It was utterly ridiculous and probably slightly pathetic but Spencer took a little extra time to try and find something semi decent to wear before she met up with the boys. The jeans she'd pulled on might've been the ones that Gabriel and Sam had both complimented her on. Not that she did it because of that, of course. Oh, no. They were comfortable and she was going to be walking around, after all. And if her shirt fit a little snug compared to normal, well, she wore it mainly because it had the Serenity on the front of it and who didn't love a good Firefly reference?

She was absurdly grateful that neither man said anything about the fact that she was wearing different clothes than before. It also might've stroked her ego just the slightest bit to see that they'd dressed rather nice as well. Not dressy, not fancy, nothing like that. Just, nice. The jeans Sam wore were one of her favorite pairs on him; worn, with a spot near the knee that was really starting to fade, and hugging him in all the right spots. He had on a regular t-shirt, too, just a nice green one, and only one flannel on over it. Gabriel was in jeans as well, which fit just as nicely as Sam's did, and a red shirt over which he wore his usual canvas jacket. No real special clothes, yet still, they looked nice.

"You ready?" Sam asked in way of greeting when she reached them.

Tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear, Spencer smiled at the two. "As ready as one can be for a day of shopping."

That had both boys laughing at her. Their smiles and laughter eased a bit of her nerves and she found herself relaxing a little as they steered her over towards the truck she knew they tended to use for supply runs. There was a cover on the back and plenty of space to haul just about anything they might pick up. As Gabriel opened the door and held out a hand to assist her inside, grinning all the while, she had a feeling they'd chosen it for more than just the storage space. She highly doubted it was by accident that they ended up in a vehicle that put her smack dab in the middle of them instead of in the backseat like she'd be in some other car.

Still, she had to admit it was nice. As they pulled away from the bunker and out onto the main road, Sam's arm ended up around her shoulders, his fingers idly playing with some of Gabriel's hair, and Gabriel talked animatedly the entire time, his hands getting into his story almost as much as Spencer's tended to. The stories he told were easy, laughing things that kept them entertained and had Spencer laughing until her cheeks hurt and she was half collapsed against him trying to breathe.

It made the whole drive a lot quicker than Spencer had anticipated. She was surprised when Sam said "All right, where were you looking to head to first?" and she looked up to find that they were already in town. A town further than she'd intended. A look around finally showed her a sign that let her know they were in Grand Island, Nebraska, which was a little over an hour away.

She looked back at Sam with surprise and found him grinning at her. "It was a nice drive. Plus, the stores here aren't too bad."

"I don't know my way around this town."

"Why don't we hit the mall then, Sammy?" Gabriel suggested, leaning around Spencer to look at the hunter. "They've got plenty enough stores there. What is it you're looking for, sweetheart? Anything in particular, or were you just wanting to shop?"

That set Sam off, his laughter echoing in the car. Spencer elbowed him and tried to glare. It was hard to when he was laughing so happily, though. "Oh, man." Sam wheezed out, still chuckling a bit as he stopped at a stop light. He turned that grin towards Gabriel. "Spencer doesn't shop unless she has to. There're too many people for her tastes. If she didn't hate technology so much, she'd probably order everything online and take away the need to ever go out in public."

"I'm not that bad!" Spencer insisted.

Still laughing, Sam leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he had to turn his attention back to the road as the light turned green. "You are, but that's all right. Gabe more than makes up for it. He can shop enough for all three of us."

"Hey!"

The friendly bickering carried over until they were parked at the mall and starting to make their way across the parking lot. Spencer didn't think anything of it as she stepped aside and Sam slipped his arm around Gabriel's shoulders. That was the way it was supposed to be, after all. What she hadn't expected, what honestly surprised her, was when Gabriel took her hand. Then Sam grinned at her over Gabriel's head. "You know, I think I like this."

"Like what?" Spencer and Gabriel both asked.

The hunter winked at Spencer and then looked down at Gabriel. "You, stuck in the middle like this. Makes it easier to keep you from running off. You're too nice to drag Spencer off the way you do me."

Spencer's laughter mixed in with the sound of Sam's grunt as Gabriel elbowed him. The trio was all smiling, however, as they made their way inside, even if the amount of people that were in the mall was enough to have Spencer shifting ever so slightly towards Gabriel. He didn't seem bothered by it. He gave her hand a squeeze and then grinned at her. "All right, Princess. You never said what exactly it is that we're here for. What're you looking for? This place has a little bit of everything."

"I need… work clothes." Spencer chewed on her bottom lip and looked out at them from behind her bangs. She felt just a bit guilty, like maybe she should've mentioned this on the way in instead of just springing it on them. But neither man looked all that surprised by her words. Sam was smiling at her in that gentle way of his that let people know that he understood. It was an expression that she imagined had eased many a victim while he was interviewing them.

Gabriel nodded his head at her like he'd expected her words as well. "There are a few places we can look in here. You'd need something that works for both the office and the field. Professional but comfortable."

