Until We Meet Again, My Angel

Chapter 11: Family Reunion

   Dean was bewildered, but remained strong as he stood to guard Cas, asking, "What do you want, Trickster?" The demigod laughed and answered, "First of all, I'm not actually a Trickster- Castiel made that perfectly clear. Uh-buh-bub!" He raised a finger to silence Sam, who was about to speak but was now unable to. "Second of all," he continued, "All I want..." his gaze shifted over Dean shoulder, "Is Castiel."
   "No way." Dean puffed his chest, guarding his love. Castiel put a hand on his lover's shoulder, disarming him. Pacified, Dean stepped aside, allowing Castiel passage. The Angel walked to the center of the room, took a deep breath, and said, "Hello, Gabriel." The former Trickster smiled widely, pulled Cas into a sudden embrace, and happily blurted, "Baby brother!"

   Dean couldn't believe it. BABY BROTHER?! As soon as Cas had been released, the chaos began. Dean was first, stammering, "Wh- how- I- Cas- WHAT?" Staring at Dean, the man previously known as the Trickster raised his hands in a passive gesture and said, "Easy, Princess. Don't sprain yourself, okay?" Dean turned to Sam, whose mouth was moving lightspeed, but making no noise. Castiel's surprise sibling sighed and waved his hand at Sam, whose voice immediately filled the room as he shouted at Cas, "You have a BROTHER?!" Turning to Gabriel, he added, "You're an ANGEL?" Stepping away from his affectionate assailant, Castiel explained, "All Angels are my brothers and sisters. We are all born of God." Gabriel watched his brother with mock offense as he returned, "Don't sell me short, Castiel. I was your favorite. After all, you were my first little brother," rounding on Sam, he smiled arrogantly and added, "And I'm not just any Angel, Sunshine. I'm Gabriel- the Archangel."
   Before Dean could fire off another question, Cas asked, "But why aren't you in heaven?" Gabriel's face fell, and his voice lowered as he answered, "It's chaos up there, baby brother. After Ariel and Uriel died in your Rescue Mission, everyone started picking sides. Stuff started to calm down a while ago, but then you met Dean, and there was an uproar. Angel-on-Angel violence, Anula slid under the radar, and Arariel started barking orders like he owns the place." Cas, panicked, inquired, "And God? What of our father?" Gabriel's eyes filled with regret as he admitted, "Buddy, dad's gone. Left when the first riot broke out. Nobody knows where he is. He just... disappeared."  Castiel covered his face, whispering, "No, no, no. This is all my fault." Dean had had enough. He ran to his Celestial companion, grabbing him by the shoulders and scolding, "No. Cas, baby, look at me," Castiel met Dean's eyes as his own filled with tears, and Dean barked, "This is not your fault, it's mine. After all, it was your love for me that led you to do what you did. If you're going to regret something, regret me." Castiel grabbed Dean's face with both hands and kissed him, Dean returning the favor. Several moments later, Cas broke free, looked directly into Dean's eyes, and assured him, "I will not regret saving you, and I will never regret loving you."
   The moment was broken by Gabriel feigning the need to vomit. "Look," he said, "you guys are cute and all, but we have more pressing matters to deal with, so can you save the love fest for later?" Cas and Dean released each other, Castiel asking, "Gabriel, why the Trickster persona?" Gabriel smiled, "Well, I left Heaven shortly after Dad did- I couldn't keep watching my brothers and sisters murder each other. I knew if a demon found me, they'd call up some friends and kill me, the same went for hunters. So, I picked a powerful being that does good, is little-known, and shares my love for Jolly Ranchers. I knew Tricksters could create Illusions, so I got a new face and name, and played an amped-up trickster. That is, until your boyfriend and his pretty-boy brother showed up." Gabriel jerked his head towards Sam, who murmured, "Pretty boy?"
   "But why show up now?" Castiel interrogated. Gabriel tilted his head and explained, "I came to keep you safe, baby bro. We have to stick together. After Luci got sent away, you were all I had for a century."
"Hold up-" Dean butted in, "Cas, you knew Lucifer before he got banished?"
"Yes," Castiel snapped, "he was my brother and he and I were close, okay?"
"Close?" Gabriel echoed, "Castiel you were his favorite brother! Course, you were mine too."
"So," Dean interrupted again, "you were created..."
   Gabriel let out an exasperated sigh, "Castiel was one of the very first Angels!" Reading Dean's shocked expression, Gabriel questioned, "What, did you think all the Archangels were born at once? First it was Lucifer, bringer of light and original Archangel; then me, the second Archangel; then Castiel, Angel of Thursday and the lost." Sam, finally getting a word in edgewise, asked, "You said after Lucifer was banished, it was just you and Cas for a century. Why didn't God make more Angels right away?"
"He was scared we would rebel like Lucifer. Eventually he grew a pair and created five more Archangels." Gabriel explained. Staring into the distance, a passive expression on his face, Gabriel added, "Course, a few did run away to Luci. Abaddon, Azazel, Alastair- names that start with 'A' don't have the best track records, do they?" "Wait a minute," Dean interjected, "you said you're here to protect Cas. Why?" Gabriel turned to Cas but answered Dean, "Because Castiel is in more danger than you realize." "What?" Turning to his brother, Gabriel warned, "Castiel, the Angels aren't just chasing you, they're hunting you."
   Castiel exhaled tiredly, "Yes, I know. This is the longest and Angel has been on the run." "No, baby brother, this isn't just a find-and-retrieve mission," Castiel and Dean's faces flooded with concern as Gabriel concluded, "If the wrong Angels find you, you won't be brought to trial; you'll be tortured... or worse!" Sam responded, "So it's not a catch and retrieve..."
   Dean's tear-filled eyes met Sam's as he finished the thought, "It's a search-and-destroy."

