Title: Fluid Memories
Author: Syfy_Girl
Pairing(s): Sam/Gabriel, implied Dean/Castiel
Wordcount: 6180
Summary: So...Gabriel may have lost his memory...Or maybe it was stolen from him. All everyone really knows is that (a now very much human) Gabriel was found naked and covered in blood on Sammy's bed in their motel room and there may or may not be some weirdo energy between them. The only one who really knows what's going on is some brow-eyed being that brought back their archangelic frienemie.
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Supernatural or any characters associated with it.
A/N: Hey there! I haven't posted anything in a few months, but this is my finished Sam/Gabriel mini-bang (not that I ever got to post it…). Beta'd by the lovely Don'tCallMeSammy.
Preface
The light blinded Gabriel as he opened his eyes for the first time in a long time. All he could feel was a terrible pain in his chest; almost as though his grace was once again being torn from his body. Speaking of which, shouldn't I be dead? Gabriel thought to himself. When his eyes finally gained focus, the first thing he saw was a pair of familiar dark brown eyes. The second thing he noticed was the set-up of the room. There were many candles in it, unmistakably forming a pentagram with him being the center piece. Next to him were two vials and a bowl, all three containers filled with blood. "Please," his voice cracked from its lack of use, "don't," he pleaded, for he knew what was in store for him.
"I'm sorry," the voice sounded from the being with the dark eyes, "but being brought back comes with a price. You must learn your lesson. Besides, is that not what you believe in, people learning their lessons? Hmmm Gabriel… or should I say, Loki? I truly am sorry that you must be forced to learn this way, but it is the only way you will learn what I mean for you to learn." With that, the being lit the candles and started to chant. Once the candles were lit, the being dipped its finger into the bowl - which the dark eyed being filled with his blood - and began to draw sigils on Gabriel's skin. Once the sigils were complete, the being gripped Gabriel jaw and forced it open, and then began pouring the two vials of blood into his mouth. One of the vials contained Gabriel's own blood. The other vial held the blood of a human; tainted by the blood of a demon. The chanting ceased and Gabriel faded into oblivion.
Chapter 1
Sam and Dean were driving home from a bar. They had just wrapped up a case involving witches and had decided to go out for some celebrating.
"Friggin' witches man!" Dean said as he pulled the impala into the motel parking lot with Alice Copper's "Poison" blaring from the car's speakers.
"Dean, will you shut up about the witches already," exclaimed Sam, exasperated.
"Screw you, bitch."
"Right back at you, jerk."
The two hunters got out of the impala and headed into their room. What they saw when they opened the door had them stopping in their tracks. There, lying naked on one of the beds, was the archangel Gabriel covered in bloody markings.
"What the hell?" Dean shouted. He walked over to Gabriel and began shaking him. "Hey, wake the hell up you sonovabitch!"
"Whoa, Dean, calm down," Sam said.
"Calm down? Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down when the goddamned trickster - who apparently faked his own death again, by the way - is in our motel room covered in what looks like blood? Huh?" Dean was breathing much more heavily now, getting visibly upset.
"Dean, why don't you call Cas down and we'll figure it out from there."
"Fine." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Castiel, angel of the lord, will you get your feathered ass down here and tell us what the hell you brother is doing on Sam's bed."
Sam then glanced over and realized with a sigh that Gabriel was, in fact, passed out on his bed. Fantastic, he thought to himself.
"Fascinating," Castiel said as he appeared directly behind Dean.
"Dude, what have I told you about personal space?" Dean asked.
"Sorry," Cas said, and took two steps away from Dean.
"And have you been watching Star Trek reruns or something, Spock?"
Castiel tilted his head to the side, not understanding the reference. "Never mind," Dean added knowing it was a lost cause (not to mention he didn't want to out himself to Sam as a closet trekkie, though by the look on Sam's face, it was too late for that). "Besides, I don't see what's so 'fascinating' about the trickster faking his own death. It's not like he hasn't done it before. The guy should get a new repertoire."
