"What are you going to do?" Sila asked, watching Gabriel jump around giddily at the plan he had thought up.
It was still weird to her when it came to reacting to her new name. Not that Gabriel had actually used her real name more than twice. Funnily enough, the name God had given her this time around had been as much of an abomination as her last had been. Sliczny… It had been a bad joke but at least the nickname part of her life had stayed the same even when nothing else had.
Being a woman was different. Really, all the hormones were going to be the death of her and Gabriel both and she wouldn't even think about the periods… It was horror and considering the fact that she had only been a girl for a little over three months, she was sure that she was doing great. Not that she had been very accepting at the beginning.
Her mental health had suffered a lot from the whole mess and nothing she did was helping. More and more often she was waking up already in the middle of a panic attack. The coupled thoughts of demons being able to take over her body and the Nogitsune while seeing herself kill all of her friends one after the other was slowly eating away at her. Oh, she was aware that it hadn't been her personally who had killed most of her pack, but she was magic… She should have been able to help them. If Deaton hadn't been as much of an ass, he could have taught her enough to defend herself and the pack. Instead, he just watched as everyone died.
"Sila," Gabriel called out, crouching down in front of her "Hey… Come on."
"I'm fine," Sila murmured, brushing off his hands. They felt wrong. So wrong… wrong… Everything was wrong. She swallowed a couple of times, gazing out of the window "I'm – It's fine, Gabe."
Gabriel sighed before going to stand next to her "Sila, you have to talk to someone," he murmured "If not to me, then to someone else. You're going to kill yourself if you're not careful. Please… You're my friend – I don't want to lose you."
Sila looked over at him, seeing the pleading look on his face. Her shoulders dropped "Gabe, I…"
"Sila," he cut her off, taking her hands in his "You went through a crap ton of stuff that I really wish you didn't have to go through, but you can't change it now. The only thing you can hope is to achieve a better future for the people who haven't gone through everything yet."
"But why should I?" she exclaimed, going to wave her hands around frantically. Gabriel didn't let her, though. Instead, he kept a firm hold on her hand "Why me? Why is it always me? I just want to be left alone." She hesitated for a moment before continuing "Did I ever tell you that the spell I did was supposed to kill me? I didn't want to survive going back in time. I didn't want to go through everything again. Gerard, Kate, the Nogitsune, the Apocalypse… Leviathans… Every single thing that caused the world to go to hell. I don't want to be the only one who can change that. What if I mess it up? Gabe, so much can go wrong and I don't think I can do this…"
Gabriel looked at her with sad eyes. He knew that it was hard for her. The burden she was carrying was… too much for a girl her age. She was just twenty-four after all and after the life she led… He didn't understand why his father had chosen her. While Gabriel was glad that he had met her, he often wished that she could go back to a normal life. Without nightmares. The number of times he had woken up to her screaming or frantically counting… He still remembered the first time he had seen her like that.
Gabriel walked into the kitchen at night to grab a hot chocolate. Normally, he would just snap it up but he felt like following ritual right now. He wasn't quite sure what had woken him up but as soon as he caught sight of the kitchen, his jaw dropping at all the treats "What the hell?" He looked around and hurried over when he found Sila sleeping against one of the cabinets "Sila."
"Gabe?" she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that," he pointed out "My kitchen looks like... Well, it looks like I decided to go on a binge."
Sila looked around in confusion and panic, catching sight all the baked stuff. She trembled, her mind going back to her dream as she started counting her fingers over and over again.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Gabriel asked, seeing her staring at her fingers intently "Sila?"
She looked up, tears in her eyes "I can't… I have to…" She flinched back against the cabinet when Gabriel reached out to touch her "Don't touch me. You're not real, you're not real. I have to… One, two, three…" She went through all her fingers one by one before starting over.
Gabriel bit his lip, sinking down across from her. He watched the almost obsessive counting, unsure of what to do. They had only known each other for two weeks and this was the first time he had seen Sila acting like this.
When Sila is done counting, she went limp, hiding her face in her hands "I'm sorry," she gasped out, rocking back and forth "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Sila," Gabriel whispered, scooting closer to her "Hey, I'm here. You're alright."
Sila shook her head "Please just drop it," she whispered before schooling her features "You didn't answer my question earlier… What are you planning?"
