Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update, but I've just been so busy lately and I was a little too stressed to worry about writing, heh. Life and anxiety have teamed up to kick my ass but, hey, I've been in Hawai'i this past week and managed to actually relax for once, and voila! Anyway, enjoy the chapter and keep in mind, please, that not only do comments feed my soul, but also let me know what you guys want to see in my stories and my writing in general.
Sam wakes with a groan, squeezing his eyes shut tighter even as he rolls his shoulders to ease the tension in them. This is the last time he falls asleep at his desk, though that's exactly what he said last time, so the chances of this happening again are still relatively high. Blinking open his eyes, he freezes when he finds himself in an unfamiliar office. A low growl builds up in his throat before memory catches up with him and he relaxes.
He'd apparently fallen asleep sitting up against the wall of Raphael's office with his head on his chest, which explains the monstrous crick in his neck and the persistent ache in his back. Dean and Raphael, at least, are sleeping on furniture, the former on the couch and the latter in his office chair. Pulling out his phone, Sam checks the time and curses. It's seven in the morning, which means John is probably already awake. When he notices his sons snuck out in the middle of the night….
Oh god, they are so grounded.
Pulling himself up with another groan, Sam tries and fails to alleviate the pain in his neck. Irritable now, as well as tired and hungry, he grabs a pencil from the desk and flicks it at his brother. The pointed end jabs Dean right in the cheek and he startles awake with a strangled yelp, eyes already glowing and wide as he looks around for the threat. Sam huffs out a laugh when Dean, having determined that he's not in danger, flops back onto the couch.
"You're such a bitch," he mumbles into his arm. Sam rolls his eyes as he goes to wake the doctor much more gently than he'd woken Dean. It take a good few shakes for Raphael to wake up and even then he's groggy. Sam wonders how much sleep he's gotten over the past few days and can't help but feel a little bad.
"What time is it?" Raphael asks through a yawn.
"A little after seven," Sam replies. "Dean and I are going to head out. You have somewhere to go?"
"Yes, I have a hotel room not that far from here," Raphael replies. Sam and Dean exchange frowns.
"You're staying in a hotel?" Dean asks.
"Well, it's not like I can stay in my old pack's house," the doctor replies wryly. He pulls himself out of his chair and stretches, then begins to organise the files scattered across the room. He opens one and idly flicks through it. "I take it neither of you found the file last night?" Sam and Dean shake their heads and the doctor sighs. "Right. Well, you two can go. I'm going to check on Gabriel once before I leave."
"Are you working today?" Sam asks as they leave the office. Raphael locks it behind him and then leads the way down the hall towards the elevator.
"Yes, but my shift doesn't start until eight," he says.
"You only got a few hours of sleep last night," Dean says. Raphael shrugs.
"I'm not scheduled for any surgeries today and the lack of sleep isn't going to affect me," he says casually. Sam figures that this isn't an uncommon occurrence.
"Still, you don't have to go back to your hotel," he says, knowing how uncomfortable a hotel would be for a lone wolf without a pack. "You can come back with us for an hour."
"That's a kind offer, but I need to shower and all of my stuff is in my hotel room. And before you say anything, no, I'm not going to drive to my hotel, get my stuff, and then drive in the opposite direction to your house."
"Can we at least go with you to see Gabriel?" Dean asks. Raphael shakes is head ruefully.
"Visiting hours aren't until nine," he says. "Technically, I'm not even supposed to be in there before my shift starts, but I want to make sure the night staff didn't do anything stupid."
"Let me know if something's wrong," Sam orders as they get to the elevator. Raphael nods, shifting in place a bit as Sam's Alpha voice comes out unintentionally. They ride down to the lobby floor in silence. The doctor offers the brothers a wry wave when the brothers exit. The receptionist, a different one than had been here last night, gives them a suspicious look as they walk past him, and Dean offers him a smirk to rile him up.
"It's too easy," he snickers when the man visibly bristles. He reaches for the phone on his desk (probably to call security, judging by the way his pupils dilate and his heart rate spikes in fear) and Sam stops and turns to him with a sigh, ready to do damage control for his brother, like usual.
"We were let in last night by Doctor Raphael…." Sam stops, realising that he doesn't even know Raphael's last name. "Doctor Raphael," he finishes lamely. "You can call him if you don't believe us, but we didn't do anything and we're leaving now."
Smiling wanly, he turns and all but drags his brother out of the hospital. Dean yawns widely as they're crossing the parking lot to where the Impala waits, and Sam looks at him askance, wondering if perhaps he should drive. Dean takes the option away from him by sliding into the driver's seat before Sam's even at the car, and the younger comforts himself with the fact that Dean won't drive recklessly and endanger Baby if he's this tired.
