Supernatural 1. Chapter 1

**Pairing:** Gabriel/Sam

**Warnings:** Male pregnancy, abortion attempts, violence, blood, OC deaths, swearing.

**Note: **Chapter betaed by LiveJournal user blackmagic661.

**Full Summary:** Someone, or something, has drawn the Winchesters and archangels to a strange device capable of impregnating anything it touches. Sam and Gabriel end up coming into contact with it, and Sam becomes pregnant. The problem is, this _thing_ inside Sam is only part human, and him having it to term is likely to kill him. When primary attempts to remove the creature all fail, everyone must find another way of getting rid of the hybrid child before it's born, especially when they figure out just _who_ has plans for it once it comes of age.

**-o-**

**Chapter One**

The device was small. Holding no memorable decoration on its outer surface, or any kind of visible mechanism that could be used to open it, the object was round and appeared to be rather unremarkable, if Sam were being perfectly honest. Eyebrows scrunching up into a frown as he inspected it, Sam couldn't help the sigh that passed from his lips when further scrutiny drew a complete blank.

He had no idea as to what the thing could be, nor did he know its name. As far as he was concerned, the object could be a weapon, or just as easily be some sort of ornament. There were no physical clues that pointed out its use; it was incredibly frustrating. Shaking his head and moving his attention away from the device for a moment, Sam found his gaze locking on to Dean as he tried to figure out a way of obtaining all the answers required.

Dean was currently occupied with searching the rest of the room for any evidence that would give them an explanation as to the importance of this location. The place was a dump, and that was putting it politely. Having been abandoned over two decades ago, the building was unlisted on any of the maps they had of this town. It was as though it didn't exist; that it had been made invisible to the outside world so no one would pay it a second thought.

That knowledge alone made both Winchesters wary of the place, since experience told them that such buildings were usually home to all manner of creatures. Regardless of their concerns, they had ventured inside, curious as to what was held within.

Also, it helped that _Cas_ had been the one to give them a message about this building and the device inside. Apparently, whatever it was had caught the attention of the archangels; anything that was important enough to capture their interest needed to be investigated.

If the device was a weapon, Sam and Dean knew that they couldn't afford to let it get in the hands of any one of the archangels. Of course, they understood that Michael and Lucifer were the ones they truly needed to keep it away from, but both also knew that Raphael and Gabriel weren't to be trusted either. Considering all four had expressed some level of desire for the Apocalypse to take place, letting them get hold of a potential weapon was out of the question.

Rubbing a hand over his heated face, revelling a touch at the coolness of his fingers, Sam shook his head again, before returning his gaze back to the tiny ball that was the reason for their being here. It appeared harmless, but images could be deceiving. Even the most soft and delicate of objects could turn out to have the means to kill, given the correct circumstances.

"Can't go anywhere these days without bumping into you two muttonheads, huh?"

Jumping slightly as the voice burst into the room, Sam hastily attempted to squash down his shock as he spun around until he was facing an extremely familiar sight. With a smirk lighting up his face and one eyebrow lifted firmly in amusement, Gabriel stood by the only window in the room. His entire demeanour seemed relaxed, as if neither Sam or Dean posed even the tiniest hint of a threat. In reality, Sam knew that this was mostly true, because neither he or his brother had any holy oil on them, or any type of weapon that would be affective against an archangel.

"Get lost, Gabriel," Dean said, tone indicating his sudden irritation. From the corner of his vision Sam could see the way Dean's shoulders had tensed. Dean wasn't even trying to hide the hostility he had towards Gabriel, if the glare was anything to go by. Sam couldn't blame him for holding a grudge, though, considering it was utterly excusable. Hell, Sam wasn't particularly happy to see the guy, though he suspected he was doing a much better job of concealing his annoyance.

"And hello to you, too," Gabriel replied, turning to look at Dean with a wide grin.

"We're not letting you take it."

Sam did not mean for that to be spoken out loud. Trying hard to prevent himself from cringing, Sam's mind ran through the words and the way in which he had said them. Voice hard and uncompromising, it seemed that his mouth and vocal chords had been working on automatic. Although his mind didn't want to direct Gabriel's attention to the device, a part of him - the part that controlled what he said, apparently - _knew_ that getting straight to the point was the best option. Beating around the bush never solved anything.

Lifting his head as Gabriel locked eyes with him, Sam was not prepared for what he saw in Gabriel's gaze. He seemed to actually be _contemplating_ the comment, as though it was a puzzle that needed his full concentration to work out.

Confusion washed into Sam instantly. Not quite able to stop his head from tilting just a tad as he tried to remain calm and uncaring, Sam understood that it would do no good to get into a shouting match with the archangel. What Gabriel was doing made no sense, but Sam couldn't let his want for an immediate explanation take control.

A moment passed, then Gabriel's smirk lowered into a strange smile. "Take what?"

This time, Sam was not able to cover up his reaction at all. Eyes narrowing a bit, mouth opening, then closing rapidly a mere second later, he huffed out an inaudible scoff as he tried to wrap his mind around the question. Gabriel was being deliberately dense, surely? The information about the archangels having interest in the device had come from the Winchester's second most reliable source. Unless the message had been misinterpreted somehow, Gabriel trying to misdirect Sam and Dean with a false pretence didn't make any identifiable sense.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you're just here for a party, yeah?" The sarcasm dripping from Dean's tongue did not go unnoticed. The scowl his features had twisted into wasn't exactly subtle either.

The frown that met Dean's reply was unexpected, as was Gabriel's response to it.

"I'm here because you two _asked_ me to meet you here."

"What?" Both Sam and Dean spoke the word simultaneously and, even if their expressions weren't visible, it would have been obvious from their tones that they thought Gabriel's answer was ridiculous. Staring at Gabriel dumbly for a moment, Sam then looked to Dean for any kind of reasoning behind that reply. What on Earth was Gabriel talking about? Judging from Dean's expression, it was clear his brother had no clue, just as he didn't.

"I'm guessing that's news to you?" Gabriel asked, and Sam was surprised to find that all manner of joy had left the archangel's face. This was serious, it seemed, if someone had gone to the trouble of tricking the three of them here; Gabriel understood this.

