Disclaimer: Nope, don't own SPN. But do I wish I owned Dean... *sigh*
AN: SO! Who liked last night's episode? *raises hand* I won't give away any spoilers, but it was everything I wanted and more. Personally, I loved it. I can't wait for the finale! Ack!
Anyway, thank you all SO much for the love last chapter! I'm so glad everyone was pleased with where the story was going. Now, let's see where Gabriel ended up, shall we?
Gabriel POV
Gabe came to on a dirt road and gasped as he felt the gash on the back of his head. "Fuck," he muttered as sat up. Blood poured out of his nose. "Well, that was a rougher landing than I anticipated," he murmured. He honestly hadn't been sure this would work, but, hey, it was better than being slaughtered by his brother riding around in his mom's vessel, right? He blinked. "Where the hell am I?"
Just then, he heard a scream and glass breaking pierce the night. He was up in an instant, his hunter's senses tingling. He patted his pockets as he ran, looking desperately for his angel blade. That was when he remembered...he'd sat it down to pick up the bottle of booze. "Fucking hell," he growled as he ran. Well, at least he had some semblance of mojo, if he wasn't too exhausted to use it. It could buy him some time, assuming he knew what he was dealing with. He sent up a prayer of thanks for his mom and Uncle Sam, as well as Dean teaching him how to fight hand-to-hand.
He ran until the house came into view and he stopped dead. "Son of a bitch!" he murmured. "I did it." He stared up at the house he barely remembered. Ryan's house. He was back in 2014. June, 2014, if he wasn't mistaken. "Holy fucking shit, I did it."
The euphoria didn't last long as he felt the bone-deep weariness of his trip drag him down. He felt hungover, a sensation he hadn't felt often thanks to his angel grace. He glanced around as he walked toward the porch. He had a little time, which was good, because he was exhausted.
He knocked on the door and waited as he heard Ryan coming down the stairs. Hope wasn't with her, he noticed, judging by the sound of footfalls on the stairs. Well, good. That might make it easier. She opened the door and he wasn't surprised to find a shotgun aimed at him. He smiled despite himself and she gasped. "Dean?"
Shit. He'd forgotten how much he looked like his dad as a teenager. Jon looked the most like Dean, but there was no denying his vessel definitely had his father's smirking mouth and the shape of his nose and his crinkly eyes when he smiled. And he couldn't help but smile. "No, I'm not."
Her eyes narrowed. "Christo."
His smile grew. "Wrong direction, babe. Angel, not demon."
A small smile played on her lips as she said, "You know, someone once said that very thing to me."
"Yeah?"
She eyed him warily, even with the smile still on her face. "What's your name, boy?"
He just looked at her a moment. This, this was his mother. All five feet, seven inches, one hundred, twenty two pounds of her. Sure, she had a red nose and tear tracks down her face, but it was her. She looked gorgeous in a Led Zepplin tee shirt and a pair of holey jeans, bare feet with purple painted toenails...He blinked. This was his mom. She was pregnant with Jon, probably had only found out a few weeks before. She was...what? Three months? She wasn't even showing yet. "Gabriel," he managed. "They call me Gabriel."
Her smile grew to a blazing thousand megawatts as she murmured, "Yeah, they do." She dropped the gun and all but flew into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Gabriel I've been worried sick about you! You don't just bounce and not tell me where you're going! You lived in me, Gabe! Don't you ever go off and do that again!"
He held her close for a moment longer than necessary as she railed. It was like coming home, being in his mother's arms, even being fussed at was the norm and he drank her in. She smelled just like he remembered, before Dean came back into their lives...she smelled like honeysuckle and sugar, no doubt because she'd baked pies for the cafe for the next day, without a shred of hellfire or brimstone surrounding her. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, like a rainbow after a hurricane. He relished this hug and she didn't seem inclined to let him go, either. He could easily count the thousands of times she'd hugged him, actually, it was closer to a million, but none of this hit him quite as much as this one did. "Mom," he managed before he could stop himself.
He felt her stiffen and wished he could take it back, but she pulled away and appraised him. "Bobby. Robert Gabriel Winchester."
He smirked. "Surprise?"
She shook her head. "I don't know why I'm shocked. Hope's an angel, too, isn't she? You've known all along."
He nodded. "Yeah. But that's not why I'm here..."
She took in a stuttering breath. "Dean," she managed. "You're here because of Dean."
"Yes. And we need to move. Call Jody, have her watch me, well, the baby me. We need to hit the road..." He stormed past her and glanced up at Hope, who had snuck about halfway down the stairs. The kid was still in her penguin pajamas. He remembered those, oddly enough. "Hey, sis."
The girl's brows furrowed a moment before she asked, "Gabriel?" then, "Gabriel!" and flung herself into his arms as well.
He picked her up and swung her around. "It's weird. You used to do this to me, you know."
"I still do, smarty pants," she giggled as he sat her down.
Ryan glared at the pair of them. "You knew, Hope?"
"Yes?" the girl stated softly.
Ryan smiled and shook her head. "So, I need to go with Gabriel, I guess, sweetheart, so we can save Dad."
"YES! I knew you 'd find a way to save him, Gabe!"
He winced. "Yeah, well..."
"What?" Ryan's tone held nothing short of wariness.
"It's not quite all that simple. Yes, I'm pretty sure we can save him, but if we can't..."
"If we can't, what, Gabriel?"
Gabe swallowed hard. He'd given this a lot of thought. "Mom, Ryan, I'm going to need you to back me on this, because Sam will hate me forever..."
"Robert Gabriel Winchester..." she warned.
He blew out a breath. "If we can't fix him, we will have no choice but to kill him."
Ryan blinked. "Gabriel, baby, he's already dead."
"No. He's not. He's got The Mark..."
Ryan nodded. "The Mark of Cain. I saw it. I didn't like the fact he was wearing it, but..."
"When he took that mark, it began changing him."
"I noticed," she all but whispered.
"You saw it, didn't you? How he was changing?" He needed to know as much as he could. Lucifer put this mark on Cain in the first place. Sure, it was transferred to Dean, and Gabriel still didn't understand how that worked. He needed more information. He wondered if he was going to have to go down to Hell and find out directly from the source...
She nodded. "He wasn't as quick to smile, depressed, angry...at times, it was like he was a junkie needing a fix..."
"Exactly. That's what he was. He'd gotten a taste of the power and it began changing him."
"Changing him into what?" Ryan breathed.
He didn't want to say it, but he had to drive the point home... "A demon."
Ryan gasped and Hope cried, "No!"
He hung his head. "I didn't know...if I had known...this wasn't supposed to happen..."
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "Wait. If you're Bobby...what happens in the future that you come back now?"
He blew out a breath. "I screwed up, so bad, Mom."
Her brows quirked and before he realized it, he was where he needed to be; in his mom's arms again, accepting comfort only she could give. He couldn't help the sobs that started. "I'm so sorry," he kept repeating as he imagined all the horrible things that had happened over the past year. Her being dragged off by hellhounds, the torture she underwent...he and Jon had never told Dean what they'd found out, all the many ways Anseth had abused her, broken her, so completely...Raeburn's tortures had been a drop in the bucket by comparison. Jon had vomited just relaying part of the story to him, causing him to read Jon's thoughts to hear everything the demon had done to their mother. Then, at the end, when she was demonized and broken beyond repair, Lucifer taking her over, using and abusing her just as badly, just in a different way...
She continued to rub his back and whisper soothing words to him until finally, he calmed down. "Sorry."
She pulled away and looked him in the eye, wiping a few tears from his face. "Was it that bad, sweetheart?"
"Worse," he managed through a tear roughened voice.
"What could have caused this sadness in you, baby? You told me not to tell Dean, so, I'm sure I didn't. If you're reacting this way..." She swallowed hard as the realization dawned. "It was me, wasn't it? Somehow, I did this? Whatever it is that caused this haunted look in your eyes."
He couldn't lie to her. He'd tried, in the past, but he'd never managed it. So, he nodded. "But it wasn't just you."
"I became a monster..."
It was his turn to look confused. "How did you...?"
