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Chapter Text

“What are you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”  Dean grumbled in response to his younger brother’s question.  “What are you doing up?”

“So you thought you’d read the book that the demon dropped before I shoved an angel blade through his chest?”  Sam raised a disbelieving eyebrow, “Since when are you the scholarly type?”

Dean ignored Sam’s jab and spun the book around on the table before shoving it in Sam’s direction, “Read it.  You might be surprised.”

Sam snorted and bracing his weight on his left arm, he bent to scan the page and minutes later, he flicked his hazel gaze back to Dean.  “Aside from a portion of the academic community believing the theory that Omegas were created by the Greek goddess Hera in an attempt to keep Alphas faithful to their mates and to keep them protecting their pack, we already knew all of this.”

Dean reached for his beer, “Flip the page.”  He ordered, taking a swig, “And then tell me that you can’t understand why the demon was so paranoid about keeping the book close to him.”

Sam turned the page and his eyes widened.  The arm he was using to brace himself on the table wobbled and the younger Alpha pushed himself away from the table only to yank out a chair and fall heavily into it, “Dean.”  He breathed in shock, turning his head to face his brother.  “This…I…I’m staring at a list of all the Omegas that have existed all throughout recorded history.”

“Is the book worth your attention now?”

Sam traced the names inscribed on the page reverently, “I always thought Omegas were a fairytale.”

Dean snorted dryly, “In case you’ve forgotten Sammy, we hunt the things that appear in fairytales.”

“How could I, jerk?”

“I was just checking, bitch.”

“Watch the language,” a gruff voice demanded from the doorway and the slightly playful air in the motel room disappeared instantly at the sound of the voice.

“Dad,” Sam exhaled.  “Any trace of the other demon?”

John shook his dead, “As soon as his buddy was stabbed, the demon hightailed it out of there.  I haven’t been able to pick up the trail – I’m willing to bet that he’s sped straight to hell to report to Lucifer.  Is the book useful?”

“Useful is an understatement,” Dean reported.  “It lists all the names of the Omegas that have ever existed.”

John pushed himself off of the door frame and stepped over to the table where the book was resting.  Sam quickly pulled his hand away from the page as his father, the pack Alpha, approached.  John’s calculating, brown eyed gaze moved down the page and regarded the names on the page with interest while Sam and Dean watched the older Alpha curiously to see what his reaction would be.

“There haven’t been any Omegas born for the past hundred years and nearly every one of the names have been crossed out.”  John observed.

“Except for this Omega.”  Dean tapped the remaining name at the bottom of the page with a long finger.  "No one would dare challenge us if we had an Omega in our pack and it's not like the Omega would have anything to complain about, since an Omega would need an Alpha to survive their heats and they would rely on us for defence.  For any Alpha, an Omega would be a prize.  Between the three of us, I’m sure we could handle an Omega."

Sam ran his fingers through his hair and before shrugging on his jacket, “I’ll be back with the coffees.  We’re going to need all the help we can get while we research (Name) (Surname).”

Far far away from the dingy hotel room that the three Winchesters were occupying, the object of their research lounged comfortably in an impressive red and gold throne. 

“Get out of my throne, infant.”  Lucifer groaned affectionately, striding into the throne room with the corners of his lips turning upwards.  You hauled yourself out of his throne instantly wearing a matching grin, “You were taking a long time and I was bored.”

“Hmm,” Lucifer raised his eyebrows.  “I was taking a long time because two of the demons who went topside haven’t returned yet.  The idiots probably got themselves killed in their desire t-”

“MY LORD!” A demon’s scream cut off whatever Lucifer was about to say as the demon barrelled into the throne room.  The demon’s clothing was torn and ruined in multiple places; the demon was even missing one whole sleeve.  Not only that but one of the demon’s jean leg had also been torn off and a lot of skin was visible.  The skin was covered in scrapes and bruises but the demon seemed to be ignoring those if the sheer panic on their face was any indication.

“You better have a good reason for interrupting me,” Lucifer scowled.

“I do!  I swear.”

“Well?  Get on with it.”

“Ralph and I found the book on Omegas and we were bringing it here when we decided to stop and have a bit of fun in a small, rural town.  We didn’t know the Winchesters would be there finishing up a hunt.”

Lucifer’s eyes turned red and the shadows of his wings appeared on the brick wall behind him, “Are you telling me,” he enunciated slowly, “that not only did you find and lose the single most valuable book about Omegas, which reveals the fact that my protected human is an Omega, to hunters but you lost it to the Winchesters because you were STUPID ENOUGH TO TERRORISE A TOWN WITHOUT CHECKING IF THERE WERE HUNTERS IN THE VICINITY INSTEAD OF BRINGING THAT BOOK STRAIGHT TO HELL?!”

