Here is the next chapter though it was a bit later then I intended it to be but I hope you enjoy it anyways! Love you! ~Noxy
Chapter 4: Illusions and Brotherly Love
Sam stormed back outside and down the steps. He shoved his note in his pocket before practically running to the garage. Seeing the archangel bent under the hood next to his brother made him see even more red when the angel smiled at Dean and his gold eyes lit up with happiness. He went over and grabbed the angel by the shoulders and pulled him away from the car. He heard Castiel and Dean's startled exclamations but he couldn't bring himself to care. He shoved the angel up against the wall hard, drawing a wince from him.
"Tell me something Gabriel." Sam said with a glare. "Do you think we're stupid?"
The angel frowned and shook his head, his gold eyes filled with confusion, curiosity, and a little bit of pain and fear.
"Then did you really think we wouldn't find out about your little secret?" Sam asked, watching the emotions dance in those eyes and realizing that Bobby was right about the angel talking with them.
Gabriel shrugged and the flicker of fear grew but the confusion was beginning to fade. The angel knew exactly what he was talking about. It made him wonder what else the blonde hadn't told them yet.
"How long did you think you could hide it?"
There was another shrug and he looked away trying to hide his face.
"Do you not trust us? It that why you're doing this?"
There was a shake of his head and Sam ducked a bit to try and look into those eyes once more.
"Sam what the hell are you doing?" Dean asked coming over to them. "Let him go. He wasn't doing anything wrong."
"That depends on your definition of wrong. Hiding things from the people who are trying to help you counts as wrong in my book." Sam said, not taking his eyes off the Trickster in case he missed something.
"What the hell is he talking about Gabe?" Dean asked with a glare.
Gabriel began to sign something but Sam shoved him harder against the wall. "Tell them the truth Gabriel. Tell them or we're going to see just how well you can take a punch."
Those gold eyes glared up at him, anger, defiance, fear, disbelief, and reluctance swirling in them.
"Don't glare at me. Just drop it right now." Sam said.
"Drop what?" Castiel asked. "What is he talking about Gabriel?"
"He has an illusion up." Sam said, watching the fear grow in the angel's eyes. "I'm guessing it's part of his Pagan magic that he used for his time as Loki."
Castiel let out a dark noise. "Is that true Gabriel? Are you using an illusion right now?"
Gabriel signed something quickly.
"That was not the question I asked you Gabriel!"
He signed something else and Sam shoved him again. "Stop playing games Gabriel. Just drop the illusion. Right now."
Those eyes turned to glare at him once more and Sam could see the question of why dancing in them. The angel signed out the letter 'y' at him the same moment he mouthed the word. It made Sam feel proud that he had managed to reduce the archangel to asking the question in three different ways. He eased his grip up a bit and Gabriel relaxed a little.
"Why? Because I want to see just how bad you're fairing." Sam said. "Something tells me that you've had this illusion up for a while am I right? Probably before we even found you at the warehouse."
The angel looked down and nodded.
"How long?"
The angel held up two hands with his fingers raised.
"Nine? Nine months?"
The was a brief nod.
"Good. I'm going to let you go." Sam said softly. "And you are going to drop the spell. If not then I can stand here all day waiting."
Gabriel gave him a weak shove but Sam refused to release him. Sam watched as he signed something and Dean glared at him as well. Seeing that the eldest Winchester was not going to help him, he turned to Castiel. Big mistake. His younger brother was glaring at him worse then Dean was. Realizing that he was not going to win he closed his eyes and nodded. He would drop the spell. He felt those warm hands release him and he took a deep breath and allowed his magic to rest, dropping the illusion that had been up for so long.
He heard three startled gasps and he flinched wrapping his arms around himself. He knew what they would see. With his Grace bound every wound he'd ever received would turn into a visible scar on his body. Not to mention just how thin he'd become due to the nausea that he constantly had. His paleness and the dark bags under his eyes were due to lack of sleep from his nightmares. He knew that he looked horrible and now they knew it too. His just made his shame even worse.
"Gabriel..."
