Chasing Ghosts

Sam merely snickered. "Pouting."

"Am not!"

"See, now you're being petulant." Dean teased.

"I will send you back to TV-land!" Gabe threatened. Dean and Sam simply laughed at him.

Sam snorted. "Gabe, you've threatened to do that before. You won't do it."

"Wanna bet, Sasquatch? I'll make sure you catch hell again."

Sam scoffed as he settled back in his seat. "Says the man who left us a message in a porn movie."

"You're just jealous it wasn't you."

Sam flinched. "Ewwww."

Dean grinned. "Don't listen to him, Gabe. He really was jealous."

"I was not!"

Dean's smirk turned evil. "Oh, really?"

"Dean, I swear I will kill you!"

Gabe smirked along with Dean. "Is there something you need to tell me, kiddo?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. There is."

"Really? And what is it?"

"I nearly went blind from your white ass."

Dean burst out laughing while Gabe pouted.

"You seem to be pouting an awful lot, Gabe." Dean teased.

Suddenly, Sam went stiff. "Dean!"

Dean slammed on the brakes, just in time to avoid the girl who staggered into the road. "Holy hell! Where did she come from?"

Gabe's pout vanished. "You two stay here."

"What, why?" Dean demanded.

Gabe smirked. "Because she's a demon."

Dean brightened. "Oh, good. I want to kick some ass."

"What part of stay here don't you understand?" Gabe demanded.

"The stay here part." Sam quipped as he climbed out of the Impala with Dean.

Gabe vanished and reappeared in front of Sam, shoving him back into the Impala and shutting the door. "Say, or I'll make you."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "How many?"

"Too many. She's just here to slow us down." Gabe turned his focus to Dean. "Get back in the car."

"Not happening."

"I'll force you too." Gabe threatened. Dean watched him for a moment, then cautiously got into the car. Sam gave him a look.

"You're listening to Gabe?"

"The last time I saw that look on Cas's face, he literally threw me into the car before we were attacked. I'm not arguing."

Gabe cut Sam off before he could protest. "Stay there, Sammy, or so help me, I'll bind you so you can't move."

"Gabe - "

Gabe growled and vanished, taking the girl with him. Sam and Dean exchanged a long look.

Dean grinned. "So, how bout them Dodgers."

"I hate them Dodgers, and what the hell was that about?"

"That was Gabe trying to save our asses."

Sam stared at Gabe. "I hope nothing happens to him."

"Kinda suck to get him back and then he die again, wouldn't it?" Dean said softly.

Sam almost glared at him. Almost.

Dean slid a glance over at Sam. "What say we break out the rock salt guns and go kick some demon ass. Gabe may hate us for it, but we'll be doing some good."

Sam nodded. "Works for me. I've never been good at sitting around while others do our jobs anyway."

"Good man. Let's go."

It didn't take long for the brothers to hear the sounds of fighting. They burst inot the clearing in time to see three possessed humans jump on Gabe's back. Sam and Dean darted forward and pulled the demons off the angel's back. Gabe whipped around and glared at them both.

"Remind me once this is over to kick your asses."

Dean grunted as he deflected a punch to his gut. "Less talking, more fighting. We'll talk later."

Gabe merely glared at him a moment longer before being forced to fight another possessed human. The fight proceeded normally for a few more minutes - until things got nasty.

"Sam!"

Sam spun around and shoved Gabe out of the way - just in time to avoid an angel-killing blade. The silver spike nicked Sam in the ribs, but nothing serious. In a flash, Dean appeared over them and gutted the demon with Ruby's knife. "You guys all right?"

"I'm fine." Sam grunted.

"Where in hell did they find that?" Gabe demanded. "That's not right!"

Sam growled and dodged another demon, grabbing it in a headlock and quickly chanting the excorcism. He sighed as he let go of the person and twisted to dogde another.

Gabe growled as the demon who weilded the angel-killing blade came after him again. "Someone want to explain where they got that?"

Dean grunted. "Hell if we know! I didn't know they could touch them! I thought they were blessed or some shit like that!"

"Apparently not." Sam grumbled as he fought to keep his footing. The deom he was fighting kicked him in the ribs, and Sam winced as he felt two of his ribs crack.

Dean growled, trying to fight his way through the sudden influx of demons. "Where in the hell are they coming from?" he shouted, mostly to himself. He wasn't expecting an answer.

"Look out!" Gabe shouted, trying to get around another blade-welding demon. Dean spun around, just in time to catch a blade in between the ribs. He folded in half, pain flashing through his body like fire. Sam shouted, running towards him.

"Get away from him!"

Gabe's eyes widened as Castiel materialized in the middle of the fray, frying the demon who attacked Dean. Without a word, he knelt down and removed the knife from Dean's ribs.

Cas stood and looked around the battlefield, eyes narrowed. Sam and Dean both covered their eyes as Cas's grace flared, before dying back down.

Dean and Sam lowered their arms and looked around. The battle was over, the formerly posessed humans lying on the ground out cold.

