Sam woke up in what was a very familiar position. Stretched out on his stomach on an extremely soft bed, there was a weight pressing down over his back that automatically brought a smile to his lips even before his brain was fully alert. He knew the feel of that body, the soft puff of air against his shoulder blade, the curl of the foot around his calf. Even more than that, he knew the feel of the bond inside of him that was only ever this warm and content when he and Gabriel were pressed together skin to skin. There was nothing between them, no clothes or blankets to separate their bodies. It felt wonderful and Sam made a low, happy sound, snuggling down more into his pillow and twisting just enough to better distribute Gabriel's weight over him.

The moment he moved, a low ache spread through him, making itself known for the first time. It drew a pained sound from him before he could stop it. Almost instantly, Gabriel's fingers slid up, ghosting over his temple, and the pain faded a little. "Try not to move yet." The archangel murmured against his back. "You're still recovering."

"R'cov'ring?" The word came out a muffle, garbled mess against his pillow, but he had a feeling his mate got the hint. Why was he recovering? From what?

No sooner had he thought that question than his mind decided to wake up a little more. As it did, memories returned, little by little. The ritual, the fight, battling demons, and then that final blast, and…oh. Sam couldn't stop himself from reaching inside to their bond and wrapping himself around it again. Only, this time, Gabriel was there, and he reached back. His grace stroked soothingly over Sam's soul and quieted the panic that had flared up. "Shh." Turning his head, Gabriel pressed light kisses against Sam's spine and mouthed words against his skin. "I'm fine. Your idiotic stunt worked, handsome. And don't think we're not gonna talk about that. I healed most of the injuries on your body, you're you used a lot of energy and your powers and your soul need a chance to recover."

I don't even know what I did, Sam thought at him.

"Souls are pretty powerful, Sammy. You used yours to grip on to the bit of grace our bonding put in you and you fed me the strength to hold the rest of myself together. I told you when we bonded, if anything ever happened to me I'd come to that bit of me that was in you. It would've let me heal, eventually. You just made it happen a bit faster."

Unspoken in there was Gabriel's annoyance at Sam for taking a risk that, in the archangel's mind, he didn't have to take. Eventually, theoretically, Gabriel would've been okay. Time would've allowed him to heal. But, like he'd said when they'd done their bonding, this was all theoretical. Sam hadn't been willing to take that risk. Hell, he hadn't even thought about it. All he'd known was that he needed his partner back, needed the one who'd become like the other half of him, and he would've done anything to make that happen. He wasn't going to be sorry about it. Not when it meant that Gabriel was here and alive. Now that he knew that Gabriel was okay, though, his mind moved on to other worries. What about everyone else? Are they okay?

"They're fine. A few injuries, but Cassy and Anna got em squared away. An before you ask, yes, everything worked out fine. My brothers are human, with their graces safely locked away." A few more kisses were placed over Sam's spine, moving up towards his neck. A shiver ran down him when he felt Gabriel chuckle. "We even found a home for them."

That was enough to have Sam unburying his face from the pillow. He turned his head just enough to look over his shoulder with one eye. "What?"

Gabriel's face lifted up enough that Sam could see it for the first time since he'd woken up. See the bright eyes, full of humor, and that wonderful smirk. See the exhaustion, too, the lines around his eyes and the bags under them that showed that Sam wasn't the only one that needed to rest and recover. They'd deal with that in a minute, though. For the moment he was too interested in what Gabriel had to say.

"Yep. According to Dean-o, Papa Singer's decided to add two more boys to his adopted family."

"Bobby?" Shock colored Sam's tone. "Bobby's going to take them in?" Oh, man, those two had no idea what they were in for. Bobby wouldn't take shit off of either one of them. He wouldn't tolerate petty fighting or anything like that. Sam and Dean had learned that lesson many times. If there was anyone on the planet who might be able to help those two work through their issues, Sam had to admit that Bobby was probably the one who would be able to do it. He had plenty of experience on working with a pair of stubborn, pissed off brothers, after all.

Gabriel chuckled again and lowered himself back down to nuzzle over Sam's spine. "From what Cassy says, Bobby's already put them in their place."

The way he said that had Sam furrowing his brow. 'From what Cassy says', 'According to Dean-o'. Those two lines brought up one important question. "You haven't seen them?"

He felt Gabriel freeze momentarily against his back. Then, he deliberately made himself relax. "Neither one is all that eager to see me right now." Gabriel said it casually, but Sam felt the bit of hurt underneath it, just as he felt the resignation that followed. Gabriel had gone into this knowing that his brothers might very well hate him for what he'd done. Yet, he'd done it anyways, because he loved them far more than he'd ever loved himself, and because he loved Sam too much to lose him to this war.

Reaching back, Sam traced the fingers of one hand over Gabriel's thigh. Give them time. Bobby'll make them understand.

A soft hum was the only answer he got.

Sam let himself lay there for a few moments as Gabriel continued to press soft, unassuming kisses against his spine, his shoulders, even up to his neck. There was no real promise in them, no hint of moving to something more. Just the soft press of lips in gesture that said clearer than words just how loved Sam was and how grateful Gabriel was that he was okay. Sam let himself bask in it for a bit. He was okay, Gabriel was okay, their whole family was okay. The rituals had worked, the apocalypse was over, and Bobby was apparently in charge of their wayward archangels. Everything was done. It was really, really done. It felt like a weight he'd been carrying around was finally gone. The apocalypse was over. They'd done it. They'd really done it.

Still, he couldn't help but question it. Too often the good things always seemed to come with a catch. "What happens next?"

"We spend the next few days in bed alternating between sleeping, sex, and eating." Gabriel answered promptly.

Sam rolled his eyes even as a part of him cheered at the idea. "Gabriel."

The archangel let out a sigh. His forehead pressed against Sam's skin and his warm breath was a soft tickle. "I'll have to take a trip or two upstairs, make sure things stay in order and that no one tries to start anything big." Even without being able to see him, Sam knew the disgusted expression he'd have at that. Returning home was at the very bottom of Gabriel's list of things he wanted to do. "Other than that, I guess things go back to the way they used to be. You and your brother hunt, take out the baddies of the world. You'll just have a few extra companions here and there."

"You'll come with us?" Sam couldn't help how hopeful he'd sounded. This was what he'd wanted, after all, and what he'd never really believed he'd get. The idea that Gabriel would stick with him, would want to hunt with him, had been one he'd entertained in so many ways and yet one that he'd worried might never happen.

A sharp nip to his back reprimanded him for even thinking like that. "Just try and get rid of me. You're mine, Sam Winchester."

"What about Dean?"

"Leave that to Cassy. I'm sure he'll convince your brother just fine."

There were so many other questions that Sam wanted to ask. So many things his mind was still worrying on. But his body was letting him know how tired it still was and his eyes were sliding shut almost against his will. He felt Gabriel shift and press a little closer and then there was a soft rustling sound that Sam knew meant his mate had brought his wings out to wrap around them. "Sleep, Samshine." Gabriel kissed the back of his neck and then tipped his face to rest his cheek against Sam's skin. "There'll be plenty of time for questions later. Everyone's alive, the world's safe, the apocalypse is over—everything else can wait. Just, sleep."

Held safely in the wings of his trickster archangel, feeling freer than he had in years, that was just what Sam did. He stopped trying to fight it and let himself drift off to sleep to the soft lullaby of whispering feathers and the soft hum of his lover's voice against his back.