Chapter 12

"This is ridiculous." Gabriel grumbled over the top of the menu, his eyes scanning the vast array of dishes, his smirk hidden by the large book.

"Why is it ridiculous for me to take my partner out for dinner while our daughter is away camping?" Sam asked flatly. His own eyes never leaving his menu.

Gabriel chuckled lightly. "What's ridiculous, sweetheart, is that this was your idea, yet I'm paying."

Sam's set the menu down and looked across the candlelit table. "You know I'd pay but I don't have any cash and I can't exactly use my cards, can I?"

Gabriel sighed, setting his menu down and meeting Sam's guilty green eyes. "I was kidding Sam."

"Are you gentlemen ready to order?" the waiter asked, appearing out of nowhere. The pair cleared their throats and gave their orders, only relaxing again when the young man walked away, leaving them alone.

"So what now?" Gabriel asked, fussing with his napkin.

"What?"

Gabriel met his eyes. "I'm not exactly used to all this…dating stuff."

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Two hundred years and you never went on a date?" his voice low so they weren't overheard.

The ex-archangel flushed slightly, struggling. "The first few centuries were spent…adjusting." He murmured, looking awkwardly down at the table. "Once I became a trickster." He cleared his throat. "They pretty much came to me."

Sam stared across the table, scowling, though amusement shone in his eyes. "So you took advantage of all those poor innocent pagans to get your rocks off?"

"I was young okay!" Gabriel snapped defensively. "And I never forced anyone."

"You didn't have to, you were a god for all intents and purposes, they did whatever you asked without question."

Gabriel glared, his jaw working. "So I manipulated people for my own ends." He stated angrily. "What do you expect with my family? – It's just who I am."

Sam stared at him, his eyes narrow, searching. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well you're not that guy anymore." He said flatly.

Gabriel let out a grunt and reached for his beer.

The pair fell silent, awkwardly sitting across from one another, neither looking up from the fascinating table settings.

"You can't beat yourself up over what you've done." Sam said finally, his fingers playing with his fork.

"Who said I was beating myself up over anything? I did what I did because I wanted to. I'm not apologizing for it." Gabriel stated firmly. His eyes, glowing in candlelight.

"So you're not sorry? At all?" Sam frowned.

"It's not like I went around slaughtering babies, I punished those who needed punishing. – And okay, maybe I took advantage of a girl or guy here and there, so what? They sleep with me because I'm a god, they sleep with me because you're…." He wavered his hand at Sam. "…that and save their lives from the big bad monster under the bed."

"I don't…"

"What? Sleep with the damsels in distressed?" Gabriel scoffed. "You want names Winchester?"

Sam flushed, dropping his gaze. "No. – Look lets change the subject before one of us says something we'll regret." He sighed, chugging his beer then waving for the waiter. "Can we have another two beers?"

They sat waiting for their food without another word passing between them. It hadn't been what Sam had expected when he'd suggested going out for dinner. He'd envisioned a comfortable meal, light conversation and then back home for….desert. Now though he was sat feeling angry, awkward and a little guilty. He wasn't even sure what they'd been arguing about.

He was about to attempt to break the ice that was now stretched between them when he caught sight of two familiar faces over Gabriel's shoulder and his stomach dropped.

"Gabriel?"

Sam watched as the couple moved over to them, Annabella's eyes burning accusingly into him.

"Annabella? Harvey? What are you guys doing here?" Gabriel said looking up as the pair hovered beside their table.

"Same as you it would seem." The woman smiled before turning that furious glare back to Sam. "Sam? You're back."

"Yeah, got some time off work." He answered as casually as he could.

"I see." She looked between the pair of them. "Are you staying long?" Sam shrugged. "I'm waiting to hear. I'm hoping to be spending more time here with Gabriel and Claire." He smiled tightly, fighting to hid the irritation at the woman's question.

Annabella looked from Sam to Gabriel, concern clearly showing on her face. "And your….okay with that?" she asked Gabriel quietly.

