Title: Understanding by BlueRidgeBeauty
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Mentions of rape, some bad language.
Pairing: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel
Summary: When Castiel is captured, tortured and raped by Lucifer and some demons Gabriel is forced to relive some of his own painful memories in an effort to help his little brother.
Disclaimer All characters belong to that Eric Kripke that creative little sadist who likes to make the fangirls cry, well him and the CW network. As for me I own nothing.

Castiel goes missing on a Wednesday; they find him Friday evening chained to a bed in an abandoned old house in Kentucky. Lucifer is long gone having gotten bored of torturing one of his youngest brothers. Of course the bastard couldn't have been merciful, and just killed his battered and abused little brother, no he left him there for some lower class demons to have their fun with him. When Gabriel first sees his little brother after he punches a hole literally straight through the last demon left standing, laughing at them as he recounts all the "fun" things they've done to Castiel he not sure Castiel is even still alive. There's so much blood and his little brother is so pale and still but then Dean rushes by him scared and desperate shaking as he checks his lover for a pulse. The elder Winchester and Gabriel both jump back a little when Castiel's eyes fly open and he takes in a shuddering breath before weakly batting at Dean trying to fight him off.

Everyone freezes for a moment shocked that Castiel is still anywhere near conscious. He's a mess of blood and bruises one of his wings is bent at an odd angle and he has what appears to be bite marks all over him. Castiel obviously put up one hell of a fight if the raw and bloodied skin around his wrists and ankles from fighting against his restraints is any indication. Gabriel snaps his fingers and the chains fall away. Gabriel notices the Enochian carved into them, symbols meant to bind an angel's grace and burn his vessel's skin. "Damn bastards" he mutters. Dean of course is trying to reassure himself that Cas is in fact alive by running his hands desperately over his lover checking for any unseen injuries and given the shape Castiel is in there probably are some. Dean is just running his hand over Castiel's hip when Castiel recoils from his touch kicking out at Dean with strength born of pure panic before curling in on himself shuddering in fear mumbling "Please don't, no more, please no more"

"Oh God no." Dean whispers as he pulls away as if he's been burnt "No please tell me the fuckers didn't do that to him." Gabriel sees it too now the smears of semi fresh blood an another bodily fluid that Gabriel doesn't want to think about, and he feels sick to his stomach, nearly jumps when Sam places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'll kill him Brother or not I'm going to fucking kill Lucifer, and Father help Michael if he tries to get in my way. Screw prophecy and destiny both it's one thing to take on me, or Michael, or Raph but Castiel weak as he already was this wasn't even a fight; this is what my Brother does for sport these days the sick piece of shit." Gabriel ranted his anger causing his grace to make the air around him crackle with electricity.

"It could have been the demons." Sam says trying to calm Gabriel

"No it was Lucifer, trust me I know." Gabriel spits "Sure his demons had a go at Cas too, but only after Lucifer was finished with him."

"We don't know that for sure, Gabriel please just don't do anything reckless, please." Sam says giving Gabriel a pleading look, and Gabriel understands really he does. He can see the still fresh fear in Sam's eyes from when Lucifer had killed him back at the Elysian Fields motel. Sam had thought he'd lost him forever, and the pain of those memories was still fresh in lover's mind, causing Sam to balk at the idea of Gabriel going after the sibling who had so recently shown that he was both willing and capable of killing him.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid Sam." Gabriel says with a resigned sigh before conjuring up a clean towel and a bowl of warm water. Sitting carefully on the edge of the bed Gabriel speaks softly. Hey Cas it's me kiddo it's Gabriel, and I'm going to take care of you okay just relax and let me get you cleaned up a little so I can see how bad you're hurt."

"Gabriel?"

"Yeah it's me; you're favorite annoying big brother."

"Dean?" Castiel asks.

