Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural, a certain Arch-Angel wouldn't be pretending to be dead. So, there ya go.


Getting surrounded by the careers – minus one – wasn't on Gabriel Saint's "To Do" list today. Regardless, that's where he found himself, back to back with the sixth career, a giant guy named Sam Winchester. He thought back to what exactly had gotten them into this mess.

As the sun glared down at them, Gabriel scanned the other tributes. He noted that the careers were all big guys and groaned. The guy from District 1 was built like an ox. District 2's male tribute was just shorter and thinner than him, and the District 4 tribute, though smaller than the other two, was still big in Gabriel's eyes. They were all tanned. 1 and 4 had dark hair with 1's being long enough to brush his shoulders. 4's was short and he had the makings of a beard. 2 had short hair like 4's but his was a dirty blond.

He cursed his luck. Being from District 12, the only work he ever got that might help him in the Games was running to and from school or sneaking around outside the fence, hunting.

The timer above the cornucopia ticked down slowly. Slower than before. Gabriel's eyes roamed over the tributes again and landed on the girl that had come with him from 12. She was small, with red hair. He vaguely remembered that her name was Anna. He hadn't exactly paid much attention to anyone since the Reaping.

As the timer counted down, his mind wandered. He worried about his little brother, Castiel. What was he doing right now? Was he alright? Did he care? Just before that woman, Meg, had pulled his name out of that damned bowl, he had a fight with his brother. One he wishes he could take back. He had to get back to 12 to apologize and beg his little brother's forgiveness.

The timer hit zero and most people rushed to the cornucopia, hoping to get gear and weapons. Gabriel took off in the opposite direction, grabbing a bag on the way and disappeared into the trees. A safe distance safe distance from the center, he found a tree and climbed. Leaning against the trunk thirty feet above the ground, he opened the pack and almost fell out of the tree. Some food, if you could call it that, a salve, rope, a sleeping bag, and knives.

He wiped his face of any emotion and glanced around, knowing that a lot of people were watching. He glared back at the pack. He was good at throwing knives, but that wouldn't really matter. He had seen a bow and quiver in the center and wondered who had grabbed it. Probably one of the female careers.

He was outmatched. The careers were huge and he was just some small guy from the poorest district. He grabbed a couple of the knives and slipped them in his boot, his waistband, and inside his jacket.

Stupid careers and stupid luck. There was a snap far below and he froze.

"Did ya see where that little guy went?" The careers. He cursed.

"Does it really matter, Crowley?" Gabriel risked a look down. The two smaller guys were standing there, girls surrounding them. He noted that the ox was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess…" The smaller of the two, Crowley, looked around the ground.

"Come on. Sam took off. We gotta gank him before we go after the small fish." They turned and looked around again.

"Yeah, you're right, Lucifer." Lucifer? Oh god. If I wasn't so scared, I'd laugh. They walked off, and he grinned at his amazing luck.

Then he thought for a moment. The District 1 guy, Sam, the ox, wasn't with the career pack. He quickly, and quietly, slung the pack over his shoulder and climbed down the tree. If he could find the guy, they could team up. If he could convince him of that, that is. Gabriel tailed the careers for a while, but he noticed that they seemed to walk in a giant circle, back to the tree he had been occupying.

"Hm. He's gone. Musta seen us." One of the girls spoke.

"Who cares? He's probably off to find the Moose." Crowley spoke and turned in a circle.

"Then we have to find Sam before he does." Lucifer looked up at Gabriel's previous spot and placed his hands on his hips. After a minute, he snapped an order and the careers were off, running, trying to find "the Moose". Meanwhile, Gabriel scanned behind him. He had heard something move. He glanced back to look at where the careers disappeared behind trees.

Standing, he scanned the area again, drew a knife, and got into one of his famous fighting stances. His eyes scanned the brush again and rested on a bush that swayed slightly.

He turned his full attention to it and the closest tree and readied himself for whatever came at him. He almost, almost, screamed when the Moose stepped out from behind the tree. He had a bow in his hand and the quiver slung over his shoulder. Gabriel's face had to look hilarious because Sam grinned. He immediately liked the guy. Then he got kinda scared. He just smiled for crying out loud.

I'm losing my mind. He lowered his arm and stood straight. They stared at each other, the grin still plastered on Sam's face.

"Why aren't you with the careers?" Gabriel couldn't stand it. He had to know.

The grin fell from Sam's face. "Because I really just don't want to be here."

