Crossing The Inferno: Some Hearts
This is me cracking down on myself to GET 'ER DONE! D:
In Hell, it rained. Lucifer saw the storms that roiled over Hell's surface to be as gloomy and disheartening as they looked. Lightning crackled in the depths of dark clouds, striking the ground and causing it to shudder and quake, and thunder boomed, deafening to the damned who heard it.
But as depressing the approach of the storm seemed at a distance, Gabriel knew that at least about this, Lucifer was dead wrong. Because instead of making their little group on edge, or in bad spirits, Sam was practically leaping for joy at the first crack of thunder in the distance.
"Does it really rain here?" Sam asked, keeping stride with Gabriel step by step as they walked, Bela on his other side, glaring at the thunderclouds as though daring them to come closer.
"You bet kiddo," Gabriel smiled. "Ya see, Luci has this delusion that humanity hates rain, so he added it here just to spite them."
"I love the rain," Sam whispered, stretching his arms over his head towards the clouds drawing ever closer. "It's not going to, I don't know, eat away at us like acid or anything, is it?" The Hunter shuddered, thinking of the pond before Gabriel had added a dash of angel mojo to it.
The archangel chuckled, "That can be arranged. But generally, no. Big bro probably thought it was morbid enough by itself, without the acidity. For some reason he was only able to see the surface of things. That humanity had flaws, that rain clouds were dark, etcetera." He shrugged, his wing feathers fluffing up with the motion, ruffled by the winds of the coming storm, "Same old same old. Luci was too shallow in his own thoughts of grandeur to see the beauty in things."
Sam tilted his head to the side, viridian eyes curious, "So you can? You can see the beauty beneath the flaws?"
Gabriel stopped walking and stared at him for a long moment, biting his lip at the hopeful look the Hunter was casting him. Father, he hated questions with hidden meanings, especially with this kid. "Yeah, I can," he replied softly. "I known that the rain is clear and cold and life-giving, and that humanity, despite it's flaws, is still an amazing and beautiful thing to behold." I know you're flaws are part of who you are, and I wouldn't have it any other way. He couldn't say it. Even now when time was running out, he couldn't say it.
Bela growled, as though reading his mind and he shot her a defiant glare. It was Sam's choice, not his, that would determine the outcome of this journey. And he was going to strangle the damn mutt if she kept trying to interfere. On the hellhound's other side, Sam smiled slightly, glancing at the gathering clouds ahead, "We better find someplace to shelter then," he said aloud, "I don't think Bela wants to get wet."
"Correct," Bela confirmed, and the Hunter laughed, still taking delight in the few words she would speak now and again.
The archangel rolled his eyes, "There're some rocks up ahead, I'm sure we can find something if we hurry." Gabriel gestured towards the tumble of boulders and stones not too far away, "Come on."
The storm broke just as they skittered beneath a low hanging jut of stone, Bela shaking the water free of her fur with an annoyed growl. Gabriel chuckled, "Aww, did the puppy get wet? Maybe we should leave the puppy outside, Sammy, we're gonna get some nasty wet dog smell in here now."
"Let her be, Gabe," Sam smirked, ruffling the hellhound's fur fondly. His eyes roamed out towards the uneven rocky landscape of Hell, the ground steaming with warmth as icy-cold rain poured down on it, without rhythm and broken every now and then by the crack and flash of thunder and lighting. "Wow," the Hunter breathed, eyes alight, "This is . . ."
"Amazing," Gabriel finished for him, shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Well, there's only one thing to do then, isn't there," he stated matter-of-factly, grinning slightly as his wings twitched in anticipation.
Sam tilted his head to the side, studying the expression on the angel's face for a long moment, "What?" he asked finally. It was hardly a sarcastic question, and he'd posed it in complete honesty. There had never been more than a handful of people who Sam had ever gotten close to, and he knew their habits and actions by heart. In a situation like this, Dean would hole up in the Impala or whatever motel room they were bunked in for the night, refusing to leave until there was much less moisture in the air. Bobby would go for a nice long drive in one of his beat up old cars, listening to the sound of the rain hitting cool metal as if there were no other noises in the world. Castiel would stand outside, staring up into the lightning broken sky with such awe on his face Sam just knew he was marveling at the beauty of his Father's world, at least until Dean would come and drag him back inside, insisting the angel would catch a cold if he got too wet.