"Coffee?" Dean suggests. He looks extremely rumpled, with his hair sticking out every which way, his clothes all wrinkled and obviously slept in, and his eyes droopy and very much not alert. Sam doesn't think he looks much better.
"Please," Sam groans. Dean chuckles and pulls out of the parking spot carefully, then exits the hospital complex and sets a course for the nearest Starbucks.
"So how mad do you think Dad's gonna be?" Dean asks.
"Hopefully not at all," Sam replies. "But maybe bringing coffee will help."
"Good idea," says Dean. Because Starbucks are everywhere, it only takes them a few minutes to find one with a drive-through. They order their coffee, give an extra tip to the exhausted looking teenager in the window, and then start heading home.
"Where have you been?" John demands as soon as they walk through the door.
"Getting coffee," Dean replies. They walk into the kitchen, their father following behind them with a scowl on his face.
"All night?"John asks skeptically.
"...Yes," Sam says slowly. He grabs the largest cup and pushes it into his father's hand, then he and Dean try to dart out of the room with their own coffees clutched tight to their chests.
"Stop."
They freeze and Dean lets out a small whine when John's Alpha voice filters through the room. Slowly, he circles them until they're face-to-face.
"Where were you last night?" he asks, pushing his power into his question. Dean looks to Sam, an uncomfortable look on his face as he tries to resist the command. Sam squirms but can't resist for long.
"We were with Raphael," he says, the words sounding forced. "He wanted our help with looking for that file that'll help us cure Gabriel."
John rolls his eyes, the scowl leaving his face as he sighs. "Idiots," he says fondly. "You could've just told me that in the first place."
"We thought you'd be mad," Dean says defensively.
"I am mad that you snuck out," John replies. "But Gabriel's a part of this pack, and your mate, Sam, and I understand that you need to be doing something. That being said, you should have told me you were going out. You two are still pups, and there are dangers in this town."
"Dad," Sam groans. "We're not pups. I'm sixteen years old."
"You're not full adults yet, which makes you pups," John says, his eyes filled with amusement. "Now go get some sleep or take a shower or something; you both look like crap."
"Thanks, Dad," Dean says sarcastically as they walk out of the kitchen. They meander down the hallway to the stairs, then up to their rooms. Instead of going to sleep, though, they head to the game room at the end of the hall. Sam drops heavily onto one of the bean bag chairs, snorting when Dean tries to do the same but misses and ends up on the floor.
"So," he says after a while. "Now what?"
"Now we drink our coffee, shower, and then get some food," Dean replies. Ash walks into the room then, yawning and still rumpled from sleep. He stands in the doorway silently, blinking blearily at them as he tries to form words.
"Who has food?" he asks after a few moments.
"Not us," Dean replies. "Dad's probably going to make breakfast, though, so go ask him."
"Don't tell me what to do," Ash mutters, turning and stumbling back out of the room. Jo comes in immediately after he's gone, freshly showered and way too alert for how early it is.
"Was that Ash I saw?" she asks cheerfully. Everyone in the pack knows that Ash is most definitely not a morning person, and Jo takes the most enjoyment out of seeing him so out of it since she's the exact opposite.
"Yeah," Dean says. "What's he doing up? He's usually not awake until at least lunch."
"I think John woke him up when he was using his Alpha voice on you," Jo says. "You know how Ash has a hard time ignoring that."
"Not sorry!" John calls from downstairs, and Sam chuckles.
"So, I heard you two were helping Doctor Dolittle last night," Jo continues, sinking into an armchair and snatching Dean's coffee. She takes a large sip before handing it back. "How'd that go?"
"We were working for hours but we didn't find it," Sam says, some of his disappointment leaking into his voice. Jo makes a sympathetic face and gets up to sit next to him, her shoulder brushing his comfortingly.
"We'll find it, Sam," she says. "He'll be okay. From what I know of Gabriel, he's not the type to be down for long."
Sam cracks a smile. "You got that right. Thanks, Jo."
Jo winks at him and shifts to make herself more comfortable. "Someone start a game or put on a movie or something before I die of boredom."
Sam rolls his eyes but moves to comply.
Later that day, Sam and Dean pick up Castiel, then go to the hospital to visit Gabriel and check on Raphael. Sam suspects that Raphael's the type of person to work himself to exhaustion if not stopped. It makes him think: was it Raphael's pack who used to make sure he ate and slept? Now that Raphael's a lone wolf, there's no one to ensure he doesn't pass out from working too hard. The thought makes Sam feel guilty, and a little depressed, so he pushes it away and focuses on walking.