"It is fascinating due to the fact that his death was not fake. The entire Host felt Gabriel's grace leave his vessel and dissipate. And it is made all the more intriguing since it is nearly impossible to revive an archangel."
"So what could have brought him back?" Sam questioned, finally joining the conversation.
"Our father, of course, could have easily revived him, or, with the needed resources, a pagan god could have brought him back, especially if they used the fact that Gabriel existed as Loki for centuries in the ritual."
"So…you're saying either God decided to finally give a crap about the douche, or we're dealing with some bamf-ed out god," Dean summarized.
"Yes, I suppose that is what I mean, though I would prefer it if you did not blasphemy."
"So…what do we do now?" Sam asked.
"We wait," Castiel replied.
Chapter 2
He slowly opened his eyes, aware of only three facts: that he was on a bed in a room he was unfamiliar with, that his back and chest burned, and that his name was Gabriel. Nothing else.
"Alright you sonovabitch. What the hell happened, and why are you here?" A voice said from his left.
"I, too, am curious Gabriel, why are you here?" A deeper voice said, also coming from his left.
"Whoa, whoa, guys, let's just give him a moment to wake up. We're not gonna get any answers unless he's conscious."
When Gabriel heard the last voice, him mind went into over-drive. SafeHomeLoveMateSoulMineSam. Gabriel made sure he didn't react.
Gabriel sat up in the bed and grabbed a pillow to put in front of him, covering himself up. "Anyone wanna tell me who you people are and why by back and chest feel like they're on fire?"
"Haha. So funny I forgot to laugh. Now answer the damned question, Gabriel," Dean said, getting agitated. Just who the hell did Gabriel think he was, showing up out of nowhere and playing mind-games with them? No way would Dean fall for them. No. Way.
"Maybe I'll be able to answer your question when you answer mine. For all I know, you people kidnapped me and drugged me up."
"Listen to me Loki," Gabriel wasn't sure why, but he flinched at the name, "I'm sick of your games. So tell us what you're doing here, and don't even think of pulling any of your usual shitty tricks."
"It's not a trick, God damnit! I don't even remember how to trick. Honestly, the only thing I remember is that the chicken crossed the road to get to the other frikkin' side!" It was at that moment that the full situation hit the man sitting on the bed: He had no idea who he was. He then did the only logical thing for this sort of situation: he started hitting his head with his hands, hoping to jog his memory.
"Hey, stop it," Sam said as he grabbed hold of the smaller man's hand to keep him from possibly injuring himself. During the previous conversation, Sam - unlike Dean - had noticed Gabriel's growing panic and had realized that maybe this wasn't a joke.
As the larger man gripped Gabriel's hands in his own, Gabriel could literally feel an electric current coming form where their skin touched. Looking into the man's hazel eyes, the same strange feelings from before were once again felt by Gabriel. "Who are you? Who are they?" He asked, nodding his head towards where Castiel and Dean stood. "And who am I?"
"Well…I'm Sam Winchester, and that there," Sam pointed at Dean, who was currently gaping at Sam, "Is my brother Dean. Ignore the crap he hands you, he's just pissed because the witches pointed out his man-crush on your brother, Castiel," he then pointed at Cas, who was now furrowing his brow in confusion. Dean, meanwhile…well, let's just say that if looks could kill, Sam would currently be a pile of ash.
"Dude, first of all, I do not have a frikkin' 'man-crush', I'm straight, man. And second, please tell me you aren't buying this whole amnesia crap."
"Dean, think about it, what motivation would he have to lie?"
"Uh, you mean other than that fact that he's a dick? And he killed me over a hundred times? And he shoved us into TV land? Hmmmm…" Dean then tapped his chin as though in thought.
Sam sighed, it was obvious that Dean would need further convincing. "Cas, if a god - whether it be your father or a pagan - brought Gabriel back, would it be possible for him to have lost his memory?"
