Dislclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Supernatural or the fairy tales used later on. Hell, I'm a student; I don't own anything. T^T

Author's Note: This one kind of has a 'This Cupid Isn't Stupid' feel to it, in that I'm hoping it's a mystery as to who's behind the whole thing xD But hey, you guys are smart, so I bet you'll be guessing it from this chapter alone xP Once again, just a warning that updates will probably be scattered with no particular order to them, thanks to my University course. Hopefully I have more free time over Christmas, but that's debatable. Anyway, on with this new story! I hope you guys like it! :)

Gabriel knew it wasn't going to be pretty. He knew that the reaction would be loud, explosive and quite possibly violent. But that was what he thrived on. Besides, he reasoned, the Winchesters knew him. It wasn't like he was some weird stranger bunking with them for a few days before he moved on. They'd been through a lot together and granted, most of their encounters had ended with one or both of them wanting to skin him alive, but hey, all's fair in love and war. Point being, they knew what he was like, and how it wasn't in their best interests to mess with him.

And yet, Dean still thought it a perfectly reasonable idea to use his boxes of chocolates that he'd had to go all the way to Italy for as target practice with his shotgun. And while it was true that he could just snap himself back over there, it was the principle of the matter that didn't sit well with Gabriel. Prank wars had certain lines that weren't to be crossed, and Dean hadn't just stepped over it; he'd taken a flying jump.

So, in Gabriel's opinion, this was justice.

Sam was going to get caught in the crossfire, yes, but Gabriel had dropped enough hints the previous night that the moose should get his own room. It wasn't his fault Sam hadn't listened. But no, the hunter had just assumed Gabriel was trying to make a pass at him. Gabriel rolled his eyes as he remembered. Sure, Sam was very easy on the eyes but it wasn't like he was being serious when he made those sorts of comments. It was Castiel that was hopelessly in love with a Winchester, not him. So maybe he subtly tried to warn the guy about his planned retaliation on Dean. It didn't mean anything; it didn't.

The younger Winchester in question stirred slightly in his sleep, knocking Gabriel from his own mental ramblings. He felt an evil grin twisting his mouth as his eyes strayed to the feet of Dean's bed. Placed around it in strategic points were several rolls of firecrackers, just waiting to be lit. After checking everything was ready for show time, Gabriel sunk into the chair he'd conjured up before getting to work, set a bowl of popcorn on his lap and snapped his fingers.

The reactions weren't disappointing.

The instant the first bang went off, both Sam and Dean sat bolt upright in their beds, yelling in surprise. Then as Dean's bed began to shake from the pressure caused by the variously timed explosions, Sam rolled off his bed and scrambled backwards to the wall, swearing. Dean remained where he was, shouting even louder than Sam, turning left and right to see what was causing such mayhem. And yet above the din, Gabriel's barking laughter could still be heard.

"And now we're officially even, Deano!" He cried as the bangs finally died away into nothingness and with a snap of his fingers, cleared the smoke before any alarms could detect it. "Good thing I thought of sound-proofing this room, or you'd have a lot of pissed off neighbours right now."

"Gabriel, what -" Sam began weakly, but whatever he'd said was drowned out by Dean.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He roared as he batted frantically at his sheets, which had caught fire, with his pillow. "What the actual fuck is fucking wrong with you?!"

Gabriel shrugged. "Like I said, call us even." And then with a mock salute in Dean's direction, he vanished with a flap of wings.

"Remind me of something, Sam." Dean spat acidly as he ripped the charred edges of his sheer away and lobbed them into the bin. "Why do we let that douchebag tag along with us?"

"Because he healed Cas and saved Bobby." Sam replied without missing a beat, quick as ever to leap to the archangel's defence, getting to his feet and scooping up some of the remnants of the firecrackers.

Dean groaned, throwing his pillow back into place at the head of the bed before sliding to the floor and helping his brother. "Why do you always say that?"

"Because you always ask me what he's done for us. And that's what he's done." Sam replied with a shrug.

It turned out that Gabriel had been resurrected at the same time as Castiel after the showdown in Stull Cemetery with Michael and Lucifer. For a long time afterwards he'd flitted from place to place, never staying still for too long in an attempt to stay off any sort of Heavenly radar. But he always kept one eye on the Winchesters, just in case they ever needed him. When asked, he replied that even he didn't know why. He supposed it was his old loyalties for mankind resurfacing, and as Sam and Dean seemed to be saving the world every other week from another of Gabriel's dick brothers, it was in all of their best interests that he stuck around this time. Not that Sam was complaining.

The younger Winchester was very well aware of the fact he'd had a thing for the pocketsize archangel ever since the Elysian. Typical of their luck; not knowing what they had until it was gone. And when Dean discovered it, Sam was subject to a whole wave of questions, most of which went along the lines of 'Why him?' And honestly, Sam didn't know the answer to that. Gabriel was cocky, annoying, and rude, wouldn't know subtlety if it kicked him up the ass, spoke his mind with brutal honesty, and had a sick, twisted sense of humour and a history of murder a mile long. And yet, there was something about him that Sam just loved. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, just that it was there.

