Aeden's Fifth Birthday
His time was half up. Sam had been pursuing flimsier and flimsier leads for five years, and had learned nothing in the smallest way relating to preventing an angel's prophecy. The situation was beginning to look hopeless, but, being a Winchester, Sam was prepared to follow every trail far beyond the cold, bitter end.
The day following the party, he received a call from a hunter he'd met only once before, but whom he had consulted for help in lieu of Gabriel's message. The guy told him about a Jack Christiansen who lived in Washington, who reportedly had experience with angels. It was a long shot, Sam knew, but still he made an excuse to Mealla, kissed Aeden goodbye, and boarded a plane to SeaTac airport in Seattle.
Jack Christiansen's address led him to a house in Seattle's residential district, right near the lake. The place had so many hills, Sam felt as though he was mountaineering as he drove the rental car over yet another hill and back down, and turned right onto a curving street until he reached a tan-painted brick house at the very end of the road. He parked and walked beneath a towering oak up to the dark red front door.
It opened before he had a chance to knock, revealing a girl who couldn't have been more than fifteen, wearing an old, threadbare Batman t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. She peered skeptically up at him through turquoise-framed glasses, and pursed her lips.
"Sam Winchester." It wasn't a question. "Well, come on in, I guess."
Befuddled, Sam followed her into a modest but clean entry, and looked left and right to see a small living room with a fire place, and a kitchen which overlooked a dry, brown backyard. The girl led him into the kitchen and seated herself on a stool at a glass counter, upon which sat a half finished glass of water. She took a sip.
"Well," she said, "you gonna ask or should I just answer for you?"
"I - what?" said Sam.
"Fine," the girl sighed. "You heard an angel's prophecy, obviously it didn't agree with you, and you're desperately searching for any way to stop it coming true. Oh, it would just be so horrible if the prophecy came true." Here she adopted a wavery, dramatic voice and raised her eyes to the ceiling.
"It wasn't…a prophecy, exactly," said Sam, still staring at the strange girl. "He just kinda…told me what was gonna happen."
"That's a prophecy, dear. Okay, I need specifics. Who was the angel, what did he tell you. Go." She snapped her fingers.
"Uh, he said that in ten years, well five years now, Heaven would have work for my son. He didn't say what."
"Uh-huh." The girl nodded. "And who was the angel?"
"Shouldn't I be telling all this to Jack?" asked Sam, looking around the apparently deserted house.
"Why would Jack want to hear you moan about your problems?" said the girl, with the air of one speaking to a moron. "Who was the angel?"
"It was Gabriel, the archangel."
The girl's eyes narrowed. "Whew," she breathed. "He is one stubborn son-of-a-bitch. Damn. Nope, sorry. You don't have a chance in hell of averting that prophecy." She downed the rest of her water in one and stood up.
"Why? Why not?" asked Sam, swiveling to keep her in view as she crossed the kitchen to the sink.
"Listen." The girl set the glass on the counter beside the sink and turned to face him. "Sometimes you can block angels off, or wall them out. Like with possession. Some bitch called Hester wanted to possess my mom, but she told Hester to go screw herself, and she was forced to find another vessel. This angel inside our mailman, Bob, told her that her daughter would destroy her family. So we moved out away from everyone, and nothing's happened so far. See, they can be prevented. But Gabriel?" she laughed grimly. "He won't let you have a moment's peace until you've done as he wants."
The girl practically shoved him out of the house after that, while he continued to say, "But there must be something. Isn't there anything you have?"
"Nope," was all the girl would reply.
"I came all the way here," Sam scoffed, "for nothing?"
The girl offered him a blue-wrapped square from her back pocket. "I have some German chocolate." She paused and sighed. "Look, I know about…whatever's going on. And honestly, if it was any other angel, I could help you. But Gabriel…" She shook her head.
"Why? What is it about Gabriel?"
"Have you met Gabriel?" asked the girl with a bitter scoff.
"Yeah, once or twice."
"Then you know."
"Know what?"
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Any other angel you can bribe, or push away if you last out long enough. But Gabriel? He's loyal. Too loyal for his own good. He'll do anything for his Father. You can't stop him 'cause he's not working for himself. It's always the orders, what's 'best for the world', or whatever B.S. he's spewing these days. So I'm sorry. The best you can do is get him to tell you what God wants with your son, and pray he can do it."
Sam stepped out onto the little porch and the girl started to close the door.
"Wait," said Sam. "I came for Jack. Who are you?"
The girl snorted. "I'm Jack, dumbass." She swung the door shut.