'He's here too," Gabriel soothes. we're here and everything's going to be alright now you're safe." Gabriel emphasizes this with a brush of his grace healing the cuts and bite marks that littered Castiel's vessel

Castiel visibly relaxes letting Gabriel get closer "I'm going to clean you up now okay?" Castiel nods probably more than willing to feel even a little bit cleaner than his present state. Gabriel is gentle using his grace to heal the bruises which have mottled his brother's skin making a grotesque pattern of blues, purples, yellows and greens all over Castiel. Gabriel starts with Castiel's face with the two black eyes; one of which is so swollen Gabriel doubts Castiel can even see out of it. Next he moves to the broken nose and jaw setting them to rights; before moving down to the dislocated shoulder and broken wing. There's patches of blood where feathers should be it looks like the demons took particular joy in pulling out Castiel's beautiful silvery gray feathers. Castiel is missing the majority of his flight feathers, and that is something that will have to heal with time, he can reset the bones in his brother's wings, but the feathers will have to grow back in. Gabriel glances up to see Dean blink back tears; before he moves to Castiel's chest healing several broken ribs. Gabriel checks for internal injuries while he cleans blood from his brother stomach Gabriel moves his hand lower, but Castiel shrinks back away when he realizes that Gabriel wishes to heal him there as well, so Gabriel backs off holding up his hands.

"Okay its okay, I know you're hurt Castiel. I only wanted to heal you, but if you'd rather I not?" Gabriel said, silently asking his brother for permission to let him heal him.

Cas just gave Gabriel a pleading look turning away from him.

"Okay Brother, I can respect that let's just get you out of here then. Do you think you can walk?"

Castiel nodded, but when he went to stand he collapsed. Gabriel who was the closest to him crouched down beside him pulling him into his arms.

Dean dropped down beside Gabriel reaching out for Castiel's hand giving it a reassuring squeeze "It's okay Cas, just rest I'm here and Gabriel's here, and we'll take care of you."

"Hey Sammy go get us a something we can wrap him in okay? He's shaking pretty bad here, I think he might be going into shock."

Sam who'd seemed unsure of what to do with himself ever since they'd discovered the extent of Castiel's injuries finally with some purpose dashed off to go find a blanket. Gabriel belatedly remembered he could have just snapped up, but Castiel is clinging to him for dear life; his waning grace reaching out to Gabriel's for comfort, and Gabriel couldn't have denied him even if he'd been so inclined.

"Shh shh Little Brother it's alright. I'm here now, I've got you, you're safe."
Gabriel says as he rocks a shaking Castiel back and forth. Dean hovers, looking equal parts heartbroken and murderous. Gabriel knows the feeling he could rip Lucifer apart one little piece at a time right now, but he has more pressing matters like getting Castiel calmed down enough so that he can see to fixing the rest his younger sibling's injuries. Castiel is shivering and that's not a good sign, whether it's from shock and the trauma of what he's just been through, or the fact that Castiel has all but lost his grace entirely and he's actually capable of feeling cold Gabriel isn't sure, but he's relieved when Sam returns after fishing a warm blanket from the trunk of the impala. Sam hands Gabriel the blanket and Gabriel wraps it around Castiel's naked body causing his little brother's trembling lessen a little.

"We need to get him somewhere warm." Gabriel says, fearing that his little brother may actually be going into shock.

"We could go back to Bobby's." Dean suggests which was where they had been staying when Castiel disappeared, but Gabriel shakes his head. "We'll go to my place it's safer, besides I have plenty of room for us all. Castiel is going to need some time to heal, and I want him as comfortable as possible while he does it."

Dean looks like he's about to argue but Gabriel snaps his fingers before he has the chance.

-

-

Gabriel sits beside Castiel's bedside thinking what a strange looking vigil this must be, with him on one side of his little brother, Dean on the other holding his lover's hand and Sam curled up on the love seat behind him, in a way sure to give his skyscraper of a boyfriend sore muscles and stiff joints when he wakes. Gabriel is unwilling to leave his little brothers side though, and Dean is unwilling to leave his lover, and well Sam is unwilling to leave his lover and his brother while they keep vigil over Castiel, so here they've been for the past two days while Castiel has been unconscious.

