A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks you for your patience on this one. To guest reviewer The Lucky One - You have some great ideas! If you don't already, you should write some fanfiction of your own ;) However, I can't answer many of your questions because I don't want to spoil anything. Just keep reading. Thank you for your review! And thanks to all who reviewed/followed/favorited this story! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

Sam knew he was looking for a needle in a haystack. He reviewed everything he knew about mermaids and water demons. If this thing was a vengeful spirit, there wasn't much Sam could do, unless the bones were somewhere in the sea. Fat chance of finding those. Anyway, he wouldn't know whose bones they were.

He did find a pretty neat shipwreck, though. It had to be from at least the nineteenth century. After exploring its crumbling hulls, he came to the conclusion that there was no lost treasure aboard this ship. Just a bunch of fat fish with gaping mouths. On his way out, he spotted a shark. It was small, not like a giant killer white, but its sleek body was still intimidating. Sam watched in awe as it passed him, the ultimate predator. It knew just when to lie in wait for its prey.

It was then that Sam realized he was doing this all wrong. The only way to know what was hunting Candi was to put himself in its place. If he kept track of where Candi was, he was certain to run into the creature at some point, because he knew it would be watching, too.

His first place to look was near the dock near where her aunt lived. No Candi there. He swam along the coast, avoiding any boats he came across. He made his way towards the lighthouse.

That's when he heard laughing. He ducked down, not wanting anyone to spot him. He watched someone jump from the dock.

And… if he wasn't mistaken… it was Gabriel.

And the girl with him was Candi.

The hell?

Sam frowned. What could possibly be Gabriel's game plan? Why did Candi mean anything to him?

The answer was simple, he realized.

She didn't.

He was trying to lure the creature. He must be. Why else would he allow Candi to be in the water, especially knowing something was after her?

Just as always, Gabriel was running his own dangerous agenda. And Sam couldn't let that happen. He swam a little closer. Candi was counting. And swimming further and further out into the open. Anger flared inside Sam. He dove under the water, and with a few powerful strokes of his tail, swam right past her and to Gabriel. He grabbed his ankles, pulling him under. He dragged him, kicking and struggling, back to the dock, where he slammed him up against a wooden pole.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

Gabriel's wide eyes crinkled into a grin when he recognized him. "Oh. Hey, Sam. How's the new tail?" He smirked.

Candi was screaming behind Sam. "What the hell is going on?" she yelled. Sam didn't dare look back at her.

"Turn me back," he growled.

"Come again?"

"You heard me. Turn me back or Candi will need quite an explanation. Are you ready for that?"

Gabriel stared stubbornly back at Sam, then rolled his eyes. "You take the fun out of everything." And he snapped his fingers.

Sam quickly started kicking his feet, realizing how weak and pathetic they were compared to the fish tail he had been sporting for a day and a night.

"Sam?" Candi's voice was right behind him. He forced a grin onto his face, turning around.

"Hey, Candi." She punched him so hard, he fell back against Gabriel, who started cackling like the fiend he was.

"Hey, man. She can punch."

"What the hell was that?" Candi demanded. She was mad. Seething. After what you told me last night, and now this? What are you trying to do, scare me away?"

Sam felt his eyes widen. "Candi, hold on a second. What did I tell you last night?"

"I don't need to repeat it," she snapped.

Realization hit Sam in a wave, and he twirled on Gabriel. "You and I need to talk," he said.

Gabriel shrugged. "Fine by me. Candi?"

"I've got to get ready for work anyway," she said, hoisting herself back onto the dock. Then she peered down at them. "Are you two friends or something?"

"You could say that," Gabriel said just as Sam snapped, "No."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oooookay. I'll leave you two to it, then."

"Hey, Candi?" Gabriel called after her. She knelt down on the dock.

"Yeah?"

"What time?"

She smiled. Sam looked to Gabriel, back to Candi. Gabriel was playing a very dangerous game, all right.

"How about seven?" she asked.

"Perfect. I'll pick you up."

"I'll give you my address."

"Don't need it."

She smirked at him. "Didn't think so. Don't be late." She shot a glance at Sam. "See ya, Sam."

And she was gone. As was Gabriel's grin. "Okay, I need to get out of this salt bath, pronto." He and Sam crawled onto the dock. Gosh, it felt good to use his legs again. Once they were safely out of the water, Sam surveyed the speakers blaring something by Journey, the chair, and the discarded sunglasses and empty glass. He turned back to Gabriel.

"Seriously, man. What. The. Hell."

"Candi and I are on friendly terms," Gabriel said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah? Well, don't make it too friendly. She's Dean's, remember?"

Gabriel bent to pick up a discarded magazine. He rolled it up and pointed at Sam. The mischief had suddenly cleared from his face, and Gabriel, for once, looked serious. "You stay away from her."

Sam opened his mouth to counter, but came up dry. He huffed out a fake laugh instead. "You can't possibly care about her. Come on, Gabriel. What's your master plan? Your big trick?"

