Chapter 21
Then:
"Don't think we've forgotten about you, Ariel," Dean scolds lightly, as if the previous conversation had never happened. I look back up at him and Sam, startled. "You're telling us everything. Like, from the start."
"Everything?" I echo.
"Yep." Sam sits down on the edge of the other bed. "If you're on our side, we need you to tell us everything you know."
I nod. After all, I'd promised them no more secrets. "Okay." And with that, I start telling them everything I've been told so far.
Now:
The best thing about living with Gabriel now is that we've kidnapped Castiel, too, until he's got his full strength back. During this time, I've taken it upon myself to educate Castiel in the ways of human things.
"Cas, it's hot chocolate, not poison. Except maybe to Cola." I pointedly glare at the dog, who's attempting to jump up and snag a little hot chocolate from my mug. He whines and gives up, moving over to his pile of newspapers in the corner to chew on a rawhide bone.
Castiel frowns at his own mug. "It's milk with cocoa powder."
"Exactly! What's not to love?" Gabriel pipes up as he flicks a page of his Weekly World News magazine. Hesitantly, Castiel takes a sip of the hot chocolate and his eyes double in size.
"See?" I grin. "Gabe, I think we've corrupted him."
"Awesome." The archangel high-fives me even as Castiel takes another tentative sip from the mug. "Any news from Dumb and Dumber?"
"No, and be nice." I hadn't spoken to the Winchesters since we'd returned from 1978 over a week ago and they'd had me spill as much of my life story as I know to them. They had reacted as I had expected them to: mostly with "uh-huh"s and "okay"s with the occasional "what the fuck" thrown in, especially when I mentioned offhandedly that Gabriel and I are apparently twins. It was a step in the right direction, though, telling them everything, and I plan to keep that level of trust between us.
"Which one is which?" Castiel asks absently and I gape at him.
"Cas!"
"Oh, Dumber is definitely Dean-o," Gabriel clarifies cheerfully, "Dumb is Sammy. He did go to Stanford."
"You people are horrible!" I scold them both and Castiel has the decency to look ashamed. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I tug it out to check the caller ID: Sam. "Speak of the Devil's vessel." I flip it open. "Hey, Sam."
"Air, you're a med kid, right?" Sam asks, sounding a little flustered.
"Uhh, I've done a couple dissections, if that's what you're after," I say, wracking my brain to figure out what kind of situation the Winchesters would be in.
"Awesome. We've kind of got a heart here and, uh...don't really know where to start."
"A human heart?" Sam's silence confirms it. "Where are you, a coroner's office?" I demand.
"Yep. St. James Medical Center."
Gabriel scowls when I shoot him a look. "No, absolutely not."
"What's with Gabriel?" Sam asks, bewildered.
"Oh, he doesn't want me coming over there myself. Here, duke it out with him." I toss the phone over to Gabriel, who snatches it out of the air and holds it to his ear.
"No way, Sasquatch, she's not getting involved in one of your cases." He pauses. "What do you mean, 'she's already been involved?' I don't care!"
"We did sign up for Team Free Will," I point out, "And if you don't take me, Cas will. Right, Cas?"
Castiel looks wide-eyed because of the sudden glare from Gabriel aimed his way, but he nods. "If Ariel wishes to go."
"Traitors, both of you," Gabriel mutters, "Which room, Jolly Green?"
"I think he's running out of nicknames," I stage-whisper to Castiel, who quirks a small smile as Gabriel cradles the phone with his shoulder, reaching out for both of us even as Sam tells us the location. We're off in the next instant.
Sam's still on the phone when we land in the middle of the coroner's office and Dean grins as the taller Winchester turns around, jumping a little in surprise when he sees us.
"I'm gonna hang up now," Gabriel tells him cheerfully.
"Yeah, do that." Sam clicks off his phone and Gabriel hands me my phone back. I shove it into my pocket.
"You know how to dissect a heart?" Dean asks, holding up the heart in question. It squelches in his hand and I'm relieved he's wearing gloves.
"I've dissected a pig's heart and it's pretty much the same as a human's anatomically." I grab a pair of gloves, too. "Scoot over, Winchester." Dean obediently moves to stand near Castiel, holding his hands up in defeat.
