Chapter 3

Leaving behind his feather was a stupid idea. While it had made sense at the time, the last thing Gabriel needed was to have a bunch of hunters holding a piece of him. It wasn't that they could harm him through it, but for some reason, the damn thing had bonded with the tall human. Typically, a feather would remain just that; a pretty, but otherwise uninteresting token. Gabriel had gifted them before, long ago when he was free to use his real name. They had never bonded with a human like this, and the archangel couldn't help but wonder what made Sam Winchester so special his feather wouldn't part from him.

If it were anything like what Gabriel had seen when Sam was under the power of his grace, it would be idiotic for him to leave the hunter alone. Still, Gabriel was surprised at how possessive he was of the human. The second Dean had taken his feather from Sam; the archangel had to fight down a growl. He didn't want the older Winchester with his plume; it was for Sam and Sam alone. Once they were on the road, Gabriel remained invisible to the two men and watched as the feather shifted from Dean to Sam which caused the light amount of grace in the quill to practically sing in joy once back with its human. Surprisingly, Sam remained silent on the new home the plume had taken, instead, choosing to bask in the warmth Gabriel's grace was providing.

Sam reacted as an angel would with grace, not as a human. It was a terrifying thought; humans even those who would become vessels, were hesitant of grace. It was instinctive when a foreign substance tries to change your body to fight back. Most of the time you could convince yourself if it should be accepted, but Sam didn't fight Gabriel's grace for even a second. Instead, he had embraced it, had taken everything the archangel was offering and had enjoyed the experience. Even now, Sam was lightly smiling while the feather rested against his skin.

This wasn't what Gabriel had been expecting when he left his feather; he never planned for his grace to remain and bond with the human. What was worse was the rest of his grace wished to do the same. It took every ounce of will Gabriel had not to let his grace go to Sam, to surround and protect the hunter. It was why Gabriel sat silently in the back seat of the car; he didn't want to leave Sam alone. The few hours he had left the long-haired hunter were awful; even Spot had been concerned for Gabriel.

If Sam were a fellow angel, Gabriel would have thought they were courting.

Bonding with a human, however, was impossible. They didn't have the needed grace to bond, and while he didn't think his grace would harm Sam, the archangel was far from ready to settle down and start the process. That didn't stop him from picturing how it would be with the tall human. Even if he wasn't ready for a bond, Gabriel couldn't help but notice Sam was attractive. Not only was the man handsome, and his soul warm, but Sam was typically Gabriel's type when he went for men. Sam had a fantastic smile, and with his way of life, Gabriel knew the hazel-eyed man could give as good as the archangel could demand of him.

Sighing, Gabriel watched the brothers while Dean drove. Gabriel wasn't looking forward to whatever test this Bobby was going to devise. Angels were rare enough on Earth, but if they managed to find out what angel had placed their protection on Sam, it could be disastrous. This left Gabriel with only a few options; he could remain as he was, observing the hunters only. Or he could do something he hadn't done in two thousand years; he could reveal himself, wings and all to someone and hope for the best.

Something told Gabriel he wouldn't have a choice much longer.

Bobby had no clue what they were dealing with. The moment Sam had begun to explain what happened, Dean started in on how weird Sam had been acting, and how the feather had seemingly transported from Dean to Sam. As a test, Bobby had taken the feather, careful not to let it touch his skin, and only a few minutes later it was once again around the taller man. The fact that nobody could keep the feather besides the younger hunter lead Dean to rant about their safety, implying they needed to find a way to destroy the plume.

Dean hadn't liked it when Sam refused to agree. Thankfully, Bobby was hesitant to try destroying the feather as well. After what seemed like hours of arguing, Dean finally relented to leaving it until after Bobby researched any other options on what could have left the token. While Dean calmed down and worked on the Impala, Sam and Bobby began investigating. It didn't take but a few hours before Sam heard a sigh from the older man. Looking up, the taller hunter watched as Bobby turned away from his text to look at him.

"You know if this were anyone else we would have simply burnt the thing and be done with it. Why do you think it's an angel feather, Sam? Besides the feeling of grace, what aren't you tellin' your brother and me?"

Sam sighed before running a hand through his hair. Bobby was right of course; there was more he didn't want to admit to Dean, not after Father Gregory. Steeling his nerve, Sam took a breath before he opened his mouth. "I asked for it." While it wasn't exactly what he was expecting to say, Sam continued as Bobby merely raised an eyebrow at his confession. "I was praying, after… after what happened with Meg," pausing, Sam swallowed around the lump in his throat. That was something they had never spoken about at length after Meg was expelled from his body, they had chosen never to mention it again.

"Well, I decided to pray for forgiveness. I asked God to give me a sign, any sign that what she did through me could be forgiven. That it wasn't on me, that I wasn't to blame. Once the prayer was done grace washed over me… I felt clean, Bobby in a way I've never felt before. I still feel clean."

"And you don't think anything but an angel could do that for ya?" asked Bobby, raising an eyebrow. Sam shook his head. "No, I know something else could. I mean, pagan was my first thought once I considered it. They would have the mojo to do this… but why would they? So far, the only alarming thing is the feather not leaving me, which to be honest I don't want it to be with anyone else anyways. Pagans, at least none that I've heard of, leave feathers behind like this."

Bobby sighed, taking off his ball-cap for a moment to run his fingers through his hair before placing it back on again. When he looked at Sam, Bobby's gaze was unyielding. "Alright, I get it… but if we're going to do this, we're going to do it smart. If I can't destroy the thing, and if you're certain no pagan messed with you then the way I see it we only have one option," pausing Bobby waited for Sam to come to his own conclusion. Seeing as Sam wasn't following his train of thought, the older man sighed. "We're going to summon whatever put the feather in your hand. I know a few rituals we might be able to tweak until it's generalized enough to summon whoever this was. May have to put the feather in some blood, but you can always clean the thing later."

Sam didn't like the thought of imposing on whatever angel showed him mercy, on the one who had saved him. Still, Bobby was right; they didn't have much of a choice. Nodding his consent, Sam watched as Bobby began to ruffle through the books they had laid out, looking for something they could use. While he understood the hunter's need, Sam hoped the angel wouldn't be offended. The last thing they needed was Divine Wrath coming for them.