A/N: There probably won't be a chapter for next week and maybe not the week after. I've got finals coming up and I'm not sure how busy I'll be, so let's go ahead and say they'll be a two week delay and then another chapter. I've got up to chapter 36 written, so
It was frightening how quickly the Winchesters and Bobby were up and out of the roadhouse, Gabriel disappeared in much the same way he appeared the few days previous, luckily there were not many people there, so it went unnoticed this time. Balthazar disappeared soon after that, leaving Ellen and Pastor Jim alone with baby Jo.
"I sure hope they'll be alright." Ellen said, leaning up against the bar in the kitchen.
"I'm sure they will be fine, they just need to exercise a great deal of caution." Pastor Jim comforted. "They have Gabriel with them, and he seems like a very powerful being." He added thoughtfully. He then chuckled. "It also seems like they will be staying at my church, so I better head back there."
"Sorry for calling you all the way out just to have you head straight back." Ellen apologized, looking sheepish. "I didn't know it was going to be such a problem." She said.
"Not at all. I like traveling. You know that." Pastor Jim replied kindly. "Well then, I'll call you later to check up on you, when I get back to the church." He said, then exited the kitchen, Ellen trailed behind him. They were greeted by man, tall and dark skinned, wearing a pristinely groomed suit and standing with the sort of authority military officials would.
"Hello, sir." Ellen greeted. She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew who this man was. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Can I help you with something?" She asked with false kindness. Pastor Jim played it casual as well, heading for a table and sitting down. He pulled out a small black Bible and began to study it intensely.
"I am looking for the Winchesters." The man stated, looking at Ellen with disgust. "Where are they?" Ellen frowned, but didn't get aggressive.
"They left a few days ago." Ellen said coolly. "Said they couldn't stay long, had a drink then left." She lied easily. It was an easy cover story, one she had reported to cops when she was harboring hunters hiding from the law.
"I see." The man commented, looking around the bar. "Did they tell you where they were going?" He asked. He kept looking around, casting glances at Pastor Jim and his book and then to the upstairs area.
"No." Ellen replied firmly. "May I ask why you're asking?" She then said, hoping that if she managed to catch the man without reasoning, he would leave.
The man shook his head. "No, you may not." He said. Ellen stared at him, shocked by the bluntness. "Is there a problem?" He asked, noticing her facial expression.
"No." Ellen said. "Can I get you anything, or did you just come for the Winchesters?" She asked. She desperately wanted this man to leave.
"No." The man said. Then walked past her to head upstairs.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Ellen demanded as the man began walking up the steps. "That's private, no unauthorized people allowed." She said.
"I have more than enough authority to allow me up the stairs." The man insisted. "I am Raphael. I will not harm you if you do not resist." He said this with a great deal of authority. Pastor Jim looked up from his book and observed the now confirmed angel carefully.
"Ellen, he just wants to have a look around." Pastor Jim said carefully, trying to get Ellen to comply. He wouldn't find anything up there, and allowing him to look would keep Ellen from getting hurt.
"Fine, but when you're done, leave." Ellen called after the retreating angel.
"Of course." Raphael replied. He did just that.
Meanwhile, Gabriel and his charges appeared just outside of an old cabin. It was cold and there was snow on the ground. The cabin in question was small, but when they entered inside of it, it seemed anything but. It was incredibly luxurious, with a large main room and a hallway that led deeper into the house. The main room was richly furnished and warm, with a fire in the hearth, popping and crackling. There were wards clearly visible around the room, ones Bobby recognized as concealing wards and others he didn't recognize at all. Gabriel ushered them in proudly.
"Welcome to my humble abode." Gabriel said proudly. "This is where we'll be staying for a while." He announced.
"This seems fairly secluded, so why only a while?" John asked, casting a critical eye around the house.
"I'm pretty sure Michael knows about this place." Gabriel said automatically. "I've seen angels wandering around this place before, but there aren't any here now, so it's safe." He assured. "I don't want to push our luck though."
