Chapter 13

My Lonely Tower

"I am going to die from the awkwardness of this predicament."

"No, you're not," Sam tried to assure the kid right as Dean said, "Who uses the word predicament anymore?"

Sam rolled his eyes, resting his arm on the back of the seat while he turned sideways to look back at Gabriel, who was nervously picking at the skin along the nailbeds of his fingers. "Gabriel," he tried again, settling an honest expression on his face, "It'll be fine. Cas knows what happened, and he'll have told Mom and Lucifer by now."

"I know," Gabriel mumbled, still fidgeting in his spot, shooting a glance out the window every so often.

Not that there was anything to see. They were already in the Bunker, Dean having parked the Impala in her 'assigned' area several minutes ago. Those minutes had been spent trying to convince the shy boy that the worst that could happen might be tripping and falling on his face while getting from the garage to the library.

Dean swore something under his breath and got out of his car, opening the driver's side backdoor as soon as the driver's door slammed shut. "Come on, if someone takes it badly, I'll talk some sense into 'em while you make a swift retreat to your room. Surely you know where that is."

A bright flush reached Gabriel's cheeks at the teasing jab. "Of course I know where my room is," he shot back, his hands moving to pull and tug at the hem of his shirt.

Still, that was what managed to get Gabriel out of the Impala. Dean led the way as Sam kept up behind Gabriel in an unconscious way of making sure he didn't run off before seeing everyone else. Gabriel didn't really seem to notice, but Dean turned his head to look back over his shoulder once, raising an eyebrow at Sam without voicing a question at the order of their little line.

They saw Castiel first. Their angel friend was sitting at one of the tables with several large books open and spread out before him. Cas looked up when Dean called to him in greeting and moved close to give his friend a warm hug. It hadn't been that long since they'd seen each other – just over a week in total – but after living in the Bunker for so long with everyone, not seeing another for anything over three days was bound to stir some emotions.

"Welcome back, Gabriel," Castiel said cordially, turning his attention to the boy after greeting Sam. "I see that while it is you with us, you still have your grace at your command."

Glancing away, Gabriel gave a small shrug, not bothered by the mostly confusing (to Sam and Dean, anyway) use of pronouns to describe both Gabriel Bennett and Gabriel the archangel. "I can't really doing anything with it."

"Even so, at the very least it means that you won't be hurt easily," Castiel pointed out.

"Physically anyways," Gabriel added on in a mutter before speaking up, "Where's Mary… and Lucifer?"

"I last saw them in the kitchen. I'm surprised there hasn't been a fire yet."

Dean's head snapped up at attention. "You left those two alone, in my kitchen?"

Sam shook his head at Dean's protectiveness of aforementioned room. "Mom and Lucifer wouldn't purposefully destroy the one place we can make food in, Dean," he called to his brother, who was already stomping off towards the hallway leading to the kitchen.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. Aside from his room and the armory, to Dean, the kitchen ranked close to the Impala in terms of his attachment to inanimate things. It was weird, but Sam had long since learned to stop judging his brother for things like that.

"How has he been, Cas?" Gabriel asked the angel quietly in the resulting silence.

Dragging his gaze away from the empty hallway Dean had left in, Castiel turned back to the boy. "I suspect he'll be doing much better now that you're here."

Gabriel winced. "That bad?" he murmured, almost to himself.

Castiel frowned at that but didn't respond. Instead he gestured to Sam, beckoning the Winchester's attention. He then lead Sam a bit further away from Gabriel and closer to the books he had laid out on one of the tables. One of the books in particular stood out from the rest. It was the one Gabriel had snapped up as a gift for bringing him back to life (in a way, anyway) – the index, or inventory list as Gabriel had specified.

"After you informed me about Gabriel, you asked me to see if there was anything in the Bunker that might explain how Quintessa was able to switch out Gabriel's personalities, so to say, without causing any of the damage that Gabriel detailed when talking about it. There wasn't—" Castiel held up a hand to stop Sam from interrupting "—but there was this."

Sam's focus was directed to a page in an ancient-looking book, which had writing that he couldn't read or pick out as a language he recognized. Castiel then motioned for Sam to look at a different book that might have been meant to translate the other text; however, the several sheets of paper that had notes written on them with the translations didn't make any sense – going on about something like a star alignment's connection to how clouds formed. Glancing at the other books, Sam noticed that they were from encryption and cryptography sets.

"What's this supposed to be, Cas?" he asked, a confused frown drawing his brows together as he traced a finger down the page of the first book.

Castiel handed him a piece of paper that had what looked like a draft of a final decrypted translation. "I haven't finished yet, but it appears to be a warning."

"That's never good," Sam huffed, his eyes skimming over the paper. They stopped near the end. "Are you sure this is right?"

"I'd have liked Gabriel to check before making any assumptions, but…"

Sam couldn't help but feel frustrated at Castiel's point. Still, Gabriel Bennett said he remembered things from Gabriel, so he might be able to— Where did he go? Sam fully turned around, eyes searching for that obvious blond hair. The kid must have gone after Dean to find Mary and Lucifer, Sam concluded.