“Yes, yes, my Lord.”  The demon croaked with their eyes downcast.  “I escaped while the Winchesters were killing Ral-”

Lucifer snapped his fingers and the demon disintegrated into black smoke.  Lucifer coughed and fanned the air, “I swear, the bar for the intelligence of my minions is getting lower and lower.”

The Winchesters were well known above ground and in hell.  Individually, a Winchester was a formidable opponent but when all three of them were together, they would move heaven and earth to accomplish their desires.  All three of them had endured the horrors of hell with the youngest, Samuel Winchester being the most recent of the Winchesters to visit the Cage. 

The three Winchesters had been released from their prisons at different times by the same unknown force and when Samuel had been saved, whatever being had freed the youngest Winchester had also released Lucifer from the Cage.  The Winchester trio might have been returned to Earth but you knew better than to believe that hell hadn’t left its mark on the three Alphas.  Lucifer had hidden you away in the lead up to the almost-Apocalypse and then he had come to find you when he retook his position as King of Hell.

Lucifer turned to face you when he didn’t hear any amused sounds coming from you after his quip about his minions.  He took one look at you and in that second, he realised two things.  The first was that you weren’t safe in hell and the second was that your breathing was irregular because your wolf was in distress at the prospect of her den not being safe anymore.

Lucifer wrapped his wings around you and pulled you into him.  He would deny it if he were ever asked, but the fact that you offered no resistance and allowed yourself to be limply pulled into his embrace worried the archangel.  With conscious effort, Lucifer willed his eyes to return to his vessel’s shade of blue and as he cupped your head in his hand, he used his powers to search for Gabriel.  At the same time, the soft white feathers of his wings shielded you from the view of any demons that might pop into the throne room unannounced.  As well as not being particularly bright, Lucifer’s demons needed lessons in knocking.  Had Lucifer not been so preoccupied with comforting you he would have noticed the intrigued and vengeful demon standing at the entrance to the throne room who wore a neatly tailored suit and called himself the King of the Crossroads.

Scouring the earth, he was beginning to lose patience when his powers slammed into a very familiar aura.

“GO AWAY LUCIFER!” Gabriel screeched, “IN CASE YOU’VE FORGOTTEN, I HAVE TO LIE LOW AND RECHARGE MY POWERS BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!”

“Well since you’re not dead, you’ve got nothing to complain about.”  Lucifer retorted telepathically as he winced at the volume of his brother’s mental shout.

A mental image of Gabriel flipping him off appeared in Lucifer’s mind and Lucifer ground his teeth, all his humour and patience vanishing at the gesture.  He didn’t have time for this.  You didn’t have time for this.

“Put that finger away before I erase the memory of you learning that gesture with extreme prejudice.”

“That’s almost kind of you, Lucy.” Gabriel snarked, “That human of yours must be rubbing off on you.”

“She is the reason I’m talking to you right now.”  Lucifer allowed his mind to run through the conversation with the recently deceased demon.  Gabriel sucked in a mental breath as the events of the memory unfolded in his mind and Lucifer felt satisfaction run through him when his brother grasped the severity of the situation; it wasn’t often that Gabriel was serious but whenever he was, his younger brother was even more of a force to be reckoned with. 

Gabriel also had firsthand understanding of how much John and Dean had changed since being imprisoned in hell.  His brother may be beyond furious with him now, but no matter how angry Gabriel was with Lucifer, he would never subject an innocent human, an Omega at that, to the Winchesters’ tender mercies.

“You keep her safe.”

“I will.”  Gabriel vowed.  “Michael himself won’t be able to get close to her.”

Chapter Text

“Please tell me one of you has found something cause all I’ve found is a steaming pile of nothing!”  Dean exclaimed, running a hand down his haggard face.  John and Sam looked as exhausted as he felt.

“I’ve got nothing,” Sam slammed the lid of his laptop down in frustration.  “There’s no birth certificate, no residential address or any school records.”

Dean propped himself up on his elbow to better focus on Sam from his place on the motel bed, “How is that possible?  In this day and age, there’s gotta be some record of some kind of this Omega.”

“I’ve just spent three hours combing through hospital records for the past thirty-five years, Dean.”  Sam argued, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut tightly, “There’s nothing even with the law that was passed in the fifties that required the parents of a child to register their designation.”

“Well maybe someone skipped a page or something!” Dean replied hotly.

Sam scowled at his brother before yanking his laptop lid open, “I’m just doing this because I know you won’t shut up until I check.”  For a couple of minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the clacking of the keys on Sam’s laptop until that unexpectedly stopped.

“Huh.  You were right.”

“I’m sorry.  Can you say that again?”  Dean requested, cupping his free hand around his ear.

Sam rolled his eyes, “The birth records that I’m looking at go from page sixty-five to page sixty-seven.”

