(Quick fyi: It's been updating slow the past week because I've been busy packing up my dorm room and stuff. My last day on campus is tomorrow. Hopefully once I get home I'll write quicker, but in any case we are, in fact, nearing the end. Gird your loins.)

And now all your love will be exorcised
And we will find your sayings to be paradox
And it's an even sum
It's a melody
It's a battle cry
It's a symphony

- Florence + the Machine, "Seven Devils"

Sam swirled the wine in his glass. It tasted bitter—too astringent for his tastes. Lucifer, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it. He'd been through half a bottle on his own. Gabriel stood beside Sam with a flute of pink champagne balanced in his fingers and his soft little wings pressed against the wall, and they both watched Lucifer and Michael in the center of the room, waltzing to a pleasant, simple tune Raphael tapped out at the piano. Uriel caught Sam's eye from across the room and nodded politely. Sam tossed his hand up in a quick wave. He'd gone past the awkward stage of intruding upon a family gathering and enjoyed himself, just relaxing with Gabe and observing the others.

Truthfully, he wasn't the only person not related to the D'Angelo family. A few close family friends milled about as well—Crowley and Meg, Castiel and Balthazar. That was all. He was honestly surprised Dean hadn't found some way to accompany Cas, but Castiel would be going to the Singer-Harvelle-Winchester gathering the next evening, so that might have been why.

Gabriel jabbed Sam with his elbow and pointed when Michael tripped on Lucifer's foot and they stumbled. He snickered. Sam shook his head with a broad grin. Seeing Lucifer affected by the alcohol so clearly was pretty damn amusing. More so when Lucifer raised his middle finger to Gabe.

Gabriel only giggled into his glass—and it sent a little echo up.

Sam snorted.

Meg sidled up with a torpid smirk. She tugged on the edge of her ever-present leather jacket—and Sam wondered at how stubborn she must have been to convince her demon of a father to allow her to wear a leather jacket to a Christmas party. Even Balthazar wore a buttoned shirt instead of one of his many v-necks. Sam himself wore a soft argyle sweater over one of his many dress shirts, with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows as always, and a nice pair of jeans and boots. Nice as he could get, without squandering away all of his hard-earned work-study cash.

She drawled out a sultry, "What're you boys up to?" and planted a hand on her hip.

"Watching Old Scratch there make a fool of himself." Gabriel winked at her.

She barked out a laugh. Looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "He's certainly doing a damn good job of it." She crossed her arms. Her eyes flicked up to a spot just over their heads and she pulled a wide, feral grin. She turned away with a shake of her head. She cupped her hands to her mouth. "HEY CLARENCE!"

Castiel's head snapped up and he met her eyes from across the room immediately, like a trained dog. Sam held back a laugh. Cas tilted his head and squinted, inquisitive. Meg's lip curled back. All eyes were on her, Gabe, and Sam.

"That look like mistletoe to you?" She jerked a thumb back toward Sam and Gabriel.

Sam looked up, as did everyone else in the room. A sprig of mistletoe hung about a foot above his head, just to the left and shadowed in the corner. He blushed and looked down.

Castiel's lips twitched in that way they did when he knew he shouldn't smile, but wanted to. (It annoyed the hell out of Dean, but Sam thought it was hilarious. Not so much at that moment, though.) "That is definitely mistletoe. Why?" He smiled outright, lips pulling back from his gums and nose crinkling.

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He peeked from the corner of his eyes and saw Gabriel shift uncomfortably under the stares of everyone in the room—scarlet face and hunched shoulders. Sam sighed. A wolf-whistle broke from near the piano and Sam looked up to glare at Balthazar.

Meg laughed. "C'mon! It's tradition. Kiss." She made a motion with her hands, like she was ready to push them together if need be. She raised her eyebrows. "Romance the man!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Meg?" He scoffed. "In front of a bunch of people? Hardly romantic." He pursed his lips. Pulled a face.

Meg let out a heaving sigh. She fluttered his eyelashes. "Now everyone's gonna be so disappointed."

"He likes it when you bite his lip!"

Gabriel jerked and flipped both his middle fingers at Balthazar. "Shut the hell up, you Limey!"

"Yank!"

Gabriel stuck his tongue out.

Michael clapped his hands once over his head. "No fighting! It's Christmas." He threw a charming grin around the room, face flushed. Probably from champagne. "Now, come on. Just a little peck on the cheek and I bet she'll leave you alone." He spread his hands out, placating, and wobbled a little. Lucifer shuffled forward and placed a palm against his lower back to steady him, a serious expression across his face and chill eyes fixed on Sam and Gabriel.