"I've always known," she murmured. "Since...since Raeburn, I've felt it, like a dark spot in me...I've tried to avoid it, and you made it better. But I can feel it, growing."
"You're right. And there's a reason." His eyes went to her midsection. "Well, two reasons, actually."
Her hand went to her still-flat stomach. "It's him, isn't it? He's...is he...?"
Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, he is. But it's okay!" he added quickly at her terrified expression. "He's so awesome, my little brother. He's kind of nerdy, but he's good, you know? Like, even though he's a half-demon, he's good, probably better than I've ever thought about being and..." he trailed of as he saw her smile. "What?"
She shook her head. "You love him."
"Of course. He's my brother. That's what Winchesters do. We look after our pain in the ass little brothers."
Her lip quirked. "Just like your father." She paused. "Gabriel. My son is Gabriel. The archangel. My daughter is an angel. My other son is a cambion." She blinked. "How in the hell did my life get so weird?"
He shrugged. "Blame me. Everyone usually does."
At that, she chuckled under her breath. "What about Hope?"
He opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut. Hope was in for a wild ride. He'd have to see if he could change some of the problems Hope had growing up. "Sorry. Spoilers."
"Hey!" Hope cried indignantly from where she had sat once again on the steps.
Gabriel jumped as his mom's clock began chiming "Unchained Melody" and he glanced at it. "Crap. We've gotta move. Get Jody up here. I'm too weak to use angel air. We're going to have to drive."
"To where?"
"The Bunker."
"We're going to the bunker?" Hope all but shouted.
"Shhh!" Ryan warned. "Bobby's still asleep. Let's let sleeping monsters lie, okay?" She glanced at Gabriel. "You know, I'm not surprised, but I'm going to have a hell of a time wrapping my head around this anyway."
"Welcome to living with an angel, kiddo."
She smirked. "Pretty sure you're the kiddo, kiddo. How old are you in this vessel?"
"Twenty."
She blinked. "Wow. What the hell happened to the past seventeen of your years?"
"Oh, the first nineteen were great. They could have been better, but they weren't bad. It's just the last year..."
"I can't know, can I?"
"Oh, you're going to know. You and Dad both, once he's up and about..."
"You want me to tell him?!" she practically shouted.
He nodded. "I was wrong. Dead wrong. I mean, we need Jon, so he's going to have to be born part demon, but the rest..."
"John? We named him after your grandfather?"
"No. Jonathan."
Her brows furrowed. "I always liked that name. I'd thought of naming you that, but Robert after Bobby was better." She side eyed him. "When do we start calling you Gabriel?"
"About the time I get my juice back. It just kind of happens. Don't worry about it. I still love and respect Bobby Singer because you and Dad and Uncle Sam did."
"Sam...he's going to have kittens when he realizes who you are. Dean too, for that matter. Of course, he probably won't speak to me again..."
Gabriel put his hand on her arm. "Mom, listen, all this shit...it's on me, okay? He can't blame you for following orders. Hell, he was always the good little soldier. You were just doing as I'd asked."
"I don't know if your father will see it that way..." She turned to Hope and said, "I guess I'll see if Aunt Jody can watch you two while I go help straighten this mess out..."
Hope's lip lowered in a Winchester pout and Gabriel had to resist the urge to smile. That pout never worked on their mother. Dad? Yeah, he was a pushover. But nope, not Ryan Fawcett Winchester. So he spoke up quickly. "No, I need Hope to come with us."
"Yes! Road trip!" Hope all but shouted as she dashed up the stairs, presumably to pack her bags and get dressed.
He watched her go and then turned back to Ryan, who was studying him. "What?"
"Why do we need Hope?"
"She's an angel. I need an angel."
"You're an angel, sugar. And since she isn't Raphael, Michael, or Lucifer, you're stronger than her."
He winced. "I am, but my vessel is tainted."
"Tainted? By what?"
He sighed. He hadn't wanted to tell her this way, but...he descended his fangs and her eyes grew wide.
"What...Gabriel?"
He rescinded them and shrugged. "The vampire blood gave me some perks, but at a cost. It dampened some of my angel grace, being in a tainted vessel, and it also means we can't use my blood. I'm part vampire." He grinned. "Makes it a hell of a lot easier to hunt the sons of bitches, but not for curing a demon..."
She shivered as she rubbed her arms. "Demon...Dean will become a demon..."
He grabbed her hand. "We'll fix it, Mom. I swear."
She sucked in a breath, snagged her phone from her back pocket, punched a few buttons on the touch screen and when Jody answered, Ryan said, "Jody...I need your help. Can you help me out? I need someone to watch Bobby." She paused. "I...I need to tell you in person." Another pause. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just...can you come? Now? Please?" Her hand moved to her stomach unbidden it seemed as she murmured, "Yeah, the baby's okay. Thanks, Jody. See you in a few..."
She hung up and glanced at him again. "So...now what?"
"Pack your bags."
"How long are we going to be gone?"
"A few days, tops."
She swallowed hard. "Gabriel...will we save him?"
"I'll do whatever it takes, Mom. You know I always do."
She went to walk past him up the stairs when she stopped and grasped his arm. "Your father would be proud of you."
"Dean?"
She smiled softly and shook her head. "The other one."
His brow furrowed as he watched her walk up the stairs to pack her bags. Would his heavenly Father be proud of him? He wasn't so sure. But he was man enough to admit he needed to fix this. And if he fixed it, maybe then, he could be redeemed.
It took only fifteen minutes for Jody to arrive. By then, both Hope and Ryan had their bags packed and were sitting on ready. At Jody's raised eyebrow, Ryan shook her head. "Don't ask."
"Don't tell me 'don't ask' Ryan Fawcett! What's going on? What's happening?" Jody demanded as soon as she breached the door and grabbed Ryan for a hug. "Who's this?"
Gabriel grinned. "I'm Gabriel."
"The angel?"
He briefly contemplated coming back with a smart ass retort, but seeing the stern look on her face, and remembering the pain of trying to sit down after his aunt Jody spanked him for one transgression or another, he simply nodded. "One in the same."
"'Bout time you showed up. You going to straighten her out now? Tell her she needs to tell Dean the truth? They need to be together? You going to tell her they're soul mates?"
He blinked. "How did you know they're soul mates?"
"We're soul mates?!" Ryan exclaimed.
"Yeah, well, I'll tell you more about that in a minute." He turned to Jody. "You're...you're very perceptive, aren't you?"
Jody's eyes narrowed. "I may not be the smartest person on the planet, nor the most religious, but when an angel declares you to be with someone? It kind of sounds like soul mate material to me."
Gabriel chuckled. He'd forgotten what a spitfire his Aunt Jody was. "Yeah, you're not wrong. But there's a whole lot more at play here, too. Prophecies, fate..."
"Fate? Isn't she mad at the Winchesters?" Ryan wanted to know.
Gabriel shook his head. "She's a lot of things. She's temperamental."
"Tell me about it," Hope muttered under her breath. She blinked as she realized everyone was staring at her. "Sorry, but she is."
Ryan shook her head as Jody questioned, "Do I want to know?"
Ryan shook her head then blew out a breath. "Jody, it's Dean..."
"He's...is he...?"
"He's not dead," Ryan told her wearily. "Or...maybe he is? I don't quite know. But he's going to wake up as a demon if we don't stop him."
At Jody's wide eyed look, Gabriel nodded. "And if we don't get to Lebanon, Kansas, and fix it, Crowley's going to take him off and he's eventually going to become the King of Hell."
Hope gasped as she put a hand up to cover her mouth as Ryan breathed, "No."
He nodded. "It's not that bad, but it gets worse when he hooks back up with you, Mom."
"Ryan hooks up with a demon? Not possible," Jody stated.
He smirked. "He's Dean, Jody. They can't not be together. They try, but then, eventually, they see one another..."
"And I can't stay away," Ryan finished.
They were all silent a moment as Jody looked Gabriel up and down. "Okay, so, you're an angel. But you're more, right?" Her eyes narrowed as she turned to Ryan. "He's a Winchester, isn't he?"