"You're the med kid." I try to ignore how squishy and wet the heart feels, even through the gloves, as I pick it up, turning it contemplatively.
"Can't remember if it's supposed to be dorsal or ventral..." I find the right side and lay it back down on the tray, taking a scalpel and slicing a thin line through the center of the heart. Thank goodness for biology labs - they actually teach you the useful stuff. I catch sight of a weird squiggle engraved into the wall of the heart. "Hey, there's something here." I pin back the flap that I'd cut, squinting at the squiggle. It looks vaguely familiar, like something I'd once seen in a book in Gabriel's library. "Is that Enochian?" I point it out to Castiel, who frowns at it before nodding.
"Yes. These are angelic marks."
"There's some on the other one, too," I note, looking at the partially-dissected heart in the other tray, courtesy of Sam's awful lab skills. No wonder he'd gone into pre-law.
"I imagine you'll find similar marks on the other couples' hearts as well," Castiel comments.
"It's a mark of union," Gabriel adds, peering over my shoulder at the writing, "These two were probably meant to do it like they do on the Discovery Channel."
"First of all, too much info," I scold, pointing the scalpel at him in warning. He throws his hands up in defeat, grinning. "Second, what do you mean by 'mark of union?'"
"Yeah, who put them there?" Dean demands.
"Your people call them 'Cupid,'" Castiel says, "Technically it's a cherub, third-class."
"Cherub?" Sam echoes.
"Yeah, there are tons of 'em," Gabriel explains with a shrug.
"Aren't cherubs those little flying fat kids in diapers?" I ask blankly as I set the scalpel down, peeling off my bloody gloves and lobbing them at the trashcan.
"They're not incontinent." Castiel frowns at me, confused, and I resist the urge to facepalm.
"So Cupid's gone rogue and we've gotta stop him before he kills again," Dean summarizes, grimacing, "Awesome."
"Share that," I command and Gabriel obediently nudges his ice cream sundae over to me. I happily eat a spoonful of chocolate ice cream with Nutella on it while Dean squirts ketchup onto his cheeseburger. Sam pokes at his salad while Castiel simply studies the restaurant we're in now, frowning.
"So, what, you just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?" Dean asks, raising an eyebrow at the angels.
"This place is a nexus of human reproduction. It's exactly the kind of-" Castiel breaks off and I look up to see him staring at Dean's burger thoughtfully. "-of garden that the cherub will come to pollinate."
Gabriel glances at Castiel before raising an eyebrow at me. I shrug; I haven't seen Castiel this interested in human food since a few days ago when I'd made chocolate chip cookies and forced him to try the raw batter. That, too, had required an outside influence for Castiel to be anything more than mildly curious. He's now eyeing that burger like he wants to grab it out of Dean's hands.
Dean puts it down, anyway, and Sam frowns. "Wait a minute. You're not hungry?"
"No." Sam's eyebrows shoot up. "What? I'm not hungry," Dean says defensively. Now that's weird; I know Dean's like a bottomless pit when it comes to food, and now he's declining it?
"Then you're not going to eat that?" We all stare at Castiel as he takes the burger from Dean's plate.
"Have we entered the Twilight Zone?" Sam asks me, bewildered, before turning an accusing glare on Gabriel. "Did you send us to the Twilight Zone?"
"Oh, ye of little faith." Gabriel shoves a spoonful of vanilla ice cream into his mouth defiantly. "I didn't do jack."
"No, Rose did," I quip before I can stop myself and Gabriel looks briefly shocked before grinning widely.
"I'm so proud of you." Even if it's just a bad joke, something inside me warms at the praise.
Dean snorts and when we all look at him, he shrugs. "Hey, Kate Winslet was hot." Typical.
Castiel suddenly looks up, staring at a corner of the restaurant. He hasn't even eaten a single bite of the burger. "He's here." Gabriel stiffens, looking in the same direction as Castiel.
"My senses are a little rusty," he says ruefully, "Mind clarifying, kiddo?"
"The same-side-of-the-booth couple over there?" Dean guesses blankly, glancing over his shoulder.
"Meet me in the back." With that, Castiel disappears and with an exasperated sigh, Gabriel does, too, leaving me, Dean, and Sam to scramble out of our seats and head for the back room of the restaurant.
