Benedict Valda, AKA The demon Crowley, was settled into a room at Lena's boarding house reading one of Carver Edlund's books. It brought back memories. He was currently reading of the effort to prevent the Apocalypse.
Although demons really didn't have emotions he could feel a bit of empathy and maybe sadness. He had just gotten to Gabriel's heroic if totally useless 'death' at Lucifer's hands. Now Gabriel was an angel Crowley could admire or at least the Trickster was admirable.
Crowley never understood why the Winchester's had been so shocked to find out that Gabriel was not only a Trickster but the Trickster, Loki. Knowing Sam Winchester's anal retentive obsession with research, how could he have not dug deep enough to know that the archangel was not only God's messenger, but the Angel of Justice.
Gabriel possessed a sense of humor, unlike the rest of the feathered dicks as Dean so aptly named them. Poor Castiel never could grasp the concept of humor although he did try. But something the Winchesters had touched had become an artifact, and Claudia and the human would never find it without a bit of help.
"Claudia, how's the reading coming," Art asked. "Come across anything that could be our artifact?"
Claudia gave Art an exasperated look. "Dude, it would make more sense to ask if I had come across anything that could not be an artifact. Anything and everything those two touched could potentially be our artifact. You having any luck?"
"Well Sam and Dean both survived the outbreak." Art said. "Dean died at the age of 52 from a heart attack. Sam lived to the ripe old age of 83 before dying in a nursing home of plain old natural causes, but he was diagnosed at the age of 80 with stomach cancer within a matter of months. He soon developed dementia ending up with an imaginary friend, the Archangel Gabriel.
"Well according to the books, he knew Gabriel before Gabe bit the dust." Claudia said. "And get this the Archangel Gabriel was also some sort of demigod known as a Trickster and the Norse god Loki. He also knew another angel by the name of Castiel. I'd say he had issues way before he got old."
"It is hard to believe anyone ever believed Edlund's crap." Art laughed.
"Oh I don't know about that." A British accent came from behind them. "All of what Carver Edlund wrote about could very well be true you know." Valda said as he sat down beside the desk placing a book on the corner.
"Oh come on. You don't believe all this do you?" Claudia asked.
"Let's just say I keep an open mind. In 1870, an author by the name of Jules Verne produced a work known as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It detailed life aboard a submarine known as the Nautilus. 100 years later submarines were a common naval craft." Valda said then continued.
"1000 years ago the modern conveniences that we take for granted would have been considered black magic, sorcery. We would have all been burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft.
And even today we hunt down artifacts that people would consider impossibilities. Who would believe that the items in the warehouse have the powers that they do? So who is to say that humans won't someday find themselves routinely rubbing elbows with angels and demons."
"When you put it that way," Art said. "It seems not only possible but probable."
"True, but you have given me an idea Mr Lattimer. Gabriel was thought dead for decades before Sam started 'talking' to him. Perhaps you should concentrate your research on the time Sam was in the nursing home. I would suggest starting with locating the nursing home itself."
Crowley watched as the human began typing on the computer.
"Well Sam Winchester died at the Stull Convalescent Center. And get this it was built on the site of an old cemetery. The city dug up the graves and relocated them to the Stull Municipal Cemetery when the city of Stull went through a period of rapid growth after the outbreak." Art was telling the field agent while claudia stood at his back listening in.
"Talk about stereotypical ghost story plot device." The field agent, Miri Fredricks said. "That's practically textbook for pissing off a vengeful spirit."
" I know it's even mentioned in the edlund books as the cause of numerous 'hauntings'. But back to Sam, according to records Sam was admitted by his 'grandson', Cas, but neither Sam nor Dean had any children." Art said. "I also found Sam's patient record. On the day that Sam's cancer diagnosis was confirmed, Cas shows up out of the blue and takes the old man on an outing. They came back with a ceramic bowl decorated with little angels all blowing on little horns. In case you aren't up on your Judeo-Christian mythology, Gabriel is often depicted with a horn since one of his many incarnations is the Messenger of God.
It seems Sam developed an obsession that day with keeping the bowl full of candy. Sam claimed his imaginary Gabriel the Archangel had a wicked sweet tooth. Candy would disappear overnight and Sam claimed Gabriel was eating it when he visited. The staff figured Sam just didn't remember his nightly sugar binges so they started testing him. His blood sugar levels never fluctuated.
Now oddly enough, when Sam died his grandson, Cas couldn't be reached no one could even find an address or phone number for the guy. Sam also had a strange request for the disposal of his body. He wanted to be cremated."
"There's nothing strange about cremation Art." Claudia said.
"Sam wanted his body liberally sprinkled with salt then cremated. A salt and burn like in the books." Art said. "Since no one claimed Sam's possessions but they had a grandson on record the home stored them in the basement until recently. Seems the janitor was told to clean out the basement and sent a few things to his niece, including an old candy dish. And she just happens to work at the iron factory as a secretary."
"Do we have a photo or a better description?" Miri asked.
"Nope just the written description but considering everything I found, I think the candy dish is our best bet." Art said. "It's the only item that the janitor sent that belonged to Sam Winchester.
"I agree." Miri smiled. "Okay one sweet-toothed archangel's candy dish, I'll visit the factory in the morning and pick it up."
"Pretty little piece of crockery isn't it?" Benedict Valda said examining the candy dish that had belonged to the late Sam Winchester. "So in line with the accepted view of 'angels' as the sweet little celestial beings when the truth for Sam and Dean was that they were feathered asshats. Well except for Castiel and it seems Gabriel. Sam had a soft spot for Gabriel it seems."
Crowley turned the candy dish around in his hands knowing what the others did not. Gabriel has considered Sam one of his favorite humans. And when Sam was no longer able to care for himself, Castiel had placed him in a nursing home where he would be taken care of for the rest of his days. When Sam was diagnosed with Cancer, a certain trickster came out of his self imposed exile and planted himself at Sam's side often whisking Sam away to happier times and places. And when Sam took his last breath, it was not a reaper that escorted Sam's soul to heaven, but the archangel that had been holding Sam's hand when he died.
Oh well Crowley thought, there were countless more generations that would walk the face of the Earth before humans would be anywhere near ready enough to accept the existence of Angels and demons.