Ryan smiled. "Jody, this is Robert Gabriel. My son."
"You mean…"
Ryan nodded. "Bobby IS Gabriel. He came back from the future to fix things. Dean died tonight. He was killed. And when he wakes, he wakes as a demon."
"How?"
Ryan's brows knit. "I don't quite get it, but I'm assuming it has to do with the mark on his arm…"
Gabriel nodded. "It's The Mark of Cain."
"The bible thing?"
Gabe snorted. "Yeah. It didn't come from Heaven, though. Lucifer put that mark on Cain. Basically, Cain took a deal and sold his soul to Satan. Sound familiar?"
"Eerily," Ryan deadpanned.
Gabe nodded. "Exactly. Anyway, shit got real, I guess. Dad took The Mark but it won't let go. It'll twist his soul unless we get there and fix it."
"How?"
That, he wasn't so sure about.
"Gabriel's also a vampire," Hope threw out into the uncomfortable silence.
Jody stopped. "What?"
Gabriel winced. "Well, we don't have time for that, Jody. Sorry. We'll fill you in later. We need to hit the road. They're traveling from Muncie, Indiana. It'll take twelve hours for them to get to the bunker. If we leave now, we should beat them there."
"How are we going to get in? What are we going to do when we get there?"
Gabriel shrugged. "We're Winchesters. We think on our feet. But as for getting in…well, all we need is a little blood."
"Blood?"
"Blood Magick. It's something we found by accident. You don't need a key when you've got Journaler's blood in you."
"Journaler?"
"We changed the name from Men of Letters when more women began joining its ranks. Of course, it's still referred to as the Men of Letters. Charlie just got pissed and wanted the name changed." His heart ached as he remembered his aunt's death. Charlie had always been so cool. Of course, she was still alive, wasn't she? She was in Oz, with Dorothy. "We've got a network of hunters now, or, then, or we will? Hell. Now I'm confused." His head was still hurting and he was bordering on exhausted. The flight back through time had really taxed him. He knew, no matter what, he probably couldn't make it back to the future. He was stuck. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Ryan chuckled and laid her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Gabriel. We'll get it figured out. Let's hit the road. You look like you need to rest."
His heart warmed as his hand covered hers. "I know we will. You're my mom. I trust you." He glanced up as Hope reappeared with an additional backpack. "What's in the bag, kid?"
"It's a long ride. I'm a child. I need to keep myself entertained."
He smirked. "Sounds good. Come on. Let's go get my baby…"
Ryan's eyebrow rose. "Your baby?"
He nodded. "You gave me Demon to drive."
"You didn't take the Impala?"
He paused. He wasn't sure what to tell them about Ben. That would work itself out, wouldn't it? Finally he settled on, "No, uh, it has a better home."
"It's mine?" Hope asked with glee.
He shook his head. "Nah. You get a better ride."
"Than Demon or the Impala? Impossible!"
He just shook his head and patted her shoulder. He really liked her Ford Galaxy, and it turned out to be an excellent car for her. She had even named the powder blue metal lady Angel. Ben had really done her a solid. He'd loved watching his two older siblings work on the car. He'd even helped a time or two. "Trust me, kid. The beast you end up driving is awesome."
"Cool," she muttered as she ran ahead of them to the car.
He ran his hand up from the trunk to the roof of the car. "Oh, Demon, you evil bitch, you're beautiful."
Ryan laughed out loud. "Yep, I might not believe you're mine, but you're definitely Dean's."
He smiled at that. "Yeah, well, it's a lot to take in. And trust me, it's gonna be a hell of a lot more for Dad to swallow once we cure him."
She sobered. "What are we doing?"
"Fixing shit. Now, get in the car. I'm driving."
Her eyebrow rose. "How old are you again?"
"Twenty. And I've been driving this car since I was fourteen and had a kick ass fake ID. Trust me. I know what I'm doing."
"Look, sweetheart, no offense, but I don't let anyone drive my car. If you really are mine, and you really have driven it before, you also know that I really don't often share my car. Now, I may have willingly handed over the keys when you got old enough to hunt, but for now, I'm driving. Besides, you're exhausted, and if what I've picked up is the fact you and your brother and your sister are part of a prophecy, then I guess we need to get there in one piece, right?"
He grinned. Man, he loved his mom to pieces. To see her now, whole, no evil corrupting her, or just barely, in any case, it made him all but giddy. "Yes, ma'am," he muttered as he slid into the passenger seat.
Ryan smirked as she dropped her bag in the backseat with Hope, slid into the driver's seat, and cranked the engine. "Hang on."
The six hour drive gave Gabriel plenty of time to tell his tale. Well, most of it. From prophecies to future events, though, he still didn't tell his mother about Lucifer. That would come. When she probed him about what caused him to come back, he clammed up and after giving Ryan directions to The Bunker, claimed to need a rest. He really did need to recharge his batteries. He wasn't omnipotent, after all. He fell asleep to the quiet as Ryan thought, with nothing but the sounds of the road and The Eagles playing softly in the cassette deck. Hope had dozed off almost as soon as they left. Angel or no, her vessel was still a child.
He was shaken gently awake and looked around owlishly a moment before he saw the entrance. "Cool. We're here..."
"Yeah. We are. I never really thought I'd see it," Ryan stated as she stood and looked at the bunker door.
Gabriel grinned as he stood and stretched. Sleeping in the car wasn't fun, no matter what, and his six foot tall frame needed to stretch out. The Falcon didn't have nearly as much leg room as the Impala, not that it made him love her any less, but fact was fact. "Yeah, well, you work out of it from now on, basically."
"How can I? I live in South Dakota."
Gabe rolled his eyes. "Please. Like Dad's gonna let you out of his sight now?"
She sighed. "Gabriel, your dad and I…we aren't together," she told him softly.
He shot her a look over the roof of the car. "Are you shitting me? I've spent the last couple of hours talking myself hoarse telling you everything that happens and you don't believe me?"
She shook her head. "I believe it happened, Gabe. Too many things you've said make sense. But now? How can it? Dean will hate me for lying to him. I'm sure he'll want a relationship with you kids, but me…?" She shook her head again and sighed as she reached into the backseat and touched Hope's knee. "Hopey? Come on, baby. We're here."
Hope jerked awake and Gabriel grinned as he saw her eyes flash blue, just for an instant. Ryan must not have noticed, but he knew. Her angel's grace was flaring, like a candle flame that got additional oxygen, it was dancing, building, and it was beautiful, he had to admit, even if she was his sister.
"Okay, genius," Ryan snarked as she walked to the door. "How do we get in?"
Gabe grinned as he came forward. "Knife?" He hated not having any weapons on him, but he knew Ryan would.
Her eyebrow shot up, but she removed her silver knife from her holster on her side and warily handed it to him.
He smiled as he pricked his finger and smeared the blood on the door. It unlocked and swung open for them.
"Holy shit," Ryan muttered under her breath.
"It works with Hope's blood as well as yours, too," he told them.
"I'm not a Winchester," Ryan stated.
You will be. Don't think I won't have a discussion with Dad on how he should marry you as soon as possible. "You have Dad's blood in you, from the transfusion." She gasped again and he smirked. "Yeah. I know about that. He saved your life a few times that day, didn't he?"
She just nodded mutely.
"Come on, let's get our gear, then you need to call Sam."
"Me?"
He shot her a look. "I can't believe you believed me when I showed up at your door. Do you really think he's gonna believe me over the phone?"
"Good point," she muttered as she walked back to the car and grabbed her bag from the backseat where Hope had been using it as a makeshift pillow. They walked into the bunker and down the steps. "Wow…" Ryan murmured again. "It's glorious."
Gabe smiled as he remembered all the times he and Jon studied there. Andrea had tutored them from his kindergarten year on up. They learned how to do math and read and learned magic spells right at these tables.
Ryan looked at him and smiled. "You know this place."
"This…this is home, Mom. Here and our house, the house I grew up in, they're where I call home."
"This is so weird," she commented as she ran a finger over a dirty highball glass sitting on the table next to a bottle of whiskey.
