Author's Notes: While this was originally written for the Rare Pairing Big Bang 2018, it seems as though that bang stopped its correspondence. Therefore, I'm free to post this story which has been in my computer now since November? I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter One

Getting caught by the Winchesters and his younger brother never factored into his plans. While absently he had known that it was possible, Gabriel never expected the two hunters to figure it out, at least not without Castiel's help who was more than occupied in the little dimension he placed the angel in. While it wasn't chainsaws and serial killers, Castiel would be more than terrified of not returning to his hunters and being stuck in Toddler Land. After all, you could only handle so much Teletubbies and Barney before going insane. Now as he stood there, surrounded by the one thing that held his powers at bay, Gabriel wondered just where he went wrong.

What was worse was knowing that it was avoidable. He could have managed to fool them forever, just like he had for the other gods, but letting his emotions get the better of him revealed his hand. Dean surprised him. He would have left the one who put him through so much to rot in the circle of holy oil, not put out the flames. Eventually even it would burn down, but instead, the human gave the last comment about Gabriel needing to stand up to his family and pulled the fire alarm, drenching the flames.

The circle of fire dissipated in only seconds leaving Gabriel the chance to run away, something he had been good at since the fighting in Heaven left him nearly weeping each time he turned around. Instead, for the first time in what seemed like forever, Gabriel felt he should pick a side. Dean had been right; as much as he didn't want to admit it, this was about not wanting to get between his family. He had spent the majority of his life between them, being tugged from one side to the other without a care of how he felt.

Maybe it was time he chose neither side, taking up the third option that hadn't been there before. Sam and Dean Winchester were good men. They were damaged beyond repair, broken in a way that spoke of horrors Gabriel never wanted to touch, but still, they found the will to continue the fight. They both said 'No' when 'Yes' would have been so easy. If there was anyone who could find a way to end things before they truly kicked off, it would be them.

Snapping his fingers, Gabriel located the Winchesters and his brother, unsurprisingly in one of the rundown motels close to the warehouse Gabriel had been left in. They were talking about him, of how much of an ass he was, and Dean was commenting on Sam's balls being whacked. Castiel refused to talk about where he was sent, and though the boys were curious, they let the subject drop. Maybe he had been a bit hard on the other angel, considering how Castiel shied away from the prying questions. Observing them for a few minutes, Gabriel wondered how he was going to make his entrance.

With a snap the room changed, the bland wallpaper turning to sparkling lights and the furniture changing to chairs so that they were in a circle facing the doorway and forcing the three into their seats. The bed disappeared to complete the look of a game show. Though it might have been a bit too soon considering what he had put them through, Gabriel couldn't help the urge to make a display of what he was about to do.

Before the hunters could protest, Gabriel swung open the door, a cheer sounding in the room while he walked in. His outfit was replaced with a flashy jacket full of rhinestones and sequins. "Welcome, boys, to 'I'll Save your Ass Anyway!' a new show starring me! Now I'm sure that we have some questions, so we'll take some input from the audience! Samsquatch, you're up!"

With another snap Sam was no longer in his chair and was standing beside him, a microphone in his hand. "What the hell, Gabriel?" With a shrug Gabriel let the comment from Dean slide before turning his attention to Sam who was looking at him with narrowed eyes. Yup a bit too soon to play this game, oh well.

Clearing his throat, Sam brought the microphone to his mouth. "And what exactly are the rules this time?"

Giving the hunter a wide grin, Gabriel snapped his fingers returning everything as it was, which made Dean fall from where he had been sitting in his chair onto the floor. Castiel was now lying on the restored bed, and if he maybe cleaned the place up so that he didn't feel the urge to scrub himself clean from merely standing there, nobody had to know. "That, Samster, is the right question. Now Dean-o said something that got me thinking, and as much as I hate to admit it, he might have been right."

Before anyone could say anything, Gabriel continued, though he could feel the piercing gaze of his little brother watching him. "This whole apocalypse is a big spat from my older brothers, each wanting Daddy's attention. I figure if it didn't work way back then, it's not going to work now. As much as I think both Luci and Mikey could use a good ass-kicking, I don't want Earth to end up being the one to suffer."

"You mean you're going to help us?" asked Sam, the microphone still in his hand though there was a hesitant hope in his eyes. Nodding, Gabriel held up his hand before the hunter could continue.

"There's going to be a couple of things you muttonheads need to understand before I sign on the dotted line. First, I can't fight my brothers." Snapping his fingers Gabriel silenced Dean who opened his mouth, most likely to comment about him not pulling his weight.

