It's time to try and stop the Apocalypse. Only, Gabriel has a plan no one expected, and the boys start to learn that there might be a bit more going on here than they thought. Age old truths are revealed as friends become enemies and enemies become friends.
Between Hope and Destruction:
Two days after Gabriel's lesson to the Winchesters was done with, the archangel and his fledgling appeared in the kitchen of Bobby's rather quiet house. It was still early enough in the morning that no one was awake yet and Spencer was kind of glad about that. Just thinking of coming back to this house was enough to have him feeling tense. Actually arriving had only made that feeling worse.
He'd almost asked Gabriel if they could meet up somewhere else. If it hadn't made him feel weak just thinking about it, he would've. But he wasn't going to admit to being that weak. He could handle a meeting here, so long as they didn't make him go downstairs. He wanted nowhere near that panic room. Gabriel had understood that without Spencer even having to say a word and he'd made him a promise before they left that he wouldn't have to go there. "There's absolutely no reason for you to be anywhere near that room." Gabriel had told him firmly. "You don't ever have to go past that basement door. An if someone tries to make you, for whatever reason, I'll handle it." The fierce way he'd said that, with grace in his eyes and his wings lifted up high and protective behind him, had eased some of the knot inside of Spencer. He was learning that Gabriel was someone who kept his word.
"Charming." Gabriel murmured as he looked around the kitchen that they'd landed in. His hand, which had been resting on Spencer's shoulder for their flight, slid down to rub lightly between his shoulder blades. A small sneer curled Gabriel's lip as he looked over Bobby's current table. It was big enough to hold two – maybe. "All right, kiddo. Time for a quick morning lesson. Let's see if you can make that table a little bigger and add a few chairs. There should be, hm…six of us, if Cassie shows up."
Spencer bit at his bottom lip and focused on the table. There were two ways to do this. Banish Bobby's table and replace it with one that Spencer conjured up, or expand on the one that was already there and only have to conjure up new chairs. The second option was the easier of the two and Gabriel was teaching him to always go the route that conserved his energy. No need to exhaust himself doing something that could be done in an easier way. Fixing the image he needed in his mind, Spencer focused and snapped.
The small table was suddenly longer and instead of one chair on each side there were three chairs on each side.
The hand between his shoulders came up to ruffle his hair and he ducked away, peeking over to find Gabriel grinning at him. "Good job."
Spencer flushed and smiled shyly. "Thank you." He wasn't quite used to someone who offered compliments as often as Gabriel did. Not even his team had ever complimented him this much. But each time Spencer did something right, Gabriel had a kind word or some sort of positive affirmation for him.
The two ended up sitting down on the side of the table near the living room, a room which Spencer very much wished he could break away and go look around in. The glimpse he'd taken before he got to his chair had showed quite a few books and there was nothing better suited to grab Spencer's interest. He made a mental note to drag Gabriel in there with him later and take a look around. For the moment he was content to let himself be tucked down into the chair by the window, neatly here in the corner with Gabriel as a perfect protective shield in the chair next to him, not only effectively blocking him off from whoever might come up but also offering easy access to slip past him to the living room if a quick escape proved necessary.
There was a part of Spencer that knew that thinking like that wasn't entirely healthy. Then again, he also knew that he wasn't entirely healthy. He hadn't been for a while. Working at the Bureau made for a sort of hyper vigilant personality type. The fact that he'd been kidnapped twice in the past six months only fueled that. He could live with a little PTSD.
Gabriel's voice broke into Spencer's thoughts and pulled him back to the present moment. "Why don't you snap us up some coffee, Sparrow?"
A bit of concentration and a snap brought not only two cups of coffee into existence in front of them, but a carafe holding more on the table. Spencer reached out and curled his hands around his mug while slanting a slightly amused look over to Gabriel. "Are you sure you don't simply enjoy having someone do things for you?"
The teasing was something new, something he didn't really indulge in with many people. He did it with Derek now and again because they had years of friendship with one another that left Spencer comfortable enough to attempt to tease with him and not worry that it would get him mocked or hurt. Teasing with Gabriel was new, a small sign on just how comfortable he was finding himself with the archangel.
Grinning, Gabriel picked up his own cup and leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the table. "Why, Spencer! What're you accusing me of?"
