A/N: Spoilers for S13 if you haven't watched
When I wrote this I had only just found out about Gabriel being alive under Asmodeus' capture.
Don't know what's happened yet as I've been away unable to watch the Episodes so if details are wrong that's why. Please don't spoil it for me.
It hadn't been long since Gabriel was rescued by Team Free Will.
Sam went out of his way to help the Broken Archangel recover, Gabriel was certain Sam would run out of patience far sooner. The youngest Winchester coaxed Gabriel to eat despite not essentially needing to but the principal was still intact.
The Archangel wasn't sure how he had managed to get himself thrown into this Hunt, Sam, Dean and Cas were all going, someone or hopefully something was causing a
steady stream of disappearances. Teams were split down the middle; Cas and Dean, Sam and Gabriel
"FBI, I'm agent Cunningham" Sam introduced himself
"Agent Sweet" Gabriel followed up surprising himself (and Sam) with his voice being so clean considering being sewn shut for so long.
"Thank goodness some professionals are here" The young woman started "I'm still new but this was never in the books"
The Autopsy Director revealed the body torn apart and missing a particular organ that should have been resting in between the lungs.
"I don't understand what could have happened. Bears aren't common around these parts, we don't get Coyotes either. You must think it's crazy"
"We've dealt with many unbelievable things, Dr Rose. We tend to keep an open mind" Sam comforted her.
"Thank you, I'll leave you both for a few moments"
After the door clicked behind them Gabriel snapped up a red sucker while Sam checked for any bite marks "Werewolf then" Sam caught Gabriel enjoying his treat, Sam desperately withheld chuckling "Not overly professional, Gabriel"
Gabriel shrugged "Aren't you legally Dead and faking this whole thing? Besides I can clean up after myself"
The Archangel took a sniff of the body, Sam pulled a face "It isn't Werewolf. It's staged. Someone's asking for you attention"
Dr Rose came back in "Anything?"
"We're still working that out, we'll let you know more as soon as possible. If you hear or see anything else strange give me a call" Sam passed over one of his various cards.
Gabriel hid the sucker behind his back, quickly shifting it to his front passing the young woman.
"How did you know it was staged?" Sam asked
"It didn't smell like Werewolf, those beasts have a gnarly wet-dog stench. Before you ask, it's something Celestial beings can detect"
Sam was impressed "Wow"
"Thanks, Samster"
Cas and Dean were busy researching and triangulating the areas of the attacks. It lead deep into the woods which gave another indication of the Wolf but Sam trusted Gabriel's word... and nose.
After sharing all the information gathered on both sides Sam and Dean geared up, all four headed for the Impala.
Despite the idea of Staging floating around Sam and Dean held a clip of Silver ammo, Sam apologised to Gabriel but the Archangel wasn't offended, he knew Hunters needed to prepare for anything that was thrown at them.
Hours had passed, daylight became a limited source, as torches could only do so much.
"Ok, I'm calling it. No tracks, barely any noise. It's not a Wolf, Wendigo, Vamp or Djinn" Dean ranted off
"Don't be so quick to conclusions, Dean" Cas scolded
"If you have any ideas, Cas please tell me. I'm all ears"
"Uh oh, Sam. Parents are fighting again"
Sam snorted, failing at his attempt to hide his smile from Dean's glare.
"Sam—"
Flares popped into the sky, headlights nearly blinded both Humans. The Angel and Archangel made their way closer to their respective partners. Hailing gunfire scattered the group to the dirt
"Get down!" Both Angels ordered
Covering Dean wasn't impossible for Castiel however the vast height difference made things a little more complicated for Gabriel shielding Sam. Sam and Dean were dragging themselves to the cover of trees, by habit they covered (or tried to at least) the Angels protecting them.
Just before either or both Angels could draw their blades, the bullets stopped "Sam and Dean Winchester, let this be your only warning!"
Dean found direct eye contact with Sam, both their expressions asking 'Who the Hell are these guys?' But neither were coming up with answers.
Cas nearly slipped away however one of the killers saw it coming. "You dare send out your Angel, Winchesters, we will use our Angel Killing Bullets"
Gabriel contemplated heading out instead as he wouldn't have Cas die on his watch, the bullets couldn't kill him. Only that inferior Archangel Blade could, the bullets could maim him but that was it.
"You're what's left of the British Men of Letters, right?" Dean hollered
"That is correct" A male voice responded
"What do you have planned for us if we give ourselves up?"
"Not immediate death, however we would like to repay you for the destruction of our base and the deaths of many of our own men"
Sam and Dean rolled their eyes
"You all had it coming" Sam shouted back
His reply was two gunshots reaching above his head, Gabriel's mind was made up. He just didn't voice it. Setting out one of his self image tricks Gabriel ran off. Sam called for him sending gunfire both his way and Gabriel's.
