Sam's unfocused gaze wanders aimlessly over his ceiling, though it's obvious to anyone watching that he's not really looking at the familiar cracks near the walls and corners. He's busy poking around in Gabriel's thoughts as his mate sleeps, now in a regular hospital room instead of the ICU. After seeing the fight between Gabriel and Michael, which he feels incredibly guilty for not helping with, he was a bit worried about the effect it would have on Gabriel's mind.
Gabriel wasn't raised in a family of wolves and Sam was concerned that killing Michael might have left some negative effects, but Gabriel's dreams are filled with nothing but indecipherable images and sensations, all of them of a pleasant nature. If Gabriel feels guilty or horrified over killing Michael, it's buried so deep that not even his subconscious picks up on it.
Shifting onto his side, Sam closes his eyes and tries to sleep. Usually, poking around in Gabriel's head is enough to knock him out pretty quick, but not tonight. Right now, he wants nothing more than to stay up and watch over his mate in the only way he can, almost like a vigil. He's tired, but it wouldn't be the first time he's had to stay up all night. He was in high school not too long ago, and with how many AP classes he was taking, it was a wonder he got any sleep at all.
Sam's door opens slowly, almost silently, and Sam tenses. He loves his pack and so does his wolf, but neither of them take kindly to people just coming in whenever they feel like it, unless it's an emergency. The only people allowed in his room without permission are his parents and-
"Dean. What are you doing here?" Sam whispers, recognising the familiar scent of apples and leather. The bed dips as his brother lies down, poking at Sam's side to get him to move over.
"I could hear you thinking from my room," Dean says, which, given Sam's habit of moving or twitching as he thinks, is not entirely implausible. "This seemed like the only way to get you to stop and go to sleep."
Sam can smell the faint scent of sweat on his brother's skin and hear his slightly faster than normal heartbeat, and he understands. When they were little, Dean would have nightmares very often. He never went to their parents' bed, instead choosing to slide in next to Sam. It seems that though it's been a while, the habit hasn't been entirely broken.
"Sorry," Sam whispers. He doesn't buy Dean's story that this is for Sam's benefit, and he knows Dean knows that he doesn't, but both of them pretend, if only for the sake of Dean's pride. Sam turns over to face Dean, stretching out a hand so it lays in the meager space between them. Dean's hand grasps his own tightly, and it isn't long before they both drift off to sleep.
The next morning, a disoriented Sam is woken by something that he can't quite place. Something is wrong, but he can't find it when he looks around his room. Everything is in place, and it's so early that the sun isn't even up. He phases just enough to take advantage of his wolf's senses and sniffs. No one's been in his room, and everyone is still asleep, judging by the slow breathing he can hear through the walls.
Frowning, he turns over and closes his eyes again, but he can't sleep. His wolf is restless, clearly sensing his unease, and after a few moments of fidgeting Sam gives up and climbs out of bed carefully. Dean immediately rolls into the warm spot left behind, and Sam rolls his eyes fondly at his brother.
Gabriel? he calls softly, probing a bit to see if his mate is awake. He frowns when there's no answer. He can feel that Gabriel is up, but something's… off. His thoughts are just as disoriented and confusing as they are when he's dreaming, but even when he's dreaming they're never like… this.
Worried now, Sam gently pushes his way into Gabriel's mind to try and figure out what's going on. All he can determine is that Gabriel's still in the hospital, which means that the disorientation is coming from sedatives, most likely. Now that he's come to this conclusion, Sam becomes aware of the sharp, full-body ache that's been plaguing him since he woke up, definitely coming from Gabriel's side of the Bond.
Sam is about to pull out of Gabriel's mind and demand that Dean take him to the hospital when he—or rather, Gabriel, but who has the time to split hairs?—smells a scent that makes all of them (with all of them being Sam and Gabriel and their respective wolves) bristle defensively.
There's another Grey in the hospital. Even worse, there's another Grey in the hospital with Gabriel.
Sam's heart, for one gut-clenching moment, stops, before it starts pounding double time as adrenaline and anger begin rushing through his veins. Forcing himself not to phase in the middle of his room, he focuses on Gabriel and tries to get a read on who the wolf is.
He has time to recognise that the Grey is entirely unfamiliar before Gabriel's senses suddenly sharpen. For just a split second, Gabriel's mind is flooded with fear and anger, and then there's a sharp pain in his arm and everything goes black far too quickly.
Sam! Gabriel cries weakly, and Sam's wolf howls in agony.
Sam freezes when he finds himself alone in his mind once again.
Gabriel? No one replies.
There's a choked grunt from the bed and Sam realises that he's been pushing power out into the room. Dean gags and Sam takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and reeling in his wolf.
"Sam?" Dean asks, coughing a bit. "What is it?"
Sam turns to him, and whatever's in his face is enough to make Dean flinch and look to the side, away from his eyes.
"Gabriel's in trouble," Sam says. "We need to assemble the pack."
.
Svadilfari is one of the most confusing Greys Zachariah's ever seen. He looks entirely unassuming, with short brown hair and pale green eyes and an average height and stature, but he practically oozes danger.
