A/N: S4/S5 Sam to start and then moving on to S13. Haven't seen it all yet - I am slowly making my way through it so Please NO SPOILERS.
Slight AU as Gabriel and Sam are in a relationship and it loosely follows Canon with some Minor changes.
Cas and Dean... are Cas and Dean, take that as you will. I'm not focussing on them much in this Story.
Warning: If you don't like or can't handle any mention or detail of Blood as this Story centres around Sam's Addiction to Demon Blood then Don't Read.
No actual Ruby here - she is mentioned though.
I've loosely borrowed some aspects from Canon Episodes - (No Profit, yada yada yada) - I just didn't want to completely steal from script.
This is my longest One-Shot Written so far. Yay. Hope you enjoy it. This is my Substitute for another Chapter of "Angel Fish"
Drowning in Crimson:
The more sweet nectar he consumed, the stronger Sam became or at least that's what he believed at first.
Keeping this secret from Dean was torture enough but from his boyfriend, who was also an Archangel... if Sam had to guess what Hell was like among hearing Dean's nightmares and mumblings through the night, lying to Gabriel daily had to be up there.
He Hunted alone, specifically Demons to quench his thirst, his addiction. Gabriel insisted - more often than not pleaded - with his boyfriend to join him but Sam managed to win the arguments, if and when Cas was busy Dean needed someone to keep him grounded before, during and after plaguing nightmares of Hell and whatever Dean had gone through. Gabriel had to stay put for security, he would keep his promise to Sam to look after his Brother when Sam couldn't. Dean preferred it when Cas was around but he never complained.
Sam was alone in his stolen vehicle, the Demon's blood pumping through his veins, he was lucky this time around; not one, not two but four Demons showed up to Sam's carefully conducted Honeytrap. He wouldn't need drink for at least a fortnight now by his earliest standards if he could suppress his hunger enough to withstand the night-fevers, the little part of him that repeatedly screamed "Drink all of the Demon's Blood and never stop" internally and the occasional stomach cramp or on a rare time throwing up because of withdrawal.
The adrenaline high lasted most of his drive however guilt rammed it's ugly head in. He'd remembered the Demon's taunts, only to last seconds after Sam made the first slice into their neck with Ruby's Dagger then he drained them - he tried not to compare himself to a vampire - they were dead and did this to feed, Sam was doing this for strength and getting a high from the exhilaration of it.
Gabriel was in the dark about Sam's 'habit'. The later the Archangel found out the worse the consequences were going to be for everyone. But in the moments after Sam had his meal he didn't care.
Gabriel never found out but he had his suspicious. He could sometimes taste something unpleasant when he and Sam kissed and a few times he'd caught Sam throwing up something putrid coloured but he never considered it to be anything other than rancid Diner Food.
It had been years, Sam was sure the last time Demon Blood graced his lips was during The Horseman's Famine plague struck a whole town.
Gabriel had been murdered by Lucifer and for a long while Demon Blood was barely a whispered thought at the back of Sam's mind. He didn't dare touch the stuff anymore because he'd never want to betray the feeling of Gabriel's goodbye kiss before facing Lucifer. Grief over losing his Archangel to the Devil outweighed any hunger or thirst the presented itself to Sam.
When Ketch arrived with a petrified Gabriel - his lips sewn shut, his face swollen and caked in dried blood - stunned the youngest Winchester. Dean did most of the talking as Sam continued to process the information that his formerly dead boyfriend, his Gabriel was still Alive and now... tortured by a Prince of Hell.
Sam was gentle and kind with Gabriel, talking about everything that Gabriel had missed while Sam carefully released Gabriel's lips with a scalpel. Sam himself couldn't help but grimace towards Gabriel's pain and suffering. Once the Archangel was free Sam gingerly placed his hand on Gabriel's shoulder, his once strong, cocky, Trickster of a boyfriend looked so small to Sam.
In the midst of apologising for everything Asmodeus had done to him Gabriel shifted forward in his seat perching his head against the pace between Sam's neck and shoulder, his hands bunched up in Sam's flannel. The younger Winchester could only focus on pulling Gabriel's hectic breathing - he was crying, panicking and expressing it only through his nose - Sam cringed in agony, resting his head against Gabriel's, wrapping his arms tight around his Archangel - wary of injuries - to comfort his boyfriend.
Sam said goodbye to Dean. Gabriel watched from his seat as he eldest Winchester and Ketch left through the portal that would last only 24 hours to find their Mother and whoever this 'Jack' was.
Sam lost all composure, dropping his head into his hands shuddering deeply. Gabriel took a risk and made his way to his Charge tugging at his shirt for attention so Sam wouldn't be startled by Gabriel pulling Sam into another hug, he shifted his head so it rested underneath Sam's hands, Gabriel slowly traced his fingers up and down Sam's spine. The Winchester dropped his arms by his side, allowing Gabriel's embrace to swallow him whole.
Clearing his throat his gently pulled away from Gabriel.
"Let's get you cleaned up and find you some clothes. There's no way I'm letting you walk around like this a second longer"
Gabriel curled his hand around Sam's lengthy fingers, giving him watery eyes
"Come on, I'll show you around afterwards too, if you want to I mean, you've been forced to do things for-" Gabriel interrupted by cupping his hand over Sam's mouth, rising on his tip toes. He hoped Sam was translating this as 'Sam, you're not him, there's no way you could ever make me do anything I didn't want to'
Sam scanned Gabriel's eyes hoping to receive some form on words and gingerly pulled Gabriel's hand away "OK. I might have some spare clothes that fit but uh... might be a bit long for you" Sam joked, Gabriel shrugged following Sam into a bathroom
Grabbing essentials Sam filled the sink with warm water, wringing it out and dabbing it against Gabriel's skin. The Archangel turned away from the touch
"Am I hurting you?"
