Title: Lullaby for a Stormy Night
Pairing: Dean/Gabriel (kind of Gen, kind of not)
Author: Heavenreturned on LJ Gabesgurl here on ffnet
Notes: Fic #2 for my Mp3 Shuffle prompt. Lullaby for a Stormy Night by Vienna Teng.
Word Count without header or lyrics: 705
Beta'd by the wonderful Drkamber at lj
The dreams he had of Hell kept him up most nights. He hadn't told Cas or Sammy how much he really remembered now but it was horrible. He could fall asleep ok but always jerked awake in tears or with muffled shouts. He figured he must have some sort of Post Traumatic Stress shit going on because on nights it stormed the dreams were worse. It wasn't that he was afraid of the storms at all but more that the sounds made him remember things he didn't want to at all.
He sighed and stood at the window, staring out at the rain that pelted everything and was drenched the world outside. Sometimes he was so close to saying yes, he wanted everything to stop. He was tired of feeling hollow and he was tired of hurting all the time. Turning he flopped back onto his bed and punched at his pillow a few times.
As his eyes slipped shut in exhaustion he was barely aware of a presence sitting on the edge on his bed and placing a gentle hand on the top of his head. He also was unaware of the other singing gently to him. Or of how the archangel would whisper to him gently and soothingly trying to calm his screaming soul.
"Gabriel, what are you doing here?"
Glaring he turned, and pressed his finger to his lips, noting with satisfaction that Castiel now wore a bit of a sheepish expression.
"He's having nightmares. His pain has been screaming at me for weeks," The Trickster mumbled softly, uncharacteristically placing a gentle hand on the Hunter's forehead again. He turned to Castiel again, "Why can't you hear him! He's one of yours, you should be helping him."
"He's not." The Angel's voice was flat and made him turn to him in shock and puzzlement.
"Wha-?"
"Dean…. He's not one of mine." His voice was bitter and mournful. Gabriel turned back to the hunter and stood after making sure there were no more dreams.
"Whose is he? You went to Hell for him, you pulled him out! Of course he's one of yours!" He was agitated. Who was supposed to be watching this soul and saving it from its darkness?
"He was supposed to be one of yours brother." Castiel's voice was devoid of emotion and the archangel felt his heart freeze in his chest. He shook his head, that was impossible, Heaven hadn't given him charges for thousands of years! There was no way that Dean was one of his.
"Castiel… it's not possible. You know it's not! I wouldn't have left if they were going to give me anymore charges! You know that!" His voice was quickly rising in panic and he was vaguely amused when his brother shushed him back. At the thick rising of fear he felt once more he crossed to Dean's side.
"I am sorry Gabriel… I thought you knew." The blue eyed angel's voice was mournful again, but this time for a new reason. He watched as Gabriel gently quieted the screaming soul and gently swept his grace across the soul that he, Castiel, knew so well. He could feel the depth of his brother's concern for the human and it did ease his anger.
"I didn't. When I left I explicitly was told I would never have another charge. I wouldn't have left him - anyone - without a guardian." He reached out with his grace and very gently tugged on the soul opening the link, that he'd never really noticed before, a bit wider. Allowing himself to feel all of his charge, and he sighed in relief. It felt right. He also felt Dean's link to Castiel and gently soothed it out, reassuring his brother he would not be breaking that link at all.
"Thank you, Gabriel." And with a rustle of wings, Castiel was gone. Leaving Gabriel bowing over the human alone once more.
"I promise you little one, I had no idea." He pressed a soft kiss to Dean's forehead. "I've got you now, and I'm not letting you go…ever."
Outside as the thunder crashed, Dean slept on, the best sleep he'd had since he was a babe, wrapped in the grace of his angel.