Sam shrugged, uncomfortable. He sighed and turned his head to whisper, "You okay with that?"

Gabriel groaned. "Fine! Fine." He grabbed a fistful of Sam's sweater in each hand and yanked him down to press their lips together. Sam's eyes widened and he flung his arms out to catch his balance, leaning on the wall. He grunted. Gabriel's mouth was very warm and very soft and very, very sweet. He smelled a little boozy, but then again, so did Sam. Sam breathed in sharply through his nose, and when Gabriel pulled away he licked his lips, feeling his face heat up. Gabriel stared at him for five seconds (Sam wasn't counting—he wasn't) before stepping back and looking away.

Gabe made a noise in his throat and inched away from Sam—He twisted past Meg, toward the other people in the room, who had returned to whatever they'd been doing before, for the most part. Michael looked guilty, and reached for him with a frown. "Hey, Gabriel, wait." Sam watched Gabriel flinch away, and winced himself when Lucifer's arm snapped out like a shot and his fingers tightened visibly around Gabe's upper arm.

Gabriel froze.

It was clear Lucifer's grip hurt. The fabric of Gabe's shirt twisted beneath his fingers. Sam frowned, pushing off from the wall. Meg followed his gaze and scrunched her eyebrows together.

Lucifer held Gabriel in place and leaned close to him, taking over his personal space and whispering low and fast and angry. Something sharp hung in his expression and nostrils flared. Meg moved forward and Sam put out a hand to hold her back. "Don't..."

The others began to notice the brothers' little argument in the middle of the room. Crowley made his way toward his daughter and grabbed her by the wrist. "Meg, we're going. He's drunk and I don't want you around him when he's drunk." He shook her arm. Meg grimaced and followed her father outside. The sound of the front door rang out loud and several people flinched. Raphael sat silent at the piano, puzzled. Uriel caught his eye with a nod and Raphael slid off the bench and joined him by the couch. Lucifer noticed Castiel's befuddled stare and leveled a glare on him. Castiel backed away, and Balthazar pulled in front of him protectively—reminding everyone there that he was the one who raised Cas for several years.

Lucifer sneered at him. "What?" His fingers contracted and Gabriel hissed, reaching his other arm across to pull at Lucifer's wrist with wide eyes—pupils blown wide. "See something you don't like?" He dragged Gabriel closer.

Sam pressed back against the wall. He'd never ever seen Lucifer like this, and while he was sure the copious amounts of wine flowing all night had something to do with it, there was no way Lucifer was reacting purely do to alcohol.

"Lucifer!" Michael grabbed his older brother's shoulder with a glare. Lucifer shrugged him off.

"You know something, Angelface?" Lucifer moved in close to Gabriel, breathing the words out into his airspace. He raised his other hand into the air, fingers splayed and palm out. His voice came out slurred, somewhat. "You're kind of a slut. Kali, Crowley, Balthazar, Abaddon, and now Sam? In a month. Whore."

"Fuck you!" Gabriel struggled against Lucifer but his grasp was too tight, too strong, too steady. Lucifer jerked him in closer, 'til their chests nearly touched and their noses brushed.

Lucifer bared his teeth and let Gabriel go and before anyone even processed what had happened, the back of his hand connected with Gabriel's cheek with a smack. Gabriel stumbled away as Lucifer growled, "Watch your language, you little shithead." He sneered down at his brother. Tugged on his bowtie with a disappointed expression. And he left. Straight out the front door. Michael shouted his name, angry and worried, and ran after him. The door closed with a violent slam.

The atmosphere in the room melted slowly. Balthazar allowed himself to step away from Castiel, who seemed shaken. Sam clenched and unclenched his jaw. Finally let out a strangled, "What the fuck just happened."

Raphael just shook his head.

Uriel exuded a calm fury, shoulders stiff. "I am going to have a word with my son." He straightened the cuff of his suit jacket and strode across the room. "Winchester, be a dear and help Gabriel out." He made it to the door just as the engine of Lucifer's SUV roared to life, and slammed his way outside with a shout. The car pulled out. They could hear Uriel shouting "Nicholas Luciferius D'Angelo, you pull over right now!"

The car was gone.

