Warnings: Angst, mentions of sex

Chapter 16

In all his years, even before the Fall, Gabriel had never had someone so protective of him. His family loved him, he knew this down to his very grace. It was more apparent before the Fall, before the secrets and lies, before the orders and the devastation his brother caused. Still, no matter what happened Gabriel knew his brothers loved him, that they would always love each other first and foremost after Father. Before humanity, back when everything was still theirs, they had been so open with their love. While they didn't have physical bodies like humans did, they did have a form made of grace, one they used to touch all the time. It was once common to reach out with grace while speaking to another angel, to feel the other angel, it had been a long time since then. By the time Lucifer fell, no one touched anymore, no one protected, no one loved like they once had.

And here was Sam offering it all to him once again.

While it wasn't something Sam knew he was doing, every time he touched him, every time Sam was close his soul reached for Gabriel. Gabriel was always careful not to let his grace reach back, he had to hold his grace down and locked away so he didn't reach out for Sam. Even just the simplest of brushes of his grace would be enough to start the bonding, one split second and they would be tied forever. It was terrifying, truly something which should have made him pull away from the taller man. Instead, it made Gabriel want to draw in closer, to hold him tighter and never let go.

Gabriel understood what the bond was at its very foundation, he had been there to witness the bonding of others in his time. Gabriel had seen every creature bond in every way, had felt the power they would share either with grace or soul. This was something new all together, and while he had decided not to bond with Sam there was one thing Gabriel didn't understand.

Why was Sam so protective?

The way the human was acting was the way he should be acting. Every time they came together it was Sam who was the one protecting, it was Sam who displayed his dominance, it was Sam who marked Gabriel, who held him and made sure Gabriel was okay. It didn't make any sense. If his grace were to bond Gabriel would be the one in control, would be the one who would find Sam needing protection, needing to keep the fragile human safe. Sam should be subservient to him, should be reaching into his instincts to look for Gabriel for protection. There was something more going on here, something he wasn't catching, and it caused Gabriel to worry.

Feeling the arms around him tighten, Gabriel tilted his head back to look at Sam. The man was so beautiful. Smiling to show he was fine, Gabriel rested his hand over Sam's which was currently on his stomach. The moment he smiled at Sam Gabriel could see the soul once again reach for him. Every time he had to keep his grace locked away it burned. Sam didn't seem to have any kind of negative side-effects; however, Gabriel knew it would only be a matter of time until he wouldn't be able to push aside the pain.

Eventually it would push Gabriel to his breaking point. He only hoped he would be able to get away from Sam before his grace broke free to wrap around the bright soul. Every time it burned a bit hotter, refused to stay buried a bit more while Sam tried to push his soul into the bond, tried to connect with Gabriel's grace. It was probably because of this perceived rejection that Sam felt the need to mark him, to claim Gabriel as he did. He could never let Sam know, could never tell this bright beautiful man that the bond was going to slowly kill him uncompleted. Sam was too selfless, all it would take would be a flinch of pain and Gabriel knew Sam would offer to complete the bond, consequences be damned.

"Okay so you planned this whole thing to stop some big bad, I get that… but why? I mean, you're pretty powerful why would it bother you if some humans got caught in the crossfire? And what do we do now? I'm guessing by this bond you're talking about that you're going to want to stick around, right? What're you going to do, hunt with us? 'Cause I'm glad you're happy Sammy, but this lovey-dovey crap is going to get old quick."

It was something Gabriel hadn't thought about, what was he going to do? He couldn't leave Sam, not every day while they hunted and he knew at the slightest danger his grace would break free. From what he understood these two weren't going to give up hunting. What was it that drove them? Sam had gotten out once, as he had found out from his mate, maybe he could convince Sam to leave this life behind again. It was worth a shot. Opening his mouth, Gabriel voiced his opinion while playing lightly with Sam's hand, the action soothing.

"Why do you do it anyways? I mean, people are dying and you want to stop it… I get that, being it's kind of my job description as well… but why? You've been hunting far longer than most your age, would it be so bad to maybe hang up the guns for a bit while we figure this out?"

"We're hunting the thing that killed our mom. It was a demon, Dad started hunting him for as long as I can remember and now we're picking up the trail."

Looking up at Sam while he spoke, Gabriel had to fight back his anger. This was about revenge? Seriously, the boys needed to get their heads out of their asses. While in one way Gabriel could understand where they were coming from, nothing good ever came from revenge. It was going to destroy them, and maybe the world if he didn't do something.

"So, you're traveling around the country, getting the shit beat out of you by monsters and risking your life… so you can have revenge? What then? What happens when you kill him and you no longer have your suicide mission? Do you go back to a regular life? Get a wife and two point five kids? I can't believe you would be so stupid as to risk your life, and those around you, for something as… as fucking idiotic and petty as revenge."

