"You seem tense Gabriel." Sam said leaning against his seat, looking for all the world as comfortable as if it was a throne.
Gabriel took a deep breath and clenched his hands over the steering wheel over and over again. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard out of reflex. It was nearing two in the morning and the highway was deserted.
"I'm in a car with a damn arch demon." Gabriel said. "At what point should I be relaxed?"
Sam was smiling, although from Gabriel's angle it looked more like a smirk. "I'm not going to hurt you Gabriel." he sounded out his name slowly almost allowing the syllables to roll off his tongue.
"Funny, my experiences with demons haven't been exactly a good one so you'll understand if I can't trust you." Gabriel said keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
He could almost taste the air in the car. Sulfur mixed with fire, how the hell he or Castiel hadn't noticed it back in the motel room, and the entire thought brought bile rising in his throat.
He was sitting in a car with a demon. The only arch demon.
The hell was an arch demon?
"So what is an arch demon?" Gabriel asked.
Sam sniggered. "It's a demon that's above the other demons." he said slowly as if to a child. "I'm stronger than any other demon and they know it."
"And just how do you become an arch demon?"
Sam waved one finger lightly. "That would be telling Gab. Ri. El." he sounded out the name again. "Fascinating names really, you and your brother's names." Sam tilted his head to the side slightly. "Do you know what it means?"
Gabriel shifted slightly in his seat uncomfortably. "Man of God. I know."
"The Righteous Man." Sam said obviously noting how uncomfortable Gabriel was and enjoying it. "Named as the Man of…God."
He hesitated, Gabriel realized. But he didn't flinch when he said God.
Deciding quickly Gabriel said clearly "Christo."
Sam looked at him in confusion. "What?"
Gabriel glanced at him once more. "Christo." he repeated.
There was no flinch. Even the simplest demon would flinch at the name of God. Sam just looked confused.
"What are you trying to do?" Sam asked.
Gabriel started breathing heavily as he clenched the steering wheel again. Would an exorcism work on him? If something happened and they would no longer be able to trust Sam, regardless of what Dean said, would they have the means to get rid of him?
What worked on an arch demon?
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus." he started reciting under his breath. Sam's eyes cleared as he realized what Gabriel was trying to do and looked as if he was fighting a smile. "Spiritus, ominis satanica potestas, omnis-"
"Incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis." Sam continued still smiling. "Keep going, it's no good to not finish."
"It's not working on you, is it?" Gabriel asked instead.
Sam was laughing under his breath. "No. That doesn't work either."
"So then, none of this would work on Lilith?" Gabriel asked almost fearing the answer.
Sam blinked in surprise. "Why wouldn't it?"
"Because it's not working on you."
"Lilith and I are completely different." Sam said. "I am the first arch demon and she is the first human turned demon. In all truth she was created before me."
"Lucifer created her first?" Gabriel asked glancing off the road towards Sam for a moment.
"Mm hmm." Sam sounded. "Lilith was turned into a demon, completely with her consent may I add nothing happened against her will. After that we spent the next few hundred years turning humans until they could handle contracts themselves."
Gabriel thought for a moment. "And when was Lucifer placed in hell?"
"Lucifer was placed in a cage that is worse than hell." Sam corrected. "And he was forced there after my turning. Lilith was a warning, I was the final straw."
"And what exactly made you so special that Lucifer made you an arch demon?" Gabriel finally asked.
Sam laughed, Gabriel tried not to notice how his eyes lit up as he laughed.
"Spoilers." Sam teased.
A somewhat more comfortable silence filled the car. Sam started to hum lightly as he watched the landscape they drove past.
The song Sam was humming. It sounded familiar although despite the sudden clenching of his stomach, the cold sweat suddenly running down his neck, and his shaking hands he couldn't for the life of him remember where he heard it.
His hand quickly went to the radio and turning it to the first available station. A cheesy pop song filled the car.