Sam hurried to Gabriel's side. Gabe had sunk to his knees with his head bowed, hands trembling. He ran his hands across his face and Sam set a palm in soothing circular motions against his spine. "Gabriel...?" He leaned down, kneeling on the carpet, and lowered his head to try and catch Gabe's eyes. Gabriel avoided eye contact. His eyes, normally a clear and bright gold, had gone muddy in the dim light and shone, unfocused and glazed. "Gabe." Sam pulled him upright, and into his arms. Gabriel went without a fuss.

Uriel returned, and slammed the door behind him with a bang. Gabriel didn't so much as flinch. He just leaned on Sam and breathed harsh and shallow with shaking shoulders. No tears, though. Just the threat of them. Sam's eyebrows drew together.

"Gabriel, are you alright?" What a stupid question. Sam cursed himself and drew his arms around Gabe's body, as comforting as he could be.

Uriel placed a hand on Sam's bicep, and the other on the back of Gabriel's head. He shook his head and frowned. "The last time he got like this was when their parents died." He sighed, heavily. "He seems to trust you, and I doubt handing him off to someone else would be a good idea, so..." He squeezed Sam's arm lightly. "Could you get him into bed?"

Sam nodded, and gave Uriel a mirthless smile. A gesture of solidarity. Uriel clapped him on the back in wordless thanks.

Sam pulled Gabriel along, down the hallway. "C'mon Gabe." He avoided looking at the blooming red stretch of skin across Gabriel's cheek and placed a hand at the back of his neck in encouragement. Gabriel leaned into his touch, a good sign, but his eyes remained unfocused and he moved stiffly. Sam herded him into his bedroom, and guided him down to sit on the bed. The mattress dipped under both of their weight, and they sat for several minutes in complete silence. Gabriel's breathing had steadied and deepened. Sam chewed on the edge of his thumbnail before speaking up. "Gabriel, why did he hit you...?"

Gabriel's shoulders tightened. He looked down at the floor, and finally moved on his own, reaching up to rub at his eyes as tears threatened to spill. He leaned forward and curled in on himself with a tiny, broken sound. Sam rubbed his back, just under the costume wings' base. "Shhh it's okay. This the first time he's done something like this?" He laid a hand on Gabriel's knee. Gabriel reached down and laced their fingers together, and shook his head.

Sam frowned. "Michael said he'd never hit, though." He licked his lips.

Gabriel let out a laugh—in the loosest sense of the word—and his mouth twisted viciously. "Oh, he'd never hurt Michael. He loves Michael the most." His eyes flicked to the side, clear again, and he looked at Sam for a long time before continuing, a few loose hairs hanging down in his eyes. "But—and daddy doesn't know this—sometimes, when he's angry, he takes it out on me. He seems nice. But he's a mean, mean drunk." He snorted. "Luckily he doesn't drink too often or I'd be a walking bruise 24/7." He sat up straighter, and Sam slid his palm up to cup at the back of Gabriel's neck again. Gabriel closed his eyes and turned his head to press his cheek against Sam's warm hand.

"I'm sorry, about all this..." Sam's eyebrows went up, in his oh-so-common concerned puppy expression.

Gabriel shook his head. "'S not your fault, biscuit." He grimaced. "Apparently it's mine, for bein' a slut, and taking his—as he put it—'property.'" Gabe leaned into Sam. Sam wrapped an arm around his waist. One wing bent awkwardly as it crushed between their bodies. Sam stiffened.

Gabriel let out a bitter laugh. "He's a little possessive of everything he touches, it seems." He shrugged, a violent, stunted movement. Let out a shaky sigh and rubbed at his damp eyes. His voice lowered. "He calls me a whore. At least I'm not a controlling, incestuous abuser." He snarled and drew his legs up onto the bed, tucking them underneath himself. Sam frowned deeper, and steadied him.

"What?"

Gabriel swore. "Nothin'."

Sam nodded. "Okay. Yeah, alright." He caught Gabriel's eye. "Anyway, you should rest. Do you want some ice, or...?" He attempted a smile. Managed not much more than a grimace. Gabriel's lips curved and he tapped Sam's collarbone. Leaned close.

"Don't wanna be alone in the house when everyone's gone." He pulled in a deep breath.

Sam nodded. He shifted, and maneuvered so that he pulled Gabriel down and they lay side by side. He wrapped his arms around Gabriel and whispered, soft and warm, "We'll just stay like this for a bit and when the others go I'll make sure the door's locked, and stay the night. Alright?" He rubbed circles against Gabriel's side with his thumb. Gabriel nodded and closed his eyes.

"Okay."