A/N: We have reached the end of the story! Thankyou my faithful readers, I hope you enjoyed it. Your reviews were all wonderful so thankyou. I will be writing a Destiel/Sabriel fic next becaus I had this idea that I simply MUST write. So stick around for that if you like! Kisses xxx

Sam was playing solitaire on his laptop when Castiel arrived. He'd tried just sitting and waiting for him, but thoughts kept creeping into his mind that he didn't want to think about, and he needed to distract himself.

"Hello, Sam." Castiel said as usual, and Sam shut his screen, turning to face the Angel. Sam nodded at him and smiled. "I'm sorry for being so cryptic, Sam. I wouldn't normally say anything in front of either of you or Dean that the other couldn't be witness to, but in this case, I think you need some time to digest information separately."

Sam nodded, pretty sure he understood. Castiel must know that whatever he was about to talk to Sam about would probably reach Dean's ears eventually. He must just want to prolong that.

"While I would never usually interfere in matters such as this, I feel it is important to tell you certain things, as I am perhaps privy to information that you might not be. And I care about my brother. He is a difficult person to understand. But I believe he feels the same way about you."

Sam gaped. Castiel wanted to discuss Gabriel? Was this actually happening? More importantly, was this wise?

"I don't… um…" Sam began, not really knowing where he was going with that sentence.

"Gabriel recently told me he doesn't believe in soulmates, despite there being astounding evidence to prove their existence – namely that soulmates are allowed to share a space in Heaven." Sam tried to follow where Castiel was going with this. "Why do you suppose my brother…" Castiel's lips twitched a little in an almost smile. "…'harasses' you so?"

"Because he enjoys making me miserable?" Sam guessed, giving up on following the conversation anymore. Castiel actually laughed. Sam tried not to be scared at the sight of it.

"I suppose it's not an unlikely assumption. But no, Sam. He confided to me that he finds you interesting, and that you regularly surprise him. He confessed that you remind him of himself. It wouldn't surprise me if he felt overly protective of you for this very reason, Sam."

Sam was about to protest, to jump up from his seat on the bed and tell Castiel that this was utterly ridiculous, he was making it sound like Gabriel was in love with him or something- but at that moment, a thought flew into Sam's brain. A memory actually, of Gabriel saying something remarkably similar just last night, right before Sam had… well. No need to go into that.

But Gabriel had said practically that, hadn't he? What was it… 'You remind me of… me. But a better me, I guess. One who made better choices even though he disobeyed Daddy. You've been through a lot Sammy, I may know better than most people how much. You should let someone take care of you once in a while.'

Sam looked back up at Castiel, and knew the Angel was well aware of his thought process.

"So… what are you saying… that Gabriel… are you saying Gabriel…?" Sam seemed not to be able to finish his sentences today.

"I believe Gabriel is not fully aware of his current feelings." Castiel said enigmatically, giving Sam a small smile. Sam just blinked wearily, tired of these conflicting thoughts.

"What... Why... Why did he take me to Hawaii?" Sam asked, picking this question randomly out of the hundreds in his mind.

Castiel frowned. "Hawaii? Is that where he resides? Nobody has ever known his permanent state of residence, or if he even had one. I suspect if he took you there, you would be the first."

Sam's face fell. It was almost imperceptible, and Castiel didn't see.

"I'm going to get Dean now. I believe he might want to talk to you as well." Sam heard Castiel say, and then the Angel was gone.

Sam flopped back onto the bed. He was only mildly less confused now. What was Castiel saying? That Gabriel wasn't just out to sleep with him? That he might actually care for Sam? Like, care a lot? That was crazy, surely! Gabriel cared about Gabriel. That was how he'd lived his life for however many millions of years, it was obvious.

But now that Sam thought about it, Gabriel did seem to act differently around Sam. The Mystery Spot was a hell of a long way to go out of your daily routine just to teach some random guy a lesson about being too emotionally needy with his brother. And hadn't Gabriel already experienced the pain of losing a close brother first hand? Two in fact? As cruel as it had seemed at the time, perhaps in his own way, Gabriel was trying to spare Sam some of the pain, by desensitising him to Dean's death. It was a stupid plan of course, because Sam would never be 'desensitised' to Dean dying before his eyes, but how was Gabriel to know?

And the thing Castiel had said about him being 'overly-protective'. It seemed unlikely, but how else could Sam explain him coming to the rescue during that hunt in the children's hospital the other week?