Gabriel shook his head staring at his fidgeting hands instead, Sam rested his hand over both of Gabriel's "This is real, I'm real and Asmodeus is never getting his hands on you ever again"
A stern gaze was cast from Gabriel as if to say 'Shut your cake-hole, Sam'
Sam's shoulders drooped "Let me clean you up, just bat my hands away if I'm hurting you"
Gabriel still didn't hold eye contact while warm water washed over his face taking away the damage done by the last Prince of Hell. Eventually his face was clean Gabriel finally understood how dry his lips, mouth and throat were, Gabriel pulled a face, bringing a hand to his throat, swallowing down minimum saliva. Sam stared wide eyed in realisation. "Let me get you something to drink, come on"
Gabriel nodded, letting Sam lead him through to the kitchen "Here, sorry I didn't notice before"
The Archangel waved a dismissive hand, while waiting for his drink he couldn't help but worry about Sam, not five minutes ago Sam was nearing a breakdown and now was worrying about his broken ass instead. Gabriel didn't want to be a burden on the Winchester.
Lost in his thoughts Gabriel hadn't noticed Sam patiently waiting holding a glass of water out to him, Sam lightly cleared his throat to get his attention
"Gabriel? You're allowed to have this"
The Archangel - or what was left of him - shook his head a little to clear his mind. He took the glass and held it with both hands, so sure it would dissolve if he didn't keep his eyes on it
"It's real, I've not poisoned it or anything"
Gabriel pulled a face at Sam, wondering why the Hell Sam would do such a thing and then he remembered about Monty Christo and the Pornstars... all of them plus Loki and his spiteful assholes of children that he needed to Hunt down but in order to do that he'd have to leave Sam behind again.
"Gabriel?" Sam firmly held his shoulder forcing Gabriel out of his head for a moment, he had dropped the glass and was almost standing on shards. Without thinking Gabriel swung for Sam and raced into a random room, he curled up behind the large dresser to make himself a small target if Sam were to find him. Balling himself up tighter Gabriel shuddered in anticipation for whatever happened next
Sam watched in confusion and slight heart ache as Gabriel nearly punched him and ran to an empty room, he cleaned up the glass and gave Cas a call
"Sam, what's happened?"
"Uh... it's better if you come back to the Bunker. I'll explain everything when you get here"
Sam ended the call and finished picking up the glass, he moped up the water with a towel and braved seeing Gabriel again
He took a deep breath and knocked before letting himself in "Gabriel?" He kept his voice calm and low-toned "It's just me, it's Sam" Sam spotted his boyfriend balled up behind the dresser, that broke his heart. "Gabriel, hey, it's OK" He crouched down to give a less intimidating profile knowing the hovering over Gabriel at his full height was the worst thing to do in this situation.
Gabriel shut himself down completely, he was lost. Asmodeus was torturing Gabriel internally now, he was using Sam's face to reveal true weakness and was probably ejecting the last of his Grace to feed his habit.
Sam reached out to hold Gabriel again however the Archangel violently flinched away, Sam retracted himself "Cas is going to be here soon, do you remember him?"
Gabriel ignored him, Sam quietly left the room in promise of returning later.
Sam visited Gabriel again, this time with Castiel and did attempt to feed him his remaining Grace but Gabriel wasn't falling for it, Asmodeus was dangling a carrot in his face and would severely punish him for it if he tried to take it.
Of all people to shift in to, having Sam do thins was worse torture than just Asmodeus doing this himself.
With nothing better to do Gabriel decided to get everything out of his head. His Story. Carving it out against the walls in Enochian seemed better. He had gone into details about the Pornstars, because why not? If he was going to desecrate his cell this was the best way to do it. Screw you Asmodeus. Gabriel sat himself down on the middle of the bed, still curled up without realising it at first.
Sam returned once again, he alerted for Cas and Castiel explained what the story described. Sam hid how he felt about Gabriel hiding he was alive and having the time of his life with Pornstars, lots and lots of Pornstars.
Sam asked Cas if he could heal Gabriel, despite his younger Brother's protest Cas did as Sam asked, Gabriel barely felt anything; he still believed Asmodeus was doing all of this just to hurt him more.
Later on Sam had perched himself near Gabriel on a chair, Sam didn't say anything for a while until being quiet was too much, he was ready to leave but decided Gabriel needed to hear what was on his mind, he told Gabriel he knew exactly what it was like, to feel like being in their own head feels better but when people needed them they should step up to the mark, acknowledging that paradise with Hookers sounded great but there were expectations to be held, plus Jack, Gabriel's Nephew was out there in the Apocalypse World, vulnerable and Hunted. Sam finished with four words that he hoped would pull his Archangel through "Gabriel, I need you"
Gabriel had listened and noticed Sam had gotten something wrong, if Sam could catch him on a continuity error then Gabriel would return the Favour "Pornstars"
That caused Sam to freeze by the door, he turned looking confused
"They were Pornstars, Sam" Gabriel activated his Grace, lighting his eyes up strikingly blue
Sam smiled "Welcome back"
"How do I know you're real?"
"Demons don't have heartbeats or Souls, do they?"