Sam clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the handle of his knife. A nervous knot wrapping around his inside. After the last twenty minutes of discomfort and stress, it wouldn't really surprise him if the man turned around and kicked him to the curb….again.

The apologetic clearing of a throat had everyone looking up to find a waiter hover with two plates.

"I think that's our cue." Harvey said, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders and forcing her away from the table. "Enjoy your dinner, guys. I was nice to see you again Sam."

The couple moved away with hushed angry words passing between them, allowing the waiter to deposit their meals in front of them with an awkward intrigued glance between Sam and Gabriel. He'd clearly heard enough to spark his interest and no doubt they'd been the main topic of speculation in the kitchen once he got back. He finally left with a polite smile and a murmured "If you want anything else."

Sam stared down at his food, suddenly at a loss, his appetited gone. He glanced up through his lashes to find Gabriel staring at him.

"Just ignore it." The ex-archangel ordered quietly.

"What does she think happened?" Sam asked softly, his voice almost a whispered.

"She doesn't think anything, she knows."

Sam stared at the other man, eyes wide. "Knows what exactly?"

"That we had a fight and you left…"

"You kicked me out." Sam quickly corrected.

Gabriel sighed, cutting into his stake. "Fine."

"You told her everything?" he asked nervously.

"Not all the gory details, but I couldn't not explain the black eyes."

Sam gapped at him. That punched had been haunting him since the moment he'd swung it. "Couldn't you have said it was from the accident?"

Gabriel looked at him with a raised brow. "Not when she'd been the one to drive me home from the hospital, no."

Sam groaned, reaching for his beer and gulping down almost all of it in a single moment.

"Look it's not important." Gabriel said, trying to sound reassuring. – And forgiving.

"Sam scoffed then leant across the table, his voice even. "So now everyone thinks I'm some kind of wife beating asshole."

"I'm not your wife." Gabriel smirked, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You know what I mean, Gabriel." He growled, glancing over to where the other couple sat looking over their menus as another waiter hovered impatiently.

"Hey." Gabriel snapped, knocked Sam's shin to get his attention. "Quit it. Yeah you hit me but so what? I've done worse to you over the years. I sent a chainsaw wielding manic after you. I squashed, ran over and electrocuted your brother. – As well as a ton of other stuff. – I slapped you a good dozen time, hard. And I crushed your balls, and gave you genital herpes, believe me, Kiddo, one black eyes wasn't even close to payback."

Sam stared at the ex-archangel intently. "It was three." He said finally, his voice evening out.

"What?" Gabriel frowned confused.

"She only slapped me three times." Sam clarified, dropping his gaze to his meal where he began to finally tuck in, the tension of the last few moments vanishing.

Gabriel chuckled, cutting at the stake while watching Sam. He waited for the hunter to place the meat in his mouth before speaking again. "It wasn't her slapping you Winchester, it was me." He laughed as Sam's eyes went wide and he glowered at Gabriel. The ex-angel almost disappointed that the statement hadn't resulted in Sam choking.

"You mean….she was you?"

Gabriel simply grinned and went back to eating, neither confirming nor denying the accusation but the sparkle in his eyes when he looked up through his lashes told Sam everything.

The rest of the evening passed a lot less stressfully, the pair spending the remainder of their date talking casually. They spoke about what Sam had done the year he'd been away. How Gabriel had gone from helping out at the school to becoming a deputy. How Claire had met Isaac and how school was going for her. Gabriel proudly stating that her grades were so good she had the third highest GPA in the county and was already on the honour roll. They'd already been discussing college.

"Does she have anywhere in mind?" Sam asked over the last of his stake.

Gabriel shook his head. "She can pretty much go anywhere, but…" He tailed off for a moment. "She keeps talking about hunting."

Sam stiffened. "What? I thought we'd been through this." He said harshly. "I don't want her out there, she can have a normal life, no one's after her anymore."