'You should let someone take care of you once in a while.'

Maybe Gabriel is doing for me what nobody thought to do for him. That's big, man.

Sam tried not to think about the kiss, but now that Gabriel had turned up the contrast on Sam's memories of that night, it was hard not to. Gabe had been thorough in returning those lost memories. Sam remembered things he probably wouldn't have done otherwise – the spicy, exotic smell radiating from Gabriel's skin as he leaned in close; the sandpaper prickle of stubble sliding across his chin; the warm, wet pressure of Gabriel's smiling lips against his; the rough, stiff material of Gabriel's jacket collar as he smoothed his hands over the Angel's shoulders; the strength he used to pull Gabriel in to him, though of course Gabe was letting him take control. That thought in itself scared Sam; why did Gabriel let Sam do all that? I mean sure, he was always joking about getting Sam into bed, but why would he really want to? He was a Trickster Archangel! He could quite literally have anyone at the snap of his fingers.

"Shift over, Sammy I gotta lay down." Dean said out of nowhere, and Sam had almost forgotten he was coming. Sam shifted over on the bed, sighing, and wondered what Dean could possibly have to say to him. He felt a little like he was at an Intervention. Considering the last one had been when he was drinking demon blood and Dean had locked him in Bobby's panic room, it was fair to say Sam was a little apprehensive about what was about to happen.

Dean sprawled out next to Sam, his left arm flung deliberately over Sam's face, making Sam moan and curse him. Dean chuckled. Then he sighed. "So Cas tells me I've gotta talk to you about Gabriel."

Sam sighed and squirmed, already uncomfortable with this conversation.

"Look, dude, I'm not gonna go on and on about this the way I know Cas must have. He's gorgeous but he can't half talk when he sets his mind to it." Dean said fondly. Sam raised his eyebrows, still staring at the ceiling. "So. Cas told me all this shit about Gabriel, and, yeah, I guess maybe – and don't go getting all big-headed – you were right. He's probably not such a bad guy. He's keeping Lucifer away from you and that's damn decent of him."

Sam turned his head towards Dean, eyebrows scrunched together. What? Keeping Lucifer away? What was Dean talking about? Sam ran through his mind to the last time he and Lucifer had had a chat. It must have been at least a month ago, probably more, long before this whole mess started, when Lucifer had visited him in a dream, disguising himself as Jess.

Ugh, how had he been so stupid?! Gabriel had been protecting him this whole time?! Why hadn't he noticed?

"He kept Lucifer away…" Sam repeated, dumbfounded, and Dean looked surprised.

"Yeah, no shit Sammy." Dean replied. "That makes him a-okay in my book. So I got one basic thing to say before I get back to my rudely interrupted make out session…" Sam waited, taking in Dean's mischievous grin with apprehension. "…dude, Angels are awesome." Sam's eyebrows shot up. "They don't get tired, they can fly you places, you can make them order extra pie and you can eat it cause they don't need to!"

Okay, of all the things Sam expected Dean to say, this was not one of them. His eyebrows continued to creep up his face. "Um…"

"And, I'm only gonna say this once Sammy, cause it's you, and it's weird, but Angel sex is beyond crazy, man. Must be a bitch to be cooped up in Heaven for zillions of years and not allowed to get any. Repression, I tell you, it does wonders for your sex drive."

"Dean, I really don't wanna hear-" Sam started to say, cringing away from his brother's enthusiastic ramblings.

"Look, whatever, I won't spoil the surprise." Dean interrupted, chuckling at Sam's reaction. "Point is, there is no reason to break this poor guy's heart just cause he can be a bit of a diva and he's a little… tactile in his affections." Sam stared at Dean incredulously. Break his heart? What? "Not when there are so many perks, right?" Dean said, winking, and making sure he gave Sam a sharp nudge in the ribs for good measure, he stood up and crossed to the door, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts.

"I-I… I, Sam Winchester…" Sam sighed, his clasped hands collapsing in his lap. "…I can't believe I'm doing this. Gabe? You getting this? You've probably blocked my number, huh?" Sam sighed again, slumping in his chair. "I'm… I'm sorry about the uh… the thing I said. I guess I wasn't really… thinking about what all this stuff you're doing actually… meant, y'know?"

There was no materialisation of any Archangels, so Sam guessed he was going to need to plough on. Even if Gabriel wasn't listening, it felt good to talk about his feelings out loud.