The receptionist looks like he'd rather be anywhere else at the moment, tapping away listlessly at his keyboard, and his eyes are bored when he looks at Sam.
"Can I help you?" he asks warily.
"We're here to visit Gabriel Shurley," Sam says. The receptionist reluctantly looks up the name on his computer.
"He's in the ICU," the receptionist says. "I'm afraid only close family is allowed in that ward."
Sam's wolf bristles angrily and Sam has to work to keep his composure. "I'm his fiancé," he replies smoothly, grin widening the slightest bit when the receptionist's mouth drops open into a small 'o'.
"Congratulations," he says, sounding anything but congratulatory. "But I'm afraid that doesn't count as close family."
Sam's wolf growls and the smile drops off his face as he works to contain the sound. Leaning forward, he slams his hands on the desk and growls low, his eyes glowing green and his fangs flashing in the flourescent lighting.
"I've lost my patience with you," he growls. "My mate is alone in the ICU and I wish to see him, so unless you want to see what happens to those who get in the way of a wolf and his mate, I suggest you-"
A hand slaps across Sam's mouth, effectively cutting him off. Sam turns and snarls at the offender, his wolf getting more and more out of control by the minute, but Castiel is unfazed. He grips Sam's hand and drags him away, glaring at all the people who stop to stare. Hopefully, they'll just think that Sam's eyes and teeth are fake or a trick of the light, because he really does not want to deal with more hunters on top of everything else that's going on, but he's almost too angry to care.
Castiel leads him into the bathroom and shuts the door a little harder than necessary, leaving Dean to try and smooth things over with the receptionist. As soon as he's sure they're alone, Castiel turns and fixes Sam with a glare, arms akimbo.
"You need to calm down," he says sternly. Sam flashes his teeth and growls, but Cas isn't fazed. Again. "Sam, I understand that you're pissed off and worried, but you can't take it out on people who don't know what's going on."
"How could you understand?" Sam asks, almost sneeringly. "It's not your mate that's lying unconscious in a hospital bed while his body destroys itself."
Castiel's eyes flash with anger and Sam winces a bit. He knows exactly what Castiel's going to say but he doesn't interrupt, knowing that he probably needs to hear it.
"You don't think other people care about Gabriel?" Castiel hisses, and yup, there it is. Sam hunches his shoulders but doesn't try to defend himself. If he were in his wolf form right now, he'd have his ears back, head down, and tail tucked between his legs.
"He may be your mate, but he's my best friend," Castiel continues, voice getting louder the longer he speaks. "You have no right to undermine my feelings just because you're too thick-headed to understand that Gabriel may be your mate, but he's more than that, too. He's a son, Sam, and a brother to my sister, and he has other friends and family who'd be just as devastated as you if something were to happen to him. So, yeah, I may not understand how you feel about him, but at least I try to be understanding. We all do, actually; every member of your pack, everyone who knows what's going on right now, we're all doing our best to make it seem like everything's going to be okay for your sake, so you don't go crazy, and the least you could do is recognise that you're not the only one who cares about him."
Castiel's panting slightly by the time he's finished, a scowl firmly in place on his face and his blue eyes practically flashing with anger. Sam bites his lip.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly, and Castiel only snorts. He sighs and seems to lose most of his anger after a moment.
"I know," he says. "Just try to keep in mind that we're doing the best we can, Sam, but you have to meet us halfway. We can't keep ourselves positive if you're dragging down the mood all the time."
Sam thinks that's a bit unfair (he hasn't been moping or anything, and he thinks he's being rather positive, given the circumstances) but he doesn't say anything.
That's how Dean and Raphael find them a minute or two, both of them with their arms crossed and the tension nearly palpable in the air. The doctor raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment, but Dean looks between Sam and Castiel with narrowed eyes.
"I've smoothed things over with Lawrence," Raphael says, steadfastly ignoring the way Sam and Castiel are carefully not looking at each other. "He's convinced that what he saw was you playing a prank on him."
"He still hates you," Dean adds. "But he's more willing to let us into the ICU now that Raph has vouched for us."
"Don't call me Raph," Raphael says immediately, crinkling his nose in distaste. Dean simply smiles and nods in a manner that means he's not going to stop. "Come on, then. I think Gabriel's father is already in the ICU."
"Chuck's here?" Sam says in surprise. Castiel eyes him sideways.
"Why wouldn't he be?" he says. "Gabriel's his son."
