Title: View from the Trickster's Seat

Author: immortal_jedi aka jedipati

Wordcount: 3471

Rating: PG

Characters/Pairings: The Trickster, Dean, Sam, Castiel, mentions of others.

Spoilers: General spoilers for the entire show, but specific, detailed spoilers for "Tall Tales", "Mystery Spot", and "Changing Channels".

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, nor do I own any of the characters of supernatural.

Summary: The Trickster tells his side of the story behind his meetings with the Winchesters, his POV on the war between heaven and hell, and how he came to be the Trickster in the first place.

A/N: Many, many thanks go to candygramme over on livejournal for the beta. This is a much better story with your help!

I've been given many names. Loki, Anansi, Coyote, Hermes, simply the Trickster. I'm the only Trickster there has ever been. Oh, I'm a part of many religions and traditions, but none of them come close to describing me as I really am. It doesn't bother me, for it gives me the perfect cover, and the perfect way to make sure that no one ever realizes that I'm the only one.

My name, my true name, is not really known by anyone. Anyone who knows my true name doesn't know I'm The Trickster.

Personally, I'd like to keep it that way. I like it down here, playing this role. It's a lot better than my last life.

But I'm more than a pagan god. I' a heck of a lot more than I was before I took on this role. I am both, and neither, and more than both.

Please allow me to introduce myself; I'm a man of wealth and taste. Wait, that's my brother, sorry. I'm the archangel Gabriel, one of the strongest of heaven's angels.

Millennia ago, I grew tired of my siblings' unending bickering and my father's silence. I started spending more and more time away from heaven, just to escape it all.

Oh, not all of my siblings were unpleasant, don't get that impression. But… well, Michael wasn't the same after the Lightbringer fell, and I was really worried that some of my younger siblings were going to start another war.

Only a couple of my siblings noticed that I was leaving for longer and longer periods. When I was actually there, some of them barely left my side.

Those are the ones I miss the most, of course.

Still, I saw that there was really nothing I could do to prevent more bickering, and I couldn't stand it any more. I wasn't going to watch as my family destroyed itself, one life at a time.

So I left. It's been two millennia, and they still haven't found me. I suspect that they searched for me, but I hid myself too well. I found a host, one that fit me nearly perfectly.

Two thousand years ago, the world was wilder, and physical gods walked among men far more easily then they do today. Oh, don't get me wrong, we're still around today, but we blend in more, hide better.

I had been spending time with a certain god who'd never had a proper name. He never wanted one, either, allowing the people who followed him or feared him to call him what they will.

He was known as "The Trickster" or "The Messenger" in many languages. He was a delight to spend time with, for he never failed to make me laugh somehow.

So I proposed that I take him as my vessel. That would allow him to be safe from anything that might kill him, unless, of course, I was killed (fat chance of that), and it would allow me to hide from my family. He agreed, but only on the condition that I kept up the work he did.

I agreed easily. Acting as the Trickster would be the perfect way to make sure that my family wouldn't find me. And so it's proven to be.

But, since I didn't take a human as a vessel, something happened that I didn't expect- he didn't expect it either, although it's pretty cool. The Trickster and I merged. We became one being. I was Gabriel, and I was The Trickster. There was no division between us anymore.

I won't leave this vessel until I died, and when that happened, he'll come with me to whatever awaits angels after we are shuffle off this immortal coil.

I took advantage of this, admittedly. The Trickster now had the power of an archangel at his fingertips, and Gabriel could now cloak himself in the guise of the Trickster.

I delighted in it and allowed myself to run wild.

Oh, I mellowed eventually, but by that time, hunters knew that I existed, though they've always believed that there's more than one trickster.

Sometimes, my more serious angelic nature does come to the fore, but most of the time, I am content to prank and trick those who deserve it. And hunters, of course, because I don't want them to realize there is only one of me. Besides, they need to laugh. They're always far too serious.

It's not a bad life. Humans are always good for a laugh, and they're far more interesting than my family gives them credit for. And I don't have to listen to my siblings bickering.

I am almost happy, here on earth.

I am Gabriel, I am The Trickster. Earth is my playground, and I will remain here until the world ends. I am free here.