"I know but… she wants to help people. Like you and Dean."

"She can help people by becoming something else. A lawyer, a doctor. She doesn't need this life."

"That's what I told her, she didn't look convinced." Gabriel said pushing his plate away from him. "I don't think she's going to just drop it, Sam."

"I'll talk to her, try to make her see sense. Her parents wouldn't want her putting her life in danger." He sighed wearily, reaching for the last of his wine, emptying the glass. "If we knew where Cas was I'd get him to talk to her."

Gabriel looked over at him almost defensively. "Cas isn't her father Sam!" he almost growled.

"I'm aware of that." Sam murmured; surprised at the ex-angels hostel tone. "But she might listen to him. They were…." He glanced around and dropped his voice, leaning forward to speak. "Bonded or whatever."

Gabriel shrugged. "There's another problem with your plan though, Kiddo. You can't even be sure you can trust Cas. From what you've told me it sounds like Heaven has their claws in him again."

Sam slumped in his seat. "Yeah. I just wish I knew why."

"To get to Kevin most probably. You have no idea how pathetic and desperate that lot get when it comes to the word of god." He shook his head. "Like he gives a crap about them." He slouched in the chair, folding his arms angrily.

"You don't know where he is?" Sam asked curiously.

Gabriel smirked. "Not a clue, he didn't exactly look me up when he hit town." He couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him. "He'd have a hell of a shock if he did." He smirked over at Sam.

"Would either of you gentleman like to see the dessert menu?" the waiter interrupted, reaching for their plates.

Gabriel's heavy lidded gaze landed on Sam as he replied. "No thanks, I think we'll have dessert at home." He blatantly winked across the table and ran his foot up the inside of Sam's leg beneath it. "Just the check please."

"Of course." The waiter nodded, biting back a grin as he carried the plates away.

"You're incorrigible." Sam sighed, laughing and shaking his head at the other man.

"But you're so cute when you go that shade of red, like a perfect round cherry." He replied huskily. "I can't wait to pop you in my mouth. - Ow!" he gasped a split second later when Sam kicked his shin. "Asshole."

"Midget." Sam shot back. "I need to take a leak." He informed him, getting to his feet, dropping his napkin on the table top.

"Don't worry, I won't leave without you sweetheart." Gabriel called after him with a laugh.

No sooner had Sam emptied his chair than Annabella was filling it, her face pinched with ire and concern. Gabriel inhaled slowly and waited for her to voice her disappointment and disapproval.

"Are you seriously taking him back?" she demanded.

Gabriel took another breath, folding his arms over his chest as he regarded his friend. "I've already taken him back." He informed coolly.

"Gabriel." She sighed saddened. "I know you're lonely but you're better than this. You deserve better than him."

Gabriel wanted to say he really didn't because there wasn't anyone better than Sam, and if she knew him, really knew him, she'd know that. Only he didn't get the chance.

"He hit you Gabe."

"I was there, thank you. I remember perfectly."

"You can't go back to him. He'll do it again, no matter what he says." Part of Gabriel really appreciated her concern, really, but another part of him was just getting irritated. "Ann, he didn't hit me, we had a fight and things were said, fist were flying. We're men, it's what we do."

"Don't defend him, Gabriel." She said fiercely. "Just because you're both guys doesn't mean it's not domestic abuse."

That was it, he couldn't hold it in anymore and it presented itself in the form of his loud laugh that had the whole room looking at him. He shook his head at the concerned and angry woman across from him. "Domestic abuse? Seriously? One punch between two guys who weren't even sleeping together does not a broken home make."

"What?"

Gabriel leaned forward, meeting his friend's eyes seriously. He liked Annabelle, loved her even but she had no god-damn idea who she was talking about. "Look Ann, you don't know me, you don't know Sam, you have no idea what the complexities of our relationship or our lives are. You have no idea what goes on behind my closed door, just as I have no idea what goes on behind yours. For all you know of my life, I could have a dungeon in my basement with whips and chains. Hell, so could you. So you're just going to have to take my word for it when I say Sam isn't the wife beating type and even if he were, I'm not the type to take that shit."

