Watching Spencer through breakfast made Gabriel want nothing more than to scoop his little fledgling up and hug him tight. Whether he realized it or not, Spencer was doing something huge here right now, and he was clearly sending a message to the rest of the angels in the room. He was letting them know that he not only trusted Lucifer, he considered him a part of his family, of his flock, and that message had gone through loud and clear.

When Spencer had vanished out of Gabriel's arms earlier to go to Sam, none of them had really thought anything of it. They all knew what he considered Gabriel, and by extension, Gabriel's mate. Everyone here knew that. But for him to trust enough to vanish from Gabriel's side to appear in Lucifer's lap, well, the angels here recognized how huge that was. Fledglings wouldn't go to someone they didn't trust. Especially not when upset. They usually sought out those they trusted most. By appearing on Lucifer like that, Spencer had made it clear that he trusted him on such a deep level even his fledgling instincts recognized it. The awe that had flashed over Lucifer's face was an expression that Gabriel wouldn't soon forget.

Getting through breakfast was an interesting affair. Most of them seemed to go back and forth between eating – at least for the humans – and sneaking looks Spencer's way. Raphael was respectful enough not to stare, though Michael couldn't quite seem to help it. The more they did it, the more tense Spencer became, until finally Lucifer lifted up his wings and created a shield between Spencer and Michael that immediately had the fledgling relaxing.

Bless Sam and Dean – those two started up conversation just like it was any other breakfast, and threw drew Spencer in. Gabriel made a mental note to do something nice for Dean later. He didn't even pick on Spencer's lisp once through their whole conversation. The strain of holding back had to be killing him.

Derek wasn't much contribution to the conversation. He was just too stunned to say or do much. Everything else, he'd taken well. This one seemed to have thrown him.

Eventually, though, breakfast was done and it was time for the talk they all knew was coming. Gabriel cleared the table with a snap. He was surprised, and a bit happy, to see Lucifer casually shift his chair more towards Gabriel as the conversation began. It put him firmly on their side and also allowed Spencer to be closer to the rest of his family without having to leave Lucifer's arms.

Dean was the one to get their conversation going. Kicked back in his chair with his coffee in his hands, he focused his attention on Gabriel and Spencer, directing his words to them. "We tried to do some research while you guys were out. The archs" He gestured with one thumb towards Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer, "even went and checked out the chick's house where you were. So far, we've found a whole lot of squat. Whoever this chick is, she's got some serious power. Strong enough to hide from archangels."

"She shouldn't." Spencer said. He sat up a little, reaching out one hand to balance himself against Lucifer's wing so he wouldn't slip. "I've known Elsie for a while now. The kind of power she showed, it shouldn't be possible. She's never had that kind of power before."

"You think she had help." Sam said.

Spencer nodded his head, then shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know."

"We felt nothing in the house." Michael chimed in. Gabriel turned to look at him and found that he was watching Spencer, eyebrows furrowed a bit in a completely human gesture. "There wasn't even the essence that should've been in the home of a witch. It felt like the home was abandoned, and had been that way for a long time."

To Gabriel's surprise, Derek asked the next question. "Is it possible whoever you saw was, I don't know, impersonating her, Reid?"

Spencer shook his head quickly, telling Gabriel he'd already thought of this. "No. Before things changed, I recognized the feel of her power. That's not something you can just imitate. It's too intimate."

"Is it important for you to find her?" Derek asked him. He looked around at the others and then brought his gaze back to Spencer. "Can't you guys just, I don't know, break the spell or whatever it is? I mean, we've got this giant library on everything supernatural, and you've got four archangels here with you. Shouldn't you guys just be able to break this somehow and put him back to normal?"

Gabriel fought back a wince. He wasn't looking forward to trying to explain this all to the human. A look at Spencer showed that he wasn't, either. His fingers had tangled through Lucifer's wing much like he liked to do with Gabriel when upset. It seemed to have stunned Lucifer a bit more; he was staring silently at the back of Spencer's head as if trying to figure him out. Out of everyone here, no one had showed Lucifer the kind of trust or respect that Spencer did. This was just another sign of that. By all rights, he should've been far away from Lucifer, terrified of him the way that he was still sometimes terrified of Michael. But he wasn't. He was curled up in Lucifer's lap, treating him as a part of their flock and seeking him out for comfort. As Lucifer stared at Spencer, he also pushed his wing forward almost hesitantly, making it easier for Spencer to hold on to it, and the kid shifted his fingers until he got a better grip.