The mock innocence in his voice had Spencer rolling his eyes. The young genius was smiling, though. He hid it behind his cup as he took a sip of his coffee. Just as he was about to lower his cup and say something, he felt a weird sort of twitch at the edge of his awareness. It was kind of like…like a flutter of a bird just at the edge of your sight, only, in his mind. The sensation had him sitting up a little straighter and furrowing his brow in confusion. What was that? "Gabriel?"
"What's up, kiddo?"
"What is that?" Tilting his head a little, Spencer turned his focus inwards, not really paying attention to the physical world around him. Because of that he missed the amused way that Gabriel was watching him. All of his focus was on that strange sensation in his head that was slowly getting clearer. A second later he answered his own question. The sensation shifted from this strange warm fluttering thing into something that he had definitely sensed before, though never this clearly. "Oh!" That was someone's mind! Thoughts and emotions all bundled together in this little ball that his mind neatly labeled as a person. Whoever this was, they were thinking a low grumble of complaints about morning aches and something about a 'stupid chair', and it was all overlaid with something thick and dark and hurt.
The brush of feathers against his back and arm drew him out of his thoughts. He opened eyes he hadn't realized that he'd closed and found Gabriel watching him. The archangel lifted a finger and wagged it at him chidingly. "Quit snooping. Remember what I told you – I'm not shielding you all the way here. You're gonna have to start practicing blocking out other people's thoughts and emotions, at least somewhat. It shouldn't be too hard. You were already getting the hang of it before the Hardy Boys came along."
Spencer nodded and closed his eyes once more to try and focus himself. It took a few long minutes for him to get his shields in place. When he was done, the thoughts of the person he was hearing weren't gone but they were muted enough that he didn't really hear them if he didn't focus on it. "Does it ever really go away entirely?" He asked, opening his eyes once more.
"Nope." Gabriel said, far too cheerfully. "You get used to it, though. You'll barely notice it eventually. Well, except with some. Some people think just a little louder than others."
The sound of a shotgun being pumped broke into their conversation. "Who the hell are you and what're you doin' in my house?" A voice growled out at them.
Spencer had been so focused on blocking out the person's thoughts that he hadn't paid any attention to the fact that the man was getting closer to them. Gabriel, however, didn't even flinch. He turned and grinned over at the doorway where a man in a wheelchair sat. The man was older and slightly scruffy looking, dressed in blue jeans, a t-shirt and a blue flannel, with a trucker cap perched on his head. However, what caught Spencer's attention more than any of that was the amazing light that was shining inside of the man. His soul, Spencer realized. That's his soul. Awe filled him. Gabriel had warned him that he was going to be able to start seeing this part of people. Nothing could've prepared him, though. This man had an amazing soul. It was low and warm, like a fire. Not blindingly bright like grace could be. No, this was more muted, yet no less amazing. Warm and steady and incredible.
If either man noticed Spencer's surprised staring, they didn't show it. The man was busy glaring at them; that look only intensified as his eyes landed on Gabriel. "You."
Smirking, Gabriel spread his hands out on either side of him. Out of sight of the human, his wings spread out as well. "Me!"
Ah, this must be Bobby Singer, the owner of the house. He definitely didn't look happy to see Gabriel here. Then again, considering their history that was no real surprise. Spencer had read all of the 'Winchester Gospels' that Gabriel had left for him and he'd heard Gabriel's version of events so he knew what had happened between them all. He knew that Bobby wasn't going to be thrilled to see the trickster. According to Gabriel, no one was really going to be that happy to see him. He didn't seem all that broken up about it, either.
The gun stayed fixed on Gabriel for a moment. "We gonna have any trouble, trickster?"
"Why?" Gabriel asked, dropping his hands and arching his eyebrows. "What're you gonna do – shoot me?"
The sound Bobby made at that managed to be disgusted, annoyed and exasperated all at the same time. It was kind of impressive, really. Spencer watched the older Hunter lower his gun down to his lap. Then his attention suddenly moved off of Gabriel and over to Spencer. He softened a bit, the annoyed look melting away into something else that Spencer couldn't—wouldn't—read. "You must be Spencer." He still sounded gruff but it was without the growling edge that he'd had while talking to Gabriel.
