A/n: I'm so sorry. I have no excuses. I apologize. I just lost my grandma on mother's day and my day was in the hospital for a few days.

I have not written for this story in so long and feel like I've lost the flow a bit. Please tell me if you like the chapter.

Sam laughed softly as he kissed his angel's nose. He dipped the wet handcloth he had into the cool water of the fountain. He hummed sweetly and kissed Gabriel's hair while wringing out the cloth.

"Tell me if you need me to stop, Baby." He cooed lovingly as he gently stroked the cloth along Gabriel's inner thighs. The ex-angel shivered at the cold but still smiled. He shyly nodded in reply and timidly opened his legs more for Sam.

None of this was something Sam thought he'd ever do. You don't go into life thinking you'll one day bathe an injured lover in a fountain deep in a forest. It was honestly a little crazy to Sam, but Gabriel was enjoying it. That's all that mattered.

Sam smiled as he gently cleaned what might be left of his mess on his lover's skin. He loved how being outside seemed to make Gabriel feel free and safe. His lover hadn't flinched once so far through the bath.

The sound of running water and a gentle breeze were indeed what Gabriel needed. The freedom of nature soothed his angelic spirit. He felt safe, not a trace of claustrophobia. Not even Sam's touch felt frightening.

Everything was perfect.

Yet, Sam's brain would not let him rest. All he could think about was trying to fix his angel. They needed to get to that fairy court. He even had a potential well of information cuddling into his arms.

He bit his lip and looked down at Gabriel. He watched the angel happily kick the fountain water. Gabriel looked so very happy just playing in nature. Sam was worried about ruining his mood by asking questions. But, now might also be the only time.

"Hey, Gabe, Sweetie?" Sam asked softly, stroking Gabriel's hair. He took a deep breath and watched his lover cautiously. The angel didn't seem to be quite all there currently.

"Yeah, Sammy?" Gabriel purred cutely. A dazed smile showed on his face. He sighed happily and turned his face towards Sam. He sweetly nuzzled his face against Sam's palm. He giggled, taking the tip of Sam's finger into his mouth. He snickered softly, in turn making Sam chuckle.

Sam flushed softly as Gabriel sucked on his fingers. The feeling made his skin feel like it was on fire. He wanted to feel so much more of Gabriel. Still, he shook his head, shaking off the feeling.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. If he wasn't careful about this, he could end up triggering Gabriel. That was the last thing that he wanted for the former angel. This was a delicate situation.

"Gabe, Sweetheart, how much do you know about fairies." Sam's heart pounded as Gabriel froze for a moment. Sam felt like he may have set off some horrid chain reaction but quickly found his breath as Gabriel shifted and hummed.

"Lots. But…" Gabriel frowned, trailing off slightly as he thought it over, "I can't seem to recall most of it." The angel shifted a bit uneasily.

"S-sam, why do want to know?" Gabriel asked softly, fingers pawing at the stone under his fingers. He was starting to feel a little uneasy but he couldn't recall why the subject of fairies made him so uneasy. He knew that most fairies were horrid little creatures but why was this causing him such distress.

He turned his sightless eyes towards Sam. He wished that he could see his mate, could look and decode what Sam was thinking.

"I was just curious." Sam whispered softly as he took the wet cloth and tenderly cleaned the carving of his name on Gabriel's lower back. Gabriel hissed in pain at the touch. Still, the former angel was completely oblivious as to why the skin on his lower back stung.

He tried to ignore the pain.

"Do you… Uhm." Sam coughed softly, cutting himself off before trying again, "Do you know how to get to the fairy world?

Gabriel's breathing stuttered to a halt. Now things were starting to concern him. He was feeling clear enough right now to know that that was a terrible idea. He gritted his teeth and frowned at Sam, "S-sam, what are you planning?"

~*~Z~*~

Dean and Cas sat across from each other at the small diner. Each held a cup of coffee between their hands. Dean's gaze was focused down at the dark liquid while Cas' focus on was on the hunter.

