Chapter 4

Four And A Half Years To Go

Pahaliah stood in front of the court of angels and took a deep breath, knowing that if she spoke, it would only put her farther down into the pit of despair. She had failed over and over again to control Gabriel and his antics and now she was paying for it.

"No one has heard from or seen him in over a month, Pahaliah," the elder spoke clearly and with more distain than was necessary. "You were specially trained to stay on him, no matter his destination."

She took a deep breath, straightening her suit jacket. "I apologize," Pahaliah confessed, "it was not my intent, but with respect, he is one of the Archangels. I am unsure of how I am supposed to keep track of one of the Seven. They have nicknamed him 'The Trickster' for a reason."

"I do not care if he is one of the Seven or not. He is still able to be tracked by using spells that you have been taught. Eros has been helping him. Use the cupids if you need to, but stop him from this business."

"Understood," Pahaliah agreed curtly. She bowed her head and instantly, the room was empty and she was alone with her thoughts. She pressed her teeth together and shook her head dismissively, anger towards Gabriel coursing through her. How dare he meddle with fate? How dare he mix the true matches? This was finally too much.

Closing her eyes, she listened for the Gabriel's telltale signature. Slowly, she narrowed down his location and decided to wait on acting, considering his plan was already in action. She waited patiently for it to play out.

…

"I can't just go hunting at the drop of a hat right now, Serra," Grace whispered across the table at the diner where they sat. "I got called for a sub job tomorrow and I don't want to miss out on the money."

Serra chewed her hamburger noisily. "They're the same coven that Miguel and his family and I chased all those years ago down in the south. Come on," she said, lifting her voice a bit, glancing at the door to the restaurant as two tall men walked in. "We'll go take care of the coven tonight and you can be back in the classroom by tomorrow morning, easy."

"You know it's not that easy," Grace's voice dripped with distain. "It's never just that easy. Something always goes wrong, something is always off. We won't be able to take out the entire coven on our own. Just call Paul or Miguel or someone and have them take care of it." She sat up, furrowing her eyebrows. "Besides you have class tomorrow and I'm tired of having to pay for classes you have already taken because you had to take an incomplete the first time."

Still chewing distractedly, Serra was still staring at the men in the front of the diner, waiting to be seated. "I'm not even listening to you anymore," Serra said, setting the hamburger back down on her plate. "Look at him."

Grace glanced up into the window's reflection to watch who her sister was pointing at. She caught a glimpse of a shorter man with deep dimples and whiskey brown hair, but when she turned to get a better look, he was gone. In his place were two tall men, both wearing flannel and jackets with jeans and boots. "Uh, huh," Grace replied. "See? Other hunters are here, so forget about the vamps."

Sitting back in her side of the booth, Serra tilted her head. "How do you know they're hunters?" she asked, taking a bite of French fry.

Grace leaned over her food, taking a bite of tuna melt. "The tall one has a blade in his belt and the other one is packing a nine mil or a forty-five."

Serra made a face. "How do you possibly see that?"

Lifting her eyebrows, Grace sighed. "Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance," she said, taking another bite. Rolling her eyes, Serra slid towards the edge of the booth. "What are you doing?" Grace asked, looking up.

"I'm gonna go hunt me a hunter," she replied.

Grace put the tuna melt down on her plate and watched her sister stand from the booth. "I have dibs on the tall one," she said, picking up a fry.

"Fine with me," Serra replied. "The shorter one is hotter anyway."

Gabriel stepped to the side, invisibly watching Serra saunter up to Dean Winchester and put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned immediately, looking for the source of the physical contact and grinned when he saw Serendipity.

It had been a close one before, when Grace looked up to use the reflection to watch the brothers instead of turning around. He would have to be more careful. Gabriel always forgot how observant Grace was.

Sitting down at the booth next to the one the boys now shared with Serra, Gabriel leaned back slightly to hear the interaction happening between the eldest Winchester and the younger Browning. This would be an interesting situation, considering it was against the Greater Plan. He knew they shared a chemistry…he just wanted to see how much.

"I'm Lucky," Serra introduced herself using her childhood nickname.

Dean chuckled, glancing at Sam. "Lucky?" he asked, repeating the name doubtingly. "Well, Luck, I'm Dean and this is my brother Sam."

Sammy nodded in response, his eyes flicking towards Grace in the booth across the restaurant. Serra followed his gaze and grinned. "That's my sister, Grace," she said, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. "She's into you."

Sam's face flushed and he stared down at his water cup, condensation dripping down the side. Dean grinned and nodded with his head towards the other Browning. "You heard Lucky, Sam. Go get you some!"

Grinning, Serra nodded and leaned towards Dean, taking a deep breath through her nose, trying to absorb all of his scent. He smelled like whiskey and engine grease, with a hint of mint from the gum he was chewing. Automatically, he wrapped an arm around Serra's shoulders as the waitress came by to take their order. Dean followed his brother's eye line and smiled shyly towards the woman sitting in the booth. "She's pretty, Sammy," he continued towards his brother. "If you don't go get her, I might."

"Hey now," Serra said, smacking his chest. Dean grinned sheepishly down at her.

Gabriel smiled from where he sat. It was an interesting experiment, switching the attraction between the couples. He knew very well that Fate had a plan to unite Dean and Grace, then Sam and Serra, and he knew there was purpose behind it, but it was always fun to throw a wrench into Heaven's plans. It was also interesting to see that Dean was still very much drawn to Grace.

Sammy stood slowly, leaving Dean and Serra in the booth alone together. She leaned up towards his face and didn't seem to be shy. She grinned and licked her lips, inviting him closer towards her face. He smiled slyly in response and dipped his head, kissing her softly. Gabriel watched as Serra's eyes fell closed, but Dean glanced up once more at Grace, sitting across the room. He finally closed his eyes, enjoying the kiss.

Turning his attention towards Sam as he approached the elder sister, he smiled shyly and introduced himself to her. "Hi, Grace," he began; pink flushing his cheeks once more. "I'm Sam."

Grace flicked her bright blue eyes up towards the taller Winchester. She smiled, completely at ease around the opposite sex and leaned back in her chair. "Did my sister send you over here?"

Sam nodded sheepishly and glanced up at Serendipity and Dean. "Yeah, she said," he cleared his throat nervously, searching for the words to explain to Grace. "She said you were into me."

Grace chuckled, looking back at Dean and Serra as well. All she could see was her sister's lean frame and dark auburn hair tangled through Dean's fingers as they embraced in the booth. "Yeah, well," she sighed, turning back to Sam. "She wasn't lying. Have a seat."

Gabriel sighed, wondering if his latest dabbling would end up working out. Dean and Serra were constantly looking for their next conquest. He had no doubt that Dean and Serra would seal the deal, but Grace and Sam were both naturally more…shy? Introverted? Gabriel made a face and crossed his arms across his chest, flicking a single finger towards Sam and Grace.

Leaning forward across the table towards Sammy, Grace grinned at him. "It's nice to meet you Sam," she began, tilting her head so that her long blonde hair rolled forward. Sammy returned the smile, reaching his hands across the table to tug Grace from her seat and join him on the booth. Gabriel could see the vacant expression on Grace's face momentarily as Sam's memories and thoughts washed through her mind. He didn't seem to acknowledge it as she collapsed in the booth next to him, leaning close. Immediately, Gabriel's encouraging finger pushed Sam into physical contact, leaning forward and wrapping his long, muscular arms around Grace and dipping his head to kiss her. He moaned under her touch, the beginnings of desire pulsing through both of their bodies. Gabriel smiled, leaning on his palms as he watched.