By: magicks
Summary: In Thanatopsis, Sara warns Gabe: "... if you act out again, I will hunt your ass down and kick it up somewhere around your ears." My muse was feeling rebellious. Gabe did it again.
Setting: Sometime first season. Gabe's alive, along with whoever else you want.
Feedback: duh. Oh, right, manners. *smiles sweetly* Any and all feedback would be appreciated, thank you.
Disclaimer: um, I don't own. please don't sue.
A/N: I *loved* the big sis/lil' bro action between Sara and gabe in the first season, so it's a major part of this snip.
A/N2: What does a writer do when she's trying to figure out where to go with her other fics? Write pointless snippets to feed her muse's craving, of course! (And eat cookie dough.)
***********************
Gabriel sighed and laid his head back against the cell wall. Sara was going to kill him. Kill. Him. First that fist fight with Donless, now this. He knew *exactly* how she felt about his hotheaded tendencies to let his anger get the better of him, and even though she knew the first time it was mainly grief, he had no doubt in his mind that her threats about a repeat performance had been deadly serious.
Now he didn't even have a dead best friend to hide behind. This was just him, getting drunk and being stupid. He glanced around the tiny cell disdainfully. Well, drunk or not, this was one place he had hoped never to be again. They never cleaned these, did they? Gabriel wasn't sure whether to hope Sara checked her messages or not. Alone in accommodations he was sure violated the amendment against cruel and unusual punishment, or in a nice (somewhat) clean apartment with a livid female detective/psuedo big sister, which was the lesser of two evils?
Hearing the familiar buzz of a jail cell being opened, he looked up to see Sara standing in the doorway, arms crossed, staring at him. You know, now that he had a second look, the jail cell didn't seem so bad. Quite nice, actually. He could stay here, no problem. For the rest of his life, if need be.
"Ahem." Gabriel looked up, surprised. Oh yeah, Sara's here. Dammit, I was hoping she was a hallucination from a masochistic part of my subconscious. He offered his patented puppy dog look, sure to soften the hardest of female hearts. It was met with a scowl and a pair of green eyes that were the angriest he'd ever seen them. Fuck.
"Do I even want to *know* what you were thinking?" Sara growled. She continued without waiting for an answer. "No, wait, you weren't. You couldn't have been, because anybody with half a brain would realize that punching a biker twice your size is a *bad idea.*" She stressed the last two words to impress upon him the stupidity of his actions.
"He wasn't twice my size," Gabriel defended, "and he called me shrimp." That won him an incredulous stare.
"Don't tell me this barfight started because he called you *shrimp*."
"No!" Gabriel exclaimed. "He was being a jerk. Everybody hated him; I was just the one brave enough to throw the first punch."
"Now, just to clear things up for me here," Sara's voice dripped with sarcasm, "by brave, do you mean drunk or stupid? Because, you know, either works."
"Yeah, well, I bet I could apply that to some of the things you do, too," Gabriel mumbled petulantly. He didn't mean for it to be heard, but Sara's head shot up in recognition, eyes flaring.
"Excuse me?"
"Um-" Gabriel backpedaled quickly. Not quickly enough.
"What did you mean by that?" Sara looked at him expectantly, daring him to repeat his statement.
"I just meant- well, I- I meant that you always go off and do stupid things, and nobody faults you for it!" Gabriel burst out angrily. Sara's eyes widened for a second, then her mouth tightened into a thin line.
"Really," she said.
"Yeah," Gabriel continued without noticing Sara's reaction. If he had, he probably would have shut his mouth and prayed he would come through this with all limbs intact. "Every time I see you, you've got another 'daring' rescue planned, or you're recovering from one. You're not perfect, Sara; why do you expect everyone around you to be?"
"I don't expect you to be perfect, just to have common sense!" Sara exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, common sense," Gabe sneered. "Like you have an ounce of that!"
"Well I must have some, because my mistakes don't land me in a jail cell!" Sara took a step towards the door. "You know what? I don't need this. I came down here to help you out, and I get crucified. You can find your own way out of this. I'm gone."
"Yeah, that's right, run." Gabriel snapped. "Just like you do when anything gets tough, huh? I guess our friendship means nothing to you."
Sara spun around and walked to stand in front of the young man she had taken under her wing. At first it looked like she might explode, but then she sighed. "It's just the opposite, Gabe. Our relationship means everything to me. You're like a brother to me. You're not just a friend; you're family. And sometimes family has to make hard decisions for the good of another family member. Right now you need this time to realize that what you're doing is not only stupid, it's dangerous. One of these days you're going to get into worse trouble than a barfight, and I won't be able to bail you out. I just hope tonight makes you think about things." She searched his eyes, looking for some sign of understanding.
