A/N: Okay, so, this took about a week and a half to plan out and sit down and actually write. Some of it might be a bit rushed, but all in all, I like how it turned out, and hope you enjoy it as well. It's a pretty lengthly chapter, and completely different than last Thursday's episode(Which I haven't seen the whole thing yet).
Also, one more thing, you may notice that I have upped the rating for this chapter. The planning I wanted to make into many different chapters, but I decided to make it all into one big chapter.
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 3:
The next morning, Sam slowly roused from sleep.
The first thing he realized was how warm and comfortable he felt.
He could probably fall asleep again with this warmth.
The second thing he realized was there was the feel of a body behind him, their breath slowly moving in and out.
The other body was practically pressed up against his back.
Suddenly, Sam remembered the occurrences last night, and his heartbeat rose slightly, a mix of panic and embarrassment filling him.
As he sensed more of the physical contact, he noticed that their position wasn't anywhere near appropriate.
Gabriel's body was pressed securely to his back, and one of his legs had somehow gotten intertwined between Sam's.
Lastly, the soft feeling of warm breath was occasionally hitting the back of his neck.
Sam did his best to remain calm, and figure out how to get out of this embrace without waking Gabriel.
Slowly and carefully, he moved his legs slightly to untangle them from his.
After that, Sam slowly moved towards the edge of the bed, before carefully sitting up.
Taking a deep breath, recollecting himself from the sudden sensations he was feeling from the lost contact, he focused back on Gabriel.
He was still asleep, thankfully.
The only movement he had made, was a slight turn, burying his face closer to the open space of the pillow.
After a few more seconds of observing, Sam stood, heading to the bathroom to change, before leaving the room, leaving the Angel to sleep.
The first thing he did was to go into the kitchen to start some coffee. He hadn't had coffee in what felt like ages. He'd been too concerned about the Angel to worry about himself.
"Sam." Cas' voice echoed throughout the map room, as he approached the kitchen.
Speaking of Angels...
"I believe I may have found signs of a possible rogue Angel, or, Angels." Cas said as he set down a newspaper on the table.
"On the paper?" Sam asked as he grabbed the item.
"No, but, just read." Cas said, obviously not picking up the humor Sam tried to use.
Sam sighed, looking over the multiple articles, until the murder topics came up.
Scattered bombings spread throughout multiple towns in Minnesota.
"Okay? People are setting off bombs. What makes you think that's an Angel?" Sam asked.
"It says further down that they have yet to find the cause of the bombs, or even if it was even a bomb. The rest is classified. I think for some reason, Angels are sacrificing themselves in wide populated areas. The question is why. We're already depopulated enough." Cas explained.
"Okay. So, what, we drive to Minnesota, find the Angel or Angels, and do what?" Sam asked.
"Figure out what they're up to, and end it." Cas answered simply.
"End what? Them?" Sam asked.
"If an Angel goes rogue, it's our job to take care of it. I'd hate to be one to kill more Angels, but they are no longer loyal if they're killing humans." Cas said.
Sam sighed, unsure what to think of the position.
"However, if it comes to that. We could always put them to better use." Cas continued.
This pulled his attention immediately, 'Was he saying what he thinks he's saying?'
He sighed again, taking in everything, "Okay. First, we go up there and check it out. If it's Angels, as you said, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But if it's not..."
"Then we return home. Yes, but I am certain on this one." Cas said.
"Okay. Well, I'll go wake up Gabriel and tell him the plan." Sam said. 'Who needed coffee anyway.'
"Wait. Are you sure it's wise to bring him?" Cas asked.
Sam gave him a confused look, "Why wouldn't it?"
"Once he is out of these walls, he is exposed." Cas said.
"We'll still have him covered. I'd rather him come with us where we can protect him, than have him here in this place, by himself, for a few days. I'm not leaving him alone." Sam said, making his words final as he continued his way to his room.
When he made it to his room, he was slightly surprised to see Gabriel sitting up on the edge of the bed.
