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Chapter Eleven
Gabriel sat with Sam in their darkened room. Since Castiel had left, Gabriel had begun ignoring his duties; he just… couldn't comprehend the horror his brother had done. In the beginning Sam had been curled tightly around his brother, murmuring words in a language Gabriel had never heard uttered by any living being. After five days Sam pressed a kiss to his brother's ear, his tail lightly dancing down the demon's body.
He stood and moved quietly to the archangel, wrapping his tail around Gabriel's waist, and catching his hands tightly within his own. "They're gone, aren't they?"
"Yes." Gabriel whispered.
"I thought Heaven was supposed to be this… great place where only good things happened. I thought shit like this was supposed to happen in Hell."
"Well," Gabriel began, "I suppose I should say that no place is perfect, but… I can't believe Heaven was capable of this either."
"What do we do?" Sam asked after a while.
Gabriel could not answer. His eyes kept going back to the still body that used to glow so brightly with Castiel's grace contained within it. Finally his eyes hardened and he pulled away from the demon, striding quickly to the door. Sam all but ran to catch him. "What are you doing?"
"I cannot let this stand. I cannot." His dark eyes turned to the demon. "Stay here."
"No. I'm coming with you."
"This will get ugly, Sammy. Very ugly."
Sam laughed. "Good thing I've lived in the deepest pits of Hell for an eternity then, huh?" He bumped his nose against Gabriel's temple. "There's nothing you prissy pants angels can do that could even begin to faze me."
Gabriel looked pointedly at the bodies laying across his bed. Sam's face hardened. "I'm more shocked that it happened here, not so much that it happened. What he did… breaking Castiel's grace… well, that happened so quick he really didn't have the time to suffer."
Gabriel stared at him archly. "And how, my dear demon, do you know how long he suffered?"
"Well," Sam's eyes danced across Castiel. "My brother was willing to go after him without tearing Michael's arms out of their sockets, which tells me that while your brother is, unquestionably, a dick, he is not very schooled in the arts of horrifying a demon. I'm not insinuating that Michael doesn't deserve to die a horrifying death that I will be more than willing to carry out myself, I'm just saying Castiel did not suffer long."
Gabriel smiled softly at Sam. "You certainly make an excellent point."
Sam nodded. "I get that a lot. Since I'm going to be in charge of making Michael regret ever laying eyes on Dean, I deserve to go with you."
Gabriel sighed and leaned forward, capturing Sam's lips. "Alright, alright. You win." He wrapped his arms around the demon's shoulders and together they walked through the door.
Gabriel wasn't sure where he would find Michael; his brother never kept an accurate schedule. As they wandered down the hall they passed the soldiers barracks; a few angels ran up behind him. "Gabriel!"
As the archangel turned they winced back. Gabriel quickly schooled his features into something a little more personable. "Hello, brothers."
Three angels stood in front of him. Each had a demon standing just off to the side, or behind them. They each watched him curiously. "What's wrong, Gabriel?"
A woman Gabriel recognized as Iofiel stepped forward, her eyes bright and curious; a strong demon stood behind her, clearly ready to intervene should he try anything. Gabriel had to smile; Sam had positioned himself similarly behind him. "I need to find Michael. Do any of you know where he is?"
A second angel who Gabriel recognized as Hamaliel cleared his throat and stepped forward quietly. "He's on the balcony that over looks the courtyard."
That was strange; Michael usually didn't spend his free time watching the young ones fly. "Do you know why?"
"He is designing more drills for us to fly. He says we have too much free time."
Ah. That did sound like his brother. "Thank you."
As he turned to go, another angel stepped forward. This one was huge, tall and broad shouldered. Gabriel actually wasn't too confident he'd win in a fight with him.
He was pretty sure this one was Machidiel, an angel known for protecting the smaller angels in his garrison. Behind him, a lithe golden eyed woman watched Sam, her small hands wrapped around Machidiel's biceps. The angel reached one hand up, touching hers. "I never thought I'd see you again." The woman said.
Sam smirked. "Lovely, as always, to see you, Katherine."
She smiled. "So why do you look so distressed? What are these feathery bastards keeping from us?" She smiled as she spoke, pressing a small kiss to the large angels cheek.
"Cheeky, aren't they?" He muttered to his friends. They laughed quietly.
Katherine shrank back as Sam growled lowly.
The angels quieted instantly, fully focused on Sam's burning eyes. "Michael is going to regret the day he was created. I am going to use every technique I ever created or learned or even heard about on that feathery fuck."
Machidiel frowned in confusion, turning to Gabriel with a question in his eyes.
Gabriel cast Sam a reprimanding look. The demon glared defiantly. Gabriel turned back to his brothers. "Michael killed Castiel. He fractured his grace."
The angels had no words. Iofiel blinked rapidly, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Finally she managed. "Castiel? He's, he's gone?"
"Yes and no. I managed to send him to Earth before we lost him completely." Gabriel nodded at Sam. "We're going to go speak with Michael now. Please remain here."
"Yes, of course Gabriel." Hamaliel replied breathlessly.
The archangel nodded at them and grabbed Sam's hand, leading him away. As soon as they passed from sight the angels turned to each other. "I can't –"
"He couldn't –"
"He did."