"Hold up there Bucko. I said can't not won't. As super awesome as I am, both of my brothers are more powerful than I am, and you better believe that while I was relaxing taking on my role as Trickster that they were training for this. It's not a matter of will; I don't have the juice to take on Michael or Lucifer. They would kill me as easy as blinking. And with me siding with you three against them? Yeah, not only would they have the power to do so, but standing with humans? I wouldn't even get the chance to plead my case before they strike."

Letting Dean speak again, though pleased when the hunter decided against it, Gabriel turned to Castiel who was watching the exchange silently. "I may not be able to go toe to toe with them, but I can work on trying to figure out another way of stopping this. I have an idea, and though it may not work, it's worth exploring. So I'll help you guys out, hook you up to my private prayer-line in case you need out of a sticky situation and let's not forget that I have literally been here since the beginning of this world. You better believe I'm a hell of a lot more reliable than your textbooks when it comes to research."

"Brother, what idea do you have of stopping the apocalypse? Perhaps I can be of assistance." Castiel seemed too hopeful, the same hope that Gabriel could see in Sam's and Dean's expression though the older hunter was refusing to believe in it.

Shrugging, Gabriel glanced at Sam before speaking. "That cage you guys sprung Luci from? It's still down there; if I can figure out how to open it there's a chance of shoving his ass back in. Last I checked there is only one 'First Demon,' one you already ganked, which would leave the cage locked until Dad springs a jailbreak."

Shocked eyes glanced around the room before settling on Gabriel. "I would like to help you, brother." Blue orbs locked on Gabriel's golden gaze. There was such an earnest desire to help, to do what he could to finish what he had helped to start.

"Yeah Cassie, we're going to have to get you up to snuff though first. If we're going to figure this out, we're going to need to go into the pit, and in your current state you wouldn't last ten minutes that deep."

"Gabriel?" Before anyone could react, Gabriel flew to Castiel, placing his hands on either side of the angel's head and holding him in place before resting his forehead on Castiel's. There was a low hum from their grace as Gabriel repaired the damage done from Castiel's fall. The angel was struggling to keep it together, his grace only a fraction of what it once was, and Gabriel hated to see it. Repairing the damage took only a minute, though once he was done, the younger angel resembled the one Gabriel had once known.

Castiel had always shone so bright, his grace a beacon of hope and righteous love.

"What the hell?!" shouted Dean, held back by Sam who stopped his brother from touching the archangel. Gabriel didn't answer the human. Instead, he looked at Castiel whose hands were gripping his shirt, holding the archangel close. Their breath mingled while Castiel regained his footing, his senses overflooded by the grace of an archangel. It was rare for an archangel to allow another to see their full grace, let alone feel it as Castiel had while he was healing the blue-eyed angel.

"Brother," whispered Castiel, his voice full of awe and wonder while he came back to himself, his hands not letting go of the shirt he was clutching. Humming, Gabriel smirked. It had been far too long since he had contact with another angel. He had once been surrounded by their love and wonder, had been one of the few who interacted with the fledglings and played with them before they were old enough for Michael's training. His mind was once connected with every angel, constantly hearing their voices in his mind, feeling their love and devotion.

Everything had been so empty and silent for entirely too long.

"You'll be okay in a few minutes, baby bird; it's going to take some time for your grace to catch up since you've been falling for so long. By tomorrow you'll be right back to when you were hooked up to the main office. I even added the bonus of giving you a link to my grace, which by the way is pretty awesome yeah?"

Castiel moved then, though he didn't have much leeway with Gabriel holding his head. The angel turned ever so slightly so that he was rubbing his cheek against Gabriel's. It was common for a fledgling to need reassuring touches from those older than them. Gabriel made a soft thrill at the action, letting go of Castiel's face and allowing the younger angel to curl into him. Standing at the side of the bed, Gabriel held Castiel against him, the younger angel nuzzling along his neck and breathing Gabriel in.

"Should we leave you two alone?" asked Dean with a smirk which was more reflex than an actual offer. Sam shot his brother a harsh look before taking a seat on his bed, his eyes locked on the two angels who were wrapped up in one another. Gabriel shook his head, adding another bed with a snap. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be able to let Castiel go until the grace settled and the angel came back to himself completely.

"It's not like that; I basically poured my grace into his to repair it… the grace of an archangel. Even if I'm not up to par with my older brothers, it's a bit much for a seraph to handle. To process, he'll want the source close until his grace stabilizes. Might as well get a few hours of sleep, boys. Cassie isn't in the right state of mind to be making big plans about how to lock up big bro right now."

There was some grumbling, however after a couple more remarks the hunters went to bed, and Gabriel was able to snap himself and Castiel under the covers of what was once Dean's bed. Holding the angel close, Gabriel let Castiel remain as he was, curled up around him while the hunters slept. It was nice, being able to embrace someone with both his vessel and his grace; it had been far too long.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.