"Cas, get them outta here. I got this" Gabriel ordered his little Brother, ignoring the pleading gaze from Sam not to go. But he did anyway, seeing Dean drag his little Brother away from harm.
Snapping his fingers one car burst into flames. Peaking inside their heads he sent out their worst fears after them. A few regular bullets pierced his Vessel however Grace healed those without trace, he was lucky to be missed by several Angel Bullets, one could sting, two would be painful however multiple rounds were pure agony, if they hit the right spot they could take him out into a semi-coma but he would eventually heal.
"Hold your fire!" The man in charge ordered
"Alpha, stay with the current obstacle, Beta, Gamma find the Winchesters and Castiel"
"I'm guessing you don't know who I am?" Gabriel asked still hiding behind a tree, he waved his tricks into vapour
"You are allied with the Winchesters, you were known as the Pagan God Trickster, Loki"
Gabriel shifted again "You guys did your homework, is that it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is that all you know about me?" Gabriel questioned, revealing himself with his hands up in surrendering.
"We needed confirmation first but after the Winchester called your name it is confirmed that you are the Archangel Gabriel, no seraph or lower class Angel is named 'Gabriel', not that there are many of you left any more"
"So, you got me Big Boy. Now what?"
"We take you all in, separated of course"
Gabriel attempted to shove out the cold drop in his stomach, Asmodeus' torture was enough for his lifetime, he refused to be a pawn again.
"That's not going to happen"
"Oh, naturally" The man rolled his eyes, aiming his gun for Gabriel's chest "Do tell us, after I empty this loaded gun - full of Angel Killing Bullets mind you - how do you plan on making your daring escape"
Gabriel smirked "I'm guessing you've never heard of Archangel Grace" Flicking his wrist, all five men flew backwards, slamming into their stereotypical black jeeps.
Gun shots fired in the distance. Using a little extra to dissolve the discarded weapons the Archangel took off to find the others.
Running through the woods while avoiding gunfire sounds like an action packed idea but for Sam, Dean and Cas it was pretty terrifying.
Cas couldn't protect both Sam and Dean properly without risk, it didn't help the Angel that Dean was being strictly aware of the Angel Killing Bullets firing across the air.
Taking cover in a ditch all three peaked to see if either Gabriel or British were behind them
"Gabriel..." Sam panted out
"Right here, Sam"
Sam jumped, his back thumping against the dirt "Gabe- Good," he recovered quickly "wouldn't want you stuck with them"
"I'm not going anywhere, Sam"
"Winchesters!" Gunfire chopped up the ground above their heads. Gabriel covered Sam, Cas did the same for Dean.
"We gotta move!" Dean ordered, shoving Cas' arms off him
"Where?" Sam snapped from under Gabriel's protection
"My left! Let's go"
All four shuffled awkwardly across Sam and Dean attempted to return fire but there was no headway being made.
They knew they had to wait for the Men Of Letters' ammo to run out. Dean closed his eyes and began counting down from five, his technique worked after he reached zero all opposing gunfire stopped
"Now!" Dean shouted. The Winchesters moved effortlessly each shot calculated, no ammo wasted at all, no man was left standing. Both Angels side-stared at their partners "What?" Sam and Dean asked together.
"We knew you were both good but... Never aim bullets like that at us" Gabriel mentioned hesitantly
"Why would we ever aim a gun at you both?" Sam wondered
"Given previous circumstances, Sam you have stabbed me once with an Angel Blade after I become God and Gabriel with multiple sharp sticks when you believed him to be a
Trickster" Cas dead panned
"Oh yeah— Wait a minute, Cassie became God?" Gabriel freaked
"Sort of, he swallowed all of Purgatory's Souls in order to defeat Raphael, he then became drunk with the power, he exploded in a river but he's back now" Dean explained
"Really?" Gabriel was disappointed by his little Brother's actions
"I understand now that it was a stupid idea"
"Damn right" Both Dean and Gabriel muttered
"I think we should all get outta here before more of those guys come back" Sam suggested
"They better not have damaged Baby"
"You care more about that Car than you do your own life, Dean" Sam rolled off
"Don't disrespect Baby or your walking home, Sam"
Sam rolled his eyes again.
It had taken nearly two hours of navigating before discovering they were lost
"We've passed that tree about three times now" Dean complained
"I'll fly around to find the Impala then I'll find you all again. Sam, hold this" Gabriel conjured up a chocolate bar and passed it to Sam "I'll be able to track my own trick back through the woods, so no eating it"
"Have we met?" Sam replied
Gabriel was ready to say something however twigs snapped behind him, a short distance away the leader steadied himself "Archangel!" He seethed, firing. Gabriel braced himself for impact however two hands roughly shoved him to the dirt. Something took the impact of the bullet but it wasn't him.
