Heaven On Earth
Heaven On Earth is a classic, five-star, family run restaurant that caters to the rich and famous. However, the restaurant is not what we're here for. In fact, our story begins with the very people who make Heaven On Earth a possibility. The Novak family, the owners of Heaven On Earth, are dysfunctional enough as it was, but with the addition of two new attractive waiters, the Winchester brothers, their regular crazy becomes downright insane. With the head pastry chef vying for the attention of the younger Winchester and the head waiter falling for the elder, not to mention the longstanding feud between the head chef and sous chef, and throw in the continuous battle with the Health Inspector who was hell-bent on having the restaurant put out of business, it was a huge wonder the restaurant still made it to People Magazine's Top 5 Best Restaurants in the Country.
A/N: Chapter 4! I had difficulty writing this. My brain refused to spout out ideas. Ugh.
Well, enjoy! Again, don't own the characters! :D
Chapter 4 – The One Where Sam Starts To Fall
The whole debacle with the Health Inspector earned Sam and Dean the respect of almost everyone. Almost being the key word. Raphael still refuses to be civil to them and Sam really wonders what crawled up his ass and died. Gabriel told him that Raphael was a purebred asshole from the day he was born so it would be best for Sam's sanity not to question the order of things in the universe otherwise there would be a cosmic unbalancing of things and everything would explode.
Sam just stared at him, wondering what the hell Gabriel was snorting and if it was illegal.
Two weeks have passed since him and Dean were hired at Heaven On Earth and the only thing Sam could come up with to describe the family was "Bat-shit crazy." It was like he teleported himself into a bad sitcom, only to have him as a main character as well. He could almost hear the canned laughter everytime something ridiculously stupid happens within the walls of the restaurant.
So yeah, Sam was on the brink of insanity and one small nudge could have him tipping over. Between school, and work and helping out at the garage whenever he can, it wasn't really surprising that his stress levels were off the charts.
To handle the stress, Sam would do what he always did: Take a bath. Dean could call him gay for all he cared, but there was just something relaxing about frolicking in a stawberry scented bubble bath despite the cramped tub. It calmed his inner zen and for half an hour, everyday, Sam would just forget about his problems and relax. He would put sliced cucumbers on his eyes if he could get away with it but the thought of Dean sneaking in, taking a picture and posting it on the internet with the caption "My little sister, Samantha" was the only thing preventing him from doing so.
Dean had gone out and Sam took the golden opportunity to have his relaxing bath without hearing mockery through the door. He drew a nice, warm bath and dumped about half a bottle of strawberry scented bubble bath into it and turned off the tap just when the tub was about to overflow with bubbles. Sam quickly stripped before stepping into the tub and relaxing his cramped, overworked muscles.
He was just about to get comfortable when his phone rang shrilly. Sam sat up, sopping wet, bubbles cascading down his chest and murder intent on his mind as he reached over and grabbed his phone. "What?" He snapped, not bothering to look at the number.
"Did I call at a bad time? Are you having sex with someone over there?"
Sam closed his eyes, counted to ten before replying. "Gabriel. How did you get my number?"
"I stole your phone and took it!" Came the cheeky reply. "I even entered mine into yours."
"Why?" Sam was losing his patience and if he didn't climb into the tub right now there will be Hell to pay.
Gabriel shrugged. "Just wanted to have a new phone buddy, that's all."
Sam tries not to blow up. Instead, he steps back into the tub and settles comfortably. The water overflows from the sides and he wasn't surprised that Gabriel picked it up.
"Are you in the shower?"
"No, I'm taking a nice, long bubble bath."
"Ooh la la. Naked?"
"No, I'm wearing my jeans right now. Of course I'm naked!" Sam snapped.
Gabriel giggled like the immature brat that he was. Honestly, Sam couldn't believe the man was thirty five.
"Gabriel was there a reason you called or are did you just want to know if I bathe naked or not?"
"Well, now that you mention I called...uh...to ask you if uhm...wanted to come over to taste some new desserts I wanna suggest to the menu?" Gabriel sounded reluctant and Sam almost had a clear image of him twirling the cord of the phone while biting his lip. He restrained himself from laughing.
"This isn't some elaborate prank is it?" He settled back down into the bubbles, watching as they floated into the air before popping.
Gabriel, as expected, took extreme offense in that. "Why, Sammy! You think I would prank you? How dare...of course it's not a prank!"
"Mhm," Sam mumbled into the phone. "And I was born yesterday."
Gabriel made a noise akin to a puppy being kicked.
"Look," Sam began tiredly. "I just wanna relax right now. I'm in a bubble bath and I don't want to think about anything else. I don't want anymore interruptions or else you'll be at the top of my to-kill list if I don't get my required thirty minutes of relaxation. So I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Okay." Gabriel replied, souding almost dejected as if he was being blown off by a date. "Sorry if I ruined your zen."
He hung up and Sam put his phone on vibrate so there would be no more interruptions.
He ignored the little niggling feeling of guilt that was forming in his chest.
Sam was reading a rather thick book on the Criminal Justice System and taking notes when his phone rang again and he reached to answer it. He would welcome any sort of distraction right now. "Hello?"
"Sam?"
Sam sighed. "Hey, Gabriel."
"So, about my invite..."
Sam glanced at the book, then at the clock, back to the book then returned his attention to the phone. "You know what? Give me directions to your place. I think I'd rather do anything right now not immediately related to the law."
