Disclaimer: I do not own supernatural.
A/N: Consider this my attempt at exploring Sam and Gabriel a little more. It was meant to be a one-shot... it'll probably only be a couple chapters.
Gabriel was in France when he heard the prayer. It had been a long time since he'd bothered to listen to anyone's prayers, but he was automatically in tune with anything that came from Sam Winchester. Even the broken, softly spoken Gabriel, please that drifted into his mind on a breeze.
He snapped his fingers in response, blinking out of France and into a cramped motel room somewhere in Montana. The sound that greeted him was much less appealing than Sam's deeper voice, a high-pitched, incomprehensible howling that grated. Gabriel clapped his hands over his ears and looked around for the source as Sam stepped into view, out of the bathroom.
Somehow finding out that the source of the dreadful sound was Dean didn't surprise Gabriel in the slightest.
"CAAAAAAS!"
"What the fuck, Sammy?" Gabriel shouted over the noise.
Sam shook his head. He looked exhausted. "I just woke up and he was like this," he said in that stressed, overtired and overwrought voice of parents everywhere. "He just… I don't think he knows who I am and the only thing he keeps saying is Cas's name and I keep praying to Cas and he's not answering and I just –"
"Whoa," Gabriel said, leaving off protecting his ears to hold his hands up in a placating manner, hopefully to forestall the inevitable breakdown that Sam was about three seconds from succumbing to. "Calm down. Let me see."
He was expecting Sam to shift close enough so that Gabriel could reach out and touch Dean, but instead he found a four-year-old thrust abruptly into his arms. Gabriel caught the dead weight just in time, clutching at the kid awkwardly. Dean's howls quieted ever so slightly when he realized he was being held be a stranger, but tears continued to stream down his face. Sam retreated back into the bathroom and Gabriel closed his eyes, reaching out with his grace.
"Zachariah," Gabriel announced when Sam returned.
"Zach – what - why?!"
"Why do you think? Much easier for a four-year-old to say yes."
Sam's face did something complicated. "You're joking."
"Nope," Gabriel said, deliberately popping the 'p'.
"That fucker," Sam said, more to himself than to Gabriel. He shook his head. "But – Dean doesn't even know about angels. Or he shouldn't. He doesn't even know me."
There was a lot of hurt built up there. Almost against his will, Gabriel said gently, "He's four years old, Sammy. He thinks his brother is just a baby and that his mom just died. You're a stranger, not his brother. Zachariah's plan might've actually worked if it weren't for the bond that your brother and my brother have. What little kid wouldn't want an angel to make everything better?" He shook his head, torn between respect and disgust. Had it been anyone else, it really would've been a good plan. "Unfortunately for him no matter how old Dean-o here is physically, his soul will always remember Castiel."
"Cas?" Dean said, big green eyes widening. "CAAAAAS!"
"Oh my god," Sam said, wincing at the renewed volume. "Please, will you go find Cas? He's not answering my prayers and I can't take this anymore. I don't know how new parents do it."
Gabriel handed the kid back and snapped his fingers, throwing out a thin tendril of grace. Castiel's grace responded to the touch, distant and sweet, and he reappeared somewhere in Antarctica. It was the sort of bitter cold that would've killed a human and he frowned. The snow was whipping around his face, but it was still easy to see why Castiel had been ignoring Sam's prayers. About thirty feet away, the angel was in the middle of laying waste to dozens of demons.
The fight was blatantly unfair, as no sooner did Castiel smite two demons than six more popped up to take their place, but Gabriel was in the mood to even the odds.
Twenty minutes later, covered in a layer of demon blood, Gabriel turned to his brother and said cheerfully, "Hey baby bro."
"Gabriel," Castiel said, breathing heavily. Gabriel stepped closer and casually swept his hand down Castiel's back, funneling grace from heaven straight into him - acting as a conduit to that connection Castiel could no longer access. Castiel shuddered but straightened, and the color in his face looked a bit better when he added in a puzzled tone, "What are you doing here?"
"Sammy sent me."
"Sam?" Castiel's bewilderment deepened. "I... heard him calling for me a few times, but I did not have the chance to respond. Has something happened?" The implied to Dean at the end of his sentence might as well have been spoken, it was so obvious.
"See for yourself," Gabriel said as the arctic air around them faded. The renewed howls of Dean Winchester made him grimace. Fortunately the sound cut off sharply about two seconds later when the kid caught sight of Castiel and actually registered that the angel was in the room. Sam was staring at the two of them with open mouthed surprise, but Dean was quick to react. He squirmed down from his stunned brother's arms and sprinted across the room to crash straight into Castiel's legs with a pathetic little whimper.
Castiel peered down at him. "Dean?"
"Cas," Dean cried, pressing his face against Castiel's knees. After a moment of contemplation, Castiel reached down and gingerly picked the child up. Dean threw his arms around Castiel's neck and clung to him, shoulders shaking with sobs. Castiel awkwardly patted his back and looked to Sam.