Gabriel shook his head, loosening his hold around his legs slightly to properly take the image of Sam in, his Soul was shining bright within him
"May I?" Sam gestured to sit in front of Gabriel
Gabriel nodded, keeping Sam under his gaze. Sam sat cross-legged across from Gabriel and gently took his hand, placing it on his chest for Gabriel to feel Sam's heart beating underneath his hand
"Hey Kiddo" Gabriel's eyes softened, his body relaxed for the first time in years.
"Let me get you your Grace, I'm sure-" Sam's phone interrupted him "Hello?"
"There you are" A familiar voice echoed through the speaker, Gabriel back away from the phone "Sam, you have something of mine, I'd like it back"
"Go to Hell, I'm hanging up now"
"I give you half an hour to hand what's mine over without any consequences, then I take it by force"
The called ended
Sam's blood was boiling, Gabriel wasn't an 'it' how dare that Son of a Bitch demean his Archangel. Shoving down rage he comforted Gabriel as he got up to the door again
"He's not getting anywhere near you. I'm going to get Cas and ward this place off. Stay hidden and I'll find you once this is over. I promise"
"Sam" Gabriel feared for Sam's life, Humans were easily broken and damaged and Asmodeus was a Prince of Hell
"Gabriel, you risked your life for me going up against Lucifer. I'm not losing you a second time" Sam left leaving Gabriel to hide. Once he collected himself Gabriel didn't have much time to find a new hiding spot as other Demons were lurking around as Asmodeus broke all the warding Sam and Castiel had produced. He didn't have enough power to destroy them if they came close to him and he was far too terrified to defend himself.
Sam and Castiel were following the trail of fading warding, they took down the straggling Demons, Cas had saved Sam by blasting the Demon instead of stabbing the meat suit. "Thanks"
"Sam, this warding wasn't for the likes of me" Asmodeus made his presence known "Where is my Archangel?"
Sam glared at the Prince, Asmodeus had no right to be anywhere in proximity of Gabriel, let alone claim him
"He told me about you, the Boy with the Demon Blood from my Brother running in your system. It's been some time since you've tasted our blood, hasn't it"
"That has nothing to do with you" Castiel cut in, angling himself to protect Sam
"As much as I'd like to play with you Castiel, I have more important business to attend to" The Prince snapped his fingers and low-and-behold two Demons were dragging Gabriel to the War Room. Petrified. Struggling and desperate to get away from Asmodeus.
Sam wanted to dissolve and make the Prince combust at the same time, he couldn't keep his promise for more than an hour, what a shitty Boyfriend he was being.
"Hello again, Gabriel" Asmodeus was only a few steps away from the Archangel, Sam saw red
"Sam!" Castiel was met with the Demons
"Get the Hell away from him" Sam charged forward to be met with something stabbing him in the neck, it wasn't a knife, it was a needle. It made Sam yell out in pain, his insides began to burn in a way they hadn't in many years.
"Sam!" Gabriel called out worried, forgetting about Asmodeus momentarily.
"I think this could work out better, Samuel"
"It's... Sam" The Winchester hissed as the contents of the syringe further plunged into his system, he found himself on his knees from the agony.
"Of course" Asmodeus mocked, ripping Sam's body upwards by his hair "Samuel, I can feel your body accepting the Blood, don't reject it, boy"
"Sam, don't" Gabriel pleaded
"Keep that mouth of yours shut, Gabriel. I broke you once, I can do it again"
"No!" Sam yelled, sending the two Demons Castiel was dealing with, the two that were holding Gabriel and Asmodeus to the walls, he picked himself up, somehow moving against the burning within "You're not laying a finger on Gabriel ever again"
"Do you know who's blood I put in your veins?"
Sam didn't. Honestly he wasn't caring at this second, the power was enough to focus let alone who it belonged to
"I made sure to make you a little piece offering before I collected my sweet"
"The blood is yours" Castiel concluded, moving near Gabriel who was staring at Sam's back
"Right you are, Castiel" Asmodeus moved himself from the wall with only slight resistance "It's been some time, Samuel since you've felt power. I can feel your trembling. I may have Gabriel's Grace running through me but you and I... we're connected now, you could say... Blood Brothers"
Sam's rage inflamed, the four spare Demons were snuffed out while Sam charged for the Prince
"Sam!" Both Celestial beings shouted
Sam had pinned Asmodeus down, hunger and lust for the powerful crimson nectar calling in full swing "You hurt Gabriel" Sam punched the Prince across the face "You stole his Grace" Another punch "You tortured him by sewing his lips shut" Several punches "You grounded him to Hell" Another punch, causing the Prince's lip to bust open "and you attacked our Home, charged in and tried to steal him from me again" Sam unearthed the Ruby's Demon Dagger, slicing across Asmodeus' neck to then fiercely sink his teeth into, the adrenaline high sky rocketed which caused him to remember something crucial, spinning Asmodeus around keeping him in a firm hold he stared back at Gabriel "He stole you Grace, it's within him, you can take it all back now"
Gabriel didn't want to go anywhere hear Asmodeus or Sam at this moment but the Winchester was right. Reaching out and touching the Prince's head his stolen Grace surged back into his veins, he received a memory flash of Asmodeus storing Grace within Hell's throne which he would retrieve in a moment "By the way, I always hated the dumbass suit" Gabriel insulted as Asmodeus burned into nothing, Gabriel pulled Sam away to avoid the flames. He teleported himself to Hell's Throne and then destroyed it after taking out five vials, he would consume three and save two, one for later, the other for the Winchester's new portal. He wasn't staying long.