"Don't," Gabriel snapped lightly, tilting Sila's head up so that their eyes could meet "Don't hide from me."
"What do you want me to do, then?" Sila cried out "I can't deal with this… Just… Please, let's just forget it for a couple of hours?"
Gabriel bit his lips and sighed, dropping his arms to his side "For you. And only this once, alright?" His stern glare softened when Sila's lips twitched into a smile "Remember that guy I dropped into a wormhole earlier this week?"
"What about him?"
"Oh, this isn't about him," Gabriel smirked "I told you about the Winchester brothers, right? You know about them?"
Sila furrowed her brow "Sam and Dean Winchester, vessels… Them?"
"Yup," Gabriel nodded "Dean sold his soul a while ago to save Sam… He'll be going to Hell in a couple of months and I need Sam to understand something."
"What are you going to do?" Sila asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
A grin stole its way across Gabriel's face "Okay, so considering that Dean is going to be gone soon and Sam is way too dependent on him… What do you think about trapping them in a time loop? I want Sam to see that he needs to be able to cope without Dean. And I think it should be a lesson learned the hard way.
Sila let out a sigh. She didn't like it… She understood where Gabriel was going with this but it was wrong… Was it, though? Dean wouldn't remember and he'd never actually die "I think I need to go change," she mumbled, looking down at her clothes.
"Oh, wait," Gabriel called out, hurrying over to one of the closets. His eyes darted around before he pulled a couple of things out, handing them to Sila.
"You have got to be kidding me," Sila growled, staring at the clothes that Gabriel had given her "What the actual hell, Gabe?"
"You're a girl. You should start dressing like it," Gabriel shrugged "Plus, that would look good on you. Come on, Sila. At least try it?"
Sila looked from Gabriel to the clothes before she let out a small sigh, turning around to head to her bedroom. She wasn't too enthusiastic about the outfit, still preferring her band shirts and loose jeans. Not that she had found too many of those in her size and Gabriel flat out refused to buy her anything oversized, citing that it would be a shame. It had been the last thing she needed at the time and she was still uncomfortable with being female but it was slowly getting better.
Gabriel knocked on the door "You finished, Sila?"
Sila stared at herself in the mirror "I... Is that really me?" she breathed, running her hand down the front of her body. The dress was shorter than she would have liked but it looked so… different. It didn't look like him – her. She was actually beautiful now. Maybe not quite Lydia beautiful but who was?
Gabriel entered the room and placed his hands on her shoulders "See?" he murmured "I told you that you'd look good. I understand that you're not comfortable, Sila but... You could do so much with those looks of yours. Let me show you that you don't have to hide."
"Yeah," Sila breathed, her eyes trailing over her body "Maybe."
Sila looked up from poking her breakfast when the door chimed. She glanced over at Gabriel who had disguised himself when she recognised Sam and Dean from the info dump she had gotten from The man. Her breathing picked up a little, anxiety rising. It wasn't what they were planning but she hadn't been out in public like this for a long time and it was starting to get to her.
Gabriel placed a hand on her arm "Breathe with me, sweetheart," he murmured, looking at her with concern "Do you need to leave?"
Sila shook her head "No," she mumbled, shifting in her seat. A shiver ran down her spine, slightly uncomfortable with all the people sitting and moving around behind her "I… I think I'm okay."
The cashier handed an old man some change, smiling at him "Drive safely now, Mr Pickett.
"Yeah, yeah," Mr Pickett mumbled.
"Order up," the cook called from the kitchen.
Sam and Dean made their way further into the diner and slid into a booth, glancing around. Dean noticed a poster on the wall before he saw the cute brunette underneath it at the counter "Hey," he exclaimed happily "Tuesday. Pig in a poke."
Sam raised his eyebrow "You even know what that is?"
Sila turned her head as the waitress moved past her "You boys ready?"
"Yes. I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee," Dean told the waitress.
"Make it two coffees and a short stack," Sam added, smiling at the older woman.
Doris inclined her head "You got it." She made her way back to her spot behind the counter, letting her gaze travel. She frowned lightly when she noticed the girl who had come in with the older gentleman "Are you okay, dear? Do you not like it?"
Sila startled, almost dropping her fork in the process "Oh, I'm fine," she whispered "I'm not hungry."