"Zachariah," Sam said.
Castiel made the same sort of face that Sam had earlier. "I see. I apologize for not coming sooner, Sam. I was preoccupied."
"By which he means he was fighting a ton of demons," Gabriel said, deciding that he'd earned a treat after all of his helpfulness. He snapped himself up a large chocolate lollipop and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Can you fix him?" Sam asked.
Even before he finished the sentence, Castiel was shaking his head. "No."
Sam turned to Gabriel, puppy eyes in full force.
"Sorry," Gabriel said, not unapologetically. Fixing Dean would've earned him points with Sam at the very least. If he could've, he would have done that before he'd gone to fetch Castiel in the hopes that Sam might reward him. But... "Only an archangel would be able to override that spell, so it would be pretty much like announcing my presence to the rest of them. Your brother's a dick and the spell's probably going to wear off in less than 48 hours, so the answer is no."
Sam frowned at him.
"He is overly warm," Castiel observed before Sam could speak.
"He basically cried himself into a fever," said Sam, momentarily distracted. "I managed to get a couple of Tylenol into him. That's about the best I can do for now. Maybe now that you're here, he'll settle down enough to eat and sleep a little."
"So you can't do anything else?" Gabriel inquired.
"No, why -"
The world was shifting around them before Sam finished his sentence. In the brief blink of time it took for an empty hotel room to materialize around him and Sam, Castiel gripped his grace and hissed, Gabriel! What are you doing? Dean needs his brother. I am not equipped to handle a child by myself.
It's Dean Winchester, bro, Gabriel shot back. About the only thing he's going to do for the next 48 hours is cling to you like a baby octopus. You heard Sam, he can't do anything else right now. And Dean doesn't recognize Sam anyway. All you have to do is sit down on the bed with him and let him fall asleep. It won't be difficult. He was wheedling, Gabriel realized with an inward scowl. He knew he'd fallen for Sam, but when had it gotten this bad?
Castiel was silent before he sighed. Very well, but I warn you. If Dean has need of his brother I will not hesitate to disturb you.
Gabriel didn't bother to respond, just cut the connection as Sam whirled on him. "Before you get angry with me, Dean's in good hands. You know Castiel would rather chop off his wings than let harm come to Dean. And I mean that literally."
"That still doesn't give you the right to just mojo me around at will," Sam grumbled.
"So you would've rather stayed in the room and worried about your brother all night?" Gabriel said. "I can feel your exhaustion from here, Sammy."
"Don't call me that," said Sam, but he did sink down onto the edge of the bed. The large, king-sized bed with mirrors strategically placed above it. "Only Dean calls me that."
It was easier to let the matter go and so Gabriel did. He watched as Sam rubbed his face with his hands, looking older and more worn out than Gabriel could remember seeing him. Every day Sam's shoulders seemed to slump more and his smile, rare though it was, became that much tighter at the corners. It was depressing. Gabriel inched closer and Sam glanced up at him.
"Want a massage?"
"A massage?" Sam repeated.
"You look tense. I'm good at that." Gabriel shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. Sam kept staring at him.
Then he said, "Sure." He got up and stripped off his shirt, dropping it carelessly on the floor. He stretched out on the bed with a sigh, pressing his face against the pillows. Gabriel swallowed, eyes roaming greedily across bare flesh, before he snapped up a heated bottle of oil and climbed on. He was expecting Sam to protest when he straddled the muscled thighs, but Sam just made a soft sound and nuzzled his cheek against the pillowcase.
Gabriel poured a little of the oil into his palms, rubbed them together, and began with a light sweeping of his fingertips across the toned flesh. Even just that told him exactly how stiff and tense Sam was. He returned to the top and dug his thumbs in, searching out the worst of the knots and stubbornly applying pressure until they gave way. Sam grunted a couple of times in pain, but was otherwise quiet. Gradually he relaxed, his body sinking fully into the extra-comfortable mattress.
After a couple of minutes he muttered, "Thanks. For, you know, getting Cas. I didn't think you would actually come when I called for you."
"I was bored," Gabriel replied, cheating just a little by using his grace to go deeper than a normal massage would be able to. Sam gave a quiet little groan and Gabriel felt the heart rate of his vessel speed up.
"Well, still, thanks," said Sam, craning his neck to look back at Gabriel. "You didn't have to help, but you did."
"You going to reward me?"
Sam didn't look surprised by the question. He grinned. "Do you want me to?"
Gabriel's hands paused, because that actually sounded serious. Sam rolled over and sat up and wow they were close, close enough for him to examine every detail of Sam's hazel eyes. He opened his mouth and then closed it, uncertain, and Sam's grin got even bigger.
"If this is how I make you speechless, I should've done this a long time ago."
A joke, Gabriel realized a beat too late, just harmless flirting. He started to turn away but a large hand gripped his arm, stopping him.
