Chapter Twenty-two

'How did the gods come into all this?' Gabriel asked instead of answering his brother. 'Why ally with Morrígan?' Samael looked at him for a few moments considering his words and obviously whether he wanted to answer or not.

'Well, all that power I need to open gates without having all of Heaven on my heels has to come from somewhere' he said finally. 'Morrígan was... suitable for this particular event to use since she has that deal with Auberon in her pocket, there is always someone who lusts power or authority enough to be willing to offer service in exchange for some pretty promises.'

Samael side-stepped him and walked to the broken window to stare our at the night sky.

'And Dean?' Gabriel found himself asking. 'Why kill his family, what role does he have?' Samael chuckled again.

'Oh yes, Deandalon. It is interesting, one would think that something that is a medley of some little ape and a one of these petty little creatures that call themselves gods would be one of the most corrupt and distasteful things on the face of Earth.'

Gabriel felt a spark of anger at his brother's words and he was sure that the other angel felt the shift in the air as he glanced in his direction again.

'Instead he was pathetically winsome and righteous' Samael finished despite the almost tangible tension. 'So no, he plays no role, I was just passing time, but he indeed was a lot less righteous after a few hard blows from fate' Gabriel looked at the other angel finally and he found his brother already looking at him. The archangel's face was hard and on the verge of turning truly angry. Samael huffed out a tiny laugh.

'I did notice you were fond of him brother' he said. 'I suppose once you're flesh you come to appreciate some new experiences this world can give. Even if I would not have expected you to slum this much.'

Gabriel swallowed down his anger that came from the words his brother spoke about Dean and turned his attention back to the other things he told already.

'You've been down here this whole time' Gabriel said. 'Since the Fall... you opened Gates before, right?

'Several' Samael replied matter of factly. 'At least one in every continent. Since there is no way for me to break the right seals and open the cage at the moment, I can do noting but allow free passage for all demons between Anaon and Earth... to allow destiny's wheel to start spinning.'

'If Lucifer got out there would be war again, that's what you want?' Gabriel asked. 'You want our brothers to keep slaughtering each other? You want even more kin to fall?'

'It has to happen!' Gabriel closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

'You all just want destruction' he muttered.

'Says the Angel of Judgment. You, the left hand of God, isn't destruction your field of expertise?'

'I want our family to be at peace!' Gabriel snapped. 'I want the hatred and the fighting to stop! I don't want to watch anymore brothers die!'

'Lucifer will end all this' Samael told him.

'He started it!' Gabriel shouted.

'I wished you would see sense Gabriel, I really did' Samael said with a sigh. 'You've changed, you were fierce and unyielding. Magnificent and glorious like Lucifer, what happened to you brother?'

'Everything fell apart' Gabriel answered, his anger slipping away into bitterness. 'Our family fell apart.'

'We could-'

'I won't join Lucifer' the archangel interrupted and he knew that his voice held the right edge of finality in it. He loved his brother, he was sure that he won't ever be able to stop loving him completely, but he didn't feel the same hatred towards humanity he did, even with his Father gone he didn't feel the same abandonment or betrayal. He left Heaven to get away from all of them and their angry words, not to join Lucifer in his exile.

'You leave me no choice then.'

'Don't be foolish, Samael' Gabriel warned.

'You cannot use all your powers brother in order to keep hidden, so it's just you against me, blade against blade' Samael never lost his calm, even now his voice was kind. Gabriel briefly wondered why the gentlest of his brothers were the ones to fall down this deep.

'You can't win' Gabriel said.

'Well, we'll see about that' the archangel turned towards the other angel and he could see the glint of the silver blade in his hand clearly in the moonlight. It took nothing but a thought to materialize his own weapon in his hand even if its smooth cool surface felt like it burnt his hand.

'Samael... Brother, please don't make me do this.'

'No one makes us do anything, Gabriel. Not anymore.'

The silence was deafening as they stood in front of the large window and the broken stained glass pieces splattered the moonlight shining down on them with gold and crimson colours. The sound of battle and screams was loud and clear, but to Gabriel it seemed like it was a million miles away. His fingers tightened around the handle of his blade and he felt the ripple of energy in the air a second before Samael moved.

Gabriel's only thought was... too slow.

The slim metal slid into the vessel's chest smoothly, tearing skin, flesh and bone, sliding past all that was human and harming all that was angel. Gabriel grabbed hold of the other angel with an iron grip as Samael's blade fell to the floor with a loud clank.

'I'm sorry' he managed to choke out between large breaths. 'I'm so sorry little brother.'

Maybe Samael wanted to say something more, but he couldn't. His hand gripped Gabriel's arm tightly and the archangel didn't let go of him as he slid the blade even deeper. Samael's grace flamed up, coursed through his human vessel. His light was breaking apart to pieces, his own power was tearing his grace to shreds as his wings ripped free from their confines, burning up into ashes in front of Gabriel's eyes.

The angel screamed as he burnt, light broke free from the vessel and Gabriel let go of him pulling his blade out as the heat was starting to seep into him. As the last thread broke Samael's grace exploded, it blast out the remains of the glass in the window and blew out all torches and candles leaving the room in cold silver darkness while the burnt remains of the angel's wings fell to the floor scorching the stone darkly.

Gabriel was panting heavily and he let his weapon fall out from his numb fingers. Staring at the burnt out vessel of his brother grief and shame gripped his chest tightly as he fell to his knees.