Gabriel stared at Sam for a moment and then sighed. "Well, neither do I." he glared at the ground. "I've got a brother I have to take care of."

Sam shifted and Gabriel's glare came to rest on him. "Well, considering they are," Sam motioned in the direction the career pack took off in, "all scared of me, they're probably gonna climb over each other to get a shot at me…" Sam got a strange look in his eye. One that Gabriel understood.

"Use you? As bait?" Gabriel laughed. Then he thought for a minute. "Are they that stupid? Or are you playing me?" The knife was still in his hand.

"Crowley is. So are the girls. Lucifer's the only one that uses his upstairs brain."

That's a pleasant thought.

Sam was grinning again. Stupid, dopey grin.

"Fine." Gabriel slipped the knife back into his jacket. "What's the plan?"

They stalked two and killed two other tributes, the two from 11, before they spotted the careers back in the center. Retreating a safe distance, they went over the plan again.

"Lucifer's probably gonna send in one of the girls. Possibly two." Sam looked between the trees toward the cornucopia and the careers circling it. "We pick them off, then I run out, get spotted and drag them back through the forest for you to pick off." He handed Gabriel the quiver and bow.

Gabriel nodded. "Then we gank everyone else." He slung the quiver over his head, positioning it so he could quickly grab the arrows.

Sam turned back to him and grinned. "Just don't miss. As much as I don't want to be here, I'd rather not die at the hands of Lucifer."

The plan hadn't worked. Not at all. And they now found themselves surrounded by the careers. Lucifer had a sadistic look in his eye and Crowley just looked excited. The girls, well, they looked almost as excited as Crowley.

Gabriel drew a knife from his jacket. The bow was useless now. They were too close. Again, Gabriel cursed his luck. Sam shifted behind him and the careers lunged at them.

For careers, they were easy to kill. Gabriel buried his knife in the chest of the first girl and kicked out at the second. She fell and dragged the third girl with her. He grabbed two more knives and quickly ended their lives.

Crowley tackled him to the ground and laughed. He heard Sam struggling somewhere to his left and fought to get Crowley off of him. An arm wrapped around his neck and cut off his air. He clawed at the arm. He saw stars, the edge of his vision going black. He snapped his head back and connected with Crowley's nose. The man cursed and his arm went slack. Gabriel pushed up from the ground, throwing Crowley off, then, he was on top of him, hands around his neck.

Strangling Crowley took too long. He grabbed his head and snapped it to the side, grinning when he heard his neck break.

Standing up, he looked over to Sam and Lucifer struggling. Sam threw Lucifer, literally threw him, and charged at him. He couldn't see the knife Lucifer had in his hand or the look of victory on his face. Gabriel could.

He tried to cry out to warn Sam, but it was too late. Lucifer stood, turned and buried the blade in Sam's chest.

His vision going red, Gabriel rushed Lucifer, knocking him to the ground and punching. Lucifer's face was unrecognizable when Gabriel finally stopped. He stood, shaking. He kicked Lucifer's body. A canon was heard in the distance. Telling the remaining tribute that five had died here. Five.

Gabriel turned to see Sam struggling to sit up. He rushed to him, putting a hand on his back and helping him up.

"That could've gone better." If Sam didn't have a knife in his chest, Gabriel would've slapped him. Instead, tears welled up and ran down his face. "Aw, come on, Gabe. Anything but the waterworks." Sam's eyes fluttered, and his breath was ragged.

Gabriel closed his eyes and hung his head. He barely knew this guy. But he cared. And he felt that it was his fault. His shoulders shook. Opening his eyes, he looked down at Sam again and he wished that he had never been chosen. The grin was back on Sam's face. Frozen there.

Another canon. Gabriel laid Sam down and retrieved all the weapons from the ground. He would win this. He could. He knew it. If not to see his brother again, he would win it for Sam. The Moose. The Sasquatch.

He glared up at the sky. It was getting dark. Everyone would know that the careers were dead. All of them. There had been so many that died today. He heard another canon and felt his lips curl into a gruesome smile.

That's just one less person I have to waste an arrow on. He made his way to the cornucopia. At this point, he didn't really care who saw him. He wanted someone to run at him. He wanted to feel the bow release an arrow. He wanted to hear the dying screams of the remaining tributes.

He looked around at the supplies. Food, weapons, and medicine. He wished he could blow it up. He grabbed some apples and made his way back to the trees, away from the massacre he had caused.