But Gabriel . . . Gabriel was all new to him. An demigod, an archangel, a friend. Said angel glanced at him with a sly smile, and Sam blushed. Damn, he wasn't reading his mind, was he?
"Not at the moment no," Gabriel laughed suddenly, and Sam let out a huff of relief before realization took hold.
"G-Gabriel!" the Hunter made a grab for the angel, missing as The Trickster dodged out of his reach and out into the downpour, wings flexing dark feathers out behind him and arching up into the darkened air, black as the clouds overhead. Sam couldn't help but inhale at the sight.
Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at him with a smug look, as if daring him to follow, "Well, Sammy-boy, you just gonna stand there all day? Or are you going to come and enjoy Lucifer's stupidity in thinking rain would get our spirits down."
Sam couldn't help but smile and he shrugged as Bela barked at him, "Just stay here, girl. The rain's not going to hurt me." He squared his shoulders, narrowing his eyes playfully at the archangel, who was practically skipping away as Sam stepped out into the downpour, "You wanna play?" he asked, his voice laced with a fake menacing air.
The archangel grinned from ear to ear, "What kinda stupid question is that?" He raised a finger to his face, twirling it around, "Hellooooo, Trickster?" Without another word he whirled on the spot, dark wings stretched out behind him as he leapt towards the nearest puddle, slowly forming in the rain and dancing with fresh ripples just before Gabriel's feet hit it.
The Hunter threw his hands up in front of his face just in time before he found himself absolutely drenched, the splash that ensued causing an abnormally large amount of cold water to wash over him. "Hey, hey! No using your powers you dirty cheater!" he complained, glaring at the angel over his arm-shield.
"Dirty?" Gabriel grinned innocently, "Why, I'm much too wet to be dirty!"
Sam growled, jumping into the puddle beside the other and causing a rather satisfying amount of water to hit the angel dead in the face, if he said so himself. "You're not quite wet enough yet, if I say so myself."
Gabriel waggled his eyebrows, "That's what she said," he singsonged, jumping back as Sam swiped at him. "Come on Sammy, if ya' really want to kill me that bad, you gotta show me some real moves."
The Hunter frowned, following after him, "I don't want to kill you, Gabe," he said evenly.
"I know bucko, but I've got all this," Gabriel waved his hands in the air vaguely, his wings shifting and sending a spray of water flying around him as droplets lifted off his feathers from the movement, "This pent up . . . Somethin' goin on. I say lets brawl."
Sam raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "Something?"
"Something," the archangel confirmed, raising his arms up and spreading his legs in a defensive position, "so come at me and lets see what you can do, Sammy."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Fine. But if I win, you stop calling me Sammy." Sam was already on his toes, an unconscious offensive movement just milliseconds before he charged forward, hands open and fingers together as he sent a crashing blow down on one of the archangel's arms before Gabriel could react. But to his utter surprise, The Trickster only smiled.
"Very good," Gabriel smirked slowly, "Let's see what else you can do."
Sam tensed, moving swiftly to bring his other hand around towards Gabriel's face, startled as he blocked it, catching his wrist just an inch or two from his nose. "Gabe . . ." Something wasn't right with this whole situation.
"Just hit me, Sam," Gabriel's honey-gold eye were as cold as the water that rained down on them, flashing daringly as lightning struck nearby.
The Hunter swallowed, almost choking around the lump in his throat. He'd seen a look like that before, self loathing, guilt, and flat out helplessness all mixed together. It was the look Dean had worn countless times after he'd returned from Hell, almost as if begging for someone to break him just so he wouldn't have to feel anymore. "Why?" the word slipped away from him before he could stop it. But it was a completely valid question.
Why was Gabriel staring at him with such a heartbroken look?
Gabriel's eyes narrowed, and he twisted Sam's arm in his grip, watching him wince, "Hit me with all you've got kiddo. Just do it."
Swallowing again, Sam couldn't help but be reminded of what Dean had once told him, an admission of his own weakness the night in the alley when he'd begged Castiel to kill him. Sam snarled at the thought. Well if that's what it had taken to make his brother see the light, then maybe Gabriel really did need a good knock upside the head. He moved swiftly, allowing his arm to remain in Gabriel's firm grip, his other hand still poised against the angel's bared arm so that his opponents hands continued to be occupied as he swung his leg up, kneeing the former Trickster square in the gut.