“Where are those records from?”  John demanded.

Sam’s eyes shot over to his father and he opened his mouth to explain again that the records had come from the internet on his laptop with as much of a neutral, non-argumentative tone as possible but then he realised that John wasn’t asking where Sam had accessed them but what place they originated from.

Grateful that he had sidestepped that landmine, Sam located the name of your birth town and revealed it to his father and brother.  John shook a map open and laid it on top of the multiple books spread across the table.  The Winchester patriarch was silent until he found the town he was searching for.

“There was a case there,” John reported, tapping the town with a finger.  “’Nother hunter and I went to scope it out but by the time we got there, the dead bodies were gone, the leads had dried up and no one knew what we were talking about.”

Using his elbow, Dean pushed himself off of the bed and rested his elbows on his thighs, staring up at his father.  “You think that the monster was released on purpose so that whoever wanted the records could get to ‘em?  And then when that was done, the monster was killed?”

“Looks that way,” John agreed.  “Town’s a ten-hour drive from here.  We’d better get moving before more records vanish.”

To say that the three Winchesters were cranky when they arrived was an understatement.  Dean couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said earlier, about Omegas needing Alphas, and a tiny part of him wondered if the reverse was true.

“Nah,” Dean thought dismissively, fighting the impulse to rub at his marked shoulder.  “I’ve been in the Impala with Sammy for too long.  His sentimentality is rubbing off on me.  Alphas may have needed Omegas in the past when they had their ruts but that’s changed now.  Ruts can be managed with suppressants and there are more than enough willing Betas to help Alphas out during their ruts.”

Unbeknownst to Dean, Sam had similar thoughts running through his head, “Omegas were made to take Alphas and their knots during the rutting season.  Betas might be able to take the edge off but they can’t keep up with an Alpha and there are three of us.  If one of us lost control with a Beta and tried to knot, the Beta could end up in the hospital because their bodies aren’t meant for taking knots.  If all of us went into rut at the same time, the Beta wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“If it isn’t the Winchesters cubed.”

Sam snorted and his hand dropped to grab the hilt of Ruby’s knife where it was stored in the belt of his worn blue jeans hidden by his black jacket.  The demon caught the movement and levelled Sam with an unimpressed look.

“I come baring gifts and you attempt to kill me Samantha?”

“Keep talking and it won’t just be an attempt.”

“And here I thought your time in the Cage would have mellowed you out.”

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know who pulled Sam out of the Cage.  So tell us who did before,” John stopped talking and pulled the Colt from his own jeans.   Aiming at Crowley’s face, the Winchester patriarch cocked the hammer.

The King of the Crossroads scoffed, trying to appear unphased but the widening of his eyes gave him away, “Like father, like son.”

“Who pulled Sam out of the Cage?” 

“Someone more powerful than Lucifer himself.  Someone like,” Crowley motioned up at the sky with a finger.

“God?  Seriously?  That’s your earth stopping news?”

Crowley squinted at Dean, stepping to the left in the hope that he’d be out of the Colt’s sights.  His hope was in vain.  The instant that Crowley changed his position, John altered his and the gun still pointed at the suited demon.

“Don’t believe me?  Fine.  That’s not all I bring to the table.  I’ve heard a couple of whispers that you’ve picked up the trail of an Omega.  Hell was playing host to her but that’s changed.”

“Who would care about her that much?  That’d be like serving her up on a silver platter to Lucifer.”

Crowley cocked his head to the side and stared at Sam impassively waiting for him to catch on.

“Lucifer is protecting a human, an Omega?”

“And that right there is how you were able to get into college, giraffe.”

John squeezed the trigger.  A bullet was expelled from the chamber and the force propelled it into the air.  The bullet sped through the air, slamming into the demon’s left wrist.  Crowley yelled in pain and cradled his now injured limb.

“You insult either of my sons or me again and next one goes between your eyes.”  John threatened, “You got off easy because you helped me and my boys put Lucifer in the Cage.  Since he’s out now and you’re testing my patience, you’d better get to the point.”

Crowley glared at John hatefully, the colour of his eyes switching rapidly from hazel to smoky red and back again.  John stared unflinchingly back.  Sam let out a dark chuckle of amusement and Dean smirked.  From watching Crowley’s body language, Dean could tell that Crowley was trying to decide who he hated more right now.  John cocked the hammer again and Crowley flinched, knowing full well that John would follow through with his unspoken threat.

The demon made his decision, “He found out that you’re after the Omega.  He’s made plans to move her topside and keep her hidden.”

“Who with?”

“I don’t know.”  Crowley snapped, putting pressure on his wounded wrist.

“Dean?”

“He wouldn’t trust a human or a demon.  Lucifer views monsters as abominations because they resemble humans too much.”  Dean replied to his father’s question automatically.  “He’s not popular with the angels either.”