Castiel looked thoughtful. "Well, unless He made it purposeful, Gabriel would still have possession of his memories if it was our father who brought him back. On the other hand, if it is a pagan we are dealing with, many of their reviving rituals cause temporary-to-permanent amnesia."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Still in the room here. And what's with all this talk of me being 'brought back' and 'revived'?" Gabriel asked, no longer able to bite his tongue.
"We shall explain at a later moment in time. For now, I believe it would be in all out best interests if you were not present for the following conversation."
"Wait, what do you mean, 'not present'? I'm not going anywhere!" It was at that moment that he saw two of Castiel's fingers headed for his forehead. When they touched him, he immediately lost consciousness and fell asleep. Right against Sam.
Why can't our live be normal for just one day? Sam thought to himself while staring down at Gabriel. Would one day really be too much to ask for?
Chapter 3
"So. That actually just happened," Sam said while attempting to dislodge the sleeping archangel, who was currently using Sam as a giant teddy bear. It wasn't working.
"If you are referring to Gabriel's loss of memory, then yes, it did," Castiel replied.
"Ok, look. I don't believe a word that bastard says, but I'm gonna trust you Cas. I do have a question, though. How did you manage to knock him out?" Dean asked.
"It was as simple as knocking you out would be."
"Yeah, and how exactly does that work? Wouldn't it be harder, if not impossible, to knock out an archangel?" Sam asked.
"I did not knock out an archangel. I knocked out an angel who, at best, has his grace sealed deep within him."
"And at worst?" Dean asked.
"At worst, his grace is gone altogether. I am not yet certain, I will need to reach inside of him to determine his grace's current state."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. So you're saying that we're not only dealing with an archangel without his memory, but we're dealing with an archangel without his memory and mojo."
"Yes."
"Well that's just great, flippin' fantastic."
"Uh, guys? First of all, can you please get him off of me?" Sam gave Gabriel another shove, but he still would not budge. Sam groaned. "And second, you're kinda missing the bigger picture here," Sam said.
"And what exactly would that be Sammy?" Dean asked, smirking (and most definitely not helping remove the cuddling angel).
Sam ignored the nickname. "Dean, if you woke up all of a sudden, naked and covered in blood on some strangers bed, with no memory, how would you react? What would your thought process be? And what would you do if some ass started yelling at you and saying that you were the ass?" Dean started to look slightly guilty. "So please, Dean, try to tone down the… you-ness… when he wakes up, and try to imagine all this from his point-of-view."
"Yeah, yeah, okay Samantha," Dean said with his usually cocky attitude, but Sam could detect the honesty as well. "Cas, can you wake him up now?"
"Yes, of course, Dean," Castiel walked over to where Gabriel was cuddling Sam and touched his pointer and middle fingers to Gabriel's forehead, and watched as the man's eyes blinked open.
When Gabriel was once again conscious, the first thing he saw was a pair of blue eyes. About two inches from his face. So Gabriel, being the logical being that he was, did the only thing that would make sense in that situation: He screamed like a 5-year-old girl and fell off the bed. Not to mention he was still naked.
"Dude, that was way more than I ever wanted to see," Dean groaned, looking away. "Cas, can't you mojo him some clothes, or something? And clean up the blood on him?"
"Yes, Dean, I shall," and with that, Gabriel was suddenly in a blue and white plaid shirt and ripped jeans, both articles of clothing obviously far too big for him. With his hair messed up and blinking eyes, it was quite a cute picture, that is, if you didn't know the whole story and were watching it like a TV show, which the boys' lives were totally not. Apparently, they were books, thanks to Chuck...
"Wait, Cas, aren't those my clothes?" Sam asked, dreading the answer.
"Yes, Sam," Cas replied.
Sam opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, but then realized there was no use and shut it.
"So…anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on…and how I'm suddenly in some giant's clothing?" Gabriel asked.