Spencer nodded. "Mr. Singer, I presume?" No matter how nervous he felt, he still had manners.
That had the man snorting. "Just Bobby, kid." He gripped the wheels of his chair and rolled himself forward until he was at the opposite side of the table from them and no longer just hanging out in the doorway. "It's good to meet you face to face. I'm sorry we didn't get the chance last time." The man lifted his eyes and met Spencer's head on. Without any hesitation, he said "I owe you an even bigger apology for the hospitality you got last time you were here. If I could'a gotten down them stairs I would'a let you out. I'm sorry."
The apology stunned Spencer. He hadn't really expected one. Nor did he expect it from the man who was in a chair that presented him from going down the staircase to where Spencer had been held. He didn't blame Bobby at all. "You don't need to apologize, Mr. Singer. But thank you for saying it."
"I told you, kid, just Bobby. None of this Mr. Singer business."
"Good luck with that." Gabriel told him. He sipped off his coffee and shot Spencer a fond look. "He's too polite for his own good. He keeps trying to call me Sir." The way Gabriel shuddered, body and wings, had Spencer's lips twitching. The archangel shot him a mock scowl. "It's disgusting."
"I could think of much better things to call ya." Bobby interjected, glowering once more.
Gabriel flashed him a bright grin. "Well aren't you the flirty one."
The sound of Bobby's disgusted protests and Gabriel's laughter filled the kitchen. Spencer listened to the two start to bicker and he noticed the way that Bobby's soul lit up a little the more that he talked. It was like he liked arguing with the trickster/archangel. Like bickering and arguing was fun for him. There was nothing sexual to it, nothing romantic, no matter how flirtatious Gabriel was making himself sound or how he was playing it up. Just a sense of amusement in the whole situation that was overlaid with an exasperation that Spencer suspected was a typical feeling for people when around Gabriel.
There was something else, though. Something that he hadn't noticed when he'd first seen Bobby's soul. Before, he'd been too stunned by the fact that he could see souls at all to really do more than notice the basics. Now that he was looking and watching the way the soul changed with emotions, the way it warmed or brightened, he thought he could see something else, something strange. He couldn't quite figure out what it was. Narrowing his eyes, he tilted his head and tried to get a better look. What was that? It was…odd. A little, dark, maybe? Different. Like it didn't quite belong.
"I got something on my face, kid?" Bobby asked, interrupting Spencer's thoughts.
Spencer's gaze snapped up and he found both men watching him. Realizing that he'd been caught staring, he blushed and ducked his head down quickly so that his hair fell in a screen in front of his face. "No, no. I'm sorry."
It looked like Bobby was going to let it go, though he was watching Spencer strangely – Gabriel, however, was not. "What's up, kiddo?"
"It's nothing." Spencer said, still a little uncomfortable. He looked up at Bobby again and then back down at his mug.
Beside him, he heard the sound of Gabriel's chair going flat again and his feet dropping down to the ground. A second later there was a hand between his shoulder blades in a touch that was becoming familiar whenever Gabriel wanted to offer comfort or support. "Spencer." He rubbed lightly, easing some of the ache that was always there in those muscles. "Relax, kiddo. What'd you see?"
He didn't sound annoyed or upset by what Spencer had been doing. Maybe it wasn't wrong, what he'd been doing. Maybe he could even help Spencer figure out what it was. Because there was something in Spencer that was insisting what he'd seen wasn't supposed to be there. Spencer chewed on his bottom lip and tried to find the words to describe this. "I…I'm not sure. I just, there's something there, something…not right. I, ah, I'm not sure. But it's, it doesn't feel right."
"Look a little closer at it, Sparrow. See if you can figure it out."
"Figure what out?" Bobby asked, looking nervous as Spencer's eyes came back up to look at him. Or, more accurately, through him. The Hunter felt open and exposed under Spencer's stare. Uncomfortable, he glared at Gabriel. "What's going on?" He demanded.
"Something you'll appreciate." Gabriel smirked at Bobby and then winked. "Give him a second here, old man. I think he's about to show you a real neat parlor trick."
Spencer found that strangeness around the edge of Bobby's soul once more. He hesitated only briefly, not quite sure. Was this really okay? Bobby didn't look entirely comfortable. Didn't that mean that Spencer should stop? "Gabriel?"