"No skirts." Spencer said quickly.

The archangel flashed her a grin. "Yeah, yeah. Fun as it might be to watch, I didn't figure you'd want to chase down bad guys in one. I think I know just the store to start in, though. C'mon!"

Shopping with Gabriel was quite the experience. It was also one that Spencer was quite sure she wasn't going to be repeating any time soon. Not that being out and about with him and Sam was a bad thing – she had fun with them, talking and laughing – she just wasn't built to keep up with someone like him. He enjoyed the crowds and the clothes and the trips to the dressing room and things like that. Spencer didn't. She was much more content when they were in the dressing rooms and there was no one in sight.

Though she had to admit, there was something kind of nice about trying on the clothes that Gabriel gave her and stepping out to see the looks on the faces of her two men.

Mostly they stuck to what was appropriate. Slacks, button up shirts, a few blouses, some blazers. A few of those wide strapped tank tops that she'd seen Emily put on under a blazer when the weather was warm. Plus, a few more vests. Changing genders hadn't changed Spencer's style. She still liked close to the same thing. It was just how she dressed. Being female shouldn't change that. So, despite how Sam chuckled and rolled his eyes, she tossed in a tie or two just because she could, as well as a sweater vest that she'd found soft and quite comfortable.

Once they found plenty of clothes that fit her, Gabriel dragged her into a shoe store. Spencer swore afterwards that he had to have used his mojo on her somehow. There was no other explanation as to why she ended up attempting to walk in a pair of high heels. Logically, she knew it was a disaster waiting to happen. She knew it, Sam knew it – hell, Gabriel probably knew it too, the little shit. But still Spencer found herself in a pair of heels that Gabriel had picked out. She managed more steps than she'd thought she would – which, honestly, was any at all – before the heel rolled under her and she went tumbling down.

Luckily for her Sam had been prepared for that. His arms were there in a flash and Spencer found herself caught up against his chest. When she looked up, hands going to his shoulders to brace herself, she found him grinning down at her. "I'm starting to see the appeal of you in heels."

Color filled Spencer's cheeks. "Be quiet."

She managed on a few good pairs of what Gabriel called 'business flats'. Well, really, he called them 'boring ass flats suitable for looking like an FBI tightwad', but it meant the same thing. She also got a few pairs of boots. They were comfortable and would be easy to run in, an important thing for work.

By the time they were out of there, Spencer was ready to go to lunch and unafraid of making that known. "No more shopping." She told them firmly. "Why don't we go find something to eat?"

Gabriel looked like he was going to say something - something teasing, no doubt, judging by the twinkle in his eyes – but a hand lightly touching his arm stopped him. Sam gave a small head shake when Gabriel looked at him. It was a small, quiet little conversation between them; one that yet again showed the connection she swore was almost visible between them sometimes. If there were ever two beings meant to be together, these two were it. They were so connected in so many ways she couldn't help but wonder how on earth they managed to make room for her.

They turned to her, the both of them smiling, and Sam reached out to curl his arm around her shoulders and tug her in against his side, away from the crowds. At the same time, Gabriel slipped around them and came up on her other side, snuggling down under her arm without any hesitation, not the least bit bothered by their height difference. "There's a really good Chinese place across the parking lot." Gabriel told them, curling his arm around her waist. "It's got some semi private seats in there and pretty good food." His hand settled on her hip, right by Sam, and she felt a little wiggle that, when she looked down, she realized was from Gabriel hooking his middle finger into Sam's belt loop.

The two were bracketing her between them and sheltering her from the rush of people around them that had been steadily getting to her during their trip. Sam knew her well enough to know that she really didn't like crowds like this. She never had. Whether he'd shared that thought with Gabriel or they'd just read one another well enough, they were both responding to that nervousness in her now and sheltering her between them while at the same time offering her a way out of here with her dignity intact.

Spencer couldn't help how she smiled. "That sounds really nice."

The trio stayed linked together as they made their way out of the mall.

Spencer was feeling relaxed enough by the time they got to the restaurant that she didn't even mind the strange looks they got for being so wrapped around one another. However, when the hostess led them to a booth back in the corner and Spencer saw the two men preparing to grumble about their seating, which would allow two to be side-by-side and once forced to sit across from them, she chuckled and shook her head. "Sit over there." She instructed them both, nudging them to the other side of the booth. "I'll be fine sitting by myself." The bit of space would do her good. She didn't seem to think as clearly when they were touching her. Besides, it'd be easier to have the conversation she knew they had to have if she was able to look at them both.

When it looked like they were going to protest, she solved it by simply ducking under Sam's arm and sliding down into the booth seat that she wanted. She didn't scoot over, opting instead to set her bag next to her, and then she looked up at them with a very clear expression of 'Well?' on her face.

It earned her an eyeroll from Sam and a chuckle from Gabriel. Still, the two sat down opposite her, Gabriel on the inside and Sam with his long legs on the outside.