"You are the archangel, Gabriel, turned the Norse god Loki, who is the god of trickery and chaos. You were killed by our brother, Lucifer. A god revived you and Dean, Sam and I are attempting to create a course of action," Castiel explained as though he was talking about the weather.
"Next you're going to be telling me the tweedles here are cupids," Gabriel responded.
"No, brother, if they were cupids, then they would not be clothed. Dean and Sam are not supernatural creatures, they hunt them," Castiel said, taking Gabriel's words at face value.
"Is he always like this?" Gabriel asked, turning towards Sam.
"No. Sometimes he's worse," Sam said, cracking a bit of a smile.
"Well, if it turns out that I actually do turn out to be Loki, then I just may have to come up with a couple tricks for Mr. Stoic over there and get him to show some emotions. Would you like that Mr. Spock?" Gabriel turned to Castiel as he asked the last part.
"Why have you and Dean both referred to me as 'Spock'? I do not understand that reference," Castiel said, looking very confused.
"Dude, if I, Mr. Amnesia, remember Star Trek, how the hell can you not know what it is? If you're seriously my brother, I may just have to disown you due to that fact alone," Gabriel stated, sounding somber.
"Man, he's a lost cause. Trust me, I've been making pop-culture references at him for a couple of years. He has yet to pick up on any of them," Dean said, sympathizing with Gabriel. At Sam's shocked look, Dean then said, "What? You said make nice with the guy. He doesn't seem like the dick the put us through all that other crap, so I figured I'd give this Gabriel a chance."
Sam turned to Castiel. "Cas, are you sure we stopped the apocalypse? Because Dean 'making nice' with Gabriel can only me Armageddon is coming."
"I am positive that Lucifer's cage is sealed and both he and Michael are trapped inside," Castiel responded.
"…Right. Thanks."
"You are very welcome. Brother, if I may, I must check to see if your grace is still within your vessel."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that, Castiel?" Gabriel asked, sounding a bit worried.
"I will reach inside of you with tendrils of my grace and attempt to locate your own. I shall know within minutes whether or not yours remains inside of you."
"And is this little operation going to hurt?" Gabriel was beginning to lose some of his cockiness.
"It shall be excruciating." All the blood proceeded to drain out of Gabriel's face.
With those words, Castiel reached into Gabriel's vessel, searching for his grace, and Gabriel began screaming. Once Gabriel began trying to get away, Sam and Dean held him down, making Castiel's job easier. Sam couldn't look at Gabriel, knowing how much this hurt from first-hand experience.
When Castiel removed his hand, he had a grim expression on his face. "Gabriel's grace no longer resides within his vessel."
"So what? Is he basically a soulless human now, or something?"
"No. It is…complicated. It is similar to when I was falling. I was not a soulless human, I was simply a nearly graceless angel. The only difference is that Gabriel no longer possesses any of his grace while I still possessed a small amount of mine," Castiel explained.
"Look, I'm really confused right now, 'cause I'm not sure if I even believe all this supernatural crap. But you still haven't answered my question. Why the hell are my back and chest hurting?" Gabriel gasped out, shaking from the aftershock of Castiel feeling up his grace. Or at least trying to.
"Wait, you were serious when you asked? I thought you were just being a dick," Dean said.
"Yeah, because I'm the dick. Just keep thinking that Dean-o," Gabriel responded, smirking.
"Not that I want to see any more of you," Dean purposefully shuddered, "but maybe you should take off your shirt again so we can have a little look."
Gabriel then began unbuttoning his shirt. When it was completely removed, Dean and Sam both gasped, and even Castiel's eyes widened slightly. "What? What is it?" When he looked down, he saw that the skin around his chest where his heart was located was blackened. "Holy shit," he said.
"I am assuming that that mark is a result of your fight with Lucifer," Castiel said in explanation.
"What about my back? Do I have some freaky black mark there, too?" Gabriel asked, looking slightly panicked.
"I am unsure. I do not see why you would, though, seeing as you were only stabbed in the chest."