Gabriel lowered the magazine and broke eye contact. "Did you find anything?"

"What, while I was singing under the sea, Little Mermaid-style? No. My plan was to keep an eye on Candi and see if the thing would show up."

Gabriel nodded, pursing his lips. "Not a bad plan." He snapped his fingers, and Sam collapsed on the deck, that stupid tail writhing beneath him.

"Gabriel, before you push me back in there, I have to tell you something."

"Does it have anything to do with Candi?"

"No. But—"

"Not interested, then."

"Gabriel, listen to me."

Gabriel had his fingers poised, ready to snap. He sighed dramatically. "What?"

Sam paused. "If you hurt Candi, I swear to God—"

"Trust me, Sam Winchester. She's much safer with me than you."

The snap of his fingers was the last thing Sam heard above water.

Seven o'clock, on the dot. He even knocked on the door.

Candi opened it with a smile. Gabe, dressed in dark blue jeans and a light purple dress shirt, grinned right back. "You look quite stunning," he said.

She laughed it off, but felt the blush coming to her cheeks. "Whatever."

"Don't argue with me, young lady," he said, leading her to his car, which of course was a sleek silver Maserati.

"Daaaaang," she breathed. He opened the door for her, but she turned to him instead. "And a lighthouse keeper can afford a car like this?"

"It's a rental," he said with a shrug.

She looked back at the nice leather seat. "I'm almost afraid to touch it."

"Why?" he stepped back, framing his hands around his eye like he was taking a photograph. "You look like you belong in a car like this."

Candi shook her head. "Uh, no. Definitely not," she laughed. But she got in.

As soon as he was in the car, he glanced her way. "All buckled in?"

"What am I, three?" she laughed. She pulled on the seatbelt that was already strapped across her body.

"Just making sure. You're precious cargo."

"Okay, you can tone down on the cheesy comments."

"Noted." He pulled out of her driveway.

Jen was not going to believe what kind of car Gabriel drove. She had been working at Jen's grandmother's shop today, so Jen got to hear all about her asking Gabriel out. Jen, of course, thought it was the most romantic thing in the universe. Candi was actually pretty excited. She hoped all would go well. She glanced at Gabe. "So, where to?"

"I figured we'd go to Hickory's."

"Oh." Her happy bubble suddenly deflated. "I work there."

Gabriel laughed. "Relax, Candi. I know. I actually figured we'd go out of town, find a nicer place to eat."

Candi hadn't left Camden to eat anywhere nice since her father had passed away. Her excitement bubbled up again. "I like this plan."

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't awkward. Even though she was in the nicest car she'd ever been in with a man who had infuriated her more than anything else, she felt more or less at peace. Comfortable.

"So… you going to tell me how you know Sam?"

Gabe glanced at her, his golden eyes glistening. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"We were bouncers together in L.A."

Candi highly doubted that. "Come on, be serious with me, Gabe."

His lips twitched in an expression that was anything but. However, he toned it down after a moment. "He and his brother are in the same line of work. We've run into each other a couple of times, but there were usually disagreements."

"Where's his brother now?"

"Dean?" Gabe huffed out a laugh, but it was clear he was not amused. "Dean screwed himself over so bad, I don't think even his brother can help him now."

Candi watched as they pulled onto the interstate, thinking. Sam said he was from the FBI. If his brother was in the same line of work, that meant he was in the FBI, too. And if Gabe had had confrontations with them…

"You're not… a criminal, are you?"

Gabe glanced at her in amusement. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… you did steal my bike once."

He started laughing, which made Candi smile. He had a nice, genuine laugh. "But seriously. Do you not get along with Sam and his brother because you break the law?"

"Their law," he answered. "They're push-overs." He looked back over at her. "What about you? Does this good girl have a bad side to her?"

Candi shrugged. "I go over the speed limit. Jen and I snuck some of her dad's beer when we were ten. I've littered a few times. But I've never really stolen anything or… killed anyone," she joked.

Gabe didn't reply to that. He didn't even really smile, which concerned her. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. You're a feisty one, all right."

"What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Gabe seemed to be thinking. "Not stood up enough for my family, I guess," he answered. "I kind of… left home on a bad note. Deadbeat dad. Controlling brothers. That kind of thing."

Candi nodded. "I'm sorry, Gabe."

He ran a hand over his hair. "If you want, you can call me Gabriel."

They blared Skillet and Fall Out Boy after that. But Gabriel had reached a realization.

What was he doing?

Candi was a normal, good girl. The worst she'd ever done was sneak some beer as a kid. He… he had been in wars. Heavenly wars. He'd killed people. Made them lose their minds after the tricks he pulled on them.

He, an angel, looked like a devil compared to Candi.

He could never ask her to be a part of his life. So why was he encouraging these feelings that had been growing daily, threatening to overwhelm him? He was so used to just taking whatever he wanted. But this time… this time he could see how selfish he was being.

