back Sam and your angel and Gabriel, and the bloody Navy SEALs, whatever help you can get. But I should stay."

Dean blinked. "Wait, what?"

"If we're going up against Michael, we need to be ready. We need to know what he's up to, where your mother and Jack are."

"I'm staying too," Charlie spoke up.

"Are you kidding?" Dean practically shouted. "You got Michael and a billion angels on your ass."

Charlie gave him an affronted look. "Dude, this is my home. My friends are here and they're in trouble. If you really do have a way to take down Michael, get back here and do it. Until then, this is my fight."

Dean's heart constricted. "I don't wanna lose you again."

Charlie shrugged. "That's not your call."

Dammit, they did not have time for this.

"Dean!"

They all startled and whirled, and Dean's jaw dropped open at the sight of Sam rushing toward them.

"Sammy, what the hell—you were supposed to wait for me!"

Sam skidded to a stop, eyes wide as he gaped at Charlie. "Wh- uh—"

Dean gave himself a small shake. "Uh, yeah. Sam, Charlie. Charlie, this is my brother Sam."

"Hi," she said.

"What's wrong?" Ketch asked.

Sam blinked. "Asmodeus is in the bunker. He's got Cas and Gabriel."

Dean's brows shot upward. "What?"

"Cas distracted them long enough for me to escape through the rift. I've been waiting for you to get back so you don't go in blind." He took a deep breath, then furrowed his brow as he looked around. "Where are Mom and Jack?"

Dean was still trying to process Asmodeus in the bunker. "Uh, long story," he said, and turned back to Charlie and Ketch. "Look, I know you want to stay, but we could use your help."

Ketch slipped his automatic assault rifle off his shoulder and handed it to Sam. "You'll need this."

"Wait, what?" Sam sputtered. "Aren't you coming?"

"We've got work to do here," he replied. "Like finding your mother and Jack for when you come back." He nodded to the gun. "Angel killing bullets should slow Asmodeus down a little." His eyes widened at something behind them. "Dean, it's closing."

Dean glanced over his shoulder at the flickering rift. Dammit. He hefted his own gun up at the ready. "Sam, what are we looking at?"

Sam's throat bobbed, and he flicked another bewildered look at Charlie before pulling it together. "Asmodeus and three demons. They were right in the library when I first came through. Might still be there. With Cas and Gabriel."

Dean's jaw ticked. "Right. So, be careful not to shoot the angels with the angel killing bullets."

He tossed a regretful look at Charlie, then steeled himself and strode through the rift.

The instant he stepped out the other side, Dean dropped to one knee and blinked as his eyes had to adjust to the dim lighting of the bunker on lockdown. But even with half the lights out, that stark white suit stood out as an obvious target. Asmodeus was standing in the middle of the library between overturned tables, facing away from the rift. Dean squeezed the trigger and peppered the demon with bullets, each one ripping through him and propelling him forward several steps from the force of the impacts.

In his peripheral vision, Dean saw three more figures leap up and charge his way, but Sam was right behind him out of the portal, and gunned two down in less than three seconds. Dean shot the last one, the angel bullets instantly lighting the demons up in orange death throes.

Dean whipped his gaze around for Cas or Gabriel, and froze when he caught sight of a tan trench coat on the floor. He surged to his feet and took a step forward, but then Asmodeus was getting up again. The demon's eyes flashed yellow as he snarled and whipped his hands out. Dean gasped as something took hold of his guts and twisted. A few feet away, Sam also let out a garbled cry and nearly bent double in pain.

"Well, well," Asmodeus said. "How nice of you boys to rejoin the party." He torqued his wrists, and Dean choked.

His eyes watered as he shifted his gaze to Cas, but his friend was bloody and unconscious on the floor. He didn't know where Gabriel was.

There was a sputtering sound behind him, and Dean saw the faint glow of the rift vanish as it finally closed.

Asmodeus's expression hardened. "No Jack, I see. Well, that's unfortunate," he sighed. "I'm beginning to think you boys are more trouble than you're worth. You and your angel. So, I'm gonna eviscerate you right here and now, so you'll still be alive when I take the rest of your angel's grace as a little snack."

Dean grunted in confusion that quickly turned to horror, and he struggled harder to no avail.

"And then I'm taking Gabriel and going," Asmodeus finished.

His eyes flared again, and Dean's breath stole from his lungs as something inside his stomach felt like it was ripping apart at the seams.

And then there was a flash of blue, and Gabriel staggered to his feet from behind a bookcase, eyes glowing.

Asmodeus frowned and turned toward him, some of his power easing up so Dean and Sam could suck in ragged gasps. "Gabriel!" he snapped. "What are you doin', son?"

Gabriel lurched against one of the tables and gripped the edge to hold himself up.

"You know too well what I can do to you," Asmodeus seethed. "I broke you!"

Gabriel lifted his head, eyes radiating like azure stars in the dim light.

Asmodeus's cheeks puffed with rage. "You're too weak!"

Dean watched in stunned stupefaction as Gabriel straightened abruptly, and suddenly the dirty and feral POW was replaced with clear skin and smooth hair. The ragged clothes remained, but they paled in comparison to the shadows of wings now arching up and out across the wall behind the archangel.