"Sam!" Dean yelled rushing to his Brother's falling side
The youngest Winchester was clutching his middle, the blood seeped through his layers of clothes.
"Dean!" Cas called, having a gun pointed at him.
Gabriel was still stunned, unable to move from his spot.
"Waste of an Angel Bullet on the Winchester but one kill is still enough"
"Stay away from him you Son of a Bitch!" Dean raged from Sam's side
"Why? What will you do?" The man repeated his aim towards Castiel. Though about to squeeze the trigger the man gasped for air, slumping to the ground in a heap. Gabriel stood with his Grace and Wings shining luminous.
"You just hurt someone I care about and you are threatening my little Brother. Why shouldn't I kill you?" Gabriel's tone was fierce, unless required he never used his powers like this, he didn't threaten people.
"Let me tell you something," Gabriel swiped the man up and lifted him off the ground "I'll be lenient and let you live but tell everyone you work under, your whole organisation that Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester and Castiel are completely off limits. Archangels do not ask twice and Angel Bullets have little effect. Have I made myself clear?"
The man nodded as best he could
"Good" Gabriel threw the man across the woodlands with enough strength to keep distance but not enough to kill him, maybe severely injure but Gabriel didn't care.
The Archangel marched towards Dean, "Start up the Impala and place any medical kits in the backseat, I'll be right behind you both"
Before Dean could protest being lost Gabriel placed his palm against his forehead and Castiel's so they could be teleported back to the car.
Once alone with Sam Gabriel rushed to his side
"Sam! Sam, stay awake for me" Gabriel cupped Sam's paling face. Sluggish moments worried the Archangel, "Sam, you're gonna be OK. Why did you do that? I would have been fine"
"Cas... was right..." Sam whispered through the blood on his teeth
"About what?" Gabriel could feel Cas calling for him
"Hurting... you"
"You never did, Moose. Hang on, I'll fix you up in the Impala"
Gabriel teleported them both into the backseat, Sam was lying down while Gabriel awkwardly sat on the edge' the first aid kit on his lap "Dean, drive I'll patch Sam up. Foot down, now" He ordered
Dean hesitated, seeing a slit of Sam's eyes opening to confirm he was alive the pedal was pressed.
"Sam, look at me" Gabriel coaxed. Sam complied, despite feeling as if his whole body felt like a led tonne. Gabriel gave him a smile, "There you are. Just a little warning this is going to sting, it's an Angel Bullet so my healing can only do so much. Got all that?"
He wasn't sure if he actually nodded in return but Sam knew he had to keep his eyes open.
Gabriel made quick work of Sam's flannel and the undershirt, swiping away the dried, staining blood. Holding the pliers in his hand for this purpose settled wrong in the
Archangel's stomach, "Sorry about this, Sam"
Gabriel had to ignore the weakened cry from Sam as he found and removed the bullet, keeping his free hand against Sam's body to heal any internal damage, it wasn't much due to the man being a poor shot but Gabriel wasn't taking any chances. Once the bullet was out Gabriel presses hard against the wound, his small hands covering the wound with ease.
"Sam, make a noise" Dean ordered
"Dean, the road" Cas reminded
Sam made a pathetic groan for Dean, feeling a cool hand against his neck he tried to open his eyes as best he could however his eyelids were not co-operating with him
"Hey there Sam, I have to press a little harder if you want to keep your blood"
Gabriel did as he said, Sam gasped, finding something to grip on to - it was the hem of Gabriel's jacket.
"Dean, you can slow down now, he's healing and needs his rest" Gabriel spoke after a few minutes of silence
"He's right, Dean" Cas backed up
The Impala slowed to what could have been the speed limit if anyone was paying attention to the roads properly
Gabriel kept his hands pressed against where the bullet wound should have been, he had healed Sam after the second appliance of pressure but Gabriel had to feel Sam's heart beating beneath his fingertips. He has pocketed the bloody bullet and set the first aid kit on the floor, he then got on with cleaning Sam properly; his shirts were now blood free and sewn up to hide all evidence of a bullet going through them.
It took longer that expected to return to the Bunker. Gabriel teleported himself and Sam to Sam's room to rest and recover.
"We're home, Samwise. You rest up, I'll be right here waiting for you to wake up. You'll feel a bit of pain tomorrow because I could only do so much but you're not bleeding out on the backseat. Good thing it didn't go through you"
Gabriel had to stop himself from talking and actually let Sam rest. He perched himself at the foot of Sam's bed and watched the door, he found a discarded book that caught his interest, he decided to skim through it so when - Not 'IF' - Sam woke up he wasn't being a complete creep.
By the time Sam did wake up Gabriel was faking sleep lying down next to him.