"Gabriel, why do you have such a place…?" Castiel asked, looking around.
"When you live on earth, you gotta have a place to call home." Gabriel told him. "It isn't like Heaven where you can rest wherever you want." He explained. "Well, I guess you could, but it's not very comfortable, and people tend to call you names."
Castiel nodded in understanding. Gabriel snapped his fingers and their bags were now in the room. "I don't plan to leave the house until we actually leave for good, so make yourselves comfortable, I guess." With that he disappeared. No one was sure where, as when they went searching the house for him, they couldn't find him.
It was obvious Gabriel has somehow prepared them rooms, each of them got a separate room that Gabriel had tailored to their tastes. They stopped at Castiel's room first, made obvious by the fact that his name was etched in Enochian into the door. His room was a soft, off-white color, the bed had dark blue sheets and there was a large cushy chair in one corner with a T.V. and a book shelf in the other. His room also had an unusual amount stuffed animals in it and no one had taken Castiel as the stuffed animal type. Castiel had told them that Jimmy was fond of the stuffed toys, not him, but John caught Castiel snuggling with a rather large one in a chair in the corner of his eye later that day.
When they came to Dean's door, it was obvious, as the door bore his name, though this time in English. Dean's room was a soft green color, with a nightlight on the wall that gave off a warm yellow glow when the light was off. Like in Castiel's room, it had a T.V. and a bookshelf full of children's books. There was also a desk with art supplies, which John found to be odd. Dean had not been one for arts and crafts, but maybe Gabriel was trying to spark some sort of affinity for it in him by providing the supplies. Or perhaps he just thought Dean would get bored with just books to read. Either way, it made John frown.
John's and Bobby's rooms were very similar, the same kind of door as Dean's, with a desk, T.V. and a bookshelf. They were a lot less childish though, no nightlights or stuffed animals, and upon inspection, all of the books were on Supernatural lore, nothing on angels, much to Bobby's chagrin, though.
Sammy had his own room as well, though it was only a nursery, with plenty of baby toys and pillows. After an inspection by John, they found it would also be safe enough to leave Sammy in there to play if they blocked the door.
In the hallway, along with the four rooms, there were two large bathrooms, and one locked door with similar letters to the ones etched on Castiel's door. Castiel said it read Gabriel, so they all assumed that was where he had disappeared off to. With no answer when they knocked on the door, they set to entertaining themselves by exploring the rest of the house. Dean and Castiel found a door to the basement after moving the rug in the living room and opening a hidden door. The basement didn't have anything particularly interesting however, just rows and rows of bookshelves that only held books written in foreign languages. Castiel grabbed several books off the shelves and settled into the main room to read.
The others continued exploring, soon finding a kitchen that held way too much candy, yet another bathroom, this one much larger with a large shower, a study that looked like a tornado had run through it and a small gaming room, that looked a lot like an arcade. It was very strange that so many things fit into one small house.
When they returned to the living room, Gabriel was back, Sammy in his lap and speaking to Castiel in Enochian. It didn't sound like they were fighting, just talking and John could make out a few names, mainly 'Balthazar' and 'Michael.' When they came in, Gabriel nodded at them, but didn't acknowledge them beyond that, still speaking with Castiel. John was content to allow the two to have their conversation, but Bobby cleared his throat.
"When are we going to be able to communicate in tongues?" Bobby asked sarcastically, arms crossed.
"Never." Gabriel replied firmly. He ruffled Castiel's hair and stood. "You're really rude, you know that? And that's saying something. I thought I was the king of rude." Gabriel didn't sound much like he was joking.
Bobby ignored him, opting to ask. "What's the plan?"
"We lay low here for a while, and once Pastor Jim gets back to his church and gets harassed by the angels, we head there." Gabriel explained simply. "One good thing about Michael is he that he assumes everyone is more stupid than he is, so he won't expect us to come back to a place he's checked."