   Grabbing Cas' hand, Dean began barking orders, "Sammy, grab your stuff and meet us in the car, we'll be there in a couple minutes." Gabriel yelled, "Hey, hey, hey! Where are you going? You can't just run away!" Shoving a flannel shirt into his duffel bag, Dean replied, "A horde of angry Angels is hunting down my boyfriend so they can kill him! I'm not going to stay here and let it happen!"
"First of all," Gabriel began, "it's not a 'horde,' it's a Garrison. A group of angels is called a Garrison. And this Garrison is specially trained to track down and capture rogue angels."
"Oh, we are definitely leaving." Dean confirmed.
"Second of all," Gabriel continued, You're Winchesters! Come on," he protested, "you never run! You're Sam and Dean: Hunters of all that goes bump in the night." Gabriel said, imitating awe.
   Sam stopped packing and, brushing the hair out of his face, snapped, "Angels don't go bump in the night, they liquify your insides in broad daylight! Dad's never seen one and neither has any other Hunter we've ever met! We don't know how to kill one, there's no lore or legends on weaknesses." Gabriel, a look of amused pity on his face, questioned, "Have you tried asking an Angel?" With the last word, a Halo appeared above Gabriel's head and he smiled with his mouth open. Dean froze, turned to the Archangel, and asked, "You'd tell us how to kill an angel?"
   Cas' big brother chuckled and flattened his palm, facing it upward. The small gesture was followed by the appearance of a silver dagger, floating above Gabriel's hand. It was immaculate, a cylindrical handle and a blade about 8 inches long- perfectly straight, razor sharp at the tip and about 2 inches wide where it touch the pommel. "This," Gabriel addressed the shining dagger, "Is an Angel blade. Forged by the Archangel Ezekiel, they work on humans, demons, monsters," he tossed the Holy weapon at Dean, who caught it by the handle, "and Angels."
   Before anyone could say anything else, Sam's pocket begin vibrating, bursting out, "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse, I ride." The embarrassed Winchester reached into his jeans and answered his phone. As soon as the voice on the other line came through, Sam's face washed over with fear and shock. The voice spoke for a few more seconds, then the line went dead.
   Concerned, Cas and Dean asked simultaneously, "What is it?" Sam, still lowering it from his face, closed the phone. Suddenly snapping back to reality, Sam turned to his brother and urged him, "Dean, remember that old factory we passed on the way here?"
"Yeah," the elder Hunter replied, "it's about five miles from here, why?"
"We have to get there, NOW."
"Sammy, what's going on?"
Sam took a deep breath and raised to phone, "That was an Angel, calling from the factory..."

"They've got Claire."