Dean's Babysitting Hell - Chapter 14
Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've been a little preoccupied with other things. Hopefully I'll update more in the future.
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Chapter 14: The Boss is Back in Town
Cassie, look you gotta get me outta here, Gabriel silently pleaded with his younger brother. Castiel didn't respond immediately – there were some mumbled thoughts that he was mulling over, a few voices resounding in the message. It was background noise really, like any other "phone call" only this time the annoying undertones were just Castiel's other thoughts coming and going.
At long last, Castiel's answer came loud and clear. Sam is worried sick about you. Those words were like an angel blade plunging into Gabriel's heart. Sammy. His poor Sammy.
You found him? When Castiel replied in the affirmative, Gabriel went on: Tell him that I am so, so sorry. I didn't want to leave – I never would have left if I had a choice. And tell him that I'm okay and that . . . that I love that stupid moose.
There was a peel of laughter in Castiel's head. Gabriel, you try to hide it, but you really are a hopeless romantic, aren't you?
If I were you, I'd shut your pie-hole, Cassie, before I smite you.
I won't tell Dean, but I'll make sure Sam knows, was Cas's reply. Where are you?
Heaven's dungeon with Gadreel and Metatron, Gabriel answered disdainfully. And yes, it's just as awful as it sounds. Michael and Lucifer locked me in here – they think that I— His message came to an abrupt halt as he heard footsteps coming down the hallway toward him. He immediately shut off his angel radio so whoever entered wouldn't get an earful of what he and Cas had been talking about. He sat up in his cell as Lucifer came into view. The archangel had a blank expression on his face; it was almost too blank, as if he'd just witnessed something traumatizing.
"Luci?" Gabriel called. It was not common for Lucifer to behave in such a way. It kind of frightened him. "You okay?" He got to his feet although it didn't make much of a difference where his height was concerned. "Did . . . something happen?" He noticed Metatron standing at the bars of his own cell, watching the scene with attentive eyes. Gadreel, while significantly less interested was still looking up with curiosity.
Lucifer looked at his younger brother, a strange look on his face – the kind of look someone gets when they've "seen the light." A smile crept onto his face. "Brothers," he said, turning to look at Gadreel and Metatron as well. "You will not believe what has just occurred."
"What?" Metatron asked, impatient.
Lucifer's smile widened and a hopeful, bright light appeared in his icy-blue eyes. "Our Father has returned to us! God has finally returned to Heaven. He's come home."
GABRIEL?! Castiel's voice shouted into the void. Just a few moments before, he'd been having a conversation with his older brother, and then the line just seemed to go dead. He sat in the library of the bunker and appeared to be staring at the floor. After they found Sam, Dean had insisted on taking him back to the bunker for a brief recovery. Crowley accompanied them, saying he didn't want anything bad to happen to them now that their archangel was gone and Castiel was their only source of protection. However, it was clear that the only reason the King of Hell stuck around was because he was afraid that if he returned to his kingdom, he might bump into the Big Boss.
Castiel was alone in the library. Dean was probably off trying to soothe Sam and Crowley was most likely snooping around through the Men of Letters' belongings. No one had been there to witness his mental conversation with Gabriel. I need to tell them what happened, he thought with resolve, sliding off the comfy green chair he'd been sitting on. He rushed to Dean's room and found him, just as he suspected, babying Sam. "Dean! Sam! You won't believe who I just talked to!"
They both looked over at him. Sam's blue-green eyes were wide and hopeful while Dean's were skeptical. "Who, Cas?" he inquired softly.
"Gabriel," Cas blurted out. "He contacted me via Angel Radio and told me that he is in Heaven's dungeon and that Michael and Lucifer are keeping him there."
Dean nodded slowly. "Okay, well . . . That means we've got to find a way to get into Heaven and bust Gabe out."
"Did he say anything else?" Sam asked quietly.
Cas nodded with a smile. "He asked me to tell you, and I quote: 'tell him I'm okay, and that I love that stupid moose.'"
A wide smile spread across Sam's face and for the first time since his angel's disappearance, he felt content. "We have to find Crowley and then get to Heaven. Cas, do you know how to get in?"
The angel nodded slowly. "I can get in easily, but you two . . . and the demon might be a little difficult." His voice deepened and got darker at the mention of Crowley. "An angel can enter Hell easily – it is uncomfortable, but definitely doable. I don't think anyone has been daft enough to try to get a demon into Heaven. For all we know, Crowley might be burned alive if he even tries to enter."
"What about me getting burned alive?"
They turned to see the King standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide as he listened to their conversation. "What are you planning to do that might get me burned alive?!"