The room is dull and gray and empty, aside from the two angels there.
"Where is he?" Sam asks, looking around.
"We have him tethered," Castiel says gruffly and murmurs something in Enochian to the empty room before adding, "Manifest yourself." Unconsciously, I shuffle closer to Gabriel and the archangel wraps an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me close.
"So where is he?" Dean asks blankly before suddenly letting out an "oof!"
"Here I am!" We all spin around to see a very large, very naked man hugging the life out of Dean.
"Help!" Dean chokes and I bite my lip in an attempt not to laugh.
"Oh, help is on the way. Yes, it is. Yes, it is." Cupid snuggles Dean some more before dropping him and moving on to Castiel. "Hello, you!" I avert my gaze from the nakedness.
"This is Cupid?" Dean demands breathlessly.
"Yes," Castiel grunts as Cupid squeezes him tightly before setting him down again.
Gabriel doesn't seem bothered as he cheerfully embraces Cupid, patting the guy's back. "Good to see you, too, buddy."
Cupid actually gasps when he sees me and tears well up in his eyes. "Oh, it's you! I've missed you!" I don't have time to back away as he literally lifts me off the ground and squeezes me until I'm scared my eyes are going to pop out of my skull.
"Um...hi?" I say weakly when he sets me down. He kisses my cheek, beaming, before turning to Sam.
"And look at you."
"No." Sam's eyes double in size as he turns, heading for the door, but Cupid stops him by appearing in front of him, hugging him tightly.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Sam looks mortified. I give up trying to hold back my laughter.
"Is this a fight? Are we in a fight?" Dean asks, startled.
"This is their handshake," Gabriel snickers, just as amused as I am.
"I don't like it," Dean decides.
"No one likes it," Castiel replies, sounding disgruntled.
Finally, Cupid pats Sam's back and lets him go. "So what can I do for you?"
"Why are you doing this?" Castiel demands.
"Doing what?" Cupid blinks, confused.
"Your targets are killing each other and themselves," Gabriel explains.
"What? They are?" Cupid's eyes widen, making him look like a kicked puppy.
"Listen, birthday suit, we know, okay?" Dean snaps, the hilarity of the situation frustrating him to the point of losing it. "We know you've been flittin' around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other!"
"You...you think I...? Well, uh...I don't know what to say." Cupid promptly bursts into tears, covering his face and turning away.
"Oh, this just got awkward fast," Gabriel mutters.
"Um." Sam rubs the back of his neck. "Should someone go talk to him?" Everyone looks at me.
"Why?" I ask plaintively.
"You're a chick, you get things like emotion." Dean nudges me forward. "Work your girly magic." I flip him off over my shoulder even as I edge towards the crying cherub.
"Um..." I tap Cupid's shoulder. Damn it, why can't he at least wear underwear? "We're very sorry, Mr. Cupid, we didn't mean to, uh...hurt your feelings." Abruptly, he turns around and literally glomps me. I wince as my ribs are bruised by the force.
"Love is more than a word to me, you know," Cupid sobs against the top of my head, "I love love. I love it! And if that's wrong, I don't want to be right!"
"Oh, um, yeah, that...totally makes sense." I awkwardly pat his back. Is that Sam snickering behind me? I'm going to kill him.
Cupid sniffles once more and pulls back, looking up at the others. "I was just on my appointed rounds. Whatever my targets do after that, that's nothing to do with me. I-I was following my orders." He glances at Castiel and Gabriel next. "Please, brothers. Read my mind. Read my mind, you'll see."
"He's telling the truth," Gabriel says after a brief pause. Castiel nods in agreement.
Cupid rolls his eyes in relief. "Jiminy Christmas. Thank you."
"Wait, wait, you said you were following orders?" Dean says, raising an eyebrow. "Whose orders?"
Cupid giggles. "Well, Heaven, silly!"
"Why does Heaven care if Harry meets Sally?"
"Oh, mostly they don't. You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies. Oh, like yours." I can tell things are going south by the way Dean's expression darkens dangerously.
"What?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester. Very big deal upstairs, top priority arrangement." Cupid nods, oblivious to the Winchesters' rage.
"Are you saying that you fixed up our parents?" Dean says coldly. I inch away from Cupid and them, hiding behind Gabriel.