Annabella stared at him with a gaping mouth, her face a bright red. Gabriel suddenly felt guilty, but then reminded himself that he was just stating the facts, that she'd started it by doubting him. Doubting Sam. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a night of hot steamy sex planned." He pushed back his chair just as Sam appeared over Annabella's shoulder. He sent a smile over to Harvey who looked torn between apologizing and defending his wife's honour. "Come on Sammy. - Night Ann." He smiled sweetly before turning and marching away.

_What Doesn't Kill You_

"Don't you think you were a little hard on her?" Sam murmured three blocks from the restaurant.

Gabriel continued to silently stare out of the pick-up window, his only acknowledgement of the situation came in the form of a minute shoulder shrug.

Sam's eyes flickered over to the older man, narrowing slightly. "Gabe?"

"Domestic abuse." He scoffed, repeating Annabella's accusation like it was acid on his tongue. Maybe he had been harsh but she'd pissed him off. Insulted not only Sam's character that while not exactly stellar and beyond reproach was certainly a far cry from an abusive husband, she'd also insulted him. Like he'd let Sam beat him to shit. It had been one punch, in the heat of the moment. A punch he'd practically been begging for if he was honest. – And he hadn't just rolled over and pretended it hadn't happened. He hadn't lied to cover it up, he'd told Annabella and Rita flat out that Sam had hit him. He wasn't a fucking push-over and never would be.

"What?"

Gabriel's head snapped around to stare at the hunter. "That's what she said, like you were punching seven shades of shit out of me daily. Like I'd let you. – Like she knows shit about our lives." He spat turning back to the window with a low growl, his fingers clenching tight on his thigh, as if trying to stop himself from dishing out punishment. Which he couldn't anyway, not anymore. "She's lucky I can't show her what domestic abuse is." He said in a cold unfeeling voice of his past.

Sam stared at him, Gabriel could feel the eyes burning into his face but he didn't turn to meet them. He was too angry, too trapped in his own body with no way to release the tension.

"You were the one that told her I hit you." Sam reminded him matter-of-factly.

Gabriel's head instantly snapped around, his eyes narrowing and blazing with ire. "As opposed to saying I walked into a fucking door? That would have been better?"

"No." Sam exhaled wearily, falling silent. Both hands tight around the steering wheel as he found distraction in his driving.

Gabriel watched him, his eyes scanning Sam's profile. The man's aftershave clinging on every intake of air. His blood racing at every movement the younger man's throat made, igniting a fire in his gut. He didn't even think twice as he ducked forward towards Sam's lap, startling the hunter with the rapid unexpected motion, his intentions clear.

"Gabe, I'm driving." Sam said, suddenly breathless. His fingers sliding into the thin strands of Gabriel's hair. Though whether his intension was to stop the ex-archangel or encourage him, neither man knew.

The silence in the truck was broken by the sound of a zipper being lowered and Sam's sharp intake of breath, followed swiftly by two throaty moans.

"I…don't… think we… should be… doing this." Sam panted while Gabriel's fingers worked around fabric till he found silky flesh.

Gabriel didn't reply, didn't reassure or agree, he simply swept his tongue over the exposed head, causing Sam to choke on a gasp and swerve on the road. Gabriel craned his neck to smirk up at the hunter. "We'll be fine, as long as you keep us in the right lane." He chuckled hoarsely then dropped his mouth back down.

This time Sam didn't swerve, or choke, he just fixed both hands determinedly to the wheel and held tight. "It's not… going… to look good…" he groaned as the older man's tongue probed at the slit. "…if…a deputy gets…caught giving….ahhhh…"

Gabriel laughed, causing his throat to constrict and Sam to let out a broken moan. The muscles in Sam's gut tightened as his orgasm grew closer. As Sam felt the heat pooling in his balls he pulled sharply on the wheel, the truck skidding to a stop on the dirt covered layby. Instantly Sam flew back against the seat, his eyes closed and his fingers closing around the strands of Gabriel's hair, nails scraping at his scalp. The head rising and falling quicker and quicker, drawing out the pleasure till finally Sam's vision went white, his hips jerking as he shot his load.