"Hey. Uh, how long have you been awake?" Sam asked.
"Not long." he said, sleep still evident in his voice.
"Okay. Well. I hate to bring this on you so soon, but..." Sam sighed, sitting next to him, "We have to go somewhere."
Gabriel looked at him, in a quick and worried glance, "Where?"
"No- Nowhere bad. I promise. It's just a little trip, and, I think you should come with us." Sam said.
"Why? I mean, I'm no use to you. Why bring me?" Gabriel asked.
"Gabe. It's not like that. I just... I don't want to leave you here by yourself. I doubt you want that either. Plus, it would be a good chance to actually... See the world again. I don't know how long you've been back, but... Will you just come?" Sam asked.
Gabriel stared at him for a few moments in silence, taking in his words. "Okay."
Sam's brows rose only slightly, mildly surprised at the easy reply, "Okay? You sure?"
"Yes. I mean... I trust you. So, if you say I should go, I'll go." Gabriel said.
Sam smiled lightly, before covering it quickly, "Okay. Well, first thing's first. If you're going to go out. We need to... Make a few changes."
Gabriel's brows drew together in confusion.
"Well, first, I should probably trim some of your hair. Because where we're going, you don't want to go there looking like you just got out of prison." Sam said.
"But I w-"
"Yeah. I know. Just... Trust me, okay." Sam asked.
Gabriel was quiet, but nodded shortly.
After another short shower, when Gabriel was half-dressed, Sam pulled a chair into the bathroom, in front of the sink.
He instructed Gabriel to sit there, which he did.
Since he was without a shirt again, Sam got to see that his wounds were healing nicely.
There were no infections, and judging by the healing speed, maybe some of his Grace was still in there.
Sam had to go through the same routine he did before, when he introduced scissors to the Angel.
This was the first time he had brought anything, actually sharp, this close to him before, and though there was slight fear in his eyes, it took very little to soothe him again.
As Sam made the first trim to the Angel's long, scraggly hair, he waited for any reaction.
"You good?" Sam asked from the reflection of them in the mirror.
"Yes." Gabriel said, as he watched the snip of his hair slowly fall to the ground.
Sam took a deep breath, and continued.
The entire time, Gabriel watched in curiosity. Focus going from the fallen hair, to the scissors, tot he two reflections in the mirror.
About an hour passed before Sam decided he'd done well enough.
His arms hurt like hell, but it was easily ignored by the sudden feel of his heart leaping in his chest as the sudden familiar features of the Archangel he'd once known appeared in the mirror.
He had cut his hair short, but at the same time, not too short.
"Okay. What do you think?" Sam asked when he finally withdrew.
Gabriel looked himself in the mirror again, eyes widening slightly at the new appearance.
"It's... Strange..." He commented.
"Strange?" Sam asked, looking him over one last time, making sure he hadn't missed anything from his evenly cut hair.
"Yes. It feels... Familiar." Gabriel continued.
"Well... This was, somewhat, what you looked like before. I'll work on the facials another time. That will take a little longer." Sam explained.
"What will I be doing when we leave?" Gabriel asked.
"Nothing really. We're going to a town out of state to talk to some of the locals about something. So, I'm going to go ahead and make you a fake ID." Sam said.
"Fake... ID?" Gabriel asked, looking up at him confused.
"It's just a little card you'll have to carry around, it helps people identify you." Sam continued.
"I thought I was in hiding?" Gabriel asked, confused.
"It's... It's a long story. I'll explain on the way, okay?" Sam said, as he picked up the towels he had used to collect Gabriel's lost hair.
"Okay." Gabriel said.
After a small breakfast, and a bit of packing, they finally headed out.
Sam wasn't sure how Gabriel had faired getting to this place, but he seemed really curious to the outside world.
It was cloudy, but not too gloomy.
Sam offered that Gabriel could take the passenger seat, while Cas sat in the back.
Getting in the car was a new experience for the Angel, and Sam didn't blame him when he felt it might have been another entrapment.