“He doesn’t have to be popular with angels.”  Sam mused, “He just needs one to listen.  One who has a sense of humour and one who knows how humans think.”

Dean scoffed, “There’s only one angel who fits that description and up until two minutes ago, I was convinced he was dead.”

“He tricked you boys before,” John argued.  “It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that he’d pull that trick again.”

Forcing a smile to appear on his face and giving into his self preservation instincts, Crowley bowed mockingly.  “Pleasure doing business with you,” he straightened up just as John squeezed the trigger again.  The bullet slammed into the demon’s chest and his body lit up with an orange light.  Crowley’s last expression was a mixture of betrayal and shock before he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

“We keep our ears to the ground and listen for any sign of Gabriel,” John said calmly, as if nothing happened.  “We find him, we find our Omega.”

Chapter Text

“Stop gaping,” Gabriel chided, pulling a lollipop from his pocket and sticking it in his mouth.  “You’d think you hadn’t been in a place like this before.”

Awed, it took several seconds longer than usual for his words to sink in, “I haven’t.”  You replied, “Hell isn’t exactly the most luxurious of places and it could never hold a candle to this.”  You spun in a circle with your arms outstretched, “This is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Gabriel watched you with amusement.  Before he met you, he couldn’t understand why Lucifer would be so protective of you despite your Omega status.  Throughout their long lives, Gabriel and Lucifer (and their other brothers) had encountered some Omegas; none of them held the angels’ attention for long if at all.  Once you had been escorted out of Hell by a tight-lipped, obviously displeased Lucifer (Gabriel remembered thinking that Lucifer wouldn’t dream of delegating the job to any of his demons since there was too much room for error even if they were his most faithful at that moment).

But now?  Gabriel was starting to understand his brother’s fondness and protectiveness.  He fought back a shudder at the thought of the Winchesters catching up to the two of you.  Gabriel had heard the whispers of how drastically the Winchesters had changed since their visits to hell and to a degree, Gabriel expected that hell would leave a mark on each of them.  Hell had been designed to be a place of punishment and pain and in their lives on Earth, the Winchesters had doled out a lot of that.  So, the laws of nature demanded that they pay the price in what should have been their afterlives.

Yet something or someone had interfered and the Winchesters had been allowed to roam (and terrorise) the Earth.  They constantly sabotaged Gabriel’s fun but despite the antagonistic history that he shared with the Winchesters, he found himself teaming up with them to prevent his older brothers causing the apocalypse. 

Gabriel shook himself – he didn’t want to fixate on the past.  It was too much of a slippery slope.  If he continued thinking about the Winchesters and their role in the almost apocalypse, then he’d start remembering his time in Heaven with his brothers and his father before anyone even understood that if there was a beginning, there would be an end and his brothers would be the ones to ensure that it happened.

To distract himself, he snapped his fingers and tables groaning under the weight of every possible sweet treat imaginable appeared directly in front of you.  Lost for words, you lowered your arms and pivoted to face him open-mouthed.

“I know!” Gabriel exclaimed, mistaking your expression for wonder.  “Perks of being under the protection of an archangel.”

You shook your head slowly, “That’s not-I worry-It’s too risky.  If the Winchesters detect any hint of grace, they’ll use that to track us to where we’re hiding and because they know how you think and act, they’ll be able to counter any protections that you’ve created.  They aren’t exactly the thinking before acting and forgiving type.  I mean we all know that they’re after me and if-”

He’d never admit it but your words had planted a seed of doubt in Gabriel’s mind.  The worst part was that everything you said was true.  He forced himself to paste a broad grin on his face and with as much confidence as he could muster, he waved off your concerns.

“Sweetness, the Winchesters only saw a glimmer of my power because that was all I wanted them to see.  I was incognito for centuries and it was only because I chose to start providing entertaining retribution to those I thought deserved it that they caught wind of me.  Now grab as much food as you want before those tables collapse.”

Despite Gabriel’s assurance that the two of you were safe and hidden, the Winchesters were indeed hot on your trail.  After Dean had disposed of Crowley’s body, he, his dad and his brother had crammed themselves back into the Impala and using his laptop, Sam had connected them to a range of conspiracy theory networks.  Dean didn't understand how exactly he'd done it and they didn't have enough time for Sam to explain how he had refined and filtered the search to only include bizarre occurrences that were most likely connected to the supernatural anyway.

After a few moments, Dean's eyebrows furrowed.  His initial impatience quickly turned to frustration, especially when he heard his father shifting restlessly behind him and sensed the elder alpha's agitation permeating the atmosphere.  John’s agitation heightened Dean’s and he clenched the steering wheel in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.  He bit down on his lip and forced his grip to relax; he couldn’t sit in the Impala, knowing that his dad had trusted him with it, and live with any damage that he had caused because he’d been unable to control himself.