"Go ahead, little bird. You're doing fine. I've got your back here an I promise, the old grump won't mind this little trick."
Spencer hesitated only a moment longer before reaching out to this strange thing that was sitting over Bobby. The more he focused on it, the clearer it became. It wasn't just a little bit of dark. It was this thin, dark thread, twisting around him. Not just his soul – his body. It just seemed anchored in his soul. Spencer followed the trail of it as it twisted through Bobby and into his body. Spencer anchored on Gabriel and then followed his instincts, reaching out to that strange thread that felt so very wrong.
He didn't know if he could find the words to describe what he did. It felt more like instinct than anything else. But whatever he did, the dark thread that was twisting around Bobby Singer vanished like it'd never been there.
When Spencer's gaze finally focused back in the physical world, he found Bobby watching him with a mixture of worry, annoyance and curiosity. "What's going on?" the hunter demanded. His eyes flicked back to Gabriel. "What'd he do?"
The sound of temper had Spencer leaning back without thinking about it. He tried to cover it up, grabbing his mug and acting like he'd just wanted to sit back and not like he'd been pulling away from Bobby's anger. But the way that Gabriel's wing curled around the back of him to brush feathers over his arm on the other side told him that the archangel at least had noticed it. Of course, Gabriel didn't look bothered by any of this. He was still smirking at Bobby. "Calm down, Grumpy. You wanna know what he did – I suggest you try standing up."
Bobby looked like he'd been slapped. "What?"
His grin growing wider, Gabriel lifted up his free hand and snapped. The chair vanished and Bobby was standing in the middle of the kitchen looking at them with shock and awe. Wide eyes traveled from them down to his legs. "I can stand." His head tipped back up and the smile that lit his face was one Spencer knew he'd remember. It was blindingly bright, as was his soul. "I can stand!"
"Stand, walk, do the flamenco. The possibilities are endless."
Apparently Bobby was going to ignore the mocking end to Gabriel's words. Either he saw the same warm look that Spencer did, telling him that the archangel really was pleased despite his mockery, or he was too caught up in things to even care. Instead, he turned to look at Spencer with a look of such open gratitude it made the young genius squirm a little in his seat. "Thank you. I don't know how you did it, but thank you."
"I didn't really do anything." Spencer said, shrugging one shoulder and leaning into Gabriel's wing a little more. He wasn't used to people thanking him like this. Even on the team, the thanks they got usually went to the group as a whole, or to people like Derek or Aaron who were the ones to break in and rescue their victims. "I just, there was this weird, dark twisting sort of thread around you and I just sort of, untied it."
"That was Zachariah's work, binding Bobby so he couldn't heal." Gabriel supplied.
Bobby and Spencer both turned to look at him. "You knew?" The hunter asked.
"Yep." Gabriel took a sip off his coffee and smiled at them over the rim. "I thought I might undo it today, a little token of goodwill on my part, but then my little sparrow here recognized it and I figured it was a good time for a little practical lesson." He ruffled Spencer's hair then, earning him a scowl that just made him laugh.
"I thought angels had to touch someone to work their mojo like that." Bobby said.
Gabriel smiled but didn't answer.
Any further conversation was cut off when the two minds that Spencer had felt coming closer finally reached the room. Dean and Sam both stood in the doorway and stared directly at Bobby. Their shock was a palpable thing even with Spencer's shields up. He could feel how happy and stunned they both were. And he heard what he was pretty sure was Sam's thoughts, a shocked stream of 'Oh my God, he's walking, oh thank God, thank you!' just as clearly as he heard Dean say "Bobby?"
The wing around Spencer gave a little tug and scooted him in close enough that he and Gabriel actually pressed together. It was closer than Spencer usually ever allowed himself to be with anyone and yet it was comfortable. Easy. There was a trust and comfort between the two of them now after that little private moment the other day. Spencer had let his guard down after the nightmare he'd had and he'd trusted Gabriel, not just to take care of him, but with the very essence of himself, and Gabriel had done absolutely nothing to betray that trust. In fact, he'd gone above and beyond. He'd made Spencer feel safe – and that was something he could rarely claim that he felt. It amazed him, still, how he'd only known the being beside him for such a short time and yet he felt so much trust for him. It scared him a little, for all the reasons that he'd already pointed out to Gabriel, and he hadn't been able to help but wonder how much it would change when they left their seclusion. He'd thought that maybe this weird comfortable feeling would fade a little when the man wasn't the center of his world anymore. But being back in this house only seemed to make him want to lean a little more towards the archangel.
