When consciousness returns to Gabriel, he feels like he's just woken from a very long nap which is extremely disconcerting because, y'know, angels don't sleep. The first thing he becomes aware of is a steady, barely there murmur of his name pulsing in the back of his mind but it's quickly overshadowed by the sense of a presence within him, a presence he hasn't felt in eons.
"Dad?"
The presence flickers, causing a bolt of peace and warmth to spread around his vessel. It then expands, begins to morph until Gabe can hear his father's deep, soothing voice and as much as Gabe wants to yell at his dad, to hate him for leaving and not giving a shit about him or the other angels, he can't deny the relief that overcomes him at finally receiving the attention he'd always been secretly craving, knowing that his father deemed him worthy to bring back to life.
I'm sorry Gabriel. Go. Go to him. He needs you.
The presence cuts out then and Gabe wants to be annoyed at how brief their reunion had been, at how he'd been given no explanation as to what's happened, he knows he shouldn't be surprised. After all, he knows his dad and to be fair to him, it isn't exactly difficult to work out who he's talking about. The low gravelly voice saying his name hasn't stopped and though he'd love a moment to breath, to catch up on everything he'd missed since Lucy had his temper tantrum, there's something tugging inside Gabriel, urging him to find the man who speaks his name like a prayer; to find one of the only humans in existence who'd managed to rip apart his multiple masks and see the real him.
Allowing the grace his father left behind to power him, Gabe draws in a deep, unnecessary, breath and takes flight, filled with a lightness he'd forgotten he could feel.
That lightness dims when he takes stock of where he lands.
"Couldn't have been a sex dream, could it," Gabe sighs dejectedly as he scans the dirty, dank basement inhabited by none other than Sam Winchester. He's older than Gabe remembers, though not by much, and his face is sharper, creased with more lines built from each hunt, each desperate attempt to save people. He's also badly damaged. From where he's curled up on the stairs, arms shaking and teeth chattering, Gabe can make out multiple thin bloody lines and dark purple bruises. No matter, he'll be able to fix him up in no time.
Gabe clicks his fingers once, ready to see a sparkly, freshly healed Sam in front of him, but to his shock and frustration, nothing happens. He tries again. Nada.
"Oh, real helpful Dad. I thought you upped my allowance ages ago!"
…And he gets nothing. Well, the attention was nice while it lasted. Looks like he's going to have to wait for his own grace to recharge on its own.
"Alright then, time to do things the old-fashioned w-"
The door slams open and a woman appears, the gun held in her hand pointed directly at him.
Cute.
"Who are you?" She questions abruptly and Gave picks up on a British accent. Crowley's illegitimate daughter perhaps?
That comes with a mental image which makes Gabe want to bleach his brain.
"Me? Oh, I'm nobody. I'm much more interested in who you-"
The gun fires and Gabe gets a bullet to the heart which, ow, hurts like a bitch but thankfully, while he may not be able to use his juice on someone else, whatever's there manages to heal him up quite nicely, the bullet falling back out with a 'pop'. Gabe smirks when Crowley Jnr freezes, staring at the angel so intently that she misses the way that, below her, Sam had jerked at the bang from the gun and has slowly risen his head to peer at Gabe through those long brown locks of his. Though his eyes widen in surprise, he keeps still. Sam was always the smart one.
"Sorry sweetheart, those bullets of yours won't do anything to me. Archangel Gabriel, at your service. Except, not really. I'm gonna guess you're the reason that Sammy here looks like he got hit by a truck and then some?"
Crowley Jnr's jaw drops though she recovers quickly, tensing and still holding up her gun like a security blanket. "Archangel…then you know what a mess the Winchesters have made?"
Gabe tilts his head slightly and shrugs. "You humans are all guilty of making mistakes. So the Winchesters make more than most, they own up to them. Try to fix 'em best they can and help a load of people in the process. So what, is this a preventative measure then? Try to kill the Winchester's before they do anything else and have a bit of torture fun beforehand? I know we all have our kinks honey but that seems a bit extreme."
Crowley Jnr grimaces. "I don't want to kill Sam. I need information and he's being most…uncooperative." A glint enters her eye. "Perhaps you could get through to him. After all, you appear to…care for him."
Gabe lets an intrigued expression dance on his face. "Information you say? Well, let's have a bit of give and take then. Who are you? What do you want to know?"
It's almost adorable, the smirk that appears on her face when she thinks she's winning. "I am Lady Antonia Bevell. I am part of the British Men of Letters. We run a cleaner, much more efficient business and we want to teach the hunters here, help them. For that, we need names, locations. Anything Sam knows."
