Ok, so I realize that my grammar leaves something to be desired. So, help? Be a critic, because flames only make Michael happier.
Disclaimer: Don't. Own. Supernatural.
Chapter Eleven: Hell in a Box
He said he'd keep the promise to Father and that's exactly what Gabriel did. Before he left Heaven and became Loki, God told him of two people who could reunite the archangels again or destroy them completely. He told Gabriel that he had to make sure they lived that long. Since he wasn't all that into bullshit, he must have been telling the truth. Now Gabriel was with his brothers, till apocalypse do they part forever and eternity. With the added bonus of a stubborn ass Winchester who refused to stay behind his well-armored wings and his half-dead half brother. It had only been three years down in the Cage and he was about to kill them. Not only was Lucifer still gunning for Sam, fighting Michael and trying to kill him all in one go, but he had a really bad craving for chocolate. See the stars again and laugh with his garrison.
Gabriel also had another promise to fulfill. This one to Bobby, Dean and Castiel. Before he let himself fall, he'd told them that he would protect Sam from Lucifer and keep his soul intact. Hell of a job, since the kid was nearly suicidal in trying to help Adam. After ten years, he finally managed to get the boys behind his wings and fend off any attempts from Lucifer. Twenty years; Michael and Lucifer were still going at it but there was less anger and more desperation. Sam was all but rocking on the ground from the sights that he'd seen and everything he'd heard. There was only so much Gabriel could do for him before one of his brothers lashed out. Mentally and physically, it was killing the humans. For Gabriel, it was more of a hiccup in his extremely long life that wasn't actually all that bad. Aw, well. Life sucks. Then you throw yourself into a literal cage with the devil and Heaven's champion, wasting away behind the messenger's wings. Well, that's a new one.
Sighing, Gabriel took a little peek to check on Dean and immediately wished he hadn't. Who knew humans could bend that way? He certainly didn't and he wished it had stayed that way. Choking, he turned to Sam and muttered, "Well, at least Dean-o has a…um. A special friend. It's nice to see that his Libido hasn't suffered any." Sam gave him a look that said I'm smiling, I just don't have the energy to actually move my face. It would work.
After forty years, they had finished fighting and were playing cards. "Gabe, you got any threes?" asked Lucifer with a look of imperial boredom on his face.
"Go fish. Sammy, you got any queens?"
Sam, looking a lot less scarred and more annoyed, threw down his cards and demanded, "Why do we even let him play? He knows what we have already. Who wants to play Yahtzee or something that he can't cheat at?"
To his surprise, the Archangels that had originally wanted to kill him nodded sagely and put their cards down. Gabriel pouted and looked over to the slumping Adam. "Hey kid, what do you think? Yahtzee?"
Giving them a look of complete and utter disbelief before turning around and ignoring them. This had been happening ever since he opened the Cage so Gabriel was pretty sure he was hating on Sam. Great, another sibling feud. The next one is gonna kill me. Sighing, he increased the water surrounding them and turned it into a swimming pool. Michael didn't look happy, but Lucifer cracked a smile. Sam just floated and Adam didn't react in the slightest as he sat at the bottom, unable to die when technically, he already did. Paddling over to the spot the brooding idiot sat, he easily dunked down and sat beside him. Mentally, he asked, why aren't you having fun? Would you rather Mike and Luci try taking it out on your hide?
He's the bloody perfect one. I'm just the extra.
Breath bubbling in the water, Gabriel sighed and thought, oh, Father, not again. The same thing had happened to Aziraphael and Damael after the latter's unfortunate Fall. It was known as 'little brother syndrome'. The symptoms? Chronic jealousy, misdirected anger and a need to prove yourself to the highest authority. Or the only one who you even considered family. Gabriel abruptly decided he didn't want in on this one and after a quick sort-it-out bitchface, joined his brothers and Sam back on the surface. He got rid of the pool after Adam threatened to stick an angel blade somewhere extremely…unpleasant.
Sixty years in the cage and they, Michael, Lucifer and Gabriel, were tilting their heads to watch the fight between Sam and Adam. The tension had exploded three years ago and had turned into an all-out war between the two to see who could give the biggest life-threatening injury. As it turns out, they forgot that they were already in Hell and couldn't die. Therefore, whenever one of them got in a good hit, they screamed, "Damn it!" because the other just got right back up. Gabriel glanced at his own brothers, who gave him a look in unison that screamed, don't even bring that up. Putting up his hands in surrender, he got up and swiped the angel blades from the idiots. "Put those down! You could poke someone's eye out with that thing." Needless to say, neither looked impressed.
Seventy years? They were back to cards. Sam and Adam had made a truce and even though they still didn't like each other, they'd decided to give it a shot. Mostly thanks to Lucifer, who threatened to split them in half and combine them until the end of time. It seemed that he was finally over his temper tantrum and had accepted the fact that humans were there. Would've been great if he realized it sooner but still, it's the thought that counts. Gabriel was still cheating at cards and was still being grounded by Michael. Even in the middle of Hell, you couldn't change that. Amazingly enough, the archangels were brothers again after millennia's of hatred on both parts. He could already feel the bonds between them reforming even stronger than before the fall.