The two were at a stalemate and Cas was starting to feel the ache in his grace. He felt shaky and sick, like he had when he was human. He felt like crying, tasting the rejection on the molecules of the coffee.

Dean didn't know what to do.

He slowly took a sip of coffee, refusing to look at Castiel. He felt trapped. There was no way to win in his situation. Either way would harm his angel on some level. What was he going to do?!

"Dean?"

Dean shook his head and raised a hand to cut Cas off. He took another sip of coffee, still thinking. Cas' shoulders drooped as he waited for Dean. The waiting was agony.

The other sounds in the diner became white noise to him. He could not even focus on what the chittering humans were saying. The world may as well have been silent for all that Cas was focusing on it.

The only sound that seemed to have his attention besides Dean's breathing was the ticking of the diner's clock. Cas' angelic mind was counting and calculating each frightening second. If he had any less grace than he did right now, he most likely would have retched from the sheer anxiety.

"Dean?" He asked once more as ten minutes ticked by. He was struggling to contain his fear.

"I don't know, Cas." Dean whispered finally.

Something trembled on the verge of breaking in Cas. He could feel the rejection coming. Dean was a good man, Cas knew this. Perhaps that's why this hurt the most.

"Babe…" Dean slowly raised his gaze, catching the angel's blue eyes. He searched his lover's stoic expression for conviction, "...is this what you really want?"

Cas' heart fluttered in a completely human show of emotion. He was honestly surprised that he didn't gasp at the question. Instead, he dipped his head in reply.

"More than I wish for anything else in my father's creation, Dean." Cas took his lover's hand, "There are no words in any human tongue to express the vastness for which I long for our mating."

Dean sighed and brought Cas' hand to his lips. He gently pressed a kiss to the angel's knuckles and rested his cheek against them, "Then I have no choice, Cassie. How could I ever deny you anything?"

~*~Z~*~

Gabriel started to whimper softly, shifting uncomfortably. He was starting to feel panicked and he wasn't sure why. He squirmed, trembling as he pawed at his legs slightly. He mewled and turned his face towards Sam, looking for his mate, "S-sammy?!"

Sam was panicking for a completely different reason. This was his greatest fear. He had somehow known that asking his lover about the fairies might trigger something. If he was blessed, Gabriel wouldn't remember why it was upsetting.

"Shh… Shh… Baby, I'm here. It's okay, Sweetie. I have you." Sam hurriedly yet carefully wrapped his arm around Gabriel's waist. His free hand tenderly stroked Gabriel's belly. He was trying desperately to calm him, "You're safe, Love."

Sam pressed his cheek to Gabriel's, trying to sooth him. He had fucked up majorly this time. He should never have brought this up. This was such a stupid idea!

"S-sammy!" Gabriel mewled in fear. His good fingers were clutching Sam's shirt while pressing his face to Sam's hair, "D-don' wanna lose you!"

Gabriel's words took Sam by surprise. He honestly wasn't expecting that. What was Gabriel talking about? Did he mean at the Court?

Sam had to know!

"Shh… Baby, no, you're not gonna lose me." Sam tried to reassure his angel but Gabriel started to sob. The hunter pulled the trembling bundle of feathers closer, soothing him, "N-not leaving you."

"F-fairies bad. Gonna lose o-on the path!"

That made Sam pause. He swallowed thickly and slowly stroked Gabriel's feathers. He was trying to sooth him but keep the answers, "What do you mean, baby? Lose on the path?"

Little sobs bubbled up in Gabriel's throat, "D-drown. Gg-gotta drown."

Sam didn't like where this was going. He kissed Gabriel's jaw and tried again, "I'm not gonna drown, Sweetie Pie. I'm a great swimmer."

Gabriel shakes his head, he wants to cry harder the more he thinks about it. He knows what must be done to open the portal to the Unseelie Court. It scares him. It scares him so bad that he can barely think straight.