And at the same time… he couldn't just let her go. Not now that they were going on a date together. Pull yourself together, buddy, he thought to himself. His one goal tonight was to make sure Candi was happy.

Ten minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Candi gasped. "La Bella? No way. I haven't been here since I was a kid!"

"I thought it looked pretty classy," he said, putting the vehicle in park. "Hold on right there." He opened the door for her. He hadn't been exaggerating when he called her stunning at her door. She was wearing a mini skirt with a tight-fitting black blouse and a pretty gold necklace with angel wings dangling from it. Cheap jewelry, but it looked nice on her. Her usual braid was down and wavy, giving her a cute school-girl look.

He offered her his arm, which she took. "I hope you like Italian," he said softly in her ear just before opening the door.

After being seated by a waitress Gabriel usually would have taken notice of, he watched Candi flip through the menu.

"You'd have to speak Italian to know what any of this was," she said with a small laugh.

Gabriel cleared his throat with a smirk. "Allow me." He went down the menu, first reading the item out loud in perfect Italian, then describing the dish to her. She interrupted him after five dishes.

"Do you speak Italian?" she asked.

"Solo quando in presenza di una belle donna," he answered coyly.

She shook her head in mock exasperation. "What does that mean?"

"Yes," Gabriel said simply. "Now, what are you in the mood for?"

Eventually, Candi ordered the tagliolini alle vongole ("Clams and pasta," Gabriel explained), and Gabriel ordered a lobster. Candi eyed the food when it was placed in front of them. "Seriously, can you afford this?"

"I can afford whatever I want," Gabriel replied with a wink. "Besides, you're worth every penny." He nodded towards her food. "Like it?"

"It's very good," she affirmed. "Want to try?"

Gabriel glanced up at her in surprise. She laughed.

"Promise, I didn't spit in it or anything." She twirled some pasta onto her fork and extended it his way. She looked overly amused. Gabriel tried it; it wasn't bad at all, but compared to the foods he had eaten in the past… He sat back, chewing thoughtfully. "I believe you've made a wise selection," he concluded. He offered her some of his lobster. She started laughing when he became unsteady and poked her lip with his fork and dropped the food onto her plate.

"Whoops," he said, leaning back. He couldn't stop admiring her. Her laugh was light, but not obnoxious like it was with most girls. Her bangs fell into her eyes whenever she bent her head, and she had to keep tucking them behind her ear, which was a perfect shape, as far as ears went. He noticed how delicate her hands were, how slender her fingers. Even her imperfections were beautiful.

"I was proud of you for getting into the water today," Candi said. "You still afraid of it?" she joked.

"Heh heh." Yes. "It's not as bad as I thought," he ended up saying.

"So… will you swim again with me sometime?" Candi was smiling at him, and her eyes were bright… hopeful?

Gabriel took another bite of lobster. "Maybe."

"You are still scared."

"You got me."

Candi laughed. "What was it you said to me? Angels can't fly with wet wings?"

Gabriel smiled. "Except I was recently told I'm not an angel…?"

Her eyes sparkled, and she took a sip of her drink. "Well. We'll just have to make your wings water proof."

He could have kissed her right there, she was so adorable. Instead, he folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Now, why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're too busy thinking up pranks," she joked.

"Oh, right. Speaking of which…" he leaned forward and extended his hand, brushing her dark hair behind her ear. She watched him carefully. He smirked, and whisked a napkin out from behind her ear. Her jaw dropped and stared as Gabriel shook the napkin out with a sharp flick and dabbed at his mouth with it.

"You really are a prankster," she said.

"Trickster, actually." He winked.

"A trickster angel?" She shook her head. "Somehow those two don't quite mesh."

"If a dark angel can mesh, why not a trickster angel?" he countered.

"What kind of angel would I be?" Candi asked.

Gabriel watched her. "You're sweeter than an angel," he finally said. "Angels aren't that nice in reality."

"Of course they are. They help people."

"Sure, but that's just because it's their job."

Candi set down her fork and knife. "Why so cynical?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I've been around too long." He smiled and looked down at her plate. "Ready for dessert?"

"I'm too full," she said, resting a hand on her stomach. "But since you didn't make the ten seconds, we'll take a rain check and I'll pay."

"Noooooo." Gabriel folded up the napkin he had pulled from behind her ear. "We were rudely interrupted. I'll pay."

"You sure?"

"As anything."

She smiled at him, and their eyes locked, steel blue with golden brown. Her grin grew wider, happier. He liked seeing her happy. "Let's grab some to-go boxes," she said. "And then maybe we can… drive around a bit. Strange as it is to believe, I've actually enjoyed talking with you tonight."

Gabriel's insides fluttered like a bird's wings.

"I'll let you call the shots, boss," he replied. And in that moment, in the golden warm glow of the restaurant and Candi sitting across from him, he was happier than he believed any other angel could imagine.