"Gabriel, we-" Cutting off abruptly when he caught sight of another person that had suddenly appeared in the room, Sam's eyes went wide. He had to force himself not to take a step back as his mind instantaneously identified who it was. Without a seconds hesitation, Gabriel turned on the spot so he could, Sam assumed, greet Michael. Watching as Gabriel's shoulders sagged in what appeared to be frustration, Sam's initial idea of what Gabriel was about to do was flawed.

"_Fantastic_."

Michael blinked slowly, and the bored expression on his face didn't change. "Nice to see you too, Gabriel."

Before Sam or Dean could say anything, Gabriel released a sigh.

"Let me guess: some mook gave you a message telling you to come here to this little get together. And, probably, in the next few minutes, anyone else who's been duped into coming here is going to turn up, and we're all going to be mutilated or killed in some inventive way," Gabriel stated. For some reason, be it just for show or not, he seemed utterly bored by the conversation all of a sudden, as if the events unfolding weren't worthy of his time.

It took a while for the words to sink in; even longer for them to register as a warning. His mind shuffled them around and sifted through each syllable, disregarding the unimportant adjectives, verbs and other lexis, before creating a couple of sentences that confirmed a startling idea. Gabriel had put every piece of this odd display of events together, and come up with the result of it amounting to being a huge trap.

Sam knew that the archangels were intelligent; it would be pathetic to think otherwise. They were all thousands of years old, at the very _least_, and had the entire world at their fingertips to use as a means of learning. Despite their personalities and flaws, this one fact was obvious: they would retain the ability to be rapid thinkers when the occasion demanded it.

Sam was still surprised at how dumbstruck he became when he realised exactly how _fast_ Gabriel had caught on to the truth that this could be a trap for them all. Even Sam hadn't come to that conclusion, until it had been pointed out. Upon speculation, Gabriel's assumption was the only explanation for someone going to the effort of creating fake messages for them, that fit perfectly to answer all of his questions.

"Well, this should be interesting then."

The cold dread that washed through him instantly upon hearing that voice was not welcome. It shot down his spine and through his nerves, leaving an icy feeling in its wake, and causing his body to react in an unpleasant way. At once he felt weak and alone. Pulling in a deep breath in the attempt to calm his physical self down, Sam tried to even out his breathing and settle his heart rate. This was stupid. Why was he reacting in such a way? He was supposed to have more control than this.

Slowly turning to the source of the voice, Sam absently noted that the other three occupants of the room had already moved to stare at Lucifer with mixed amounts of suspicion or horror.

"Hello, Sam," Lucifer greeted, allowing a small smile to rise into place in a display of friendly politeness.

"Lucifer." Sam wasn't able to stop himself from saying the name. Acting as a type of confirmation that this was real, that he _was_ currently standing in a room with the one person on the planet that he needed to avoid more than anything, Sam couldn't help it when his voice cracked. This wasn't happening; this _couldn't_ be happening. It was impossible. But Sam understood that, no matter what he wished, he couldn't pretend that this was all some kind of messed up nightmare, and that he would wake up in some dank motel room somewhere.

Michael and Lucifer were in the same location. They were together, in one small room, and there was not a single thing that Sam could think to do to make that fact change. Honestly, he knew that, if it came down to a fight, Michael had at least some advantage, being in a vessel that was closely related to his intended one. That didn't matter in the long run, though. If the two archangels decided to get down to business right here and now, the likelihood of it ending well was so far below _low_ that it probably reached impossible.

Thinking about it, Sam came to the conclusion that this situation couldn't get much worse; there was no way he was expressing that opinion to the others. He'd had plenty of experience to know that everything was capable of becoming worse, given the right actions, and there wasn't a chance in Hell he was going to jinx his and Dean's predicament.

"You shouldn't have come here," Michael finally said, as he locked eyes with Lucifer. Snapping his attention away from Sam, the falter in Lucifer's smile did not go unnoticed; the almost cheery expression didn't fade completely.

"I see you got yourself an alternative vessel. I'd accuse you of cheating, if I didn't know you better."

Michael actually smiled at the comment, which baffled both Winchester brothers. Michael and Lucifer appeared to be being _civil_ towards each other... Well, as civil as two brothers who wanted to rip each other apart could possibly be.

"And that's the full house."

Sam frowned. Then, his confusion over the exclamation only rising, he turned to Gabriel with a questioning gaze. Gabriel's eyes were focused on something on the other side of the room, and when Sam let his gaze turn to see what he was looking at, his bemusement hit even higher levels than before. There was nobody there. That was, until the unmistakable sound of wings filtered around the area for the briefest of seconds; Sam only heard it because he'd been concentrating on figuring out what Gabriel had meant by his words.

Disbelief pouring into him in masses, Sam cringed as Raphael appeared in the exact location that Gabriel had been looking at. Blowing out a calming breath, ignoring the cool air that brushed past his lips, Sam tried to come to terms with everything. This was beyond ridiculous. Who the hell wanted _all four_ archangels in a single room, at the same time? Were they expecting entertainment in the form of a massacre of the surrounding town, when the four started trying to kill each other?

"I think we better go."

Jerking involuntarily when Dean whispered in his ear, Sam grunted in mild irritation as he twisted to glare at his brother. Dean had managed to walk over to Sam without him noticing. With his heart beating much too fast, and the sweat that had been building up on his forehead making itself know in the form of a trickle moving down the side of his flushed face, Sam mentally cursed. He was already on edge right now, so he didn't need to have Dean sneaking up on him and scaring him half to death. Despite his anger, Sam didn't say anything.

Dean was right.

The reason for their being here didn't matter, and neither did the repercussions that would entail due to the archangels all meeting up. Sam and Dean's survival came first. Right now they were at an extremely high risk of getting killed, or worse. The best course of action would be for them both to get out of the line of fire.

Giving his brother a quick nod, Sam watched as Dean's lips pursed, before he began edging slowly towards the door that would lead to freedom. Keeping his movements small and cautious to prevent drawing attention to himself, Dean's eyes flickered to the door, before moving to glance at each archangel in turn. The four had quickly begun discussing something that Sam didn't really care about, but being distracted by talking didn't mean they wouldn't notice Sam and Dean if they made too much noise. Scolding his suddenly shaky breaths, Sam followed Dean's lead. Heading towards the exit, he allowed his legs to move tentatively to avoid detectable movements.