Sam was catching his breath when Gabriel released him, leaning over to wind down the window and spit his cum out onto the dirt. The instant his mouth was empty and his head was pulled back in, Sam grabbed his neck, pulling him into a deep filthy kiss.

Pulling away breathlessly Gabriel smiled, his eyes heavy with desire and his cock pressing insistently into Sam's thigh. "Take us home Winchester." He murmured huskily. "I need to strip you naked and ride you hard."

Sam's breath caught in his throat as he pulled back out onto the highway, taking them home, Gabriel's head lulling wearily against the larger man's shoulder.

_What Doesn't Kill You_

The scream of the alarm had Gabriel jerking awake to a dark room. He blinked back the sleep crusting his eyes and glimpsed at the clock with a tired sight, he reached out to silence the painful noise, a soft moan rumbling behind him, the arm around his waist tightening to pull him back into the warmth of the blankets and body. Gabriel closed his eyes and sank back into his lover's embrace, but he knew he couldn't surrender to it, he had to work. With a regretful sigh, he began to pull away.

"Where are you going?" Sam grumbled, his voice hoard from sleep.

"I've got the early shift." Gabriel replied, fighting against Sam's stronger hold.

"Must you?"

Gabriel looked over his shoulder at the younger man. "Are we going to go through this every morning?"

Sam smiled sleepily. "Most probably."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and continued to slip from the bed, Sam finally relinquishing him. Setting his feet on the cold hardwood floor, he rubbed at his face, his fingertips catching on the night's growth. Pushing himself to stand, he padded through the darkened room to the bathroom, ignoring Sam's protest. Once he switched on the shower he turned to meet his reflection, staring into his amber eyes, forest green in their depths. He took in the fine lines that hadn't been there before his death. Searching his features he also noted the greying of the hair at his temples and among the stubble on his chin, with a gentle exhale Gabriel ran his fingers through his hair. Before he hadn't much thought of his own mortality. He was an archangel, he wasn't meant to die. He was meant to be eternal like his father. Then Lucifer had run him through and he'd spent what felt like eternity in a cold nightmare void. Now all he could think about was that place, as he stared at his aging face, growing closer and closer to death with each passing second. A dark pit at the end of a quickly shortening tunnel.

"Gabriel?"

He turned with a start to find Sam watching him, dressed only in his underwear, the florescent light enhancing the toned muscle. Looking at the much younger man he could see age sneaking into his features too, there were more lines than had been there a year ago, his face filling out, but he was still handsome. Gabriel had been handsome once, or at least a few of his vessels had, until he'd taken the one he would now carry to his death.

Sam stepped into the bathroom, right up to him, towering over him as he always did. Once upon a time, Sam would have been considered a giant, literally like Goliath. That man hadn't been all that taller than Sam, standing perhaps seven, maybe eight inches above the man in front of him. And because of it, men had trembled, armies' coward. "Gabe, you okay?"

Gabriel shook himself from his thoughts. "I'm fine." He replied quietly, stepping past Sam and into the shower, the water raining down on him, bombarding his flesh like tears. He buried his face under the down pour, silently hoping to wash away the humanity. Unable to shake the sudden melancholy. It wasn't the first he'd been haunted by the thoughts, they'd floated through his mind on occasion, especially back when he'd first been released from purgatory. He never knew what triggered them, perhaps he'd dreamt about that empty place, or maybe it was finally having Sam in his bed, his life and feeling happy and at peace, that the end taunted him from the shadows. Whatever it was, those icy fingers were clenching tightly around him and no amount of warm water could wash it away.