In honesty, Sam couldn't remember much of yesterday, if he'd only slept for the night. To dissolve panic Sam studied Gabriel. He didn't feel phased that the Archangel was there, Sam wondered how long Gabriel had been in his room, how long had he just lay there, guarding him. Sam also wanted to know what happened at the forest, apart from getting shot he couldn't remember much of anything afterwards.
Gabriel opened his eyes, "Hey, you feeling better?"
"Yeah, I think"
"'Think'?"
"How long have I been asleep?"
"I'd say a reasonable amount, it's about 07:15AM - you haven't slept for two days straight or anything like that. I've been here all night keeping an eye on you and don't worry, I'm not Cassie I don't just stare at you or blank space through the night, I read a few books that were scattered around the floor then laid down for a bit with my eyes shut"
"Great. How did you know I would ask those things?"
"I could hear your thoughts, Sammykins"
Sam accepted it, given everything that's happened through his life he'll not question things anymore "What happened to the guy in the forest?"
Gabriel's face fell slightly "I dealt with him"
"Oh" Sam contemplated how Gabriel would handle a situation like that
"I made sure he understood that you, Dean-o and Cassie are under my protection. He may have also experienced a little flying trip"
"Where did you send him?"
"Back into the dirt. I threw him across the forestry"
"Because he shot me?"
"Yeah Kiddo" Gabriel made it sound obvious.
"Can I ask something?" Sam hesitated for a second
"Sure"
"When I was on the ground and you were warning that guy, did... Did you say you cared about me?"
"Yep, for some reason you thought that you had hurt me before too"
"I don't remember saying that"
"You were pretty out of it, losing blood and all, plus Angel Bullets have more of a kick than regular bullets, coming from Heaven"
"That explains it"
"Could you eat? I could eat?" Gabriel changed topic suddenly
"Yeah I—" Sam attempted to push himself up into sitting position but Gabriel forced him back
"Uh uh. Stay. Tell me what you want and I'll go grab it"
"Gabe?"
"I'm serious. You were lucky I could heal you"
"No stitches?"
"No but if you strain yourself you might need them so stay put"
"OK, I'm staying. I'll have some toast" Sam surrendered under Gabriel's fierce golden glare.
"Butter or jam?"
"Butter thanks"
"Back in a second" Gabriel snapped himself away, smiling.
Sam lifted up his undershirt after unbuttoning his flannel from yesterday, he traced over the faint puncture from the bullet, it was red and slightly tender to touch. Now he understood why Gabriel had him on bedrest
He vaguely recalled Gabriel pressing against the wound, his face was far too bleary through Sam's eyes to recognise what expression Gabriel had but if Sam could guess it would be either worry or concentration.
"You still awake?" Gabriel gingerly let himself in
"Yeah,"
"Good. Here's some toast with a little bit of butter. Dean's up and asked for you, I told him that he could see you in a little bit"
"You take protecting people very seriously" Sam spoke after taking a bite of his toast
"Course I do, I brought up Cassie, I even had Balthazar under my direction now and then"
Sam didn't dare bring up the fact that Cas killed Balthazar a few years back, he busied his mouth with eating.
"Can I ask a question, Sam?"
Sam nodded as he was finishing his toast
"Why did you shove me out of the way? You could have been killed"
"I don't know. I thought that you would have been shot in the chest, I didn't want that"
"You know the only thing that can kill me is the Archangel Blade, and only if another Archangel uses it so come on, Why did you do that?"
"You said you care about me, the feeling's mutual. A lot"
Gabriel mouth hung open, "After all the tricks, Mystery Spot and TV Land?"
"Yeah. You taught me lessons that I was too stubborn to take in by myself. When Dean and I left you with Lucifer, my stomach dropped into a pit, then your video..."
Gabriel snickered "The most vital piece of information, told through Casa Erotica. What a legacy"
Sam laughed, he winced due to a flash of pain. Gabriel froze, his smile gone
"Sam?"
"I'm alright"
"I'll see what I can do about that" Gabriel gently pressed his hand on Sam's wound. The Winchester watched with curiosity at his concentration level.
After a minute Gabriel took his hand away "Better?"
"Yeah, thanks"
Gabriel presented another small smile "Stay on bedrest for a few more hours, I'll come back and help you if you need it rest up, OK?"
"Will you stay?"
Gabriel stopped, almost tumbling over himself in surprise
"I mean until I'm out?" Sam continued rapidly
"Sure thing, Kiddo"
Sam closed his eyes making himself comfortable and allowing room for Gabriel to lie down again, which he did without hesitation.
The pair slept for most of the day, Dean came in to check on his little Brother and upon seeing the tiny Archangel contrast with his giant Brother tangled together - and future blackmail photos were taken - he let them rest too.
Gabriel planned his revenge while Sam slept on oblivious.