Gabe, wake up.
Sam's voice in his head woke the familiar up very early the next morning.
It's twelve thirty, Gabe. That's not early.
It's early to me.
Gabriel stretched his wings and flew off of the headboard of Sam's bed where he had fallen asleep last night. He somehow managed to fit his wingspan into the staircase and flew downstairs to the basement.
Sam, Dean and Cas were already there, each of the witches with a client. The familiars had figured out relatively quickly that Sam and Dean used their magic to help people; healing wounds and ailments, reversing balding or even just giving someone an extra boost of luck. It was their only source of income, and they made more than enough to sustain all four of them, even with all of the other witches in the city doing the same.
Cas was once more perched on Dean's shoulder, head resting under his wing. Lucky bastard, Gabriel thought. He was too big to sit on any shoulders and Sam needed his arms to perform spells, so he chose the next best thing.
He flew up to the ceiling and found what he was looking for: a perch he had installed yesterday with a little help from Cas. He settled down and watched with boredom as Sam and Dean continued working. He must have fallen asleep again because the next thing he knew, Cas was nudging him awake.
He pulled his head out from under his wing and looked around. Sam was with another client and Dean was heading up the stairs. Cas gave him a small caw and flew after Dean, expecting Gabriel to follow. He looked at Sam again and the witch held out an arm, an invitation that the familiar eagerly accepted.
Dean found a spell that can make you invisible for a bit it you and Cas want to go out.
Gabriel ruffled his feathers and flapped his wings once, freaking out the poor old lady sitting on the cushion across from them.
Cool. Will you be okay by yourself down here?
Gabriel felt a wave of affection from Sam when he asked.
I'll be fine, Gabriel. I know you've been cooped up all day and you're bored.
Okay, then. See you later, Samsquatch.
He brushed his wing affectionately on the top of Sam's head as he flew out of the basement and snickered to himself at Sam's brief flash of annoyance. Sam hated it when people messed with his hair.
When he finally made it outside, he found Cas and Dean waiting in the backyard, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. Wow, he really had been cooped up all day. He'd been asleep for a solid six or seven hours after being woken up by Sam.
"Hey, Gabe," Dean greeted, letting Gabriel perch on his arm. "So this spell will last two hours before it wears off. Try to get back before then, okay?" Both birds blinked in affirmation and he began chanting in Latin. "Sanguine imperium penes me genitoribus nudo oculo apparet Haec duo."
Gabriel felt a strange tingling rush over him from his feet to his head and looked down. He could still see himself, and Cas. Maybe the spell was faulty?
"You guys can see yourselves and each other because you have heightened senses," Dean explained, obviously aware of their confusion thanks to Cas. "Humans won't be able to see you."
Flapping his wings happily, Gabriel launched himself off of Dean's arm and soared high up into the darkening sky. He gently pushed his way into Sam's mind, letting him feel all the joy Gabe felt when he flew.
He and Cas flapped their wings and flew higher, soaring leisurely above the city. They watched the sun set and the tiny lights flicker to life below them, enjoying the flight even though they were trapped in their animal forms. They made it to the edge of the city and perched on a tall fence by the highway.
The sun had already gone down but the spell was still holding up, so they figured they had enough time to get back. Cas scooted closer to Gabe when a breeze blew, seeking warmth from his larger body. Gabriel always thought it ironic how small he was compared to Cas in their human forms, but as birds he was considered the giant of the two.
Dean found something that can counteract Lucifer's spell.
Sam's voice sounded excited, but also tired and a little defeated. Gabriel didn't dwell on it, knowing that Sam would tell him if something were wrong. He fluffed his feathers out to keep out the cold and nudged Cas. He flew off of the fence and screeched back at his brother, telling him to follow. Cas flapped his wings and lifted himself into the air beside Gabriel and the two of them headed home.
Great! What'll we need to do?
That's where it gets a bit complicated. There's something we need for the spell…
What is it, Samsquatch?
It's, uh…
Gabriel rolled his eyes. Patience was never his strong suit. He delved into Sam's memories, looking through all that had happened to the witch in the past hour and a half until he found what he was looking for.
Sam looked at the list of ingredients again, then up at Dean. The witches had just finished with their last client for the day and were looking for anything on the spell Lucifer had used on the familiars.
"That last ingredient will be pretty hard to get, Dean," Sam said, setting the book down and looking through his storage of herbs for the things they'd need.
"I know," Dean replied. "It'll be damn near impossible. But not completely."
"How are we supposed to get some of Lucifer's blood?" Sam grabbed the last thing he needed- a sprig of lavender- and dropped them onto his table.
"I got no clue. Maybe we can knock him out."
"No good, he's probably warded against spells and poisons like that."
"Can we hold him down and draw blood?"
Sam gave him an exasperated look. "Dean, don't be ridiculous."
"Well, then what else are we supposed to do?" Dean threw his hands up in frustration and started pacing around the room. "We can't leave Cas and Gabe as birds for the rest of their lives. I mean, yeah, technically they'd be fine as birds until they die, but I can feel how much Cas wants to be able to control his transformations, and I know Gabe does, too!"