Returning as fast as he left Sam still stood, now slump over, looking ashamed of himself as Asmodeus' blood stained his skin around his mouth "I'm so sorry..."
"Kiddo," Gabriel turned to Sam, the Archangel was about to continue however the Winchester had the wonderful idea to greet the floor with his body "Sam!"
"It's the blood" Castiel stated the obvious
"I know! Sam? Sam, can you hear me? Kiddo, come on" Gabriel placed his palm against Sam's head to clear up the bullshit that what was left of Asmodeus "Sam, please"
"This isn't the first time he's collapsed, we should get him to his room"
Gabriel snapped his fingers, Castiel was standing by Sam's bed while Sam lay across it as Gabriel held him
"What do you mean 'this isn't the first time'?" Gabriel demanded having to release Sam due to convulsing "Castiel, answer me"
"Sam was addicted to Demon's blood, before and while you and he were together. He didn't drink once after you supposedly died at the hands of Lucifer, Dean says Famine doesn't count"
Gabriel felt as if his world blew up "He drunk Demon blood while I was here..." Then the dots connected "Every time he went on a Hunt alone... despite me asking, pleading multiple times. Sam, why?"
Sam couldn't reply, being unconscious and all. His fit had ended and now he lay limp on Gabriel's lap
"There isn't much time left on that portal, Cas. Keep an eye on it and I'll take care of Sam. Oh. Uh, here. You'll need this" Gabriel passed his spare vial to Castiel.
A thumping noise was muffled by the War Room "Go, Dean-o's back. I got this" Gabriel didn't watch his Brother leave as Sam subconsciously turned his head towards the door at the mention of Dean's name.
"Oh, Sammy... what happened to you while I was away?" Gabriel petted Sam's hair as he healed him carefully
Dean barged in "I'm surprised you haven't left yet"
"No, I haven't" 'Not yet, I don't want to leave Sam without at least telling him about going first' Gabriel finished to himself
"Good, what happened to him?" Dean curved around the bed to see Sam sleeping peacefully, however Dean wouldn't be Dean without noticing the tremble in Sammy's hands. Gabriel had wiped the blood clear
"Asmodeus"
"What?" Dean yelled
"Shh! Asmodeus attacked and Sam... Sam saved us and I'm helping him recover. I'm fully back by the way, don't worry, I gave Cassie a spare piece in case things went south, so where are they?"
"Still on the other side"
"Well you don't have to worry about Archangel Grace" Gabriel continued to play with Sam's hair. Sam started to come back, he felt something going through his hair that wasn't him and tried to stop it
"Welcome back"
"Dean?" Sam shot up sideways which didn't help any form of how much like crap he felt
"Hey, easy there Kiddo" Gabriel helped
"Gabe..? You're here?"
"Sammy" Dean's voice called him again, Sam took one look at what he thought was Dean but he wasn't Dean, it was Asmodeus
"No, no, stay away from Gabriel. You burned, you're dead"
"Sam, it's me. It's Dean" Dean bent down to meet Sam's eyes - as he tried to guard Gabriel - which was a huge mistake "Sam, your eyes"
"What?"
"Why are your eyes yellow, Sam?" Dean demanded
"That's my fault" Gabriel admitted
"What?" Both Winchesters asked, Dean shouted, Sam was confused
"Like I said Asmodeus was here and Sam-"
"Did you drink Demon Blood? Don't try to deny it Sam I can smell it off your breath" Dean jumped down Sam's throat, interrupting Gabriel
"Dean, shut up!" Sam shouted wobbling to his feet "Asmodeus was going to take Gabriel away again so I made sure he didn't"
"By getting hopped up on Demon Blood again? Yeah, nice move Sam"
"Again?" Gabriel wondered out loud
"Sam, I don't want you anywhere near the next portal" Dean made a retreat, Sam stormed after him, Gabriel joined to keep the fighting at bay
"Dean! Dean, look at me Don't you dare bench me on this, so what, I've swallowed some Demon Blood, it's not like I'm going to venture out for it, I have control and it was to protect Gabriel"
"Yeah, 'cause you didn't use that excuse the last time"
"Feel like I'm missing some context here" Gabriel stepped in between them "What are you both talking about?"
"Gabriel, Sam here-"
"Dean, shut up!" Sam barked over Dean's words
"Before you faced Lucifer and disappeared Sam drunk Demon Blood for kicks, to get high in an attempt to overpower Lilith and Lucifer"
Gabriel tried to keep his facial expressions composed but it obviously didn't work "See? Every time something good is about to happen crap tumbles down on us"
"Dean, where's Mom and Jack?"
"You're not changing the subject, Sam! You're not getting out of this so easy"
Sam wasn't trying to, he was genuinely curious as to why Dean returned alone "I wasn't-"
"Sam, if I have to I'll handcuff you to get you to listen to me, you're staying here"
"Asmodeus attacked, he brought Demons and he injected Sam with something, Dean. He did it to protect me and Cassie's feathery ass. I'll take care of him while he needs to recover" Gabriel butted in
Sam couldn't listen to the arguing anymore, this fight seemed to be on a loop, he wasn't going to get any answers
"Boy..."