He snorted. "You're telling me."
"So, what do we do now?" Hope piped up.
Gabriel winced. He actually wasn't sure. "Hell if I know," he replied.
Ryan chuckled. "Just like your father, aren't you?" At his furrowed brow, she continued, "Running headlong into something you have no idea about."
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, uh, that's kind of why that darkness in you has grown in the first place. Dad has no self control." He smirked. "Well, neither do you, for that matter."
She rolled her eyes. "I still don't see how in the hell I manage to keep an ongoing relationship with a demon, Dean or not."
He glared at her. "Are you serious? Do you not realize the two of you would move Heaven and Hell to be together?"
It was her turn to blush. "I don't know about that…"
He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Mom…I've seen it. The two of you? You're like…it's unlike anything I've ever seen. You're soul mates. True soul mates. Not many people can say that. It bonds you together and being Dad's soul mate, when his soul is a demon, isn't good for you, but you can't help yourself. You can't stay away from him. You manage to, for six years, but as soon as you see him topside, it's all over. And for ten wonderful years, you're the happiest I've ever seen you, even with the demon crap."
"I want to know more about this 'demon crap' but I just can't imagine me not having more self control."
At that, he chuckled. "Not that I want to discuss it, but you have no self control when it comes to Dad. But, then, neither does he, so it balances out, I guess."
She cleared her throat. "I guess I'll call Sam now…"
Gabriel nodded. "Do. Hope and I will gather the ingredients for the spell." At her worried look, he squeezed her hand. "You'll figure out what you need to say to Sam. It'll all work out."
"Will it?"
He looked into her now tear-filled eyes. "I promise, Mom. We'll fix it. We're Winchesters. That's what we do."
She sucked in a breath and nodded. "Okay."
He watched her walked back up the stairs to have a little privacy and he turned to Hope, who was watching him curiously. "So…what's the deal?" she wanted to know.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out paper he had torn out of the Heavenly book. He didn't know if he'd need it, but it hadn't hurt to pinch it while he was in Heaven one of the few times he was allowed to visit in this new vessel. "We'll need this."
She took it from him and unfolded it, scanning it quickly. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped before she looked back up at him. She blew out a breath and he realized it was a lot for her little ten year old vessel to fathom. "Okay then."
"What?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just…I wasn't expecting to do this."
"What, Hope?"
"I didn't realize I was going to be the one to cure Dad."
"I'm sorry," he stated, and he truly was. This was one thing he literally couldn't do. "I think it will work better with familial blood, rather than Castiel's. Also, since you're a virtue, instead of just a worker angel, for lack of a better word, it will work better, faster, without the nasty side effects."
"Wh-what side effects?" she questioned.
"Death."
Her eyes grew. "What!?" she shouted.
He winced. "To cure a demon with angel blood, you cleanse their souls. And to cleanse their souls, usually, you do it so their vessel dies and they are able to go to heaven. It's how this thing works. I think since Dad isn't a full blow demon yet, we can salvage his vessel and his soul."
"You think?! You THINK! What the actual heck, Gabriel?"
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, Hope!" he shouted back at him. They glared at one another and he grinned. "You really are my pain in the ass angel sister, aren't you?" Her eyes flashed blue again and he smirked. "I love you, Hope. I don't think I tell you often enough. I'm sorry."
She sighed and sounded like a petulant child as she did so. "I don't know you, but I feel sure I love you too, jerk."
He grinned. The name calling had continued to the second generation. It was a Winchester trait. "Ass."
She hugged him. "We'll fix this, won't we?"
"We have to," he replied. He glanced at the door after Ryan. "Do you mind...?"
Hope shook her head. "Go. Be there for her. I'll get this together."
"Thanks, Hopey."
She nodded and he walked up the steps. He opened the door and saw her leaning against the car. He watched as she sucked in a breath and punched a few buttons into her phone. "S-Sam? It's Ryan. I know about Dean, okay? And, as crazy as it sounds, I've got a solution. I can fix him."
She paused, then said, "How? I've got an angel in my back pocket." Pause. "No, this is legit. I swear. You know how I have these kids and they're Dean's? There's a reason. And his name is Gabriel."
Even standing five feet away, Gabriel could hear Sam's shout of indignation over the phone and he saw his mother's shoulder's slump. "Listen, Sam, believe me, don't believe me, but Gabriel can fix Dean." She sucked in a breath. "How do I know? Because, I just do, okay?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lucifer didn't kill Gabriel. He...he was with me for a little while."
Gabriel saw her pull her ponytail holder from her hair and shake it out. "With me. In me. He possessed me, okay?" She tugged on her hair a little. "Yes, Sam. I'm of Loki's lineage. I'm one of his vessels." She laughed flatly. "I know. Crazy, right?"
Sam must have went on a long monologue for a few moments because finally, she said, "Sam, I know you don't know me from Adam's house cat, but I swear, I only want what's best for Dean..." She let out a sob. "I know, Sam. If I had known sooner...it's that thing on his arm. It's...he's not good, not like he was. But he can be. I swear it. He has to be."
Gabriel longed to go to his mother as he saw her wrap her arm around her waist as she began to cry. "I love him, Sam. I've always loved him. I've stayed away because an angel of the lord made me promise to stay away. But that's over now. If...if he doesn't want me, when he wakes up, that's fine. But I swear, I'll do whatever it takes to bring your brother back to life. I can't imagine living in a world where Dean Winchester doesn't. You don't know me, but you have to hear that I'm telling the truth..."
She continued to sob softly until she sucked in a breath. "Come home, Sam. I'll help you look after him, get him back on his feet. As soon as the ritual, whatever it is, is done, if you want me to, I'll leave. Dean never has to know..." She paused as Sam interrupted her. "Of course that's not what I want. I want him, Sam, but if that's not in the cards..." she smiled at something he said. "Yeah, well, he's your asshole brother." She sobered. "I swear, Sam. No matter what I have to do, I'll get your brother back to you. Do you believe me?" She sucked in another stuttering breath. "Okay then. Come to The Bunker. We're waiting."
Gabriel saw her all but toss her phone to the hood of the car, and sink onto the ground and sob. He contemplated going over to her, but sensing she needed a minute, turned, and walked back in to help Hope gather what they would need.
Gabe and Hope had just finished getting out the small bit of equipment they would need when Ryan came back down the hall, calling for them. "Kids?"
"In here!" he called from Dean's room.
Ryan walked into the room and stopped dead. "This is Dean's room."
He didn't ask how she knew. His parent's connection had never failed to amaze him. Sam had told him stories of the two times he had seen them together as humans, and even having seen it once, himself, it amazed him. It was as if they gravitated toward each other. Briefly, he wondered what Dean's life would have been like if Ryan had said 'no' to this whole prophecy thing in the first place. He could only imagine how much better it would have been, had Dean had Ryan by his side. But, it was done. He had come back to now or a reason. He would fix this the best he could.
"Yeah, this is Dad's room," he said finally.
Ryan walked around the room, her fingers trailing on the small desk, the books, the records… "It feels like him, but…not."
"It's The Mark. It's been changing him."
She nodded. "I noticed, in South Dakota."
Didn't stop you from banging him, though, did it? But Gabriel held in that thought. Besides, if she had said 'no' to Dean, he wouldn't be here, would he? He had to fix this so Jon could be born. "Yeah, well, it's been happening for months now."
"Why did he do it?"
That was the million dollar question. And Gabriel had the answer. "He needed an ace in the holeand Crowley fed him to Cain. Dad knew he had to shut down Abaddon and he did." The boy shivered. "That mark..." He shook his head. "He fully intended to kill Metatron with the blade that's powered by The Mark. He would have, too, had Metatron not been so damned smart and manipulative."
"What happened to Metatron? I wouldn't mind killing him personally."
Gabe smirked. He still wasn't one hundred percent pleased how Cas and Hannah handled it. Maybe he needed to go upstairs and fix that, too. But for now, he said, "Let's just say he's taken care of."
"He isn't dead?"
He shook his head. "Worse. He'll be human."