He had tried to stay calm, he really had, but the more Gabriel thought of what could have happened, what might still happen to his mate, the angrier he became. When Sam went to speak, Gabriel cut him off, his eyes glowing a soft golden light as his anger boiled.

"No, don't you dare try to pacify me. What good do you think comes from revenge? It doesn't matter your motives, it doesn't matter your pain or your fucking self-righteous thoughts of redemption! Revenge is never the answer, never!"

"He killed our mom."

Turning so he was now facing Dean, Gabriel knew he should calm down, that he needed to have his head on right. The problem was; greater than the anger was the fear. Gabriel was so scared he wouldn't be able to break through, that they would continue this path and then where would it leave them? Right for the picking. If they played into this war than they would be the stars of the end of the world, and Gabriel couldn't let that happen.

"Yeah, well that's how hunters normally end up Bucko, dead. Sometimes it's a demon, sometimes it's a vamp or one of the thousand other creatures they hunt. Eventually one comes back, or gets a lucky shot, or sometimes they just have to wait… sometimes they use what brains they have and they hunt back."

"Wait… Mary wasn't a hunter."

Glancing now at Bobby, Gabriel cocked his head to the side. What were they going on about? Speaking slowly, his earlier anger gone in his confusion Gabriel swept his gaze around the room to make sure they knew he was addressing the three of them.

"Of course, she was. Mary Campbell was a descendant of the Campbell hunters… they've been hunters since there's been something to hunt. I mean sure, she might have been out of hunting while she was playing house… but she was in truth, a hunter."

Seeing the shock through the room, Gabriel shrugged his shoulders before continuing. "Seriously though, going up against this demon isn't a good idea. It's going to end up in more blood and pain. Chances are one or both of your boys end up dead. I'm not asking you to pull out forever, just you know… until I know things have simmered down a bit."

"Simmered down? What aren't you telling us Loki? I trust you, I do… but you can't just drop a bomb like our mom being a hunter of all things and then ask us to walk away from this. You have to give us something."

Just now noticing how tense the hunter was behind him, Gabriel sighed deeply. He didn't want to be doing this right now, Sammy had almost gotten Gabriel out of explaining this before he was pulled right back in. Sam was right though, they needed something and with his inability to lie it would have to be the truth. Shaking his head for a moment Gabriel closed his mouth. He had already explained all he needed to, he explained why Dean couldn't sell his soul, he explained what he was trying to stop… what else did they want to know?

"Loki, we need to do this… how about we make a deal? Once the yellow-eyed demon is killed for good we hang up our guns for a while. We could go somewhere else for a bit, have a vacation for a while and talk things over."

It was tempting to agree, it didn't help that Sam was leaning down enough to nuzzle the back of Gabriel's neck. Every time he opened his mouth to speak Sam's lips would brush against Gabriel's skin like a soft kiss. Oh, he wanted to agree, to let them kill the demon before whisking Sam away to one of his islands to relax in the sun for a while. Gabriel was certain the hunter would have no problem with most of the ideas he had for relaxation. They could even take the other two after they had a week or two of their own, let them relax for a bit and spend time together without a threat over their heads.

"Yellow-eyed?"

The question was out of his mouth before Gabriel even realized he spoke. He had known there was demon blood in Sam's veins, but he had been unable to narrow down which demon. It wasn't like he knew a lot of them, Gabriel knew some of the big names to watch out for, and he remembered who fell with Luci, that was about it. If this demon had yellow eyes instead of black though, there was a chance he was high enough on the foodchain he might be able to put an end to this a lot sooner than Sam realized. It would be nothing for Gabriel to smite any demon, no matter how powerful they were he was still an archangel the same level as their creator. They had no chance.

"Yeah, he has yellow eyes instead of black. We ran into him a few times, even managed to gank his son and send his bitch daughter back to Hell… not that it did much good."

Warning bells were ringing in Gabriel's head. Demons typically didn't have children, even when they took a shinning to one of the souls trapped down there they didn't adopt them. It was possible over the years more 'family' units had been made in Hell, but demons weren't really built to want a family.

"Did he actually say they were his children?"

Gabriel's voice was quiet, hesitant but demanding of an answer while the three looked at him. Oh, he did not want to be right. If he was than there was no chance Luci didn't know about what was happening topside, and that was the last thing Gabriel wanted. If Luci knew the vessels were born he wouldn't stop, and he had plenty of reach for someone locked away.

"He said they were his children, yeah. I mean he could have been lying, but there wasn't really much of a point at the time. Why?" answered Sam.