It took a bit of consoling and encouragement, but the Angel finally got into the car.
Sam got into the car last, and they were off.
Gabriel stared out the window for the most part, taking in the scenery that passed them by.
It was near evening when Sam finally stopped at a town just outside of Minnesota to fill up the car.
He bought some food inside the convenience store for him and Gabriel. Even though, the Angel's appetite was lessening more and more. Which, according to Cas, was a good thing.
Gabriel still never refused the extra bit of sweets Sam had also bought.
"So Cas. Any idea where we're going? Where did you say the bombing happened?" Sam asked.
"It happened in the town of-"
Cas was suddenly broken off by Gabriel's sudden yell of immense pain.
It nearly made Sam swerve off the road, before he faced the Angel.
He was bent over, hands desperately clasped over his ears.
"Gabe. What's wrong?" Sam asked.
"Ah! The ringing! It's back!" He managed.
Sam pulled into the next parking lot he could find, before putting the car in park.
"Cas. Are there any Angels on your radar?" Sam asked as he tried to get in contact with the Archangel.
"No. it is quiet. But Archangels are known to be more sensitive towards other Angels. There's either a very hidden Angel here in this very town, or there could be one many cities over." Cas said, growing concerned at the position as well.
"Make it stop!" Gabriel pleaded, trying anything he could to block the sound. He had nearly even fit himself down at the foot of the seat.
"Gabe. Gabriel! Focus on my voice." Sam tried to reach over to him, pulling him back up to the chair.
"I can't!" He nearly cried out.
"Yes. You can. Just listen. You're here, with us. Just... try to block it out." Sam said, holding him closer now.
He couldn't hear the noise, so he knew there probably much he could do to stop it, or help him in any way.
"I feel like my head is going to explode!" Gabriel said, even pushing himself closer into Sam's chest.
"I know. I know. Just keep listening to me and try to block it out. Okay. Just listen." Sam said.
He knew how loud Angel's voices were, but he didn't think it had the ability to kill.
What felt like hours only turned to be a few minutes, before the Angel seemed to grow lax into his arms.
"Is it gone?" He asked, muffled under his hold.
"Do you hear anything anymore?" Sam asked.
Gabriel slowly pulled away, it was only then that Sam realized Gabriel's ears had been bleeding, and some had even ended up on his arms.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
"Y-yeah." He said.
Sam nodded, "Okay. Well, let's go into this store and clean off the blood."
Gabriel seemed confused by the words, before reaching up to the lobe of his ear, as if just now realizing himself that he had been bleeding.
Sam helped the Angel out of the car and into the store, hurrying him into the bathroom, even though they still received some glances from some people.
The bathroom was thankfully empty.
Sam went to the sink, wetting a couple paper towels, before turning to Gabriel, and cleaned the blood from his left ear.
No words were spoken during the actions, and Sam partially wished there were, considering the way the Angel was staring at him.
Finally, the long moment of silent stares was broken when Sam had finished clearing the blood, throwing the wad of paper towels in the trash.
"You good?" Sam asked.
Gabriel nodded.
"Okay. Let's go." Sam said.
When they exited the bathroom, Sam was surprised to see majority of the customers and employees all gathered around the small TV in the corner.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to join in.
It was on the news channel, and a blonde haired woman was talking. A look of pure worry on her face.
"That's right. This has been the third bombing in just two days. And it's all happening here in Minnesota. Just a few minutes ago, a bomb went off in the Town Square of Granite Falls. Officials still haven't been able to find the cause of the bombing or bombers. But are trying their best to investigate. That's all we have for now. Here, on your Local News Report." The lady finished, before another event was being announced.
The crowd at the TV were talking amongst themselves now.
Sam took a deep breath, before signaling for Gabriel to follow him, and they left the store.
"Well. Another town's just been hit. We're only a few miles out. We're going to go check it out." Sam informed Cas when they got back in the car.
Cas nodded silently, and they were off.