Sam turned his head, "Did you guys hear that?" Sam faced where his Brother and Gabriel should have been, now that he thought about it Cas disappeared too
"Guys?" Sam questioned. His body felt heavy, weighed down by something that he couldn't why
"Samuel"
"It's Sam" The Winchester corrected but his voice sounded strange
"Time to wake up, Samuel"
Sam's head swung side to side, the Winchester wondered if he was drunk, trying to move was restrictive, he remembered what it was like to be handcuffed, he tested them but his wrists were secured
"Samuel, I can't have all the fun if your unconscious" That voice, dripping with familiarity "Do you know where you are, Samuel?"
"It's Sam" Sam panted back, his body starting to burn
"Now Samuel, I don't want to correct you like I did Gabriel so soon"
"Correct?" Sam's head shot up in rage "Correct!" He yelled, struggling in his chains
"Yes, Samuel. I gave your precious Archangel the correction he needed"
"Don't you lay another finger on him" Sam threatened
"I don't need Gabriel anymore. I have you now"
"I've been tortured by Lucifer himself. What could you possibly do to me?" Sam smirked
"I could dream of things, Samuel. However I think this will suffice for now" Asmodeus produced another needle, filled near to the brim and stabbed it in Sam's neck. The Winchester yelled against the internal rage of the Demon Blood.
Asmodeus locked away Sam within Gabriel's old cage which was located in the Throne Room, Sam was stood at an odd angle due to his height while his arms were raised to the ceiling with Archangel Warded cuffs. He sat on his throne Asmodeus reflected on the past
Sam charged Asmodeus, pinning him to the wall "Gabriel" Sam's eyes flickered from black to yellow "Get out of here"
"Sam we can not leave you here" Castiel had managed to save Gabriel, keeping the Archangel behind him
"I said, go!" Sam ordered, struggling to keep Asmodeus under his grasp
"Winchester, you really think you can defeat me?
"I can try"
Asmodeus' eyes switched to an eerie yellow "You're scared, Samuel. Let me show you why"
The Prince kicked Sam in the chest, sending him to the floor. He sauntered up to Sam, grabbing him by the scruff of clothing so they were face to face. "Samuel, you have a little of my Blood in your system but remember this, you are a Human with Demon Blood but I... I am the Prince of Hell with Archangel Grace. You will never overpower me"
Asmodeus snapped his fingers Demons surrounded Sam and gripped him tight "It's time to leave"
"Sam!" Gabriel shouted, being pulled back by Castiel.
"Gabe... run..."
Asmodeus cupped the back of Sam's head, gripping his hair "I've had my fun with you Gabriel, I think it's time I break another link" Asmodeus, Sam and the Demons vanished into thin air.
The Prince of Hell smirked to himself, gazing back to Sam who was still chained up and currently unconscious, he had his work cut out for him, Lucifer had done some absolute despicable things to the Winchester, he would have to up his game. Knowing about Samuel's addition to Demon Blood lurked in the Prince's mind, this was going to be fun.
Dean returned. The Bunker was a mess, Castiel aided him to regain his balance. Gabriel was curling in on himself on a chair, a haunted expression on the Archangel's face.
Now that he properly looked at Cas the Angel was distraught
"What's happened? What's going on?"
"Asmodeus showed up, he came in search for Gabriel"
"OK, so what happened? Sam! Sam, I'm back"
"He won't hear you" Gabriel muttered
"Why?" Dean grounded out, stalking over towards the Archangel
"Because Asmodeus took Sam, first Sam was injected with Demon Blood, Sam was overpowered and they left"
"When did this happen?" Dean was losing it, the whole point of him leaving to the Other World was to keep Sam safe, not give Demons a free pass at attacking his Brother.
"About thirty minutes ago"
Dean was deadly silent for five seconds to suddenly bellow out "SON OF A BITCH!" He trashed more of the room "And in that time you didn't get him back" Dean spat at
Castiel
"Wherever the D-Bag is keeping Sam, it will be warded against Angels. Why do you think in all of the seven Earthly years that Castiel never detected me during his repeat trips back to Hell?"
"Oh and where were you? Sam probably stuck his neck out for you and what did you do to help?"
"Sam was adamant that Gabriel remain hidden" Castiel answered instead
"Cas, I didn't ask you"
"But it's true" Castiel shot back to Dean.
"Arguing is getting us nowhere, yes Sam rescued my sorry ass and now we're even" Gabriel cut in
"No! No don't pull that crap. Have you got any idea what Sam was like after you left him?"
"I have an idea-"
"You were alive! You were still here and you could have come back but you abandoned him. Sam lost himself and when you were dragged back here I'm guessing he did everything he could to help, right?"
Gabriel nodded
"Then why the Hell didn't you save him from Asmodeus?!"
Gabriel didn't want to answer, he was ashamed that he let Asmodeus just take Sam, he muttered the truth, Dean demanded he repeat himself.
"Fear! There, feel better now? I was scared and before you jump down my throat I know I'm a coward and I'm surprised you didn't figure that one out sooner. Would you of thrown yourself at Hellhounds the second Cas brought you back?"
Dean hesitated
"See? Cas wouldn't return to Heaven because he was afraid of them too. Not everyone is indestructible"
"Cas was afraid of killing himself, he wasn't scared of Heaven" Dean blurted out
"You remembered that?"
"Yes because it was screaming in my head among other things after you told me that, Cas. Why do you think I wanted to keep you close after that?"
"We're getting off track. Gabriel, do you still have your wings?"