"It's not much of a reward. But you can kiss me. If you want to." Sam's fingers squeezed briefly, then let go. "I mean, you should know people who sleep with me have a history of dying – and I've never had kissed a guy before, much less had sex – but –"
"For someone who hasn't kissed a guy before, you move fast," Gabriel said, and only when Sam blushed and sputtered did Gabriel kiss him. Sam grumbled something unintelligible into the kiss and went with it, his hands resting lightly on Gabriel's hips. His clothed hips, which would need to change soon. He pushed at Sam's shoulders and followed him down, liking that Sam's body was so big underneath him.
When they parted, Gabriel couldn't resist asking: "How was your first kiss with a guy, Samsquatch? Still sure that you want to jump right into sex?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "It was – Gabriel, why are there mirrors on the ceiling?"
Gabriel smirked and snapped his fingers, divesting them both of their clothing. "Let me show you."
CD
The look on Sam's face when he spotted Castiel and Dean in the diner the next morning was priceless. Castiel was sitting in a booth with Dean on his lap, watching as Dean colored something on a piece of paper. One of Dean's hands held a blue crayon and the other clutched at Castiel's trench coat, so Castiel had his hand on the paper to hold it still. The other was resting on Dean's shoulder, the one that bore his handprint. It was an adorable scene and Gabriel couldn't resist stealing Sam's phone to take a picture. Imagining the expression on Dean's face when he was back to being an adult and saw it… well, how could he resist?
Castiel noticed them first, of course, and nodded in greeting. Dean glanced up a second later. Sam tensed a little in anticipation of another meltdown, but much to his surprise Dean slipped off of Castiel's lap and walked over to them. He brought whatever he'd been coloring with him. He looked up at them and chewed on his lower lip, obviously shy, and hesitantly held out the picture.
"Is this for me?" Sam asked, voice catching.
Dean nodded.
Sam took the paper carefully and Dean darted away, nearly crashing into a waitress. Gabriel steadied her as Castiel lifted Dean back up onto the safety of his knee. Sam was totally preoccupied with the picture, and if they hadn't been in a public space he might have cried. Even Gabriel had to admit it was adorable: Dean, baby Sam and what was probably meant to be Mary and John Winchester, with two winged figures in the sky above them. One of the figures wore a trench coat and the other was holding a huge lollipop.
"Thank you, Dean," Sam said after he'd swallowed a couple of times, sliding into the booth. "I really like it."
When he received another nod, Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "No talking? Normally I can't shut you up."
"Gabriel." Castiel pinned him with a totally unimpressed look.
"Actually, Dad told me once that after Mom died Dean didn't talk for a long time," Sam said as he carefully folded the picture up. "It was, uh, months before he'd make noise or anything. Even now, once or twice when things are really bad… right after we met you, Cas, he didn't talk for about two weeks."
"I didn't know that," Castiel said, resting his hand protectively on Dean's shoulder again.
"Well, it was after, you know, hell." Sam's voice grew quieter as he eyed his brother, like he was expecting Dean to start crying again. But Dean just colored on, oblivious to the conversation and content as long as he was with Castiel. "The angels really can't find him like this?"
"No, I have placed new sigils on his ribs," Castiel replied, shooting Gabriel a knowing look. Gabriel flipped him off. So what if he'd taken to painting warding sigils invisible to human eyes on the walls of the motel rooms that the Winchesters stayed in? Those sigils were ancient, far stronger than the ones on their ribs, and would've kept any angel from finding either of them no matter how Dean's body was modified. Zachariah had probably been counting on finding Sam and Dean before Castiel did.
"Oh, okay." Sam looked relieved. "So… we just wait for it to wear off?"
"Well, we don't just have to sit around," said Gabriel. "We could go have some fun."
"I'm not letting you torture my baby brother, Gabriel," said Sam, somehow managing to sound dignified even while he was melting over the fact that he had a baby brother, no matter how temporary.
"I was thinking of an amusement park."
"There's no –" Sam stopped at the sight of Gabriel's smirk and raised fingers, already ready to snap. Castiel hid his smile in Dean's hair. Sam rolled his eyes again. "I think someone's going to notice if you just snap up a whole amusement park."
Gabriel shrugged and snapped. "Why snap one up when we can just visit the best? Come on." He batted his eyelashes and, when Sam remained unmoved, turned to Dean. "Hey, kiddo. You'd like to go to an amusement park, right? Eat some cotton candy, maybe ride a rollercoaster?"
Dean nodded eagerly.
"All you had to do is get this big grouch to say yes," Gabriel said, pointing to Sam.
In the face of an enormous set of deep green puppy eyes, Sam lasted about one second before he caved. "Okay, fine."
Dean beamed. Sam smiled soppily and, soon as Dean looked away, kicked Gabriel in the shin. Hard. "I'll get you for that," he hissed under his breath.
Gabriel just smiled, unconcerned, and stood up to stretch – but mostly to revel in the way that Sam's eyes flicked approvingly over his body. "Come on then, let's go before all of the candy apples are gone."
Please review!