The News Report wasn't wrong.
Sam could see the devastations of the town about a mile away.
The sun was slowly setting by now, but the town was very much alive.
Ambulances and police cars were still out and about the town, tending to injured people and diminishing the last of flames.
Sam found a decent spot to pull over, putting the car in park, before focusing on the two Angels.
"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to talk to some of the investigators, see if they can't give us any intel. Also get some info on the last two bombing locations, then we'll find a motel for the night, and figure out our next move tomorrow." Sam explained, before glancing at Gabriel, "Don't worry. I'll do the talking. They'll just want to see your badge I gave you and we'll be good."
Gabriel nodded, confused but slightly worried about the entire ordeal.
Sam nodded, and with that, they all got out of the car.
They walked to the worst of the damaged locations, where police were still investigating and setting out caution signs.
As soon as they saw the three, they immediately moved to stop them.
"Hey. Woah, woah. This is a crime scene. I suggest if you're injured, look for one of the medics or-"
"Uh, actually we're members of the FBI. Yeah, they heard about this bombing craze and decided to send us out here." Sam interrupted the officer, who just gave them a look of disbelief.
Sam proved his point by pulling out his badge, which hinted for the two Angels behind him to do the same.
"I'm Agent Cross. These are my two Angents-In-Training. Agent Novak, and Agent Smith." Sam introduced Cas and Gabriel.
Gabriel gave Sam a look of confusion, "My name isn't-"
"Gabe!"
The officer gave him a look of confusion to his outburst.
"Gabe... S-Smith. That's his full name... He's still getting used to things." Sam said quickly.
The officer stared at him warily, but nodded, "Ookay... Anyway."
The officer seemed to buy it, thankfully, before turning to explain the situation.
"Okay, and I heard there were two more towns that were hit before this one. Can you tell us which ones those were? Just, to see if there's a connection." Sam asked.
"Yeah. Yesterday morning, Green Isle got hit. Then later that afternoon, Springfield." The officer replied.
"Okay. Thank you for the information. We are going to turn in for the night, but tomorrow, we'll see if we can't figure something out." Sam said.
"I hope so. We've had enough casualties, and people are getting scared." The officer said.
"Yeah. Well, goodnight officer." Sam said, before they left the scene.
"Cas, anything you could get off of the Scene?" Sam asked when they were far enough away.
"It was definitely an Angel. Which would maybe explain why Gabriel had that reaction. I wouldn't have been able to sense it, but he did." Cas said.
"Okay. Well, I'm going to grab some dinner, then I'll find us a motel, because right now, I'm tired of driving." Sam said.
After a small dinner, Sam checked them into a motel.
he had bought a two-bedroom room, which had confused the desk lady when she saw three of them.
After everything was settled, Sam laid out a map of the State he had bought at a store.
"Okay. So, they said Green Isle got hit, which is here. Then Springfield. Then this town." Sam said as he marked the given locations.
"This place is so big. And that's only three locations. There isn't much of a pattern." Cas pointed out.
"Well, at first it would have looked like they were going towards the capital, or Minneapolis, which are both big cities. But then they came here." Sam said.
"It would be worth a try." Cas suggested.
"Okay. Tomorrow we'll head up there, but... I don't know about Gabriel." Sam said, looking over at said Angel, who was asleep on one of the beds.
"What do you mean?" Cas asked.
"You saw what happened. When we got close, he sensed it." Sam said.
"Maybe that can be our advantage. This time we could probably find the next Angel before they hit." Cas said.
"Well, yeah but... I hate to see him in pain like that." Sam said.
"His Grace is slowly restoring, but not enough for him to understand other Angels yet." Cas said.
"How long until he's fully restored? Will that help with his memory?" Sam asked.
"It's hard to say. Only time will tell." Cas said.
"Okay. Well. I'm gonna get some sleep." Sam said.
"I will keep watch. Possibly scout around for any possible Angel activity." Cas said.
Sam nodded, before heading for the second empty bed.