It didn't take Castiel long to come to the same observation. Sharing a look, they both sped out of the room, the paper in Sam's hands held firmly in his grasp.

~o-O-o~

There were times in which Mick Davies felt like he didn't belong – not in the traditional sense, but as if he truly was not meant for this life… as if he was living a falsehood. Even if it were true, he couldn't prove it. His life (was it really his?) did not belong to him either way. He was owned by the British Chapter of the Men of Letters and had been since he picked that member's pocket.

When those times scratched and clawed at his mind, usually as he was trying to fall asleep or struggling to get out of bed, Mick couldn't help but inwardly cackle at the irony. An irony that he couldn't quite explain. One that made all the sense in the world yet also meant nothing to him whatsoever.

He was as human as they came. He'd graduated from Kendricks with flying colors, and the first assignment that he'd inevitably failed (rather epicly at that) had simply fallen out of his and Ketch's grasp (and was now back in their hands as a second chance neither had the wiggleroom to fail at again). He was just another piece on the board that the Old Men moved about.

(He was the first. He had raised his brothers, fought along side them as well as against them. He was—)

Mick sighed, rubbing his aching head. The headaches had become as much a part of his day as the pain from his carpal tunnel. The persistency of the headaches was new though – none of the usual little pills anything to make them go away.

Ketch had actually offered to go get something 'a bit stronger', but Mick had declined on the basis of not wanting to get addicted to some painkiller that's effects would eventually start to lessen if the headaches didn't go away anytime soon. Ketch had acquiesced to Mick's answer without much argument.

That hadn't kept him from bringing up the headaches every so often – mainly in askance of if they were getting worse. (Which they had, not that Mick was about to start complaining to Ketch; if he couldn't handle a headache that never seemed to go away, then he certainly wouldn't be able to handle anything Ketch threw his way.) On days which the headaches were worse and it was obvious that he couldn't keep it from Ketch, Mick wished that Ketch would bring them up and not be politely oblivious. At least then, he could pretend that there was, in fact, at least one of them who was normal.

~o-O-o~

The kitchen wasn't the detonation site of a nuclear blast when Dean reached it. Mary and Lucifer weren't even in the kitchen. After checking to make sure everything was still in one piece (he had only been half joking when he'd exaggerated his dramatic exit for the kitchen), Dean left the kitchen and overheard Mary softly talking to the wingless archangel. He followed his mom's voice to Lucifer's room.

"… ask him when they get back," Mary was saying as Dean leaned on the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.

They both had their backs turned to him, not noticing he was there. "Ask who about what?" he inquired, suddenly speaking up.

Lucifer tensed, his head snapping around, and only relaxed once he saw it was Dean. Meanwhile, Mary merely turned just enough to look at Dean out of the corner of her eye. So it had definitely been a private matter he'd walked in on. Oh well. Too late to take anything back now.

"I plan on asking Gabriel something later," was Lucifer's answer after a tense minute.

Dean tried not to read too deeply into how Lucifer only answered after getting a small nod from Mary. Self-confidence and self-esteem were not his areas of expertise. That said, he let it slide but made a mental note of it. Nodding noncommittally, Dean expertly changed the subject to something marginally safer.

"Cas said you finally found a video game you like that's not on your phone."

Lucifer took the bait, rising defensively to the challenge. "I know for a fact that you only play games that grossly exaggerate the women's cleavage…" he trailed off, giving Mary a conspiratorial glance before continuing. "Unless, of course, you're playing something with Castiel."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, his plan backfiring (in a way). This was not safe territory – not so close to Valentine's Day. Especially if the crap Gabriel gave Sam was any indication… not that Sam and Eileen being a thing was a bad thing. Dean just didn't want the ever-so-'subtle' hints and innuendos spilling over to him too.

Mary had already lightly smacked Lucifer on the arm, causing the depowered archangel to spare her a mock-hurt look as she 'berated' him. It wasn't as if Lucifer had actually done anything wrong, nor had he said anything that wasn't technically true. Dean did play those kinds of games. Just like Lucifer hardly ever bothered to play an actual video game that wasn't on his phone (until now, of course).

"What? I can't roast him when he's asking for one?" Lucifer was complaining. Oddly enough, that was usually a good thing. "How come he gets to provoke me but not have to face my sharp wit?"

"Because I already have to deal with that on a daily basis," Dean muttered in answer, earning a condescending glare.

Lucifer may not have heard the comment as clearly as he used to be able to, but he certainly remembered and knew what that tone implied. "Like I would stoop to that level. It's only every other day."

"Yeah, that's so much better."

"Boys," Mary warned, though she was giving them both fond looks.

Something behind Dean then caught her eye. A slight frown crossed Dean's face before he turned to see Gabriel standing in the hallway, barely three feet away from him. The thought of 'when did he get there?' warred with 'since when is he that quiet?' until a mix of the two finally won how.

