Sam's POV

The next week went by rather quickly. What free time Gabriel had was spent with Sam; he even sometimes took care of him while he was working. Sam, being the clever one he was, picked up almost everything new to him that he hadn't relearned quite yet, such as working the remote or counting to fifty.

The absolute hardest thing that Sam had to learn was to shower. It was just so difficult for him, especially with his fluffy hair and shampoo. He finally gathered the courage to ask Gabriel for help, after several minutes of trying to get the gooey soap covering his head.

He stuck his head out of the bathroom, watching as Gabriel searched for some clean hospital gowns. He pouted, letting out a soft sigh. "Gabriel....." He whispered, the nurse turning around and looking at Sam, a small blink of surprise crossing his face.

"What is it Sammo? Are you finished?" He asked, walking over to him. He frowned when he got close enough to see the shampoo in his hair, tipping his head. "You do realize you've still got shampoo in your hair, and that's it's not even lathered?"

Sam had ducked his head, blushing as he felt a thin trail of shampoo slide down his temple and cheek. "I don't know how to take a....shower." He said, having to pause a minute to remember the word. He had to do that sometimes. It was something that he was slowly coming out of though.

Gabriel's eyes softened gently and he set the hospital gown on the chair outside the bathroom door before looking at Sam. "I'll help you" He offered, making Sam smile in relief. Sam opened the door to let Gabriel in, the water still running and fogging up the bathroom in a thin layer of steam.

"Come here." Gabriel said, patting the edge of the bathtub. Sam was a bit confused, but complied, sitting down on the edge and shifting until it didn't dig into his legs. Gabriel stood in front of him, running his hands under the stream of water to get them wet before running through Sam's hair, his fingers threading through the locks.

"You want to be sure to get all over your head and make sure everything is clean. You usually on squeeze a little shampoo in your hand and go from there, okay?" Gabriel said, keeping his voice light but detailed. He had figured out the way Sam learned the most, and that was seeing, or in this case feeling, and hearing at the same time. Sam let out a grunt in response, telling Gabriel to continue.

"After you finish, it'll be very soapy, like this." He said, showing Sam his sud-covered hand. He motioned for Sam to get in the shower, moving the spray so it fell on his hair. "Then you rinse it off and do it again. You try this time." Gabriel was patient as he helped Sam rinse the suds out, showing him how his hair felt when they were gone. He then showed how much to squueeze into Sam's hand.

Sam slowly moved the shampoo to his head, sliding it over the top layer of his hair before he began trying to copy Gabriel's movements as he remembered them, which he got for the most part. When he thought he was finished, he let Gabriel check, making sure he got everywhere. With the nurse's approval, he rinsed out his hair before looking at Gabriel again.

"What now?" He asked, his gaze getting distracted as Gabriel grabbed another bottle and squeezed a small amount into his hand. The liquid much thicker and a milky gold color. He leaned his head down so the smaller male could reach his head.

Gabriel was gentle as he rubbed his fingers through Sam's scalp, making sure to get it through the locks of his hair good. "This is conditioner, you put it in your hair to make it soft and not as tangly." He explained, stepping back when he finished and rinsing his hands off under the water. "Don't wash just yet though" He mentioned as Sam went to step back under the spray.

Gabriel grabbed a rag and poured some soap in it, rubbing it between the two sides of the cloth until it was nice and sudsy. Sam looked at him with curiosity. So much soap is used for one thing. He thought in a bit of amusment, only to be distracted when Gabriel grabbed his wrist and lifted his arm.

"This is soap that you rub over your skin to get rid of dirt. You have to be a bit gentler though. Rubbing your skin raw isn't a comfortable thing to do." Gabriel explained as he rubbed the rag over Sam's skin gently but firmly. Sam noticed that Gabriel was looking at the black mark of a star with flames around it, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He ask him about it later.

"Like this?" He asked, taking the rag from Gabriel's hand and rubbing it over his skin. Although he wasn't quite as gentle as Gabriel was, he still managed to get the job done. The rest of the shower went rather easy, Gabriel showing him how to rinse off the soap and conditioner. 

When Sam got out, Gabriel grabbed the towel and dried his hair, making Sam wrinkle his nose as his hair was dried into a fluffy mess. After a few minutes, they got it down to slightly tamed, which both of them settled for. After all, his hair was crazy.