Muscles straining and protesting against the unfamiliar walking technique they were being forced to endure, it wasn't long before Sam's legs began trembling. Gritting his teeth together to stop the growl of frustration that wanted to escape, Sam swallowed and let his gaze snap between watching Dean and keeping an eye on the others.

He managed about ten steps before the door disappeared, only to be replaced by what looked like an extension of the dark wall surrounding it.

"Planning on going somewhere, boys?" Lucifer asked. The nonchalance behind the question made Sam want to hit something. From the way Dean's body had gone rigid, Dean didn't appreciate the comment either.

"And without even telling us why you two came here. I'm pretty sure you didn't come to meet up with any of my _darling_ family," Gabriel said.

Dean visibly tensed. "Go to Hell."

Staring at the back of his brother's head for a moment, Sam found his expression contorting into a scowl for some bizarre reason. Their failure to get out of this place without being seen wasn't surprising, so it wasn't due to that. Nor was he pulling that expression in regards to Dean's barked out reply.

Closing his eyes, Sam shook his head. He knew exactly why he was getting this annoyed: he wanted answers, and the only people he could think to get them from were all standing in this room with him. His mind, obviously, wanted to reject the suggestion immediately, but there were no alternatives.

Opening his eyes, Sam felt his body sag a tiny bit in defeat. He truly hated his own mind sometimes.

"Cas... Well, whoever was pretending to be Cas said you were all after that." Pointing to the device that he'd been inspecting earlier, Sam chose to ignore the look from Dean currently being directed his way. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel were the _archangels_ for God's sake; it didn't really matter if they knew about the device initially, or whether Sam's declaration had just informed them, because the mystery surrounding it was infuriating. Plus, if either of them had wanted Sam or Dean dead, the two wouldn't be among the living right now.

"You mean this thing?" Gabriel asked, quirking an eyebrow as he gestured towards the round object sitting atop the only table in the room. Dean nodded. Lifting his head and allowing his lips to form a thin line, Gabriel casually stepped closer to the table and leant down to peer at the device. A few seconds passed where nothing happened, before Sam got impatient.

"You know what it is?"

Straightening back up to his full height, Gabriel shrugged; though his expression denied any real care, the way he continued to stare at the object betrayed his utter annoyance at his own lack of knowledge about the thing. He looked practically _offended_, as though it had caused him some great misdeed.

"Nope. But maybe one of my bros do." Directing his last sentence specifically at Michael, Gabriel turned to him with raised eyebrows.

Michael looked surprised by this display of expectancy, but strolled over to Gabriel regardless. Bending down to inspect the object, it took him no more than a single glance before he was standing straight once more with his answer:

"Never seen it before."

"Oh, fat lot of good you're all turning out to be," Dean exclaimed suddenly, sneering at Michael when the archangel turned to him with a glare.

"Dean," Sam snapped, somehow making the name itself sound like a reprimand.

"What, Sam? Come on! They're archangels and they don't know what a stupid round piece of crap is?" Gesturing angrily at the device as though that would help to convey his fury, Dean licked his lips. At once a sardonic smile was adorning his features when Sam's reply to his outburst was a simple, unfriendly expression.

"Why are we even discussing this?" Raphael questioned. Somehow, that one sentence gave the impression that he was only talking to his brothers, whilst also making it clear that he honestly thought that they were complete morons for even showing the tiniest hint of interest in the device.

Dean paid him no attention, and didn't give anyone else the chance to.

"You know what?" he started, looking around at everyone in the room, before letting his gaze settle back on Sam, "I'm going to sort this out."

Before Sam had time to ask him what he meant, Dean spun on the spot and practically stalked over to the device. Watching with curiosity, which instantly transformed into horror as he realised what Dean was about to attempt, Sam let out a quiet 'No' as his eyes went wide. Throwing a quick, smug grin Sam's way, and not paying heed to his unsubtle terror, Dean proceeded to reach out to touch the object.

"Dean, stop!"

Halting his hand about an inch away from it, Dean huffed. "Why not? Everyone here wants to find out what this is, Sam! Well, I say we break the damn thing; see what happens."

Sam kept his mouth closed, because if he let it open he knew that his response would be incredibly harsh. It would do more harm than good to yell at Dean. Clenching his hands into fists, Sam lowered his gaze for a second, then lifted it back up to find that Dean had begun backing away from the table. Dean's hands flailed out in obvious exasperation.

"We don't know what this thing can do, Sam. Hell, even these four freakin' douchebags haven't got a clue," he said, pointing at the archangels accusingly. "It could be a weapon."

"Or it could be a paperweight," Gabriel supplied unhelpfully, earning himself a couple of glares. Rolling his eyes, Gabriel let out a _laugh_ that managed to sound sarcastic.

Suddenly, without warning, Gabriel reached down and picked up the device from off the table. Instantaneously, a protest formed in Sam's mind, but it didn't reach his throat before Gabriel had tossed the device up in the air a couple of times. He caught it in the safety of his palm effortlessly each time he did this, before he secured his fingers firmly around it so he could bring it closer to his eyes to get a better look.

Watching as Gabriel twisted it around in his hand, Sam thought that the device really did look unremarkable. Even at a different angle, he could tell that it had no patterns, and it didn't seem to have any bumps on its smooth surface. He would need to hold the object in his own hand so he could feel for any indentations, but he had a feeling that there would be none. What was so important about what, essentially, was a ball?

Gabriel let out a sigh, before lifting his gaze a touch until he was peering at Sam over it. His expression alone was enough to show that picking the thing up had not helped in his desire to find out what on Earth it was meant to be.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he said, chucking the device to Sam.

Caught off guard by the action, Sam was grateful when he acted on instinct to catch the object before it crashed onto the hard floor. Feeling it bump against his skin, he closed his fingers around it to stop it from moving in case it bounced back out of his hand. He was startled at how cold it was compared to the warmth of his palm, and, as it entered his thoughts unexpectedly, he had to fight the unwarranted desire to let it drop from his grip.