It wasn't just Gabriel who took note of this. The other angels in the room did as well. Castiel was quiet about his surprise, yet it was still there. Anna looked – not in the least surprised, actually. If anything, she looked sort of pleased by it. When Gabriel caught her eye, she gave a small nod of acknowledgement, and her lips twitched as if she wanted to smile.

Michael and Raphael reacted the strongest. They were staring openly, their wings lifted up in a display of shock. The equivalent of a human's mouth hanging open in shock.

With all the undercurrents going on, no angel spoke up to answer quick enough. Luckily, the Winchesters took care of it, saving Spencer from trying to. "It doesn't work like that." Sam told him, voice kind. Dean nodded his agreement, adding "To do a spell strong enough to change around something as powerful as Spencer, that's not magic we can just easily break."

"Not that we won't try." Sam reassured Derek when he saw the distress on the man's face. He looked down to Spencer, making sure that the fledgling saw him and understood his next words were meant for him as well. "We'll do our best. It's just, it's not likely we're going to be able to just break this."

"Then what do we do?" Anna asked.

Here was where Gabriel finally decided to step in. He'd been thinking about all of this quite a bit as he'd curled up with his family in Spencer's nest. Most of what they were talking about here, Gabriel had already thought of and dismissed. There was only one thing that made any sense to him and he knew the others weren't going to like it – Spencer especially. It was the only thing that Gabriel could see, though. "She wanted him to accept who he is." Gabriel said, his calm voice drawing the eyes of pretty much everyone. Turning his head, he looked to his fledgling and felt sorrow when he saw the knowledge in Spencer's eyes. The kid had already figured it out, too. Gabriel sent out an apologetic wave of grace even as he finished his explanation for the others. "I get the feeling that a witch powerful enough to put a spell on someone like Spencer isn't going to be persuaded to just let him go. She wants him to learn a lesson here."

"The trickster's kid getting taught a lesson. How ironic." Dean said dryly.

Annoyance flashed over Gabriel's face when he saw his kid flinch at that remark. Lucifer actually used his wing to draw Spencer in closer and he glared at the older Winchester over top the kid. "Mind your manners, Winchester. Or perhaps we'll age you down as well and see how amusing you find it."

That had Spencer turning his head to give a glower that was far too adorable. With the hand in Lucifer's feathers, he gave a soft tug. "No torturing my friend."

"Then perhaps he should learn some manners." Lucifer's voice was heavy and dry, a cool mockery that was meant to shiver across the skin. It didn't even make Spencer flinch. The kid just kept on amazing them all. His eyebrows shot up towards his hairline and his voice turned just as dry as Lucifer's, though the effect was ruined by the lisp he had. "Perhaps you should sit in on that lesson was well."

There was a brief pause in which everyone held their breath, waiting to see how the archangel was going to react.

Then Lucifer grinned, humor bright in his expression. "Will you be the one teaching it?"

Gabriel let out a delighted peal of laughter when Spencer responded to that by sticking out his tongue.

This wasn't going to be easy to deal with, not for any of them. Gabriel knew that. Michael and Raphael hadn't ever dealt a ton with fledglings – only Gabriel and Lucifer had ever really played with them – and so what little knowledge they did have of dealing with them usually came from those few formal visits they made where fledglings were on their best behavior, or where they were happily in awe of the archangels in their midst. Castiel and Anna – those two at least knew what fledglings were like, and they were young enough to easily remember their own time as fledglings. Hell, Cassie was barely grown up! But that meant that they knew what to expect from fledglings, and they also knew Spencer, so they'd better be able to see where he was different. Dean and Sam, they had no idea what a fledgling was like, nor did Derek. And Gabriel… hell, he knew he was probably going to have either the hardest or the easiest time of them all. He definitely knew what fledglings were supposed to be like, and he'd gotten to know Spencer rather well. He already knew all the areas that Spencer suppressed his fledgling nature. The only time it'd really come out had been during everything with Famine, which was going to give Spencer bad memories here.

How were they supposed to teach Spencer what it meant to be a fledgling? For a kid who Gabriel had a feeling had never been allowed to be even a human kid, how was he supposed to let go enough to accept the part of him that was an angelic kid?

Gabriel wasn't the only one who was quietly thinking about this. He felt a touch of grace brush against him and opened himself up to his brother's grace, letting it in enough to speak with him without Spencer sensing it.