"I can get you something else if you'd like," Doris told her gently. The girl looked like she needed a good meal or five, she was so thin.
"It's fine, ma'am," Sila told her with a small, uncertain smile "I don't need anything…"
Gabriel sighed. He was aware of most of Sila's problems but she wasn't talking much and that made it hard to help her. Not that he wasn't going to try but she needed someone who would be able to relate to her "Could you bring her a bowl of fruits, maybe?"
Doris looked at him for a moment before a smile lit up her face "Of course. Coming right up."
"I'm telling you, Sam, this job is a small fry," Dean exclaimed, not quite quietly enough "We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."
"Okay, sure," Sam deadpanned "Let's get right on that. Where is she again?"
Dean was silent for a moment before he grumbled under his breath "Shut up."
Sam sighed "Look. Believe me, I want to find her as bad as you do. In the meantime, we have this." Sila heard something rustling, going back to poking at her pancakes. They were already a doughy mess on the plate but she didn't really care.
A bowl of fresh fruits was placed in front of her along with a small serving of applesauce "Here you go, dear," Doris smiled, taking the plate of pancake mush from the girl before she could murder it more.
"Thank you," Sila murmured, turning her attention to poking the fruit instead.
"Try and eat that," Gabriel whispered "You have barely eaten in weeks. You can't go on like that." Sila looked up at him through a curtain of her hair before she nodded silently and started eating the fruit slowly.
"Alright," Dean hummed "So this professor…"
"Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished," Sam explained.
"Last known location?"
Sam took back the newspaper and folded it "His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward Country Mystery Spot."
Dean snorted "Where the laws of physics have no meaning," he read out loud.
Doris once again walked past the counter with a tray that held two coffees and some hot sauce "Two coffees, black and some hot sauce for the…" She gasped, the sauce falling from the tray. It landed on the ground, shattering loudly "Whoops. Crap. Sorry." She turned to the back and raised her voice "Cleanup."
Sila put down her fork, having only managed a fourth of the small bowl before her stomach felt as if it was ready to burst. Gabriel put a few bills on the table before getting up with a wink at Doris. He turned to Sila, holding out his arm for her "Come on. I'm taking you home before work."
"Yeah," she nodded, carefully getting off the chair. It was a wonder she hadn't broken an ankle walking here with the shoes Gabriel had insisted on. Thankfully, he insisted on helping her along, otherwise, she was sure that she would have landed on her face more than once.
Sila walked down the street. She had decided to go for a walk after leaving the diner with Gabriel. He had gone back to watch and plan what he was going to do to Dean this Tuesday but she hadn't felt up to helping anymore. Seeing Sam reacting to the first time it happened was… It brought back memories and not in a good way. She'd rather avoid it wherever she could.
"Yesterday was Tuesday, right? But today is Tuesday too," Sam exclaimed, causing Sila to look up. She hadn't even noticed that they were walking in front of her… And here she was trying to stay away from them.
"Yeah," Dean gave back, looking over at his brother with a worried frown "No. Good. You're totally balanced."
"So you don't believe me?" Sam demanded.
Dean let out a laugh, colliding with a blonde girl "Excuse me," she mumbled, hurrying past Sila.
"Look." Dean ripped his eyes away from Sila who he had caught sight of after turning to look after the blonde "I'm just saying that it's crazy, you know. I mean, even for us crazy. Dingo ate my baby crazy. Hey, maybe it was another of your psychic premonitions."
Same shook his head "No, no way. Way too vivid. Okay, look, we were at the Mystery Spot and then…"
"And then what?"
Sam paused, not wanting to really say "Then I woke up." Sila glanced at the two movers who were trying to fit a piece of furniture through the door, suppressing her laughter at their bickering when Sam spoke up again "Wait a minute. The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it…"
Dean raised his eyebrow, getting annoyed at Sam cutting himself off all the time "Maybe what?"
"We got to check that place out," Sam sighed "Look, just – go with me on this, okay?"
"Alright, alright," Dean shrugs "We'll go tonight after close. Get ourselves a nice long look."
Sam realised what Sam had said and whipped around with Sila hopping into an alley just in time to avoid being seen "Wait, what? No."
"Why not?" Dean huffed.