Coming to his senses, intending to shout out at Gabriel for the irresponsible action he had just done that could have potentially broken the device, Sam's words got stuck in his throat as any wish to speak was drowned out by the scream that burst into the room.

Blood running cold and heart rate increasing as the cry pierced throughout the room, Sam's eyes widened as he watched Gabriel collapse to the floor in agony. Shock and confusion poured into Sam immediately, though that was nothing compared to the startling concern that rapidly pushed those former emotions aside. He turned to Dean in the hopes of something - heck, _anything_ would do - that would explain what had just happened. The expression he saw on his brother's face was what he assumed he would see if he happened to come across a mirror and glanced at his own reflection.

At a loss as to what to do, Sam turned his gaze to the other archangels, only to find that they were all staring at Gabriel with equal amounts of bewilderment and mixed amounts of horror.

Wanting to shout at them for not bothering to try and help, Sam darted his attention back to Gabriel. It was then that he understood why everyone was just staring at him, rather than trying to help. The blue specks were no bigger than ants, but there were hundreds of the things. Moving erratically in a speed much too fast for Sam's eyes to keep up with, the lights seemed to be surrounding Gabriel's form, but none were touching him. Rooted on the spot, fascinated by the display happening in front of him, Sam was reminded of the agony that Gabriel was currently enduring when one of the lights stopped suddenly, before brushing against his cheek.

The instant it made contact, the screaming increased to almost deafening volumes, and Sam had to cover his ears to try and stop the pain that shot through him. Gritting his teeth together to stop the cry that wanted to escape, his eyes closed of their own accord as Gabriel's screams seemed to transform into something feral and inhuman.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Confusion welling into him in an instant, Sam removed his hands from his ears and opened his eyes so he could take a look at what had gone wrong. What he saw was both unexpected and horrifying. The blue specks had vanished from Gabriel's vicinity, but they hadn't actually disappeared. Staring in terror at the blue lights that were rapidly forming a cocoon like shape around his body, Sam felt a twinge of true fear rise within him as he tried to back away from the lights. His legs weren't able to move, though, and, not a second after figuring out this revelation, a spark of what felt like electricity shot into him.

Seconds later, it was Sam that was screaming.

**To Be Continued**

**-o-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: **Chapter betaed by LiveJournal user blackmagic661.

**-o-**

**Chapter Two**

The first thing that registered in his mind was the cold. It wasn't unpleasant, but comfortable wasn't an accurate descriptor either. It was just _there_, and he wanted it gone.

The second thing he noticed was the fact that his eyes were closed, meaning he'd done one of two things: woken up from sleep, or woken up from unconsciousness. The latter was almost certainly the correct one, but Sam was capable of being rather optimistic when he wanted to be. Right now, he was enjoying imagining that he hadn't been forced from consciousness, as having the choice of whether to be among the sleeping was only good when, of course, it was decidedly _his_ decision.

Sam kept his eyes closed and his body motionless as he tried to recall the last memories he had of the time before his dive into blackness. It was an eerie place, filled with nothing of any use. That frustrated him greatly. Having a blank spot in his memories was never a brilliant sign.

Attention shifting when he heard the faint sound of murmurs coming from around him, Sam realised that they appeared distant but familiar. Though the mumblings weren't entirely comprehensible right at the very moment, the tones of them didn't give Sam the immediate sense of panic he usually had when he awoke to find himself tied up somewhere. Given that his wrists didn't feel like they were in any pain due to restraints added to Sam's ease, because it meant that, wherever he was, it couldn't be _that_ bad.

Licking his lips and concentrating, Sam focused all of his energy on trying to discern whether he could understand what the voices were saying. He didn't care to draw any attention to himself, or the fact that he was awake, because that wasn't important. Relaxing his muscles as much as he could, whilst still maintaining a tautness in his limbs that would allow him to jump into action if the situation called for it, Sam made sure to breathe as quietly as he could so he'd be able to hear what was being said.

"You need to calm down."

Surprise flitted into him. Sam had to forcibly stop his eyes from opening when his mind conjured up an image of the speaker in his memories. It was Adam. But something in that statement seemed off, as if the information were wrong. Yes, it was Adam's vocal chords, his _voice_, but the person doing the speaking was not Adam. There was another being inside of Adam, using him as a mouthpiece, possessing him because he was an adequate enough match to Dean's DNA to be used as a vessel.

Sam blew out an inaudible sigh. The name of the person speaking was Michael.

"Why the hell should I calm down when it's your dick of a brother that turned it on?"

And _that_ was Dean.

Sam had to admit that, when he thought about it, knowing who was speaking wasn't actually all that helpful. He could not for the life of him work out why he'd lost consciousness, meaning his best bet for getting answers would be to inform the people in the room that he was, indeed, among the conscious.

Opening his eyes slowly in case there were any bright lights - having opened them rapidly many a time, only to have to snap them shut again instantly due to the bombardment of sudden pain created, he'd learnt to let his vision adjust first - and blowing out a breath that he purposely made loud, Sam turned his head slightly. Relieved to find that the room was lit dimly, he blinked in fast succession a few times to allow his eyes to focus properly. After a second or so his gaze was drawn to Dean.

Noting the worry in his brother's expression, Sam assumed that his earlier assessment of why he'd been unconscious had been correct. If he'd been asleep, Dean wouldn't be directing concern at him. Letting his gaze move past Dean, Sam found his mouth opening of its own accord as he spotted Lucifer and Michael standing off to the side, by the window. The array of images that flashed through his mind, of archangels, messages and blue specks of light, was both sudden and startling.

Sam gasped. There had been screaming - _too much_ screaming - and blue, followed by pain and darkness. His body had been attacked, hit with a pain that was like nothing he'd ever had the misfortune of experiencing before. It had _hurt_; not just physically, but mentally too. It was as if the device had been clawing at his thoughts.

Holding back the flinch as he remembered the touch of those lights, Sam forced his body up into a sitting position. He needed to regain some sort of control. His head was aching, his skin felt like it was on fire, and there was a tiny part of his mind that seemed to be trying to bring his attention to something else. Was he forgetting something? He knew of the device and the lights, so that wasn't the problem. Maybe it was a person he was failing to recall? Dean was fine. Lucifer and Michael were chatting away about something or other. Turning his head a touch, Sam found Raphael kneeling down by an unmoving body.

