Chapter 10

While a part of Gabriel wanted to laze around in bed and wait for Sam to come back, it didn't take long for the archangel to get ready for the day. Unlike Sam, the shorter man easily snapped his fingers and cleaned his vessel along with making the bed and putting on fresh clothing. Pausing only for a moment with his hand on the knob, Gabriel straightened his back before walking out into the hallway. In just a few short seconds the blond was standing at the top of the stairs, he could hear someone in the kitchen, and although the archangel wanted to avoid the older hunter, his instinct was telling him to provide food for Sam.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, Gabriel took a deep breath before making his way into the small kitchen. There was the distinct scent of fresh coffee in the air, and while Bobby was sitting at the table, a second mug was beside the machine. Clearing his throat, the blond was surprised the older hunter didn't seem the least bit phased with the one coming down the stairs was Gabriel and not Sam.

"Sugar is on the table; milk, and cream in the fridge," grunted the hunter who was looking through the morning paper. Quirking an eyebrow, Gabriel paused for a second before making his way to the machine and pouring himself a cup, fixing it the way he liked; black with four sugars, before taking a sip. The coffee tasted normal; nothing added to the blend to try and harm him, which made the archangel curious.

If it were his son who had just gotten a supernatural stalker, Gabriel knew he wouldn't have been near as accepting. Enjoying his cup of coffee while listening to the shower run from upstairs, Gabriel observed the older hunter. There was nothing in Bobby's posture showing he was uncomfortable with the shorter man being there. If anything, the hunter seemed too relaxed with having a supernatural creature in his home. Deciding not to comment, the blond opened the refrigerator.

There wasn't much inside, a few eggs and milk, there were several beers and a few slices of what might pass as sandwich meat but nothing Gabriel could make breakfast with. Humming, the archangel snapped his fingers filling the previously empty space and pulling out what he wanted. Setting everything on the counter, Gabriel rummaged through the cupboards while looking for what he would need. Bobby didn't offer to help, nor did he say anything against Gabriel making himself at home.

By the time Sam had finished his shower Gabriel was frying up the eggs to go with the bacon, hash browns, sausage, and toast he had started. It only took a bit of grace to be able to speed along the process without burning anything. When the taller man entered the room, Gabriel had the food spread, along with a cup of coffee poured and placed in the space at the table left for his human. Gabriel had also fixed a plate for Bobby. The archangel wasn't expecting the Sam to come up to him, not in front of Bobby. Without pausing, the hazel-eyed man walked up to Gabriel who was holding his cup of coffee in his hands and leaning against the counter.

Leaning down, Sam placed a soft kiss on Gabriel's lips. "Morning," the hunter spoke against his lips before turning to fix his coffee. Gabriel smiled, paying attention to how the taller man liked his coffee; a bit of milk no sugar. As Sam sat down, Bobby seemed to take it as a time to speak, the two humans digging into their food which made Gabriel's grace warm him from the inside. It was one thing to provide for his mate, but he wished to be accepted by his mate's family as well. Even if it were only because he was useful, it would have to do.

"So, Sam tells me you did a purification on him, wanna tell us more about that?"

Shrugging, Gabriel took a sip of his coffee, still leaning against the counter while he spoke. "Nothing much to say really, Sam asked for a sign he was forgiven for something that wasn't his fault in the first place. The second I sensed the demon in him my grace reacted and purged it from his system." The men were still eating, and Gabriel paid close attention to what Sam was taking and making a note, so he could make more of it in the future.

"And you just happened to be around where the boys were working a case? Don't think I didn't hear your comment about this professor. If you wanna stick around you're gonna have to explain that mess." Bobby said sternly.

Sam flinched slightly at the reminder, and while Gabriel didn't think Bobby had any authority to try and ban him from seeing Sam, the taller man did. Sighing, Gabriel held his cup with both hands, enjoying the warmth before he explained his job.

"Before I left Heaven, I was not only His Messenger but the Archangel of Justice and Mercy. You must understand; those titles are more than what is written down. For angels, what we are labeled as is integrated into our very being. Like humans, angels have Free Will… but in most cases it's limited. I had the freedom to leave Heaven, but my duties were so incorporated into myself it wasn't long before I was back on the job."

Pausing for a moment to make sure Sam and Bobby were following, Gabriel took a sip of his coffee, efficiently heating it along with the others' back up with a snap. "I traveled for a while after leaving. You see when an angel wishes to step foot on Earth we need a body to do so. We're made up of light and grace, and while we can see each others' forms, they are more of a reflection of who we are and are not physical; kind of like sunlight. You can see it, feel it's warmth, but you can't touch it, can't hold it."

"Like demons, we possess humans to do our work on Earth. Unlike demons, we need permission before taking a host. When Dad realized angels would need to walk among humans, He made us bloodlines which would be able to contain the grace of an angel. For us archangels, though we are made of a stronger stuff, thus our bloodlines had to be just as strong. When I left, I had to hop from vessel to vessel for a long while, unable to go to my given bloodline if I wanted to remain hidden."

"Wait," began Sam, his voice merely a whisper. "You mean to tell me you're possessing someone?" Hearing the horror in his mate's voice, Gabriel was quick to put down his cup of coffee and move closer. Shaking his head, the archangel reached out and tried not to be hurt when Sam pulled his arm back from where the blond had been reaching to touch him.

