Psssst – new chapter. Pass it on.

Chapter Nineteen

Dean thought about Sam's theory, that it was the younger brother. The violent death of his older brother might be enough to trigger the younger brother's spirit.

"Sam?" Dean asked, watching their notes on each other burn, "what if we're both right?"

"What do you mean?" Sam leaned heavier on his shoulder. Dean would like to be annoyed, but he knew that Sam suddenly felt better. Right before Sam leaned against him his brother was pretty down, but now Sam's emotions were light and carefree. That was pretty weird, but no stranger than anything else in the past few weeks.

"Well, the death of the older brother could trigger the younger brother's spirit, right?" Dean reasoned out loud. "And I'm sure Jerry never got over Ben's death. What if they're in that building, working together?"

Sam turned his head to look at Dean, chewing his lower lip. "That would work. I wonder…" Sam's eyes lit up. "Bet you a hundred that the younger brother wasn't cremated."

"How's that?" Dean asked, marveling at the way Sam's mind worked.

"Let's go," Sam said, moving back to the car.

With a shrug, Dean headed back to the driver's seat. "We're going to find out if the younger brother was buried?" he asked as he reached for the keys.

"No," Sam replied, voice heavy with emotion, "we're going to find out where the younger brother is buried."

Dean wanted to look over, to see what was bothering Sam. Instead he reached out with his emotions. Dark and brooding was normal for Sam, but this felt dark even for his little brother. When Dean reached further in, pushed a little harder, those dark emotions pushed back.

"Sam, you're not getting sick or anything, are you?" he asked, trying to identify the reason behind that darkness.

"Nope. Just ready for this case to be over," Sam snapped. The wave of dark emotions raced from Sam and rolled over Dean, washing him in regret, fear, anxiety, guilt, and anger. Unable to stop himself, Dean shook the dark emotions off.

Remembering Mike's warning about shaking off emotions, Dean tore his eyes from the road to check on Sam. He noticed a few green specks on Sam's shoulder. Dean attempted to reabsorb them by reaching over to brush them off his brother when Sam shouted, "Look out!"

Mentally cursing himself, Dean's eyes snapped back to the road. Right in front of them a man and a woman stood in their path. He stomped on the brake, whipping the wheel hard to the left. Once again his poor baby squealed, protesting her punishment at his hands. After they came to a swift if noisy stop, Dean leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"Uh, Dean?" Sam's voice shook. Dean thought that was perfect, it matched his nerves. "I think you better take a look at this."

Dean cracked his eyes open, peering out Sam's window. The man and woman who stood in the road walked up to the car. The man had perfect features, startling blue eyes, and wild, wind-swept hair.

Dean groaned. "We don't need this right now." He started to open his door when he noticed Sam had not moved. "Are you coming?"

Sam's head twisted from side to side. "I don't think this is my kind of crowd."

"Like it's mine," Dean scoffed softly.

"It is these days," Sam replied, steady eyes boring into him. Dean tried once again to reach out for Sam's emotions, but he felt nothing this time. Sam must have been blocking him again.

Irritated by Sam blocking him and the two figures approaching, Dean swung his door open. He clenched his jaw, attempting to rein in those pesky emotions as he approached Mike.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't jump out in front of my baby like that," Dean said by way of greeting.

"Nice to see you too, Dean," Mike replied, giving Dean a look that could only be interpreted as a warning. "I'd like you to meet someone. Dean, this," Mike turned to the woman, "is Gabriel." But the way Mike said it, it sounded more like 'Gabrielle.'

"As in, Gabriel?" Dean asked, pronouncing it the way Pastor Jim did, like a guy's name.

"The one and only," she stated, her voice strong enough to cut through thunder. "I've been hearing a lot about you, Dean."

Dean had no idea if he was supposed to shake her hand, bow or what. So he nodded his head at her, hoping she or Mike would let him know if it was inappropriate. "I've heard a lot about you, too. I guess most people pronounce your name wrong?"

She smiled at him. "Well, I'm not too picky about that. Unlike Michael."

"That right, Mike?" Dean asked. He smirked at Gabriel's startled reaction. Mike glared at him, briefly. Yeah, that was totally worth it.

Mike cleared his throat and Dean felt the clouds overhead swirl. "I think you know why we're here, Dean."