"Yes, they're damaged and I don't have enough juice to make a two-way trip. It's not like you could help, your wings are in no condition, you've only got the juice to teleport"
"Do you remember the route Ketch brought you here"
"Not really"
"So back to square one. Let me guess, Sam gave you back the spare bit of Grace we had"
Gabriel nodded again
"So now we don't have any way of getting Jack or Mom. Great, that's freakin' great"
"It was your job to get them, wasn't it?" Gabriel raised his voice to the Winchester
Dean lunged for Gabriel however Cas stood in between them "Dean"
The pair devised an epic stare-down with each other. Gabriel left the room.
"We will find a way to get Sam back, I promise"
"Cas, our one shot is Gabriel but there's no way to get Sam back here" Dean was defeated, he planted his forehead against Cas' shoulder "Why is it that every time something good is about to happen..."
"I know, Dean. I will try to convince Gabriel however we need his Grace and there is barely anything left, he won't want to give that up, even for Sam"
Dean shook his head "I'm going to drink myself to either blacking out or passing out"
"Dean,"
"No, Cas. I'm..." Dean couldn't form words anymore, he was done with today. "Sam's back in Hell and Gabriel isn't going to lift a finger to help, you can't go grab him and I can't do anything, so first I'm going to drink and then find something to get my little Brother back"
Gabriel heard Dean, he would prove Tweedledumb wrong. Storming back to Sam's room and finding the spare clothes the Winchester had prepared, it was some of his old clothes; a green shirt, dark jeans, boots and his leather jacket. His heart dropped at the idea that Sam had kept these things. He could get himself, Castiel and Dean to Sam, it was getting away that was the problem. His dwindling Grace could make one trip and then it would taken a long while to recharge on it's own, he desperately wanted to stay as far away from Asmodeus as physically possible but now he had Sam. No more being selfish.
Trudging through he punched Dean in the face as best he could to get his attention "Get Cas to sober you up, get any or all equipment you need for Hell and we leave in an hour" Gabriel ordered and marched out the room. He staked out his Archangel Blade, it had power, glorious power but it wouldn't help his Grace by any means. He tucked it up his sleeve.
He placed himself at the table with the glowing map, he could use his tricks, it wouldn't cost him anything but concentration, he clicked his fingers, the map changed from the world to Hell, or at least as much of Hell as he knew about. Throne Room, torture chambers, more torture rooms, Hellhound pounds, Lucifer's cage, contract and paperwork rooms, Human cells, Demon chambers, orgy rooms, secret entrance / exit to Purgatory.
"Where did you take me Ketch?" Gabriel traced his finger across the route that was possible, there was a block that he didn't recognise, maybe that was were Ketch had smuggled him. That had to be it. Tapping his finger against it was the scene Cas and Dean walked in on
"You didn't bail?"
Gabriel glared at Dean, who was healed from both alcohol and his punch "No. Like you said; Sam stuck his neck out for me. Best I do the same again"
"What is this?" Cas questioned
"Hell. Remember this because we'll need to make a hasty exit"
"What's that?" Dean gestured to Gabriel pointed spot
"Somewhere that I don't know or recognise, I'm sure this is where Ketch shoved me through to get me here"
"Right next to Hellhound, of course" Dean said
"Where else would you put them?" Gabriel replied
Castiel was quiet, taking in all of the map's information "The Throne Room," He announced
"Yes. That's where Sam and Prince of Douchebags are"
"The safest place we could jump to is this corridor, the only problem is that it's dangerously close to the Throne Room" Castiel brought up
"Yeah, you can guess what's in there" Gabriel continued
"Angelic Warding" Dean finished
"Bingo. I can take us there but Cas would be stuck behind us, alerting Demons, alerting Asmodeus and then this plan goes down the drain" Gabriel finished
"Where is Sam going to be kept?" Dean demanded
"Probably my cell inside the Throne Room to bait us, but my original cell is here" Gabriel dragged his finger and tapped the cell that was alone down a dead-end corridor. "If he was sick of seeing me and decided to wait for his next hit of Grace he'd shove me in this dank hole. It's larger than the cell in the Throne Room but it's still Hell"
"Shouldn't we head there first then, cover all bases without getting caught" Dean mentioned
"The problem with that is the exit is the other side of Hell, if we have Sam it'll be near impossible for everyone to get out unscathed"
"Then we take that change"
"Do you have glasses burned in Holy Fire?" Cas asked
"Yeah"
"Good, you'll need to see the Hellhounds, Demons won't let the same mistake happen twice"
"So, we've agreed, dead-end and make our way across, switch the warding, get Sam and kill the last Prince of Hell?" Dean asked
"Yes" Both Angels replied
"Everyone ready?" Gabriel raised his hands, received two nods "Good, let's go" He snapped both his fingers and landed in Hell, he felt winded, powerless and anxious. Castiel helped him to stand properly
"Are you alright?"
"No, but we need to move"
Dean checked the cell "Sam?" He whispered loudly "Sammy?"
Cas peaked in, "He's not there"
Dean armed himself with a spare Angel Blade, "You gonna be alright?" Dean asked Gabriel, it was clear the Archangel was compromised
"I'm here aren't I?" Fake charisma, something Gabriel could easily slip in to "Let's get Sam back"
Asmodeus was done beating Sam to a bloody pulp inside the Throne Room, he needed to execute his plan now. Chaining Sam's arms to the wall while he was slump on the ground made things easier. Tilting Sam's head back and pulling his jaw down the Prince of Hell began pouring gallons of Demon's Blood down Sam's throat. The Winchester was choking, gagging and trying to fight against his confinements. His insides were alight and sizzling. He fought against tears falling but after the third container Sam stopped trying. At the same time Asmodeus stopped, seeing the Winchester close to throwing up, he squeezed his hand over Sam's mouth forced his mouth to remain shut, the Blood stayed down, horribly so.