Gabriel glared up at her sullenly, petulance in his eyes. Only two ideas had pervaded his thick skull and dark mood: Sara was family, and she wasn't going to bail him out. "Great," he spat, the alcohol still in his system making him confident, "I'll just get out of here myself, since my big sister's a little *bitch.*"
A hand came out of nowhere, slapping him right across the face. It wasn't hard or cruel, but it hurt. Sharp and chastising, it left his cheek stinging, and Gabriel felt tears come unbidden to his eyes. He blinked them back furiously and stared incredulously at Sara, one hand holding his cheek. He couldn't believe she slapped him!
Sara stared back, expression unreadable but eyes flashing like emeralds. "Watch your mouth," she warned. Without another word, she turned and left the cell.
Gabriel watched her back as she walked out of holding, then slumped against the wall miserably. Why the hell did he do that? Sara was just trying to help him, and he'd acted like a jerk. No, worse, he'd acted like a brat. He totally deserved the slap, not to mention the night here. He was just angry, and, as usual, his temper got the better of him. Dammit, he really had to work on that.
Wallowing in his guilt, Gabe lay down on the cot and curled up on his side. He had better get some sleep. He would be doing a lot of apologizing tomorrow.
*******************the next day********************
Had she not been listening for it, Sara would not have heard the hesitant knock at her door the next evening. As it was, she knew Gabriel would come by to apologize. The kid may have had a temper hotter than Hades, but he also had a big heart and the wisdom to know when he was wrong. Getting up from her bed, she crossed the room and checked the peephole before opening the door to reveal a very nervous-looking Gabriel Bowman.
"Um, hi," he said quietly. Sara just stared at him. "Uh, can I come in?" Silently she stood aside and allowed him entrance. He walked in cautiously and stood uncertainly by one of the stuffed chairs in the living room. Sara closed the door and locked it, and came to lean against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, staring at him.
Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, I guess you know why I'm here." Sara continued to stare. "I wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. I was completely out of line. I shouldn't have started that barfight, and the things I said were rude and disrespectful. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was drunk, and I let my temper get the better of me. But I know that's no excuse." Gabriel took a deep breath. "I understand if you don't want to see me for a while, but I had to apologize and let you know how sorry I really am. I just hope we can still be friends." He looked up timidly, hoping his apology had had some effect on her.
Sara had to bite her tongue hard to keep from smiling while Gabriel was apologizing. It was obviously rehearsed, but at least he had thought about it. When he finished the last line and looked up at her, she took a moment to respond. She maintained her stony gaze for a full half-minute, enjoying seeing him squirm, before speaking.
"You're right, Gabriel," she answered coldly. "What you said was rude and uncalled for. In fact, your entire conduct last night was inexplicable. You *shouldn't* have started that barfight, and you were extremely disrespectful when I came to bail you out. Then you called me a bitch when I decided not to help you, even though I explained why it was better for you to stay there. I understand that you may have been drunk, and my leaving may have made you feel like I didn't care, but you still had no right to speak to me like that." Gabriel hung his head and stared at his shoes, ashamed. "But it's like I said before. You're not a friend." Gabriel's gaze rose immediately, fear and apprehension coloring his eyes. She doesn't mean- she wouldn't- would she? "You're family. And family doesn't desert one another, even if one person acts like a complete brat." Gabriel unconsciously brought his hand to his cheek. Sara caught the gesture and shook her head slightly. "I'm not going to apologize for slapping you, Gabriel."
"I wouldn't expect you to," he replied quickly. "I deserved that smack."
"You're right, you did. You were acting like a child, so I punished you like one. I'd do it again, too." Gabriel dropped his head again, blushing, and Sara finally let herself smile. "But for now you can consider yourself forgiven." Her smile was contagious, and Gabriel found the corners of his mouth tugging tentatively. He dared a glance up at her, and Sara opened her arms. "Come here."
Gabriel dove into the embrace, and she wrapped her arms around his thin torso. "I'm ssooo sorry," he murmured.
"I know, sweetie. I know." Sara drew back and held his gaze firmly. "But if you so much as *look* at a bar for the next two months, I won't be nearly as nice. Hear me?"
Gabriel nodded, knowing better than to argue. "I, uh, apologized to that biker," he offered. "He's not going to press charges."
Sara nodded solemnly. "And the bar owner?"
"I offered to pay for the damages, and he agreed to settle things out of court, too."
"Good." Sara smiled again, and Gabriel relaxed. Suddenly his eyes lit up in surprise.
"Oh, I almost forgot." He dug into his pocket and took out a small box. "I got you something," he mumbled. "You know, to say sorry."
Sara opened the jewelry box and took out the heart-shaped locket, placing it in her palm. Inside were two pictures, one of Sara and one of Gabriel. Feeling slight ridges on the back, she turned it over and found a message inscribed in fine script. It read simply, To my sister.
"Gabriel, I- thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," he answered bashfully. "I thought, you know, we're family. You're my family."
Sara grinned through a couple of tears and hugged him. "And you're mine."
C'est Finis (for now)