.-~*~-.
Gabriel stood in the main room of the Bunker again. To say that the Winchesters were pissed? That was an understatement. His jaw would be sporting a massive bruise from the punch Dean had thrown when he'd suggested they power Castiel up with souls from Purgatory.
Not to mention the lingering betrayal.
"Chuck." Gabriel's tone was firm, gaze settled on the false prophet who was sitting in a chair. "Is Michael fit for a fight?"
"In his current condition I believe that if we let him out of the trap he will kill all of you. It's likely he'd try to kill me as well." Chuck's gaze settled onto Lucifer who was sitting on the edge of the wartable, ankles crossed in a move that Gabriel wanted to bad to tease him for but he couldn't because this was an important conversation.
"Could it work?" Castiel asked, slow, calculating.
"Cas-"
"Could I help you against Amara if I were to… take the souls of Purgatory again?" The young angel looked a bit sick and Sam's jaw tightened.
"Didn't we just agree to stop with the kamikaze bullshit!" Dean demanded, shooting a furious look at Castiel. "You can't be seriously considering this!"
"You have a better suggestion, we're all ears Dean-o." Gabriel grinned broadly at the hunter who shot him a betrayed look in response.
"We have very little time." Raphael added, tone tight and posture stiff.
"I could move the souls from Purgatory into Castiel. I can't promise it won't corrupt him again, though."
"Chuck." Sam spoke up, tone carefully neutral. "There's nothing you can do for Michael?"
"Not without violating his free will. If he wanted to forget, it would be one thing, but he doesn't want to forget."
"So we're an archangel short." Sam responded and Chuck nodded. "Lucifer."
"What?" Lucifer blinked, looking over at the hunter and raising an eyebrow.
"You told us you could make Michael fight for us."
"I did. I thought I could." Lucifer responded with a casual shrug that didn't cover the minor distress in his grace. Lucifer had honestly believed he could control Michael, which meant that while him and Raphael had been talking… they had talked.
Gabriel almost wished he'd been there for that part of the conversation. But only almost. Michael and Lucifer's arguments were always brutal and those same arguments were the reason he'd run from Heaven to begin with.
Nothing hurt more than watching the people he cared the most about ripping each other apart.
"What you guys call the Apocalypse, I use to call Sunday dinner."
"You lied."
"Nope." Lucifer corrected, eyes flashing with his grace as he held Sam's gaze. "I never lied, not about that. Michael was completely under my control when he escaped the Cage. Whatever it is that's going through his head? That's my fault, but I didn't plan it."
"Lucifer's scared." Gabriel spoke up, ignoring the dirty look Lucifer sent his way. "Michael's a no-go option. That much is obvious. So again." Gabriel's gaze moved back to Sam and Castiel, Castiel catching his eyes almost immediately.
'If I do this, Gabriel. You have to protect Sam. Whatever you do, you cannot let me harm him.'
'I won't let you go Godstiel on us again, little bro. That's a promise.' Unlike Raphael, he could- and would- fight a crazed Castiel. He didn't need his wings to fight, he just needed the upperhand.
"Can't some other angel do it?" Dean pressed but Sam was shaking his head, and- what had Sam done? There was a layer of something… was it shame? Guilt? What could Sam be guilty about?
"It's a strong vessel. Cas is our best shot." Gabriel couldn't help but notice the fact that the younger hunter and the angel took each other's hands, silent and nervous.
"Sam." Dean's tone had changed and when Gabriel looked over at him he knew something was wrong. The suspicion, worry, and irritation burning in his expression was a dead giveaway.
Sam had a secret, and whatever it was? Dean knew about it.
"It doesn't matter." Sam responded.
"The hell it doesn't! Gabe," Dean shot him a nearly pleading look and he snapped the hunters away.
"What's that about?" Gabriel demanded of the seraph who bowed his head slightly, looking away.
"Sam is taking the Mark." Chuck spoke up, looking between four of his children.
Well that was good information to have. "You're serious?"
"Sam wants to redeem himself for releasing her. I could give it to one of you, of course but as Lucifer so helpfully reminded me it would ultimately do the same thing it did to him."
"Dean's not going to take that well." Gabriel responded, certain he could hear shouting from the other end of the Bunker but not daring to try to listen in. "So you're both on a suicide mission."
"No." Castiel responded firmly, bristling. "Sam can fight the Mark."
"And when he doesn't?" Gabriel countered, glowering at the seraph. "When he ultimately breaks? You're going to tell me that you and Dean won't do the outlandish stupid you do every damned time?"
