I was hesitant to post this and I still am. While I like it and it was so fun to write, even I admit it's a bit rushed but I tried to slow down and answer all the questions that could possibly arise. The damn thing wrote itself, to be honest. I was just the vessel for it, so to say. As I said, it's rushed but this will be a three chapter thing, with a bonus Destiel chapter. While I'm tempted to continue this and make an AU of the show with Sabriel and Destiel involved, I probably won't. I may begin an AU though, depending on how people react to this.
This is my second SPN fic. The first is Destiel and I will more than likely post it later. I just really miss Gabriel and needed to write something with him. God, I miss him so much. Let's hope he comes back S9! And Bobby, too, damnit. Anyway, sorry for any mistakes. I read it a million times over but I bet I still missed something. My timeline is probably also screwed a little but I tried. So, yeah, enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural, a certain archangel would still be flying around and a certain angel and hunter would be bedding one another by now.
...
Sam Winchester awakes slowly, music drifting to his ears. "It's the heat of the moment!" blares through the room and the younger Winchester shoots straight up, his eyes big as his chest heaves. He frantically looks around the room, his breathing stuttering. "Dean?" he calls, his fingers shaking as he grips his cover. He was afraid to move, afraid to get up and find his brother dead or taking about breakfast at some cheap diner. He's shaking like a leaf when Dean sticks his head from the bathroom, toothbrush poking from between his lips.
One look at Sam and the sound of the song and Dean knows he screwed up for setting the alarm clock on that radio station. The toothbrush drops from his mouth and he rushes over, ingoring the bit of toothpaste on the corner of his mouth, and shuts the song off. The room fills, instead, with Sammy's heavy breathing. Dean wipes his mouth off and kneels beside the bed, grabbing Sam's face between his hands and making his big eyes train on him. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm alive, I'm not dying. Not today, okay?" he says, silently cursing a certain archangel.
Sammy nods slowly, his eyes not leaving Dean as he reaches up and pokes at his cheek. Dean heaves a sigh and releases his brother's face, standing up. This happened once before, when they were in the Impala and the Asia song came on. Sam hadn't hesitanted to freak the hell out, nearly making Dean go off the road from shock when his brother yelled and began chanting no, clutching his head and hypervilenting. It was a bit frightening, to see him react in such a way, but it was completely understandable. Dean wouldn't had liked the song that greeted him every time he woke up on a repeating Tuesday that offered him his brother's death in every way possibe. Sam stares up at him, his breathing beginning to even out as the shaking in his hands slowly quit. He releases his death grip on the covers and closes his eyes. "We aren't in Broward County, Florida. We're going to Vermilion, Ohio because Chuck sent us an urgent message... we aren't looking into the Mystery Spot case." he says, relief beginning to dawn on his face as he looks away from Dean. No matter how long it has been since that day, Sam still hasn't recovered fully. It was understandable; Dean would have been the same way and he wasn't afraid to admit that.
Dean feels a strong pang of hate at the trickster-actually-archangel for causing his younger brother so much pain. "And it's Thursday," Dean grins, heading back towards the bathroom. He picks up his toothpaste, looking it over and down at the dirty motel carpet where it had laid. With a shrug, he goes into the bathroom to wash it off and finish brushing his teeth. After Sam had calmed down and went back to his usual self - rushing Dean so they could get to Vermillion in case Chuck was in serious danger (in which Dean reminded him he had his own personal guard angel-dog) - they were entering a local diner because Dean just couldn't drive on a empty stomach. They sit in a booth, getting comfortable and looking up at the menu. There was nothing about a pig 'n a pork with a side of bacon and Sammy feels like the day would be fairly normal. Normal for a Winchester, that is.
His stomach is still doing these stupid little flips of nervousness and so he just gets coffee, knowing he wouldn't be able to eat anything. Dean gives him a confused look but goes on with his order, all greasy and full of fat. If Dean didn't die from the job, he would die from his diet, Sammy thinks dully. He makes his coffee the way he likes it and gazes around the diner. There aren't many inside; naturally the cook and waitress. A man in a suit at the breakfast bar, which makes Sammy shift a bit uncomfortablly. He notices a couple a few booths down and no one else. He takes a deep breath. He wasn't stuck in another loop, he couldn't be. Gabriel wasn't that cruel. He takes another sip of his hot coffee and when he puts the mug down, he spits the liquid right back out into the cup.
Appearing out of no where like angels tended to do, sits the Trickster-actually-archangel beside Dean, a grin on his lips. Dean jerks, nearly knocking his mug of coffee off of the table. Instead, it spills all over his hand and he curses lightly at the burn. Gabriel barely hides his laughter as Dean shoots him a glare, snatching up napkins and dabbing at his hand. Sammy, though, he feels like he can't breath as he stares at the archangel, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. Gabriel spots the look and confusion crosses his face as he eyes the taller Winchester. "Something wrong, Sammy-boy?" he asks, tapping his fingers on the table while he raises his eyebrow.