"We must tell the others."
Gabriel and Sam walked briskly down the hall. "That was a bad, bad idea."
Sam snorted. "No it wasn't. If Michael didn't want people to know, he shouldn't have done it. You know," He said suddenly, "That is the difference between Heaven and Hell I think. In Hell we openly admit we do evil. In Heaven, you're just really secretive about it."
Gabriel tried to smirk as his eyes traced doors along the hallway. "Am I evil then, Sammy?"
"You couldn't be evil if you tried. That doesn't mean none of you fly boys are."
They slowed as they reached the balcony doors. Gabriel took a deep breath, and pulled them open. Michael stood, his hands clasped behind him, eyeing the pools the other angels used to sit around. At this moment they were deserted; Gabriel didn't think he'd ever seen it like that. He frowned, wondering how many humans would die or suffer without their normal angelic guardians watching from above.
Above them Gabriel saw more garrisons in the air than he'd ever seen before. He felt his lip twitch up as he wondered how long it would take them to learn to start flying closer together so they could talk. Already he noticed some garrisons flying in sync with each other, and some garrisons who were obviously flying competitively to pass the time.
"I was wondering when you'd finally venture out of your room, Gabriel." Michael said without turning.
Gabriel placed a hand on Sam's arm, keeping him in place, though his expression never changed. "Why did you do it, Michael?"
"The little one deserved it, Gabriel."
"He deserved to have his grace fractured? He deserved that pain? He deserved annihilation?"
"Yes." Michael said simply.
"Why, brother? You were never interested in finding a match, and then once you found that demon," Sam growled, his eyes going black, "when you found Dean," Gabriel corrected apologetically, "you were never interested in loving him, you were interested in controlling him."
"I fail to see how this is any of your business." Michael replied darkly.
"The little ones are my business." Gabriel answered, matching his tone.
"And my brother is mine." Sam snarled.
Michael smirked. "Is that so, demon? You should tell your brother to behave then."
Sam leapt forward, grabbing Michael by the front of his robe and tugging him forward sharply.
Michael smirked. "I hear my brother has not raised his hand against you, demon. I warn you, I will not be so kind."
"Try me." Sam hissed. "I'll show you what happens when you touch what's mine."
Michael's eyes gazed passed Sam's head and bore into his brothers eyes. "Control your demon, brother. You know what happens to angels who cross me."
Sam shook Michael, drawing his eyes back. "Going to break his grace too? And you call us monsters?"
Michael brought his hands up to hold Sam's wrists. Gabriel leapt forward, restraining him. "You will not harm Samuel."
Michael's hands released their hold on Sam, and reached out, tugging Gabriel forward. The demon between them was the only thing preventing them from colliding. "Return to your rooms, Gabriel. Now. Or I will call the guard and have you taken by force."
Gabriel hesitated and his eyes traveled upwards. At least four garrisons had halted their flight patterns and hovered above them, watching silently. Quietly Gabriel wondered how many of them would side with him in this fight. His eyes met Michael's and he knew he was asking the wrong question. The real question was how many of these angels would be willing to stand up to the other archangel.
"Alright." Gabriel ground out. "We'll go."
Sam's eyes flashed to him, enraged and betrayed. "No."
"Sam." Gabriel's eyes pleaded with Sam, and then slowly traced all of the soldiers watching who he knew would be forced to intervene. "Let us depart."
Sam's eyes returned to their normal color, and with one final scathing look at Michael he headed back inside. Michael smirked and looked back at the angels watching, silently commanding them to get back to work.
Once the doors closed Sam wheeled on Gabriel. "What the fuck, Gabriel? I thought you were finally going to stand up to him!"
"Sam." Gabriel grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him in abruptly. Sam tensed, but he relaxed as the archangel looked around for anyone who might be listening in. Satisfied his eyes returned to the demon, but he still kept his voice low, just in case. "Right now Michael is unpopular with the majority of the angels here. He is cruel and self centered, and they feel it. Castiel was popular in his own way. He was innocent; more innocent that he should have been. He was pure. And he was loved. Now they all know what Michael has done."
"What?" Sam interrupted. "How do they all know? No one knows!"
"That's not true Sam. We told those angels, remember?"
"Fine. You told like, three guys."
Gabriel grinned. "The soldier's gossip. They gossip more when they're being forced to fly extra drills they think are pointless because Michael says so. The word will get out quickly, and once they've heard what Michael has done, they will pick a side. They'll be with Michael, or against him. Once we've got some more angels on our side we'll be able to do something."
A slow smile spread across Sam's face. "You are devious when you want to be."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Good." Sam threaded his arm through Gabriel's as they walked back down the large hallway. "So we're going to stand up to Michael?"
"Hm. Yes. I suppose that is the plan."
"Then can we start by not going back to your room? I'd much rather go find a nice patch of sun."
"Then I suppose we can begin rebelling now. You know. If you insist."
"Oh, I insist."
"Good."
As they walked passed the corridor that led to the archangels rooms Sam grinned. They were almost to the gate that led outside when Sam's tail reached out and loosely wrapped itself around Gabriel's hand. The archangel grinned and squeezed it lightly. As he smiled at Sam he wished with all his heart that his brother was happy.
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