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Gabriel's car pulled into the driveway of his home early Friday morning, Sam in the passenger seat. He was wearing some clothes that  Gabriel had found earlier, fitting snugly. Sam looked at the house in wonder, leaning forwards to get the full view. He looked over Gabriel excitedly, who was smiling at him gently.

"Is this where you live?" He asked, looking back and forth between Gabriel. Gabriel only nodded and opened the door, Sam following suit. He moved up to the house, looking at the door and walls. It was a slightly golden color, though it seemed to be paling and flaking off in places. The doors and windows were pure white, giving a light glow around the neighborhood.

Gabriel lead him up the porch before unlocking the door and opening it, letting Sam inside. Sam, feeling more curious than usual, walked inside, looking around at the interior of the house. It was rather modest looking, with all the normal furniture that a normal home had. The only thing that seemed a bit different was the pictures of the little blacked-haired boy, held by a blonde boy, that dotted across the room. The more he looked, the more pictures he found, up until the boy looked like an adult, a trenchcoat draped across his shoulders.

"Who's that?" Sam asked, pointing at the black-haired male. Gabriel looked over at the pictures and vaguely smiled, carrying a small bag that  was slung across his shoulders. He laid the bag on the faded brown couch, walking over to him and laying his hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, that's my little brother, Castiel. He's quite a cutie ins't he?" Gabriel asked with a grin, patting his back affectionately before turning and pulling out the contents of the bag. It wasn't much, just a new toothbrush and a couple pairs of clothes. He looked back at Sam after a moment, a small smile crossing his face. "Are you hungry?"

Sam looked at the pictures with interest, noting how happy the black-haired boy looked though it seemed to wear down slowly as time went on. The picture that showed him as late teenager, early adult, was an image of him, once again smiling his widest smile, with his arms wrapped around a slightly taller male, who had fluffy hair and bright green eyes. He looked back at Gabriel, who was waiting patiently for his answer.

"I'll eat something but, who is these people?" He asked curiously, pointing first to the blonde boy that had held....Castiel when he was younger, then to the boy that he had the arms wrapped around. Gabriel walked back over, staring at people he was pointing at.

"That's Lucifer, our older brother. He disappeared when we were younger and we haven't seen him since. The other guy is Castiel's boyfriend, well, fiance now. His name is Dean." Gabriel said, smiling gently at the thought. "Fiance means that they are going to be married. They're supposed to get married next month. Maybe if you are still living with me, you can come with me."

Sam smiled at the thought of meeting Gabriel's brother and his...fiance, and marriage? What was that? "What's marriage?"  He asked, tipping his head as he looked at the older male. He looked at him, a small smile crossing his face.

"It's when you love someone, so you go to a church and get someone to marry you, and you spend the rest of your life with them." Gabriel explained. Sam smiled wide, looking at the picture again. He found it adorable that there was so much happiness in the world.

"Let's get some food." Sam said finally, looking at Gabriel. the male lead him to the kitchen pulling out some ingredients from the fridge. It only took a few minutes before the food was done, and Gabriel laid a bowl of the alfredo chicken pasta in front of Sam and took one bowl for himself.

Sam began to eat, his surprise at how tasty this actually tasted. It was so much better than the hospital food! He looked at Gabriel curiously, his eyes widening in wonder. "This is so good!" He said, smiling brightly. Gabriel smiled back, taking a bite of his own food.

"Why thank you, kiddo. I'm glad you like it." He said, grinning from ear to ear. Sam could tell that he liked compliments and smiled back. He felt so proud at how well he was learning. He looked down and took another bite of his food, before remembering something he had been meaning to ask.

"So, do you really want me to go watch your brother get married with you?" Sam asked, hoping he said yes. He really wanted to meet Gabriel's brother. He vaguely wondered if Castiel was like Gabriel. They were brothers after all.

"Of course I do. I find you family already." Gabriel replied with a grin as he continued eating. He looked up after a moment, a small look of curiousity on his face. "In fact, Cas is going to come over next week for a visit, so you could meet him. You won't get to meet Dean though, which is disappointing. Apparently, he's having a bit of a family crisis right now."

Sam smiled widly at the news, unable to contain it. He felt a bit disappointed at not being able to meet Castiel's...fiance, but still, he was going to meet the brother of the nicest person he'd ever met. "That sounds great!" He said happily before he finished off his food, basically wolfing it down.