'I'm so sorry Samael' he whispered. He wanted to pray, ask his Father for forgiveness but he didn't find the words, he didn't think there were right words. He never wanted to kill a brother, but he failed to keep the promise he made to himself. He noticed the tears sliding down his cheeks, but he just remained on the floor and let them fall freely.

x~x~x

The world was sharp. All colours were deeper, all smell was tangible, all sound was clear and he was strong now. Stronger, faster, power pulsed in every muscle and bone in his body and he had only one target. Her blood was the scent that fed his fury and he wanted to destroy, tear more, bite more. Kill!

Both of them were jumping form cliff to cliff at the mountain side, colliding mid-air with bared teeth and sharp claws and trying to tear into one another. It was a chase, a race where they were both haunted and they were both hunters. Dean's left leg was torn now, but the pain didn't reach his mind, he could still fight. Morrígan's white fur was bloodstained at several places, but Dean didn't manage to wound her too deeply. He didn't hear the battle at the citadel now, didn't hear anything but the blood rushing in his ear.

He landed on a stone that was higher than Morrígan and he jumped at her without a thought, she crouched and seemed ready to jump but when Dean was about to strike down she shifted forms swiftly and was human again, she grabbed into the thick fur on Dean's shoulders and twisted him around and he smashed into the mountainside. Sharp pain dug into his side as a few bones snapped inside of him. He got onto his feet almost immediately still, magic subdued the pain and the strength to fight was there inside of him hot and blazing. He growled deep in his throat as he looked up at the goddess standing on a cliff. Her dress was torn, her skin marked with several deep gashes and bloody bites, her hair lost her elegant style as was chaotically swirling in the cold wind.

'You little bastard' she hissed looking down on him while she tore down a piece from the sleeve of her dress that was getting in her way. Two knives appeared in her hand and she shifted her pose into a battle stance. All her gentle features were gone now, she was angry and in every bone a wargoddess now that she realized that her opponent was strong enough to fight her as an equal.

Shifting back to human form was a fleeting thought in Dean's mind, gone as soon as it appeared as he charged again. Morrígan stood in a defensive stance ready to parry him, but Dean changed his direction and jumped at the side of the mountain first to leap down at her from the side. His fangs locked on her upper arm, and he bit down forcefully right until the bone as the goddess screamed in pain. Dean twisted his head tearing the muscles and the flesh and would've torn down the arm itself but a sharp jab forced him to ease up his hold as Morrígan sank one of his knives into him, right below his collarbone. He jumped back before she could shove it deeper and managed to shake the blade out with one movement.

Morrígan clutched her heavily bleeding arm as she glared down at Dean with undisguised fury. No, it was more than that, it was hatred, despise. It was enough for Dean, he was not so insignificant for such emotions now, was he?

'You infuriating little miscreant!' she cursed at him. 'You will be sorry for this! I'm going to skin you alive and pin you up to the gates for everyone to see how those end who dare to defy me! I will burn you to dust you useless pest! Throw your bones to the dogs and you will rot in a ditch!'

'Just try Morrígan' Dean growled in a deep voice challengingly. 'Try it, I'm here... see if you can get rid of me.'

The goddess' face darkened with anger again as she threw her remaining knife away and conjured up a lance instead. The muscles in Dean's body tensed at the sight as he got ready for the strike. Morrígan swirled the lance around in her good hand as she prepared then leaped. She was too fast to dodge, but Dean shifted back to human form a blink before she could've stabbed him down and he could grab hold of the weapon with his hands.

Their eyes caught for one moment before she tried to twist the lance out of Dean's grip, but the demigod didn't let go for a second.

Then an enormous blast of light shook the mountain, especially the citadel that was still in their sight and both of them turned swiftly to look up as all windows of the fort flared up with light and glass shattered out and rained down on the mountainside.

They both felt the power that washed over them like a night breeze and Dean knew that power, knew the feel of it and it made his heart turn cold in one blink, the heat of battle evaporating from his body almost instantly.

'Gabriel' he whispered. Then his next words died on his lips as pain flared up in him, pure agony as Morrígan twisted her lance enough to stab him in the gut. His throat filled up with blood and was filling his mouth as he looked at the face of his mother. One second and the goddess used is. It's like the pain spread out in his entire body in a moment, like his heavy beating heart was spreading the agony within him as it was pumping his blood into his veins and out of his body. Morrígan's face was triumphant as she was about to twist the weapon deeper slowly and painfully, but a bright flash of light tore her away and Dean fell down to the ground. He didn't fell down the mountainside even if he was close to the edge.

His vision was blurring as he threw up some blood, he wanted to get the lance out of his body, but he couldn't move his arm. He thought he saw hoofs, he heard Morrígan curse and shout in anger before there was another flash of blue light. He couldn't see, he was numb and everything hurt. Someone crunched down next to him, but he couldn't make out the figure. There was some dirty blonde hair in the moonlight.

'Dammit kiddo' the form cursed, he sounded familiar, very familiar. 'Gabriel!' the figure yelled. 'Hold on, we'll get you through this' the voice told him. There was a cold hand on his forehead as his sight slowly disappeared. 'No, kid stay awake, don't you dare die on me.' The voice said again, he knew that voice, knew who he was.

'Puck' he choked out, there was too much blood in his mouth to speak properly.

'Just hold on' the faun told him. 'Gabriel!' he yelled again to the sky. Dean's mind drifted to the angel, the light was white, maybe his golden angel was alright, he had to be, he was stronger than anyone. Maybe he heard a flutter of wings, maybe not. There was too much pain and it was too dark to see.

TBC