"Wow, because that makes me feel so much better," Gabriel grumbled. He then turned around so the others could see his back. Once again, there was a sharp intake of breath from the two humans in the room.
"Wow," Sam murmured, reaching over to stroke the flesh. He felt Gabriel shiver under his fingertips.
Gabriel looked over his shoulder and saw his back reflected through the mirror that was on the wall on the other side of the room. There was a pair of wings tattooed on his back. They looked golden and the design was so detailed that if he looked long enough, the wings seemed almost 3-D.
"Since when do angels get tattoos, Cas?" Dean asked, getting over the shock.
Castiel sighed. "That is not a tattoo, Dean. An angels wings are a reflection of his or her grace. Without grace, the wings cannot exist. It seems as though now that Gabriel is without his grace, this 'tattoo' is a reflection of what angelic nature stays with Gabriel."
"So…it's kinda like if I had wings, they'd be physical manifestation of my soul?" Dean asked, trying to make sense of what Castiel had said.
"Yes, I suppose that is the best description."
"So…can I put my shirt back on?" Gabriel asked. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable being unclothed so often (though he was not uncomfortable with a certain giant stroking his back).
"Yes, Gabriel. Although I would like to be able to study your current markings, I think it would be best if we were to leave them alone for now," Castiel said.
"Well, I think our best bet is to go see Bobby and see if he has any answers," Dean said.
"Good idea, Dean. We'll head out in the morning. 'Till then, I say we all stick together until we figure out what brought Gabriel back," Sam responded.
"Dean, Sam, I cannot simply ignore my duties," Castiel said.
"Damn your duties, Cas! Cause it looks like we're dealing with some major S.O.B. right now and we need all the help we can get!" Dean shouted, frustrated.
"Dean-" Castiel began.
"No," Dean said, cutting him off. "Look, you've been pretty MIA ever since we shoved Lucifer back in the pit, so just stay and help us out his time, okay?"
"…Alright," Castiel agreed.
"Wait, what's this about the devil?" Gabriel asked, sounding very confused.
"Eh, we'll explain later," Dean said.
Their bedding arrangements were quickly worked out: Dean and Sam slept in their respective beds, Gabriel slept on the couch, and Castiel did whatever it was he did when everyone else slept (Dean had the feeling that he creepily watched them sleep). The next morning, the four would be heading out to Bobby's. Thankfully, the case they had just finished was in Nebraska so it would only take a few hours to drive up there.
Since Castiel didn't feel the need to mojo up new clothes for Gabriel when there were plenty for him to wear, even though they were far too big for the archangel, he wound up in yet another pair of Sam's clothes because Dean was "not gonna let him wear mine, 'cause he'll spill a milkshake or something on them". On their way to Bobby's, the seating arrangement was different than usual. Dean (of course) drove, before Sam could claim shotgun, Castiel zapped himself into the passenger seat, leaving Sam to sit in the back with Gabriel. They decided that not calling Bobby ahead of time was the best course of action because they felt it would be best to explain the situation to him in person. They were currently regretting that.
"Bobby, put the shotgun down," Sam said, attempting to calm the older hunter.
"Yeah, okay, as soon as one of you three idjits explains to me what the trickster is doing on my property. …And why he's wearing Sam's clothes," Bobby said, sounding slightly less irritated when he realized that none of them were in any immediate danger, and that the trickster looked scared to death.
"Let's go inside first, open up a couple beers, then we can explain," Dean said.
"Fine."
The five men entered Bobby's house with Gabriel, Castiel, and Sam heading into the living room while Bobby and Dean headed into the kitchen to grab beers for themselves and Sam, knowing that Castiel didn't drink, and they damn sure were not going risk a drunk Gabriel. When they headed into the living room and took their seats, Sam and Dean began telling Bobby everything ranging from the Mystery Spot incident, to Gabriel's 'outing' as an archangel after TV Land, all the way to Lucifer killing him at the Elysian Fields Hotel.