Sam made a small noise of disapproval and quickly switched the radio to a classical station, ignoring Gabriel's annoyed look.
"Something wrong Gabriel?" Sam asked shifting his body to look at the other man.
Gabriel shook his head as his body slowly relaxed.
"You're looking somewhat pale." Sam commented.
Before Gabriel could say anything Sam reached out and placed his hand on Gabriel's forehead.
His hand was surprisingly cool Gabriel noted as he leaned into Sam's hand which felt wonderful against his suddenly heated skin. Forgetting that he was driving his eyes fluttered shut.
"I got you, don't worry." Sam murmured. Gabriel could feel Sam's other hand going to the steering wheel and placed it on top of his own hands to continue guiding the car.
After a minute passed Gabriel finally pulled himself away from Sam's hand and properly positioned his hands over the steering wheel again.
"Sorry." he mumbled. "I don't know what came over me."
"A moment of weakness is all." Sam said shrugging as he sat back in his seat. "Happens to the best of us."
"Including you?" Gabriel snipped.
Sam looked for a moment as if he was fighting a smile. "Exceptions are everywhere however."
"There's been something that bothering me since we met." Gabriel said after thinking it over for a moment.
"Tell."
"I want to know something and don't take this personal." he said. "But how do I know that I, and my brother, can trust you?"
"Dean trusts me." Sam pointed out. "That's not enough?"
"No." Gabriel said. "You're with me which means that you are also with my brother, in whatever sense that is. I need to know that he's going to be safe."
Sam was silent for a moment. "You want to know that he is safe however you leave him at a time when he needs you the most."
"I left him with the angel that pulled me out of hell." Gabriel said. "He's safe. He's more than safe because I'm not with him and therefore the angels will hopefully leave him alone."
"And what of the demons that want him?" Sam asked quietly. "Angels are after you. Demons are after him."
"Dean can take care of the demons, no problem." Gabriel said confidently. "All Cas needs to do is keep himself from drinking their blood. If he can do that even."
"You shouldn't be mad at him for that." Sam said. "His craving for demon blood is an addiction. It's not something that he can control."
"So speaks the arch demon that worships the ground Lucifer walks on." Gabriel said.
"My being a demon has nothing to do with this." Sam said drumming his fingers on his knee. "This has to do with you trying, and failing might I add, to protect your brother. You don't want him anywhere near angels."
"Do you even know what heaven considers him to be?" Gabriel snapped.
"An abomination." Sam said nodding. "I know."
"Even with the damn sigils burned into my ribs I'm still practically a beacon for angels." Gabriel said through almost gritted teeth. "If I'm the one that brings angels to my brother and if…if something happened to him because of me." His voice fell to a whisper "I will never be able to forgive myself."
"Would you sell your soul again for him?" Sam asked curiously.
Gabriel didn't hesitate as he nodded. "In a fucking heartbeat."
Sam watched him carefully for a moment before he said in a quiet voice "Brothers shouldn't be separated, especially when they love each other as you two do."
"And what the hell do you know about that?" Gabriel clipped.
"Castiel wants nothing more than to please you." Sam continued as if he hadn't heard Gabriel. He glanced out the window. "It's why he didn't protest when you said that the two of you needed to split up, he is trying to redeem himself in your eyes."
"I love him more than anything." Gabriel said through clenched teeth. "I am just trying to protect him."
"That's not the way he sees it." Sam said. "He sees this as a punishment. He sees this as you trying to get away from. Disappointment and rejection."
"And how the hell are you so sure about this?" Gabriel asked.
Sam glanced up at him. Gabriel met his eyes and started slightly when he saw the absence of both light and dark in Sam's eyes.
"I was a younger brother once, Gabriel." Sam said softly.
Then just as sudden as it settled Sam shook his head and everything disappeared. Sam leaned back in his seat once more and a small smile appeared on his face.
"So how much longer until we get there?" Sam asked. "And just where are we going?"
"We're going wherever." Gabriel said. "And you still didn't answer my question."