"Then why don't we go back to my house?" Bobby asked. "Or the Roadhouse."
"Because your house will be actively watched. As far as they are concerned, that's our home base." Gabriel said. "Why not go back to the Roadhouse? Because Ellen doesn't like me, and there are too many hunters that go through there for my liking." He then held Castiel close to his chest. "And they defiled poor Castiel…" He cooed, petting Castiel's head. "Introducing him to the sin of gambling…" Castiel huffed indignantly.
"As if you are one to talk, Gabriel." Castiel muttered, looking away. "I merely gambled. From the looks of this house, you have partaken in every form of cardinal sin." Castiel admonished, a little louder this time.
"Come on! How else am I going to make my brothers mad?" Gabriel joked lightly. Castiel didn't seem very amused, and Bobby rolled his eyes at their antics.
The rest of the day was characterized by Gabriel disappearing from time to time, leaving the Winchesters and Bobby to their own devices. Bobby asked Castiel if he would teach them Enochian at one point, which Castiel adamantly refused, and then disappeared when Bobby pressed the matter. Dean had taken up coloring in Castiel's absence, drawing pictures of himself and Castiel in various places; sitting on the couch, in the back of what looked like the Impala and sitting at what John could decipher as the Roadhouse, by Dean's sloppy handwriting. Sammy was thoroughly enjoying his nursery, and Bobby had been trying to read one of the books Castiel had grabbed for three hours.
John didn't understand why they couldn't just stay here. The house was secluded enough, and even if Michael knew the place existed, there would be no way they could find them with all the warding, right? He plopped himself down onto the couch and relaxed, allowing himself to enjoy the peace for at least a while. Gabriel continued to appear and disappear for the remainder of the afternoon, usually not saying anything when he came back. Finally, when it looked to be relatively dark outside, Gabriel returned for the night, settling himself onto the couch next to John and huffing out a sigh.
"Where have you been disappearing off to?" John asked, trying to make conversation. Gabriel cast him a sidelong glance.
"Warding mostly, and checking up on the folks at the Roadhouse to make sure they're okay." Gabriel said tiredly. "They're good, by the way, Raphael must not have found anything incriminating."
"Is flying still hard?" John asked, noticing how very drained he looked.
"Concerned?" Gabriel asked, sounding shocked. "And yes, Raphael did a number on me, as much as I don't want to admit it." He said, casting a glance around the room to make sure Castiel couldn't hear. "My grace has been damaged. It will heal, but it will take some time." He explained. "Don't tell, Cas. He'll start worrying, and that doesn't help anyone."
John nodded and Gabriel stood up. "It's dinner time." He declared loud enough for the house to hear and then making his way into the kitchen. Dean and Castiel wondered out of Sammy's nursery, Castiel carrying the baby gently and Bobby poked his head out of his room's door. John waited for them to catch up with him before they made their way into the kitchen as a group.
They entered the room to find Gabriel standing behind a table with a mountain of food on it. He grinned proudly. "Help yourself! Plates are on the counter over there." He said happily, then proceeded to get his own. Bobby frowned suspiciously at the amount of food on the table, but when Dean and Castiel helped themselves as if nothing strange was happening; he supposed that this was common place for angels, or Gabriel. John couldn't figure out how Gabriel made so much food in the five minutes that had taken them to walk to the kitchen. Gabriel kept explaining it as the power of his grace, a fact supported by Castiel's nodded head, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around the concept.
Once they were finished eating, they retired to the living room and with Gabriel's insistence they all watched two movies before Dean fell asleep on Castiel's shoulder. Gabriel then declared it time for bed and oversaw John carefully carrying Dean and Sam to bed, followed by Castiel retiring to his own room. Gabriel disappeared after that, the sound of his door shutting permeating the hallway, followed by the click of the door locking. Figuring Gabriel wanted everyone to go to sleep, John and Bobby also retired and soon the house was quiet.
TBC...
(No cliff hanger for our possible two week break. Aren't I nice?)