The two watched the heartfelt scene unfolding in front of them as the three men laughed and embraced one another, with plenty of manly pats on the back and broad grins.
You did good, kiddo. The warm sound of Gabriel's voice flowed through Spencer's head like a soft melody. It wasn't the first time that Gabriel had spoken to him directly inside his head. It still left him kind of awed, though. Because here in his mind, there was no human filter on Gabriel's voice. Gabriel had told him that because he was an angel, hearing the true voice and seeing the true forms of an angel was natural for him. When they spoke mind to mind, the archangel didn't have to alter his voice to keep Spencer's head from exploding like he would with a human. It was all, pure him, and Spencer loved it. Gabriel's true voice was beautiful.
He felt Gabriel's amusement. Aw, thanks, little bird! Yours is pretty too.
You weren't supposed to hear that. Spencer sent back.
Gabriel didn't rise to the bait that Spencer had thrown out there. Instead, he responded to what was underneath it, seeing beyond the façade. It's gonna be fine. I'm right here with you and I'm not leaving you alone. The wing around him gave a squeeze as if to remind him just how safe he really was. Sometimes it surprised Spencer just how much control Gabriel had over his wings. He liked to use the largest ones to wrap around them or to act in a protective or defensive way. The bottom, the smallest – though really, small was not a word for any of those wings – weren't used a lot it seemed. At least, not that he'd seen. But the middle or the top, the larger and largest, often wrapped around Spencer. The top ones he even used for things like smacking Spencer in the back of the head, or nudging him much in the way that Derek would sometimes shove his shoulder.
Much as Spencer would've been perfectly content hiding away there under the safety of Gabriel's wing, it didn't really take long before he became the center of attention once more, a thing he really could've lived without.
From what he knew of the brothers and what little he'd seen of them last time, it wasn't all that surprising that Sam was the one to step forward towards them. Spencer couldn't help the way his body tensed. He fought to keep everything else hidden. Every fear, every feeling of inadequacy and distrust and lingering nausea that swelled up in him, he shoved them far down. His body stayed as relaxed as he could make it and his chin lifted ever so slightly in a display he knew clearly said how little he liked being here.
If Sam noticed, and Spencer was willing to bet that he did, he didn't comment on it. He just looked at Spencer and offered him that same shy, slightly sad and slightly nervous smile he'd showed before when he would bring Spencer tray after tray of food, or when he'd take those same full trays away once more. "Spencer. It's really good to see you. You're…you look good."
"Thank you."
Dean took a step forward and Spencer's body immediately responded, leaning back in his chair. He covered it up as best he could by settling back and crossing his legs, acting as if he'd only been getting more comfortable. No one fell for it.
The gesture had Dean stopping and even wincing a little. There was a part of Spencer that felt sort of bad for that. Only a part, though. Then his whole body sort of stiffened and his shoulders went back in the pose of someone about to do something they didn't really want to do. Between his body language and the emotions rolling off of him, Spencer had a feeling he knew what it was. He also knew it was the very last thing he wanted to hear right now. So before Dean could say a word of the apology that Spencer knew was building on his lips, the young fledgling spoke up first and neatly turned the conversation to where it should be. "Gabriel's helped me to catch up on everything that's happened and what exactly it is we're all facing here. I want to help. We want to help."
Beside him, Gabriel snorted. "That's one way of putting it." He looked over the hunters and smirked at them. "You guys just gonna stand around or you wanna sit down and have our little pow-wow? Not to rush you or anything like that. I mean, it's not like it's the end of the world."
"Really, Gabriel?" Spencer murmured, looking over at him and shaking his head. At the same time, Dean and Bobby both made some sort of annoyed snorting sound, and Sam rolled his eyes. The youngest Winchester was the first to move, though. He came forward and took the chair that put him directly across from Spencer. Dean took the seat next to him and Bobby took the one on the end.