"About trusting me?" Sam asked.
Gabriel nodded.
Sam was silent for a moment as he thought. "Dean and I go way back." he finally said slowly. "I trust him, I always had and always will, and he trusts me. I would never go against him."
"You are loyal to Lucifer." Gabriel said. "You want to see him released."
"Lucifer is the one being that has never turned their back on me or betrayed me." Sam said. "I would do anything for him."
"So, loyalty to Dean or loyalty to Lucifer." Gabriel said firmly. "Which one is more important?"
Sam smiled. "I guess we'll have to see."
"That's not a good enough answer." Gabriel said.
"That's the only answer you'll be getting for now." Sam said back. He blinked suddenly. "There are angels following us."
"What?" Gabriel sputtered. He glanced in the rearview mirror. There was a car following them that hadn't been there a minute ago.
Sam turned his body to look out the back window. "Want me to get rid of them?"
"Can you do it without killing them?" Gabriel asked.
"If I don't kill them then they'll just come back." Sam said. Gabriel could see the edges of his eyes were starting to cloud over. "Keep driving wherever it is you're going. Just don't salt the place once you get there and I'll be able to find you."
Suddenly Sam disappeared. Through the mirror Gabriel was barely able to make out the shape of Sam appearing on top of the car behind him. He ripped his eyes away as he heard metal being torn and light started to glow.
Instead he pressed harder on the accelerator and speeded away trying to ignore the screams he heard behind him.
He drove for a few more hours until he finally reached a motel on the side of the highway. Pulling in he quickly booked a room, gathered his bags, and entered the room.
He fought his instincts to pull out the salt from his bag and instead focused on looking through the room to know where the windows were and to inspect the bed for any bed bugs that might be there.
He rolled his shoulders back a few times to get rid of the crick that had started there. He placed his bag against the bed and quickly threw his clothes onto the bed as well. He entered the bathroom and stepped into the shower after drawing the water to the coldest temperature he could get it to.
Around a half hour later he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist to find Sam was sitting at the chair and paying close attention to the television that Gabriel hadn't heard even in the shower and he didn't even recognize the program. Sam lifted his hand in greeting without looking at him.
Gabriel nodded in return. Sam was here, he was here after killing angels that were after him.
Gabriel tried to ignore the memories of his father talking about angels and how they protected mankind from demons. Instead he focused on putting his clothes back on. A look over his shoulder showed that Sam had turned his attention from the television to Gabriel and was looking him over with obvious interest.
Gabriel squirmed slightly. "Help you?" he snapped pulling his boxers on.
The corners of Sam's lips lifted slightly. "Just admiring the view."
Gabriel refused to acknowledge the blush rising in his cheeks at the words.
"Go to sleep Gabriel." Sam said softly. "There is a demon watching over you."
Gabriel nodded, rolling his shoulders back again.
Sam snickered lightly before he turned his attention back to the television however he did lower the volume.
Gabriel drew back the covers and climbed in. After checking that Sam wasn't paying attention he quickly and quietly drew his knife from the bag that was leaning against his bed and slid it under his pillow.
"If that makes you feel safer by all means." Sam murmured without looking at him.
Gabriel tried to relax his stiff muscles that the shower hadn't been able to help with. There was a demon sitting a few feet away from him watching television. He was a demon and he said to trust him. He was a demon that had killed angels merely an hour ago.
He had sworn that he would protect Gabriel. The angel that saved Gabriel's life swore that he wouldn't do anything.
There was a demon sitting a few feet away from him and he was trying to get to sleep.
Sam started to hum again. A different song but still somewhat familiar. The television caused shadows and light to dance across the room.
Gabriel closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. He barely reacted as fingers lightly touched his forehead once more and soon enough he was asleep.
Sam snorted lightly as he drew his hand back. He focused his attention on the television once more as he fingered the new angel blade that he had acquired that was hidden inside his suit pocket.
I do not own Supernatural.