Dean's eyes are getting heavy and Gabriel has half the mind to just tap his forehead and knock him out he'll be of no use to Castiel when he wakes up if he's too exhausted to think. Instead Gabriel looks out the window taking in the craggy stretch of North Carolina coast letting the salty smell of the ocean air coming from the open window calm him.

He still wants to rip Lucifer to shreds. He had raped their little brother, and then beat him so severely that if Castiel had truly been human he would not have survived. Gabriel had spent thousands of years trying not to pick a side in this, trying to remember Lucifer as he once was, trying to forget that he knows all to well what Castiel is going through. Gabriel loved the Morningstar once, loved him as more than a brother, but when he couldn't follow him into rebellion. As a result Lucifer had lashed out in a way that had left their Father no choice but to cast him out. Michael had been the one to receive the orders to cast out the Lightbringer, his beloved brother, his lover. The four of them Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and himself had been flocked together before Lucifer's pride and jealousy had ripped them apart. So while Raphael worked at healing him, it fell to Michael to cast his beloved into the pit.

Gabriel will never forget the way Michael looked at him after that as if it were all somehow his fault that Lucifer was fallen and so many of their brothers and sisters were dead or fallen with him. Gabriel endured those looks for a few thousand years, but when Father's voice fell silent, and Raphael began to look at him with the same blame in his eyes as Michael, as the two of them killed fledglings not old enough to even have met the Morningstar, much less share his rebellious notions, Gabriel took his leave of heaven.

Gabriel continued to stare out the window watching the waves crash against the shore it seemed a summer storm was blowing in that would be nice Gabriel had always enjoyed watching them and if he closed his eyes for a moment he could convince himself that the thunder wasn't really thunder at all but his Father's deep rumbling voice ancient and terrifying in it's power. Of all his siblings Gabriel assumed he missed his Father's voice the most - he was The Messenger and without the Word without a message to deliver what use was he and why were he siblings at all surprised when he left a heaven that had fallen silent except for the sound of his brothers and sisters betraying each other. Once there had been the Father's voice the Living Word and his brother Lucifer's voice filling all of heaven with beautiful songs praising their Father but when Lucifer fell heaven became too silent too somber and Gabriel too filled with guilt and shame too anguished to continue the charade that all was well quietly crept out the backdoor and never looked back.

Well that was until now until the damned Winchesters had made him remember who and what he really was; until Castiel all big blue eyes filled with a little brother's hope and disillusionment reminded him that he was a big brother and that he had severely let Castiel, and all the fledglings like him down when he had left heaven. Gabriel thinks it was in that moment that Castiel became the Jiminy Cricket to his Pinocchio. It didn't take long for Gabriel to grow a conscience and decide to help the Winchesters no matter how suicidal that mission turned out to be.

A snore from across the bed brings Gabriel back to the present Dean has finally succumbed to exhaustion, slumped foreword his head resting on the edge of the bed, one hand still wrapped tightly around Castiel's. Gabriel kind of has to admit as much as the elder Winchester gets on his nerves he does love Castiel, and that is something Castiel will need when he wakes. Gabriel knows this first hand; shaking his head ruefully he ponders why it is his family is so fucked up. His own brother killed him not three months ago, the rest of his brothers and sisters barely batted an eyelash even though he knows they all felt it, not a one of them made a move to try and resurrect him. He was pretty sure his father had cared enough to bring him back, but apparently not enough to stick around long enough to say hello.

Gabriel is once again pulled from his angsty thoughts by a whimper and the sound of movement, before he can try to calm his brother, sooth him back into much needed restful sleep Castiel eyes blink open seemingly searching the room for an unseen tormentor, before he screams lashing out arms and legs flailing as he tries to fight his way out of the bed.