Dean narrowed his eyes at Mike. A flash through his mind. Dean and Mike stood alone in a vast field. There was nothing but stalks of wheat or something as far as he could see.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, not seeing his car or brother or anything but this stupid field.

"I've asked you not to say that!" Mike snapped. "Listen to me very carefully, Dean. Do you know who Gabriel is?"

"Big, bad-ass archangel like you, right?" Dean said with a shrug. "So what?"

Mike stepped forward, his eyes glowing brighter than Dean had ever seen. "Do the names Sodom and Gomorrah ring a bell?" Dean thought about it, shrugged and shook his head. Mike groaned. "How about the burning bush? Voice of God? The one who buried Abraham?" Mike held Dean by both shoulders. "Dean, please, for the love of God, don't challenge her."

"Why?" Dean wanted to tease about what might happen if he took this new angel down too, but Mike really looked scared. "What is it? And where are we?"

"We're in my mind. I figured it would be less cluttered." Mike shrugged. "Please, Dean. Don't challenge her. She's expecting you to, and if you do and she wins…" Tears streamed down Mike's face as his fingers dug into Dean's shoulders. "Promise you won't. There won't be anyone to protect Sam if anything happens to you. It's important."

Unfortunately, Mike did make sense. "You think she's going to provoke me," he said, the realization dawning slowly, along with strong emotions of fear that did not seem familiar.

Mike nodded. "I can almost guarantee it. Just don't let her bait you, Dean. We're going to have to head back soon. She'll suspect."

Dean grabbed Mike by the arm as he tried to move away. "What do you mean, your head is less cluttered?"

Mike glared at him. "I wanted to be sure you paid attention to me, not strippers or a really sexy Impala speeding by."

Dean could not suppress the grin that came over his face. "Okay, you got a point there. Let's go."

The world around flashed with a bright, intense light. Dean winced, throwing up an arm to protect his eyes. Instead of dispersing, the light intensified.

"Dean?" Sam's voice came from someplace beyond the light. Didn't he leave Sam in the car? "Dean!"

Dean squinted in an attempt to open his eyes. Spots danced in his vision, obscuring everything else.

"Don't touch him!" Gabriel shouted from someplace in front of him.

"Sam?" Dean stumbled backward, hoping it was the right direction.

"Right here." He felt the warmth from Sam's emotions, his worry and guilt, close by. Dean reached out, caught an arm. He could tell by the feelings of relief that it was Sam, not to mention that guilt. Dean suspected he could recognize Sam's guilt anywhere.

Dean blinked hard, wishing the spots would disappear. He squeezed his eyes closed, also clutching Sam's arm as he concentrated on his vision. Dean opened his eyes slowly. The spots were gone and Gabriel's face slowly came into focus. She glared furiously at something behind him, which Dean knew instinctively had to be Sam. Even though he knew the object of her anger was Sam, Dean could not help but admire the beauty of that anger. God, he was warped, wasn't he?

"Problem?" he asked, pulling Sam behind him. Of course, Sam stood about a head taller than him so it wasn't like Dean could hide his little brother, but he could shield him. He did recognize more than he let on to Mike. Pastor Jim and Sam used to sit up late at night discussing different aspects of religion. Pastor Jim thought Gabriel might be the angel of death. Mike was right, Dean did not want to challenge her, not with Sam being the stakes.

"What did he do to you?" Gabriel demanded, motioning to Sam.

"What?" Dean asked, hearing Mike and Sam echo his sentiments. "Sam didn't do anything!" He released his hold on Sam to take a step forward. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "I'm still just, you know, getting the hang of things." Dean motioned around with his hands. Since he really had no idea what happened, that seemed as plausible an explanation as any.

Gabriel studied him for a moment. "Yes, I suppose that would make sense." She sounded suspicious, however. "We're here about Samuel."

"Sam," Sam corrected immediately.

"Of course," she replied politely, bowing slightly in acquiescence. Dean plunged his heel back into Sam's foot. The oompf of air at his back screamed success, but he hoped his brother would take a hint. If she scared Mike, they seriously did not want to mess with her. "I have been asked to come here as a representative of the others."