While the three alphas sat in the Impala, the clouds blocked the sun from view and the shadows lengthened.  Sam had just propped his elbow on the door of the Impala and adjusted the laptop on his lap when there was a ding.  Sam started and the laptop nearly slipped onto the car floor.  Sam scrambled for it, removing his seatbelt in the process and his fingers managed to catch it before it fell with the screen facing downwards.

“Nice catch.”

Sam glared at his brother, unamused and readjusted his grip on his laptop so that he was holding it more securely.  He found the source of the noise and clicked on the tab so that the three men could view the post.

“I’m posting this because I can scarcely believe my eyes,” Dean read out.  “You know when you have those blink and you’ll miss it moments?  Well, I just had one of those and it’ll stay with me for the rest of my life….”

“Dean,” John cut in.

“Right,” Dean cleared his throat, understanding his father’s unspoken message.  His green eyes scanned the wall of unformatted text, “Sonofabitch, this person could teach a course in waffling.”

“Got it!”  Dean cried triumphantly after a few seconds, “@crazyhappenings224 says that he was momentarily blinded when he looked out of his window and saw a silhouette of huge wings in the window of the hotel across the road from him.  He’s wondering if the pot his roommate smoked is making him hallucinate and he just saw an average bird.”

“Fortunately for him, we know better.”  John grumbled.  “He’d be better off believing the pot story.”

“Course if he got into hunting, he might need the pot.”  Sam muttered, staring at his laptop.  Then he became aware of his brother and his dad’s gazes on him, “I’ve never-” he protested weakly.

“Where did he say that he saw the wings?”

Grateful for the change in subject (though Sam knew Dean would definitely be bringing Sam’s comment up later), Sam tapped away at his keyboard and he found the location of the poster which he revealed to Dean.  His brother immediately turned the key in the ignition and they were off.  As Dean drove, Sam used his technical expertise to delete the post from the forum; it wouldn’t do if another alpha hunter, who was scouring the forums like he was, managed to beat him, his brother and his father to your location and claim you before one of them could.

Chapter Text

With holy fire all around him and acrid smoke seeping into his vessel's lungs with each breath, Gabriel wished he had heeded your warning that the Winchesters would be able to track the both of you and that he hadn’t been so cavalier in stretching his wings out in front of a window.  But it had been ages and his wings had been so cramped inside his tiny human vessel.

If he had been more cautious (“Like Lucy expected you to be” his mind seethed), his plans for the day would have been incredibly different.  Gabriel would have taken you somewhere in the Bahamas and laid low while the Winchesters spun their wheels searching for the two of you.

As it was, he barely had any time to whisk you away to another section of the hotel before the Winchesters descended on the hotel.  They had no respect for the expensive items that he’d created for the two of you.  The struggle between the three men and the weakened, recovering archangel destroyed many of the pillows and blankets.

If Gabriel had been at his full power, he might have been able to overpower the three men but he wasn’t and along with his sons, the Winchester patriarch was able to overpower the archangel and trap him in a ring of holy fire.

“Come on Deano, surely you can't still be sore about the time loop incident.”  Gabriel attempted a jovial tone and a grin.  If he couldn't protect you by being by your side, maybe he could buy enough time for you to find one of the hidden exits and make your way back to Hell.  There had to be at least one of Lucy's demons skulking around on Earth and they'd be far too eager to take you back to Hell so that they could win favour with their King.

“Oh, you mean the incident where you forced me to die over and over again to prove a point?”  Dean took a threatening step towards Gabriel and the archangel dropped his smile.  The expression on his face was the one Dean had seen after Gabriel had banished them to the TV world.  The look reminded Dean of the fact that he was dealing with a millennia-old celestial being.  Someone who was even more powerful than Cass.

“It was nothing personal.”

“It certainly felt personal,” Sam piped up from behind Dean.  Gabriel's head snapped over to stare at the younger hunter who was far more relaxed than Gabriel thought he should be, given the circumstances, and was also sporting a worrying smirk.

A crease appeared between Gabriel's eyebrows as he tried to figure out why Sam was abnormally calm.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dean's face relax and some of the tension that the oldest Winchester brother carried in his shoulders disappeared.

When the answer presented itself to Gabriel, icy fingers of dread wrapped themselves around his unbeating heart.  He'd been so focused on Sam and Dean that he hadn't noticed John slip out of the room.

With Gabriel occupied by his thoughts and by the holy fire, the oldest hunter had the advantage.  Years ago, when Omegas were much more numerous, Alphas had been able to track them by their scent.  It didn't matter whether the Alpha had ever caught the Omega's scent before or not.  There was something in an Alpha's DNA that allowed them to identify an Omega anywhere in the vicinity.