Shaking his head, Gabriel leaned forward slightly resting his forehead on his hand before groaning. Oh great, this was exactly what he was hoping wouldn't happen. Well at least he knew who bled into Sammy, that was Azazel's MO through and through. Always picking up on children with a bit of ability and making them grow so he could use them.

"Yeah, okay Samoose, I'll help you kill the demon and then we're going on vacation. We're going on a nice long vacation on some beach somewhere, where I can watch you sunbathe and I'll show you exactly how awesome it is to be dating a god."

Still with his head in his hands, Gabriel couldn't hold back the smile at the thought of having Sam on one of his beaches. The kid would be perfect, and he could use some of his magic to take Sam out in the ocean safely and show him some of the creatures most humans had to avoid. He was certain Sammy would like that, he seemed like the type who loved to learn about everything.

"I can get the demon somewhere, and summon him. There are a few things I'm going to need though… and time. It would be best if the summoning happened on the crescent moon. So, we summon him, kill him and then go on vacation, sound good?"

"Now hold on a damn minute. You're telling us you can just summon the thing? And what happens when you do? We don't have anything that can kill him anymore, the colt isn't here and this demon has to die not go back downstairs to claw his way back out again." Demanded Bobby.

Blinking, Gabriel turned his head from where it had been buried in his hands and looked at the older man. They couldn't be serious, they were hunting a demon who they knew was above average with nothing to kill it? How suicidal could they be?

"You know, if I wasn't so dumbfounded by your stupidity I would be yelling right now. You mean to tell me you two bozos were trying to trail a demon you had no way of killing? What was your plan when you found him? Thankfully, you don't have to worry about getting your hands dirty, I can kill him just fine without committing suicide in the process."

"You can kill him? Like really kill him for good?"

Fighting back his urge to snap at someone questioning him after a binding ritual, Gabriel sighed at the tone Sam used. Sam was so full of hope, wishful really at the thought of someone being able to actually finish this. Instead of answering Gabriel nodded his head, giving the tall hunter a soft smile before a quick kiss.

"Yes, I can kill him. Demons are nothing compared to me. I'm not saying some of them wouldn't give me a hard time, but they aren't really the kind to come topside. So, I'm going to need a couple things from one of my houses and a place to summon him. The moon should be right in about a weeks' time, we do this then and once he's gone we all take a vacation while I think up our next plan of action. Sound like a plan?"

"Wait all of us take a vacation? I thought you were going to take Sammy for a little break and then we get back into it?"

There was hurt in his tone when Dean spoke of Gabriel taking Sam away for a bit. Once again holding Sam's hand, Gabriel thought about it. Michael had been more than angry when Lucifer decided to defy Father's word, he had been hurt. It was the root of the whole thing, Luci felt hurt about Dad bringing home the new baby and Mike had been hurt Luci caused such problems. Luci had chosen to fight against Michael, had raised his sword against him, and that had hurt Michael far more than anything else could have. The two archangels had been inseparable before then, always having each others back, always together. They were brothers in much the same way Dean and Sam were, one of the reasons they were a perfect fit.

Michael had hated it when Lucifer was no longer around, when he no longer was able to protect his brother. Gabriel couldn't see Dean being any different. While Dean wanted what was best for Sam, and would let him go if he believed the other hunter would be protected, it wasn't what Dean wanted. What Dean wanted was for the two of them to stay together, to remain as they were. There had to be a middle ground, a way so Sam could come with Gabriel and Dean not go stir crazy.

"Give me a bit of time Dean, let me figure out how to work with this bond… let me kill this demon so you no longer have to hunt it. I'm trying to help both of you boys, trying to keep you both safe not just Sam. Once we have this bond figured out we can talk then… if I can't figure it out on my own there are a couple favours I can cash in. I know it's against everything you've ever known, but I need you to trust me a little bit here."

Getting a hesitant nod from the eldest brother, Gabriel smiled before moving to stand up. He had enough questions for a bit. If he was going to do this for the long haul, he needed to work. Stretching Gabriel glanced at Sam who was watching the small bit of stomach exposed while Gabriel raised his arms. Smirking, Gabriel turned back to Sam and held out his hand to the taller man. Sam seemed a bit surprised before taking the hand and having Gabriel pull to help him up. Once Sam was standing, Gabriel didn't let go of his hand, instead he pulled until Sam was standing right beside him.

Still smirking, Gabriel placed his free hand on Sam's chest, moving his fingers to trail upwards while keeping eye contact.

"So hot stuff, want to come back to my place?"

