Chapter 11
"What in blazes do you think you're doing?" Turning to Bobby, Sam tried to think of a response. While he didn't mean to hurt Gabriel. When the archangel had explained how he felt about their future it had been too much. Gripping his left hand around the golden feather which hung from his neck, Sam sighed before looking at the older hunter. Bobby was glaring at him now, his right hand drumming on the table while waiting for an answer.
"I didn't… you heard him, Bobby; he wanted to do whatever it was I wanted. I can barely keep it together on a good day, how the hell am I supposed to be responsible for an archangel?"
Seeing the look in Bobby's eyes made Sam gulp. It had been a long time since he'd seen the hunter with that specific mix of anger and exasperation. It was something the taller man had only seen on Bobby when he or Dean was doing something both incredibly stupid and exceedingly dangerous.
"Well, you sure as hell ain't thinkin' right now. I may not know the guy, but he was willin' to put up with you and your brother and keep you both safe. Do you know what kind of protection he was offerin'?"
Unable to speak Sam shook his head in response which caused Bobby to raise his voice. "Neither do I! He was our best bet at killing Yellow-Eyes and finding out what is goin' on with you two and you blow him off. Why? Cause you don't think you should be responsible for his decisions? Grow up why don't 'cha? He's an archangel for crying out loud. If he wasn't serious in wanting to do what he could for you, I don't think you or I would be able to force him."
"He wants to have me as his mate." Glancing up at Bobby who merely raised an eyebrow, Sam continued. "Gabriel told me he sees me as his intended mate, that he wants us to be together. I don't… he's an archangel Bobby; his grace is making him do anything to make sure that I say yes, I don't…"
He didn't deserve it. While he couldn't get the words out, Sam knew Bobby understood from the massive sigh the other man let out. There was a moment when Sam didn't know how Bobby was going to take it all. While the hazel-eyed man wanted to be with Gabriel, it was too much too fast, and there was no way he was worthy of being the mate of an archangel, no matter what said archangel said. Remembering how Gabriel had been willing to allow Sam to push for more sexually than he wanted, made the hunter feel cold.
There was no way he was going to allow himself to harm the archangel when he couldn't even tell his desires from Sam's any longer. Seeing the flash of pain in those whiskey eyes when Sam asked him to leave did make the tall man pause for a moment. The blond had seemed so hurt Sam was asking him to go; that he wasn't willing to give them a try.
"Well, you better call your brother and let him know what's going on. Go for a hunt while you sort all this out. Who knows maybe your archangel will prove you wrong because unless you don't want him 'cause you're not attracted to him, I think you're full of shit."
Sam turned to Bobby, glancing once at the older hunter before sighing and standing from the table. "Yeah, I'll call Dean." Not turning back at the soft 'idjit' that came from Bobby, Sam fished out his phone from his pocket and dialed his brother's number. Hopefully, his gut was wrong, and this wasn't a mistake.
It had been three weeks since he had last seen his human. While Gabriel had known the rejection would hurt he didn't expect it to be like this. Already he could feel the dip in his grace, the way it would fluctuate between resting comfortably in his vessel and spearing him with white-hot pain. Spot was always by his side now, the small dog whimpering along with his master while Gabriel spent more and more time in bed.
The worst was when Sam was in danger. Unlike with a healthy, growing bond, as Gabriel's grace was fighting him it was also searching out his mate. Gabriel knew better than to try and help the hunter, the man wouldn't take too well to having someone bail him out at every turn, but it didn't stop his grace from watching the man. What Gabriel saw made him both impressed by the hunter's skill, and terrified for him.
When a woman started to get close to Sam, Gabriel knew.
At first, it was okay, Gabriel could feel the ever-sharp pains through his body, but the second the woman touched Sam, even though it was only a hand on his bare arm, the archangel couldn't sit around and watch. Howling in pain, Gabriel wrapped his arms and wings around his body trying to contain his grace which was withering in agony. Tears were running down his face as Sam hesitated for a moment before pulling away.
Gabriel wasn't who the human wanted any longer.
Whimpering, Spot lay at the bottom of the bed, his head resting on Gabriel's foot while watching his master. The blond wanted to reassure the pup everything would be fine, that he would be fine. Thankfully, Sam didn't sleep with the woman. Gabriel wasn't sure if he would have been able to survive what his grace would have done if he had.