The next day, there had yet to be news about any possible bombings, which meant they still had time to find their next possible hit.
Sam had reached the city limits of Minneapolis that afternoon.
It seemed to be their jackpot, considering Gabriel began having minor ringing and headaches.
When they reached the city, Cas confirmed the reactions when he said he sensed an Angel somewhere close by.
Sam alerted the two Angels that he wanted to make one stop before they investigated.
"You want me to stay here?" Gabriel questioned as Sam walked around the new given motel room, drawing sigils around the room with a red spray paint.
"Yeah. It's just for precaution. I don't want you to get hurt more than you have by sensing these Angels." Sam said.
"Why are you making those?" Gabriel asked, observing his actions.
"They're wards. They'll keep Angels and Demons out." Sam said.
"Why do they all want me?" Gabriel asked.
Sam sighed, looking at the troubled Angel.
"I don't know Gabe."
When the Angel didn't reply, Sam moved, grabbing the remote, "Here. This is a remote. You can use it to watch TV. If the ringing comes back, remember what I told you, try to block it out. Turn up the volume if you have to... And if someone knocks at the door, don't answer it." Sam instructed.
"What if it's you?" Gabriel asked.
"I have a key. I won't have to knock." Sam said.
Gabriel nodded to the information, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Sam asked confused.
"I am being a burden. You have been doing so much for me, and I can do nothing." Gabriel said, lowering his head.
"Hey. It's okay. The only thing you can do, is heal. You're not a burden. I'd rather have you here than..." Sam broke himself off.
Dead. With those Demons.
Either words he couldn't bring himself to say.
Gabriel's eyes met his during this time.
It was quiet for a while, until Sam broke it, clearing his throat, "Um. I'll be back. Stay here, and you'll be fine."
Gabriel nodded, "Be careful."
Sam stared at him, slightly surprised by the sincerity and worry in his voice, before nodding in reply, before standing, heading out the door.
Leaving one last warding sigil, followed by a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, before leaving.
"Are you sure it was wise to leave him alone?" Cas asked as they walked the city.
"Yeah. I warded the room. It's basically like the Bunker now." Sam said, "Plus i don't know what these Angels are like. Or how they'd react to the fact that Gabriel is alive."
"True... Woah, wait..." Cas said suddenly, holding his arm out in front of Sam, "There he is."
Sam looked at him confused, before looking at the small crowd of people ahead of them.
"Are one of them an Angel?" Sam asked.
"Yes. The one with short brown hair. Blue shirt." Cas said.
Sam and Cas made sure to keep their distance but carefully followed the Angel, who walked aimlessly through the crowd, seeming to fit in with it.
They cut through an alley, where they would be able to cut the Angel off.
Without causing a scene, Sam managed to grab the Angel, pulling him into the empty alley.
The person easily fought in his grasp, managing to elbow him, knocking him back a few paces, losing hold of him.
Cas came forward, pinning the Angel to the wall, an Angel Blade held close to his throat.
"Stop trying to fight. You have been terrorizing towns, sacrificing your lives. Why?" Cas questioned.
"Our new Lord has a plan." The Angel answered.
"Who?" Cas asked, reluctantly releasing the Angel to let him talk.
The Angel massaged his throat before smiling, "Lucifer."
Sam's heart nearly stopped in his chest, "Lucifer? Where is he?"
"Heaven, of course." The Angel answered.
"Why would you follow him? Of all people? Is he telling you to do this? Do you not see the wrong in all this?" Cas asked, confused and disturbed by the news.
"This is coming from an Angel who's been a pain in all of our asses. You side with the humans. You refuse to help us restore heaven. We finally found someone." The Angel said.
"By killing more of you? Why?" Cas asked.
"Lucifer said in order to make more of us. We had to... Make room for us here. He's sending us to destroy humanity. One town at a time." The Angel said.