That successfully shuts Sam up, and the rest of the walk to the ICU is silent. Raphael, apparently on his break, opens the door to the ward with a keycard on a lanyard, then leads them to Gabriel's room. Chuck is sitting in the lone chair next to Gabriel's bed, flipping slowly through the pages of a black binder. He doesn't look up when Castiel and the wolves enter.
"Morning," he says, his voice slightly hoarse as if he hasn't been using it lately. Guilt slams into Sam hard enough to leave him slightly breathless. He'd completely forgotten about Chuck, and now he feels like the worst person on the planet. Chuck is pack, and Sam had left him alone to deal with his only son being in the hospital. What kind of packmate is he?
Chuck looks up at them and smiles, but it doesn't reach his tired eyes.
"How are you, Sam?" he asks. "I know this can't be easy for you."
Oh, God, it seems Chhuck is purposefully trying to kill Sam with guilt. Squirming a bit, Sam looks over at Castiel, who raises an eyebrow.
"I'm okay," Sam says to Chuck. "I'll be better once Gabriel's awake."
"Won't we all," Chuck replies rhetorically.
"I feel so loved," says a scratchy voice, and all eyes snap immediately to the bed. Gabriel, pale and much too thin and looking exhausted, gives them all a tired smile even as they stand and gape at him. "Hi."
"Gabriel!" Sam cries happily, rushing forward so fast that Dean is practically launched out of the way. Sam sinks to his knees next to the bed and grips Gabriel's hand in both of his, tears gathering in his eyes. "God, it's so good to hear your voice again."
"Yours too, Samsquatch," Gabriel replies. He looks like shit, if Sam's being honest, but his eyes are sparkling, and the sight makes Sam's heart flutter with happiness. Gabriel gives him a sly smile, no doubt sensing it through the bond. His gaze flickers up, past Sam, who abruptly remembers that they're not alone in the room.
"Hey, Dad," Gabriel says. "How's it hanging? Oh, God, no, don't cry—not you, too, Cas. Come on, guys, it can't be that bad."
"You fucking idiot," Castiel says, his voice thick. "Do you even know where you are?"
Gabriel looks around. "Oh. Why am I in the hospital? Also, what's going on?"
"Apparently, the night nurse forgot to give you enough morphine to keep you under," Raphael says as he flips through Gabriel's medical chart. "But now that you're awake, we might as well keep you awake unless the pain gets bad."
"Pain?" Gabriel says, tilting his head. Then he flinches and sucks in a deep breath, and Sam feels a quick spike of pain through the bond before Gabriel slams a wall up between them. "Oh. That pain."
Sam winces in sympathy.
"Alright, everyone out for a few minutes," Raphael says. "I need to do a quick evaluation and you guys will just be a distraction."
"Wait, is anyone going to tell me why I'm in the hospital, feeling like actual shit?" Gabriel asks, and Sam snorts out a laugh.
"Yes," Raphael says. He lifts an eyebrow, fixing Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Chuck with a mild glare. "After they leave."
Castiel hesitates only a moment before leaving with Dean, and Chuck darts forward to give Gabriel's shoulder a quick squeeze before following. Sam only narrows his eyes at Raphael, tightening his grip on Gabriel's hand and letting his wolf out a bit.
"There's no need for that, Sam," Raphael says, but he still lowers his eyes. "I'm not going to make you leave, though Gabriel has the final decision."
"He can stay," Gabriel says immediately, making Sam's wolf rumble with happiness. "Okay, so someone start explaining."
"What's the last thing you remember?" Raphael asks. He walks over to Gabriel and starts poking at the various wires attached to him. Gabriel frowns and tries to remember; his concentration slips a bit and the wall between them crumbles into nothing. Sam winces at the pain he can feel through the bond, but Gabriel seems to be doing an excellent job at ignoring it.
"I remember that batshit crazy Alpha kidnapping me," Gabriel says, his eyes suddenly narrowing. "And I remember you helping him."
"Raphael had no choice," Sam explains quickly. "Michael forced him to. He's actually a doctor here, and he's been looking for a way to cure you."
Gabriel gives Raphael a dubious look, but the doctor, to his credit, ignores him as he pokes at the IV hanging from a pole next to Gabriel's bed. "Cure me of what?" he asks after a moment.
"The human blood in that transfusion you got a while ago is attacking your werewolf cells, which is slowly and painfully killing you," Raphael says as he absentmindedly marks something on Gabriel's chart. "If left to your own devices, your internal organs will shut down one by one, eventually leading to total organ failure and then death."
Gabriel blinks. "Wow."
"Was that necessary?" Sam growls, his wolf irritated with Raphael's bluntness.