Sam was sure something was wrong, whenever he indulged in Demon Blood years ago he could feel the surge of power pumping through his veins, 'Maybe you don't remember the taste' he reasoned with himself
"Samuel" The Prince called, before Sam could react a whip lashed against his face, a red mark blistered his cheek. Sam was whipped until all could feel was stinging, throbbing pain across his body, with the unwanted Demon's Blood sloshing about in his stomach his wounds were healing giving the Prince more reasons to keep cracking the whip. He moved on to more creative weapons, knives made their appearance, Sam was sure he'd seen a spiked mace and he was sure it had been slammed into his temple but honestly everything was a blur
"I could spend the rest of eternity destroying you Samuel, it wouldn't take as long as your Archangel, of course"
"Screw you..."
Asmodeus punched Sam in the gut, Russian Roulette with Demon Blood coming up, safe this time, maybe not so much next time.
"Do you want to know something, Samuel?"
Sam looked at him through bloodshot eyes, he hoped he was glaring or giving a Bitch Face
"Your precious Archangel, Brother and his Angel are here. Maybe you and Gabriel can be tortured together"
"Keep... your filthy hands... off him" Sam could barely breathe anymore
"Is it finally taking affect?"
Sam clawed his eyes to reach the Demon Prince "Is... what..?"
"The Blood itself originally was harmless but then I thought I'd make this a little more interesting in my favour"
Sam's line of sigh dissolved around him, his body wasn't reacting like it did once upon a time, he could feel his entire body shaking fitfully, he was on the verge of choking and throwing up at the same time. Asmodeus decided to kick the Winchester when he was done. Literally. Sam was sure he'd earned a few bruised or near-broken ribs and his legs got a good beating too.
A random Demon ran into the room "Sir, you need to be-"
"What did I say about interruption?" The Prince yelled
"No Sir, it's just-"
A distant yell caused all three to look around
"Dean Winchester and two Angels are here and Sir... one of them is Gabriel"
"He came back for more"
"Possibly"
"Let them come to me, we have our Warding, the Winchester is easily broken and Gabriel is all but Human too"
"What should we do with this one?" The Demon gestured to Sam, unconscious and subtly fitting
"Nothing, drag him back to his cell, not here. The other one"
"Yes Sir" The Demon made a show of unchaining Sam, cupping his arms around Sam's chest and dragging him backwards
"Oh and one more thing"
"Sir?"
Asmodeus pushed his hand out, sending the Demon to the wall, causing him to yell out
"Do you really believe me so stupid, Gabriel?"
"Sir?"
"Don't play games with me"
"Sir, I'm not Gabriel. I- I- I- I-"
"Enough" Asmodeus flicked his wrist, snapping the Demon's neck a complete 180*
Sam shuddered in his sleep, sweat beading his forehead. Pain. All Sam could feel was agonising pain. His insides were boiling to the point of bursting or malfunctioning, whichever came first. Sam didn't care any more.
"It seems big Brother wants you alive, Sam. I doubt you'll make it out of here but I'll give them five minutes, if you're not dead by then, maybe they walk free"
"What?"
"I added a little something to your feast, a parting gift, if you may"
Sam could only glare, he hoped he was glaring at the white-suited prick
"I see you're still figuring it out, I'll release you from all the brain work, Cyanide"
Sam's face drained of all colour in response
"I give you another hour at best, Winchester. make the most of it while you-"
Asmodeus was stabbed in the chest by Gabriel, the golden Archangel Blade shimmering as the Prince made pathetic noises and flailed in his defence "This is for taking Sam away from me, I wanted to savour this" Gabriel twisted his Blade, the Demon's body negatively reacted, as expected "For seven years you tortured me, I'm going to enjoy every second of your demise. I'll make it nice and slow, make sure you'll feel everything"
The Prince of Hell burned alive, he yelled out into non-existence. Gabriel dropped to Sam's side
"Sam! Sam, stay awake please, I heard what he said, I'm going to get you to Cassie and he'll fix you right up"
All Sam could see was a blur, labouring his breathing was exhausting all of his energy that he could smother, his restricted hands twitched to feel Gabriel beside him. In disgust Gabriel snapped the chains, freeing Sam's wrists.
"I'm right here, Sam. Don't you dare disappear on me, we can call it even. Now come on" Gabriel heaved Sam to his feet, having to take most of the Moose's near-dead weight, which use to be a breeze with all of his Grace but in his current condition Gabriel was lucky if he could move a few steps without re-adjusting Sam in some way, Sam was putting up a fight, making things ten times more difficult.
The Winchester staggered over towards Asmodeus' Throne, under trembling fingers and double-vision Sam scrapped at the back of the Throne, as if a dog was desperate to leave through a closed door
"Sam, we don't..." Gabriel words vanished, four medium-sized vials of his Grace revealed themselves
"Y- You need th- them" Sam slowly fell to his knees causing Gabriel to jump out of his trance, he pocketed the four vials and dragged Sam back to his feet
"How did you know they were there? I didn't"
"Guessed..." Sam joked breathless
"Just hang on, alright"
"Thanks" Sam croaked, Gabriel didn't like the fact Sam was getting heavier, Dean had to be close. Gabriel had bolted from the group the second he heard Asmodeus' voice
taunting Sam, maybe not the best idea in the long run but he had Sam so that was all that mattered
"For what?" Gabriel reeled back from meeting the ground with Sam
"Savin' me. Would 'ave d'ne the same if I knew..."