"Gabriel."

Shock was not a feeling that Sam enjoyed having. It was sudden and unexpected, and there was nothing that could be done to prevent it. That was the emotion Sam found pouring into him as he stared at the sprawled out figure on the ground. Gabriel wasn't dead, from what he could tell. Though, Sam understood that archangels and angels didn't necessarily work the same way. When angels were killed, their wings became shadowed silhouettes on the floor around them. Perhaps it was different for archangels?

"Forget him, Sam. Are you okay?" Dean asked.

Turning back to Dean, Sam stared blankly for a couple of seconds, before he realised that he was supposed to reply.

"I'm fine."

Dean nodded, but he didn't look in the least bit convinced.

-o-

_..._

Gabriel was dreaming.

_..._

Well, that was the activity that he assumed he was doing, since he couldn't think of a more suitable explanation for what he was currently partaking in. There was but one problem to his idea, though: Gabriel wasn't able to sleep. Sleep was a physical act made impossible for his species, because it was not needed. Even if he could go into a state very similar to what humans did for rest - he could, but he didn't do it often - then it still couldn't be called sleep, as it wasn't necessary for him to do, nor was it related to exhaustion or energy restoration.

The act of dreaming was even more impossible, despite the definition of the word having a meaning that denied it being possible for anything to be less likely than it. Gabriel enjoyed putting them into levels of impossibility, although it was illogical. There were those that simply couldn't be achieved, then there were those that were ridiculous to even _think_ of achieving, because they required another impossible task to be done primarily before they could begin to come into affect. Not many things fell into the former category; even fewer landed in the latter.

So, obviously, he knew that he wasn't actually dreaming, but his mind couldn't construct another word that would describe the events happening. If he were being completely honest, he thought it was peculiar. The idea that something had managed to twist his thoughts around, before pushing them within his own self, was bizarre; frightening, also.

_..._

Gabriel couldn't deny that, shockingly, it was rather boring inside his head. Unless he wasn't in his own mind, of course, meaning he'd just been taken to an extremely dull location instead.

Looking around at the nothingness surrounding him, Gabriel absently wondered how he was standing up if there wasn't any kind of material for him to be perched on. There was literally nothing here. No ground was settled under his feet, no objects lay in front of him, and there was a distinct lack of colour. A feeling of slight panic was creeping through him. There was something wrong going on here. What he was staring at wasn't a blank white, or utter blackness. It was something else, something he wasn't quite able to describe, and that made him feel vulnerable. Gabriel loathed not being able to understand what was going on.

Attempting to remember what had occurred prior to his waking up in this location didn't help, as there appeared to be some sort of door blocking his way to the memories. The block was strong, much too powerful for him to break, and that scared him. Fear didn't come lightly, what with him being an archangel, but right now it was free to grab control. There must be a power at work that had knowledge beyond Gabriel's intelligence; that probability only fueled his terror.

_Pro...th...ild._

Eyebrows rising a smidgen, Gabriel was hit with bemusement as something quiet started niggling at the back of his mind. He let the confusion come, since it was the more comfortable emotion of the options he had at this very moment.

_Pro...th...ild._

Practically a whisper in his ears, Gabriel wasn't quite able to make out the statement. He needed to figure it out. The chance that it was saying something that would explain this bewildering outcome to whatever the hell had happened, that he couldn't remember, was at least somewhat high, and Gabriel was confident that it would ease some of his fear if he had just a single piece of information about what he was dealing with.

Allowing himself to focus on the thing running through his mind, rather than concentrating on the area around him, Gabriel closed his eyes. They darted open again moments later when, with great alarm, Gabriel realised what the presence was trying to do.

Mixing in with the memories he already had, it was attempting to manipulate its own motives in with his, essentially making him believe that they were _his_ ideas and thoughts to begin with.

Not caring to squash it back when the terror returned immediately, Gabriel felt a chill run through him as his initial panic increased. He couldn't move. His limbs were stuck in place, not movable, and they had probably been that way from the second he'd woken up. How he hadn't realised, Gabriel didn't know, but that wasn't high on his list of priorities now. Feeling the brush of a tingling sensation touch the tips of his fingers, before growing in sensation and moving into his hands and arms, Gabriel did the only thing that he could think to try and regain any control.

Opening his mouth to shout out anything that came to mind, be it a curse, a cry for help, or a spell, he felt his blood run cold as his throat constricted, refusing to let any sound escape. This was pathetic on too many levels. He was an archangel, for Heaven's sake. What the hell was capable of holding his powers down so effectively, creating disorientation in his memories, and making him so incredibly helpless?

_Protect the child._

Gabriel understood what the words were, this time. Letting his confusion increase, Gabriel's mind instantly categorised a list of every child he'd ever encountered. Most were human, so he discounted them as being the culprits for this little shenanigan. There were a couple he could name that had some power, but not enough to overpower him. In fact, there wasn't a single child he knew of that could harm him. Biting back the curse, Gabriel began changing his tactics. Given the nature of the sentence, there was a large chance that the child in question had no idea of what was going on. It could simply be oblivious to the lengths that another person was going to, to get it this so called protection that it needed.

Gabriel snorted. That still left him at square one, with no knowledge of who was trying to take control of him. All he knew was that he was getting more furious with every passing second, but that was a good thing. Anything was better than fright.

How dare something try and take control of him. He was his own being; the only person allowed to use his body and mind for whatever means he wanted them for. His Grace was his, solely, and there wasn't a single thing on Earth, in Heaven, or Hell, that could put a claim on him without his explicit permission. Even his father had forfeited any rights to his will when He decided that absence was the best form of communication.

The problem was that, no matter how much fury coursed through him, Gabriel was hopeless against the tampering currently going on in his head. And that was _infuriating_.

He could practically feel his memories transforming and ripping apart, before reconnecting in patterns that weren't correct. Though there wasn't any pain, or any distinguishing pressure he recognised, he still noticed that there was a foreign _thing_ inside of him that was making edits to his mind.

