Fire.
Sam yelling.
Dean running into the room, trying to get Sam off of the bed.
Blood.
Horror in Sam's eyes.
Immobility.
Pain.
Fire.
Jess's eyes shot open as she breathed heavily, clutching her pillow. Shaking slightly, she turned to see Sam, still asleep though slightly troubled. Jess took a few deep breaths before deciding to get out of bed and walk around. This is gonna require Gabe, she realized as she slowly slid out of bed, taking great pains not to wake up her sleeping boyfriend. God, he's gonna hate me for this.
Gabriel was already there when Jess walked outside, after grabbing one of Sam's sweatshirts to wear over her pajamas. "I've got a direct line to you," he explained once she was within earshot. "Once I heard my name ping, I thought you might wanna talk to me."
She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself like she had the night before. "Were you expecting there to be nightmares?"
The angel sighed frustratedly. "You went to bed wondering about your death, didn't you?" Jess nodded guiltily. "That's the best time for your memories to creep back. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to sleep on a question involving something that's already happened." Gabriel ran his fingers through his hair, making Jess hug herself tighter, her subconscious aware of the power that ran beneath the angel's skin.
"You gonna tell me the full story now?" Gabriel looked back up at her. "Last night," Jess began, "you said that Cas asked you for a favor. I think you wouldn't have agreed to do it unless you thought it really needed to be done. So, what's the full version?"
Gabriel frowned. "It's a long story, kid."
Jess shrugged. "We've got time. Come inside?" She angled herself so that she could gesture at the door to the apartment building.
He didn't stand a chance. "Jeez, kid, don't pull out the puppy eyes. You and your boyfriend use those to your full advantage." With a grin that said she wasn't sorry at all, Jess led Gabriel into the apartment building, leaving the archangel to close the door behind himself.
Sam was awake when Jess opened the door to their apartment, her boyfriend rubbing the last remains of sleep from his eyes. "Hey," Jess greeted him, a smile blossoming on her face. "Sleep well?"
"Actually no," Sam replied, causing Jess's smile to falter a little as her own dream popped up in her mind. "I had the weirdest dream," he began, running his fingers through his hair but stopping when he saw Gabriel. "Gabe! I didn't know you were coming over." The taller brunette quickly moved to clear their tiny dining room table.
Gabriel shook his head, holding his hands up for Sam to stop. "Whoa there, Sammich. Take five and wake up before trying to take care of others." He walked inside, heading straight for Sam. When he reached the insanely tall brunette, Gabriel began to pretend-push Sam back into the bedroom. "Seriously, man. You've gotta take it easy."
The taller brunette rolled his eyes, not trying to stop Gabriel. "Alright, Gabe, I'm going. Though you won't be able to stop me from making breakfast," Sam added over his shoulder as he entered the bedroom.
When Gabriel looked back at Jess, she had a huge, bright smile on her face. "What's that for?" The angel sat himself down on one of the chairs at the table, propping his feet up on the table.
Jess shrugged, continuing to clear things from their eating area. "You like him," she said simply. "It's not everyday a person does something for their brother if they don't like the person their brother is asking a favor for." Gabriel scoffed, crossing his arms. Her smile faded as her mind drifted back to the reason Jess had called the archangel. "When you said Cas was tired, what did you mean?"
Gabriel shrugged. "He was tired of everything, of Sam and Dean's pain, of their loneliness, of the eternal bad luck." He paused, considering something. "Actually that may have been their fault a while back." The archangel looked back at Jess. "Sam and Dean broke a lot of mirrors back when they started hunting together after…" His voice drifted off, the you died hanging unspoken.
"Did he get out? Of hunting I mean?" Jess cleared her throat when Gabriel just stared at her. "When Sam and I met, had Sam left hunting by then?"
"He left it when he left his father and Dean for college," Gabriel answered. Jess looked at him, clearly waiting for him to continue. "Your…death pushed him back into hunting, almost farther than he'd been before he got out."
She was quiet for a few moments before she asked, "Who did it? Killed me, I mean."
Gabriel frowned. "Jess, you know I shouldn't…"
"Okay, so, breakfast, right, Gabe?" Sam's timing couldn't have been any more fortunate for Gabriel as he walked out of the bedroom fully dressed. Jess frowned at Gabriel, her silent We're not done talking about this very clear to the archangel.
"Sure, Sasquatch. Just try not to poison me again."
"A day in town with Dean? Sure, that sounds like a great idea." Sam chewed and swallowed his food before turning to Gabriel. "Dean hasn't been feeling well and I'd been trying to think of things to do to make him feel better."
Gabriel nodded, pretending to take in the information. "Huh. Well, have fun with that, you kids. My brother, or at least one of them, is in town for the day and he wanted me to show him around."
Sam nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "Alright. Maybe we'll see you today, Gabe."
The archangel exchanged a look with Jess when Sam looked down at his food. "It's always a possibility, Gigantor." He swallowed his next bite of food before pushing his chair back and standing. "Well, it's been fun, kids, but I've gotta get going."
Jess awww'ed at him and Sam looked at him, surprised. "Really? You just got here though." Sam wiped food remnants away from his mouth with his napkin before he and Jess stood in unison, completely on accident.
Gabriel shrugged. "It's just the life I lead. My brother's probably gonna have my head if I'm not at my house when he gets in. He's picky about that sort of thing." Jess rolled her eyes. Like a guy who asked for Sam and Dean to be sent here would be picky about coming to visit his brother whom he sent to watch over them. The archangel obviously caught the drift of Jess's thoughts from the look on her face and grinned. "See you two around."