A sharp cold breeze slammed into his back and he shivered, turning. He found Sam stood behind him. "Why don't you go back to bed, you don't need to be up."

Sam moved closer, pressing his body flush against the smaller man's, his hands skimming over Gabriel's hip. "I'm already up."

Gabriel couldn't help but laugh at the obvious innuendo. "I've created a monster." He huffed, melting into the hunter's touch. The dark thoughts being chased away by Sam's open mouth suckling the curve of his neck.

"I need…"

"Hmmm."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "…to get ready for work." He finished as Sam bit at the tender skin beneath his ear, then craned his neck to capture the man's mouth, twisting around in Sam's arms.

After a few minutes of heated kisses, Sam reached for the soap, dragging it over Gabriel's back. "Then allow me to help."

Gabriel sighed contently, his tongue swirling around Sam's nipple as the younger man washed his neck, shoulders and back. Sam moaned and slowly began to lower himself to his knees. His soapy hand slipping down the back of Gabriel's thighs before turning to the curve of his ass, massaging the orbs.

"Fuck Winchester. " Gabriel growled, his fingers tangled in the man's long damp locks, tugging insistently. "You're going to be the death of me."

"Sam smiled up at him, his own fingers slipping between the cleft, pressing seductively at the older man's entrance, till one of the digits slipped inside.

Before Gabriel could catch his breath his whole body was engulfed in pleasure when Sam slowly dragged his tongue up his painfully erect cock, before taking the head into his mouth.

He didn't last long, not with Sam's double assault. He came with a curse, his fingers tightening in the mop of wet hair, looking down to watch Sam's cheeks fill, watching his seed seeping from the corners as the hunter remained determinedly wrapped around him. But eventually he couldn't' take anymore and pulled away, the last of Gabriel's discharge landing on his cheek as he turned to spit the cum into the running water.

Tugging on the strands of brown hair in his fingers, Gabriel forced Sam to his feet. Once he was hovering over him once more, the ex-angel wiped the white streak from Sam's cheek before taking his mouth in a slow languid kiss, moaning at the taste of himself clinging to the man's tongue and pallet.

"Feel better?" Sam asked roughly, breaking the kiss.

Gabriel stared up at him, surprised and heartened. "Much. – Now get the fuck out of my shower so I can finished getting washed."

Sam pouted ridiculously. "That's it? Get lost. What about this?" he dropped his eyes meaningfully down at his own impressive erection.

"What, you lost the use of your hand?" Gabriel huffed, even as a teasing smile lightened his eyes and he pulled Sam back into a kiss, his hand moving to ease the man's discomfort.

_What Doesn't Kill You_

Gabriel stretched out his back as he climbed out of the cruiser to head back into the station. The last couple of days with Sam had yet again managed to prove he wasn't the everlasting, energetic archangel he'd once been. He wasn't getting any younger as the saying went. He shook the thoughts off, slamming down the barriers on the encroaching depressing worries. Though not before he saw there ugly faces, heard their whispers taunting that Sam wouldn't want him when he was old and grey.

"Gabriel?"

The familiar voice startled him and he turned, his hand frozen on the door as Annabella walked toward him cautiously. Slowly removing his hand, he shoved it into the pocket of his pants and squared his shoulders, forcing a smile to his lips. The woman stopped in front of him, looking almost as awkward and nervous as he was.

"Annabella."

"Gabriel." She repeated with a nod.

The pair stood silently, neither meeting the other gaze until eventually Annabella broke the suffocating silence. "I owe you an apology."

Gabriel's eyes snapped to meet the woman's regretful gaze.

"I realize that…I over stepped. I have no right to intervene in your relationship."

Gabriel could clearly hear the inner torment. "You were just being a friend, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

Annabella smiled sadly. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt, Gabriel. – I guess I let my own issues cloud my judgement."

"Your issues?"