"I don't know why, but I've been kind of slow on the uptake recently. I think it's you actually. You're so confusing." Sam smiled a little, and closed his eyes, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You're like this huge tornado of fake worlds and disguises and impossible things, and I'm a realist man, I can't keep up with everything. I didn't get it, Cas literally had to sit me down and spell it out for me… but I think now… well. You'd probably never admit it, but I think you've started to like me a bit." Sam's smile grew wider, picturing Gabriel's indignant reaction. "Whatever man, I'm not gonna make this all schmaltzy, but if you meant any of that really gay crap you said to me last night, then I take it all back about the err… kissing." Sam cringed a little at the last word, but he spat it out nonetheless.

"I would have thought the kissing was more 'really gay' than the stuff I was spewing, babydoll." A voice said from nearby. Sam's breath hitched and he opened his eyes slowly, fearing the worst - namely, fearing a furious Archangel.

Gabriel was leaning against the table at which Sam was sat, casually gazing down at him. "Hey." Sam said, relief flooding through him.

"What, no comeback? No witty remark? I'm surprised at you, Sam." Gabriel said, smiling a little, folding his arms. Sam couldn't help smiling back.

"Well, you've kind of got me there to be fair. Kissing a guy is pretty much the definition of gay." Sam replied, trying to look sincere.

Gabriel grinned. "Technically I'm not a guy, babe. Angels don't have a gender."

Sam may have come to terms with a lot today, and for that he was proud of himself, but Gabriel being genderless was too much to cope with. He decided to ignore it for now. Gabriel chuckled and Sam knew he'd followed that train of thought.

"So, um. Do you accept my apology?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling unbelievably awkward about everything he'd just said. He found he couldn't even look at Gabriel.

"Hmmm... Nah. You hurt me bad, Sammy. Real bad. You're gonna have to make it up to me, I'm afraid." Gabriel replied, amusement and innuendo dripping off of every syllable.

Sam's eyes snapped up, suddenly annoyed. "Oh, really?" He asked, standing up and folding his arms. "What would you suggest, Gabe?"

Gabriel grinned and raised his eyebrows, then beckoned to Sam with a single finger. Sam walked forwards a little, apprehensive, but aware he was in debt to the guy. Gabe leaned forwards, stretching onto his tiptoes to whisper in Sam's ear. "How about you return that massage?"

Sam's eyes widened and he jerked back, only to be held in place by Gabriel's fingers wound tightly in his flannel shirt. His heart was suddenly pounding, and he was sure it hadn't been just moments before. He unfolded his arms, suddenly feeling ridiculous, and tried to resist the urge to slide his hands underneath Gabriel's t-shirt. "I-I can't… I don't have any… oil." Sam replied lamely, and really, he could have come up with a better excuse. This was an Archangel inches away from him.

"Ah. Problematic. Hmm... well, Sam?" Gabriel asked, his lips so close to Sam's that he could feel the vibrations.

"Mmhmm?" Sam replied, trying not to sway forwards.

"You remember how you said you wanted to take back what you said about kissing me?"

Sam felt himself grow hot, and tried to pull away out of the embarrassment at remembering, but Gabriel's hold was firm, and it only made the Angel change positions, sitting up on the table now and looping his legs around Sam's waist, yanking him in. Sam sucked in a breath, but nodded.

"Does that mean I might be able to squeeze another one out of you?" Gabriel continued, squeezing his legs - which were currently wrapped around Sam - to emphasise his words, grinding their hips together.

Sam gasped, his hands clutching at Gabriel's shoulders as sensations pooled in his groin at the friction. Sam allowed his eyes to flick back up to Gabriel's. The Angel's eyes were glinting, a question still sparkling in their depths. Without allowing himself to think, Sam closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against Gabriel's. He felt Gabriel smile against him again, and decided in that moment that it was his favourite feeling in the world. He tasted exactly how he remembered (minus the beer) and at the same time, so much better. Sam felt himself being pulled in, arms wrapping around his waist, but he didn't care, he just wanted to push further. He ran his tongue lightly along Gabriel's lower lip and snaked an arm all the way round his neck. Gabriel opened his mouth a little way and Sam slipped his tongue inside, pushing his hips forwards as the wet warmth enveloped his senses. He felt Gabriel bite his lip and he yelped a little, breaking contact and meeting mischievous eyes.