"Y-you don't understand, Sam." Gabriel said sternly. He clung to Sam, face pressed to the hunter's throat so Gabriel's voice was muffled, "The recipe for opening an Unseelie portal is Dullahan blood mixed into a wooden bucket of rose water. The portal opens upon drowning someone in the bloody rose water!"

His good hand raised, fingers trembling, and gripped Sam's hair tightly, "I-I can't let you g-go d-dullahan hunting. W-won't let you!"

Sam's soul sank and he felt a bit cold inside. He held Gabriel, rocking him. He closed his eyes tightly and kissed Gabriel's ear, "Gabriel… I-I promise not to go dullahan hunting. Y-you have my word."

It wasn't a lie. They had the blood already. And now Sam had the recipe. No hunting needed.

Still, he felt horrible as he felt Gabriel relax in his arms. He felt sick when the angel spoke.

"T-thank you, Sam. I-I can't l-lose you." Gabriel whispered softly, a tender sigh. His grip loosened and he nuzzled Sam's cheek.

"Welcome, my love." Sam tenderly kissed him, "Now. Let's finish that bath."

~*~Z~*~

The entire day outside had gone remarkably well. This was why Sam did not wish to ruin his success. He figured the only way to keep things the same was to sleep outside.

The meadow that they had spent the day in was perfect. No one bothered them and it was easy to ward. It was perfect for a little camping trip.

Sam had extra blankets in case it got cold but it was comfortably warm currently. Sam watched the sky change color as twilight shifted to night. This was where they would spend the night.

He rolled over sadly and looked at Gabriel. He smiled, watching his little angel purr. Gabriel was lying on his belly on the blanket, all snuggled up in his pajamas, earphones on. He was listening to the Redwall book-on-tape series on Sam's phone.

Judging by his calm demeanor, he seemed to be enjoying it. The cool breeze ruffling his feathers seemed to help him relax. His good hand was even loosely linking fingers with Sam's hand. Such an improvement was glorious.

Using his flannel shirt as a pillow, Sam settled down to sleep dressed only in a pair of sweats. He sighed happily and stroked Gabriel's knuckles with his thumb. He could get used to sleeping with such closeness. It felt nice to even have this tiny connection with his lover as they slept.

They were still a long way off from healthy or normal but today was closer. Sam knew that they were only this close because Gabriel was an archangel mentally. So much progress in so few days would be hard on a human.

"I love you, Gabe." Sam sighed happily and closed his eyes.

Life was perfect for the night.

~*~Z~*~

The moon shone high.

A cool night zephyrs gently ruffled Gabriel's feathers. The tender feeling roused the angel to the calming atmosphere of the night. He gasped softly, eyes fluttering open on instinct. His breath was stolen away as kindly blue shimmered through the dark haze of his blindness.

It was a shock to see a smear of color. He was so happy that his vision was slowly returning that he felt like crying. It was a simple joy at knowing he was healing.

"Do not be afraid, Angel." The voice was tender and sweet, ambiguous to its gender. Gabriel whimpered in fear, freezing up. He flinched away from the gentle hand stroking his hair but he lay still.

"W-what do you w-want from me?" He whimpered pitifully, trembling.

"Rewarding you, Angel." The speaker was a tall, slender humanoid. Were Gabriel able to truly see clearly, he would have seen the splendor of the blue-skinned fairy as they smiled gently at him.

"You have pleasured your master with your loyalty. As such, I shall reduce you sentence by one month." the fairy smiled and reached for Gabriel's choker. They removed one of the twelve petals before pressing a tender kiss to Gabriel's forehead, "A gift from the Seelie Queen. Shall you rest in peace and comfort, Sweet Angel."

With that, the fairy gingerly cupped his cheek and sprinkled him with slumber dust. The glowing powder eased him into a restful sleep where no nightmares could penetrate.

~*~Chapter End~*~