And that's exactly what John had done.

With you pressed tight to his body, John re-entered the room.  White-hot anger took the place of his dread when Gabriel saw that John had an archangel blade pressed to the delicate skin of your neck, right where a bonding mark would go.

The shadows of his wings appeared on the wall in his fury and his eyes blazed as he reached for his grace.  In response, the flames climbed higher, their deadly tendrils reaching towards him almost daring the archangel to continue using his powers so that they would have an excuse to claw at him.

“What a pitiful excuse for a protector sweetheart,” Gabriel heard John husk into your ear, cupping your face in his free hand and turning your face so that you’d be forced to see the flames inching closer to Gabriel.  “Never send an angel to do an Alpha's job.”

You wrenched your chin out of the Alpha’s grasp and then proceeded to slam your elbow backwards into his stomach.  When you heard the air whoosh out of him, you twisted away from the Alpha and the blade that had been resting at your neck.

The archangel let out a snort of amusement and pride.  The reason that Lucy liked you so much became clearer with every minute that he spent with you.

Unfortunately for the two of you, his amusement and pride didn't last too long.  The sons of John Winchester were far too loyal and protective of their father to stand by and do nothing when he had been injured.

Your fingers had just grazed Gabriel's when two sets of hands grabbed you by the elbows and hauled you away from Gabriel.  Gabriel bristled when he saw Sam wrap an arm around your waist and pin you to his body.  The youngest Winchester looked far too happy to finally have you pressed against him.  At that moment, Gabriel didn't care that Dean had made his way over to the flames and as he walked, he uncorked the bottle of holy oil.  With a casual flick of his wrist, drops of clear, putrid-smelling oil fell through the air and were consumed by the flames.  The flames grew higher and hotter instantly, forcing Gabriel to shield his eyes with a hand and recoil.

“Shouldn't have done that Omega,” John gruffed out, standing up straight.  A rather large and vindictive part of Gabriel hoped that John developed a painful bruise where you had elbowed him and that the bruise didn't heal for a very long time.

“I guess you'd know, seeing as I'm talking to experts on not doing the right thing,” you growled out venomously from behind clenched teeth and with narrowed eyes.

Your words hung in the air for a second and then the Alpha restraining you let out a rumbling snarl.  You could feel his chest vibrating against your back as another identical growl sounded from across the room.

“What makes you think that you can talk to us like that, Omega?” At last, the lone Alpha who hadn't held you tightly to restrain you spoke up.   It wasn't hard to spot the similarities between the three Alphas who held your fate in their hands. 

You lifted your chin, knowing full well what you were about to do would seal your fate.  Offering yourself to the Alphas would be the only way to guarantee Gabriel's safety.  The alternative was watching Gabriel burn to death in front of you and you weren’t about to let that happen.   “You’re the ones who sought me out and pursued me.  If you wanted a meek, docile, obedient Omega, you would have left by now and written me off as a lost cause.  You’re still here because you need me.”

“Well if you want the truth, sweetheart, we don't exactly have a wide variety of Omegas to choose from.”

“You know my name.  Use it.  I'm not your sweetheart.”

The walnut eyes of the Winchester patriarch hardened and the younger Alpha behind you tensed.  “You're right about one thing, sweetheart.  My boys and I don't want a docile, submissive Omega.  But I don't like how mouthy you are being at the moment.”

As he spoke, John took a few long, predatory strides across the room.  As he passed Dean, he ripped the flask of holy oil from Dean's slack grasp.  Dean hadn't recapped the flask since he opened it, but with his eyes locked on yours, John tipped every last drop into the flames encircling Gabriel.

The fire roared and the flames immediately climbed higher, concealing Gabriel from you.  You doubled over in the Alpha's hold screaming in anguish for your friend whose only crime was trying to shield you from obsessive Alphas.  The Alpha behind you was just as shocked at his father's actions as you were.  His arm dropped limply from around your waist and if you had the strength to move, that would have been the perfect time to flee.

Instead, you could only watch the flames, transfixed by their deadly beauty. Then the flames parted for a millisecond and you caught a glimpse of Gabriel.  By some miracle, the archangel was still alive despite having multiple burns on his vessel.

You watched as the shadows of his wings moved up and down in the air helplessly.  The archangel wanted to flee but he couldn't.  His promise to Lucifer and the fire prevented him from doing so.  You opened your mouth to beg John to stop this, to let Gabriel go but then the hotel's sprinklers kicked in.  Little by little the flames receded and in your peripheral vision, you noticed John raising the weapon that he had pressed against your skin.

Your gaze locked onto Gabriel’s, “RUN!” You mouthed but the archangel shook his head and his eyes lit up with his grace.  The fire and the flames disappeared, leaving a scorched ring on the ground between Gabriel and John.