Despite the fact that I hold myself separate from my family, I do keep my ear to the ground to find out what plans are ongoing. Wouldn't want my playground to disappear, after all.

I've managed to subtly foil several demonic plots in the 2,000 years I've been down here. All foiling is disguised as simple trickery, of course.

So, I was aware that Azazel was planning something, and that my siblings were beginning to move against him. I didn't know what, exactly, was going on, but something was about to happen.

I worried a bit, since I wasn't sure how to stop this plot, or even if I should get involved, since it looked like my brothers and sisters were actually on the ball for once.

I resolved to monitor the situation, and I waited. I took a break from bouncing around the world to work as a janitor at a college for a few years. Yes, I do enjoy hard work every once in a while. I was an angel, after all, I was made to work. Eventually, I got a little bored and started messing around with the blowhards on campus. Not much, at first, but it had become a habit to deal with the pompous dicks of the world.

And I swear that I didn't mean to kill that professor. I meant to simply teach him a little lesson. I didn't particularly want to attract hunters again.

But that's exactly what I'd done. Oh, I knew exactly what those "electricians" were. But that wasn't really the problem.

I recognized something in those boys, so I swiftly delved into their thoughts to find out who, exactly, they were. Sam and Dean Winchester, brothers and hunters.

I continued delivering my lessons even as I kept an eye on them and distracted them. I admit, I did plan to kill that researcher, but, can you really blame me? The things he did…

The Winchesters called in another hunter to help.

Eventually, the boys managed to trick me- which, props to them, no one's done that in centuries- and I let them kill an illusion of me as a reward.

I allowed them to think they'd won and killed me. It was time to leave the college anyway. The strange thing was that I wasn't lying when I told Dean that I liked him and his brother.

Anyway. The Winchesters. They reminded me so much of Lucifer and Michael. And they had that feeling to them that told me they could be vessels.

Michael and Lucifer's vessels, alive at the same time.

Now I knew what Azazel was planning. I could see it in Sam. He didn't fully know understand it, he wouldn't want it if he did, but there was demon blood in him. He was turning into the perfect vessel for my brother Lucifer.

And Dean… he seemed like an ordinary human, would feel that way to all but an archangel, but I could sense the potential that he would be Michael's vessel one day.

Brothers, vessels to my brothers.

Azazel was going to raise Lucifer, and my brothers were going to end the world. They were going to fight, and it would all happen again.

Hellfire and damnation.

Father, father, what are your children doing? It was the only thing I could think. For the first time in a long time, I prayed. Of course, there was no answer. What did I expect?

I kept a loose eye on the Winchester brothers after that, though I didn't interfere in anything.

If I had, someone would have noticed me, and I didn't want to be noticed, especially once everything went down with Azazel's plot.

So, I knew about what happened at Cold Oak, the deal Dean made, and Sam's desperate search to find a way to get his brother out of it.

But, it wasn't until our paths crossed legitimately that I took any action.

I was having some fun with a man who proclaimed he didn't believe in wormholes, when I saw a familiar car with two men inside. For a moment, I contemplated leaving without saying hello, but then I remembered what was happening to them.

I could practically taste Sam's desperation to save his brother. He almost wouldn't survive if he couldn't save his brother. Well, we couldn't have that.

I got ready up for my most ambitious trick in a long time. I, of course, had to be careful, so that no one on either side would realize what was going on- I was going to be doing something that a supposed trickster could never do. I do like to keep everyone guessing, but I'm far more powerful than everyone supposes. I am an archangel, after all.

So, anyway, I basically broke all the rules to do this. Not that I cared, anymore. It's part of my job as the Trickster to break the rules. Hey, what can I say? Quite apart from the archangel part of me… Trickster!

I watched everything, that first day, identifying at least a hundred different ways the day could go differently.

Anyway, that first day was boring, a bit like the first five minutes in a new TV show, just introducing the main characters.

Hmmm… that reminds me, I'll need to check on the news TV schedules. I bet I can get a few good ideas from whatever's new out there.