Ryan opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. "I want to kill that bastard, but right now, I don't care. I care about fixing Dean."
"I knew you would," Gabriel murmured. "What did Sam say?"
"He's…he's going with me on faith. He'll be here with Dean's…" A sob caught in her throat. "With Dean, in a little while."
He nodded in acknowledgment and looked at his sister. "Well, Hope? Is there anything else you need?"
"That Hope needs?"
"She's an angel."
"She is a child!"
"Who else are we going to get to do this, huh? It has to be an angel, and she's the only one we got."
"Mom, it's fine," Hope stated softly. "You know I'll do anything to help Dad."
Ryan put her hand under Hope's chin. "At what cost, sweetheart?"
"It won't kill me, Mom. Trust me on that."
Ryan's gaze narrowed on the girl. "Are you sure, one hundred percent positive?"
Hope nodded. "I'll be fine, Mommy."
It tore at Gabe's heart. This…this shouldn't have to happen. She was a kid for crying out loud!
"I'll be fine, Gabriel," Hope growled.
"Did you…did you read my thoughts?"
She smirked the Winchester smirk. "I don't have to have the ability to read your mind. You wear your emotions in your eyes, just like Dad does."
He couldn't hold in the grin. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he? Poor sap."
"So…what do we do now? Wait?"
He shrugged. "We need food. Dad hasn't been eating much and he'll wake up starved." If he wakes up. He was terrified, now. After all of this...would it be for nothing? Would his dad have to die in order to be saved from this fate?
"Gabriel?"
He shook his head and blinked a few times, clearing away the burning tears in his eyes. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, you want me to make a grocery store run?"
"Is now the time to be cooking?"
Gabriel shrugged again. "This is all uncharted territory for me, Mom. But I know we Winchesters like to eat…and I'm kinda hungry now."
She chuckled softly. "Is this your way of asking me to cook?"
He smirked shyly. He hadn't seen his mother, his real mother in so long...not since before she became a demon. And this…girl, woman, was her, but…not. But he didn't doubt she cooked the same. It would be nice to have a taste of home. "I wouldn't say 'no' to some of my mama's cooking."
"If you're my son, and I have no doubts you are, you'll know exactly what to get at the store. Do you need money?"
He chuckled despite himself. "Yeah, you're definitely my mother. Nah, I've got money."
"Do I want to know where you got it from?"
He thought of the douche he'd gotten money off of in the pool hall, the last time he'd played, before the world turned to shit. They didn't have to hustle at pool, or play poker, but damn, was it fun. But the money in his pocket, he'd snagged off a dead Croat after he'd killed him. She didn't need to know about that. So he smirked and said, "Nah, you're better off not knowing." She wrinkled her nose and he grinned. "I'll be right back."
"Don't steal!" she called after him as he walked down the hall toward the garage, causing his grin to grow. He would just snag one of the cars in the garage, since it was quite clear he wouldn't get to drive Demon yet.
He returned an hour later to find the bunker had been cleaned from top to bottom, the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap, Windex, and Mr. Clean hanging heavy in the air. He looked at Ryan, who blushed. "I clean when I'm nervous."
"I remember," he stated. "Hope, I've got two more bags, will you go get them?"
She nodded and sat down the rag she had been dusting the bookshelf with and trotted up the stairs.
He took the groceries into the kitchen and Ryan followed him. "Sam should be here soon," Ryan told him before she worried her lip with her teeth. "Gabe…if this goes south…Hope told me what she's going to have to do. Do you think…?"
"It's our only shot, Mom."
"If this doesn't work, Sam will never forgive me."
"If we don't try it, it sets the whole thing in motion again and Dad becomes the King of Hell."
Ryan's voice was soft as she asked, "Is that so bad?"
He paused, searching for the right thing to say. "Honestly? No. He does a great job of it. He takes to the authority surprisingly well. It's just when he mixes it up with you, it becomes problematic."
She blushed and he grinned. "But…Cain is still alive," she continued. "We could ask him…"
He had thought about that. If they kept Cain alive, he could take The Mark back, but, it wouldn't fulfill the prophesies, and the one about a Winchester on each plain needed to come true. It was possible Jon could become King of Hell without The Mark, but he wouldn't be nearly as powerful without it. Gabriel would have to go find Cain once they got this thing taken care of with Dean. "It has to be this way, Mom."
"Some would say Sam was born to be Lucifer's vessel," she countered.
So were you, he thought. But he didn't say that. The time would come for her to know she'd been marked by Lucifer, just as Sam had been. Instead, he told her, "And he was, for a time. That's the thing…free will? It's free will. It is what you make it. You're the one that constantly told us to go with our guts, do the right thing, make it work. Well, this is the right thing. I'm me, just me. I'm an angel, I'm a vampire, and I'm fixing this, for good." At her look, he continued, "Look, I'm not a normal human kid. If I was, it might make a difference. But I'm not Krissy, I'm not Ben…I'm me. And I'm meant to do this. I have to fix this. "
"Krissy? Ben?"
He winced. "Shit. I shouldn't have said that."
Her mouth twitched. "Too late, Hagrid. The secret's out now."
He grinned, shamefaced. "Ben is my half brother."
She nodded. "I'm not surprised."
He waited, and when she didn't elaborate, he blew out a breath. "Lisa dies in a car crash. You take Ben in."
Again, she didn't look shocked. "When?"
"A little while."
Her eyes narrowed at him. "You're not being very forthcoming with information, Robert Gabriel."
"Spoilers, Mom."
"Don't you River Song me, young man."
He grinned. "Fact is fact. Some stuff I don't need to tell you. Some of it, you'll have to figure it out for yourself. Besides, if I fuck the timeline, maybe it doesn't come to pass. Maybe she lives, maybe…"
"Maybe Dean goes back to her," Ryan finished softly. She let out a pained gasp as she sank onto the kitchen chair.
"Mom, you know that won't happen. That part of his life is over."
She just looked at him, hurt radiating from her. "How do you know, Gabe? How…I can't…I can't do this. I never had a shot at having Dean for my very own. You can't dangle that in front of me and give me hope that it comes to pass."
He opened his mouth to argue, but clamped it shut. Maybe this did alter it, maybe his mom and dad wouldn't end up together. Maybe they just weren't meant to be. But he refused to believe it. He'd seen them together. Even with his dad a demon, Ryan made Dean more human. Everyone noticed it, even Meg and Bela could tell. And it didn't make him a shitty ruler, either. He took his job as King of Hell seriously. But he became more human the longer he spent with Ryan and his children.
However, if he stayed human…Gabriel shook his head. "Look, Mom, I can't know for sure, okay? And, hell, maybe you don't want to get together with him. He's a dick. I love the guy, he's my dad, but I know him pretty damn well. So…that's a choice the two of you will have to make." He wouldn't say anymore about it. They had to forge their own paths in this. He couldn't sway them either way. It had to be up to them. His job was just to take The Mark off Dean and help Hope cure him. From there, it was out of his hands. He hated feeling so damned impotent, but he had to let the future unravel as it should.
They heard Hope running back down the hallway and Ryan sighed. "Let's not worry about that now. We need to keep Dean alive, first, alright?"
There were so many things he wanted to say to his mom. He loved her with every fiber of his being. He would do anything for her. Had done anything for her. He wasn't deluded enough to think he was really righteous enough to say he came back in time to fix his mistakes. That was part of it, it truly was, but the biggest part? He didn't want Lucifer touching her. She was his mom and he would go to the ends of the Earth, Hell, Heaven, Purgatory, and wherever the fuck else he could find to protect her. He didn't wish this pain on his worst enemy, on her less than anyone, but hopefully, now, it would be fixed.
He began unloading the bags of groceries and Ryan looked at his selections with a smile. "Tomato Rice Soup and grilled cheese?"
He nodded. "It's our favorite," he managed through his tears.
Her brows knit and she pulled him to her for a hug and he couldn't quite help himself as he sobbed on her shoulder. He'd been too long without her. He just…hell, he just needed his mom.