Gabriel had crash-landed back into their lives almost immediately after the whole Emmanuel incident. They'd been in the process of driving away from the hospital, leaving Castiel behind, and Sam could see Dean teetering on the edge of spinning the car around to go back. Just as he'd opened his mouth to suggest just that, there came the sound of flapping wings from the backseat and Dean very nearly swerved right off the road. Their shock upon turning around and seeing a supposedly dead archangel sat stiffly, arms folded over his chest and scowl firmly in place, was monumental. Gabriel then ordered them to turn the car around, pronto, and take him to see his younger brother.

Dean complied without question, and Gabriel told them to wait outside while he zapped himself in. To this day, neither Winchester knew what the archangel had done to rid Castiel of Lucifer only that it had worked like a charm. When both angels suddenly reappeared in the back of the car, Castiel wasn't jumping at every shadow and Gabriel looked far more relaxed; enough to snap a lollipop out of nowhere and get to work on it. Sam saw Dean's expression of blissful relief before he could hide it behind his usual mask of indifference; he just chose not to call him up on it.

After that, it was difficult to decide what to do with Gabriel. Castiel, obviously, wanted to return to Heaven and attempt to restore some semblance of order. The hunters were still barrelling towards war with the Leviathans, so they were pretty preoccupied. But now that Sam knew of Gabriel's return, he was reluctant to let the archangel go. He knew it was petty and childish, but after having experienced the horrible loss that came with Gabriel's death, to now see that he was perfectly healthy again made Sam want to prevent him from ever dying again. He just didn't want to experience that pain yet again.

In the end, it was Castiel that provided an answer. Reasoning that with Raphael dead and Michael and Lucifer still firmly locked away in the Cage, Heaven needed a suitable leader. And the next best thing they had available from God Himself were His archangels; or more specifically, Gabriel. At first, Gabriel was hesitant. Yes, he wanted more than anything to finally return home, but he couldn't help but feel the smallest prickles of uncertainty. But if Castiel had stepped up to accept the challenge, and against Raphael no less, then Gabriel kind of had a duty to do the same. He was older, after all; it was only right.

Just when the Winchesters believed it was the last of their weird run-ins with Gabriel, he once again proved them wrong when one day they returned to their motel to find a very confused, very real Bobby Singer.

After the usual methods of testing the man and the obligatory Winchester hugs that followed a deceased friend or relative being resurrected, Sam made the call to Gabriel to ask just what the fuck was going on. And to their shock and horror, he showed up with Crowley. Dean and Bobby immediately went for their guns while Sam pulled out Ruby's knife, but they were all stopped by the archangel. He explained that Crowley had helped to bring their adoptive father figure back, and as they'd already proven, there was nothing out of the ordinary with him, and he was definitely in possession of his soul. When questioned about his motives, Crowley simply shrugged and replied that life had been boring without Bobby in the picture, before vanishing.

Ever since, they'd had a strained, almost-friendship with the King of Hell, although all three hunters were still exceptionally sceptical. Castiel, it seemed, was also in agreement with them. Although that could have been due to his past dealings with the demon, and wanting to make up for it. Whenever Crowley's name cropped up in conversation and Castiel was within earshot, he would visibly flinch and his eyes would flick to Dean before settling on the floor.

"I'm just saying, Sam, there are better ways of waking us up." Dean grumbled, tipping his armful of burst firecrackers into the bin on top of the ruined sheet. "I know you think he's a riot and all, but -"

"Just because I like him doesn't mean I think everything he does is hilarious." Sam snapped, irritated. "Believe it or not, a wake-up call with explosions isn't exactly my idea of fun."

Dean shook his head. "Our lives are weird, man."

"You mean not everyone gets woken up at seven in the morning by a crazy, bored archangel?" Sam asked, feigning surprise.

"Shockingly, no. I mean, who would want to?"

Sam debated stating that he would, just with fewer explosives, but he doubted Dean would want to hear it. So instead, he just shrugged and made for the bathroom. Now that they were up, might as well get dressed. They were completely unaware of the man standing in the hall just outside their motel room, watching the door and grinning as he shook his head.

"You certainly have an incapability to hide your antics, brother." He spoke in a soft, amused tone. "But it makes you very easy to follow. And now I have everything I need." Then, with the faintest sound of flapping wings, he vanished.

Author's Note: I know I kind of re-wrote the last parts of season 7, but hey, that shit was traumatic D: This fic takes place in the lead-up to the faceoff with Dick Roman and the Leviathans, after the Bourne Again Identity but before the finale. This is kinda the only chapter that makes reference to the happenings of season 7; everything past this is entirely made up xP