"Well, not me, but yeah." Cupid shrugs. "Well, it wasn't easy, either. Ooh, they couldn't stand each other at first. But when we were done with them? Perfect couple."
"Perfect?" Dean echoes. "They're dead!"
Cupid frowns then. "I'm sorry, but...the orders were very clear. You and Sam needed to be born. Your parents were just, uh...meant to be." He grins and if that's not bad enough, he sings, "A match made in Heaven~!"
Really, no one else is surprised when Dean punches him. Cupid looks affronted and disappears.
"I believe you upset him," Castiel states the obvious.
"Dean, you just punched Cupid," Sam says, sounding scandalized.
"I punched a dick," Dean grumbles.
I can feel a headache coming on. I'm starting to wish we'd stayed home.
"Well, whatever the pattern is, it ain't just love," Gabriel notes as he pops into the motel room, files in hand. He flicks through the papers, skimming them. "The police blotter says there's been eight suicides and eighteen overdoses in the past week."
"Way above seasonal batting average," Dean confirms, frowning, "And make it nineteen, Sam's just been called down to the station for another one. The guy died - believe it or not - from a Twinkie binge."
"Ooh." Gabriel looks contemplative. "What a way to go, though."
"Time and place," I scold and he looks unrepentant even as he squeezes my shoulders in a half-embrace. That warm fuzzy feeling in my chest returns and I lean into the embrace slightly.
It's then Sam enters the room, clutching a black briefcase.
"What the hell is that?" Dean asks as Sam tosses it onto the table.
"No idea. A demon had it outside the station."
"What does a demon have to do with all this?" I ask, surprised, "I thought it was something to do with Cupid."
"Awesome, now we've got both Heaven and hell on the chessboard," Gabriel complains.
"You okay?" Dean asks and it's then that I see how pale Sam is, not to mention the slight trembling of his hands.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Gabriel's studying Sam, too, frowning in concern.
"Well, let's crack her open," Dean suggests, turning to the briefcase, "What's the worst that could happen, right?"
"Famous last words," Gabriel deadpans as I move over to the briefcase, undoing the latches and pulling open the lid. There's a bright light inside, which quickly zooms upwards, knocking me backwards as it disappears into the ceiling.
"Ariel!" Sam's at my side first, helping me to my feet.
"Oww." I rub my chin, where the light had made impact, and pout. "The light hit me."
Gabriel snickers. "Don't be such a drama queen. That was a soul."
"A soul can sucker-punch people?" Dean asks, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but it makes more sense as to what's going on." We turn to see Castiel with a fast food bag in his hand. He withdraws a burger from it.
I blink. "Did I hit my head when that soul smacked me or-?"
"No, you're not hallucinating," Sam tells me, patting my shoulder.
"When did you start eating?" Dean demands.
"Exactly. My hunger - it's a clue, actually." Castiel takes a bite of his burger. "This town is not suffering from some love-gone-wrong effect. It's suffering from hunger. Starvation, to be exact."
"Famine," Gabriel realizes, closing his eyes wearily. "Fantastic."
"The Horseman?" Sam looks at Gabriel, bewildered. "I thought famine meant starvation, like food."
"Yes and no, it's pretty much anything. Everyone seems to be starving for something, like sex, attention, drugs, love..." Gabriel shrugs.
"Well, that explains the puppy-lovers," Dean notes.
"The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it," Castiel confirms.
"Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?" Dean points out.
Castiel looks embarrassed. "It's my vessel, Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect."
"So Famine just rolls into town and everybody goes crazy?" Sam raises an eyebrow.
"'And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty, and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger,'" Castiel quotes.
"'His hunger will seep out and poison the air,'" Gabriel adds, grimacing.
"Famine is hungry. He must devour the souls of his victims," Castiel explains.
"So that was the Twinkie dude's soul in the briefcase?" Dean asks and I feel less annoyed at the soul for hitting me.
"Lucifer has sent his demons to care for Famine, to feed him, make certain he'll be ready."
"For what?"
"To march across the land, what else?" Gabriel rubs his forehead. "Damn it."
"You're not hungry for anything, are you?" I look up at the archangel, who shakes his head.