The angel flinched and remembered his shirt. He reached into his back pocket and grabbed it only to have it snatched away. He refused to open his eyes but he felt a pair of warm hands pull him further into the light and they traced his ribs and some of his worst scars, like the one that he had gotten during the first World War. He wasn't in that war but the village he had been in got caught in a sudden crossfire and he'd been standing right next to where the shell had come through the wall. Those fingers moved to another scar, this one from when the Spanish Inquisition was burning witches. Another stroke of wrong place, wrong time. He gotten caught by a halberd in the shoulder as they tried to catch a 'witch'. That one had been worth it.
"Talk about your franken-angel."
That had Gabriel opening his eyes to glare at the eldest Winchester. {Most of these I earned during the war. The rest came after.}
"Why are they visible?" Castiel asked. "Your scars shouldn't be visible on your vessel."
{My Grace is Bound. My vessel now reflects them.} Gabriel signed. {Can I have my shirt back now if you are through staring at me like a circus side show freak?}
Dean flushed and looked away at that. He hadn't meant to make the archangel feel like that. He just wasn't expecting the angel to look like a freshly resurrected corpse that had been shredded first. Castiel sighed, he had known his brother was hiding something but he hadn't realized that it was that serious. Sam was frowning, not paying attention as he let his eyes run over every scar. He didn't realize the angel would have so many or that they would be so grievous.
Gabriel suddenly kicked the barrel he was standing next to, startling all three of them. He glared at their ashamed faces and snatched his shirt out of Sam's now limp hands and stormed out of the garage and headed out back to the field. He was done with dealing with humans for now. Sam turned to face his brother and Castiel, who were both wearing the same ashamed expression. It made him feel worse.
"I'm sorry guys...I didn't think-"
"It's fine Sam." Castiel said. "I knew something was wrong but I had been unable to find a way to confront him to find out the problem. I owe you thanks."
"I didn't think he'd look like that." Sam admitted.
Castiel shifted and opened his suit jacket and shirt and closed his eyes and concentrated and a large scar appeared across his chest. "All angels have scars Sam. We choose not to show them especially while in a vessel. This is the scar I received while freeing Dean from hell. Alistair gave it to me. Claimed I was stealing what was his so it was payback." The angel closed his shirt and buttoned it as he opened his eyes again, the scar fading. "My worst one."
Dean was suddenly all over the angel. He was kissing him hard before Castiel could even protest. He stiffened and then melted into the kiss, after all if Dean didn't care that Sam saw then neither then did he. He felt his hunter pull him flush against his body and one of those hands traced where the scar was. They pulled apart when the need for air became to great.
"Tonight you are going to show me each and every damn scar I made you earn."
"Guys?"
"Shit!" Dean turned to face his brother, panic clear on his face. "Sammy this-"
"It's fine Dean. I was actually just thinking that you two are cute together." Sam said. "I'm just sorry you felt that you had to hide this from me. After all I had a boyfriend at Stanford when I first got there."
Dean let out a sigh of relief. "Sammy."
"I told you that it would be fine. Now I need to go after Gabriel. He may not want me there but I do have to try and talk to him." Castiel said pulling away from Dean with a quick kiss. "I'll be back."
Castiel vanished and reappeared at the edge of the field. He looked around, slightly concerned when he didn't see the archangel. His concern was unwarranted when he noticed an indentation in the grass. Slowly he walked over to the spot, not surprised to find Gabriel there, but he was surprised to find the six pack there. He frowned but said nothing; after all who was he to judge after drinking a liquor store dry? Instead he sat down next to his brother, offering him nothing more then company.
A tap on his arm drew his attention and he was passed a beer. He took it with a nod of thanks and opened it, the small gesture both an apology for hiding the truth and a sign he was forgiven for his anger. Not knowing what else to do he laid down next to his brother and watched the clouds go by. They weren't nearly as interesting as the stars but they were still beautiful in their own right. It brought a small smile to his lips. He felt Gabriel's hand slip into his own and grip it tightly.
^Can you hear me Cassie? Or is this attempt in vain like all the rest?^
Castiel stiffened. ^Gabriel? How are you doing that?^
There was a sigh from the archangel. ^We used to do this all the time, Michael, Lucifer, and I. When we would rest together and got too tired to talk this is what we would do. I wasn't sure if it would work because I've never tried it with a seraph. I was hoping that maybe this time I would be able to focus enough to make contact. You didn't seem to hear me the other times I tried.^
^I'm glad it worked. I missed hearing your voice. I wish we knew if it was possible to give you back your voice. I miss your singing.^ Castiel said softly.