"Uh," Sam hesitated "Let's just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded."
Dean snorted "My God, you're a freak."
"Dean," Sam grumbled.
"Okay," the older of the two brothers groaned "Whatever. We'll go now." He walked a few feet ahead of Sam and looked to his right as he stepped onto the road. Sila stumbled when a car came out of nowhere, slamming into Dean's left.
"Dean," Sam shouted, rushing over to him.
Sila closed her eyes at his muttering, turning around to hurry away from the scene. So much for staying away.
A hundred Tuesdays later, Sila was once again walking down the same road she had for what felt like forever. She was proud of herself that she hadn't tripped once. Gabriel had insisted that she wear heeled boots along with her outfit and while she thought it looked really cute, there was the small difficulty of balancing on the heels. Truth was, she had enough trouble balancing her new body as it was and the shoes weren't helping. She was getting better but it was slow progress. Thankfully, Gabriel wasn't following her around but she knew he was watching both her and the two Winchesters.
She had given up on asking him what he had planned for Dean the moment she had expressed her displeasure. It had been alright the first couple of times but the longer it went on, the sorrier she felt for Sam. The lesson might be one he needed but Gabriel was going about it the wrong way and she didn't like it. Everything reminded her of her old pack and how close they would be before… Well, before everything happened.
"Dean," she heard from a side alley next to her.
Sila looked to the side and headed into the alley curiously. They were further in and just out of sight from her. The moment she saw what was going on though, her eyes widened and she froze. A group of people were on the other side of the fence, advancing on the figure pressed up against the fence "No," she breathed, finally getting her feet to move backwards.
"Scott," Stiles called out, looking around for his best friend "Come on, where are you?"
The pack had been trying to deal with the Dread Doctors for some time now and whenever they got closer, a new monster came out of the woodworks. So far it had only been their hybrid creatures like Theo or Donovan but what they had come up with now was already proving a problem. The Dread Doctors had let a horde of Zombies free in the middle of Beacon Hills to try and escape during the commotion. They had already lost three members of the ever-shrinking pack thanks to the Dread Doctors and slowly but surely they were starting to panic.
Danny and Aidan had been the first to go while researching something not too far away from Eichen House. They had gotten caught up in an explosion someone affiliated by the Dread Doctors had set off. Then Theo happened and had gotten a hold of Lydia. Originally, they had planned to transform her but some of the experiments had gone wrong and killed her before anything worse could happen.
Now, they were trying to deal with the Zombies. Only Jordan, Derek, Scott, Isaac and Stiles were left now and they had no idea how to stop the horde of Zombies from advancing on the town. They weren't sure where Isaac was. The young werewolf had disappeared shortly after they had gotten notice of the Zombies but he was still alive. At least, they were pretty sure that he was.
Stiles froze at the sight of the Zombies. Their skin grey and decaying with sore spots all over their bodies. Hair was thinning and their eyes a creepy white. They were hunched over a figure that caused Stiles' blood to run cold "No," he breathed, shaking his head "No…" He couldn't have lost another member of his pack. His best friend… His brother. A sharp pain ran through his chest as another pack bond broke, resonating through his inside. Stiles stumbled against the wall, pressing his back to the stone of the building, making sure that he was out of sight while his breathing sped up.
"Hey," a voice ripped Sila out of her panic. Her eyes were still glued to the scene in front of her but she wasn't sure she was actually seeing it. She blinked as a body stepped in front of her, blocking the view of the gruesome scene "Hey, come on. You – You shouldn't have to see it."
She shook her head "Scott," she mumbled "I have to help… I have to… I can't lose anyone else."
"Who is Scott?" Sam asked, trying to shove Dean's hundredth death out of his mind. Part of him was thankful for the distraction because he could still hear his brother's muffled noises.
"Brother," Sila managed to get out "He was my brother. I need to help… I…"
Sam put his hands on her shoulders, leading her away from the alley "You're alright, okay? I…" Before he could finish the sentence, his world went black.
Dean had died once again.
"Sila," Gabriel gasped, falling to his knees next to her "I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
Sila curled up by the wall, hiding her face in her knees "Just give me… give me a minute."
He sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, making sure she was aware of his movement "I'm really sorry. I – There is only one more part of this plan. I promise. It's going to be over soon."