"When it's over," Castiel responded, tone level, careful, "I will do what should have been done to Cain all those years ago. Sam and I will go into the Cage, and we will remain there for the rest of eternity."
"What about-"
"I will kill Dean if I must. I am willing to go to every limit to guarantee that this sacrifice is not in vain. Just as you are, we are making the hard choices to guarantee the human race remains intact. Don't you try to treat me as a fool, Gabriel. We have seen our mistakes, and we are doing what we can to repair them."
It was hard to decide whether he wanted to punch the seraph or hug him. Every single word he spoke felt raw and true, and honestly? He was stunned. Yet, he also understood it. Both Castiel and Sam were carrying immense levels of guilt, they were both ashamed of their mistakes and they were doing all they could to make up for it. Dean was going to be pissed, and he wasn't going to agree with it, but Gabriel trusted that both Castiel and Sam were set enough in their plan that they would do it.
It was a dark fate, but Gabriel had every intention in the world to hold them to it. If they didn't pull it off, he would make sure that was exactly what happened to them- assuming he survived Amara.
'Raph.'
'I will happily help you ensure they don't destroy the planet again.'
"We'll hold you to this, Castiel."
"I would expect nothing less from you." Except Castiel wasn't looking at him, he was looking at Raphael and the tension between the two was becoming heavy enough Gabriel wondered just how long they would hold out before they tried to kill each other.
Not that Gabriel particularly blamed them. Not too long ago they'd been warring soldiers fighting for the safety of the human race, and while Castiel may have had time to move past it, Raphael definitely hadn't.
"So now that that's settled." Lucifer spoke up uncomfortably. "What's being done with Michael?"
"He's dying." Dean's bitter voice came from the doorframe, hair mussed up and a large bruise making itself known on his jaw along with a split lip. "One batshit archangel's enough."
"He's right." Sam grumbled, coming in behind him. The younger brother was sporting a fresh black eye and looked much better off than Dean. It was obvious who had won the brawl but it still annoyed him that he'd missed that fight. Real physical fights between the two were rarely instigated and when they were? Gabriel loved to see them.
"So we're all on the same page?" Gabriel frowned at Dean who was glaring at Chuck with nothing but pure, raw, unadulterated hatred.
"Do we really have a choice?"
"Dean-"
"Not a word, Cas." Dean glowered at his friend with venom- not hatred, but there was a very distinct hostility. Despite the evidence of the fight that had happened, and the aggressive stance, Gabriel was certain that Dean wasn't quite as angry as he was acting. Not that he would dare call the elder hunter out on it.
"We're doing what we must."
"Yeah, and you aren't telling me a single damned thing about it so drop it. Who's killing Michael?"
"I'm going to kill him." Lucifer spoke up, Gabriel grinding his teeth together but not objecting because frankly, he couldn't do it again. As it stood… he couldn't even face Michael again.
"No." Chuck spoke up, "You were never meant to kill Michael, Lucifer and if I'm honest, you don't deserve to."
"What happened to free will?"
"I'm overriding it as your father." A snap of his fingers and Dean had an archangel blade in hand, "Try to be quick, Dean. He is my son."
"You're joking, right?"
"No." Chuck responded, expression dark. "Unless one of the others present would like to do it?"
"Except me because apparently my free will doesn't mean anything." Lucifer huffed bitterly.
"I'm not killing Michael again." Gabriel admitted honestly.
"Raphael?"
"I will go with Dean." Raphael responded after several moments of conflicted silence. "Just to be sure that Michael doesn't kill him."
"Very well." Chuck responded, "While you do that I am going to take Castiel into Purgatory."
"Already?" Sam asked suddenly as Raphael and Dean began their trek down the hallway, Dean limping visibly.
Taking pity on the hunter he snapped his fingers, healing all the injuries from the fight while summoning himself a chair to slump into at the same time, a lollipop poking out of his mouth almost absently as he sucked on the sugary sweet.
"Time crunch." Chuck reminded Sam as Cas crossed the room, pulling Sam into an embrace and flooding the younger hunter with grace to heal his injuries. "If anything we've wasted way too much time as is."
"Sam."
"I know, Cas." Sam responded, holding the young angel close and taking a deep breath. "Go. It's not goodbye." Except it could be. Depending on how Castiel reacted to the souls this time around it could be the final goodbye. No one commented on that prospect and Sam was more than smart enough to know.
The moment to couple pulled away both him and Chuck disappeared, leaving Lucifer, Gabriel, and Sam there.