"Huh. Makes sense. Cool motive." Her lips form a sharp grin. "Still torture though. See, if someone tortured me, I would be even less willing to trust them. You hear me?" The grin satisfyingly drops from her face. "Though I gotta say, you are right about something. I do care for that giant over there and I don't like it when things I like get damaged, call me petty."
Gabe takes a step forward, ready to put an end to this little game, but stops when Antonia whips the gun in Sam's direction.
"Stay where you are," she orders, the minute tremble in her voice betraying just how badly things have got out of her control. "Take another step and I put a bullet in his brain."
Raising an eyebrow, Gabe holds his hands out in a peaceful gesture. "Honey, I'm an angel, remember? And not just your average winged baby but an Archangel and let me tell you, I've been pretty patient up until now."
"I saw you earlier," she fires back and that means it was a camera Gabe saw when he scanned the room. Wow, creepy much? "I saw you click your fingers then look angry. I'll assume you're not as powerful as you once were?"
"You're a perceptive one, I'll give you that," Gabe replies though his attention has switched back to Sam. While Antonia was talking, he'd lifted a hand, hidden from the bitch's view. Three fingers are raised and slowly, he curls one down.
2
"Praise from an angel. How flattering."
1
"Now, you are going to remain where you are and-"
0
Sam leaps of the stairs, Gabe sprints forward and a gunshot rings out. Gabe allows a few seconds to ensure that no, Sam is not bleeding out on the floor from a mortal wound, but he has to hurry because Antonia seems to realise she's totally fucked and is attempting an escape. Even with her firing back with the few bullets she has left, Gabe's prepared this time and his vessel is a lot more nimble than people assume and so he manages to catch up to her before she's reaches the front door. He sees the kick she aims before it lands, knocking it to the side with his arm however she recovers her balance swiftly, lashing out at him with a knife she magically produces (Gabe doesn't wanna know where from). The blade grazes his arm but he bares it no mind as he grabs her wrist, yanking her forward and kneeing her in the stomach. Antonia's breath leaves her as a gasp but she's not down for the count yet as she rams her head into his chest while simultaneously stomping on his foot and damn the bitch is wearing heels. Still, as good as she is and depowered as he is, Gabriel is an angel and this prissy motherfucker has already wasted too much of his time.
Gabe manages to keep the grip he has on her wrist and tightens his hand quickly, hearing a pleasing snap and her sharp intake of breath. He pulls her arm behind her back and slams her against the wall, crowding her with his body so that she can barely move. The closest thing beside him is a lamp and so with his free hand and teeth, Gabe rips the wire from the body of the lamp and ties Antonia's hands together. All the while, the bitch has been sending a stream of words his way. Curses first, then bargaining and finally threats. Gabe chooses to ignore all of them and once she's secured, finds a rag he can stuff in her mouth.
"I'll deal with you later," he says, enjoying the way her face is red from anger and embarrassment. He doesn't spend too long admiring the view, he's got an injured Winchester to deal with, one, who by the sounds of it, is slowly making his way up the stairs.
"Need a hand there Samsquatch?"
Sam stumbles at the sound of his voice and it's from the way he slips that Gabe gets a good look at his foot which looks like he's decided to take a dip in some lava, to put it lightly. He doesn't wait for Sam to respond before he's pulling the tall man's arms around his shoulder and half-carrying him up the remaining steps.
"So you're really alive?" Sam says roughly, sounding almost in a daze. He winces again when his foot catches the floor and that makes up Gabe's mind. He abruptly lifts the hunter into his arms bridal style. Considering the ridiculous length of Sam's limbs and his own short stature, it doesn't quite work out the way Gabe had pictured but it's worth it for the shock painted on Sam's face.
"Yup. I don't know what you've done but Dad's back and he was feeling a bit generous. Imagine my surprise to come back hearing your voice. Care to share?"
Gabe chances a look and sees the faintest tinge of pink on Sam's cheeks. "I was drugged," he mutters roughly, face pressed adorably into Gabe's chest.
"And your hallucinations chose me as their subject? Why Sammy, I'm flattered." The grimace that pulls at Sam's lips suggests that maybe the hallucinations were perhaps less than pleasant. Gabe swiftly changed topics to something hopefully more cheerful.
"So, how's Deano? Let me guess, he's seconds away from barging in here like a caveman, Cassie at his heels?"
"He's dead."
Okay, maybe not.