Eighty years. It was time. Sam Winchester top-side needed a soul and Castiel needed his Mentor. Not to mention Heaven needed Michael more than a flower needed rain. To say the least, it was wilting. Things were being put into motion that should have laid dormant for centuries more without Heaven and hell hurrying on the Apocalypse. Well, now that they were happening there was no choice in the matter. Whatever he couldn't see was coming after the Winchesters and attempting to reclaim the world but he couldn't be sure. No, he could only hope it wasn't them. Earth needed it's angels or else things were going to get crazier and more unbelievable than they already were. Gabriel might not have been able to see what was going to happen but he was damn sure going to prevent the worst. Unfortunately, his brothers would probably hate him for what he was about to do.
Looking at the four of them staring at the colorful runes adorning one of the walls, he chirped, "So, who wants to get out of here?"
They froze. Michael and Lucifer turned to look at him slowly, each with fire burning in their eyes. Flinching slightly, Gabriel carefully brought a gleaming war-horn from one of his pockets and enlarged it. Sam picked up an angel blade and was shortly followed by Adam. The messenger grinned unabashedly and said, "Cover your ears, boys! This is going to be loud."
And it was. Pressing his lips to the instrument, Gabriel started playing a happy tune that made the four listeners stop and smile as happy memories long since forgotten rushed before their eyes. Such was the power of the herald's flawless skill and longing for something seemingly just out of reach. The volume became louder and louder until the memories were ignored in favor of plugging their ears against a noise that was by far greater than any ever heard. Michael and Lucifer simply listened, as they had heard the horn many times before in times of both happiness and grief. The Morning Star had missed this sound the most. As they watched and listened, runes began to glow around the herald and their prison began to shake from the intensity. Demons shrieked at the pure sound before the Cage literally began tearing itself apart from the inside.
Until finally, they were free.
Gabriel lifted Sam off the floor as Michael did the same with Adam. Lucifer simply reveled in flying with his newly formed white and black wings, truly free for the first time in millennia's. Gabriel was weak from using his own grace to supplement the horn's, so he decided to drop off Sam's soul to Death and take a short breather in Heaven before checking in with the knuckleheads. After all, he could feel the warmth of his garrison's grace searching for him and Castiel's pain at having lost him again. Michael and Lucifer flew close to him in case he dropped out of the sky like last time as he drifted closer to the Horseman. Nodding, he opened the bag and Sam was sucked inside.
While his brothers all but carried him to Heaven, he couldn't help but wonder how badly Lucifer had harmed the kid's mind in those first forty or so years. It wasn't totally possible for Sam to become brain dead from the mental tortures but it was still a possibility. Before he knew what was happening, Gabriel had fallen asleep.
Lucifer and Michael watched him tenderly as the teenage angel's golden hair drooped down to cover his face. They hadn't thought he would go this far to protect the race of humans when he had been so indecisive at the start. Now they could see what he had the moment the archangels had seen the fragile creatures. A divine war that would rip Heaven to the point of breaking and leave Earth a sundered mess. It wasn't that which had made him confused - it was them, two different opinions both asking him to fight for them. Michael and Lucifer knew they had been selfish and blind not to see how the war they'd started affected everyone around them. The twins, Gabriel and even Seraphael because all considered the Morning Star beloved.
Touching down on the clouds, the brothers faced each other and smiled. For the first time since the Fall, all of the archangels were in the same place and no one was going to die. Feeling guilty for what he had done in a fit of betrayal, Lucifer gently took his little brother's sleeping form from Michael and cradled him close to his chest. His brother understood, of course. After all, he and Raphael had very nearly killed the messenger when he was no more than a fledgling. It hadn't been intentional. More out of annoyance than spite but they had done it anyways. It made no difference what the intentions were. Like it or not, they were stuck with Gabriel till death to they part. Like the wedding vows from Hell.
Of course, they got a true look at Hell when they saw what had become of their peaceful home. Faces completely blanched of all emotion, they watched incredulously as garrisons of angels swarmed around each other with biting steel swords and scimitars. Another group attacking from the ground led a charge across the clouds before Michael's voice boomed, "STOP! What the hell are you doing? Stand down now!"
Turning with a sneer on his face, one of the flying fighters jeered, "We don't follow anyone but…Michael?" he finished, gaping in disbelief.
Ignoring the fluttering idiot, Michael glared until all of the fighting garrisons were kneeling and wailing at his feet. Lucifer looked incredibly amused at this, absently running a hand through Gabriel's locks and making his way to the Pantheon. He was nearly run through with at least twenty angel blades that were stopped in their tracks by Michael's heavy broadsword. The Morning Star didn't even notice and if he did, kept the comments to himself. It was a miracle he didn't trip over any of the discarded weapons on the ground but then again, he always was the graceful one. Just like Gabriel was the loud, obnoxious clumsy one. Everything balanced out in the end.
Well, except for the fact that young Castiel looked like he was about to hug Gabriel or try and kill him. That was relatively new.
The reason Gabriel jumped in the cage was because he knew what Lucifer would try and do. That and Michael and Lucifer are stubborn bastards who don't know when to quit. Give them a reason to stop, like a little brother that they hopefully wouldn't kill, and eventually they'll give up. The cards thing was just for my own amusement and the pool was so Gabe could talk to Adam without anyone noticing. Gabriel brought the horn as an escape plan since he knew they would be needed in Heaven.