"Hey, kid, you use those super-secret ninja skills of yours to get here when I wasn't looking?"

Gabriel Bennett, of course, didn't have super-secret ninja skills, and while he wasn't necessarily clumsy, he wasn't the most graceful person in the world either. They all knew it (especially after a certain incident with shoelaces, ketchup, a table, some plates and a couch), so half of Dean's inquiry didn't make much sense. Gabriel's expression conveyed all of this and more – in other words, everything Gabriel thought of Dean's attempted humor… which wasn't much.

And then Gabriel's attention focused on the one being in the Bunker that really mattered to him. Blue and brown pairs of eyes met, and the rest of the world faded away.

Well, for them it did. Dean and Mary were left in the real world to watch the two of them get lost in an awe inspiring, passionate and moving stare (not really, but was this what it was like for Sam when Cas got a bit caught up with Dean in their private messaging through stares?). But, like, it started to get a bit awkward after a solid minute had passed. Dean – out of sheer need to give them some semblance of privacy, not any sort of embarrassment whatsoever – had to look away.

Finally (after what may have felt like hours but couldn't have been more than thirty seconds later), Gabriel blinked and turned his gaze down, though Lucifer continued staring at him. It was almost as if they'd forgotten how to act around each other. Sure, if you were going to get technical, Gabriel Bennett and Lucifer hadn't truly interacted in… eight months? Yeah, eight months, give or take.

"Your hair's longer," Lucifer said suddenly. At least he was making an attempt to break the rock-hard ice that Dean could just feel solidifying the room.

Gabriel self-consciously twirled a cluster of bang strands in between his fingers. "Really? You think it might be because my body is trying to catch up to my age?"

"Sure, why not. You might even get taller," Lucifer pointed out with a slight smirk.

"There is nothing wrong with my height," Gabriel huffed defensively. (If there was one thing that was an irrefutable similarity between Gabriel Bennett and the archangel, it was their stance on a person's height… namely how Sam and Dean were giants and that his stature was only slightly below the average thirteen-year-old teen.)

Lucifer was grinning madly. "I know for a fact that you're related to Gabriel's other vessel. It stands to reason you won't get that much taller… Oh, come on, Gabriel. Don't give me that look."

Dean watched the interaction, enjoying the outside perspective. There was just something about the way Lucifer said Gabriel's name that made it absolutely clear which Gabriel he was referring to. It was something that Dean couldn't pin down to anything as simple as pronunciation or inflection. It just was.

And it felt far more private than what Dean should be letting himself witness.

"Let's walk a tightrope? I hear it's a breathtaking view," Lucifer said to Gabriel, referencing something that left Dean clueless.

Even Gabriel seemed confused for a second. Then, suddenly, the reference must have dawned on him because he grinned, making his way to Lucifer's side as if Dean and Mary weren't even in the room. "You'd never know how far we could fall," he responded quietly.

"Would it matter as long as we promised to never let go?" Lucifer returned, matching the kid's grin even as it faded into a smile more reminiscent than amused.

"Hand in hand, of course," Gabriel murmured in answer. His brown eyes dropped down, only to look back up when Lucifer reached to take Gabriel's hand in his own. "I'd go anywhere with you."

Mary quietly moved over to Dean, putting a hand on his shoulder. We should go, the look she gave him said. In just as quiet a response, he nodded: They need some time alone together.

~o-O-o~

Lucifer wasn't sure how to feel about being reunited with Gabriel. The boy was something far more precious to him than any of his brothers ever could have been, but he missed Gabriel at the same time. Perhaps he was selfish to want both. That didn't keep him from wanting to have them both by his side.

He could forget about it all with Gabriel. It didn't matter what happened yesterday or a month or even a year ago. Here, now, was all that was important.

This was what made him happy. This was what made up his entire world. This was what he gave everything else up for.

(Because this, this was love.

Not that abstract emotion that he and his brothers all naturally had for their Father. Not the once-thought unbreakable bond between them. Nor was it what he saw pass amongst Sam and Dean and Castiel and Mary on a day to day basis…

It was in the shy smiles, the knowing looks, the understanding and lingering but brief touches – the little things. It was also in the private talks they had in silence, the absolute wonder and adoration that lit the boy's eyes, the hope and joy and light he brought with his mere presence – the larger things. And it was in everything in between that filled in the spaces.)

(Because this boy was his heart.)

And as Lucifer unconsciously pulled Gabriel closer to him when the boy shifted a bit more into his side while they slept, a blue-eyed angel quietly shut the door to their room, having been made content with waiting until the couple awoke. He dared not disturb the one good thing to happen in the Bunker for the past several weeks. After all, who was he to destroy the sight of something he had only seen before in a Heaven lost long ago?

A/N: And now I have to go back to writing new chapters. I really do hope you guys are enjoying this story. I can't tell at the moment.

Last edited: [August 12, 2018]