Dean catches on instantly and he turns to give Gabriel the harshest look he could muster up this early. Which was pretty damn harsh for Dean Winchester. "You fucker, if you're here to put him through another Mystery Spot episode, I will cut your dic-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Gabriel says quickly, both hands coming up in a defensive way. He looks between the brothers, actual confusion on his face. "No need for going that far now, big boy. Though, if you want to handle my dick in another rough fashion-"
"Gabriel!" Dean snarls, itching to punch the archangel in the mouth, though it would do no good. Sammy was still shell-shocked, gripping his mug far tighter than needed, his eyes wide and almost glazed over. It pisses Dean off that Sammy, for one, was letting the damn bastard get to him in such a way but what pissed him off more was the fact Gabriel was here and it could so easily happen again.
"Okay, okay. I'll be serious even though it's so boring. Now, what's this about a Mystery Spot?" he looks over at Sammy, takes in his expression, and realization dawns on his face. "Oh, oh, that!" he says, trying to hide his grin behind his hand as he rubs at his chin. He clears his throat a little and shakes his head. "Don't worry, Sammy, I'm not planning anything like that. Not right now, anyway." he says.
Dean's shoulders tense up in anger but before he could strike, Sammy comes from his little daze. The glare he gives Gabriel would make a lesser man shake in fear. "If you do anything like that ever again, I will kill you, Gabriel," he says, his knuckles turning white as he squeezes his mug tightly.
"I think I know how to stop you from doing that, Sam," he says and snaps his fingers. The speakers give off a static before music is blaring from them, louder than before. The few others in there give a look around in slight confusion but all Sam can do is freeze up, his jaw dropping as he stares at Gabriel with anger, hurt and fear. "It's the heat of the moment!" the speakers blare, making Sammy look at Dean with concern and fear.
Dean literally shakes as he shoves Gabriel farther into the booth, pressing his forearm against his throat. "Stop. It." he demands and the music aburtly cuts off, turning back to the softer tune that had been playing previously. Dean shoves him a bit again before releasing him, scooting over and looking at Sammy. "Dude, you have to stop letting it, him, get to you," he says in a slightly softer tone with a stern undertone to it.
Sam nods slowly, still staring down into his mug. Gabriel huffs. "I didn't stop the music-" he stops talking and glares above Sam's head. "Castiel. How lovely to see you." he says. Dean straightens up a little at the sudden appearance of the angel, thankful that Cas had ended that damn song.
Castiel frowns, lightly touching Sam's shoulder in a comforting way. "Gabriel, it is cruel to let Sam relive such horrid memories you caused," he says in a emotionless voice, his blue eyes giving off how unhappy he was with his brother. Sammy glances up at Castiel and takes another deep breath as he scoots over. Cas slides into the open spot beside Sam, Dean across from him. Their eyes lock briefly before Cas looks back at Gabriel.
Gabriel looks at Sam and back to Cas. "C'mon! It can't be that bad! I mean, Dean is right here, alive." he says just as the waitress comes around, setting Dean's food down. She looks at the two new arrivals, looking surprised since she hadn't seen them walk in.
"Can I get you boys anything?" she asks, beginning to pull her pad and pen back out from the white apron tied around her waist. But Cas shakes his head while Gabriel looks thoughtful before shaking his head as well. He would just make some bonsbons appear if he got that big of a craving. "All right, holler if you need me," she notices Sammy's quiet state and frowns. "Are you all right, hon?" she asks sweetly, seeing how tensed he was.
Sammy takes a second to realize he was being spoken too and looks up, a bit of shock on his face. Though, it morphs into something softer at the older woman's concern. "Yeah. Yeah, I am, thanks." he says and she gives a smile and nod before walking off. He turns his attention to Gabriel when he hears snickering, his eyes narrowing.
"I think she likes you, Sammy." he says, amusement dancing in his eyes. He sees the flash of anger in Sammy's eyes but he can see the fear too. He was so scared Gabriel would kill his brother over and over and over again and force him to watch. Gabriel tries to ignore the guilt weighing heavily in his gut. He didn't feel bad for killing Dean but more so for making Sammy watch and feel so much pain.
"You didn't have to watch your brother die, repeatedly, and not be able to do anything. You didn't have to run around town, trying to find the cause of it before waking up in another Tuesday," Sam's voice begins to raise in pitch, his grip on the mug never ceasing, the liquid cold by now, "To that damn song that haunts me. He died hundreds of times in front of me and I just watched, knowing I couldn't do shit because you wanted some sick fucking enjoyment-"
"Sammy." Dean interrupts, noticing he was gaining a bit of attention with the raise in his voice. He clears his throat a little and takes a bite of his eggs. He meets Cas' eyes again and he sees the concern in the blue depths. He knows Castiel worries about Sam almost as much as Dean does, at this point. They all were growing closer as a little fucked-up family and he didn't want it any other way.