Dean jerks awake after receiving a stray kick to the head

"What the hell?" he mumbles before taking in his lover's condition

"Dean, help me we need to calm him before he hurts himself, his right wing is far from healed."

Sam is awake now too and leaps forward trying to help his brother restrain the struggling seraph.

Gabriel knows this is a monumentally bad idea he remembers how fiercely he had fought Raphael when The Healer had merely tried to tend his wounds after Lucifer had turned on him taking by force what had once been given in love all because Gabriel refused to turn his back on his Father and join Lucifer in a rebellion doomed to failure.

Castiel may be losing his grace, but he is still strong angelically strong and Dean should know he doesn't stand a snowballs chance against a panicked angel whose fight or flight instinct has just kicked in. Castiel may love Dean dearly but right now Castiel isn't himself and the idea that he is safe and with those who love him and only want to help him hasn't even occurred to him yet. No this is all about a survival instinct that is eons old and has been honed over many thousands of years by battles so bloody the Winchester boys could not even fathom their horrors.

Gabriel is able to catch a hold of Sam pulling him back in time to keep him from taking a fist to the face from Castiel, but Dean stupidly hangs onto his lover, and finds himself flung headfirst into a solid oak dresser where he collapses in a heap. Sam, wild eyed and now reasonably frightened for his brother, yells out "Dean!"

Gabriel's worried too, and snakes his way around a still wildly swinging Castiel to go check on Dean who's knocked out cold, but thankfully not severely injured. He's just about to turn around and restrain Castiel himself when his epically stupid little brother tries to take flight. He disappears but Gabriel knows he can't get far - the pain will be too intense, not to mention that what further damage he might do to his injured wing is likely to cause him to land in a less than planned way. If Gabriel figures it right his stubborn little brother probably won't make it off the property before he crash lands.

"Sam, see if you can patch Dean up. I'm going after Castiel."

The storm hits just a few minutes after Gabriel begins his search but it doesn't take him long to find Castiel. He's laying crumpled on the beach at the edge of Gabriel's property. He's moving so that's a good sign but he's also soaked to the bone and what was his good wing is now twisted at an odd angle.

"Damn it you little fool." Gabriel mutters to himself. "You'd have to go and half kill yourself."

Gabriel knows enough however to not approach his younger sibling with anger; it won't do either of them any good. Castiel is like a wounded animal at this point, and Gabriel will have to win his trust.

Castiel is shivering again so Gabriel snaps up a blanket; he covers his little brother, Castiel flinches and Gabriel whispers. "Castiel its okay, it's just me Gabriel, I swear little brother I'm not going to hurt you."

"Gabriel?" Castiel asks cautiously before moaning in pain.

"Yeah it's me kiddo."

"Come on let me get you back to the house so I can patch you up again."

"No just leave me alone."

"I can't do that, you're hurt."

"Please, I just want to be alone."

"I know, but I can't just leave you out here."

"I can't face him right now." Castiel says and Gabriel can hear the choked back tears in his little brother's voice.

"I understand." Gabriel says. With a snap he makes the rain stop, and Castiel finds himself lying beside a roaring campfire.

"How can you?" Castiel says bitterly.

"Because he did the same thing to me right before he fell." Gabriel says quietly.

"He did?" Castiel asks he voice equal parts hope at the thought that someone might understand what it is he's feeling at the moment, and guilt for wanting anyone to have gone through what he has so recently endured.

"It was the final straw really, what he did to me it's what caused Father to cast him out." Gabriel says as he sits beside Castiel gently running his hand along his brother's damaged wings, letting healing grace flow through him and into the delicate bones of his baby brother's wings healing the twisted and broken bones, causing Castiel to let out a sigh of relief.