Above all else, when it came down to raw emotion, Gabriel understood that horror was the most significant one he was producing in reaction to the presence. The changes weren't registering as _changes_, because the moment his memories were pieced back together with the alterations, he _believed_ them to be true. Having no physical or mental evidence to tell him which thoughts were false and which were fact, Gabriel was utterly helpless.

For all he knew, by the time it was done with him, it could have completely destroyed his sense of identity and replaced it with a new one. And he wouldn't know any different.

-o-

There was something very wrong about this situation. Ignoring the fact that there was an unconscious archangel on the floor, and that earlier, Sam had also been knocked out by a device that nobody even knew the name of, there was the underlying evidence in the atmosphere of the room that proved the lack of right. Sam had an incline that Raphael, Lucifer and Michael still being present might have had a lot to do with the overall feeling of bad.

If either of the three of them had spent any time at all in trying to convince Sam or Dean to agree to becoming vessels, then Sam wouldn't have held a hint of concern. Neither one had so much as mentioned the Apocalypse, or any events that would need to occur in order for it to happen properly. Instead, Raphael had taken to sitting beside his unconscious brother, and if the intense look of concentration his features had contorted into was anything to go by, he was committed to determining why Gabriel had not woken yet.

From what Sam could tell, Lucifer and Michael appeared to be taking turns in coming up with explanations as to what the device was. Having quickly moved on from speaking in a language that Sam was fluent in, they were conversing in what Sam assumed was their mother tongue. Due to this, Sam's idea of what they were speaking about was pure speculation.

He hadn't gotten over his surprise at how friendly they were being with each other. Knowing just exactly who they were, and having had experience with their history, Sam wasn't able to remove his disbelief. Why weren't they fighting? They weren't even arguing, for crying out loud.

"You okay?"

Dean's question pulled him from his thoughts, and Sam blew out an exasperated sigh as he turned to look at him. He needed a good distraction right now; Dean's constant questioning of his health would have to do.

"Man, that's like the seventh time you've asked me that," he said, not bothering to mask his annoyance. What it was that was irritating him had nothing to do with Dean, but he needed to vent his emotions on someone. Since the other options were the three archangels, Dean was the logical source to dump his frustration on.

Dean shrugged, which was a relief. It was clear from his body language that he understood Sam's state of mind.

"Can't blame me. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if, when we get back to the motel, you suddenly go terminator on me or something."

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, the effect was ruined by the smile that had crept onto Sam's face.

"Seriously?"

Dean smirked. Shaking his head and trying to keep his smile in place, Sam's joy didn't last as long as he had wished it would. He couldn't stop his eyes moving back to Gabriel, nor could he prevent his expression lowering into a frown. No matter how hard he desired to just get up and leave, he knew that he shouldn't - or couldn't, though it didn't matter which term was used, since he was going to stay anyway. Mere curiosity would be enough to keep Sam here until he had answers to all his questions, but he understood that Dean would take more convincing.

Moving to stand up, and pointedly ignoring Dean's offered hand by letting out a light huff to convey that Dean need not be insulted by the action, Sam stretched out his back and legs. Letting out a tiny moan of pleasure as his muscles pulled in just the right way, he quickly relaxed his body before blowing out a long breath.

"Dean-"

Holding up a hand to halt Sam's words, Dean's features displayed the distinct stubbornness he held whenever he knew Sam was about to suggest something he wouldn't like.

"Whatever it is, Sam, save it. We're getting out of here."

Any protest Sam had was cut off by another voice.

"I don't think so."

Both Winchesters turned to Michael, and Sam was certain that Dean looked as pissed as he felt. What was Michael's deal? First off, he treats them with bored contempt, as though merely speaking to them is a waste of time; then he blatantly ignores them when something odd happens that no one can explain. And now, what? Was he suddenly going to start spouting off reasons why Dean should say yes to him, even though the Apocalypse hadn't even been mentioned since everyones' arrival here?

"So, what? We just going to hang around here until sleeping beauty wakes up?" Dean asked, his tone sharp. Sometimes, Sam was very grateful that Dean could be as defiant as he was, what with everything he'd been put through. It was admirable.

"Yes," Lucifer answered.

Sam stared at him. It wasn't possible that they were being serious. Gabriel wasn't important to either Michael or Lucifer. Sure, he would probably be a decent ally if he decided to choose a side to be on, but unless Gabriel's modus operandi had suddenly changed since the last time they'd spoken, the archangel was not going to get himself involved in the fight. Unless there was an ulterior reasoning behind Lucifer's desire to stay, then it didn't make much sense.

"Why?" Sam had to ask it. He wanted to understand the situation. Whether this was going to end in a huge fight, or whether it was going to finish with them all having a better understanding of what had actually happened to him and Gabriel, Sam wanted to have some former knowledge of what to anticipate. Having at least the power to _try_ and prepare for the following events was preferred to being taken by utter surprise.

"If you leave before he wakes up, he'll destroy half this continent in search of you," Raphael said. After his mind actually registered what the words were, Sam considered that the tone Raphael had used was far too calm for his liking.

"What?" Dean voiced exactly what was running through Sam's thoughts. Grateful that Dean could articulate any kind of speech in response to what Raphael had stated, Sam continued to just stand there dumbstruck.

Raphael's expression contorted in irritation. "I'm certain you're not deaf."

"No," Sam started, finding his voice suddenly. "Dean meant... why? Why would Gabriel care about where we are?" This conversation had turned baffling; horrifying, too, if Sam thought about it too much. Not only did they have the three eldest archangels after them, trying to persuade them into becoming vessels, but now the _only_ extremely powerful person they'd ever met that _hadn't_ purposely sought them out to attack them in some way was going to start trying to kill them too, and was willing to slaughter millions to do it?

Yes, Gabriel had tried to force them into doing what his brothers wanted, but only because Sam and Dean had mistakenly bumped into him. Gabriel had only ever tracked them down if they happened to be in the same town as him. Apparently, whatever the device was had changed that, and now they had yet another being after their blood. Unfair wasn't accurate enough to describe this turn of events.

"We think it's programmed him," Michael explained, gesturing towards the device that lay at Sam's feet. Startled, Sam took an involuntary step away from the object. He'd forgotten all about it. Looking at it now, it appeared as uninteresting as before, but Sam couldn't help but feel that it had a sinister air surrounding it. It seemed that dropping the thing had not caused to it smash into a thousand pieces; Sam was slightly perturbed by that revelation.