"Why do you care so much?" Sila demanded, her voice shaky and weak "Why do you care what happens to those hunters?"
"Because they remind me of someone," Gabriel admitted, letting his head rest on the back of hers.
"Your brothers," she whispered "They remind you of Michael and Lucifer."
Gabriel nodded lightly "I hated it. The fighting. I love them. My father, my brothers… I love them so much but watching them turn on each other? I had to leave and I don't want the apocalypse to happen but what other choice do I have?"
"I was sent here to stop it," Sila told him, shifting their position so she was curled against Gabriel's side, her head resting on his shoulder "God wanted me to change it. The apocalypse, I mean. I don't like it but I have seen where it could lead and it wasn't good. I have been part of one of the worst endings as far as I have seen and I can't let it happen, Gabe."
"You're going to change it?" Gabriel asked, sounding equal parts lost and hopeful "How?"
Sila rubbed her forehead against Gabriel's throat, unconsciously scenting him to try and make the hurt disappear. After so many years, it was a hard habit to break… Of course, she hadn't had anyone to scent mark in close to a year but the instinct was still there. She loved hugs but was afraid of them. The face that she allowed Gabriel this close meant a lot "I know which Seals are going to break and I have a good idea which ones I'd be able to stop…"
"Will you tell me?"
"I don't know if I can," she admitted "The fewer people know about my plans, the better. But I can tell you what happened in my timeline. With the apocalypse. What I knew about it if you want?"
Gabriel pressed a small kiss to the side of her head "Thank you. Really, I… I am glad that I met you."
"You don't have to thank me," she murmured, staring at her fingers unconsciously "You have done more than enough for me already. I don't need your thanks."
"You deserve it, though," he argued "You have no idea how amazing you are, Sila. Kind, sarcastic… You deserve a nice life and I will do my best to help you with changing things if you ever need help."
Sila snuggled closer to him once more "Thank you. Thank you, Gabe."
"You're very welcome, Sila."
"So what are you planning?" Sila asked, sitting next to Gabriel in the diner again. It was still mostly empty, the two of them having arrived early since the beginning to begin easing her into the whole situation. She still wasn't comfortable at all but she had decided to power through this. They were wrapping it up now, so maybe she could do this after all.
Gabriel nudged her lightly "Let me do my thing. There is only one small thing that I have to do. You just do what you did, alright?"
Sila frowned at him before she sighed "Alright." She stayed silent as Gabriel ordered their food just as he had done the past days and snorted "Really? You think this will work?"
"I think it's been long enough for Sam to have memorized everything. Yes, I think this will work," Gabriel told her, digging into his food.
It didn't take long for the diner to come to life and soon enough the Winchester brothers came in. This time, Sila didn't bother listening to them, too lost in her thoughts. She would have to start writing down what she had planned for the future otherwise she might still mess this up and she couldn't allow that to happen. There were some crucial points that she couldn't afford to miss or screw up. Neither here with the brothers nor back in Beacon Hills. Although, she did wonder about what she would do. Maybe she should start contacting her father… her uncle soon. She wasn't sure whether he was aware of what had happened to his late wife's brother but since she hadn't known about it before, either it didn't happen in her timeline or Noah just hadn't kept in contact at all.
Sila put down her fork when she finished as much of the bowl as she could manage. It hadn't improved from the first time but at least it was starting to get easier. She didn't feel quite as sick as she had in the beginning. Gabriel put a few bills on the table before getting up with a wink at Doris. He turned to Sila, holding out his arm for her "Come on. I'm taking you home before work."
"Yeah," she nodded, carefully getting off the chair.
The next day, Sila felt Sam's eyes drilling into her and Gabriel's backs. It made her feel more on edge than she would have liked but with how relaxed Gabriel was, it was all part of the plan. Gabriel put a few bills on the table before getting up with a wink at Doris. He turned to Sila, holding out his arm for her "Come on. I'm taking you home before work."
"Yeah," she nodded, carefully getting off the chair. The moment they left the diner, she knew that the hunters were following them, so she stayed as close to Gabriel as she could. It was hard not to follow her flight instincts but she was trying to beat them down. It was all part of the plan. Gabriel wanted this to happen. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.