After his little bitch fit (something he admitted only to himself) they cooked their soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, despite the fact it was morning and breakfast would have been more sensible, and Ryan even put on a pie with the ingredients he had brought back. It wasn't as good as Great Grandma Fawcett's chocolate pie, but the simple canned apple with her magic ingredients to make it taste homemade, would do in a pinch.
He and Ryan were working silently, cleaning up the kitchen when they heard Hope call out, "Sam's here!"
Ryan's eyes widened as she stood and Gabriel grabbed her hand. "Mom, it'll be okay."
She sucked in a breath and blew it calmly back out. She looked a little green and he wasn't sure if it was morning sickness or nerves, but she nodded. "I know. It has to be"
They dashed through the bunker and up the steps in record time. He was almost worried about her running being pregnant, but then he realized Jon was half demon. He doubted anything could kill his brother, even as a grain of rice. Besides, he knew his mother was in excellent physical shape. She ran, usually, on the treadmill, even now, in the first stages of her pregnancy. It didn't stop him from calling out, "Mom! Slow down!" like one would to a child. She pointedly ignored him, though, which caused him to grin.
They burst out of the door in time to see Hope clinging to Sam, both of them sobbing. The tears began running down Ryan's face immediately as she walked to them, but Gabriel stayed back. Sam didn't know him, not in this vessel, not yet, and though the two of them would be close, eventually, he waited. They shared a bond not many people could understand. Once Sam had come to terms with him being both Bobby and Gabriel, and by the time he remembered all of Gabriel's memories...they'd somehow become extremely close. Sam was the one who let him know it was okay to just be himself. He accepted him despite all the things he had done to Sam and Dean in his previous vessel. Sam wasn't his father, but he was the best damn uncle anyone could ever wish for.
He saw Ryan throw her arms around Sam and they whispered quietly, but Gabriel heard them as Sam said, "Seriously, Ryan? Gabriel?"
"You don't know him like I do, Sam. I swear, he'll...he'll find a way to fix this. He loves Dean. He loves me. He loves you, too. He's your nephew. He's traveled seventeen years into the past to correct this. Does that sound like someone wanting to screw with you?"
"It hurt, Ryan, so bad, when he..."
"I know, Sam. He told me all about it. Trust me, I raked his ass over the coals for it."
Gabriel winced as he remembered the tongue lashing Ryan had given him about what he had done to Sam and Dean. Well, that was one more thing he couldn't fix. But this, he could.
And just like that, Sam was standing in front of him. "Ryan told me you can fix this."
Gabriel nodded as he looked up at his uncle. Even though this vessel was taller than his previous one, he still had to look up to Sam. "Yes, sir, I can."
"Ryan told me you're Dean's kid, from the future."
Gabe nodded again. "Yes, sir, I am."
"Ryan said you're Gabriel"
Gabe sucked in a breath. "Yes, sir, I am."
Sam's lip twitched just slightly. "Are you sure you're Dean's? Cuz he only talked like that to Dad. Don't tell me he's as big of an asshole as our father was."
Gabriel's lip twitched, too. "Nah, I was just always taught to respect my elders."
Sam's mouth fell open before he pulled Gabriel to him. "Come here, you little jerk."
That was when Gabriel's tears started anew. He had been feeling so out of place in this world but now, he really felt the acceptance as a boy. "I'll save him, Uncle Sam, I swear."
"I know you will, kid. I know."
They pulled apart and Gabriel wasn't the only one wiping his eyes. "You look just like him," Sam commented softly. "Just what I remember him looking like at your age."
Gabriel nodded. "That's what I hear."
Sam stared waywardly at the car. Ryan had ordered Hope to stay back, and the girl was standing forlornly at the bunker door. Ryan, however, had gotten into the back seat with Dean and was sobbing silently as her hands brushed over his face. She was whispering to him.
"I need to move him," Sam began. "I need to…"
"We do, Uncle Sammy. You and me, okay?"
Sam looked at him a moment and nodded.
It had been a long time and a vessel ago since Gabriel had seen Dean like this. Even as a demon, Dean was always so full of life. His moods fluctuated a lot, but everyone had said that was the way he used to be, he was now just a bit more mercurial.
"What do we do?" Sam asked as he finished wiping the blood off of Dean's face. He and Ryan had cleaned up Dean's body while Gabriel held Hope just outside the door. The kid would see enough. She didn't need to see this.
"First, I take The Mark away and heal his wounds," Gabriel began. "Then I turn it over to Hope."
Sam's eyebrows rose and Ryan held up a hand. "Don't ask, Sam."
"But if he's becoming a demon, can't we just use the demon curing spell from the Men of Letters?"
Gabriel nodded. "You could, yes, but this...using angel blood, works better. It's guaranteed."
Ryan nodded solemnly and looked at Sam. "You and I? We're just plain old humans. It takes some mojo, apparently, to do this right."
Sam swallowed hard and propped up against the door frame.
"Oh, one more thing," Gabriel added, "You need to paint some devil's traps. Crowley's bringing the blade here. Not that I need it, but I want him to get his grimy mitts off it."
"Crowley's coming here?"
Gabriel nodded. "If we let this continue, Crowley shows up and whisks Dad away to Hell, but not before they destroy a bunch of shit."
"Gabriel…"
His eyebrow shot up. "Don't believe me?"
Ryan looked at Sam. "He's been right so far."
Sam blew out a breath. "I'll go grab the paint."
"Gabe, will this work? Will The Mark come off that easy?" Ryan's soft voice questioned.
He nodded. It was, after all, just a curse. Granted, the first curse, but a curse, none the less. "Removing it from him will be easy," he stated with false bravado. I hope, he thought.
He eyed his father's body warily. He wasn't one hundred percent sure this would work, but he had to believe. He could fix this. He knew he could. He focused on The Mark and felt Lucifer's grace powering it. It would have only been stronger had Lucifer been out of his cage. He gasped as put his hand on it and it glowed red, burning him. "Son of a bitch," he growled.
"What?" Ryan asked softly.
He shook his head. "Nothing. Just...give me a minute." He couldn't just remove it, not with angel grace, anyway. He summoned forth some of the dark magicks he knew, but none came to mind that would remove this mark. Sure, it would remove the physical mark, but the power itself...it needed to be transferred. "Very smart, you bastard," he muttered under his breath. It couldn't be removed. It had to be transferred. It was secondary, luckily. A transplant, or offshoot of the power, like Dean had, was powerful, yes, but not as powerful as Cain's was. Cain still had his mark. If Jon were going to have it, it would benefit them all if he had the mark from Cain himself. This one, transferred again, wouldn't be nearly as powerful. He could only hope he could remove it permanently from Dean's skin. If he could transfer it to someone, something, then get it back to Cain...Cain still had the main power, but this...this evil little offshoot of The Mark wasn't going to make life any easier. "Damn it," he growled.
"Gabriel?"
"It won't come off."
"No!" Ryan cried and Sam, having just returned with the paint, grasped her, pulling her to him in an embrace.
"What can you do?" Sam asked grimly.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the mark marring his father's arm. "It's going to have to be transferred."
"Give it to me," Sam told him. "Let me..."
Gabriel just glared at him. "Seriously? You take the mark created by Lucifer himself? You think that's wise, Sam? You want Apocalypse 2.0?"
"I can take it," Ryan murmured. "Jon needs it anyway..."
"Jon?" Sam asked.
She put her hand to her stomach. "Uh...surprise?"
Sam's lip twitched. "Does my brother not grasp the concept of safe sex?"
"Don't blame me. This one is on Gabriel."
Gabriel sent them a bitchface before he looked back down at The Mark. "I'll have to take it."
"Gabe...an angel, take The Mark...?" Hope spoke up, her voice scared.
"I can give it back to Cain, let him have the power..."
"Is that wise?"
"I said I'll fix it, I'll fucking fix it," he told them.
"Be careful," Ryan cautioned.
He grasped Dean's right hand and concentrated on The Mark, calling it to him. He closed his eyes as he felt the power infusing into him. He heard joint gasps from Ryan and Hope and he opened his eyes to see the red flare out from the mark, toward him, Dean's veins lighting up as they traveled to Gabriel's and Gabriel felt the shift; demon, vampire, and angel warring. "Ain't that a bitch?" he murmured.