Cas gives a soft sigh and looks at Gabriel. His brother looks thoughtful and he thinks he sees some guilt there. He wasn't too sure but he doesn't brush it off. Gabriel had to feel guilty. He made Sammy feel some of the worse pain in his whole life and he made him do it a hundred times over. That was almost unforgiveable but Castiel was a forgiving creature, it was in his nature. Gabriel looks at him for a second before returning his gaze to an angry-looking Sammy who was glaring daggers at him. "Look, I am sorry but it was, you know... a little fun?" he tries and cringes even at his own words.
Sammy's eyes grow wide and his jaw nearly lands in his coffee cup. He blinks a few times and shakes his head. "A little fun?" he says, his voice strained with the amount of anger he was holding back.
Dean quickly jumps in before Sammy leaps across the table and tries to choke an archangel. "Wrong choice of words, Gabriel." he grumbles and elbows him roughly in the ribs, though it only manages to hurt him more, "Try again with the apology but without the part where you had fun."
Sammy gives Dean a shocked look. "Why the hell do you want him to say sorry? It means nothing to me. Nothing." he snaps, turning a glare back onto Gabriel. "I will never forgive you for what you did, Gabriel."
Gabriel actually looks hurt but Sammy doesn't care. Gabriel crossed a line - over a hundred times. "I really am sorry," he says slowly, fiddling with his fingers under the table, his eyes glancing at Cas. "I do feel bad. And that's a lot coming from me, okay?"
"Let's not forget your most recent episode. TV land," Sammy mumbles, his glare not wavering on the archangel. "Listen, Gabriel. If you really want to help us, stay the hell out of our way." he says, the threat obvious by the tone of his voice.
Gabriel frowns. "I was only trying to get you to realize your roles in this game. Because that's all this is, a fucked-up game and you two are the opposing kings. What has to happen for you to realize that?" he says, his tone becoming annoyed as he levels a glare with Sammy.
Castiel sighs loudly, gaining the attention of the three at the table, Dean's mouth full of sausage. "Gabriel, the way you are coming about showing them is not... right." he says slowly. He tries to choose his words carefully, considering his older brother could send him away with a nod of his head.
"There isn't any other way, Castiel," Gabriel says, giving his brother a look. He looks back at Sammy and sighs. "Look, I know you'll never forgive me but- I am sorry, for killing your brother a hundred times over. But, hey, maybe when he dies for real, it won't hurt as much!" he says, giving a grin to the younger Winchester.
Sammy blinks, his eyebrows raising up. He shouldn't be shocked by the sheer stupidity the archangel was showing but hey, sometimes Sam surprised himself. "Not helping, Gabriel," he says emotionlessly.
"Ass." Dean says around a mouthful of eggs and gives Castiel a look. "Can't you send this fucker into space or something?" he asks, waving his fork in Gabriel's general direction, sending a bit of eggs flying.
Castiel blinks, watching the eggs plop on the table before frowning at Dean. "Sadly, I cannot." he says, ignoring the hurt sound that falls from Gabriel's lips after his spoken words.
"Well, I can see I'm clearly not wanted." Gabriel says, a pout adorning his lips as he crosses his arms over his chest, slumping in the booth. It was easy to compare him to a five year old throwing a fit on the inside.
"Just figured that out on your own?" Sammy deadpans and finally pushes the coffee mug away. He flexes his fingers, the grip he had on the mug making them feel sore. He notices Gabriel watching the movement and slowly puts his hands under the table, in his lap.
They lock eyes and Sammy can clearly see the guilt and regret in his eyes. "I will make this up to you, Sam." he says, determanation clear in his voice.
"Hey, I was the one being killed!" Dean snaps though, like Sammy, he wasn't able to forgive the archangel either. He just wanted some acknowledgement that Gabriel felt bad for planning hundreds of his deaths.
"Yeah, yeah, you too," Gabriel says, waving his hand in the air, but it was clear he could honestly care less about Dean's feelings towards him. Which hurt a little but hey, dick-angels were dicks.
"You seem really intent on forgiveness, Gabriel," Castiel points out, tilting his head to the side in that curious way he does and in the way Dean found adorable- not that he would say that outloud or even think it, because he so did not just think that.
"Well, if I want to join this Team Free Will gig," Gabriel says, lifting both his hands in opposite directions like he was weighing something. He drops his hands and looks back at Sammy, raising an eyebrow.
"You want to join- no." Sammy says. He refuses to have such a flaky angel on their side. Sure, Castiel could disappear often but he was usually there at the right times. Gabriel, though, he didn't have much trust there.