"Oh, you know, the usual. We're just trying to figure out a plan to get into Heaven and break an archangel out of prison. No biggie," Dean explained half-heartedly. His voice dripped with sarcasm; he clearly didn't think that this was going to work, or was even possible.
"Heaven? So you found our angel dropout?" Crowley inquired. Sam winced at the nickname, but nodded.
"Lucifer and Michael locked him up in Heaven's dungeon and are keeping him there," the toddler explained. "We have to break him out."
"No shit, Sherlock," Crowley grumbled in response. "So you're planning to just . . . infiltrate Heaven with a demon in your company?"
"Yep," Dean replied with a cheeky grin. "That's exactly what we plan to do."
Crowley gave the human an exasperated look. The demon was beginning to seriously question his life choices. The things I do for these flippin' Winchesters! "Goody," he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. Why did he have a feeling that this was not going to end well?
Lucifer escorted Gabriel to a place the younger angel didn't recognize. He thought that he'd been everywhere in Heaven, but apparently he hadn't. That or he simply didn't remember being here. Then again, his memory was almost always perfect down to every last detail. He should remember this place if he'd been there. But he didn't. "Where are we?" he couldn't keep himself from asking.
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Lucifer replied. Gabriel didn't miss the wariness in his voice. "Michael just kind of . . . stumbled across it a little while ago."
"Was it here before?" Gabriel continued to inquire.
"I don't think so – I think it's new."
"Did Dad build it?"
"Maybe."
"Why doesn't he just go to his old throne?"
"Dunno . . . Maybe he doesn't want the rest of our siblings to know that he's back, yet . . ."
Lucifer offered no further information – in fact, it seemed that he sealed his lips after their brief conversation. In a way, Gabriel was grateful for it. He wanted to get lost in his own thoughts for a while. He still couldn't comprehend they idea that his Father was back. It had been years . . . centuries . . . millenniums. So many questions were swirling through Gabriel's head. Why did his Father leave? Why did He go? Why did He not tell them? Where had He been all this time? Had He been watching them? Had His absence been another test? Had Gabriel passed or failed? Had Gabriel failed him in some way? Had all of his siblings failed Him? Did He leave because he was tired of them, or disappointed?
Gabriel let out a small sigh. Somehow, he had a feeling that none of his questions were going to be answered.
They walked down this bare, narrow hallway. Lucifer had his hand on Gabriel's shoulder as if he were preparing for his little brother to make a break for it. Gabriel didn't know how long they walked, but eventually a large, magnificent wooden door came into sight. While Gabriel was prepared to keep going straight inside, it was Lucifer that faltered. He stopped in his tracks, jerking his brother to a halt consequently. Gabriel looked up at him at first in confusion, and then in sympathy. You could say what you wanted about Lucifer, but no matter what happened, he would always be Gabriel's big brother. "It'll be okay," Gabriel whispered in encouragement. "I mean . . . you've already seen him, right?"
Lucifer gulped and shook his head. "Michael has . . . he didn't want to see me right away."
Gabriel nodded weakly. What was he supposed to say to that? "I think we have a lot of things to talk about," he murmured. "With Dad, I mean."
His brother nodded. "Yeah . . . I'd say so."
"Well . . . There's no use in trying to avoid the inevitable," Gabriel offered. Without waiting for Lucifer's response, he strode up to the door with purpose. He felt his brother's presence behind him as he opened the door.
Inside, Michael stood in front of a large, onyx desk that looked like in belonged in the office of a company's CEO. He turned to see Lucifer and Gabriel enter, and then stepped aside. There, sitting behind the desk in a large, lush leather chair was a rather small, skinny man. He had dark, almost reddish-colored hair and a scruffy beard. A pair of dark, emerald-green eyes stared at Lucifer and Gabriel intently. He had his elbows resting on the desk and his hands with the palms pressed together. "Lucifer . . . Gabriel," he greeted.
All the words Gabriel had wanted to say ran dry in his mouth. It was most definitely his Father, but it was the form his Father had taken that surprised him. He had seen him before in Sam's memories – his Father was Chuck Shurley, the prophet. He couldn't believe it; his Father had been on Earth, he'd written Sam and Dean's tales personally. He'd spoken to them. Gabriel's mouth fell open as he stared at his Father with wide eyes.
Gabriel couldn't take his eyes off his Father to see Lucifer's reaction, but the disbelief in his brother's voice was more than enough. Gabriel could hear the pain and the emotion in his voice. "Dad . . . ?"
Chuck cracked a small smile. "Hello, my son." He looked between Lucifer and Gabriel. "It's . . . it's been a very long time. We have a lot to discuss."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!