Gabriel chuckled, standing and taking the empty bowl from Sam. He ruffled his hair before putting it in the sink, running water in it before quickly finishing his own and adding it in. He looked over at Sam, motioning for him to follow. "I'll take you to your room." He said, down the hallway that connected from the living room.

It was a short hallway, with pale walls and dark floors, like the rest of the home. They walked to the very end of the hallway, where there was a door on the left. He opened it, revealing a bed with a dresser to the side and the closet door in the corner. It was a simple guest room.

"It's nothing special, but it'll do until we work everything out." Gabriel said, a small frown flickering across his face before disappearing. It was so fast, Sam even wondered if it had even been there in the first place.

"Thank you" Sam replied, hugging Gabriel tightly before wondering over to the bed, running his hand over the sheets. He sat down on it, letting his body fall back onto the soft material. He smiled, feeling a gentle comfort wash over him.

He heard a sniffle, and opened his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows as his gaze met the ceiling. Gabriel...crying...? He thought, looking over with his mouth open to say something, but stopped when he saw Gabriel turned away from him, rubbing furiously at his eyes. Sam decided that it was better to leave him alone, though he did get up and give him another hug before returning to the bed.

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Gabriel's POV

He tried to hold back the tears. He really did, but the kid had already grown on him so much, and just the fact that he might not be around the little ball of sunshine made him want to cry all over again. Sam was quickly becoming his best friend, his only friend. 

He had been a recluse for quite a few years, only just now coming out of his shell. It was as if God himself had given him someone that he could get along with, learn how to be human again together. He didn't want him taken away.

It had been a rough rest of the day. Sam, being the caring kid, had followed him around, said such adorable things, all just to try to Gabriel up. Gabriel, being the responsible adult, had laughed and smiled, showing Sam that he had nothing to worry about, which was lie but it was the thought that counts. Right?

So that night, when he heard his door creak open, he remained the responsible adult, turning on the lamp light and hoping that Sam didn't notice his tears stained cheeks. He heard a whimper, seeing the tall male standing by the door. He felt his heart melt, like it had when he first talked to him, and scooted over, making sure that there was enough room. He was sure that Sam would be in that space in a minute. After all, why other would a kid come to your room?

"Gabe." Sam whimpered, evident that he had been crying, which made Gabriel feel a pang of sadness. Seeing the kid sad made it as if the world was crashing down. "I had a nightmare."

Gabriel let out a soft noise of comfort, patting the space beside him. Sam must have understood, cause he walked over and crawled into the bed, in which Gabriel automatically wrapped his arms around him in a cuddle-hug. "It's okay. It was just a dream." He whispered into Sam's hair, resting his back against the headrest.

He could feel Sam's heart beating erratically, and Gabriel knew it was panic. It took a minute before it finally began to calm down, at least where Sam could speak calmly. "I had a dream where I watched a little boy get hit by an older man. He kept yelling 'Why did you go out? What would have happened if I had not come back in time?'. Then, the dream changed to the same man, who was yelling at the boy, only he looked older. This time though, I screamed at him to stop, then when he came after me, I ran. I ran so far that it began to get cold. Then I saw you and you took me home, only the man was there, and he tried to take me away. I don't want him to take me away, Gabe."

Sam was crying by the end of the nightmare, holding on tightly to Gabriel, as if the man would come in at any moment and grab him. Gabriel only sighed, holding him as his mind formulated ideas. Most likely, the dreams about the boy were memories that were lost to everything but his subconscious mind. The other one must have been his fear. The thought made Gabriel feel a little better. He wasn't the only one who didn't want Sam to leave.

"It'll be okay. No one's going to get you." Gabriel assured, laying both of them down gently. He reached over Sam, switching off the lamp before laying back down beside him, pulling him close. "You can sleep with me tonight."

Sam hugged him back, his breathing beginning to even out as Gabriel watched him close his eyes. He stayed awake, listening to Sam's breathing finally deepen into sleep before he closed his eyes himself, a small smile crossing his face. I fall asleep around him a lot. Was the last thought that went through his head before he fell into a gentle sleep.

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Soooooo.. hello! This took me forever, mainly because SOMEBODY *glares at computer* decided to restart on me and caused me to lose quite a bit of this chapter, but, fortunately, I wrote it all back so I hope you enjoy the chapter I almost cried over because of the unfortunate events!