He felt his eyes go black as The Mark took hold of him only seconds before they flared angel blue and he felt the power singing inside of him. Finally, he felt all the power flowing within him and he let go of his father's hand as he fell to his knees on the floor.
"Gabriel!" Ryan called as she rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" she put both hands on his cheeks, pulling his eyes up to hers. "Gabe, baby? Are you alright?"
He smiled tiredly. "I'm fine, Mama, I promise."
She hugged him to her. "I love you, Loki, but quit scaring the shit out of me."
He chuckled flatly. "Sorry, Mom." He turned to his sister. "Hope, if you would…I can't...I can't heal him..."
Hope nodded and sat next to their father. Gabriel watched in fascination as her eyes burned blue while white light flowed through her palms as she touched Dean's stomach, healing the wound inflicted by Metatron's angel blade. From there, her concentration flared and the light burned brightly from her as she set the task of burning the darkness from Dean's soul. Once that was completed, she slunk against her father's body.
"Hope!"
"I'm fine," she managed tiredly as Ryan pulled her to her. "Take that syringe…draw a vial full of my blood for him."
"Hope…"
"Mom! Do it quick! We've got to get it started."
Ryan nodded dumbly as she grasped the syringe and drew a vial full of Hope's blood. "Where? What do I do with it?"
"Let me," Sam said as he stepped further in the room. He took the needle and plunged it into Dean's arm, right where The Mark had been. "It's like the trials, isn't it?"
"Similar," Hope managed as she tried to sit back up. "I need to rest, but draw my blood every hour on the hour, or it won't do anybody any good. We can't lose him, Uncle Sam."
"Will you be okay?"
"I'm an angel, Sam. I just happen to be in a ten year old body."
He eyed her warily, but nodded. Gabriel wearily grabbed the can of paint and drew the devil's trap to catch Crowley on both sides of the door. Sam picked up Hope and said, "I'm going to carry her to a room so she can sleep, alright?"
Ryan nodded and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Will you be okay, Angel Face?"
Hope smiled. "I'm fine, Mom. Really."
"She'll be fine, Ryan. Now, let's let you get some rest, little girl."
"I'm not a little girl, Uncle Sammy," she managed around a huge yawn.
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I see."
Gabriel watched them walk out as he stood guard over his mother and father. "Crowley will be here soon. Are you okay to be near him?"
Her gaze shot to his and her eyes narrowed. "I'm not some shrieking violet, Robert Gabriel. I've excised demons recently."
He nodded. "I know that." He knew all about her excising Raeburn. Her and Jody did that just a few months ago, if memory served, just before Dean popped back into her life. He hated Dean wouldn't get the chance to torture the little fucker, but that didn't mean he couldn't do it. He grinned at that.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. You're a badass, Mom. I've always known it."
She smiled and winked at him, even if her mirth didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, you didn't think you got it from Dean, did you?"
He looked at her and laughed. "I'm so gonna tell him you said that."
She laughed, too, and hugged him. "Thank you, Gabriel, no matter what happens, from here on out, you've given all of us a chance."
"How touching," Crowley crooned from where he stood by the chair. He glanced at the devil's trap he had just avoided with a sneer. "Lucky thing I didn't land there, isn't it?"
"Crowley!" they heard Sam shout from the hallway.
Crowley flicked Sam against the wall. "Tut, tut. I don't have time for you right now, Moose."
Crowley sauntered over to Ryan. "And who might you be?" He had grasped her hand and kissed it before she could react.
"Stay away from my mother, you evil scum!" Gabriel roared as he felt the power of not only his angel grace, but also The Mark flicker to life in him. He was getting pissed. And no one would appreciate Gabriel Winchester losing his temper.
Crowley's eyebrow rose. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Gabe just glared at him, gauging the demon. He'd never actually met Crowley. The demon had been in Hell until he'd popped topside at Sam and Andy's wedding, and even then, he had only caught a glimpse of the former King of Hell.
Crowley moved toward Dean's beside and Ryan's eyes grew wide as she sat on the edge of the bed, grasping Dean's hand. "You stay away from him. Because of you, he's dead!"
"No, because of me, he stands a chance at life, granted, it's a different sort of life…"
"That'll be a little hard to do without this," Gabriel said as she held out his arm to show Crowley the mark that now adorned his flesh.
"No. It's impossible. It can only travel to one who is worthy…"
Gabe smiled evilly and his eyes flickered to black. In this instance, he needed the demon to come to the surface. He realized now, why he needed the bloodline of his brothers. He needed Lucifer's bloodline, Cain's bloodline, in order to take The Mark. Yet another thing coming to fruition he hadn't even realized... "Robert Gabriel Winchester, and the pleasure is all yours."
Crowley's eyes grew wide. "No…it's not possible. The prophecies were never to come to pass…"
Gabe's smile grew. "Oh, they came to pass, alright, just not how you or Lucifer or Azazel interpreted them."
"You…you wouldn't…"
He let his angel grace flare as he flicked his hand, pinning Crowley to the wall, releasing Sam as he did so. He caught Sam moving to Dean's bedside as well. Gabriel then turned his attention to Crowley as he moved closer to him. He didn't have to touch him, but he pinned him to the wall with his body as well as his powers and looked down on the man. "Now, listen up, you little worm. Let me explain something to you. See…The Mark of Cain is on my arm, It won't stay there, not for long, but when the time is right, it will be given to the one who needs it. My brother is the true boy king of Hell. And then, when the time is right, The Mark will be where it's supposed to be. See, forget about me for just a moment, Jonathan is a Winchester and a demon by birth, by blood, by spirit. When the time is right, he will be given this mark because it belongs to him. It is supposed to belong him. And this…" he reached his hand inside Crowley's coat for The First Blade. He grabbed it with his right hand and felt the power surge through him again. It didn't cause him to tremble as it had Dean, because it was never meant for his father. It was always supposed to belong to his brother. But the fact that his vessel carried Lucifer's and Cain's lineage, allowed him to embrace its power. "This doesn't belong to you. Jon owns it, just as he owns Hell. Now, you've got two choices. One, you can try to fight me on this, and I take oh so much pleasure in killing you, or two, you accept and graciously pass the crown when the time is right. What's it going to be?"
"The boy king. A Winchester. It was never Sam."
Gabriel shook his head. "No, it was never Sam. It was always meant for Jon. And he'll do it right. He'll do what Dad would want, what Uncle Sammy would want, what our Mother would want; keep the demons locked up to the best of his abilities. Uncle Cas will handle things in Heaven, and my job is to handle them in Purgatory. Now, run along, Crowley, and tell everyone we're coming." He smirked. "You tell 'em I'm coming, and hell is coming with me." He released Crowley and the crossroads demon vanished.
Gabriel flicked his eyes back to hazel before he turned to look at his mother. "Sorry. Got carried away."
She cleared her throat in an attempt not to laugh, he could tell. "Did you just quote 'Tombstone' during your little diatribe there?"
He blushed. "Hey, sue me. I'm like my dad. We dig westerns. No hate."
She held up both hands. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Sam glanced at the blade Gabe was still holding. "How do you feel?"
Gabriel's hand flexed around the handle of the blade. "I feel fine. I can feel the power, but that's it."
"No desire to murder the entire room? No eagerness to go out and kill anything?"
Gabe shrugged. "No more than usual. I'm a Winchester, after all. We like to kill things."
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we do." He took in a great breath and blew it out. "So…now what?"
Truthfully, this was Jon's job. But he couldn't bring Jon back in time, and he couldn't go into the future, either. Someone had to watch Crowley. He'd never realized it was him that would have to do it. Of course, he still had to meet with Cas, still had to straighten Crowley out...but the rest..."Now, I guess I'll go downstairs, start cleaning up the mess Abaddon left. It wasn't that long ago, right?"
Sam nodded. "What about Knights of Hell?"
Gabe grinned as he thought of that. "I've got a few ideas up my sleeve. You need to go find Jesse Turner."