It was like watching a movie in his head, the grace tied to the feather efficiently played out Sam's movements for Gabriel, making certain the angel knew his human was well. There was only so much the archangel could take, and while he made sure Spot was cared for, the blond didn't do much more than snap himself clean every few days. Every now and again he would make Sam's job easier, would give the hunter a piece of information he needed or have a weapon come back to the man when it was knocked out of his hand. It wasn't until Dean was taken by a djinn that Gabriel noticed something was off with the hazel-eyed man.
The hunter wasn't sleeping. Sam should have been moving quicker, should have been able to find Dean long before he did, but Sam's body and mind were tired. Sitting up from his bed, Gabriel used his grace surrounding the feather to inspect the human, to see how bad the hunter was. Seeing how close the tall man was to being burnt out, the shorter man easily hid himself that night when Sam went to bed.
Sitting on the edge of the mattress, Gabriel ran a hand through brunet hair. Thankfully the taller man remained asleep while the archangel brushed away the nightmares waiting to take hold of him. Gazing down at Sam, Gabriel couldn't help but wish he could do this while the other was awake, that he could protect his human throughout the day. Bending to place a soft kiss on the hunter's forehead, Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent of his mate.
"Why are you here?"
The words were whispered so as not to wake Sam, but Gabriel heard the warning tone nonetheless. Opening his eyes, Gabriel turned to face Dean, his hand still lightly running through soft brown hair while making sure the other man slept soundly. Even in the dim light which was coming through the curtains, Gabriel could see Dean's profile, the way the older Winchester's body was laying with a hand tucked under his pillow, his eyes narrowed as he observed Gabriel.
"I wanted to make sure he had at least one good night's sleep. I'll be gone before he wakes up." Gabriel had thought it would comfort the other hunter to know he would leave before sunrise, but instead, Dean grunted. "So you're going to leave him again? You've got to know this is messing with his head. One minute you're claiming your undying love for him, the next he hasn't so much as seen you in weeks. You wanna explain that?"
Sighing, Gabriel ran his fingers through Sam's hair one last time before resting his hand on the hunter's arm. "He sent me away," while he hadn't meant to express his pain at the statement, Gabriel knew Dean must have heard it. "While I was trying to prove my worth, he told me to leave. He rejected my courtship, my intent." The archangel could feel his wings shudder as he admitted his mate did not choose him, that Sam would never want him.
"That's bull."
Looking at Dean who was now sitting up, the shorter man watched as the hunter glanced to Gabriel's hand which was now holding onto Sam's. He could have let go, could have left but something was making Gabriel remain here to speak with Dean. Perhaps he wanted at least someone to know how much he cared for his mate.
"I'm only going to say this once, and then I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened." Dean took a breath before he continued, looking Gabriel in the eye of the dimly lit room. "Sam wasn't rejecting you. I may not like it, but my brother is head over heels for you already. My guess is he doesn't want you to be trapped with him. God knows the kid has self-esteem issues, and you not fighting for him probably made him think he was right in pushing you away."
Eyes widened, Gabriel glanced down at the sleeping figure. "What if you're wrong and I make him uncomfortable?" Dean didn't hesitate before answering, his tone softening while he looked at the archangel who was trying to memorize Sam's features. "What if I'm right and you're only hurting him? I know my brother, and you staying away is just proving to him you don't want him. So, either take your feather away or grow a pair."
It had been a long time since someone had spoken to Gabriel like they could command him. Still, with his hand on Sam's arm, Gabriel moved his fingers tenderly until he clasped the feather which was resting against Sam's chest. For a second, the archangel thought about taking it back, though his grace had connected to the human, he would survive longer if he retracted his claim. Instead, Gabriel gave the plume a pulse of grace.
Standing, Gabriel let go of the feather, brushing his fingers along the side of Sam's face for a second before turning to Dean. "He should sleep through the night; I have a few things to think about… but I'll be watching. If you or Sam need me pray and I'll be there."
Gabriel didn't give Dean a chance to say anything more. With a flap of his wings, he was flying to his house; there was a lot he needed to prepare. If Dean was right and Sam was merely lashing out due to his self-esteem issues than Gabriel would need to up his game. It was time for him to court his intended.
Even if it killed him.