"Dean, I totally agree," Sam said, sitting down heavily in a chair. "I want this spell gone as much as you do, I just don't see how we can get Lucifer's blood."
The two of them sat in silence for a bit before Sam remembered that the invisibility spell on the familiars only lasted two hours. Sam opened up the connection he had been blocking and instantly felt the happiness from his familiar.
Dean found something that can counteract Lucifer's spell.
Gabriel broke out of the memory and realized that he and Cas had already made it back to the Winchesters' house. He watched Cas descend carefully and had a sudden urge to try something he'd never done before. His feathers fluffed out in anticipation.
This should be fun.
Whoops. He forgot that Sam could hear his thoughts.
Gabe, what are you going to do?
See for yourself, Moose.
He felt Sam enter his consciousness and felt a flash of giddiness. He tucked his wings close to his body and went into a steep dive, gravity pulling him faster and faster towards the ground.
Gabriel!
Sam's voice was filled with terror and Gabriel would have laughed had he been human. Just as he was about to turn into a familiar pancake on the grass of the backyard, he snapped open his wings and let air fill them, slowing him down enough for him to land unharmed on his feet.
Wasn't that fun? We should totally do that again sometime.
No, Gabe, that was not fun!
Gabriel watched as Sam and Dean calmly walked out into the backyard. Well, Dean walked calmly, Sam stormed out looking extremely pissed off. He looked around wildly for a moment and Gabe realized that the invisibility spell was still in effect. No sooner had he thought that then the spell wore off, melting off of his feathers like oil.
As soon as he was visible again, Sam angrily strode over to him and picked him up. Gabriel flapped his wings indignantly until he was in a comfortable position on Sam's outstretched arm. He waited impatiently for Dean and Cas to go inside before turning the full force of his glare on Gabriel.
"You could have died," he snapped.
No way. You forget that I've been flying my whole life.
"That's no excuse to be trying crazy experimental stunts in the backyard while invisible."
Gabriel could feel Sam's worry and hear his heart beating faster than normal from fear- fear that Gabriel had caused. At that realization, his feathers wilted, much as he tried to prevent them from doing so, but it was a reaction he had to any negative emotion that he had never been able to control.
I'm sorry for scaring you, Sam. I won't do it again, I promise.
Sam's eyes softened and he sighed, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"I forgive you. But try not to do anything super dangerous, okay? If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
Gabriel hopped farther up Sam's arm and nuzzled his face into Sam's neck, offering comfort in the only way he could as a bird. Sam chuckled and stroked his back.
"Let's head inside," he said. "We have to figure out something to do about Lucifer's spell."
...oO()Oo…
I have an idea, but you might not like it.
Gabriel let Sam prod around in his head for his idea and waited for the inevitable outburst he knew would come. Predictably, the witch's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open for a second.
"Sammy, what's-" Dean started, noticing Sam's obvious distress, but he was cut off as Sam suddenly shot up out of his seat.
"Are you out of your mind?" he shouted at Gabriel. The familiar didn't even flinch, matching Sam's angry glare with one of his own. It was pretty easy to intimidate people in this form. Even when he wasn't trying to look angry he was glaring and he was big enough to kill a horse if he wanted to. "That is the worst plan I have ever heard!"
Dean brightened a little and Cas pulled his head out from under his wing.
"Gabe has a plan?" Dean asked hopefully.
"A stupid-ass plan," Sam shot back. Gabriel's feathers puffed up in anger and his eyes narrowed.
At least I had an idea! Do we have any other choice?
"Of course we have other choices!" Sam shouted, ignoring Dean and Cas. "We could choose to not do your plan and find some other way to reverse this."
But what if there's no other way? I'm tired of being a freaking eagle, Sam! I'm tired of not being able to speak or sleep on a real bed. I want to be able to control my transformations and I can't do that with Lucifer's spell on me! At least tell them my idea and see if they agree.
His voice had gone a bit desperate at the end of his little speech and his feathers went back to their normal state.
"Fine," Sam snapped, turning to the other witch and familiar. "Gabe had this completely absurd idea that he could get a sample of Lucifer's blood by attacking him."
Dean looked thoughtfully at Gabriel for a moment, specifically his talons, and turned back to Sam.
"I don't know, man," he said. "I think Gabriel's pretty capable of drawing blood. It could work." Cas fluttered a little on the back of the chair he was perched on and Dean squinted his eyes a little. "That's a good point, Cas. How would he get enough blood for the spell and what would he carry it in?"
Tell them I can use a bowl or a bucket or something.
Absolutely not. This plan is ridiculous, Gabe. You could get hurt, or worse. We literally just had a talk about this an hour ago.
Sam, please. What would you do if you were me? I don't want to be an eagle for the rest of my life, awesome as my animal form is.
Sam simply crossed his arms and turned his back to Gabe. The familiar tried to hide his hurt but that was kind of hard when you were mind melded to a witch. The worst part was that Sam could feel his pain and didn't even turn around.
Gabriel's feathers wilted once more and he had to stifle a cry of grief. He was a Bonded familiar, dammit! It hurt when your witch didn't care enough to even apologise for hurting you.