He could actually hear Gabriel brightening up. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
And with that, the pastry chef started barking out directions and Sam hastily tried to get them on paper. When Gabriel hung up with an excited "See you later!" Sam wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into.
He left a note to Dean, telling him where he went before packing along his Criminal Justice System book into his backpack. He might as well get some studying at Gabriel's place if he can.
Gabriel didn't live very far from their apartment complex and it took Sam only about ten minutes to walk over. He, however, found himself in the posh parts of Palo Alto, where the high-end apartments were situated at. Sam knows how high-end those apartments were. He was looking through them when he and Dean were looking for a place to stay and suffice it to say, even if he and his brother pushed all their money together and created a joint bank account, they still wouldn't be able to afford it.
He looked up at Gabriel's apartment building and there was no other word to describe it but "posh." Gabriel immediately buzzed him in and Sam had to pause at the lobby for a moment to gawk at the rich and tasteful decor.
The pastry chef was outside his apartment when Sam finally stepped off the elevator and was pacing in the hall. He then looked up and his face lit up like a Christmas Tree and Sam found himself being dragged inside a very large apartment. His and Dean's place could fit in here twice and still have some space leftover.
"So make yourself comfy. I'll just check on the tarts I have in the oven." Gabriel told him and Sam plopped down on an incredibly soft couch. He took that moment to look around.
Gabriel's apartment was decorated to be a bachelor's pad and Sam could see that. There was huge TV mounted on the wall opposite the couch and underneath it were two different kinds of game consoles and a DVD/Blu Ray player. Off to the side, there was a shelf stacked with movies and games and little action figures of G.I. Joe. The couch was L-shaped and made of very expensive material and Gabriel even had a bearskin rug that just looked tacky.
The theme was obviously red, white and black. It seemed very chic, but what did Sam know? He was going to be a lawyer, not an interior designer after all.
"Paging for Mister Samuel Winchester. Please proceed to the kitchen immediately. Mister Samuel Winchester, please proceed to the kitchen immediately, thank you." Gabriel's voice wafted from the kitchen and Sam tried not to crack a smile at that. He walked over to the kitchen where the smell of freshly baked tarts assaulted his nose and paused.
Forget the living room. The kitchen's where the action's at.
Sam gawked at the well decked out kitchen. Or bakery.
There was an island in the middle, obviously used for preparation purposes if the stacks of bowls and flour were any indication. Gabriel had two – two! – ovens and he had a huge fridge where he quite probably kept his ingredients. Aside from the mess on the island, the kitchen itself was clean. Sam could see his reflection over every polished surface.
"Ah, you like the kitchen, I see." Gabriel said with a grin. "Well, Sam, let me tell you, it took years before I got a kitchen this advanced. I designed it myself."
"It's..." Sam tried to find the right word. "Nice."
"Well, can't be working in a shitty kitchen, am I right? Plus, I love to experiment. I can't experiment in the restaurant kitchen because Michael will have my hide." He then bends over and pulls a freshly baked tray of tarts from the oven and dear God above they smell heavenly. Gabriel places one on a saucer and holds it out to Sam."Tart?"
Sam takes the saucer and looks at the tart. It seemed like an ordinary tart but there was something...different about it. "What's on this?"
Gabriel grins. "Mocha Chocolate Banana with Cherry. Try it." He handed Sam a fork and Sam took it. He sliced into the tart, blew on it a little before taking a bite.
Sam was pretty sure he was making very pornographic sounds, but he could care less. The tart was heaven and it made him want to sing in an angelic chorus.
He opened his eyes to see Gabriel smiling at him, eyes glinting and Sam felt a tug in his chest when their gazes locked.
He was pretty sure it was because of the tart.
Not because of Gabriel.
Nope.
Not at all.
Luke noticed something was off the moment he stepped foot in the restaurant.
He looked around for a moment, scrutinizing everything. Balthazar was behind the bar, dancing to his obnoxious music as he fixed the bottles of liquor and glasses for that night. Other than that, there seemed to be absolutely nothing different.
Except, it was there. Luke could feel it. Call him crazy, but he could feel a shift in the air. It was subtle, light and completely invisible to anyone who wasn't as observant as Luke was.
He entered the kitchen, determined to find out what could possibly be causing the shift in the balance of the universe. Michael was at his usual station, preparing the stuff he needs for that night. There was Raphael across from him, taste testing what could possibly be the soup. Gabriel was putting the finishing touches on some mango tarts and the apple crumble pie at his station with Anna helping him. Nothing out of the ordinary there, he figured.
Well, until Sam entered the kitchen that is. Luke noticed Gabriel's gaze snap up immediately and Sam returned the gaze. Gabriel had his usual smirk on, but it seemed softer somehow and there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of Sam's mouth. Luke's lip curled into a knowing smirk of his own. Well.
Looks like Cupid struck his mark.
Acting nonchalantly, he made his way over to his station and began preparing for the dinner rush that night. The smirk kept tugging at his lips however and Michael noticed it, giving Luke the glare of "stop – whatever – it – is – you're – planning." Luke merely smirked wider and Michael's eyes narrowed even further, scrutinizing the sous chef's every move, wondering what shenanigan Luke's got up his sleeve this time.
Michael had an inkling it wasn't going to be pretty.