"Nah, I'm good. Archangels aren't really affected by Horsemen. I guess that explains why you're not really feeling anything, either." I shrug. "We should stop Famine."
"Well, War got his mojo from his ring, so maybe Famine's got one, too," Dean suggests.
"Of course he has." Castiel finishes his burger and looks at the empty fast food bag sadly.
"Okay, then, let's track him down and get to chopping," Dean says pointedly and Castiel reluctantly looks away from the paper bag. "What are you, the Hamburglar?"
"I've developed a taste for ground beef," Castiel notes.
"Have you even tried to stop it?" Dean accuses.
"I'm an angel, I can stop anytime I want," Castiel says, insulted.
I can see Gabriel grinning out of the corner of my eye. "You know, most addicts say the same thing." Castiel scowls at him.
"Whatever," Dean dismisses, "Sam, let's roll."
"I, um...I can't." Sam looks ashamed as he leans against the wall heavily.
"What do you mean?" Dean demands.
"I think it got to me, Dean. I think I'm hungry for it..."
"It?" I echo and Sam gives me a pitifully sad look.
"You know."
"Demon blood," Dean says and the verbal confirmation hits me like a punch to the stomach. "You've got to be kidding me." Sam hangs his head. "You've got to get him out of here. You've got to beam him to, like, Montana. Anywhere but here," Dean says desperately, turning to Gabriel, who shakes his head.
"It's too late, the hunger will just follow him."
"Just go cut that bastard's finger off." Sam looks even worse than he did before now, his forehead covered in a sheen of sweat. "Before you go, though, lock me down. But good."
And that's how we find ourselves handcuffing Sam to the pipe below the sink in the bathroom.
"Hang in there," Dean reassures him, "We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Be careful. And hurry." Sam smiles weakly and I can't help but kneel down and hug him tightly, wrapping my arms around his chest. He rests his chin against the top of my head. "I'd hug you back, but, uh..." He rattles the cuffs a little.
"I know." I kiss his cheek. "You'll be okay."
"I know," he teases lightly, nudging my leg with his foot. "Go on, midget." I stick my tongue out at him as I get up and follow Dean, Gabriel, and Castiel - who somehow has a new burger in his hand - out the door. I try not to think about the broken look on Sam's face as I shut the door behind me and Dean starts moving a dresser to block the door.
"So the doctor drank himself to death?" I ask as Dean climbs back into the Impala after leaving St. James Medical Center. Gabriel and I have been delegated to waiting in the car, and I'm leaning against his side, half-asleep with boredom at having to wait.
"Apparently, but Cas said his soul hasn't been harvested yet. So we're gonna have to play stake-out." I groan at the thought of more waiting. As if on cue, Castiel appears with another burger.
"Seriously?" Gabriel complains, "How many is that, bro?"
"Lost count." Castiel takes a bite. "It's somewhere in the low hundreds." Dean whistles, impressed.
"Anyway, what I don't understand is where your hunger is, Dean," Gabriel adds, turning to the hunter.
"Me?" Dean looks confused.
"Actually, I noticed that, too. You're totally unaffected," I point out.
"Hey, when I want to drink, I drink. When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for a sandwich or a fight," Dean says simply.
"So you're saying you're well-adjusted," Castiel notes, finishing the burger.
"Nah, I'm just well-fed." Dean shrugs. "On that note, fallen archangel or not, Ariel's human. For all intents and purposes, she should be feeling something, too."
I shake my head. "I've got nothing."
"What can I say? My sister's just awesome like that," Gabriel teases, looping his arm around my shoulders and the warmth in my chest returns, spreading even more as I curl up against his side, closing my eyes contentedly. I miss the pointed looks Gabriel and Dean exchange.
"Look there." I reluctantly open my eyes to see two men looking around before getting into a black van across the street, a black briefcase in hand. Dean starts up the car and turns the wheel sharply so that we can follow them. The van stops outside a restaurant which has no lights on, and so do we. "So what's the plan, Happy Meal?" Dean turns to Castiel, who's snacking on another burger. "Dude, seriously?"
"Enabler," I scold Gabriel, who shrugs.
"Hey, he glares until I give him one."
"Fine, I take it back, you're just a softie." He rolls his eyes at me.
"The plan?" Dean prompts, distracting us.