Cas' eyes lowered in complete disgust and confusion to the words, "Why would you... We were created to watch humanity. Not destroy it."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. And in the Name of Lucifer, I sacrifice myself-"
Cas moved forward before the Angel could finish, who was revealing a sigil that had been cut into his stomach.
He jammed the Angel Blade into the rogue, who's speech was cut off with a scream.
Seconds later, the Angel dropped to the ground, dead.
"I... Thought you wanted to use their Grace." Sam said, his mind still wrapping around what had just happened.
"There wasn't time. he was about to implode himself here." Cas said, turning to Sam, a look of concern on his face, "You should get back to the motel. Check on Gabriel. I'm going to see if I can't find out more information on this. I'll return when I do." Cas said, before with a flutter of wings, Sam was alone.
Sam had decided to just leave the deceased Angel where it was, heading back to the motel.
When he entered his room, the TV could be heard playing.
"Gabe. I'm back." Sam announced as he closed the door.
Everything looked to be in shape.
He found Gabriel sitting up on one of the beds, he looked to have been asleep, but his entrance probably startled him.
"Hey. You okay?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. I just heard the door open. Did you find any Angels?" Gabriel asked.
"Yeah. One. We took care of it, but, I don't think it's over. Cas left to try and dig deeper on the problem. Until then, there isn't much we can do." Sam said.
Gabriel nodded mutely. He seemed troubled.
Sam knew his thoughtful expressions all too well.
"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Sam pushed lightly.
"Hmm? No. I've just been... Thinking." Gabriel said.
"About what?" Sam asked.
"About all of this. But mostly, about you." Gabriel said.
Sam's brows lowered in confusion, "What about me?"
Gabriel looked up at him, golden eyes capturing his, and the stare lingered.
"About the feelings I feel I may be developing for you."
It took Sam longer than it should have to process the words completely, not the time he was given, apparently.
Suddenly, the Angel had closed their distance, a hand reached around to the back of his neck, and a pair of warm lips were pressed gently against Sam's.
Sam's eyes widened in complete shock, before his body reacted faster than his brain could process.
He literally backpedalled so fast, away from the grasp, only the wall could stop him.
"What the... Hell, Gabriel!" Sam nearly squeaked, glaring at the confused Angel.
"I-I'm sorry. I thought that-"
"You're sorry? Why... Why would you do that in the first place?" Sam asked.
"I-I thought that... Everything you've done for me, was because you care... About me." Gabriel said, hurt forming in his eyes.
"Yeah. I cared. I was taking care of you because you were hurt. It wasn't... This. I took pity on you, that's all." Sam said.
The look of hurt transformed into pure pain and sadness from the Angel, and Sam suddenly realized what he had said.
"U- Gabe. I didn't mean...-"
"Yes you did." Gabriel muttered under his breath, before walking pas him, opening the door to the outside.
"Gabe. Wait. I'm sorry! I-" Sam chased after him.
However, as soon as he stepped foot outside of the room, he was frozen in place by the position before him.
A woman had Gabriel held tightly in her grasp.
"Well, well. I knew the Winchesters would be harboring our Archangel. It was just a matter of waiting until he was completely vulnerable." The femal demon smirked at him.
Sam began to approach them, but the demon pulled a Blade from Gabriel's coat, holding it to his throat.
"Ah ah. Wouldn't want to kill the poor Angel, would we? Besides, Asmodeus misses his little snack. And I think this one is more than willing to go. Hmm?" The demon said.
"S-Sam." Gabriel managed under a whisper, a look of pure fear but devastation in his eyes.
Suddenly, the feel of something hard and metallic hit the back of Sam's head, and he was brought to the floor by the impact, his eyesight immediately growing blurry.
The last thing he heard, was the female demon laughing, and mocking him, waving and saying, "Bye bye."
Then. Darkness.
A/N: So, there were many places I tried to decide where I wanted to cut this off, but, I decided to just get it all in one chapter.
From here, this is basically an AU story. No longer really following the show, but maybe bringing pieces in here and there.
Anyway. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)
