Heartache enveloped the youngest of the archangels as the never ending nightmare known as the conflict between Michael and Lucifer raged on. Long gone were the days when the four earliest of God's creation existed in absolute harmony. The laughter exchanged between them had become words filled with venom. Signs of affection had morphed into glances of pure distain. Within Michael's gaze Lucifer appeared to be nothing but a creature of darkness and deceit that needed to be destroyed. Forever lost was the hope that one day the battling between the archangels would cease and calm would once again be restored. All beings capable of defusing the conflict had surrendered the will to act for the betterment of all. Thunder echoed throughout the heavens as Michael and Lucifer once again engaged in an all out fight without holding back a single blow. Underneath the sounds of battle the faintest of whimpers could be made recognizable echoing from the chambers belonging to the youngest Archangel Gabriel.
For the sake of the fledglings Gabriel had attempted to bare the unyielding heartache stemming from the ceaseless conflicts among his elder brothers. Before today Gabriel had used illusion as a method of masking the negativity that surrounded his home. He had on occassion transformed his living space into pocket dimensions that replicated his happiest memories. When he wasn't carrying out his Father's work Gabriel would lock himself away within his private sanctuary. For a period of time that was enough to keep out all the surrounding violence. The youngest archangel could smile again as he could be reminded of the calm and love that became lost within recent memory. Day in and day out he would allow these illusions to chase away the fears building within his being. That was until this day when the fighting had reached a new level of intensity.
Michael and Lucifer were beyond the point of fighting one another until one collapsed from exhaustion. The brothers turned moral enemies now desired to end the existance of the other. Fledglings scattered in all directions in an attempt to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the powerful archangels. The illusions that Gabriel had created for himself were losing focus and resulted in higher anxiety within his being. The heavenly messenger scampered over to the farthest corner of his sanctuary and tightly held himself fearing he would just break apart. The final straw had been reached and Gabriel knew it was time for him to leave behind the place he had called home for all of his existance. Truly it pained him to come to such a decision but he could no longer withstand the environment for which he resided.
Being the celestial being he was Gabriel understood his options were severally limited. Archangels were unlike any creation that currently resided in heaven or on Earth. Their powers were absolute and would destroy anything it came into contact with. Gabriel had to locate a vessel that would be strong enough to withstand his angelic prowess. Without question that would be the easy part. The difficult part would be convincing the owner of said vessel to lend its use for the angel's purpose. Normally that would require some level of faith but the current situation wasn't an ordinary one. Gabriel wasn't pursuing a holy venture. The young archangel simply wanted to escape from the ceaseless fighting and ultimate destruction of his home.
Before he could even consider his next move Gabriel knew he had to prepare for a clean break. If he left any trace of his existance there was little doubt that his wrathful brother Michael would pursue him to the ends of the Earth. Faking his own death would be the only solution that would provide him the cover to experience a new existance free from the calamity. With practice Gabriel had become so apt at creating illusions that sometimes even fooled himself. Through those abilities he created a perfect replica of his current visage and a copy of his archangel blade. Carefully he took the constructed blade in his hand and glanced at his doppelganger. Although Gabriel knew he had no choice it still broke him inside to have to resort to such measures. A few tears rolled down his features as he forced the blade through the chest of his creation. The life like creation slowly fell to the floor and laid motionless before Gabriel. The charged outline of the messenger's mighty wings formed around the corpse which was the final touch indicating death. Gabriel stared at his final illusion for a moment before muttering 'please forgive me...' before vanishing from the confines of heaven unnoticed in the chaos outside.
Within moments the immeterial form of the archangel manifested throughout the blue skies of the Earth. Despite existing as pure energy Gabriel found the environment to be welcoming. Existing in such a state wouldn't be terrible but the wayward archangel wanted to experience unfeathered free will. He was no longer shackled to responsiblity and the holy mission of his Father. If God wasn't going to stop Lucifer and Michael from killing one another he certainly wouldn't prevent his youngest from experiencing life at its fullest. Gabriel cleared his conciousness of any passing thoughts and focused on locating the vessel that was meant to be his. To the archangel's surprise he felt the pull within his being. Never before had he experienced such a sensation. It was as if his true vessel was calling out to him, beckening him to its location. Without hestitation Gabriel locked onto the signal and proceeded to follow its trail.
Throughout the course of his travels Gabriel wondered what shape he would find his true vessel. His Father carefully constructed the beings to mirror the true nature of it's intended. Gabriel wondered if God even knew what lied within his core. He may have created Gabriel like all other living things within creation but there was no denying they could often times surprise you. When Gabriel found his vessel a slightly amused laugh echoed through the air. The being that the archangel discovered at the end of the signal turned out to be the pagan god Loki. Gabriel had observed Loki several times from heaven when he sought inspiration for his next trick. When it came to shenanigans no one proved more apt then Loki.
As Gabriel examined the vessel from above he admitted it wasn't all that bad and personally suited his individual tastes. The form itself was considered average at 5'8" and had short but messy golden brown hair with eyes to match. Clothing wise Gabriel would have to do some adjusting for the pagan was wearing a long black sleeveless jacket with a long sleeved underarmor shirt and matching pants. The underamor had accents of gold around the neck and green along the lower portion of the sleeves. Clearly this was the look of a warrior which again was another irony Gabriel cared not admit. While that were some things the archangel would change he would ultimately make it work. Now was the hard part, trying to communicate with the individual in question.