"We go in, cut the ring off Famine, and meet you back here in the parking lot," Castiel says.
"We?" I echo and Gabriel raises an eyebrow at me.
"Me and him. We're the only ones capable of getting to Famine." And then the panic hits. I don't want Gabriel to go. I want him to stay right next to me, where it's warm and safe and - "Damn it," Gabriel murmurs and I realize he's staring at me.
"What?" I blink.
"Famine did get to you, you just didn't realize it." He looks up at Dean, who looks totally lost. "She needs to be near me. That's what Famine's making her crave." Dean's expression clears with understanding even as Gabriel turns back to me. "Ariel, it'll only be a few minutes, but I have to go."
"Please don't leave me." The plea slips out before I can stop it and a raw, wounded look flashes across Gabriel's face. I press my face against his shoulder. "Please."
"I'll be right back." He and Castiel are gone in the next second and I catch myself before I fall forward.
"Air, it's just a few minutes," Dean reassures me, but I shake my head, glancing at the dark windows of the restaurant worriedly as anxiety gnaws at my insides. What if something's happened to them? What if they're hurt, or worse?
We barely make it more than two minutes of my fidgeting and Dean's frayed nerves.
"Screw it," Dean mutters and gets out of the car. I scramble to follow him through the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen. It's scattered with dead bodies and my anxiety grows worse as I huddle against Dean's side. He grasps my shoulder gently, the touch offering me barely any comfort as we step through to the main dining area.
Castiel's on the floor, stuffing his face with raw ground meat, and I can't help but wrinkle my nose. Gabriel's pinned to the other wall by an invisible force, struggling against it.
"Should've known," he grumbles, "Powers don't work around a Horseman."
"Of course they don't," a wheezy voice answers and Dean and I wheel around to see an old man sitting in a wheelchair. There are tubes providing him with oxygen, and he looks generally emaciated and weak. "I am older than you, boy. You think your tricks will work on me?" He flicks a bony wrist and Gabriel crumples to the floor. I make it across the room to him in record time, clinging to him desperately.
"It's okay, I'm okay," he murmurs against my hair, holding me tightly as I bury my face into his shoulder. It's warm in his arms, and I'm happy and content for the first time in a long while, and I don't want him to ever let go. I don't even care that Famine's demons have a hold of Dean, or that the Horseman is slowly wheeling over to us, but I do notice when he starts talking.
"Her reaction's weak, relatively speaking. Maybe because of her true nature bleeding through, despite her mortal form?"
"Fix her," Gabriel snaps, tightening his grasp on me, "Whatever you did to her, you reverse it."
"Or what, little archangel? You'll glare at me?" Famine laughs hoarsely. "No, whatever is wrong with her is whatever her soul yearns for, and what she wants, she can't have. Her family's acceptance, her brothers' love." I press closer to Gabriel, shutting my eyes as if that'll drown out Famine's creaky voice. "So she clings to whatever she can get." He pauses. "What a bright soul she has. Delicious."
"So this is your big trick, huh? Making people cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?" Dean snaps and Famine's attention finally turns away from me and to him.
"Doesn't take much. Hardly a push. Oh, America - all-you-can-eat, all the time. Consume, consume. A swarm of locusts in stretch pants. And yet, you're all still starving because hunger doesn't just come from the body, it also comes from the soul."
"Funny, it doesn't seem to come from mine," Dean notes.
"Yes. I noticed that. Have you wondered why that is? How you could even walk in my presence?" I can sense more than see Famine tilting his head as I tighten my grip on Gabriel. He squeezes me back gently, pressing a kiss into my hair. It feels nice, and I melt into the gentle touch.
"I like to think it's my strength of character," Dean snarks.
"I disagree." Famine's wheelchair whirs as he moves closer to Dean. "Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex." He laughs hoarsely.
Dean grunts. "You're so full of crap."
"Oh, you can smirk and joke and lie to your brother, lie to yourself, but not to me! I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated. You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just...keep going through the motions. You're not hungry, Dean, because inside, you're already...dead."
"Let him go." Sam's voice causes me to tear myself out of Gabriel's embrace, startled by his sudden appearance. Sam's mouth is smeared with red and I realize with a sickening jolt that it's demon blood.