"Sorry, Sammy. Couldn't help myself." Gabriel pressed another short kiss to Sam's shocked mouth. "You're delicious."

Gabriel snapped his fingers and a bottle appeared in his hand. He brought it in front of Sam's face so he could see.

Massage oil, Sam read to himself. Oh God.

"You found some." Sam said weakly. Should I be concerned? If Gabriel bites during kissing, who the hell knows what he's like during sex?

"Don't pretend you don't wanna find out, Sam." Gabriel said in answer to Sam's thoughts, and he was grinning madly, like usual. "Fancy a trip to Hawaii?"

Sam bit his lip, running his tongue over where Gabriel had nipped it. He thought he tasted blood. Gabriel wrapped his legs tighter around Sam's waist, and Sam looked down into his heavy, lust-filled eyes. Who was he kidding? Of course he wanted to find out. "Hell yes." Sam replied.

Gabriel grinned, and snapped his fingers.

Waking up with Gabriel's fingers drumming power ballads onto his chest was still extremely strange for Sam, but he found he didn't mind too much ...for some reason. He assumed Gabe didn't mind it either, because even though the poor guy didn't sleep, he lay faithfully at Sam's side all night, amusing himself by braiding Sam's hair, drawing a moustache on his face, or one extremely memorable time, burning an imprint of his hand onto Sam's ass.

"What the hell, Gabriel?!"

"What?"

"There's a friggin HANDPRINT on my ass!"

"Yeah..."

"WHY?!"

"Oh, I see. Cas gets to mark his territory with a handprint but when I do it it's UNFORGIVABLE!"

"Cas did not drag Dean up from Hell by his ASS, Gabe!"

"That's not what I hear..."

"Gabe! Just take it off! Now! You can put it on my shoulder if you really want to but that's IT."

"Fine. God, Sammy you're so boring."

...

"This is the part of you that I would stake a claim on though, to be fair..."

"GABRIEL."

Sam was certainly fond of his new digs. Gabriel insisted it was a coincidence that he lived in Hawaii and Sam had always wanted to go there. Proof that they were soulmates or some ridiculous cheesy notion like that. Sam tended not to listen. Gabriel was easily distracted, Sam just had to reach for the massage oil.

Sam was exhausted, how did Gabriel not get tired? He clutched the Angel as tightly as he could even so, running a shaky hand down his spine. It didn't matter if you were tired, in pain, angry, hungry, miserable - Angel sex was always awesome. Dean had been right on that front, although Sam suspected Archangel sex was even better. Gabriel didn't stop, his mouth working on an impressive hickey on Sam's neck. Sam shivered as Gabriel's tongue laved the bruised, sensitive area where he'd been sucking, and tried to roll them over, failing hopelessly against Gabriel's super strength.

"Gabe... Gabe..." Sam whispered weakly into the darkness.

Gabriel sat back, his lips making a smacking sound as they left Sam's throat. He was smiling, hopelessly proud of his ever-present ability to turn Sam into a trembling wreck. "Yeah, Sammy?" Gabriel asked, running his still oil-slicked hands over Sam's chest and leaning in close.

Sam stared up at him for a long time, watching Gabriel scrutinise him. He couldn't remember being more happy than this really, and that was stupid because it was the goddamn apocalypse, and they still had no friggin' idea how to stop the Devil, but Dean was safe and happy, he had Cas, and Sam was pretty sure those two were actually born with their souls intertwined. And now he had Gabe. And that was a hell of a fucked up situation, and Sam was not yet convinced they were soulmates in any shape or form, but Gabriel kept trying to convince him, and Sam was fine with that, because it meant he'd given the guy faith again.

Him, Sam Winchester, the guy who managed to make all the wrong decisions and accidentally pull the pin on the grenade that's gonna blow up the world. He'd given the Archangel Gabriel reason to believe in his Father's plan again. That meant everything to Sam. And he would make every wrong decision again if it led him right here.

"N-nothing." Sam whispered, reaching up to trail a knuckle across Gabriel's cheekbone.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, but leaned down and kissed him, his lips still tasting like the salt from the sea they'd gone in earlier that day. Sam had made him go and retrieve Dean and Cas, because he wanted Dean to remember with him, which of course he pretended not to, but did.

"Love you, Sammy." Gabriel mumbled against his lips, and in their own world, somewhere off the map in goddamn Hawaii, Sam had no trouble saying it back.