Gabe, I care. That's why I won't let you attack Lucifer, you'd get killed. I'm just looking out for you.
Sam sat back down on the couch and returned to the book he was reading. He closed the Bond between them, not allowing Gabriel to even try to convince him to reconsider. He felt his heart break a little and had he been human he would have been crying, big time.
He hopped off the coat rack he had perched on and flew to the open back door. He ignored Dean's call and Cas' worried caw, flying up and out into the night sky. He found a large tree in a nearby park and landed on a branch hidden from the ground.
Gabe felt trapped, like he was being suffocated and had no way out. He could feel his anguish filling him up, but it had no outlet. He couldn't cry, couldn't 'talk' to Sam, couldn't even talk out loud to his brother.
And that's what hurt the most, that Sam knew he couldn't communicate to anyone but him and he took that last bit of his humanity away from him. He was desperately glad that he wasn't human right then, otherwise he'd be sobbing like a complete wreck. But that's the reason he was in this situation in the first place, was because he couldn't change back to his human form.
He tried to break through Sam's wall, desperate for comfort from the one he loved most- for he found that he did love Sam as much as he loved Cas, if not more- but the witch was putting everything he had into keeping the shield up.
It was all a little too much for Gabriel and he let out a huge screech to try to relieve the pain, not caring that he had probably attracted every predator in the city. He closed his eyes and let his feathers droop, not caring about keeping up appearances anymore. He didn't know how long he sat there, stewing silently in his own sadness and pain, but it felt like hours later when Cas finally found him.
The raven fluttered up next to Gabriel and landed on the branch, hopping closer until he could brush their wings together. Gabe opened his eyes and looked at his little brother.
"Gabe, what did he say?" Cas asked softly.
"He told me that my plan was stupid and wouldn't even let me try it," he explained, feeling like a child.
"It was a stupid plan and I don't think it would have worked."
"That's not the point, Cas. He hurt me, refused to apologize and then shut me out. I mean, he knows what this is doing to me, but he doesn't care and it hurts." Cas scooted closer and pressed his side to Gabriel's.
"Dean's talking to Sam," he said. "Sam freaked out when you flew away. He told me to find you. I thought he just wanted someone to go out and find you in case you ran into trouble or something, but now I understand. Is your Bond still closed?"
Gabriel nodded. He closed his eyes again and tucked his head under his wing, intending to spend the night in the tree. He could feel Cas do the same beside him.
"Shouldn't you go back?" he asked. "Dean'll be worried."
"I already told him what's going on," Cas explained. "He's pretty mad at Sam and he thought it would be best if we lay low for the night."
Gabriel felt a rush of gratitude towards the older Winchester. He tucked his head down and closed his eyes, falling into a fitful sleep.
...oO()Oo…
When he woke up the next morning, the thing he noticed was that his Bond with Sam was open again. Cas was still asleep next to him and the sun was just barely in the sky. He tentatively poked at the connection.
Sam?
He could feel Sam's relief wash over him, along with shame and remorse.
Gabriel! Oh God, Gabe, I am so sorry for hurting you and shutting you out. It was stupid and childish of me and you have every right to be angry.
I'm not mad, Sam. Just hurt.
He could feel the shame and remorse intensify.
I know, and I'm sorry. I never should have done that to you. I love you, Gabe, and I can't believe I hurt you like this.
I love you, too, Samsquatch. And you're forgiven. I know why you did what you did, just please don't do it again. I don't think I could handle it.
Of course, I swear it'll never happen again. Now, please come home. We still have to figure out what to do about Lucifer.
Gabriel nudged Cas awake and the two of them headed back to the house. Sam was waiting outside for them when they got there and Gabriel nuzzled up to him as soon as he landed on Sam's arm. The three of them went inside where they found Dean sitting on the couch with about fifteen books open around him.
"So, we haven't found anything yet," Sam said as he joined his brother. Cas flew onto Dean's shoulder and Gabe stayed on Sam's arm. "But we still haven't looked through all of the books yet."
Sam…
Gabriel's voice was soft and hesitant, almost as if he was afraid. He felt a surge of anger from Sam and he jumped back a little.
No, I'm not mad at you, Gabe. I'm mad at myself for making you afraid to talk to me.
Oh. I just don't want you to get angry with me again.
Gabriel Novak, I swore that I would never shut you out again and I meant it. Now what did you want to say?
It's just… if we don't find anything in the books, what will we do? I don't want to be a bird for the rest of my life.
I know, Gabe. Don't worry, we'll find something.
"Hey, Sam," Dean said, looking up from his book. "Me and Cas were just talking and we were thinking, if we don't find anything other than the counterspell, we'll have to use Gabe's idea."
Sam looked at Dean like he was crazy, then at Gabe and his gaze softened. He sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, I know," he said. Dean's eyebrows rose in surprise. "But only as a last resort, okay? I don't want him endangering himself unless absolutely necessary."
"Deal," Dean said. He winked at Gabe when Sam's back was turned and the familiar ruffled his feathers happily. He nudged a book open and began to read. They had a lot of homework to do.