"I'm impressed, Sam." Lucifer prodded, tone mocking. "You're doing it."
"Go to hell, Luci."
"Ooooh, feisty Sam is in the house. C'mon, man. Let's talk. Just like old times. Remember the good ol' days?"
"I remember you torturing me in the Cage, I remember you harassing me after the Cage. I don't remember talking."
"There was the time I helped you track your brother down. All the times during the Apocalypse where I tried to make you understand just how wrong He was. Even those moments of bonding in the Cage before your boyfriend said yes. You can't tell me you don't like me even a bit?"
Rolling his eyes, Gabriel leaned back, hooking his legs over the edge of the chair and laying sideways in it to stare up at the ceiling. "Ever think that maybe he's just not that into you, Luci?"
"Ever think to fuck off? I'm just making small talk."
"Sticks and stones." Gabriel responded, tilting his head to the side. "You can't kill me and nothing you can say will possibly surpass Michael's words so why don't you fuck off and leave the tall one alone?"
"You little-" Lucifer's words died as an flash of grace burst across the bunker, a silent scream then raw silence.
Michael.
'How bad was it?' Gabriel asked Raphael quietly.
'I think you may have appreciated it.' Raphael responded after a moment, 'Michael allowed Dean to walk up to him without any conflict.' A momentary pause, 'Before Dean stabbed him, Michael tried to kiss him.' A laugh tore past his lips uncontrolled at the visual image that followed it, because no matter how gruesome his brother's death… the look of pure horror on Dean Winchester's face in light of Michael trying to kiss him? It was absolutely comical.
"Gabriel?"
"Nothing, Sam." Gabriel waved off, chuckling and grinning. "Nothing at all."
"Michael's dead." Lucifer spoke up and Gabriel could practically feel him glaring. "What are you laughing about?"
"I'm sure Dean will never talk about it, that's what." Lazily Gabriel rolled his head to the side and eyed Lucifer from a distance. "Kinda like those things you thought about doing to tempt Sammy here before you changed your mind."
The blood drained from Lucifer's face and for a single second Gabriel thought he might kill him- again- then Lucifer was relaxed again. "What about the things you thought about doing to the eldest before I killed you? Hm?"
Gabriel breathed in heavily through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling the sucker from his mouth. "What about them?" His gaze flicked to meet Lucifer's, "Dean Winchester is hot as fuck and I don't care if he's Mikey's vessel, I'd let him-"
"No!" Sam yelped suddenly, breaking into the conversation and Gabriel couldn't help but snicker. "I don't want to- what the hell, Gabriel!"
"Oh, relax. I'm just screwing with Luci."
"Yeah well I don't want to hear about… you've got a thing for Dean?"
"What? Gods no. Well… I'd screw him, but that's about it." Which was about the extent of it. Why was he explaining himself with this? "I'd also screw you too, Sammy boy." Which was bullshit, but best to keep the hunter on his toes and get this conversation off topic. "Interested? The little seraph that could isn't invited, though."
"What- no!"
"Offer's on the table." Gabriel winked over at the unamused hunter before shoving the sucker back in his mouth.
"It really is not." If anyone asked, Gabriel didn't jump. Gabriel did not jump because he was always prepared. There was nothing that could take him off guard, especially in a place where he was already on edge about being killed by any of his brothers.
So him falling from the chair he was in, the shout that followed.
It was all a ruse.
A practical joke to make the seraph think that he was scarier than he was. That's what it was. It had nothing to do with the fact that he didn't feel the return of both Chuck and Castiel.
That idea was insane. When Gabriel sat up from the floor to glare at Castiel who had appeared with Chuck next to the chair Chuck had disappeared from, it was in good humor.
What wasn't false was the pure shock that struck him at the sight of the seraph being fueled by the souls of Purgatory.
Castiel's vessel was almost glowing with power, a dull thrumming of grace and souls intermingled and pressing against the cells of the human body just barely containing it. Every ounce of Castiel's form in that moment screamed danger and threat and Gabriel's own being bristled with fear for a single moment before he masked it.
In that moment Gabriel understood exactly why Raphael had suggested this. He also understood exactly why it wasn't a rash decision. There was one thing he could guarantee from what he was looking at, and it was a suggestion he never would have made. Because Castiel? In that state? There was no doubt in his mind that he could kill them all.
Castiel was a threat. A dangerous, dangerous angel, and if Gabriel wasn't sure before, he was now.
Those souls could not remain there after Amara was dealt with. No matter the price.
~-.-~