When he gets to the hospital, he greets Zach with a friendly smile that makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and his wolf bristle defensively.
"This is him, I assume?" Svadilfari asks, gesturing to the unconscious boy on the gurney next to them. Zachariah hisses in impatience and looks around, though the parking lot behind the hospital is deserted and will likely remain so until the hospital opens for visitors or an ambulance is needed somewhere else in the city.
"Yes, it is, now take him and go," Zach says. Svadilfari cocks his head and studies Gabriel, then looks at Zach with furrowed brows.
"Why is he in the hospital?" he asks.
"I don't know!" Zachariah snaps, growling. "Who cares? You wanted him and now you have him, so get out of here and never come back."
"Very well," Svadilfari says mildly. He wheels the gurney towards his van and carefully slides Gabriel onto the backseat, then takes the backpack Zachariah offers him. "What is this?"
"Morphine and syringes," Zachariah says. "And instructions. Don't give him too much at one time or you'll kill him."
"Understood." Svadilfari smiles and Zachariah shivers, though it's not cold out at all. "Thank you for your help, Doctor."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. And I'm a fucking nurse. Just get out of here." As he watches Svadilfari drive away, Zachariah grins despite his lingering irritation. "Well, that's one way to get rid of a thorn in your side."
.
It's four in the morning and Sam is in the hospital again. He's never really had an opinion on hospitals before, but he's beginning to hate them; it seems that every time he's in a hospital, he gets bad news or his mate is hurt.
In this case, it's apparently both.
"What do you mean he's gone!"
The poor nurse looks about ready to shit her pants, and a very, very distant part of Sam's mind wonders who decided it was a good idea to have her impart the news on her own. With no one else to place the blame on, the full force of Sam's anger is directed towards her, glowing eyes and all.
John practically pounces on him the minute his fangs make an appearance, physically dragging him away into the room that used to be Gabriel's. Bobby, Dean, Rufus, and Ellen are already there, looking grave and (in Dean's case especially) worried. Mary, Jody, and Charlie are prowling around the hospital looking for any traces of Gabriel or whoever could have snuck him out of the hospital, while the youngest two are at home with Garth (much against their will, but no one goes against the Alpha).
Sam snarls at his father and doesn't flinch when the Alpha glares at him.
"Calm down," John orders, his tone leaving no room for disobedience, but Sam's wolf is too enraged to listen. John may be Sam's pack leader, but Sam's an Alpha, too, and there's no wolf more dangerous than an Alpha male whose mate is in danger.
"They have my mate!" Sam shouts, his voice distorted through his fangs. All the wolves but Bobby and John flinch when his power suddenly floods the room, making the air hot and heavy and difficult to breathe.
"And we'll get him back, but right now your temper will only impede our efforts." John's eyes flash when Sam refuses to back down, and he pulls himself up to his full height, teeth bared in a snarl at his younger son. "I said calm down."
Sam whines and looks down and away petulantly, still growling and practically vibrating with suppressed rage. The door bursts open and Sam turns towards it eagerly, itching for a fight, but it's only Raphael.
The doctor rushes into the room, looking harried and frantic. He slams the door shut and leans against it, squeezing his eyes tight for a moment and letting out a shaky breath. Dean moves forward instinctively, hand outstretched to give physical comfort like he would to a member of the pack, but Raphael straightens before the movement is completed. His mouth is set determinedly and his eyes are hard and cold.
"I've just done a quick inventory," he says. "We're missing morphine and syringes, and I'm willing to bet that whoever took those took them for Gabriel."
"So it had to be a doctor or a nurse, then," Ellen says. "Someone who was close enough to Gabriel to know what he'd need and who had the knowledge of how to use it."
"That's what I was thinking," Raphael says. "And I can only think of one person who'd do this."
"Tell me," Sam demands, his fangs and claws retracted but his eyes still glowing bright green.
"His name is Zachariah," Raphael says. "He's an anesthetist and a part of the pack that used to be Michael's."
Sam lets out a snarl. "Take me to him."
"Wait," John says. He turns to Raphael, and asks, "Can we get him out of the hospital? I don't want an audience when we confront him."
Raphael nods. "Easy."
John's eyes go unfocused for a second, and then he snaps back to attention. "Mary, Jody, and, Jo will meet us outside in case Zachariah decides to make trouble."
Raphael quickly glances at each wolf in the room to make sure they're ready, then turns and leads the way out. Only the fact that Sam has no idea where to go is keeping him from running ahead. Even though they're walking so fast that Raphael's white coat is billowing out behind him, it's still not fast enough for Sam, not when his mate is unconscious in the hands of another wolf.
They take the stairs, flitting down them quicker than the elevator moves or even a human would be able to go. When they get to the lobby, they see the she-wolves across the room, looking around casually, as if they're there for a relative who was hurt and not to threaten a kidnapper.
Raphael surreptitiously beckons to them, then leads the group to a door at the end of a hallway out of the view of the people in the lobby. The few nurses they pass in the small, poorly lit hallway don't even spare them a second glance as Raph opens a door below a red exit sign. John goes through first, ever the protective Alpha, and he nods to the other behind him.
As impatient as he is, Sam goes through last, turning to Raphael as he passes.
