_~\{ My charade is the event of the season }/~_
"This is weird, it's like you and I are watching ourselves in switched bodies." Sam said in a daze, Dean was in a similar predicament and Bobby was pouring himself a glass of whisky.
"It's kind of weird for Jared and I as well, I mean when we do scenes that involve shifters and stuff we play both roles and then it's green-screened in later, but this is cool and scary all in one." Jensen explained and then looked over to Richard who was sitting in a fraying armchair, picking at the threads sticking out.
"What if Richard really is Gabriel? I mean it makes more sense considering the scars and the point of where we found him is a little too coincidental." Jensen said and Richard looked up, glancing at each of them before shifting uncomfortably.
What scars would that be, he looks fine to me; where did you find him?" Bobby asked and Richard became fidgety, not looking at any of them now and wishing he could just be invisible, he didn't know where the feeling was coming from, but it was mainly directed at Sam, Dean and Bobby.
"San Gabriel California, I've lived there for a couple of years, everyone called me Sweets, because of my sweet tooth. I woke up in Father Charles Lushery's church and he helped me get on my feet, but I don't want to show you my scars." Richard said timidly, gripping the hem of his shirt and holding onto it for dear life, afraid they would make him show them.
"Please, we've already seen them and I don't think they're going to hurt you, so just show them." Jared goaded and Jensen frowned.
"Dean, if he really is Gabriel, don't make fun of him, he's not himself right now and I think he's scared of you guys." Jensen said and Richard's nervousness only seemed to confirm it.
Sighing exasperatedly, Dean promised not to make fun of Richard if he showed them the scars. Inhaling shakily, Richard removed his shirt to revile the round stab wound in his abdomen and then scratched nervously at his stomach before hanging his head and turning around. Sam gasped and muttered an oh God , before Richard was scrambling to put his shirt back on, clearly not comfortable with them staring.
"We asked him questions and told him to answer with the first thing to pop into his head, he didn't get any reaction from questions about his wife or family, but when asked a name like Lucifer or Michael, he answered with Bossy and ungrateful brat." Jared explained and something was turning in Sam's head.
"Richard, you said the priest who found you was named Charles Lushery right?" Sam asked and Richard nodded.
"Lushery isn't a real name; not that I know of anyway. Do you have his number; I would like to speak with him if you don't mind?" Sam requested and Richard pulled out his phone and handed it to Sam, the only contacts in the phone were, Jared, Jensen and Father Charles.
Sam hit send and waited for someone on the other end to pick up the phone, a familiar voice answered on the other end.
"Sam, could you please hand the phone to Gabriel, I have something I wish to tell him." The voice of none other the Chuck Shurley said on the other end,
Sam had thought the name Charles Lushery sounded familiar, Chuck was a nickname for Charles and if you rearranged Lushery, you could spell out Shurley.
"Hello, Father Charles, I m sorry for leaving without calling, it was kind of unexpected and-" Richard began to say as soon as the phone was to his ear, then there was a high pitched sound, causing all of them, except Richard, to cover their ears and squeeze their eyes shut. There was a blinding light and then everything went quiet, Dean was the first to peek open his eyes and see Richard standing there with a stunned look on his face, phone smoking in his hand. Everyone began to open their eyes slowly, the ringing in their ears turned to laughter as they looked to Richard who was laughing heartedly.
"Whoa, way to go Dad! Looks like he finally got payback for that whole pagan god thing." Richard laughed, sitting down in the chair once more with a swagger to his movements.
"G-Gabriel?" Sam stuttered out, everyone else too shocked or dazed to voice the question.
"Got it in one there Sasquatch, incase the whole blinding light and blowing your eardrums out didn't clue you in, I'm myself again." Gabriel said cockily and Dean groaned, sitting down in one of the chairs as he swayed slightly on his feet.
"Don't tell me, that was God on the phone, because I swear if that was him after all this time, I might just decide to drive off a cliff. What was with the whole pretending to be a prophet of himself, you can't get much more conceded then that." Dean grunted and Gabriel laughed.
"You don't seriously think I got my fun and perky personality from my older brothers, do you?" Gabriel asked and Dean cringed at the thought of Michael, Lucifer or Raphael as being perky or fun.
"Well, Lucifer used to think my antics were funny, but he wasn't really interested in cranks and pranks." Gabriel admitted with a slight frown.
"The story I told you about my own personal witness protection program was partly true, you see Dad and I are always trying to one up each other in shock factor. I have to admit, him leaving heaven and parading around as a human is one of them and then to make me live as a human for two years is just hilarious." Gabriel said warmheartedly, his love for his father practically glowing on his face.
"Did you know about this the whole time? Did Chuck know he was God when we met him?" Sam asked and Gabriel paused to think about it for a moment.
"Nah, even Dad isn't that mean, he probably put a temporary block on his memories, then made it where he would remember once he was finished writing 'The Winchester Gospel' or those Supernatural books as you call it. Boy are my brothers going to be in trouble when Dad gets home, starting the apocalypse and what they put you through, they're so going to get grounded." Gabriel said with a shake of his head.
"And let me tell you, when Dad grounds you, he really grounds you." Gabriel said with a grimace and a shake of his shoulders; they all remembered the burn marks on Gabriel s back and didn't envy the Archangel.
"So, what now? Is God going to fix things or is it still up to us to find a way to stop Cas from playing God?" Bobby demanded to know and Gabriel frowned, pausing for a second as if listening to something.
"Dad says to carry on my wayward son." Gabriel said with a shrug.
"Kansas, God is quoting Kansas?" Dean demanded and Gabriel sighed, rolling his eyes. Dean couldn't help thinking he had said the same thing to that heart attack guy when he was acting as Death, chances were God knew that though and Dean had to admit it sucked.
"Go team free will, things will either work out in the end or they won't, only Dad knows which, however, I have been put on probation, I guess you could call it, you know for the whole claiming to be a god thing and I've been instructed to give you a helping hand. First I will send Jared and Jensen back home and set everything you two muttonheads messed up in their world right and then Sunday I will create another eclipse; get Castiel to send the souls back before it's too late." Gabriel explained. Dean began to ask something; however, Gabriel snapped his fingers, Jensen, Jared and Gabriel vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it; are all angels allergic to sticking around and answering my questions?" Dean asked no one in particular and Sam shook his head before turning to Bobby, they needed to come up with a plan to get Castiel to the put the souls back.
In the end all Sam had to do was ask Castiel to put the souls back, the souls had been slowly destroying his vessel and taking control. Unfortunately, not everything Castiel had absorbed from Purgatory returned and they now had a new evil to prevent from ending the world for humanity.