The archangel couldn't help but gasp, the air rushing out of him as he stumbled back, raising an arm to block as Sam swung his fist towards his face at full force. He felt his Grace pulse with that one, hoo boy. That was what he wanted, Father be damned. If Sam hit him, then he wouldn't feel as guilty if he hit back, it was as simple as that.
And if Sam hurt him, it would be a two way street as well when the time came for him to hurt Sam.
He had to. There were no more options left.
Sam growled as Gabriel blocked him, catching his other hand and twisting it back before using the movement to bring his leg up behind the archangel's calves, sending him toppling backwards as he tried to dodge Sam's attack.
Gabriel huffed in surprised as he found himself suddenly sprawled across the stone ground, water pooled around him and Sam kneeling over him, breathing hard and glaring down at him with utter fury in his eyes. "There you go," he exhaled slowly, a shaky smile wavering on his features as he stared up at the Hunter.
The dark haired man narrowed his eyes still further, his hands splayed across the ground on either side of Gabriel's shoulders, wing feathers brushing against his fingers and stretching all the way down to his ankles. "Why are you trying to get me to hurt you, Gabe?" he hissed, "What possible reasoning could you have behind it?"
"That's none of your business," Gabriel stated evenly, though he could tell by the look on Sam's face he was about to make it his business anyways. Fuck.
Sam's shoulders shook as he breathed in, long and slow in a manner Gabriel knew all too well as someone trying to control their temper. "You said we're supposed to be in this together. So it is my business, Gabriel. If it's something I did then I . . ."
The archangel blanched, raising a hand instinctively to touch the side of Sam's face, "Hey, no, it's not you. God, it's not you. It's my fault and mine alone, all right? Don't blame yourself."
The Hunter blinked, "Wha . . . What are you talking about?" His stomach clenched in fear around the words. Something was wrong.
Gabriel closed his eyes, looking away, "I'm sorry . . . I'm sorry, Sammy. I'm so sorry . . ."
"Gabe-"
"I've been lying to you!" Sam reeled back slightly, as though slapped in the face, and Gabriel flinched. "I lied to you, Sam! It's going to take years, tens, maybe hundreds of fucking years to make it out of here and unless I do something, you're going to die before even one full year passes in Hell. The human body can't take a place like this."
Sam stiffened, clenching his teeth. He imagined Dean, kneeling on the unbroken ground of Stull Cemetery, waiting for some miracle that would now never happen. "You-" He wanted to hit him, to scream at him for giving him false hope and making him believe that he'd get to see his brother again. But he paused, latching on to one particular part of Gabriel's outburst, "Unless you do something?" he asked, feeling a faint spark of hope flare in his chest.
The Trickster bit his lip, "I can't, Sammy. It's not going to work, there's not enough time left and I-"
A hand covered Gabriel's mouth and his words were cut off, muffled against Sam's palm. "Gabriel, just get to the point. What is that you have to do?"
Gabriel's breath hitched as Sam removed his hand, and he raised his own to cover the mark he knew was hidden just beneath the Hunter's clothes across his sternum, the image of his fingers branded into white skin. "This. You know what this is, don't you? Your brother has one too. I can eventually fade, and right now, it's probably the only thing keeping you alive. It remains there as long as my Grace is connected to you, and that you accept it. When I've been healing you, I give you a bit of my Grace, but it's not enough. It's not . . . Physical enough to make much of a difference. If I could give you more Grace, you'd have a better chance of making it out of here."
Sam stared at him for a long moment, "You mean . . ."
The archangel tried to smile, but he knew it would look as false as it felt, "Do it like they do on the discovery channel? Yes. It's either that, or blood. And I can't make you do either." He bit his lip as Sam instinctively shuddered at the second suggestion. No, he could never make him do that.
For a long moment, neither moved, Sam's eyes half closed in that thinking way he often lapsed into, Gabriel's hands still resting on his chest as the rain pelted down on them, soaking through their clothes. So it was that the angel found himself wholly surprised when Sam started to laugh.