"Why?" Dean asked. "Isn't that what Mike's been doing?" He searched Mike's face for some clue, but that perfect face might have been chiseled in ice for all the emotion it contained at the moment.

"Not lately," Gabriel stated coolly. "We wish to know how Sam attacked you."

Dean grimaced. "I keep telling everyone, it wasn't Sam. It really wasn't." When she continued to glare at him, he added, "It was me."

"That's not possible." A thin smile came over Gabriel's face, and for a moment Dean saw her wearing that same smile and carrying a large, curved blade that blazed with the fury of the sun. When he blinked, the image was gone. "We all felt the attack. Perhaps Sam did not intend to do it, or to take it that far, but we must know so we can prevent it from happening again."

'She's baiting you.' Mike's voice resounded in his head. With those words, Dean understood that Gabriel did not come here with the intent of doing anything to Sam. He was her purpose. Perhaps they saw Dean as the greater threat, and once he was out of the way Sam could be dealt with easily. The memory of Mike's tear streaked face made Dean glance away from her eyes, before he was tempted to take on her challenge. Her eyes were the maddening gray of the sea during a storm, all fury and power. They drew him to her, enticed him to look, to submit or fight.

Dean drew upon that inner strength that had served him so many times in his life to force his gaze away. "We have some research to do," he said simply. "Unless you're going to tell us where the younger brother is buried?"

"You know I can't tell you where he's buried, Dean," Mike said, confirming that Sam was right and Ben had not been cremated. "You'll have to find that on your own."

Dean met Mike's eyes, finding no challenge there. "Does that mean this inquisition is over and we can go?"

Mike looked to Gabriel. She snorted, clearly used to getting her own way, before disappearing. "Yeah," Mike breathed, "you can go. And Dean?"

Dean paused before ushering Sam back to the car. "What?"

A small smile, but one that had warmth in it, spread across Mike's face. "Thanks."

Dean waved a hand, turning to get Sam and drive the hell out of there. "Why does it seem like God hates my car?" he asked.

"What?" Sam asked, blinking very large eyes at him. "What makes you say that?"

Dean shrugged, turning the engine over. "First the semi, then the tree. Now freaking angels just appearing in the road. I'll bet if we'd hit them, my baby would be a little puddle of paint, right about there." Dean pointed out the spot on the road where he first saw them.

Sam shook his head. "Too bad Mike can't ever help us."

"What are you talking about, Sammy? He just told us that you're right, the younger brother was buried and we need to find out where." Dean flashed his brother a grin. "Library?"

Sam nodded at him. "Library."

They drove in silence for a while. As they neared the library, Sam shifted nervously in his seat. "Dean, do you really think we should salt and burn them?"

Now that just sent a chill up Dean's spine. "Them? Sam, the older brother was cremated two months ago."

"I'm thinking he put something in his brother's casket, like a lock of hair or something that would count as remains. So when we burn it, we'll be doing it to both of them," Sam explained.

Dean shuddered. "So that's why the older brother is still around? Dude, remind me…" he broke off. "Nevermind."

"Nevermind what, Dean?" Sam demanded.

Dean shrugged. "Doesn't matter, Sammy. It's not going to happen anyway."

Sam made one of those scoffing noises. "Whatever. So what was all that about back there?"

"What? Gabriel?" Dean asked innocently, wondering if he should share his suspicions with Sam.

"Who else? What did she want?" The demanding tone in Sam's voice went beyond familiar and made the interior of his car claim the word 'home.'

Dean shrugged. "Probably for me to back down, like everybody else."

"So why didn't you?" Sam asked, looking out the window at the approaching library.

"I don't think that would have been a good idea," Dean admitted slowly.

Sam's dark eyes, flashing with intelligence, turned on him. As the younger brother, Sam had years of practice in getting his big brother to do what he wanted, so Dean braced himself. "Why not? Isn't that what we want here?"

Dean shook his head. "Not yet. I have to figure a few things out first."

"Like what?" Sam demanded in that same tone, the one designed to make Dean cave.

"Like finding out where Ben is." Dean hopped out of the car, hoping to end this conversation. He did not know when Mike joined their side, but at the moment Dean felt he could use all the allies they could get. Why any of this would make Mike cry, though, was a mystery. Dean did not like mysteries; they usually spelled nothing but trouble.