"It's ironic really if ever there was ever an occasion where the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger." applied that would have been it. You see Father sent me to give Lucifer the ultimatum to repent for his stubborn refusal to serve humanity or face banishment. I knew going into it that Lucifer would be furious, I just never expected Lucifer's anger to cause him turn on me the way he did. We were flock mates, brothers and lovers I didn't expect him to take his anger out on me. I expected him to rant and rage against Father. I dreaded it but was resigned to the idea that he was going to leave, since he'd already started plotting his rebellion. I just never expected him to do that to me, to break our bond as a flock, and then to force himself on me. He thought that if I wouldn't agree to join him he'd ruin me, taint me so thoroughly that Father would cast me out along with him as if I were merely some dirtied and damaged thing no longer worthy of his presence."

"I was that already." Castiel mutters just barely loud enough for Gabriel to hear, and it sounds so broken and defeated that Gabriel can't help but put an arm around his little brother's shoulders, he ignores the instinctive flinch recognizing it for what it is. He gives Castiel a reassuring squeeze letting some of his grace flow between them, wrapping it around Castiel letting the younger, weaker angel draw strength from it. Castiel scoots in closer, and Gabriel spreads his wings taking Castiel under his wing as if he were still a fledgling. Castiel stiffens for a moment a brief flare of pride flickering through his grace, before he reacts as a fledgling would relaxing and letting his older brother wrap his wing around him nestling him in a cocoon of warm feathers and soothing grace. It's an intimate gesture one that Gabriel is glad that the emotionally stunted Dean Winchester isn't here to see because he would totally read the wrong thing into it. To angels this is a very nurturing almost parental gesture, one that promises safety and protection, and Gabriel is powerful enough that such a promise coming from him carries a considerable amount of weight behind it, which means for the moment Castiel knows he's safe. Castiel can rest in the knowledge that Gabriel understands, and is perfectly willing to shelter him under his wings, keeping the world at bay for just a little while. Gabriel is glad that Castiel trust him enough, that he know that he will be here watching out for him long enough for Castiel to pull himself together, and find the strength to face what lays ahead.

For awhile they were quiet each lost in their own haunted memories. Gabriel watching the flames of the fire flicker as night descended around them the sound of the waves breaking against the shore seemed provide a rhythm to the mantra his thoughts had become one particular thought circling continuously through his mind "Make Lucifer Pay" He didn't know exactly how he was going to accomplish it yet, but Gabriel was a archangel after all, and a motherfucking Trickster on top of that, and somehow someway he was going to make sure Lucifer the fucking the Devil himself got his just desserts.

"So Father didn't cast you out, why?" asked Castiel finally.

"It didn't work out quite that way Lucifer had planned it only enraged Father. When Lucifer sent me back to him broken and bloodied Father's wrath was well it was terrifying. Lucifer was His favorite sure, and Michael the most loyal, the most obedient. Raphael always tried to emulate Michael, but me I was the one who actually spoke with Father. Out of the four of us archangels I was the one Father took the most time to actually speak with. I don't know why, but I know He loved me too in his own way, not like He loved Lucifer, but He sure wasn't willing to let Lucifer take me away from Him. It was only then that he gave Michael the order to lock Lucifer in his cage it was only then that he decreed that one day Michael would have to kill Lucifer, so this whole apocalypse mess you could make an argument that it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault Gabriel, it's Lucifer's always has been." Castiel says with more conviction than Gabriel would have figured the young seraph had in him at the moment.

"Same goes for you too Castiel what Lucifer did, what those demons did to you it's not your fault, you hear me Little Brother don't let it destroy the happiness you've found with Dean, because for all his flaws he truly does love you, and this, what's happened, it hasn't changed that."

"I won't, Castiel says. "I just need a little time and I'm not sure he will understand."

"He will if you give him the chance." Gabriel says reassuringly. "So you ready to go back now, maybe take a nice long hot shower, and then get back into bed so you can get your strength back up, and let those wings heal."

Castiel nods and Gabriel stands pulling Castiel up with him before flying them both back to the house and their very relieved Winchesters.