For a moment Gabriel thought he would be refused. Sam seemed to hesitate slightly, his eyes darting to his brother. Fighting back a sigh, Gabriel pressed a bit closer and nuzzled against his hunter. He had to leave, there were things he had to gather, but if Sam didn't want to come with him he could stick around for a bit before he had to leave. Gabriel felt more than heard the rumble coming from Sam, it took a moment before he realized what it was. Humans needed to eat, and they had been sitting there for hours, Sam was sure to be hungry. What kind of mate was he that he didn't feed his human?

Not moving from his comfortable position surrounded by Sam, Gabriel raised his hand and snapped his fingers. While the other two jumped, Gabriel simply nuzzled more against his hunter, hoping for forgiveness for his oversight. Eventually the smell of food came into the room, causing the stomach he was pressed against to rumble again. Sighing Gabriel pulled away slightly and looked up at Sam.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized you were hungry ages ago. It won't happen again, forgive me?"

His voice was so small when it came out, hesitant that his mate wouldn't forgive him for forgetting his needs. Gabriel didn't have to worry though as Sam easily bent down to kiss him softly.

"You don't have to worry about it, I'll be sure to tell you next time, alright?"

Nodding his head, Gabriel let go of Sam slowly so the hunter could go to the food in the kitchen. His head had been so buried against his mate Gabriel hadn't even noticed the other two already making their way there. Entering the kitchen only slightly behind Sam, who had once again grabbed his hand, Gabriel smiled at the way the other two were eagerly digging in. Letting go of Sam's hand, Gabriel walked around so he was sitting on the counter while Sam gathered his food. The table had been enlarged slightly to accommodate the dishes he had brought into existence.

Paying close attention, Gabriel noticed Sam chose several different dishes before sitting down. Gabriel made sure to note what Sam had eaten on their dates along with the knowledge Sam enjoyed more natural foods. Now that there was a selection of both greasy and healthier foods Sam still stuck with what was be healthier for his system, making Gabriel smile. Hearing the few moans of appreciation for the food, absently Gabriel noticed while Sam ate things healthy for him Dean ate what most humans would. Gabriel was actually slightly impressed someone could pack away that much pie after their meal.

Once the meal was done, Gabriel snapped his fingers, putting away the leftovers and cleaning the dishes. He didn't know if Bobby wanted to keep them or not, but Gabriel would leave them here as an option if Bobby liked. Deciding to break through the silence creeping up between them, Gabriel made sure to keep his tone playful while he spoke.

"So Samalam, what do you want to do for the next week? We can either go somewhere of your choosing, I recommend Bermuda this time of year. We could stay here with Papa Bear and your brother until we drive them nuts, or, and this is my personal favourite, we could go back to my main home until it's time to summon this demon."

"Just for the week?"

There was a challenge there, and while he wanted to meet it, Gabriel knew he wouldn't do anything Sam didn't want to do. While he was completely against the idea, Gabriel would even help the kid if he chose to go back to hunting once this was over. It would probably kill him to have his grace so close to the surface and being unable to let it help, but if its what Sam wanted it would be done. Nodding his head, Gabriel smiled brightly at the hunter.

"Yeah, just for the week… we could get a head start on trying to figure this bond out at the same time, win win if you ask me. I have cell service so you can even update big bro while you're there… I just, we need to get a handle on this Sam. If we don't have something figured out by the end of the week, then after we gank your demon I'll ask around to see if someone has any idea what's going on. Sound good?"

Dean surprisingly didn't say anything, nor did Bobby while he spoke. Gabriel assumed whatever silent language the three of them had allowed Sam to take the lead on this. Biting his lip, Gabriel tried to hide how nervous he was. He had never, not even once, brought a human back to his home. While his children always had access to wherever he was and could easily track him, besides them, Gabriel had kept everyone else out. His home was his sanctuary, the one place he could be whatever and whoever he needed to be. He may not have sounded like it, but it was a huge deal to Gabriel to have Sam come home.

Lost in thought Gabriel hardly noticed when Sam walked up to him until he felt a hand gently tilting his head up. Easily responding to the request, Gabriel smiled as Sam pressed their lips together. Instantly his whole body relaxed while Sam held him, letting him know whatever was bothering him was okay, Sam was there. Holding the hunters arms Gabriel pressed his own lips back, neither looking to deepen the kiss merely to press against each other lovingly. When they eventually pulled away, Sam smiled at him, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear before speaking softly.

"Take us home Loki."

Happily, Gabriel nodded his head before brining his hand away from Sam for a moment. With a snap the two of them were gone, leaving Bobby and Dean alone in the house. One grumbling before heading for his office while the other took a surprising turn and made his way to the living room. There the eldest Winchester pulled book after book down before making his way to the table with a notepad and pen. He had a week before Loki brought his brother back, and he wasn't going to waste it.

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