Ezekiel

We are almost there. I'm still not certain of this. I'm not confident that he won't want to kill me. He wouldn't want to hurt Sam, but if there was a possibility that he thought he may be saving him?

Gadreel was not so confident in that.

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That was the problem. Sam still wasn’t sure how he’d convince Dean that it was really him this time, that it wasn’t the angel just putting on another show. He tried to shake the fog from his head and force his mind back into something more functional.

I know. Killing Kevin put you on Dean’s radar, but if we don’t go to him now, he will find a way to kill you sooner or later. You saved Charlie, and me and Cas and that still means something. The fact that we’re here and talking means something.

We have to let Dean set this meet. It’s the only way he’s going to feel safe, the only way he’s going to talk to us. I know it’s a risk but I trust him.

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I will trust you. As much as he is able to. He didn't get the impression from Sam that he was going there with any intention of dying.

I will let you have control then. He will, at the very least, attempt to make you expel me. I would recommend against it, as weak as you are still.

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We're in this together. Until we get this sorted out, until you can find a vessel that can hold you, I'm not going to. Whether he was strong enough at that point was another matter, but it's one he really hasn't had the time or energy to sort it all out.

Thank you. Okay. Let's do this. We'll call Dean and.. just see how this plays out. It was really all they could do. Sam couldn't survive on his own and whether Dean liked it or not, he had to do this with Gadreel.

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My vessel should be out there, alive, somewhere. He wasn't going to leave Sam until he was stronger or if there was no other way.

I will give you control then. You call Dean and work out a time. We aren't very far from the bunker now. Perhaps an hour, no longer.

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Well, one thing at a time right? Sam flexes his hands, reasserting control over his body as the angel pulled himself back and let him settle back in.

Funny how quickly he was getting used to this.

All right. Let's get the hard part done. Taking the phone, he dialed a familiar number, waiting for his brother to pick up.

"Hey. I'm about an hour away, maybe a little less."

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"Sam?" Dean hoped it was Sam anyway. His voice was tight, on edge.

Gadreel recognized that suspicious note to his voice and thought he could almost feel what was most certainly an internal struggle.

This could go potentially bad, but Sam was right. They needed to get this done.

"Alright. Door's open."

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"Yeah. Yeah it's me." A long slow breath. "Okay. I'll be there soon Dean."

They both recognized the tension in his voice, the hesitation. It'll be okay. We can do this. He hoped.

Half an hour later Sam was slowly pushing the door to the bunker open. Home again. "Dean? Dean, it's me. I'm back."

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"Sammy?" There's hesitation in Dean's face when he looks at Sam. He'd thought about setting a trap. They still had holy oil left... he could trap the angel and figure out if he had it in him to do what he knew needed to be done.

He hadn't though.

He was kind of hoping this really was Sam, that they'd figure this out.

"How do I know it's you?"

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There wasn't anything he could say that the angel wouldn't have figured out after rifling through his memories. There also wasn't holy oil on the floor so he was going to take that as a good sign.

Sam offered his brother a pained smile. "Because I had to talk him into coming back after what happened. Because I knew you'd stop at nothing to come after him for.. for Kevin."

"It's me Dean."

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"Sammy..." He took a step forward, reaching for him. He paused though, hesitating.

"Then why the hell is he still in there? He said you'd be able to push him out if you knew... that you wouldn't agree to keep him."

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"Because if I did, I'd die. I'm not strong enough on my own Dean and I think.. I think we can help him."

Sam offered his brother his hand. He wanted more, but just the contact would be enough. "Besides - figured you'd get pissed after all the trouble you went to to keep me alive."

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"I'm sorry, Sam," he murmured, taking his hand in his own when it was offered, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I know I messed up." But he hadn't been able to let Sam go like that, die like that.

"I'll fix it, alright?"

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Like he was letting Dean get away with just that. Sam pulled his brother into a hug. Whatever Dean had done, he'd done because he cared.

"We'll fix it," he corrects. "The three of us. We're gonna have to make this right."

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A hug was the last thing he'd expected, but he'd take it. His arms came around Sam easily, holding on tight to him and letting out a shaky breath.

He really was here. "Jesus, Sammy... thought you were gone."

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Sam clung to his brother, hands twisting in the back of his shirt. They were together again. Everything was going to be all right.

Thank you.

"'m here Dean. I'm right here."

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"I know, Sammy..." And it took a hell of a lot to pull away, but somehow he managed it. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he looked Sam over.

He knew the angel was still in there, but at least for right now, he was being quiet. They'd figure out what to do about that later.

"C'mon, get in here and settle back in. We got a lot to talk about."

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"I know." Later they'd talk about what had happened and why, but for the moment they had bigger problems that took precedent. Sam fell into step beside his brother, taking advantage of the quiet to check quietly on the angel.

Hey. You okay?

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I'm surprised that this is... easier than I had though it would be. And wary that Dean still had some trick ready to spring on him.

But for now, he had no plans to take action.

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We’ll be okay. Dean knows it’s me so we’re gonna figure this out. Sam wasn’t sure that it was going to be quite so easy either, but Dean hadn’t given him any reason to start scanning for traps or anything else out of the ordinary.

Thank you, for letting me come home. He didn’t exactly have the best track record when it came to trusting anyone outside of the human set. Angels, demons, most of them were set out to manipulate, use or just generally kill him outright.

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Don't thank me yet. It may attract a lot of attention that you would not have had otherwise. From Metatron in particular.

But for now, he could feel Sam's relief. He deserved that. You need to rest more. The sooner your strength returns, I can return to my original vessel.

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He laughed under his breath. Believe me. We're used to attention like that by now.

Sam hadn't been awake long, only a few hours but he was already exhausted again. I know and I will. I have to talk to Dean first, make sure he's okay then I'll crash out.

Slowly he levered himself down into a chair in the map room, offering his brother a wan smile. "Sorry. Still wipe out easily."

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"You look like hell," Dean grumbled, watching as Sam settled down heavily. "Maybe you need to get to your room, get some sleep."

Though who knew how much good it would do when he had an angel still in him, sapping energy and not healing him as fast as Dean had hoped he would.

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Sam can't help but offer his brother a vaguely amused smile. Between Gadreel and Dean he pretty much had no choice but to rest up. "In a little bit, I promise. I just.. wanted to talk first. About what we're doing."

"Gadreel, he brought me home. He's been in prison since the beginning Dean, for something that wasn't even his fault. I promised him that he'd be safe here, that we'd find a way to get him back to his vessel when it's time. That the other angels wouldn't take him back."

He raked his hands through his hair, "I want to help him."

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