Sam's brow furrowed as he thought a moment before he questioned, "The cambion?"
Gabe nodded. "He's important. He helps Jon, just like you do, Uncle Sam."
"I do?"
He nodded. "Hey, boy with demon blood, ring any bells? Jon's got wicked powers that start manifesting pretty early out of the box." He grinned as another thought crossed his mind. "Mom, you might want to go ahead and call Andrea Blackwell."
"Andy? Why?"
"Jon and I will need a private tutor. Trust me. You don't want us in public school."
"But…Andy is…"
Gabriel's grin grew. "I know she is. Don't worry, it all comes out in the wash. Just, uh, try to warn them, okay?"
Her brow furrowed. "What do you know?"
"Spoilers."
She let out an exasperated breath, but then she sobered. "Gabriel, will I see you again?"
He looked at her and smiled. "I'm in South Dakota, Mom."
"That's not what I meant."
He shook his head. "It's probably for the best that I don't. Castiel can come to me once he sorts out Heaven. I'll deal with Hell."
"You're awfully young to have an empire, young man."
He chuckled at that. "Yeah, well, I'm the fill in for the Boy King, remember?"
"I do. And just what, do you think, that makes you?"
That's when it actually hit him. Holy shit. I'm the boy king. In that instant, it didn't matter he was millennia old. He was just barely an adult in this new world. What an adjustment that would be...
He felt his mother's hand on his arm. "You'll do fine, Gabriel. You're a wonderful young man, angel, vampire, whatever."
He smiled and hugged her tightly. "Honey, you should see me in a crown."
She rolled her eyes. "I let you watch BBC's Sherlock, too?"
He laughed, though now he was sniffing back tears. "Yeah, well, Let's just say you don't let us, as much as we sneak and watch when we're little."
"Naughty boy."
He nodded. "Yeah, I've been called worse. By you, actually."
"No doubt. You're Dean's son."
"I'll see you soon, Mom. You'll love me and I'll love you and it will be perfect, I promise."
"I don't doubt it, my sweet angel boy. You look after yourself. They don't have kitchens down in Hell, do they?"
"If they do, Gordon Ramsey is working those demon's asses off."
She laughed through her tears. "Why does this feel like goodbye?"
"It isn't, I swear. As soon as I know to come back, I'll be right back up to see you. You won't have missed a thing."
"But you will."
He shook his head. "No, I won't. I'll just be living this life for a while. I'll be fine, I swear."
"You'd better be, or I'll come down to Hell myself and look after you."
He smiled. "There she is. That's Mama Bear."
"Mama Bear?"
"It's what all of us kids call you."
"All you kids?"
He chuckled. "You're about to be very busy, Mom. Between us three, then the three you take in, plus the Men of Letters, plus, I have no doubts you'll be hunting a lot more…you'll be tired, but you'll love ever damn minute of it."
"I've loved every damn minute of being a mom."
"You were always meant to be. Everything that happens? It happens for a reason. Even this. It all fits. It all makes sense. It's all going to work out better now."
She grabbed him in another huge hug. "I love you, Gabriel."
"I love you, too, Mom. Look after Dad and Uncle Sammy, okay?"
"I'll be the third wheel."
The side of his mouth lifted. "Not if you go find Andy," he whispered in her ear.
Her eyes grew wide as she pulled back. "No…"
He nodded and put his hand on her face. "Here. You might need these..." He picked a few memories, ones that would hurt, but also help her. "I need you to see a few things, okay? Just a few flashes, things you need to know, need to realize..." He flooded her mind with the images and she gasped. He held her tightly as he forced her to sleep. She would need the rest. Her mind would sort out the rest. She swayed and he scooped her up.
"What did you do?!" Sam demanded.
"I gave her memories, things that happened from before. She needed to see." He looked down at her, asleep in his arms. Yes, he'd given her the best chance he could. "Can you direct me to a room? I need to..."
Sam nodded. "Yeah. Follow me."
Gabriel followed his uncle down the hall to a large room with an in-suite bathroom. "It's the nicest room we have. I figure it must have been for guests or something. Maybe for a woman since it has its own bathroom..."
Gabriel nodded. It was Charlie and Claire's room, when they were there, anyway. Memories of them were bittersweet as he laid Ryan on the bed and stepped back. ""Well, Uncle Sam, it's about that time."
Sam held out a hand for him and Gabe took it. "Thank you, Gabriel. You have no idea what this means to me, to us."
Gabe shrugged. "It's the right thing to do. And if The Winchesters are known for one thing, it's doing the right thing, no matter what."
"The memories...do I...can I have some of them? To help?"
Gabriel's brows furrowed. He hadn't planned on giving Sam any of the memories. It kind of seemed like it should be between him, Ryan, and Dean, but Sam had been in the middle of their relationship for so long...of course, this time around, he wouldn't be. That would be much better, for everyone. No jealousy, no kisses to screw with everything...no mixed feelings or genuine love... "Yeah." He stepped to his uncle and put a hand on his forehead. "Hang on."
He flooded Sam's mind with images and Sam blinked. "Wow..." he muttered before he sank into the chair, also asleep.
"Well, I know how to clear a room, don't I?" Gabriel murmured. He left Sam there. He wouldn't be out long, but he did need a little break. Hopefully he would wake feeling a bit more refreshed.
He walked down the hall and checked on Hope, who was sleeping. He drew her blood and went to inject Dean. He glanced down at his father. "We're going to fix this, Dad. I swear." He sat there and waited. Sure enough, Sam came back down the hall only a little time later.
"Gabriel...?"
"Just gave you a little breather, Sam."
"Those memories..."
Gabe shrugged. "You said you wanted memories. Now it's up to you to help them make it happen."
"I'll look after them both, Gabriel."
The boy stood and glared at Dean's body. "You make sure he doesn't fuck this up, Sam. He didn't play his part before, with Michael. I accepted that. This is better, it really is. I realize that. But this...she needs him. I didn't know, not until it was too late, how much she needed him."
"Soul mates. Marked by cupid. They were literally made for one another."
Gabriel nodded. "Their similarities and differences ebb and flow to make a single, whole entity. The parts she's missing, he has. And the parts he's missing, she has. They need one another. She makes him more human. He makes her whole. There will be fights...God knows there will be fights. But love, damn, there will be a ton of love, too."
"I'm sorry you won't get to see it."
Gabriel smiled. "I will. I'm three years old, Sam, or I will be, in a few weeks. I'm glad you'll be there for my birthday again. This time, it will be a lot happier. Dad will be there, too."
"You'll get to grow up with a father."
Gabriel looked at the floor a moment before he glanced back at his uncle. "I did. You were there for me, Sam. I almost hate we won't be as close as we were, but at the same time, this is much better."
"Will you keep those memories? The ones from before?"
Gabriel chuckled. "I'm an angel, Sam. I've got lifetimes worth of memories, all stored in my great big beautiful angel brain. Trust me. I'll remember it."
Sam swallowed and smiled. "Good. I'm...glad. I think."
"Hey, look at it this way; I get to do it all over again. It isn't often I get a do-over, and I've gotten it twice over the past twenty years. Not bad. Not bad at all."
"Take care of yourself, Gabriel."
It warmed his heart. "Thanks, Sam." He walked out of the room and down the hall to check on Ryan. He looked at his mother one more time, sleeping peacefully on the bed, a light blanket now covering her. He figured Sam must have done that when he woke. And just like that, he knew, Sam, Dean, and Ryan, would all look after one another. They were grown ups. They could handle this. He brushed a kiss to his mom's forehead. "Carry on," he whispered through tears as he disappeared down to hell.
"Hey! Who are you?!" a lesser demon began as he and one of his cohorts came forward.
He flicked them both aside as if they were nothing but a speck of dust. "Never mind, peasants," he told the two demons pinned to the walls. "There's a new kid in town and I'm here to handle some business." He needed to handle Hell. Then, he needed to straighten Heaven's ass out. Clearly they couldn't do this shit without him. "Archangel Gabriel, reporting for duty."