Anyway, I watched the boys as the checked out the local mystery spot- gotta hand it to them, they were wrong, but at least they were thorough- and I made sure the owner of the place was there.

I think I need to keep an eye on that particular "gentleman"- he looks like the perfect target for a touch of poetic justice. I'll come back to him.

Still, he shot Dean, and then I started the day over for Sam.

That first repeat was pretty funny, as Sam tried to work out what was going on. At first, he thought it might have been one of those visions he occasionally had, but he quickly realized it wasn't, even if he couldn't figure out it was me.

I never said the boy was stupid, even if he could be pretty slow on the uptake.

Some of Dean's deaths were funny enough to keep me laughing for months. I especially liked the one with the dog. That was the first loop where Sam started suspecting me.

It took him a bit longer to work out what I was- and then he confronted me, and threatened me with a stake.

Now, granted, that little stake wouldn't do much to me, but I couldn't let it go. Besides, I wasn't done teaching the kid.

His reaction to his brother's apparently permanent death stunned me. I expected him to… well… "go dark side" is the terminology the boys use. He did get really scary, but he didn't use those powers he had.

Instead, he focused almost completely on me. He ate, slept, and did everything required to live almost mechanically.

Everything else was focused on finding me. And, I suppose, killing me.

Actually, aside from the killing me portion, he reminded me of how Michael acted after Lucifer fell.

He turned himself- the part of him that cared about others, the part of him that could relate to others- off.

He focused, totally and completely, on hunting.

It was actually sad, and not the least bit funny. He reminded me far too much of Michael. That was when I remembered that Michael and Lucifer had always been closer to each other than the rest of us. Of course their vessels would mimic them both.

Still, he'd learned something out of this, even if I wasn't sure he'd learned what I wanted to teach him.

So, I pretended to be that other hunter, one Bobby Singer, and lured Sam back to Florida.

He came by, and I saw just how desperate and shut down he'd become. It was only when he'd killed the image of his friend Bobby that he showed any emotion beside anger.

He was in bad shape, the poor bastard. And he didn't even seem to get the lesson I was trying to teach him. Oh, he knew Dean was his weakness, but he wasn't going to do anything about it.

So I did what I'd originally planned, and sent Sam back to that Wednesday. Ok, so it's a little more complicated than that, and I had to make sure no one knew of my little manipulations, but I got it done. Sam and Dean headed out of Florida, Sam a little sadder, and hopefully a little wiser.

I made sure no one on either side realized I was anything more than a Trickster, and left. Luckily, I hadn't overplayed my hand. I settled back to take a break and hope things would work out.

Of course, things didn't work out. I could never be so lucky.

Dean went to hell, as I expected- there was no way Sam could have saved him, and Sam fell apart.

I watched as Sam tried to find a way to go to hell as well, short of suicide, and I had to look as he failed again and again. Sam was a complete wreck. I was nearly ready to shove him somewhere where he'd think Dean was alive. I do like the kid, after all- and I didn't want to see him just give up, which he was close to doing.

Then the demon who called herself Ruby appeared and gave Sam something to work for. Revenge. Not the healthiest thing, but it did keep Sam alive.

Then, I had to back off. Dean was resurrected, and by my brothers in fact- Castiel, apparently, was the one who actually got him out of hell. No, I didn't actually know Castiel- but I think he might have been one of the ones who noticed I was drifting away.

I had to stop watching so closely, since I didn't want to blow my cover. Still, I watched as my brothers alienated Sam and deliberately set the brothers against each other.

It seemed to work, at least for a while.

I think part of it might have been my fault, too. I'd pushed Sam so hard, he broke, and he never recovered from that. Oops! But he still shouldn't have used his powers.

Still, I was stunned when the final seal broke. I was tied up dealing with a sanctimonious asshole in Dublin, but I felt it when the seal broke. I suppose if I hadn't run into that businessman, I might have been able to stop it. Still, I don't really regret dealing with him- he needed to be taught a lesson.

It took some doing, but I eventually learned what had gone down. How Dean had been tortured into breaking the first seal, and Sam tricked into breaking the last.

I should have known. Those boys were far too much trouble.