All of a sudden, Sam appeared, grabbing Gabriel and slamming him against the fence with the tip of a wooden stake at his throat "Hey," Gabriel exclaimed. Sila stared at the scene with wide eyes, biting down on her tongue to stop the noise of surprise from leaving her.
"I know who you are," Sam snapped "Or should I say, what?"
Gabriel's eyes adopted a fake panic "Oh, my God. Please don't kill me. Just let us go, alright?"
Dean looked from the shell-shocked girl to his brother and the man "Uh, Sam?"
"It took me a hell of a long time but I got it," Sam told him, a hint of smugness colouring his tone.
"What?" Gabriel frowned.
Sam tightened his grip on him "It's your MO that gave you away. Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts – your kind loves that, don't they?"
"Yeah, sure," Gabriel agreed, his voice still thin and panicked. When he glanced at the stake nervously, Sila had to admit that she was slightly impressed by his acting skills "Okay. Just put the stake down."
Dean moved slightly in front of the girl, keeping his eyes on his brother. Whatever was wrong with him, he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't attack her next "Sam, maybe you should…"
"No," Sam spat "There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops – in fact, you'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a Trickster."
Gabriel swallowed, body still tense. He glanced over to Sila, seeing that Dean had moved to protect her which made his respect for him go up just the slightest bit. It didn't matter that that attacked was his own brother. He would still protect her from him "Mister, my name is Ed Coleman, my wife's name is Amelia. I got two kids, for crying out loud. I sell ad space…"
"Don't lie to me," Sam shouted "I know what you are. Or should I ask her, hm?"
Gabriel morphed back into his real form, his eyes flashing angrily "Do it and it would be your death. I don't care who needs you alive or who you are. If you touch her, it will be your end."
Dean blinked, looking at the girl behind him "You're with him?" he asked, slightly incredulous "Why?"
"Because he helped me," Sila told him, moving around him to inch closer to Gabriel now that Sam had let go of him.
"Well, if you're ever sick of…"
Gabriel's eyes shot to him "Don't," he warned the older of the two brothers "She doesn't need someone like you flirting with her."
"I don't know," Sila mumbled quietly. It was the first time someone had flirted with her as a girl and it felt… nice. So different from when he was a guy. Back then, he hadn't been lying to Danny when he asked if he was attractive to gay guys. It had been during the beginning phase of his crush on Derek and he was worried. Of course, Danny had taken it the wrong way because Stiles was an idiot but this? It felt good. Like someone appreciated her even if it was only for her looks "It is kind of nice to see people actually interested in me."
Sam interrupted before they could say anything else "Why are you doing this?"
"You're joking, right?" Gabriel laughed "You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this?"
"And Hasselback?" Dean demanded, his attention leaving the girl. She wasn't the threat here. The Trickster was "What about him?"
Gabriel frowned, tilting his head "That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one." He forced an amused laugh before letting it turn into a smirk "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."
"So this is fun for you?" Sam whispered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl lower her head. Maybe there was still hope for her. He wasn't sure why she was with the Trickster and he didn't care right now but maybe she wasn't bad "Killing Dean over and over again?"
"One, yes. It is fun." He ignored Dean's affronted look before he continued "And two? This is so not about killing Dean. This joke is on you, Sam. Watching your brother die, every day? Forever?"
"You son of a bitch."
Gabriel looked at him with a pitying look "How long will it take you to realise? You can't save your brother. No matter what."
Sam once again dug the stake into Gabriel's neck "Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends now."
"Oh. Oh. Hey, whoa," Gabriel winced, holding up his hands "Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear."
"You're lying," Sam pointed out.
Sila shook her head "He isn't. I'll make sure that he takes you to tomorrow."
Gabriel sighed "And even if I am lying. You know where to find me. Having pancakes at the diner."
Sam looked at Dean, Sila and then back at the Trickster before his eyes turned determined "No. Easier to just kill you."
"Sorry, kiddo," Gabriel shrugged "Can't have that." He snapped his fingers, causing Sam and Dean to black out while he and Sila appeared back at their apartment.
Gabriel hadn't been lying. He had taken Sam out of the time loop that had trapped him in a long line of Tuesdays but that didn't mean that he had let him go. No, that would have been too easy. This was the final phase of the plan. He made himself comfortable on the couch, turning on the TV where he could see Sam and Dean in the motel room. Sila was curled up next to him, having changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants rather than the dress she had been wearing.