"Sammy, no!" Dean shouts as two of the demons lining the walls move to attack Sam.
"Stop!" Everyone freezes as Famine grins, his yellowing teeth bared. "No one lays a finger on this sweet little boy. Sam, I see you got the snack I sent you."
"You sent-?" Sam begins, his eyes narrowing.
"Don't worry. You're not like everyone else. You'll never die from drinking too much. You're the exception that proves the rule. Just the way...Satan wanted you to be. So..." Famine waves his hand absently. "Cut their throats. Have at them!" The demons hover, glancing nervously between the Horseman and Sam.
"Sammy, no!" Dean repeats, sounding much more desperate.
"No." With a twitch of his hand, all five demons in the room smoke out of their bodies, which crumple to the floor, and gather in a pile near Famine.
"Well, fine. If you don't want them, then I'll have them." The smoke flies into Famine's mouth and I grimace at the sickening sight as Famine smacks his lips, satisfied. Sam steps forward, raising his hand as his eyebrows furrow in concentration. "I'm a Horseman, Sam. Your power doesn't work on me." Famine rolls his eyes.
"No. But it'll work on them." Sam clenches his fist and the demon souls inside Famine stir. Sam's jaw clenches as his nose starts bleeding, but he keeps concentrating until the demon souls burst out of Famine. The Horseman slumps in his wheelchair and Sam stumbles over to him, sliding the ring off his finger.
Just like that, all the anxiety of being away from Gabriel disappears, but I still cling to him as much as I can, shaken by what had just happened. Gabriel just holds me close wordlessly.
It's not a long drive to Bobby's place, and by the time Dean and I get Sam strapped down into the panic room bed, he's already shaking from demon blood withdrawal.
"Air, go," he says through clenched teeth even as I grab his hand.
"I'm not leaving you like this," I protest.
He shakes his head. "I don't want you to see. Please." His entire body is tense and he's covered in a sheen of sweat, but I ignore that as I squeeze his hand gently.
"Okay. We'll be right outside." I kiss his forehead and he wrinkles his nose at me with a weak smile before I force myself to let go of his hand and back out of the panic room. Dean closes the door behind me, bolting it shut, and that's when the screaming starts.
I swallow, resisting the urge to unlock the door and run back to Sam's side, and Dean shakes his head, patting my shoulder briefly before heading for the stairs, a hollow look on his face.
"Hey." I catch up to him at the foot of the stairs, grabbing his hand. Dean looks at me blankly. "What Famine said, I can tell you that's all crap."
"Yeah?" Dean quirks a tired smile. "How do you know?"
"'Cause if you were dead inside, it wouldn't hurt you so much to hear Sam like this." As if on cue, Sam screams again, this time a plea for help, and Dean's expression becomes shuttered. "That right there?" I point at his face. "Doesn't look dead to me."
"Air, I-" Dean's voice breaks and he shuts his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't," he breathes and I don't know if he's talking to me anymore. "Just...not now. Please."
"Okay." What else can I say? I just follow Dean upstairs, but he goes outside after grabbing a beer bottle from the fridge. Castiel and Bobby are quietly talking in the study, leaving me to hop up onto the kitchen counter next to the table, swinging my legs childishly as Gabriel looks up from the magazine he's skimming.
"You wanna talk about it?" He doesn't need to clarify what he's referring to.
"Not really." Already, I'm feeling pangs of shame for being so clingy.
"Sure about that?" He nudges my foot with his.
"Pretty sure." I shrug. "Just makes me wonder how much of that was me and how much of that was old me."
"Well, you were just as clingy back then, so who knows?" He grins at the scowl I shoot him before his expression softens. "You're allowed to ask me for stuff, you know. You could ask me to stay."
"Yeah, well, I'm just too good." And I've asked enough of him as it is. Gabriel's lips purse, as if he senses my train of thought, but he doesn't say anything. I'm grateful for that.
I actually finished it in one chapter! I didn't even think I would, too! -parties- Theoretically, I could've split it into two chapters, too, but I figured there's no point, since the entire chapter doesn't really seem to have a midpoint that allows for easy splitting. So here's My Bloody Valentine, all wrapped up and done.
Also, wtf is up with FF's new format and weird font. -totally freaked out right now-
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