AN: This story has been beta'd by the lovely pink. chocolate .unicorn and AJCorbie ((I hope I got your Username right love!)). After the first two chapters, things may become nonlinear but it may not at the same time depends on the muse. I hope you enjoy, the approximate of everyone will be down below.

When Gabriel goes into fight his big brother, he doesn't expect to survive. So when he closes his eyes- chest radiating pain- he doesn't think he will ever open them again. That being said, he is justifiably confused when he wakes up. His chest no longer hurts and he actually feels better than he has in years. The first thing that he sees, once he gets over the fact he is alive and breathing, is a soft brown blanket. He's using it as a pillow and it feels almost as good as resting on the wings of his brothers or sisters.

The delayed reaction to being alive is explained by the completely at-ease feeling that settles over him. Until he feels the grace of three other angels right next to him, along with the mingling souls of humans. It takes some focusing on the human souls to see that there are at least two and they are bright, as only children souls can be. Later he will chastise himself for not noticing the scars on them. He closes his eyes trying to enjoy not only being alive but the heat that comes from being close to others. It's been so long since he felt like this.

Idly he wiggles his toes, counting them along with his fingers and shifting his six wings. He can tell that his vessel is smaller than it should be, but, at this very moment it is a very small detail to him being alive. Apparently his old man still loves him enough to keep him from Death.

Once he has had enough of basking in the warmth, the comfort, the pure joy of being alive, he pushes himself up onto his knees so that he can look around. Later he will claim that Raphael is the first thing that he notices but that would be a lie. The first thing he notices is that the room is large, either that or he really is smaller than he should be. The squishy bed he is sitting on rolls with him as he looks around, finally spotting Raphael. It takes him a bit to place the young child with overly large chocolate brown wings. Memories of life before Lucifer's Fall flash into his mind. He backs away from those wings that he once rushed to and the dark skinned, small body they are attached to.

His gaze traces over every feather, carefully groomed to perfection showing Raphael's deep-seated and weary need for order. Gabriel shakes as he forcibly retracts his grace from the pulsing and searching grace of his older brother. Because along with memories of running to Raphael for comfort, for safety from the yelling, he remembers Raphael pushing him away to choose Michael, always Michael never him or Lucifer. Thus leaving him alone to weather the fight between the oldest two because he refused to pick a side. So he fights what no angel should, the comfort given by touching grace.

Raphael twitches, his grace following Gabriel's for the briefest of time before curling back into one large mass, the slight movement dislodges some of his long black hair so that it covers a portion of his face. Despite Gabriel's mixed feelings about the darker Archangel, the sight of his sleeping brother makes him ache for a time long gone. Desperate to run, as he always does, but not yet able to actually move; he lets his amber eyes dart about.

They land on something that warms his heart. Child versions of Balthazar and Castiel lay curled up in each other's arms. If it wasn't for their wings it would be difficult to tell where one started and the other ended and even with the wings it's a bit hard. Castiel's wings are dark gray to black with dark brown feathers streaked throughout the wing span and Balthazar's wings are a mixture of browns; from tan to the dark chocolate brown that make up Raphael's wings. Gabriel lets out a soft sound of awe that gets slightly louder when he follows the extended brown wing. Balthazar's wing cover the huddled forms of the Winchester brothers. He doesn't understand why they are all children, and if they are he probably is too, and he highly doubts that he will like the answer.

He reaches out with his grace, and his hands, to touch them. He was so sure that he would never see them again. He notes, in the back of his mind, that the size of his hands confirm that he is a child. Not that he cares, he uses them to pull the four of them away from Raphael. Dean twitches, even at a young age he is a light sleeper but Gabriel uses his grace to get him back into deep sleep. He pulls the blanket up and makes a nest as best as he can to keep the four younger ones warm and comfortable. Children, he thinks first petting Castiel's hair and then Balthazar's, are innocent and frail. The brightest and purest of all things. Even the damaged ones. Part of him rejoices at having his little brothers be little again. But another part tells him he will hurt his precious brothers again, like he did before.

With a shaky breath, Gabriel looks back at Raphael. Surely they wouldn't be wherever they are if the end of days had happened and Michael got to have his last large hurrah with Lucifer. And if that is the case then Raphael isn't going to be the happiest camper. He wants to believe that Raphael wouldn't stoop low enough to take out his anger on those around him but Raphael, even when they were young, followed Michael's lead. And Michael liked to take his anger out on those around him.

Without realizing it, Gabriel spreads his six wings out, puffing them up to cover the nest. He only notices when he feels someone grab them. With a shocked jerk, he glances backward to see Dean's hand clutching at the feathers. Slowly, Gabriel extends one wing and watches in awe as the child reaches out and grabs it gently, bringing it to his mouth to suck on. Gabriel isn't the best at guessing human ages but he's pretty sure that humans stop sticking things in their mouth about the age Dean is now, maybe younger, but he can't bring himself to take his wing back. Especially when little Sammy follows his big brother's example and grabs a fist full of his feathers. Despite being the two biggest pains in the ass he has ever had to deal with they are undeniably adorable as they are now.

He's just gotten comfortable on the nest, in the best position to jump into a defensive pose over the four, when the yelling starts. It's loud and stupidly scary to him and he hates how his body starts to quiver. He can't feel any other grace but he knows those voices as well as he knows his own.