"Great!" Gabriel exclaimed. He held up one hand and snapped – a cup appeared in front of each hunter and a tray of fresh fruits like he'd been feeding Spencer lately was now sitting in the middle of the table. "All right, boys. Let's get this party started."
"Wait a second." Dean interrupted them. "We're missing someone." Even as he said it, he was pulling out a cell phone and pressing a couple buttons.
Gabriel made a choking sound as he watched Dean. When Spencer looked over, he found the archangel grinning broadly and not even bothering to hide his amusement. "You gave an angel a cellphone? No, wait, even better – you gave Cassie a cellphone?"
"We needed a way to get in contact with him and to tell him how to find us. The sigils he put on our ribs keeps us hidden." Sam said.
"Hey, Cas." Dean's voice overrode the conversation and cut off whatever else might've been said. "Yeah, we're at Bobby's. You wanna wing on over so we can get this whole meeting started?"
The feel of something at the edge of his senses had Spencer looking up just in time to hear the sound of wings and watch as Castiel appeared at the end of the table. The humans all jumped at the suddenness of his arrival – but none so much as Spencer. The sight of Castiel had him jumping so badly he would've fallen right out of his chair if Gabriel's wing hadn't still been around him. One look at the angel and Spencer slammed his eyes shut on a shuddery gasp. Immediately he felt Gabriel moving and he heard a low "Shit." The wing around him holding him close while a hand came up to cup his cheek. The coffee mug in Spencer's hands was taken away and then Gabriel's hand was curling over his. "Hey, little bird, it's all right. It's okay. Focus on me here, all right? Just listen to me." Then his voice changed and he was almost growling. "No, Cassie, stay back."
"What's going on?" Dean demanded at the same time that someone else, Bobby or Sam, was calling out "Spencer?"
"Quiet." Gabriel snapped at them all. Then his voice softened to that same sound that Spencer had heard after his nightmare, or when Gabriel was trying to figure out what was wrong with his back. The kind, gentle one that let Spencer know that he was okay and everything was all right. It was a tone that let him know he was safe. "Spencer, I need you to listen to me for a minute. I'm sorry I didn't think about this before, but I'm gonna fix this. You've got your sight dialed up a little too high, that's all. What you're seeing is just Cassie's true form. Well, as much as you can see with it all squished inside his vessel. We just gotta dial back your sight enough to tone that down."
Spencer pressed his face against Gabriel's hand. "Why can't I see that with you?"
"It wouldn't exactly be hiding if I let all my bits hang out." Gabriel pointed out in a tone of voice that told Spencer he was most likely smirking. "Now, words or grace?"
It was something he'd offered lately since Spencer had started to be comfortable with his grace. He could use words to tell Spencer what to do or use his grace to show him. Right now, Spencer didn't want to waste time with words. He reached a little of his grace out to the archangel and felt Gabriel respond immediately. It only took a second for him to get the information for what he needed to do, and another second after that for him to do it.
When he opened his eyes again he had to sigh a little with relief. He could still see Castiel's wings, as well as the light inside of him, but the form that he had glimpsed before wasn't there. It had been a beautiful thing to see, beautiful and yet a little terrifying, and Spencer was glad he didn't have to deal with it right now.
Castiel was watching him intently as Spencer looked at him. There was something in those bright blue eyes of his, eyes that were made even brighter by the grace Spencer could see sitting inside, that made the young fledgling want to squirm. "My apologies." Castiel said to him in that low, gravelly voice of his that was just as deep and just as rough as Spencer remembered. "It was not my intention to startle you."
Not his intention to startle him… Spencer had the strange urge to laugh at that. This was the being who had wanted him dead not that long ago. Yet now he was standing here apologizing for startling him.
As if sensing Spencer's thoughts, Gabriel patted his cheek and smiled at him. "You're all right, squirt." He dropped his hand back down and got comfortable once more, though his wing kept Spencer at his side. Without even bothering to explain anything to the humans, he gestured towards the end of the table by Castiel. "Have a seat, Cassie. We were just about to discuss how to cancel the apocalypse."
The humans all sat up a little straighter. "You have an idea?" Bobby asked, while Castiel took the chair on Gabriel's other side and stiffly sat down.
Gabriel grinned at them. "Yep. An if we're lucky, no one even has to die."