“RUN GABRIEL!” You screamed and John thrust the blade forward.

With a regretful and sorrowful glance in your direction, Gabriel obeyed your command.

Chapter Text

The air in the Bunker was still, and Cass sat cross-legged on the floor in the map room, basking in the peace and quiet.  He was pondering whether to turn on angel radio again for the first time in five weeks when the scent of a distressed omega shattered the tranquillity.  Without conscious thought, Cass leaped to his feet.  Although angels didn’t have the designations that humans did (and the original owner of the vessel that Cass was currently using was long dead), his instinct to protect one of his Father’s vulnerable creations was sending his body into overdrive.

Then he heard the crunch of gravel and the purr of the Impala’s engine, followed shortly by John’s truck, and Cass rolled his eyes heavenward, “It’s a good thing angels don’t physically age otherwise my hair would be completely white by now.”

“Cass,” Dean greeted after he shot out of the Impala, closely followed by Sam, and managed to control his breathing.  Sam was still doubled over, panting.

Before Cass could return the greeting, John was out of his own truck, “What the hell happened?”  He barked, slamming the door shut.

“She just sat there, staring out of the window for most of the journey, and then when we started slowing down, she shifted into her wolf form.  Now she refuses to shift back.”

Cass peered into the backseat of the Impala.  True enough, there was a wolf sitting on the back seat, panting and swishing her tail from side to side agitatedly.

“She is-”

John stalked over to the Impala and wrenched the door open, “Omega.  Shift back.”

You raised your hackles and, baring your teeth, with your ears pinned back, you snarled at him.

“Omega!”  John commanded again.  This time, he coated his words with the commanding tone of a pack alpha, “Shift back and go into your new den.”

Frustrated that you were being ignored in your wolf form, you growled a warning again and, shaking off the ruined seatbelt (while purposely digging your claws into the upholstered seats), you shifted into a crouching position.  John didn’t appear to heed your warning; he reached a hand forwards, intending to grab you by the scruff, and that was the final straw.

Using all the strength in your coiled muscles, you sprang forward, bowling John over and sending him crashing heavily into the dirt next to the car.  You didn’t even spare him a glance as you dashed into the woods behind the structure that stank of control, metal, the underground, and alphas. 

John pulled himself up from the dirt where he had fallen by curling his fingers around the door handle of the still-open car door.  Catching sight of his children’s concern and seeing the amusement they fought to conceal, he ducked his head and brushed the dirt off his jeans.

“Get in there.  Find her and bring her into the bunker.  Leash and collar her if you have to.”

Cass sucked in an unnecessary breath while Sam and Dean looked at each other hesitantly.  Collaring a shifted wolf was a drastic step, and it hadn’t been done for years; it was one of the harshest ways to force a wolf to accept its new pack.

Feeling the need to act, Cass stepped into Sam and Dean’s path, “She is not part of your pack, which explains why she didn’t react to your voice or command,” he informed John.

“She’ll be part of our pack soon enough and should start listening now.”

Cass resisted the impulse to pinch the bridge of his nose; out of all the stubborn humans why did he have to be assigned to the ones who held the title?

“Bobby called,” Cass informed the Winchesters, deliberately switching the topic and hoping the diversion would give him enough time to unravel his thoughts long enough to find a way to appease you and his pack of alpha charges.  “People are reporting sightings of the Green Knight, and the bodies are beginning to pile up.”

“Why is he called the Green Knight?  Does he spend a lot of time gardening?”  Dean snorted.

Sam was already shaking his head before Dean even finished speaking, “The Green Knight is a figure from Arthurian legend.  The story goes that he visited Camelot every year, on Halloween or All Hallows Eve, as it was known then, and offered anyone in attendance the chance to behead him.”

“Who would be insane enough to take him up on that?”

“Because the condition was that the Green Knight would be allowed to return the favour the following year.”

“I repeat, ‘who would be insane enough to take him up on that’?”

“Sir Gawain.  The legend goes that the Green Knight calmly walked over to collect his head and bid farewell to Gawain, promising to return in a year.”

“And now he’s back.” Dean gazed longingly into the throng of trees where you had disappeared.  “It’s been ages since I’ve run as a wolf.  There’s even an omega to track down.”  His mind wandered, and he fantasised about shifting and tracking you down.  Your submission would taste so sweet as he cornered you in whatever hovel you’d claimed as a den, and then, when he was sure that you knew there was no escaping your fate, he would claim you as his mate before returning to the Bunker with his prize in tow.

Tapping into his wolf’s sense of smell, John tried to find any sign of where you were hiding in the forest.  For a moment, he was hopeful because the wind was blowing in his direction and he thought he’d be able to catch a whiff of your scent, but the air carried no sign of you.  His wolf’s frustration amplified his own, so he ended up snapping at his boys to climb into his truck so they could begin the hunt (it hurt John to leave the Impala behind, but the lingering smell of an omega in the car could send his alpha sons into an early rut, and then the hunt was as good as lost).