The yelling is almost identical to the final shouting matches before Lucifer's Fall and it reminds him how small he felt during them. Gabriel takes a deep breath, trying to center himself and get his mind back under his control. His vessel may be that of a child, but he is an Angel of the Lord and fear is not something he should be feeling so close to the surface. The sound of objects being thrown and broken, jars Raphael awake. Gabriel's back stiffens because he doubts his ability to protect the younger ones from three people all at once.

But Raphael just looks at him in mild confusion before the yelling gets louder and Raphael jumps into a protective crouch in front of Gabriel, who eyes the back of Raphael's head in doubt. Raphael is like Michael, and Michael has a temper just like their Father, but Raphael is also his big brother, and Angels have a deep-seated need to protect their young and Gabriel hopes that it is enough to keep Raphael from turning on him.

Gabriel flinches when the words "betrayer" and "traitor" are tossed about like candy. There is a loud crash and a loud wailing starts up. He reasons that it's Sam, since he is the youngest one the bed, and that Dean will take care of his brother. When the crying doesn't lessen and the yelling gets closer to the room that they are in Gabriel turns around. Only Sam isn't crying, though he looks close to it now that what he was sucking on is gone. Gabriel's heart stops when he realizes that Dean and Castiel are gone.

Until he sees the two in front of a crib that must contain the crying child. The Archangel opens his mouth, about to demand that they get on the bed, when the yelling outside stops and the door opens. It's one thing to hear their voices, it's quite another to see Michael and Lucifer enter the room. He takes them in; Lucifer is still wearing Nick, though he looks better than he has in a while. Michael is a mix between Adam and John. While they are older than the rest of them, they are still years younger than they should be. Gabriel's throat clogs with emotion and his chest flares up in remembered pain. Lucifer stabbed him, his big brother might as well have killed him.

"Oh fuck."

The young squeaky voice knocks Gabriel from his despair and he looks between the oldest two Archangels and Dean and Castiel. Raphael looks perturbed by the cuss word coming from a young child, but he stays in front of Gabriel instead of rushing to Michael's side as he expects the darker Angel to do. Chocolate brown wings spread out even further in an attempt to look scary and Gabriel adds his own tawny wings to the mix. He hears Dean and Castiel retrieve the baby and make it back up onto the bed.

Lucifer watches it all, his hands clenching and unclenching before he turns to Michael. The snarled words are Enochian and match the way black and blue wings are puffing up. Michael snarls back and it's just like before to Gabriel only... Somehow it's worse. Maybe it's because of the baby crying, maybe it's the way he can feel Sam and Dean's souls cry out in distress though neither of them vocalize it. He can tell that it is getting on Raphael's nerves when another one of the humans start to cry.

"Brother?"

Gabriel risks a glance back and sees Castiel looking at him with wide, relief filled blue eyes.

"You are alive."

"Of course, I am Cassie," he says aiming for levity but with crying kids in the background he fails, horribly. But Castiel gives him a small smile and he counts it as a win.

"For Father's sake, can someone shut up the crying babies?"

"They wouldn't be crying if you weren't such a bag of dicks," Dean snaps. Gabriel has to smile at the fierceness that Dean tries to convey and he is going to have to get the hunter to stop cussing because it just sounds wrong coming from his mouth now.

Predictably, Lucifer takes a step forward, though he halts and a look of hurt flashes across his face when Raphael hisses at him. The fallen Angel actually takes two steps back and tries to cover up the hurt with haughtiness.

"Really brother? Do you think you could protect them should I decide to harm them? Not that I would. Even I have standards."

"Somehow I don't believe you," Raphael says angrily.

There is a groan before Balthazar grumbles under his breath, "If this is the afterlife for Angels, it sucks."

Castiel flinches closer to Gabriel and he wonders what he missed if Balthazar thinks he's dead. There is movement behind him and the crying slowly comes to a stop. He glances behind him to see that Dean has collected pillows to add to the nest he made and the baby, Adam, is sucking on Dean's fingers while Sam has snuggled deep into his brother's side. Hesitantly, Castiel joins Dean, giving the thoroughly-unimpressed-with-life Balthazar a sad look.

Gabriel looks back at his older brothers, trying to overlook the longing on Lucifer's face before it gets covered up with a sneer.

"Not that this impromptu reunion isn't fun but what the hell is going on?" he asks.

Michael looks irritated at being spoken to in such a way and puffs up but before he can speak, there is a crash and a muttered curse. All heads turn toward the door. Lucifer sticks his head out to take a look before retreating further into the room a look of distaste on his face. A look that is soon mirrored by Dean and Castiel.

"Father damn it! I know that I am your voice but shouldn't Joshua be the one to do this?" There is a pause. "I was about to read something, if you must know. And clearly your idea of a get-along shirt failed epically if the hissy fit Luci was throwing earlier is any indication."

This time, the pause is longer and ends with a sigh. "No I am not doubting Father's knowledge, Joshua, just his timing. How many years have passed since- There is no need to take that tone with me, Gardener!"

Michael seems to be constipated as he glances over at Lucifer. "Metatron?"

The scraggly haired male that enters the room looking as if he is stepping into a room filled with rats raises an eyebrow at them.

"Yes it is I," he says in a deadpan voice, "now listen up because I have a message from daddy dearest and I'm not repeating it."

The approximant ages of the babies who aren't really babies:
Michael- 18
Lucifer- 17
Raphael- 13
Gabriel- 11
Balthazar- 9
Castiel- 8
Dean- 7
Sam- 3
Adam is an actual baby