"No, it's okay, Sam," Gabriel says, his eyes wide. "I appreciate the honesty. Is there anything we can do?"
"There is a cure in the archives somewhere. We just need to find it," Raphael replies. He sets the chart back at the foot of Gabriel's bed, sighing and rubbing at his eyes. "I've been looking, and Sam and Dean helped me last night, but it's proving more difficult to find than I thought."
"But… you will find it, right?" Gabriel asks in a small voice. Fear trickles into Sam's mind, as does the smallest feeling of betrayal, and Sam instantly feels bad. They should have allowed Gabriel to wake up, even if it was only briefly, so that they could've told him what was going on.
"Of course we will," Sam says confidently, squeezing his mate's hand. In their heads, he adds, I'm so sorry for not letting you know, love.
I forgive you because you didn't know and also because I was extremely unconscious, but if you ever keep things from me again I will castrate you and hang your balls from my rearview mirror, Gabriel replies. Sam winces and subtly adjusts his stance.
"Okay, so now what?" Gabriel asks.
"Now, we continue to give you morphine, but not enough to keep you unconscious," Raphael answers. "If you'd like, we can move you out of the ICU and to one of the regular rooms so the visiting hours and regulations won't be so strict."
"Please," Gabriel groans. "I've literally only been awake in here for like, five minutes, but I already hate it."
Raphael cracks a small smile. "I'll arrange it as soon as I can," he promises. He walks over to the door and opens it, watching apathetically as Chuck, Dean, and Castiel fall to the floor with a yelp. "Meanwhile, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."
He walks out, closing the door behind him, and Gabriel's bedside is crowded with people even before it clicks shut.
"Hi, Dad," Gabriel says, his voice muffled by Castiel's shoulder. Chuck, never one for extravagant PDA, grips Gabriel's free hand and squeezes it tight.
"Hey, Gabe," he says, his eyes oddly shiny. "Glad to see you back among the living."
"You and me both," Gabriel says, laughing lightly. He winces subtly, but it appears no one but Sam noticed.
"I never got to tell you," Dean says. "Good job handling that Alpha. For your first fight, you did really good."
Gabriel frowns, and then his eyes widen. Sam, concerned, gently pushes his way into Gabriel's mind, and he outright gasps at the memories he sees.
My gaze switches from Sam, who's unconscious on the floor, to Michael. The Alpha is snarling as he circles me and my mate, looking for an opening to attack. Behind us, I can hear Dean shifting from paw to paw. He's anxious, I can nearly smell it in the air, but I don't want him getting involved. Right now, my wolf is mostly in charge and it wouldn't take kindly to someone interrupting our fight.
Michael darts forward, jaws open wide and aiming for my front paw. I jump over his head and land on his exposed back, digging in with my claws and clamping my jaws on the back of his neck.
He howls angrily and spins around to snap at my back legs, but I jump off of him and out of the way just in time. Crouching low, I growl ferociously in one last ditch attempt to get him to back off. I'm not sure what kind of picture I make, what with me being so much smaller than him, and in my first shift ever, no less, but it doesn't work. I don't know if I was expecting it to.
Michael lunges forward while I'm distracted by my own thoughts, but I'm not oblivious enough to let him catch me unawares. Tired of all the dodging around each other, I let out a vicious snarl and dart forward to meet the Alpha halfway. We dissolve into a writhing, snarling mess of teeth and claws, and everything moves too fast for me to do anything other than react. I dodge the blows that are easy to spot, twisting around to give as good as I get when I have the chance.
A huge paw comes out of nowhere and sends me flying across the floor before I can move out of the way. It stuns me, and I almost miss Dean dashing forward to bowl Michael over. Dean barks insistently and I shake my head, willing my ears to stop ringing and my vision to clear. I blink at the sight of Dean just barely managing to pin the larger, stronger Alpha, and I rush forward to help.
I'm a bit out of my depth here, but luckily my wolf takes over and helps me out. Before I have the time to think and gross myself out, I sink my teeth into Michael's throat and yank as hard as I can. It's a lot easier than I thought it'd be and I pulled a bit too hard, sending blood flying everywhere. My wolf's bloodlust is tamed by the red droplets that stain my fur. I tilt my head back and let loose the howl building up in my throat.
I hear my pack howling along, celebrating my victory with me, and the enemy pack howling and crying in pain and defeat, and it fills me with excitement and joy. With my mate safe and the main threat taken care of, I finally succumb to the pain that's been plaguing me since I phased. I can't even be bothered to not fall on top of Michael's body as blackness overtakes my vision and I sink into dark nothingness.