"No, let me finish," Gabriel asked, his gaze never wavering from Sam. "As I was saying I couldn't go back to the bloodline Dad made me, and I couldn't keep hopping from body to body… it took me a while, longer than I hoped, for me to find another solution. When Dad was making the world He had some help from us archangels. There are things we can't do, we can't make souls for instance, but forming bodies? Species? That is in our wheelhouse.

"Creating this vessel wasn't an issue, forming the details like veins and blood took some time but it was finding a soul which caused problems. An angel can not occupy a vessel if they are not permitted to do so. It wasn't until I saw a crossroads demon in action I realized they had the right plan. Finding a human wanting to deal was easy, I would heal his family from the illness that had struck the town, keep them safe from harm and when he died, I could borrow his soul.

"It took all of three seconds after he died for it to work, popped his soul into this bad-boy, he said yes and then I passed his soul onto Heaven once inside. But it still left the problem of what to do. By then I had been running from home long enough to know they weren't going to lift a feather to help humanity, but while it would only be on a small scale, I could."

Sam had placed his arm back on the table where it had been before he moved it away, giving Gabriel the chance to hold the taller man's hand, clearing away the dishes and left-over food with a snap of his fingers, the archangel mentally rejoiced that Sam approved of his methods to gain a body.

"I kept it on a small-scale. Punishing people who harmed others. Eventually, people started to notice that those who were harming them couldn't any longer. I didn't kill all my victims, still, don't, and slowly word spread. I wasn't Gabriel the Archangel any longer, but the villagers gave me a new name… Loki. The rest I suppose is history, mostly true history at that. I became a trickster, which is what I was doing when you two found me."

"Balls!"

Glancing at Bobby as the older man cursed, Gabriel raised an eyebrow in question. Bobby saw the look and sighed for a moment before speaking. "Way back when I was wet behind the ears as a hunter I met one of your kind, Anansi. Trickster turned my junkyard into a death-trap. Hell, at one point I thought for sure my crusher was going to crush me."

Gabriel couldn't help but laugh, his head thrown back while he did so. "I had no idea you were that hunter. Maybe if you hadn't tried to kill him, he wouldn't have needed to teach you a lesson. Seriously though, you think karma just happens? No, we happen. The professor, you guys, are so worried about? He was raping his students, sure some of the kids came to him willingly, but if he had his eye on someone, he didn't take no for an answer. A kid killed herself after he had his way with her, so I helped the girl. Caused her face start to melting after he made out with her. He jumped out his window to escape. I planned to scar him for life, make him think twice before taking a girl who isn't his wife to his office… but either way, he won't be taking advantage of anyone again," shrugged Gabriel.

While it wasn't the original plan, he wasn't about to worry about the death of a rapist. "I can see souls, read them. If they are damned to Hell, I'm not going to sweat their deaths. Some, can be redeemed. I make them experience humility, and they go off the path of Hell. Others are too far gone by the time I come around."

"I don't like it," began Bobby, taking off his hat to run his fingers through his hair for a moment before placing it back on. "But I get it, more monsters out there than the ones with fangs. So what's your deal now, you gonna tag along with the boys while they go hunting? No offense but I don't see you as much of a hunter, and attracting attention isn't real smart for our kind."

Bobby had a point; one Gabriel had only given a few moments of thought to. The answer to him was simple; he would be and do whatever it was Sam needed. Saying so out loud to the two hunters caused two different reactions. Bobby grunted, a small smile playing on the edge of his lips while tipping his hat down slightly, his palm wrapping around his cold coffee mug which Gabriel happily warmed for the hunter. Sam, on the other hand, stared at the archangel with widened eyes, his skin losing its color to reflect the pale cup he was holding.

"Sam?" asked Gabriel, his voice slightly hesitant. He had been expecting a few different reactions from the human, but this look wasn't one of them. The sound of his name caused Sam to look at Gabriel, his eyes still wide and his cheeks pale.

"You should go."

The words cut through the room, Gabriel's hand clenching for a moment. Setting the mug aside from where he had been holding it, the blond looked at the brunet to try and understand where the human was coming from. Hadn't he made it clear what his intentions are? Surely Sam couldn't be surprised Gabriel wanted to protect him, that he was waiting to see how the hunter wanted to play this out. He had told the taller man the ball was in his court… was this his answer?

"Sam?" The question passed Gabriel's lips without thought, his throat reflectively swallowing while he waited for Sam to elaborate on his request. The archangel watched as Sam's broad shoulders stiffened, his jaw hardening. He should flee. If the hazel-eyed man was about to say what Gabriel feared; he should escape. It would buy him some time, maybe if he didn't hear the words. If he pretended to have never met Sam, it wouldn't start the deterioration process. Perhaps if he wasn't formally rejected his grace wouldn't shatter.

"You heard me; you need to leave. I can't… just go."

Gabriel didn't understand what set Sam off, but whatever it was, it was enough. Reaching out with his grace for a fraction of a second, the archangel tried to touch the other man with it. Instead of the warm welcome, Sam's soul not only withdrew but lashed out, forcing Gabriel's grace back. Closing his eyes from the pain of a rejection of his grace, Gabriel nodded his head, raising his hand. He looked at Sam once again before snapping his fingers and leaving.

The second he was away from Sam, Gabriel could feel the process starting; the way his grace inside his vessel was beginning to break down. Hopefully, he would be able to last long enough to help Sam with his demon issues; maybe he wouldn't need someone to end his suffering. He had no one he could ask.