"Wait, so you're not only saying that the trickster is an angel, but a god-damned archangel? Do you really expect me to believe that, boy?" Bobby asked in disbelief.
"It is true, Dean and Sam are not lying. Gabriel left heaven many years ago and has been masquerading as Loki ever since. If not for Sam and Dean, it is likely he would have remained that way until the world ceased to exist," Castiel said suddenly, coming to the aid of the boys.
"I really did that to all of you?" Gabriel asked in a small voice. "I really killed all those people and just…laughed about it? How can you even stand the sight of me?"
"Hey, you weren't even the worst thing we hunted," Dean said in consolation.
"And that's supposed to make me feel better? I tried to kill you all…I did kill you!" he looked at Dean. "Even you said it yourself, I'm a thing," he spat the word. "Wouldn't it be better to just kill me now that I'm human?"
The three hunters in the room were shocked at Gabriel's outburst. Dean and Sam had both forgotten that Gabriel had no idea what he had truly been before and that he was basically starting over with a clean slate.
"No," Sam said, recovering first.
"Why? I made your lives horrible," Gabriel responded.
"Exactly, you made our lives horrible. Past tense. And don't forget, the last time you died, it was to save us and Kali. In my books, that makes you an official member of Team Free Will," Sam explained, realizing as soon as he said it that it was true; Gabriel was one of them. He had performed in the usual Winchester fashion: He'd sacrificed himself for the sake of others.
Dean, mentally, agreed with Sam's conclusion. Even though he hated Gabriel when he'd had his memories, he did join their side when it mattered. He'd given them the answer to ending the apocalypse. He'd left his last words on a porno (and that gained major points in Dean's book). "Yeah, plus, as you said, you're human now. We don't gank humans," Dean added with a slight smirk.
"Don't go looking for any words of encouragement from me. I only just found out you weren't dead, and the last time I saw you, you sent a guy with a chainsaw after me," Bobby said.
"Okay, well, since I could cut the tension in here with a knife, I'm gonna assume you guys don't do a lot of feeling sharing in this screwed up family," Gabriel said, smiling faintly.
"That's an understatement," Sam muttered.
"Yeah, no one does chick-flick moments. Well, no one except Sam when he's being a whiny little bitchy girl," Dean said, full out smirking now. Sam just glared.
"30 minutes, that's gotta be a record," Bobby said.
"Of what?" Gabriel asked.
"How long it took for those to idjits to start fighting. Usually only takes them 10 before they're at each other's throats."
"Haha, very funny, Bobby," Dean said.
"Yeah, hilarious," Sam added.
"I do not understand, I would not think the two of you would find this at all humorous," Castiel stated, sounding very confused. Everyone else started laughing.
"Sarcasm is not your forte, little bro," Gabriel said, still chuckling.
"Dean has said the same thing various times," Castiel responded.
"So, I gotta ask, are you two together or not, 'cause it's really hard to tell," Gabriel asked.
Dean had taken the wrong moment to take a sip of beer, because when he heard the question, he immediately spit it all out. Sam and Bobby started laughing once more, and Castiel just didn't understand the question.
"Dean and I do share a profound bond, if that is what you mean, Gabriel," Castiel responded.
"No you douche, we are not together no matter what a bunch of witches said," Dean said in response to Castiel's comment.
"What's this about witches?" Bobby asked.
Sam was still laughing when he responded. "One of the witches we were hunting commented on Dean's epic man-crush on Cas."
"Dude, like I said earlier, I do not, and never will, have a 'man-crush' on Cas. Second of all, 'epic'? Really? What are you, a teenage girl?"
"Shut up jerk," which, of course, started up another round of laughter, this time at Sam's expense.
Chapter 4
"You got anything?" Sam asked when the three hunters decided to take a break from researching to eat dinner.
"Nothing," Bobby responded.
"Ditto," Dean added.
"So we've spent hours looking, and can't even find one answer?" Sam asked.
"Exactly," said Dean.