John thrust his journal into Cass’ grasp, “Hold onto this.  She’ll be able to make herself useful when we come back.”

Once again, Cass cursed the fact that his charges were so wilful.    He watched as John’s truck peeled away from the Bunker, and Cass stayed resolutely in place long after the vehicle had vanished from human sight.

Sighing, Cass turned his attention to the forest.  “Figures the Winchesters would find themselves a mate that is as stubborn as they are.”

It took Cass four days to find your den.  He approached cautiously, and he couldn’t help but feel a little insulted when you lifted your head from your paws, regarded him with a sleepy, disinterested gaze, before going back to sleep.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were little more than an overgrown puppy.”

A lazy growl was his only response.

Cass lowered himself onto the dirt, uncaring of the leaves and branches he crushed as he sat opposite you.  Taking a chance, he snapped a hunk of meat into existence, and you perked up when the smell reached you.  Your posture shifted in an instant as Cass nudged the meat over to you.

“I stand by my statement about you being an overgrown puppy.”

Licking your chops, you stood and shook out the dust from your fur.  Cocking your head to the side, you watched him expectantly as the angel dipped his hand into his pocket to retrieve John’s journal.

“Can I trust you not to shred this?”  He inquired, holding the journal out to you.

You extended your neck and sniffed the object.  Recoiling almost instantly, you pawed at your nose and glared balefully at him.

“He’s an alpha.  What did you expect?”

You took one step forward.  Then another.  And another.  Just as Cass was beginning to think that you would follow him back to the Bunker, you sat down.  The message was clear.

“You cannot read this as a wolf, and I don’t trust you enough to leave the journal with you.  They are on a hunt.  It will just be you and me in the Bunker.”

You yawned, unimpressed with his words, and the former commander stared impassively at you.  Your ear twitched, and you raised a paw to scratch at it.

“I have an infinite lifespan,” Cass lied.  “With that comes near infinite patience.”

You stretched out your forelegs and switched positions so you were lying down on the ground.  The image of him carrying you into the Bunker by your scruff popped into his mind, and while he found that entertaining, he reminded himself that he was in this situation because John had tried to do exactly that.

Trying a different tactic, the angel flicked his wrist and the journal opened to a random page.  He pretended to read, turning the pages every so often to keep up the illusion while keeping an eye on you discreetly.  Whether you knew and didn’t care or whether he managed to fool you, Cass didn’t know, but you crept closer and closer the longer he read.

Cass kept reading but lowered the book so you could see where he was focusing his gaze.  Currently, he was examining the page on sigils, and despite his original plan, he found himself getting lost in the writing until you snatched the book from his hands with your teeth and sped back to the Bunker.

Cass gave chase, then remembered he was an angel.  With a flap of his wings, he stood at the entrance.  He was expecting to see you trotting up to the door with a smug expression, like this was a game of fetch.  Therefore, he was quite surprised to see a human woman clutching the journal with an expression that bordered on concern.

“You need to take me to them.”

“Why?” Cass intoned.

You showed him the sigils on the page, “All of these have elements of markings from Arthurian times.  The Green Knight is from Arthurian times.”

“You were listening?”

You rolled your eyes, “Kind of hard not to when your hearing is twenty times better as a wolf than it is as a human.”

“You are showing concern for the Winchesters.”

“Do they keep you around because you state the obvious?” You demanded, aggravated.  “The Green Knight didn’t just reappear.  He couldn’t.  The legend alone isn’t powerful enough to summon him.  Whoever summoned the Green Knight used a version of these sigils to bind him to their will.”

“The bodies…”

“We find who they wronged, we find our summoner.  But we can’t do that from here, and your Winchesters are running headlong into a trap.”

Cass snapped his fingers, and you shuddered as his grace refreshed you.  “Why….?”

He shrugged a shoulder, “I thought you would appreciate the feeling of being clean, seeing as you don’t have time for a shower or bath.”

“You never asked how I learned about sigils.”

Now it was Cass’ turn to fix you with an unimpressed look, “An omega is a rarity.  A treasure.  Years ago, angels were tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding omegas, and many angels would’ve given their lives to ensure an omega’s continued survival.  You stayed off the humans’ radar for so long because you were being sheltered by an angel, and judging by the fact that many hunters haven’t heard of you, monsters weren’t targeting you.  There’s only one angel that has the power to command legions of monsters.  Though archangel would be a better descriptor, wouldn’t it?”

“Let’s go kick some ass, angel boy.”

“My name is Castiel.”

“I’m sticking with angel boy.”

“I see why my older brother likes you, overgrown puppy.”