Chapter Six
With the Doctor in tow, Gabriel popped into existence beside the couch just as Castiel collapsed forward.
"Crap. Michael, Raph, get in here. We've got a situation."
A pale, elfish blonde man and a black man with a thin, pained face materialized abruptly, the only sign of their coming a soft, sea-scented breeze that cooled the room for the space of a few breaths. Each angel placed a hand on their brother's back, one in front, one behind, bearing him up with only the barest brush of fingers.
Then they turned heads to Gabriel in unison.
"There is an outside influence affecting him," Michael said, his fair, waifish vessel paling almost imperceptibly as he considered his words. "… his strange weakness has Shub Niggurath's stench all over it. But he is holding. The child must be the reason for his sensitivity. Perhaps he was correct after all in his assumption."
Raphael's vessel's plump, wide lips curled thinly downward. "I hope he continues to be so. He is our brother, after all. As the Morningstar is present and willing, we will not need Castiel's assistance in positioning the Doctor's ship."
"And what does our dear uncle Metatron say to all of this? He will not be pleased to find you two have decided for him." Another voice broke over the knife blade calm that seemed to follow the two angels wherever they traveled.
Silent as a hellhound, the Doctor suddenly copped an instant angel-skinning glower, but discarded it in favour of scrubbing a hand through his floppy hair in frustration. Then, he began twirling his fingers in the white silk sash that hung across his chest, idly humming a Kate Bush song.
"Now look here, you lot. I am here because Castiel brought me. HE deemed it necessary, which frankly with your track record is good enough for me. While you three are debating semantics, the Great Old One is advancing with every breath! Stop maneuvering. This is not about who has the biggest wings anymore. Ohhhh. Give me one of those!" He shoved Dean and Sam aside and reached down, grabbing a beer from the cooler behind the couch. And the cap, it must have been afraid of him, too, because it just... popped off. He never had to touch it.
Then Gabriel swiped a bottle, flipped off the cap with his thumb, clinked his bottle to the Doctor's then took a swig.
"Good times, Gabby, good times. By the way…" the Doctor's face broke in a wide grin as he looked first at Jack, who was rubbing circles into Castiel's back, and then at Gabriel, who gave a neat blush and smirked. "How is darling little Sleipnir?"
Gabriel blushed again and nodded.
Lucifer smiled at all of them, his last gaze resting on Gabriel. "About that incident at the hotel… no hard feelings, I trust?" He patted his brother's unseen wings and vanished, his absence understating the room with hint of Sweet William and woody Thyme.
Gabriel sucked in a useless breath. "Well that was odd and completely fucking random."
Dean stared at the spot where the Morningstar had been standing and notched his eyebrows a few decibels higher. "I would have totally gone with disturbing. But hey. You guys should probably go and take care of U-Hauling the TARDIS. Sam and I are here now. We'll keep an eye on Cas. I mean, it's not like you won't come running if he has a problem again, right? Not after the ka ka del toro that just went down with Captain and Tennille."
"I am an angel Dean, not the female half of a 70's American pop group…" Castiel muttered without moving.
That time, even Michael laughed.