"I also have nothing," Castiel added.
"Yeah, and I still have no idea what I'd be looking for, so…" Gabriel said.
"Gabriel, are you sure there's nothing else you remember? Even if it's a seemingly not important detail, it could mean something," Sam asked.
"All I remember is waking up on your bed, sasquatch. Unless you count the dream I had before I woke up."
"What dream?" asked Dean.
"Nothing really, just eyes." He saw the disbelief written on everyone's faces. "No, really, I just remember a pair of brown eyes," Gabriel insisted.
"Brown eyes. Cas, do you think that whatever brought him back could have had brown eyes?" Dean asked.
"That would be the best assumption to make. Following that thought, it would also be best to assume that our father was not the one who brought him back," Castiel explained.
"So that means we are defiantly dealing with a pagan god. Great. Okay, I say we look into Norse mythology and see who would have a reason to resurrect Loki," Dean suggested.
"That won't work," Sam said in response.
"Why wouldn't that work, Sammy?"
"Because, Dean, in case you forgot, all the gods from all the mythologies know each other. It could be any one of them."
"Oh, right. That makes sense, I guess," Dean stood up and grabbed the keys to the impala.
"And where do you think you're going?" Bobby asked.
"To a bar to get drunk and get away from you people. No offence. Now if you'll excuse me," he then left the room with a smirk on his face, grabbed his jacket, and went in the impala to head to the nearest bar.
"And I don't know about you three bozos," Gabriel said, addressing Sam, Castiel, and Bobby, "but I'm going to bed. Do I actually get a bed tonight?" He added with a touch of sarcasm.
"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses, idjit. Sam, show him to one of the bedrooms," Bobby replied, rolling his eyes.
Sam got up from his chair. "This way," he said, starting to walk off. Gabriel followed. When they reached one of the rooms, the odd, almost electrical feeling that Gabriel had first felt when he saw Sam seemed to grow. "So…" Sam said awkwardly, "I guess I'll, uh, see you tomorrow then."
"Wait," Gabriel said, "what exactly is this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I need you to be honest here because I don't know anything, and this is how it feels, but were we together before I died?"
"What?" Sam asked shocked.
Gabriel shrugged. "It just seems like there's something, I dunno, there, you know?"
"Oh thank God, I thought I was going crazy," Sam muttered and sat down on the bed. "To answer your question, no, we were not together."
"Okay. One more question: Please tell me your brother was kidding about not having a huge-ass crush on my bro," Gabriel said, then sat down next to Sam.
Sam smirked, "They aren't together. Though according to Cas, they share a 'profound bond'. Honestly, I think Dean just needs to pull his head out of his ass."
"You are kidding. Please tell me you're kidding," Sam shook his head. Gabriel starting laughing, "Oh dear god, no wonder there was so much UST in the room. I think you and I need to formulate a plan. May I recommend a nice, locked closet?"
"Nah, Cas will be able to mojo himself out of there. Our plan is probably gonna need to involve holy oil."
As the two continued to "plan", the original awkwardness was quickly forgotten. By the time they actually went to sleep, they were joking and teasing like old friends.
Chapter 5
Before anyone knew it, a month went by. Bobby, Dean, Sam, and Gabriel (who they had discovered was a very good researcher) gathered as much information as possible to figure out who it was that brought Gabriel back and how they had done it. Castiel, meanwhile, asked around heaven when he wasn't busy fighting the war and helping out the brothers. He had also discovered that Gabriel now had a scar from where Lucifer had stabbed him and the odd markings on his back appeared to be a reflection of his wings. Sam and Dean did wind up going on a couple hunts during the month, leaving Gabriel with Bobby (who had restrained himself from pulling another gun on Gabriel) to continue the research. During all of this, Gabriel and Sam had grown closer and closer, and the odd energy surrounding the two of them had seemed to grow (though they ignored it like the big, pink elephant it was). They would sometimes take time off just to talk about everything: How Gabriel was settling in, how they were feeling, and just life in general. Dean was getting pissed (and slightly jealous) at how much time Sam had been spending with Gabriel. Sam and Gabriel were currently having one of their "talks" (or "chick-flick time" as Dean calls it).