Dean nods, pushing his cleared plate away. "Yeah. One angel is enough, thanks," he says, motioning to Cas and giving the angel a slight grin. Castiel barely smiles at Dean before moving his eyes back to Gabriel, who was pouting, again.
"Aw, c'mon! An archangel is even better." he says, wiggling his eyebrows in Sam's direction. The grin on his lips was crooked and frankly, adorable. Sammy tries to ignore the way his stomach flipped a little and not from nerves.
"No." Sammy says flatly and looks over at Dean. "Ready?" he says, seeing his brother was done eating. He was still worried about Chuck, even if he did have higher protection. Though, who knows what was wrong and maybe he was in serious danger that only the Winchesters could get him out of.
Gabriel sighs. "I'll make it up to you," he says to Sammy. Sammy looks at him, ready to reply, when he feels a foot running up his leg. He jerks, his hands smacking into the table and he curses silently. Gabriel laughs and winks at him before he disappears, leaving a flushed Sam rubbing his knuckles behind.
Both Castiel and Dean are giving him odd looks but Sam ignores them, instead begins to lightly shove Cas so they could leave. Cas realizes what Sam's goal is and gets up, adjusting his trench coat to settle around his ankles correctly. After paying for the breakfast and heading outside, Dean turns to Cas, taking the angel in. "So, why'd you come around?" he asks.
"I sensed Gabriel was near and knew he was bothering the two of you," Castiel answers smoothly, looking over the Impala with something close to growing fondness in his eyes. It makes Dean's heart swell a little.
"Oh. Well... thanks." Dean says as he pulls open the driver door, the creak from age blending in with the sounds of life around them.
Sam puts his arms on the roof, leaning againt the black car. "Yeah, thanks. I was ready to shove that mug down his throat but it wouldn't had done much good," he says, trying to lighten his own mood and ingoring the way his heart still raced after feeling Gabriel's foot on his leg. Worse part was, it was a bare foot and it was under his pant leg. His skin was still tingling. Damn angels.
"Yes, it wouldn't had done much good," Castiel turns slightly amused eyes to Sam but then, he grows serious again, like he always did. He stands awkwardly in front of the Impala, his eyes drifting to Dean briefly before locking back onto Sam. "You should forgive him, Sam."
He gets the reactions he expected. Two unison "What?!"s echo through the parking lot and Dean is slamming the door to Impala shut harshly, his body ready to fight Cas on this matter while Sam just gives him a shocked stare. He sighs, shifting a little and looking between the brothers. "He really is sorry. He was only bothering you two because you are the true vessels for Lucifer and Michael. A way to get at his brothers without actually getting at them. But his remorse is real."
Sam begins looking thoughtful whereas Dean remains angry. "How the hell can you take his side, Cas?! That damn bastard killed me over and over and made Sam watch!" he snaps, clenching his fists. There's hurt beneath the anger. He thinks Cas is on Gabriel's side, thinks Cas thinks it was all right that Dean was killed repeatedly.
"He could have closed his eyes," Castiel says simply. A attempt at a joke that just seemed to piss both the Winchester boys off more. He needs to learn to better grasp human-humor. "I'm not saying it's okay. It's far from okay. But forgiving him for it is something that'll help you two move on." he says, leveling his gaze with Sam's. He knows he can get through to Sammy with this a lot easier than he could with Dean. Once Dean holds a grudge, he holds on tight.
"Dean... he has a point," Sammy begins softly, knowing his brother and knowing what his reaction would be. Sammy was a reasonable person, he listened to both sides of a story and advice from others. Castiel really did have a point.
Dean turns his angry eyes onto his brother. "No. No! Really, Sammy? After what happened in there?" he says, pulling open the Impala door again. "Fuck Gabriel. We are not forgiving him, Cas, so you can go fuck yourself too." he gets inside the car and slams the door harshly.
Castiel frowns at Dean's words, hiding his hurt as he looks at Sammy. "Do the right thing, Sam." he says before he's gone with a flutter of wings. Sammy stares at the spot as the Impala roars to life underneath his arms. Castiel had a point. To forget the pain of that one Tuesday, forgiveness was one of those steps. He would never look at Asia's "Heat of the Moment" the same but that was understable. Though, dwelling on something like that? Esepcially when Gabriel obviously felt bad for causing that pain? Was it really worth it? Sam wasn't so sure. He knows what he said in the diner but after hearing Castiel's words, he was having mixed feelings about it now. A car honking jerks him back to reality and he frowns, rolling his eyes and slamming his hand on top of the roof in retaliation, before getting into the car with his pissed off brother. This was going to be a long ride to Chuck.
...
Reviews are always nice. Even if they're bad feedback, go ahead. I'll post up chapter two when I get the chance and also that Destiel oneshot too. Ciao, lovelies!