Honestly, the only thing I can say as to why this took a long as it did, was because of lack of inspiration. But I got it back, so here you go. Thank you to everyone who has read, and been patient. So those of you who are still with this story, enjoy!

Raising Angels 101

Castiel found him first, not very much a surprise honestly, all of them were very much aware where each of them were, and had been. Just like they knew where Dean, and more importantly, where Sam was, and had been.

"The trees are nice."

Lucifer made a soft hum as he stared up at the large oak tree, from this angle it just kept going. Standing next to him, Castiel watched with him.

"Sam," Castiel said after a long moment of a surprisingly comfortable silence, "has been praying."

"I heard him," Lucifer said, "he keeps asking us to come back."

"That's a terrible idea."

Both Angels looked over his shoulder, and there stood Gabriel, and Raphael. While Gabriel moved closer to his sibling, Raphael stand where he was.

Gabriel stopped.

"Raphael," He looked over his shoulder, something soft in his face, "it's okay."

Raphael shifted nervously on his feet, a very human action. Finally after taking a deep breath, moved closer, until he, and Gabriel were standing next to their sibling.

It should have been uncomfortable, awkward and everything else you would expect given their history.

It wasn't.

And that made them uncomfortable.

Because they remembered what they did to each other, remembered how they fought, and killed. They also remembered the warmth of strong arms, a gentle smile, and caring hands. Of laughter, and games, of a soft voice reading to them, teaching them, and soothing bad dreams. How they would pile on each other at night, playful tugging of wings, how they would watch, and get excited when a new egg would hatch. How they would welcome their new sibling into the world.

They did not deserve to remember those moments, or the warmth that came with remembering, or the comfort of hearing Sam's voice when he prayed to them.

Because they are all guilty, guilty for what they all did to each other, to Dean, and to Sam.

And it hurt, and made them scared. They can't go back to that warmth, not anymore. They weren't Hatchlings any longer, weren't Sam's Angels. To go back, would be to go back to cold eyes at best, and a blade to the chest at worst.

"So this, is heartbreak," Lucifer thought, throat tight, eyes stinging and wetness clouding his vision. Bottom lip trembling as he tried to keep from making that one sound he knew would break him.

Behind him, is the vague sound of fluttering wings.

"Brother."

The sound came out, and he broke.

The tears fell, and kept falling, they, and the horrid sound would not stop. Did not stop, not even when he felt his older brother's arms, and wings around him, or the way all of his sibling pressed up against him, and each other. Holding, and touching, the same horrid sound coming from them. Some soft, others louder.

All equally heartbroken.

~.~

They stay in the place of trees. Talking, laughing, fighting, crying, apologizing to, and with each other. They think about Sam, who, is still Mother to them, and that probably won't ever change.

They talked only once, about Father.

None of them are sure how long they stay there, time is a different concept to Angels. When they hear it.

Sam and Dean are praying to them. Asking for one of them, all of them, for a miracle.

Fear stayed their hand, and Bobby Singer died that day.

~.~

Joshua didn't so much as find them, as more he decided to finally pop up. With him, is their old things from when they had been in their Mo—the Winchester's care.

Michael cried when he saw the pop-up book, and Anna did not let go of her comb and brush kit for a long time. And when Joshua gave Castiel back his trench coat, the Angel just placed it neatly in a spot, and left it there. Refusing to look at it.

"They are sad it is plain for anyone to see, despite Dean's best efforts," Joshua said when Uriel tentatively asked about the brothers, "to lose someone very dear, is hard for humans."

The guilty look on the Angel's faces spoke volumes, "I'm sure a visit from you all would help about bit." Joshua added.

"They prayed to us," Zachariah spoke, "and we did not come. I doubt we would be welcomed."

Joshua tilted his head just so as he took them all in, "The thing I found I like best about humans, is their ability to forgive. Especially when it involves a parent and their child."

~.~

The leviathans were still causing havoc, and the bothers were still trying to stop them.

Moth—Sam still prayed.

On a good day, Dean mostly yelled at them, call them every name in the book, and then some. On a bad day, he pleaded, begged, and cried. On those days, Castiel cuddled up with Balthazar, hiding in the older Angel's wings for a long time.

Joshua brought them pizza one day, and told them that Sam had asked about them.

…..There was that warmth again.

~.~

Again, the concept of time was different for an Angel, but on a guess, Castiel will say about six months had passed, when they hear Sam praying. It's a surprise, and a relief when they hear his voice. For it had been a while since they last heard him, however, this one was different.

"So," they heard, "this will probably be my last prayer for a while. Me, and Dean are about to do something really stupid in a couple of days."

From where he was leaning against Lucifer, Gabriel snorted.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say this. All of you at one point, have manipulated, and hurt me, and my brother. You've said, and done cruel things that destroyed my belief in Heaven, in God, and it seems to me that you only understood a twisted kind of righteousness, and selfishness."

Fear, that's what they're feeling right now. This was it, Sam was finally going to tell them he was done praying, done giving them the last connect to him, a connection they did not deserve, but wanted desperately.

"And because of that, I forgive you."

…..What?

"I forgive you for your manipulation, and pain. I forgive you for you selfishness, I forgive you because I understand how wanting to do what's right can make you blind, understand the anger of betrayal. Understand the fear, weariness, and pain of watching the one you call family, fight, and fall, whether you're the cause of it, or not. I know what it's like to want hide from the pain, from it all. And I know what's it's like, to run away, and not go back, not think about who you left behind. Because it hurts to think of it, that, and the guilt is too much. And you don't go back because you're afraid of rejection, afraid that you have broken that last connection to the person you love so much.

I know about it all, and I forgive you. Because you have become, and still are, my family. I love you all, and when you are ready. I'll be here."

There is a long, long, silence afterward. Before they doing something they hadn't done since coming to this place. They separate, each leaving on their own path to think.

Castiel is the only one who doesn't return to the place with the trees, his trench coat gone.

~.~

When he heard the sound, his shoulder tensed up, and his hands, which were cleaning up the mess he had made earlier stopped. He doesn't turn around, too much afraid to look, and see what he didn't expect. What he wanted.

"…..Sam?"

Heart hammering, and hands just a tad shaky, he turned around.

There they were, his Angels. All but one of them, standing in the room, huddled close together, looking nervous, and so, so afraid.

"We," Michael paused, closing his mouth, before opening it again, but this time nothing came out. He looked at his siblings for help.

Gabriel spoke up.

"Sorry we're late." He grinned, it was that trickster grin, the mask he used to hide behind.

His siblings gave him disbelieving, and slightly angry look.

Sam stared, blinked, then was making his way over, full height, and eyes unreadable, face blank.

The Angels flinched, and they babbled, word pouring out, tone going from nervous to panicking as Sam got closer.

"We're never meant to—" The rest of the sentence is lost, completely forgotten by Lucifer as he stood frozen in Sam's arms.

"Welcome back."

Then he's smiling at him, warm, soft, and everything they remembered. Lucifer hugged him, and then they were all clinging to him, nearly toppling the human over. Sobbing words of apologizes for past, and current deeds that Sam gently shushed, and soothed away; clinging to them as much as they did he.

The leviathans were no longer a threat, they did it, killing the main one and stopping everything. In the process however, Sam lost both his brother, Cas, and their new friend Kevin. And that was a problem in itself.

But for now, he had his Angels back, and he was never letting them go.

-End-

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