"Crap, why the hell is Bobby such a slave-driver to me and not you two chuckleheads?" Gabriel asked. He and Sam were sitting on a bed (ironically, the same bed they had had their first real conversation in that month ago) and Gabriel had just "collapsed", laying down on it.
"Because he loves us and you tried to kill him with an axe-wielding psycho," Sam said, smirking.
"If I read correctly," Gabriel said, referring to the fact that he had read Chuck's books, "I attacked you as well."
"Oh, that's right. I don't like you anymore. I think I'm just going to leave you now," Sam said, deadly serious. He got up as though to walk away.
"No, I'm sorry! Please don't leave my. I beg for your forgiveness O kind one!" Gabriel said sarcastically, pulling Sam back onto the bed. Sam landed on top of him, both of them laughing so hard they couldn't move away from the other.
It was when Sam looked down and their eyes met that the energy in the room seemed to change. Sam saw Gabriel's pupils darken, and Sam was sure his were probably doing the same. They both began to breathe a bit deeper. Slowly, Sam moved his mouth closer to Gabriel's and stopped just an inch away, giving Gabriel enough time to stop him if that's what he wanted. Gabriel tilted his head upwards, sealing his lips over Sam's in a chaste kiss. Everything that had been building up that past month - the tension, the looks (which were sometimes worse than Castiel and Dean's), and the electrical feeling, the connection between them - broke.
Sam moved away first - mostly because he needed to breathe - and sat up next to Gabriel. Gabriel then sat up as well. "Wow," Sam said.
"Yeah," Gabriel responded. Sam didn't think he would be able to speak coherently even if he wanted too, and judging by Gabriel's face, he couldn't either. It was a few minutes before either of them spoke: "So…what are we gonna do?"
"I don't know. I say we just play it by ear. What do you think?"
"Okay. Yeah."
"Or maybe…" Sam said, sounding a bit disappointed.
"What?"
"What happens when you get your memories back? You won't want to be with me," Sam hung his head.
"Bull shit," Sam looked up sharply at that. "Don't you fucking say that Sammy. Why in the world wouldn't I want to be with you? You're handsome, smart, a great hunter, have a kick-ass body, and you are kind."
"I drank demon blood, I started the apocalypse, need I go on?"
"Puh-lease. Technically, your brother started the apocalypse by breaking the first seal. Second, that Ruby-bitch manipulated you into drinking her blood. And if I do get my memories back and don't want to be with you, than I'm more of a douche-bag than your brother," Gabriel added a smile when he said the last part. "Besides, chances are, I won't be getting my memories back anyway," Gabriel looked slightly sad when he said that.
"Gabriel-" Sam began.
"No. We both know that we've exhausted every resource and we're no closer to finding out what happened then we were a month ago!"
"Gabriel, look at me!" Sam shouted, grabbing Gabriel's shoulders. "We will get your memories back, " he said in a much softer voice, "I promise." Sam then leaned over and kissed Gabriel once more until Gabriel relaxed against him. Sam knew at that moment that he would do everything in his power to keep that promise, even though he knew in his heart that Gabriel would leave him as soon as he remembered. A promise is a promise.
Epilogue
Kali watched the events unfold. Everything was going exactly as she had planned. She sipped from her wine glass filled with blood and thought back on the past month. She had not expected Gabriel to remember seeing her eyes, though she supposed it didn't matter. Many gods had taken a form that possessed brown eyes. She was also quite disappointed that Sam had thought to expand their search to include all gods from all religions and mythologies. She knew that eventually they would track her down, and she would be ready. She just hoped that what she did was not for naught and that Gabriel truly would learn his lesson. But until they did find her, all she could do was wait and watch.
The End...for now