Annabella dropped her gaze, her hands slipping into her jacket pocket. "Rita…. got into a pretty violent relationship a decade or so ago. The thing was I…. didn't see it." She sniffed, meeting his gaze with watery blue eyes. "I didn't see a damn thing. I believed her excuses when she turned up at my house with a black eye, because he was such a nice man. Educated, charming, good looking. In front of everyone he seemed to dolt on her." She shook her head furiously. "Behind closed doors he was….beating her black and blue."

Gabriel inhaled sharply. "What happened?" the guy was clearly not around anymore or he and Gabriel would have had words.

Annabella shrugged. "He died. It wasn't until he was gone that Rita told me what had been going on. I felt so ashamed of myself, she's my kid sister Gabriel and I should have known." A tear slipped down her red flushed cheek and Gabriel instantly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Anyway." Annabella sniffled, pulling free of his embrace. "That's why I was…"

"I understand." Gabriel reassured. "But I can promise you, Ann, Sam wasn't like that. We've always had a heated relationship, I've been just as…hands on with him at times. Our personalities clash sometimes. Him hitting me really was just a one off."

Annabella's eyes searched his for a moment before sighing in surrender. "Just promise me that if he ever does hit you, you'll tell me. You'll leave him."

Gabriel smiled sadly at her. "I promise." He pulled her into another hug and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you for telling me. – And for watching my back."

"Just don't tell Rita I told you, okay. She doesn't like to talk about it, for obvious reasons."

"I won't say a word. – Now I've got to go, Sam and Claire'll be expecting me."

"Sure thing." She nodded. "Night Gabe."

"Night." He smiled back brightly.

Gabriel watched his friend walk away feeling a mixture of anger towards Rita's dead boyfriend and joy that his relationship with Annabella wasn't completely destroyed.

_What Doesn't Kill You_

Sam had never felt so relaxed in his life. It was like everything had fallen into place, everything he'd spent years trying to claw back from the ship heap that had become his life, was finally his. Well almost. There was still the fact he hadn't spoken to Dean in days and it hurt. He hadn't seriously expected his brother to cut him off so entirely. Sure he understood he was more than a little shocked by Sam's sudden life choice, but did that really mean they couldn't work together? Did that mean they weren't brothers anymore? He'd never really imagined they'd come to this, but maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise. They'd been at each other's throats since Dean had gotten back and not just about Benny. The vampire was more of a symptom than the actual cause.

He couldn't help but wonder when their relationship had disintegrated like this, except he knew the answer deep down. They'd never been the same after Ruby. She'd destroyed any trust and faith they'd had. – No, he'd destroyed it, by listening to her in the first place. By lying to Dean endlessly.

"You okay?"

Sam looked down at the head in his lap, the concerned amber eyes looking up at him making his heart skip a beat. She'd never looked at him like that. At least not and actually meant it. He just hadn't wanted to see the lies and it had almost cost the world. "I'm fine."

Gabriel looked unconvinced but didn't push, instead turning his attention back to the TV. Sam stared down at the peaceful ex-archangel, still awed at the fact he was actually here with him. That they were together. He let his fingers drift through the man's fine hair, smiling at the soft sound of pleasure Gabriel made, almost like a purr.

Lifting his gaze away from the man, he glanced over to the armchair to watch Claire. Curled up, her feet tucked beneath her, her head resting on one arm while her fingers threaded thought the soft fur of the dog beside her, his head resting comfortably on his paw.

A warmth spread through him and Sam felt himself melt further into the couch. He was content. No, happy. Happier than he'd been since losing Jessica. If Dean was really willing to deny him this then fine, he wasn't going to lose sleep over it.


A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter is a little too soppy and sickly sweet. I just wanted to slip in a little normality before a more angst comes up. I hope the boy's date wasn't too bad. I was trying to capture that awkwardness and uncertainty of a first date, despite the fact they've known each for years. I just kept picturing Sam's date with Sarah back in season 1.

Also being English I know nothing about the American school system so I apologize for any and all mistakes surrounding Claire's education.