The sound was glorious, echoing across Hell in a way that made Gabriel's very being spark from head to toe. Nothing so beautiful could have ever been hear in a place such as this before, it just wasn't possible. Sam's whole frame shook as he laughed, his forehead touching Gabriel's as he bent double over him. "You're such a idiot," he finally managed to chuckle.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean, Winchester?" His hands fisted in the dripping wet folds of Sam's shirt as the Hunter suddenly leaned towards him, breath leaving him entirely as their lips locked, "Wha-"
"You," Sam repeated, "Are an idiot. I like you, Gabriel. I like you a lot. And you said there's still some time left," he paused as Gabriel nodded slowly, "So we don't have to jump into anything right away, all right?"
The archangel could only stare blankly up at him, shocked for what must have been minutes before he surged upwards, kissing Sam hard and bringing the Hunter down to him once more. Sam made a little surprised sound in the back of his throat but allowed it. After a moment that was much too short, Gabriel drew back, "Wait, wait, let me try something, okay?" Before Sam could protest, the angel used his superior god-given strength to reverse their positions, smirking as Sam shivered as his back hit the wet ground. His wings arched up over his head, shielding them from the worst of the rain as Gabriel tugged the Hunter's shirt up over his head, watching with satisfaction as Sam stuttered and blushed, "Don't look at me like that kiddo, I'm not going to jump ya' . . . Today," he amended after a second's thought. "I just wanna see if I can buy us some more time."
Slowly, the former Tricsker placed his hand over the brand on Sam's chest, aligning his fingers with their crimson imprints, making a shushing noise as Sam opened his mouth to speak. "One sec, one sec," he urged, making sure his hand completely covered every tiny piece of the mark before h leaned down, capturing Sam's lips against his own once more.
It was like a spark of pure electricity that passed through them, mimicking the lighting that crackled through the air overhead as Sam's back arched from the touch, Gabriel's fingers pulsing with the crystal blue glow of his Grace as it flowed into the Hunter. The archangel let out an elated laugh of success, nibbling at Sam's bottom lip as he kissed him. Yes, even with just this much contact, he could feed more Grace into the other.
There might just be hope yet.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
For the first time since he'd jumped into Hell, Sam dreamed.
He knew he was dreaming because somewhere in the back of his mind, he could still feel Gabriel's arms and wings tangled around him, the flutter of warm breath across his face as the angel watched over him while he slept. But now, it seemed so far away, and it was almost as though he had to force himself to remember that that was where he really was.
Above his head a streetlight flickered once, twice, before popping softly and dimming the dark night air around him, veiling him in shadow. He frowned slightly, his eyes glazing over for a moment before he raised them, staring out across black pavement and freshly mowed lawn until his gazed rested on a single lit window on the face of an all too perfect house.
Inside, a boy sat with his back to the Hunter, a mother leaned over him, dishing up some green beans onto his plate, and across from the child sat . . .
Sam's breath caught in his throat, ragged with disbelief. In the chair, head bent over his food and his eyebrows furrowed with a worry that most likely didn't pertain to the setting at hand. For a moment, the woman rested a hand on his shoulder and he smiled, a wavering curve of the lips that Sam knew instantly was all too fake.
Just as this dream was all too real. He bit his lip, looking down at the sidewalk and then at himself, studying his hands and the way they seemed so solid. As false as any spirits' hands.
He almost wished Dean would look up, and he raised his eyes to the window again with a shudder. And to his surprise, for a brief moment in time, Dean glanced to the glass, green eyes meeting that of equal color.
A second later, and Sam was gone.
RANDOM AUTHOR RAMBLE
Two words. Midterms. Suck.
Anyways, sorry this took so long. I've kinda been in this pathetic rut of fangirling about . . . *looks away* iCarly . . . I'm sorry, Supernatural is being all Angst!Sammy and it bums me out, I need happy doses.
About this chapter: Yay, Kisses fo u. it took me six or seven tries to get this scene to sound right, another reason it took so long. You also finally get the explanation of why Sam's been sleeping so long. He's kinda . . . Dying. To say the least. And we get the first dream sequence! As you may guess, these will become stronger the more Grace Sammy gets from Dean.
ANYWHO, want me to update faster? Yes? Then I want two things.
Vampire!Dean/Cass fics. Lots of them. Only good thing to come out of that ep.
Gabriel/Blind!Sam fics. I have a weird fetish for these, okay? And I'm all out. Preferably temp blindness and/or post s5 blindness as a side affect of having Luci in him, and Gabriel takes care of him. Smut pleaz.
These will inspire me to write faster. So please give. Love and thankies!