"Programmed?" he asked, tone unsure.

"We should leave." Sam hadn't been around Lucifer many times, but even he had a feeling that urgency was not something that the archangel displayed often. Gaze snapping to Lucifer instantly, Sam was struck with the notion that he and his brother had just been dumped with a responsibility that neither wanted, as Lucifer vanished from sight, and the door he'd previously removed made a reappearance. Without any given warning, both Michael and Raphael copied the action of fleeing, and Sam was left staring at emptiness.

The complete sense of helplessness that immediately seeped into him was not wanted. Tearing through his body as an icy shock, it shot into his thoughts and carved a place there. Breaths coming out in quick pants, Sam attempted to make sound come from his mouth, but he had no idea as to what he could say that would help.

He absently noted Dean shouting 'Son of a bitch', though that wasn't anything new. It had been established that angels and archangels alike were all useless, arrogant dicks, who weren't to be trusted. With the exception of Castiel, every other celestial being they'd come into contact with had been total assholes. That was why Sam didn't understand the surprise he was feeling. To be fair, he had an incline that he should be very grateful that they'd departed, because it gave him and Dean the opportunity to go into hiding once again. The relief was trumped quite considerably, though, by fear.

What the hell was capable of making archangels turn tail and run?

**To Be Continued**

**-o-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** Chapter betaed by LiveJournal user blackmagic661.

**-o-**

**Chapter Three**

Gabriel felt strange.

The odd sensation he was being subjected to could be pinpointed to the action he was doing right now; that was, waking up. His body wasn't functioning properly. With his limbs weak and basically useless at the moment, his eyelids seemed to have gained some weight. Trying to open his eyes was like a chore, and one that he honestly couldn't be bothered to do. Despite this, he knew that he needed to get off his suddenly lazy ass and regain some focus. He was far too vulnerable in this state.

Holding back on the groan that wanted to pass through his lips, Gabriel opened his eyes. That action alone appeared to require much more energy consumption than should have been necessary. What the hell was wrong with him? He knew the answer, of course: he shouldn't be waking up in the first place, since the act of sleep - or unconsciousness, or whatever - was supposed to be an activity he couldn't achieve.

Staring up at the ceiling as he let his body adjust to a sensation it wasn't used to, Gabriel was vaguely aware of some noise coming from his left. Eyes narrowing a touch, he turned his head so he could see what was there. His gaze roamed over the room and, cursing the dreariness he still felt, Gabriel let out a confused huff when he caught sight of Sam and Dean Winchester. The two men were standing a few feet from the door, and judging by their expressions, they were worried about something. Lips forming a thin line, Gabriel decided that it was about time he got up from the floor.

Redirecting his attention to that one goal, he pushed himself up until his back was firmly off the ground and his elbows were being used to support his upper body. Blinking dazedly at the far wall when the tiny action resulted in him having to speed up his breathing, Gabriel noted with befuddlement that he felt exhausted. Skin too warm and with his wings feeling inexplicably heavy, Gabriel noted, with gratitude, that it was a good thing the manifestation of his largest physical attributes didn't need effort or energy to hide. If they did, then there would certainly be two blind humans sharing this room with him.

"Gabriel?"

Jerking in a surprise that should not have been produced - being an archangel, surprise was foreign to him, considering his extra senses prevented anything from being able to sneak up on him - and snapping his gaze to Sam and Dean, Gabriel felt his confusion waver for a moment, before disappearing completely as he settled for looking at the younger of the two.

Unable to stop his frown, Gabriel pushed himself up off his elbows and into a proper sitting position. Leaving his legs sprawled out, he was aware that he seemed to be wet. Noticing that his body was covered in a considerable amount of sweat, Gabriel's frown lowered into a disgusted scowl as he made the moisture disappear with a thought. Alarm bells had started ringing in his mind as he went over all the things he was experiencing that weren't considered normal. First, there was sleep, followed by a tiredness upon waking up that was unheard of, and now his vessel was producing a liquid that it hadn't created since he'd first made the thing? What in Heaven's name was wrong with him?

"You okay?" Sam was the person who asked the question. Scowl all but vanishing, Gabriel let a small, almost unsure smile tug at the corners of his lips.

"No idea," he said; he honestly didn't. His memories weren't in their best working order at the moment, and he was aware that there were large instances of blankness in which he had no recollection of anything. Given the evidence, there was a high chance that the real answer to Sam's enquiry was a resounding no, but he needed more proof before he could confidently state it out loud.

"Well, as I was saying before the idiot over there woke up," Dean started, pointedly looking at his brother and ignoring the worry in his features, "I think it's high time we got out of here."

"Dean." The warning in Sam's tone didn't seem to gain anything in return, other than a glare.

"It doesn't matter if there's something wrong with him." Dean gestured towards Gabriel, before a thin smile made its way onto his face. "Or are you forgetting that he's the reason you got knocked out in the first place?"

Gabriel felt the blood drain from his face, although it was only in a figurative sense. Paling quite considerably as Dean's words sunk in, Gabriel wasn't able to understand the guilt and horror that rapidly rushed through him. Sam had been knocked out, and it was his fault? That couldn't be true. He wouldn't hurt Sam in any way; it was too nauseating to even _think_ that he had.

But that wasn't right. There was a contradiction in his thoughts, as though that basic desire had already been broken some time in the past; on countless occasions, too. The words 'Mystery' and 'Spot' immediately came to mind, but Gabriel couldn't decipher what they meant. It was one of the memories that seemed to have been carved out, somehow, although the words themselves were still prevalent. Gabriel's hands curled into fists as frustration began overtaking him. This wasn't fair. How on Earth was he supposed to function correctly if his mind wasn't co-operating?

"Gabriel?"

The name dragged Gabriel from his thoughts, and he stared blankly at Sam for a few moments before he realised why Sam was looking at him with mild concern. Turning his gaze to the wooden table that was situated to his right, Gabriel pushed back on the powers that he hadn't even realised he'd been emitting. The table stopped shaking instantly. Swallowing back any remark, for he didn't actually know what to say, Gabriel dropped his gaze to the ground beneath his body.