Their waitress came next and took their drink orders while handing out their menus. Spencer contemplated for a moment before she went ahead and ordered a fruity margarita. She ignored the amused look that Sam gave her and opted instead to smile at Gabriel. "You want to know one of the nice things about being female?" She cast a look at Sam, who was still smirking a little at her, and ignored the waitress to just grin at Gabriel. "You don't have to order a beer and pretend it tastes good simply to protect your image of masculinity. You can order something that actually tastes good and it considered socially acceptable."

The waitress made a small choked sound that Spencer had a feeling was a smothered laugh. She lost control of it, however, when Gabriel grinned and declared "Forget that! I don't conform to gender norms anyways." Turning, he winked at the waitress. "Give me what she's having, only with a bit more fruit, an your best beer for our macho man over here."

Amusement danced in the woman's eyes as she jotted down their drink orders. "Those'll be out to you soon. I'll come check back in a bit to see if you're ready to order."

As she walked away, Sam gave the two gigglers at the table a dry look. "Aren't you two just hilarious."

"Problems, Samuel?" Spencer asked innocently, folding her arms on the table and bending forward to lean on them.

His eyes twinkled as he looked her over, his gaze lingering just a moment longer on her chest before rising up to her eyes. "There will be if you continue to call me Samuel."

"Ooh, touchy." Gabriel teased him.

Their teasing continued on after their drinks arrived and melted into easy conversation as they ordered and then ate their food. Spencer relaxed down into the seat as they talked. Talking with Sam had always been easy for her and she was finding that talking with Gabriel was just as easy. Sometimes she just ate while the two of them talked – Sam was entertaining Gabriel with college stories that the man probably already knew, but enjoyed and laughed at anyways – and sometimes she gave her own input. They let her fall silent when she wanted but made sure to always keep her in the conversation. She never felt like an outsider with them. Not once had they given her that feeling today.

By the time their food was done and they were on their second round of drinks, all of them were relaxed. Spencer judged it was probably the best time she was going to get to have the conversation she'd wanted to have today.

"So," she said, as conversation fell into a lull. "There's something I was hoping to talk with you guys about."

That got both their attention. It was kind of nice and just a bit uncomfortable how they both immediately turned their focus straight to her. She'd never had anyone who listened as intently as they did, like there was nothing more important to them. It felt good but it also felt odd. Something she wasn't quite used to. "What's up?" Sam asked.

Spencer had debated how to say this off and on all day. In the end, she decided that blunt was the best way to go. "I think I'm ready to go back to work." When they both just continued to look at her, saying nothing, she shrugged a little and dropped her gaze down to her drink. "You guys have a lot on your plates here and you need to be able to focus on it. This thing you guys are working on, it's big. Really big. And you both know, I'm a liability. This kind of fight isn't something I'm good at. I'd get in the way and I'd distract you. Besides, I… I need to get back to work. To my friends. I need to, to do something again instead of just sitting around researching all the time. I'm not built to be still. I, miss my job and my friends."

"I thought you might be getting ready." Sam said slowly. When she looked up at him with surprise, he smiled in a gentle sort of way. "You're not built to be inactive. None of us are. We understand that."

"We knew you'd want to go back soon." Gabriel chimed in.

Their easy acceptance loosened some of the tension that had balled up in her gut. Not all of it, but enough for her to get out the next words, the ones that weren't as easy for her to say. "I'd like to… that is, I mean." Pausing, she cleared her throat. "I don't want you to think that I'm walking away from… this." She gestured with one hand between the three of them.

The grin that Gabriel gave her made even more of that tension fade. As did his next words. "I already told Sammy back when we first talked about this – distance isn't a problem, Princess. I can fly anywhere in the blink of an eye. What we have between us doesn't have to stop just because you go home. You can call us and talk with us anytime, an all you have to do is ask and I'll be there in a flash."

"We want this to work, Spencer, and we're willing to do what it takes to make it." Sam said.

"Are you set on going back now?" Gabriel asked. "Or would you be willing to wait until tomorrow? Best as I can tell, the spell should be finished by tonight. There's just a tiny touch of it left in you."

Spencer thought about it for a moment. "I can wait until tomorrow." That wasn't that difficult a request.

Their answering smiles made it very much worth it. "Good." Gabriel said. The way he smiled, the way he flashed a quick look over to Sam, told her that there was something else there, something that the archangel had planned. She found that she didn't quite mind. She wasn't worried about it.

Warmth filled Spencer. She looked at the two of them, these two men who were smiling at her, who were looking at her like she was something important, something special, and she felt just a bit of her fear fade away. There was still a part of her that worried that maybe going back home might change this. That they might not want to do things with her long distance or that it might not be able to work. That part of her was the one that whispered that she shouldn't be with them, that she wasn't good enough, that she shouldn't get between the two. But for the first time in her life Spencer absolutely refused to let her insecurities rule her. They cared about her and she cared about them. The rest, they would figure out.

That thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.