We needed him to be honest with us about who he was. He wasn't going to do that on his own. [ which meant they had had to beat him at his own game – and ultimately, they had. but now, he looks at her again, hazel eyes darkened around the the outer reach of the iris, expression deadpan. ] And that was before the whole Apocalypse thing started.

[ so it doesn't count. or hadn't he explained that to you?

right now, in this very moment, he doesn't feel any blame for the death of an angel. the death of a friend. the strain of logic working its way through his mind is going somewhere along the lines of this: they had needed his help, sure. that part he will never deny. he'd taken a stand for himself and for himself alone – both he and dean have come to grips with that fact, even so long after it had happened. gabriel had tried to convince his little brother to stand down, and he hadn't.

it's no one's fault that he'd paid the price for standing up to the morning star with his own life. ]

Look. He wanted us to play our parts, and ultimately, we did. Just not the way he wanted, and when he realized that we weren't going to bend to his suggestions, he stood up for himself. Himself. [ and now he's going back to perusing the shelf before him. ] You can't talk back to the devil without there being some sort of consequences.