But I couldn't get any closer to them, not even to smack them both upside the head. Too many of my brothers were already dying, or preparing to fight- and chasing after the boys.

I hated it, and it was the Winchesters who set it all in motion. Oh, don't get me wrong, sometimes I could see that it wasn't all their fault, but most of the time, I just wanted to grab them both and shake them until their brains rattled.

I gave up trying to get close enough to the Winchesters. I couldn't even find them after Castiel did something to them to make them pretty much invisible to supernatural means of searching. I was still upset- I kept hearing about the fights, and how my brothers were just waiting for Sam and Dean to say yes. I channeled my anger into doing what I do best- dealing out poetic justice.

Of course, just a few weeks after I gave up on finding the boys, guess who rolled into town?

Oh, I knew this was going to be fun. And maybe now I can make sure it all just ends.

It was easy enough to lure the boys to the deserted warehouse, where I knew no one would visit for days.

Then, it was just a matter of making my point.

Actually, it wasn't that easy, in the end. Sam and Dean figured out who I was pretty quickly- they were getting better at figuring me out, just like I told them. Of course, I'd never run into the same hunters three times before, so they were getting used to my tricks, even if the TV thing was new.

And then Castiel forced his way into my little show- well, it could have been worse. I was able to stick him out of the way, in a rather violent action show, after he tried to get Sam and Dean out of "Nutcrackers". I was enjoying that one. The Japanese game shows sure know how to humiliate people.

Yes, I do like the kids, but they were pretty funny trying to act, especially in that little sitcom I put them in. Watching them try to ride a tandem bike was funny- for the first two minutes, and then they figured it out.

Then Castiel battered his way back into my little scenario and told Dean and Sam that I might not be a Trickster. I was certain he didn't yet know who I was, but I couldn't let him continue, even if I knew that the moment I appeared before him, he would know who and what I was.

So I made sure that he was gagged before sending him away. I knew he'd caught on to my identity now, so I'd have to keep him away from the boys. I wasn't going to let them get any ideas.

Of course, I'd forgotten how smart they were. And how smart mouthed, of course.

They implied that I was working for my brothers- no, not a chance. I lost my temper and told them just what they were supposed to do. Who knew that "play your roles" would be so hard to do?

Anyway, they were smart enough to kill me- that is, I'd be dead if I was simply the Trickster- but I got my own back. They thought they'd escaped, but I just dumped them in an episode of "Knight Rider".

Finally, they seemed to give up. I relaxed and chalked up another win in my corner. Finally!

But I'd underestimated them- again. They tricked me- again! They realized I was an angel, using a startlingly small number of clues and got me into a holy oil ring. I'd forgotten that they were actually pretty good hunters.

So, they trapped me, forced me to reveal myself as Gabriel- that had been the first time I'd actually called myself Gabriel in centuries- and disagreed with me. They actually thought they could fight fate.

Then they proceeded to threaten me if I didn't bring Castiel back.

After that, they left, but not before Dean yelled at me and basically called me a coward. They let me go and left.

I let them go. Castiel stared at me for a moment before following Sam and Dean out. I'd never seen such a look on his face before.

I stood there a long time after they left, and the fire went out. How was it that my younger brother, one who was fallen himself, was able to make me feel less than he was? How was it that Sam and Dean were able to maintain such faith in humanity, when they'd seen so much of humanity's evil?

And they all knew that it was a futile battle, I could see it in their thoughts. Yet all of them refused to give up. How was it that they were so much more steadfast then me?

I had a lot of thinking to do.

Author's Notes: I've been trying to come to grips with the knowledge that the Trickster is Gabriel since 5.08 aired. It felt a little too much like a retcon to me at the time (and I know I mentioned it to a few people). So I decided to rewatch the Trickster episodes and try to figure it out. I also tried to create a theory that made sense to me.

This story is the product of my search for answers and trying to accept the plot twist we were given.

Now, granted, I thought that Richard Speight nailed the transition from Trickster to Gabriel- and he's the only reason I'm even making the attempt to

So, anyway, I hope you enjoyed the product of my attempt to just get it. I'm not quite sure I succeeded, but I did manage to make the Trickster/Gabriel one of my favorite characters.