He climbed a tree and leaned back against it, settling in to watch the faces flash in the sky. It had been a bloody day. Six were left. Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 were killed off. 6, 9, and Anna. He had to kill five more people.

He replayed the day. Then he froze. Sam hadn't wanted to be here. But he hadn't acted like he wanted to win, either. What was Sam's name? Winchester. That was it. Sam Winchester. He recalled a tribute from 1 a few years ago get stabbed in the back from a guy from 2. Michael, the guy from 2, had killed...

Dean. Dean Winchester. Gabriel clenched his jaw. Michael had gone on to win the Games, but, apparently, he had been killed. Stabbing your ally in the back wasn't really something to be proud of.

The Reaping in 1 had gone how it usually did. At least, it went normal when they were choosing the girl. The boys had all stepped back. Sam Winchester had been the only one to volunteer. He had been cheered and someone in the crowd had yelled loud enough for the camera to pick up, "Avenge your brother, Sammy!"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed and he slipped from the branch. Landing with a roll, he moved silently between the trees. He spotted movement and went still. Crouching slowly, he drew the bow and nocked an arrow. He saw a flash of red hair. Anna.

There can only be one winner.

He released the arrow and she fell. Canon.

His face hardened. He just killed someone that came from the same home as him. Shoulders slumping, he moved toward her body. Removing the arrow from her chest, he placed her hands carefully over the wound.

Rising from that, he turned in a quick circle. Four were left. He moved between the trees, ghost-like. He came across three of the remaining four before dawn. He ended their lives quickly.

He found himself staring at the last guy near the cornucopia. He hadn't spotted Gabriel yet. The sun peeked over the trees and Gabriel nocked his last arrow. He released it and the guy went down. A final canon.

That's it. He won. But he felt like he had lost. He lost a friend. He probably lost his brother because of their stupid fight. He sank to the ground, suddenly exhausted. He allowed himself to think. About Sam. About Sam's brother, killed because he trusted a fellow career. About Anna. About his brother.

Sam had known. He had known that Lucifer would kill him. Gabriel could've done something, but Sam had stopped him with a look. Just a look. He shook.

One of the ships came to pick him up. The next few days were a blur. He found himself in front of his little brother. His blue eyes were shining with tears. Castiel was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and his dark hair was a mess. Gabriel wondered if he had said anything to make him cry again. Then Castiel hugged him, burying his face in Gabriel's chest. Shocked, the only thing Gabriel could do was wrap his arms around his shaking brother. Gabriel was shorted than Castiel by a few inches but his brother always managed to do this. Look small.

"I'm sorry." Castiel cried into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Gabe."

His eyes closed and he hugged his brother closer to himself. "Don't worry about it, Kiddo. S'not your fault." He remembered that his brother had liked Anna. "Sorry I had to kill your crush, little bro." He felt exhausted.

Castiel pulled away from him, and Gabe was afraid that his brother would punch him. "You're so dense sometimes, Gabe." Castiel's lips curled into a smile. "I'd rather have my brother alive over some chick that happens to have a nice body." Then the smile was gone. "Before you went and killed them, you remembered what happened a few years ago, didn't you?"

Gabe leaned back against the wall he didn't know was there. "Yeah. That Lucifer guy was Michael's little brother, wasn't he?" At Castiel's nod, Gabe sighed. "And obviously…" he waved his hand. "I liked him. He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to win. All he had wanted was to avenge his brother." He slid down the wall. "I coulda saved him." Tears were making their way down his face again. How many times had he cried since then? "But he didn't wanna be saved." He recalled the look on Sam's face. He looked… happy, for lack of a better word. He knew Gabe would kill Lucifer when he couldn't.

Castiel looked down at his little big brother and sighed. "Both he and his brother have been avenged, Gabe." Sometimes, Castiel sounded older than fifteen. Gabe wiped his face and stood up.

He plastered the grin he usually had around his brother on his face and snickered. "You sound like an old wise man, Cassie."

Castiel stared at his brother in confusion then smiled. "One of us has to sound like we know what's going on."

Years pasted. District 1 never forgot 12. The two tributes from 1 would help out 12 and vice versa. Everyone in District 12 remembered the Winchesters. Everyone in District 1 remembered Gabriel. Nobody questioned it when, the year after Gabriel won the Games, District 2's tributes were the first to die every year. Everyone had been reminded of Michael's treachery and they all blamed the entire District.