"Well shit, that sucks kiddo. Oh look, a nice bed. Let's get you on here okay?" It's a crappy diversion but at this point, Gabe will take what he can get. He may have been getting better at taking a more serious approach to matters but he would always be better at hilarious distraction that deep, tear-jerking conversations.
Maybe that explained his inability to keep a relationship.
With as much care as he can muster, Gabe lays Sam down on the soft cream bed.
"Right, I'm gonna undress you now, okay? No sexy times, pinkie promise."
Sam rolls his eyes, eventually wrapping his own pinkie around Gabe's. "I forgot what a child you are."
Just for that, Gabe starts with his pants. "Good to know some things weren't harmed," he winks and Sam's cheeks turn a delightful shade of red. The damp, bloodied t-shirt goes off next, Gabe muttering apologies and cursing dad when some of the cuts re-open where they'd congealed to the top. He wishes he could do more to help Sam, that he could actually act like the all-powerful angel he knows he can be but he's stuck acting like a human.
Well, actually, maybe he has enough mojo left for one thing.
His expression must have given something away because Sam looks at him warily. "What are you-"
Gabe clicks his fingers sharply and to his joy, a shining silver player appears before them on the bed, a fresh green Caesar salad placed in the centre. It's a bit smaller than he'd intended but the chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and sauce entirely makes up for it. "There! You're favourite rabbit food!"
"Just because you have the diet of an oompa loompa," Sam retorts. "The milkshake's yours?"
Trying his luck, Gabe clicks again and 2 straws appear. "Now we can share! Aren't I romantic."
Sam doesn't dignify that with a response, instead hungrily tucking into the salad which Gabe made sure would be filling enough to settle the hunter's stomach. Gabe watched him eat for a few seconds, realised that was a bit creepy, and so decides to do something more useful.
"I'm gonna go see if Crowley Jnr has some bandages."
Okay, Gabe thinks as he's slapping Sam on the back, he could have timed that better but in his defence he didn't think it would be possible for the all mighty hunter to be brought down by a piece of lettuce.
"Crowley Jnr?" Sam repeats hoarsely and Gabe shrugs.
"C'mon, don't tell me you're not going to think it from now on."
"…I hate you," Sam says but it's with a small smile. Grinning himself, Gabe leaves Sam to his meal and hunts for some medical supplies. With a whistle, he steps over Crowley Jnr to get to the bathroom and is rewarded for his efforts with a white box in the cupboard under the sink. He brings it back to Sam, chuckling at the empty plate and the softly snoring hunter. He sets about fixing Sam up, soothing the man back to sleep when his reflex's make him startle awake and takes the moment of silence to think. Unlike his brothers, he's never been one for 'reflection' but he figures he's not going to get a better excuse for it.
It figures that Gabe's first act after resurrection is saving Sam Winchester. The hunter couldn't just take being Lucifer's vessel, his brother's chosen, oh no, he just had to dig his claws into Gabriel, make him remember what it was like to feel, to live, to really care again.
Gabe hadn't really been scared to die. He knew what he was doing when he went back to face Lucifer alone, knew that his brother wouldn't hold back but even so, he'd felt a certain sadness. Not so much for him but for Sam, because he would become just one more loss for the kid to add to his tally. And sure, they may never have defined what they were, didn't have the chance to in fact, but he was someone Gabe could see a future with. A future where he was to Sam what Castiel was to Dean. More, even.
Sam's brow creases and pained cries leave his lips in the form of Dean, Bobby, Mom…Gabe.
"Shh kiddo, it's okay. I'm here," Gabe soothes. He runs his fingers through Sam's matted hair and the hunter calms, though rather than fall back to a peaceful sleep, his eyes blink open.
"Gabe?" He checks and smiling, Gabe ruffles his hair a little.
"Yeah Sammy. Still here."
Sam lets out a small sigh of relief. "I…I just wanted to say thanks, for saving me. I'm glad you're back. I've…missed you."
Warmth bursts in Gabe's chest and he lets out an amused sigh. "Okay, slide over you big giant."
With a faint, knowing smile, Sam does so and Gabe slides into the empty space left behind. Even though it's been years for the hunter, his body automatically curls into the position they had only begun to share and Gabe mimics him, pressing his torso close to the human's back and spreading his wings over them as an extra protective barrier. Gabe wraps his arms carefully around Sam and with his free hand covers them up with the duvet. Within him, his grace is singing as though it recognises that Gabe is right where he belongs, as if Sam Winchester wasn't actually made for Lucifer, but for Gabriel alone.
Lips pressed against Sam's neck, Gabe mutters, "I'm not going anywhere Sam. Not again."