Sam sighed turned to Cas. "Thanks, Cas."

Cas glanced at him before nodding once. "You should get your ribs checked."

"I will. Why are you here?" Sam asked, studying Cas closely.

"You needed me."

Dean's fists clenched. "Why didn't you answer us back in the hotel room, huh? Still trying to be God?"

Cas gave Dean a flat look. "I'm not trying. I am God, Dean. The sooner you accept that, the better."

Sam slowly approached Cas. "Cas, you're not thinking straight. That power's gone to your head. The sooner you let us help you - "

Cas stared at Sam. "The power has not gone to my head. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Dean chuckled. He was still lying flat on his back. "You don't even believe that."

Cas glanced down at him. "What makes you think that?"

"You said you'd smite me if I didn't profess. Instead you saved me, without even being asked." He grinned up at Cas. "That's the angel I know."

Gabe watched as Cas simply stared at Dean. Dean merely grinned at him, completely oblivious to the fact that he was still leaking blood. Cas sighed and slowly knelt down again, healing Dean with merely a touch. Then he vanished.

Dean laughed long and loud.

Sam and Gabe exchanged a long look before looking back down at the hysterically laughing Dean. Gabe shook his head. "At least someone finds this amusing."

Sam nodded. "I think my brother has finally lost his mind."

"I have not! Cas is gonna be okay. That's why I"m laughing." Dean protested through his laughter.

"Yeah, if you say so, Dean. I still say you've gone crazy."

"Says the guy with two broken ribs." Dean said, sitting up and sobering.

"My ribs are not - " Sam was cut off when Gabe poked him in the side. "Sonofa-"

Gabe glanced up at Dean while Sam cursed his entire family line. Dean still hadn't bothered to get up. He still stared at the sky, as if waiting for Cas to finally come back and stay this time. But now Dean smiled brightly.

With a shake of his head, Gabe returned his attention to Sam. "I can heal this."

Sam shook his head. "I'll be fine in a few hours." he swore when Gabe poked him again. "Gabe, you do that again, I'll deck you.'

"You'll just add a broken hand to the list of injuries you have." Gabe said brightly. "Ask Dean."

"Dean looks too happy. I'm just gonna leave him in his happy place and - will you quit poking me?! That hurts!"

"Then let me heal it." Gabe said flatly.

"I'm fin - " Sam was cut off when Gabe jabbed him in the ribs again.

Dean looked over to find Sam doubled over swearing enough to turn the air black. "What'd you do, Gabe."

"I'm proving my point. I can heal that."

"Stop making your point by hurting my brother."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll hurt you."

Gabe considered that. "Would you rather me just heal him now and not wait for consent?"

"Yeah." Dean rolled his eyes.

Gabe shrugged and simply did as he was asked. "A pissed-off Dean I have no desire to meet right now." he said at Sam's venomous look.

"I hate you both." Sam grumbled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go curl into a corner and die."

Dean laughed as he finally climbed to his feet. "You can curl up and die on the way to New Orleans. Let's go."

Gabe held a hand up. "Hold up for just a second. I'm a little peeved with you two."

Sam rolled his eyes. "And you would have taken an angel-killing knife to the back if we hadn't been here."

"Sammy, I told you guys to stay in the car!"

"Since when do we listen?" Sam asked with a shrug.

"Since never apparently!" Gabe almost shouted. "Come on, guys - I'm the archangel, here! When I say stay in the car, that usually means something's coming that will probably kill you both!"

Dean shrugged. "And?"

"I think he's about to scream." Sam observed. "Gabe, listen to me - knowing what you do about us, how do you think we'd feel if you'd been killed while we sat twenty feet away and didn't do a damn thing?"

"Dammit, Sammy! I don't want you two to get killed because you fought something that was out of your depth." Gabe growled.

Dean and Sam exchanged exasperated looks. Dean shrugged. "And we don't want you to die again, just because we sat on our hands like little girls. We don't work that way. You are just gonna have to deal with the fact that whether you like it or not, we're watching your back."

Gabe really did scream then.

Luckily, Dean and Sam didn't have to cover their ears or risk deafness. Sam just waited until Gabe had run out of steam before walking over and hugging the angel briefly. Gabe went stock-still. Sam quickly pulled back and flashed him a grin. "Let's get out of here before the demons come back."

"Wha - "

Dean burst out laughing. "You, my friend, have just been had by the Sammy Hug. There is no cure."

Sam looked over at Dean. "The Sammy Hug?"

"Yes. The Sammy Hug. Got a problem with it?" Dean asked with a laugh.

"Yeah. It makes me sound like a girl."

"Well, Samantha. . . ."

"Dean, don't make me slug you. I won't break my hand on your nose."

Gabe stared at them for a moment - well, more accurately, stared at Sam before shaking himself. "Well, boys, let's vamos before the rest of them show up." He walked with purpose towards the car, only slowing down long enough to -

"GABE!"

Sam immediately began chasing Gabe back towards the car, Gabe laughing the entire time.