Asmodeus formed a ball of crackling blue energy and shot it toward Gabriel, but it was knocked away. The archangel glowered at the demon.

"Not anymore," Gabriel spoke, his old countenance returned. "Oh, and by the way…I always hated that dumbass suit."

Gabriel shot a hand out, and Asmodeus went rigid. Dean's eyes widened as tendrils of smoke started rising from the bullet holes in his suit. Gabriel's eyes blazed again, and Asmodeus screamed as flames burst out across him. The power holding Dean in place vanished, and he stumbled backward at the sudden release, almost tumbling into Sam. They both threw their hands up to shield themselves as Asmodeus exploded into ash.

When the howling cut off, the lights in the bunker slowly flickered back on, as though the warding realized there was no longer a threat. Dean gaped at Gabriel.

Sam abruptly pushed past Dean. "Cas!"

Dean jolted out of his stupor. Cas was still on the floor, seemingly out cold. Sam was cupping the sides of his head and calling his name urgently.

"No, no, no, come on, Cas."

Dean slid down beside his brother, heart stuttering. The last time he'd seen Cas pulverized like this…it'd been at his own hand.

"Here," Gabriel said, and held out a vial of glowing blue light toward them. "Asmodeus took some of his grace. It won't be an instant cure, but it should help."

Sam took it frantically and tipped it over Cas's blood-spattered lips. A wisp of grace trickled down into his mouth, and in the next moment, Cas's back arched with a gasp and his eyes flew open with a flash of blue. But his wounds didn't disappear, and his face immediately scrunched up in pain as he let out several guttural coughs.

"Easy, easy," Sam said.

Cas's eyelids fluttered dazedly. "Sam? Is Dean…?"

"Right here," Dean interjected.

Cas blinked at him. "As-" he coughed, "Asmodeus…"

"Dead," Sam assured him.

"Gabriel roasted him," Dean added.

Cas rolled his eyes upward until he caught sight of the archangel standing above him, and then he let out a reedy sigh. "You're all okay," he murmured.

"You're not," Sam said, expression tight as he surveyed Cas's injuries. He looked up at Gabriel. "Can you heal him?"

Gabriel winced regretfully. "Sorry, I, uh, kinda used up the juice I had to barbecue ole Asmodeus."

"Jack," Cas rasped.

Sam shot Dean a grieved look, and Dean's stomach twisted.

"I didn't find him," he admitted. "Or Mom. We're not giving up, though. We'll try again once you and Gabriel are recharged. But for right now, we'll patch you up the old fashioned way."

Dean placed a hand carefully on Cas's chest, aware of the rattling sound each breath was making. He pressed lightly, and Cas let out a garbled cry. Dean swallowed as bones shifted. "Sorry, man. You got a couple of busted ribs."

"I…could have…told you…that," Cas wheezed.

Dean smirked, because Cas being a smartass was a good sign. "Alright, anything else we should know about?"

Cas's lips pressed into a thin line as though he'd rather not say.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Cas."

The angel huffed, and then winced from it. "Punctured…lung."

"Shit."

"My grace is…working on it."

"How long is that gonna take?" Sam asked worriedly.

Gabriel finally knelt down at Cas's head and reached out two fingers to his forehead. "Give it about fifteen minutes, and the tissues should be repaired," he said. "Probably shouldn't move him until then."

Dean clenched his jaw. "Alright, I'll grab the first aid kit."

He forced himself up and picked his way around the broken furniture in the library toward the infirmary. There, he scooped as many supplies as he could into his arms and hurried back. Sam and Gabriel were still hovering around Cas, and Dean doled out the first aid stuff. Gabriel just gave it dubious looks while Dean and Sam actually went to work.

Cas's torso was red and puce with inflamed bruises, purple-black in places where internal hemorrhaging had been pooling. They didn't have a way to treat that, and had to rely on Cas's grace to pick up the pace. Gabriel told them not to worry, that he may have been low on power, but if Cas's vessel started to fail, he could give it a tiny jumpstart.

Cas didn't comment on that offer, as he'd slipped into a half dozing state. Dean hoped it was like a healing meditation.

He and Sam cleaned up the blood on Cas's face and applied butterfly bandages to some of the larger cuts. After the allotted time for that rib was passed and Gabriel confirmed the lung had mended, they wrapped the remaining broken ribs, and then finally transferred Cas to a bed. Gabriel was generous enough to fly him the short distance to a room, but that apparently took a lot out of him, because he collapsed on the bed next to Cas as soon as he'd deposited his brother there.

Dean stood in the doorway, watching the two angels sleep off their wounds and exhaustion. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to losing Cas again. He hadn't called Cas when they'd first opened the rift because he hadn't wanted his angel friend anywhere near apocalypse world, hadn't wanted to risk him dying again.

But there were plenty of ways to die in their own world. Why was it so damn near impossible to protect those he cared about?

And he still hadn't found Mom and Jack. He'd been so close there, too. So close and yet so far.

Sam came up behind him. "We'll get 'em back, Dean," he whispered.

Dean nodded silently. It was a never-ending fight. But he'd keep at it. Until everyone was back home safe and sound.