They watched as Sam went more and more frantic after Dean's 'last' death, trying to find a way to bring his brother back. Correction, Gabriel watched. Sila had bowed out of this as soon as it had started, withdrawing back into her room. She hadn't come out since it had started and the only reason Gabriel knew that she was alive was because he brought her food every once in a while, trying to talk to her. He had to stop this and soon. It was making Sila worse than she had been and she had just gotten better. He ached at the thought that it was his fault…
"Sila," Gabriel called out, knocking at the door "Come on. It's time to end this."
The door opened, revealing a more or less put together Sila. Her eyes were screaming at him but her face was set "I don't want to come," she told him.
"Come on," he murmured, reaching out to touch her face. A hurt expression flitted across his face when she drew back, avoiding his fingers "I'm sorry, Sila… I went too far."
She nodded tiredly "You did. But it isn't me you have to apologise to."
Gabriel dropped his head, knowing that he wouldn't be apologising to Sam Winchester anytime soon "Will you come? I think I could use your help."
"Only to help him," she said, nodding at the screen "I'm still mad at you."
"I can live with that," Gabriel conceded, snapping his fingers. They appeared in the room just as Bobby's corpse vanished. The stake shot over Sam's shoulder into Gabriel's hands "You're right. I was just screwing with you. Pretty good, though, Sam. Smart. Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen you with a sharp object in your hands…" He was cut off when Sila drover her foot down on his "What the hell, Sila?"
She shot him an annoyed look "You're an ass."
"Bring him back," Sam whispered, looking at his feet.
Gabriel stopped and tilted his head "Who, Dean?" He looked over at Sila "Sila, didn't you send him the flowers?"
"Leave me out of this, Loki," Sila told him, chewing on her lip. She didn't like this… While she knew that Gabriel was trying to make a point, it still felt wrong. She knew how Sam felt and – even though she had gone along with Gabriel at first – she felt guilty about it now. They had talked about her stance the longer this spiel had stretched out and she had reluctantly agreed to let Gabriel do what he felt was right even if she wasn't happy about it.
Gabriel studied her for a moment before he squeezed her forearm gently before he turned his attention back to Sam "Dean's dead. He ain't coming back. His soul's downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak."
"Just take us back to that Tuesday – er, Wednesday – when it all started," Sam pleaded "Please. We won't come after you, I swear."
Gabriel raised his eyebrow "You swear," he deadpanned.
Sam nodded hurriedly "Yes."
"I don't know," Gabriel hesitated. Maybe he did go a bit too far but he needed Sam to understand "Even if I could…"
"You can," Sam cut him off.
Gabriel raised a shoulder "True… But that don't mean I should," he pointed out with a sigh. In a way, the younger Winchester reminded him of Sila and how broken she looked whenever she started to remember her past which was almost every day "Sam, there's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish Cro-Magnon skull of yours."
"Lesson? What lesson?" Sam demanded, getting angry at the Trickster. He hated this. Hated being without Dean. It felt like his life was nothing if he didn't have his brother by his side. How was he going to do this? How was he going to go on without Dean? His brother had been the only person to stay with him through his life while their father pushed them aside for his revenge. Dean has been his constant and now he had sold his soul because of Sam…
Gabriel waved his hands around, almost smacking Sila in the face when she went to step closer. She froze when Gabriel started talking "This obsession to save Dean? The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. Dean's your weakness. And the bad guys know it too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes you just got to let people go."
"He's my brother," Sam pointed out, tears swimming in his eyes
"Yup," Gabriel shrugged "And like it or not, this is what life's gonna be like without him."
When it was obvious that he would have said more, Sila put her hand on Gabriel's arm and moved past him "Sam, I know that you don't have any reason to trust me," she started, taking another step closer to the hunter. She was more than ready to just bolt but if there was one thing Gabriel was good at – it was pissing people off. Much like her younger self had done. It was sort of funny how similar she had been to Gabriel when she was younger. Causing chaos and mischief whenever he – she could. Sometimes she missed the time she didn't know about all this supernatural bullshit but then she would have never met Derek… It had taken a long time for them to admit to their feeling even though Derek was very aware of their mate status but after it had happened, she would have never gone back… Not until he died because of her "But I've been where you are. Not necessarily in the same circumstances but it's similar enough. Let me explain something. You probably feel like you can't live your life without Dean, right? He is your brother and that means the world. Losing him is like losing a part of yourself but he wouldn't want you to be like this. Yes, Loki is responsible this time but what are you going to do when he goes to Hell? Sam, there are more people who care about you and want you happy." She gestured to the prone body of Bobby "You can't destroy yourself over this."