"Are you more dominant than him?" he asks quietly.
"He's a submissive," Raphael replies. "He barely has markings, and it took him years just to convince Michael to let him work at a hospital." The doctor's expression hardens almost imperceptibly. "Back when Michael was a good Alpha," he adds bitterly.
Sam doesn't reply to that. What could he even say? The door closes just a bit too hard after Sam steps out into a small parking lot with only a few cars. The signs in front of each parking spot identify this as the place where all the doctors park.
"Sam," Dean hisses from Sam's left. The pack is hidden well, crouched behind cars and around corners. Sam lets his wolf out the slightest bit, enough to use its hearing; he can just barely detect faint heartbeats, only discernible if he stands still and listens. Mary's insistence that the pack learn to be more stealthy doesn't seem so irritating now.
He doesn't want to hide, and neither does his wolf. He wants to let out his rage on its cause, snarl and threaten and hurt as revenge for whatever Gabriel's going through right now, but even in his current state of mind he knows that it most likely wouldn't go over well. After a moment or two of deliberation, Sam quickly ducks down behind the tires of a large truck. After a few minutes of near silence, broken only by the occasional car driving by and the normal sounds of a busy part of town, the door opens again, and two pairs of shoes step out.
Sam sniffs, and his wolf growls. Raphael's scent is familiar (it's even starting to change a bit with how much time he's spending with John's pack, but that's neither here nor there) but the second one isn't. It does tell Sam that Raphael was telling the truth when he said Zachariah is a submissive. There's the slightest hint of strawberries and chocolate and mint on the anesthetist, and Raphael must be able to detect it, too, because the anger he's letting off is nearly palpable.
"What is so important that you had to order me out here, deserter?" Zachariah asks, the sneer clear in his voice. A low growl comes from Raphael and the pair of shoes that Sam assumes is Zachariah takes a quick step back before catching himself.
"What have you done with the Shurley pup?" the doctor asks.
"What makes you think I had anything to do with his disappearance?"
"I know you, Zachariah," Raphael says darkly. "And I can smell him on you. Cut the bullshit; you and I both know that you were involved in this, if not directly responsible, so tell me what you did." Raph pauses. Sam hears another car pull up to the front of the hospital. "Unless, of course, you'd rather I order you to turn yourself in to the police."
"You wouldn't," Zachariah says, no trace of doubt in his voice. "And besides, our Alpha will just bail me out."
"Your Alpha, not mine," Raphael growls. He sighs in frustration. "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this." Zachariah is silent but apprehensive, Sam can read it in the way he subtly changes is stance into a defensive posture. It doesn't do much good for him in the end, not after Raphael forces him onto his knees with his power. It rolls over Sam, diluted out in the open air and not stronger than his own dominance, but powerful enough that the young wolf shivers the slightest bit.
"Tell me what you did to Gabriel Shurley," Raphael demands. Zachariah lets out a loud whine but isn't able to resist the command for longer than that.
"I gave him to another wolf," he gasps, his voice strained.
"Explain." It's a simple command, no coercion behind it, but Zachariah's apparently had enough of Raphael's power as he answers immediately and with no hesitation.
"I was contacted by Metatron's cousin not too long ago. We planned to get the pup out of the hospital. I don't know what he wants with him or where they went."
"What's his name?" Raphael's voice is little more than a growl now, and it's hard to make out exactly what he's saying.
"Svadilfari," Zachariah says. "I don't know his last name."
There's some shuffling and a strangled yelp, and when Sam peeks out from behind the tire he sees Zachariah limp in what appears to be a chokehold.
"You can come out now," the doctor says, and as soon as the rest of the pack materialises he dumps Zachariah's unconscious body into John's arms. The Alpha looks disgruntled but doesn't complain.
"Now what?" Dean asks.
"Now we pay a visit to Metatron," Raphael replies. "We can't all go, not so soon after the fight between the packs." He looks to John, who nods and shifts the body in his arms until Zachariah is hanging over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Mary, Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Rufus, you'll come with us," he says. "Ellen, Charlie, and Jody, go home. Call Castiel and Chuck and let them know what's happening, but don't let them come to the hospital. I don't want to risk anything with police swarming around."
The she-wolves nod and Ellen takes their hands, quickly towing them away from the group and towards their car. Raphael leads the way out into the parking lot, Zachariah held up between Sam and John as if he's awake but having trouble walking. Sam can't stop growling, especially with Zachariah so close. He still smells faintly like Gabriel, and it makes Sam's wolf furious. Only John's glare prevents him from drawing blood as his nails grip the nurse's arm.
They quickly reach Raphael's car and dump the unconscious Grey into the backseat. Raphael slides into the driver's seat, eyes narrowing in confusion when Sam opens the passenger door and gets in.
"What are you doing?" he asks. Sam pauses in buckling his seatbelt and looks at his father, who nods once before leading the others to his own car.
"I'm riding with you," Sam says.
"Clearly. Why?"
"Because I don't want to leave you alone with him," Sam replies, jerking his thumb towards Zachariah. "He may be a submissive but he could still do some damage. Besides, my dad's car only fits five."
Raphael snorts and starts the engine.