Swallowing pride and stupidity Gabriel yelled out "Dean!" Sam wasn't going to last long.
"Gabriel? Sam!" The elder Winchester crashed into them "Sam, Sammy!"
"He's dying, we need to get out of here now" Castiel commanded, taking the lead. Gabriel took this time to inhale one of the four vials. He felt like somewhat of his old self but more importantly he had enough energy to fly them out of here without consequences
"Cas come here" He grabbed Dean's arm
"What are you-"
Gabriel had flown them back to the Bunker, interrupting Castiel
"How did you do that?" Dean answered but Gabriel didn't bother answering, disappearing with Sam to Sam's room.
The Winchester was pale, sweating and on the edge of death
"You're not going anywhere" Gabriel warned, pulling Sam up and gave Sam a forceful kiss 'This has to work'
Gabriel's Grace could vaporise the Cyanide in Sam's blood but that was another problem, the Demon Blood was blocking his Grace. Though it was semi-poisonous to Angels and borderline disgusting Gabriel would inhale the Demon Blood from Sam's system. Gabriel swallowed the burning vomit, conjuring a bucket for Sam in the nick of time as Sam cork burst, Gabriel multi-tasked in pulling Sam up, keeping him balanced and petting his hair out of his face while Sam's coughed and vomited up crimson.
"Easy does it, Sam" Gabriel continued to pet Sam's hair head which rested on his lap. The Archangel forced the poison down again, he'd wash it out with another vial once Sam was out again.
Time bled away. Dean and Castiel came in to check regularly but Gabriel had it covered. Gabriel was relieved that Sam's breathing was clearing up nicely. He swallowed another vial boosting his power back up and dealing with the left-over Demon Blood. He keep the third one for later, the forth he'd given Castiel for their second portal.
"Sorry I wasn't there to help you the first time, Kiddo. I mean I was alive and I ignored you. The of course when I was on the brink of returning to you I get sold to Asmodeus to become his source of addiction. You and I haven't had the best of relationships, have my Sammich?"
Sam was sleeping peacefully which helped ease Gabriel's mind, he had vaguely woken himself up due to throwing up but once it was dealt with the Winchester passed out again without complain of fuss.
It was nearing 09:00AM by the time Sam had woken up properly, he was lying in bed, his head on Gabriel's lap while the Archangel played with his hair to pass the time. Sam was sure this wasn't real, how the Hell did he get here? Where was Asmodeus? Was Gabriel alright? Why couldn't he feel the Demon Blood flowing through his system anymore?
"Hey Kiddo, you alright down there?"
Sam shot up "Tell me you're real"
Gabriel blinked rapidly "I can do better than that" Sam was tugged in for a quick but passionate kiss "Real enough for you?"
Sam squeezed Gabriel tight "You're alive"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Asmodeus, he was... wait where-"
"I can answer all of your questions if you let me breathe"
Sam jumped back "I'm sorry"
"It's alright, I'm sure my Grace can replace any damage"
"What?"
"You showed me a hidden stache of my Grace that D-Bag was keeping in his Throne, you remember?"
Sam shook his head. Gabriel spent nearly an hour filing in the blanks and detouring for any of Sam's questions.
"So you've got your Grace back"
"A portion of it, I'm a lot better than what I was and in time I'll be back to my old health again"
"Where's Dean?"
"He's in the War Room, wringing his hands about whether to storm in or not. Cassie is trying to calm Dean-o down but we both know what our Brothers are like"
Sam chuckled, Gabriel savoured the expression while he could "Yeah, you know I think I'm hungry, not for Blood, real food"
"Great" Gabriel smiled but Sam saw straight through it
"What?"
"I uh... I need to go somewhere first before we make our dimensional trip"
"Where?"
"I need to find the bastards that sold me to Asmodeus"
"Let me go with you"
"No!"
"Gabriel please. I just got you back and we keep nearly dying without each other and I'm not exaggerating here"
"I know, but these guys are serious, Sam. What do you think Dean would do if I got you hurt again, would do you think I would do?"
"I'm a Hunter, Gabriel. I know there are plenty of risks in a job"
"This isn't a job" Gabriel shot back
"I don't care! Gabriel, I'm going whether you want me to or not"
Gabriel deflated, getting up from the bed "I'm sorry, Kiddo. But I'm not having you caught in the crossfire again. I care about you way to much for that to happen. I'm a call away and if I need help you'll be the first to know. I'll tell Dean you're up and kicking. I'll be back before you know it. No trips until I get back"
Sam was ready to argue but Gabriel put him to sleep first. The Archangel leaned over and kissed Sam's forehead "Don't do anything stupid until I get back. Promise me that"
He quickly marched himself into the War Room, he spotted Castiel first "Sam's awake. Keep him safe for me until I come back"
"Where are you going?" Castiel demanded
"I've got unfinished business to attend, Cassie. I'll be back before you can say 'Apocalypse'" Gabriel clicked his fingers and vanished.
Loki had to be dealt with first then he would more than happily defeat this other Michael and the big bag of dicks awaiting them. He knew Sam would hate him for a little while but Gabriel shrugged that off as best he could. Loki first, Michael later. Sam would just have to be patient again.