The dark haired angel felt the archangel stiffen in shock next to him. ^You remember that? You were just a newborn fledgling back then. I didn't think you could remember that far back.^
^I can remember being wrapped in golden wings and having the most beautiful songs sung to me in Enochian. It made me feel safe.^ Castiel admitted. ^I never felt that way when anyone else held me. Just you.^
Gabriel chuckled. ^You were always my favorite. You always seemed to find a way to get into trouble. Like trying to fly before your wings could hold you. I thought for sure Lucifer was going to have a heart attack over that. You were just lucky I managed to catch you. Or that time you were practicing your spell work and the spell misfired and turned Raphael's hair and wings bright purple because the spell was too advanced for you. Or when you managed to get Michael's blade stuck in a pocket dimension on accident. Took almost two months for me to find where you put it.^
^I think...I think I remember most of those happening.^ He recalled with a smile. ^I wasn't very old then was I?^
^No. Just a few years. You were the last one born just before the war really began to pick up. It makes me wish things had been so much different. If I had known just how quickly things were going to go to shit I would have changed my plans up a little bit.^ Gabriel admitted.
^Would you have stayed in heaven with us?^ Castiel asked, curious to know the truth since the Trickster was in such a forthcoming mood.
^No. Not after everything that happened. I think I still would have faked my death and ran but I would have taken you with me. Probably would have made for much more interesting times.^ Gabriel said with a smile. ^And it might have been a lot less lonely, having another angel to relate to and share Grace with.^
Castiel fell silent at that. He knew just how lonely it could get being cut off the host. He idly wondered if he was the first angel that Gabriel had encountered since his self imposed exile. Thinking quickly on how he could help, he sent a text message to Dean to have the hunter check on them in a few hours and asking him not to be alarmed at what he sees because it will be a type of angelic bonding. Once he got a message back saying it was okay and he could do what he wanted Castiel turned to look at his brother, who was watching the clouds go by with a forlorn expression.
^Gabriel, can I ask you a question?^
There was an answering chuckle in his mind. ^Technically you just asked me one but I can let you ask me another one for free.^
Castiel frowned but decided to ignore the odd phrase. ^Do you trust me Gabriel? Do you trust me with your very Grace?^
Gabriel turned to look at him, his gold eyes confused and slightly nervous. ^Why?^
^Do you trust me Gabriel?^
The archangel was silent for several long minutes and Castiel watched as the emotions danced in his eyes before his brother finally nodded. ^Yes. I trust you Castiel.^
With a smile he let go of Gabriel's hand, earing him a confused look. He released his wings and his smile grew as those gold eyes followed the length of his wings. Being careful of the fragile state of the older angel's body, he carefully lifted, pulled, shifted and shoved until Gabriel was straddling his lap facing him. Closing his eyes he allowed his Grace to brush over the archangel, feeing the shudder run through his small frame. Opening his eyes, Castiel was greeted with the sight of Gabriel staring at him with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.
With a smile he did it again, this time watching the body in his lap shake. Castiel knew that feeling of his Grace running over Gabriel's mostly human body would be what most considered an erotic experience. He wasn't sure how much it would help his brother's physical state but it would probably do wonders for his emotional state. Repeating his actions over he was pleased when he felt the archangel's hands fist into his jacket tightly, holding on for dear life and his body was wracked tremors.
Castiel couldn't stop his smile from spreading as those gold eyes dilated and a soundless cry spilled from those parted lips; Gabriel was close. The younger angel, knowing that it would feel amazing, leaned up and kissed his brother. It allowed his Grace to pass through their lips in the most direct route to the archangel. The blonde arched and bucked against him, his body thrashing as he reached his peak. As he did those gold eyes went wide before they rolled and the Trickster passed out, collapsing heavily against Castiel. The dark haired angel wrapped his wings around the smaller body in his arms. He would watch over Gabriel so the angel could rest and began to softly sing the songs that Gabriel used to sing to him.