Up until this moment Loki hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary and then there was a violent breeze that seemed to surround him. He narrowed his eyes and rose to his feet. "Whose there!? Show yourself."
Gabriel calmed the winds his presence had created and calmly began to speak. Due to the link between vessel and possessor the archangel's voice wasn't audiable to the passing observer. "Cool your jets there kiddo. Don't mean you any harm, honest."
The pagan god spun around a few times trying to locate the source to no avail. For a moment he thought he had truly lost his mind like his brother had implied during their last arguement. "Answer me, who are you? Where are you?!"
Gabriel internally sighed knowing that this was far from a perfect arrangement. He'd have to manifest before the trickster before they could ever hope to discuss the situation. The archangel thought quickly and scanned Loki's thoughts finding the right combination of attributes that would create a suitable illuisionary representation of his grace. A very norse appearing figure appeared before Loki to his utter surprise. "Better right? My true visage is overwhelming to most so I hope you don't mind me taking the liberties of creating this. As for who I am... my name is Gabriel."
Mentally Loki repeated the name a few times and then he was struck with realization. "Gabriel, as in the western archangel?"
The holy messenger cringed slightly in response. He had hoped his reputation hadn't traveled that far but apparently humanity couldn't keep supernatural secrets to themselves. "Guilty."
A suspitious expression appeared on Loki's features. "And what exactly does an archangel want with me? You and your kind..." Gabriel raised his hand and stopped Loki mid sentence. He could tell that the trickster before him was getting slightly annoyed and with good reason. Angels had forcefully taken control of the planet when the pagans were making an utter mess of things.
"Easy tiger. Not the bad guy here... like I said I just wanted to talk." Loki simply stared back at Gabriel not entirely sure if he could trust what he was saying. Regardless of his hestitations the pagan crossed his arms and prepared to listen. "Utter chaos has hit the prevebal fan back home and I wanted out."
Loki let out an amused laugh and simply nodded in understanding. He had found himself in a very similar situation. Tensions had grown between himself and his younger brother Thor. The arguements hadn't lead to fist fights but they had gotten pretty close during their last encounter. "Family drama figures. Brothers declaring war on one another I take it?"
"Wish it were that simple. Regardless I'm done with the drama and I'm moving on, solo. You feel me?" Gabriel questioned with a smirk.
"How may I assist a being such as you, Gabriel?"
"I need a vessel to walk the Earth and you just happen to be a perfect fit in every regard." Gabriel knew that he wouldn't just submit right then and there with that statement. He'd have to sweeten the pot and he knew exactly where to apply the unresistable pressure. "Despite declaring yourself a god, you are not immuned to all weapons. A stake to the heart will destroy you. What if I told you if you invite me in you will not fear such methods? You'll gain true immortality for angels can only be killed by other angels. Though in my case, another archangel and my brothers already think I'm dead so they won't come looking. The two of us can have all kinds of fun with humanity and nothing can stop us. Whatcha say bucko?"
Loki had actually been attempting to find a way to do just what Gabriel had described. He was sick of being stuck in Thor's shadow and wanted to create his own legacy. With Gabriel's aid he'd obtain what no pagan before him could and that was very enticing. Without a moment's hesitation he smiled and said, "Yes." The illusion that Gabriel created instantly vanished into a bright light that quickly surrounded Loki's body.
Gabriel stood there with a very excited expression on his features. Witnessing all of creation through a vessel was a jarring experience but it was utterly beautiful at the same time. For the first time in ages the young Archangel felt at peace. Coming down to Earth was a good call and he was determined to make the most of this opportunity. Before he was about to fly off to begin his grand adventure he sensed another presence on the beach. Slowly he turned around to find a vaguely familar form standing inches from him. He heard Loki's voice ring out in his mind saying, 'Thor'. The archangel calmly glanced over at the taller individual who had many similarities to himself. The norse deity let out a relieved breath when he locked eyes with the being he believed was his brother, "Loki..."
After doing some digging in Loki's memory Gabriel recalled exactly what had transpired between the two siblings prior to his arrival. "Come to drag me home, brother?"
Thor looked rather hurt to hear the harshness of his brother's tone. Clearly he was still bitter and wasn't exactly in the mood to be confronted about his recent behavior. For a moment the younger being glanced down and then approached with purpose. "I don't want to fight you brother! Please just come home and I promise I'll make it up to you. Everyone's worried..."
Despite all the difficulty the norse siblings had with one another they were pebbles in the sea in comparason to all that Gabriel had dealth with. He had a second chance at a family and an existance without consequence. Gabriel looked rather thoughtful for a moment and then let out a small sigh, "Fine, but fair warning I'll up and leave again if the situation calls for it. Up to you."
Thor looked relieved and without another word held his brother close. "I knew you'd listen to reason. Despite your latest actions, you're still my brother." Gabriel allowed the embrace for a few moments and even longer then either had intended. It felt like eons since he had experienced that kind of love. Even though it wasn't directed at him it didn't prevent him from feeling it as strongly. When he pulled away he smiled at Thor and said softly, "Lets go home." Several challenges would definately come with pretending to be the being known as Loki but Gabriel was looking forward to every waking moment.
'Let the adventure begin.'
The End...
Hello my fellow SPN fans. This was just a random story idea that came to me when I was knee deep in work this morning. We never got an explaination on how Gabriel aquired his vessel so I started thinking. The result this little one-shot. Hope you all enjoyed it.