"What would you know?" Sam asked, looking at the girl, really looking at her for the first time. He could see why Dean had flirted with her on that last Tuesday but there was something about her. Her eyes… They had seen things, horrible things that haunted her. They looked like the eyes of a seasoned hunter which made his guard go down the smallest bit. The fact that she was with Loki was making him a little wary of her but there was something about her. A part of him felt like he needed to learn about her, to know more about what she went through.
Sila smiled sadly "I know a lot more than you think. Loki is going to take you back to that Wednesday and you'll get Dean back. But think about what you're going to do when he goes to Hell. Going on a warpath is going to help no one, least of all you."
She glared at Loki, making sigh "Fine… This all stopped being funny months ago anyway." He snapped his fingers, taking them out of the simulation.
Sam shot up in bed, looking around in confusion. The radio was blaring the same song it had on that Wednesday a couple of months ago 'Gotta get back in time.'
"What, you gonna sleep all day?" Dean asked, poking his head out of the bathroom. He raised his eyebrow when Sam just stared at him before shrugging "I know, no Asia. This station sucks."
Sam's eyes shot to the clock radio, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding when it said Wednesday "It's Wednesday," he whispered.
"Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday," Dean snorted and gestured to the radio "Turn that thing off." Sam scrambled from the bed, getting tangled up in the covers until he managed to pull them off. He hurried over to Dean, throwing his arms around his brother. Dean stiffened in surprise before frowning at the back of Sam's head "Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?"
"Enough," Sam told him, voice rough from emotion "What – uh – what do you remember?"
Dean hesitated for a moment and pulled back "I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday. I remember getting up with the Trickster. That's about it."
Sam nodded, happy that Dean didn't remember anything of the shit storm that he went through "Let's go."
"No breakfast?" Dean asked in shock.
Sam's lips twitched in amusement "No breakfast."
Dean shrugged "Alright, I'll pack the car."
"Wait," Sam stopped him, his hand on Dean's shoulder "You're not going anywhere alone."
"It's the parking lot, Sam," Dean exclaimed, wondering what the hell happened to his brother to make him act like that. On the other hand, he was pretty sure he was better off not knowing.
Sam bit his lip "Just – Just trust me."
They finished packing up quickly, making to leave the room when Dean stopped "Hey, you don't look so good. Something else happen?"
Sam said nothing for a moment before shooting his brother a small smile "I just had a really weird dream."
Dean nodded before he grinned "Clowns or midgets?" He turned away from Sam to make his way to the parking lot, Sam following a little way behind. Dean froze when he saw the figure leaning against his Impala "Dude, isn't that the chick who was with the Trickster?"
"What?" Sam asked, his head snapping around.
Sila watched them for a moment before she pushed off the car, making her way over "I come in peace," she called out, holding up her hands in surrender "I just want to talk."
"Why?" Sam questioned, eyeing her suspiciously.
Sila rubbed a hand over her face. She looked up at Sam, cursing herself for her lack of height "You're good people, no matter what anyone wants you to think. Loki went overboard and I'm sorry for not stopping him. While I agree with the reasons he did it, he went too far. I apologise."
Dean raised his eyebrows "What the hell happened?"
"I think it's better if you don't know," Sila grimaced before she held out her hand "Will you accept my apology?"
Sam hesitated, searching her face before he remembered her words "Yeah," he whispered, reaching out to shake her hand "Thank you."
Sila grinned "There is just one more thing before I'll leave you."
"And what is that?" Dean narrowed his eyes, watching the girl's every action. He didn't trust the peace. She was with the Trickster after all but she hadn't done anything to them and it was obvious something happened between her and Sam, so he decided to let it go until he had more information.
"What's the weirdest thing you ever hunted?" she asked, innocent curiosity on her face.