We're going to have to be delicate about this. Lucifer sent to him, his mind voice subdued. There was an edge to it that showed that Lucifer was holding part of himself back, still unsure with them, and it made Gabriel want to wrap him up. He resisted, though. Lucifer wouldn't appreciate it.

We are, he sent back, eyeing Spencer as the kid watched Castiel explain a bit about fledglings.

All of us coming at him at once like this is doing him no good. His wings are trembling and his grace is twisting round inside of him until I'm sure his vessel is feeling ill from it. We need a different approach.

The seed of an idea was building in the back of Gabriel's mind. He rolled it around for a moment, trying to get a feel for it, look at it from all angles. Lucifer was right, all of them coming at him like this wasn't going to do Spencer any good. He didn't like crowds or being the center of attention on a normal day. While open and vulnerable like this, unable to hide? It'd be torture for him. But, if they came to him in small groups, or one at a time…the more he thought about it, the better an idea it seemed. Not only might it help Spencer learn how to accept this other part of him, it might also start to build some trust between the fledgling and the others, and maybe, just maybe, Gabriel's family might finally s tart to heal a little bit.

He waited for a pause in the conversation before he sprang his idea on them.

"You know…" Gabriel's voice broke into the silence, drawing every eye his way. He smirked at the attention and slid himself down a little in his chair, one hand going to his mate beside him. He let his fingers dance along Sam's thigh, tracing the seam of his jeans and enjoying the way it made the human squirm. It helped relax him enough that he was able to keep his voice easy-going as he began to lay out his plan for them all. "Every one of us has a different idea of what it's like to be a fledgling. If you're supposed to learn to accept the angelic part of you, kiddo, maybe the best way to go about that is to let us teach you."

Spencer, smart cookie that he was, knew there was more to Gabriel's plan. He didn't dismiss it outright; instead, he tilted himself around Lucifer's wing enough to be able to look at his father-figure. "How so?"

The trust that Spencer put in those words, a calm assurance that no plan of Gabriel's would bring him to harm, was humbling. It softened his expression and had him sending a wave of love to his fledgling that was easily returned. "I was thinking maybe we all take turns trying to show you what we know about fledglings. Each day, one of us angels gets to plan an activity that we think will help you learn about your fledgling. You've got the right to veto it, of course, if it's too hard, and no one's going to force you to do anything you really don't want to do. But we each take our turns showing you things that we think will help. Everyone gets their own day, from sunup to sundown, to do something with you."

"What about us?" Derek asked, surprising not only Gabriel but everyone else as well. When they looked at him, and Spencer actually gaped, the profiler shrugged. "What? Dude, Reid, I know what kind of childhood you had. Learning how to be a fledgling, it's all well and good, but you shouldn't miss out on the chance to feel what a normal human kid feels like, too. I can already think of some awesome stuff to do."

The surprises just kept coming. Dean and Sam exchanged a grin and both nodded. "Hell yeah." Dean said, turning to look at Spencer. There was teasing on his face, but not open mockery. Nothing cruel. "Dude, we could have so much fun. If they get their days, we want one too."

"You could throw ours in the middle of some of the angel days." Sam chimed in. "It'll give you a bit of a break from learning everything, let your brain process it all. You won't have to worry about anything serious with ours. We'll just go out and have fun."

That sounded amazing. Gabriel beamed at his mate. Then he reached out and caught Sam's face, dragging him in for a toe-curling kiss that showed just how much he approved of that idea.

When he pulled back and focused on the room once more, Sam was suitably dazed, something that Gabriel was rather smug about. He enjoyed that for a second and then turned his focus back to his kid. He was happy to see that, though he looked nervous, Spencer looked thoughtful as well. He slanted a look up at Gabriel through his curls and chewed on his bottom lip. Then, reluctantly, he nodded. "If you think it'll help."

Gabriel clapped his hands together. "Perfect! We can take the rest of today to relax, figure out who goes when and plan a little what we want to do, and we'll start tomorrow. Everyone good with this?" He looked from face to face and got a nod from everyone. Even Michael looked pleased by this plan. Gabriel knew how much it bothered him that he wasn't as close as he could be with Spencer. This was going to be his chance to fix that.

This had the potential for disaster, but it also had the potential to be an amazing help. Hell, if it worked out the way Gabriel hoped, he might have to go find this witch later and thank her.