He wasn't in a good state of mind right now, and he wanted to figure out why.

-o-

Lying back on his bed, Sam closed his eyes. The pillow under his head was thin and covered with a material coloured in a dirty cream, but he didn't care, because comfort wasn't what he was trying to gain from it. Revelling in the coolness of the smooth pillow case, Sam drew in a deep breath, then let the air back out in a long sigh. Returning his breathing to a regular rhythm after doing this, Sam turned his head a touch to the side.

Though the motels he and Dean stayed in weren't exactly top notch when it came to decoration and comfort, Sam still appreciated having a solid, _real_ bed to sleep in at night. Even if they turned out to be lumpy or too hard - they usually did, unless they got lucky - the mattresses of the beds were what Sam was used to, and they gave him essentially all that was needed. Fancy sheets and polished wood or metal frames weren't required for a good rest.

Trailing his tongue along his lips and noticing that they were slightly dry, Sam opened his eyes. He took in the plain white ceiling with a forlorn look, because he knew he couldn't stay put. Other than having some research to do on devices that let out lights that were capable of making one go unconscious, there was also the fact that he was hungry; very much so.

Sam groaned. Today was turning out to be much more complicated than originally assumed, and tomorrow was set to be worse. Sam and Dean had quickly returned to the motel after Gabriel had all but disappeared on them without the tiniest warning. The other archangels' worry that he would tear apart half a continent seemed to have been misplaced, though Sam was desperately glad about that.

The decision to come back here didn't mean they were giving up on the device. Picking up the round object and bringing it to this room was not going to happen, due to what happened the last time someone touched it, so that left Sam and Dean with a single option: they'd have to make several return trips to the abandoned building.

That could wait, though. Tonight, both Winchesters wanted to catch up on some well deserved rest. It wasn't every day that they came into contact with four archangels, and got out of it with their lives intact.

Blowing out another sigh, Sam pushed himself up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. The action itself was fast and simple, but the resulting feeling of dizziness that hit Sam moments after doing it was not. Blinking rapidly a few times, Sam's fingers curled around the edge of the bed as he tried to make his vision stop spinning. He hummed in tiny annoyance when the feeling didn't immediately subside.

"You ready to go?"

Eyes flickering to Dean as he walked into the room from the bathroom, Sam lifted his head in a half nod.

"Where are we going?"

Dean smiled. "To eat."

-o-

The diner had looked incredibly promising. With spotless windows, clean cut table cloths, and chairs that had cushions on them to provide a nice place to sit, the place had given off such a wonderful atmosphere and the pretence of good food.

Staring down at the plate that had been sitting on the table in front of him for the past five minutes, Sam had come to the conclusion that the food did, indeed, appear to be edible and rather tasty. Cooked well and presented neatly, he could see the steam rising from it. Both the fork and knife on either side were clean and shiny, whilst the drink that lay to the fork's left was hot and in a suitable cup. If Sam were to put this diner on a chart with many of the others he'd been in, it would rank close to the top in terms of which were the best.

There was but one problem: just the _thought_ of taking one bite of anything on the plate made Sam want to throw up. The smell alone was almost making him heave; he had opted to breathing through his mouth for the time being. What didn't help was the sight and sound of his brother enjoying his own meal a mere seat away.

"You going to eat that?"

Dean's tone was laced with concern and under any other circumstance Sam would have appreciated his care. What ruptured Sam's warmth in response to it, though, was the muffle Dean's voice produced from having not swallowed before asking the question. Sam knew that looking at Dean was a bad idea; he did it anyway.

His gaze, despite his best efforts, was drawn to Dean's mouth and the mush of food that he was still chewing. With all the colour draining from his face, Sam felt his body go cold as the desire to be sick increased ten fold. Ignoring his own shivers and Dean's startled reaction when he stood up from his chair abruptly, Sam made a hasty retreat to the restroom. Pushing the door open and quickly making his way to the men's room, he rushed inside and was thankful when all the stalls were vacant. Moving to the nearest one and making sure to lock himself inside, he dropped to his knees and began dry heaving almost straight away.

It took a few seconds, but his throat finally stopped trying to force out something that was not there. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, meaning his stomach was empty of anything that could be used as vomit. Sam didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Sammy?"

Breaths shaky as he tried to calm his body down and halt its trembling, Sam realised that he hadn't heard Dean follow him. Logically, he should have expected it, especially with their lack of knowledge as to what the stupid hunk of a device had actually done to him. If the after effect was sickness, then Sam could put up with that; if it was something more, and this was simply the beginning, Sam didn't know how they were going to cope. What if he suddenly sprouted claws and started attacking people at random? Sure, it was far fetched, but anything was possible in his and Dean's screwed up reality.

"Dude, you okay in there?"

Grunting out a reply, Sam noted that he seemed incapable of producing actual words right now. Just the idea of trying to talk was enough to make him cringe as his stomach began protesting once more. Wrapping an arm around his middle, Sam closed his eyes as his other hand began shaking slightly. He had a feeling that, if he looked, his knuckles would be white due to the grip he currently had on the toilet seat.

His heart was racing, most of his skin was coated in a fine dusting of sweat, but he was really cold. Opening his eyes again when it seemed he wouldn't heave in the next couple of seconds, Sam found it difficult to swallow. With a dry throat and mouth, he licked at his lips a few times in an attempt to produce some more saliva to help ease some moisture back into the area. He wanted a drink; he wasn't entirely picky as to whether the refreshment was warm or cool.

Grudgingly, he released his stomach and placed his hand opposite the other one on the toilet. Taking a deep breath and holding it in, he pushed slowly until he was standing on his feet. Still gripping the seat, he stayed in a slouched position as he released the air back out. Drawing in a couple more deep breaths, before letting his breathing even out, Sam let his hands relax, then straightened up to his full height. Swaying on the spot momentarily, he let himself adjust to the change in position before turning cautiously to the door that blocked him from the outside world.

Sniffing, and paying no attention to the clinical smell surrounding him, Sam reached for the lock and pulled it open. Not letting go of the metal, Sam pulled in his direction so the door itself would open. Lifting his gaze from his fingers, Sam found Dean standing there with a small frown marring his features.

"I'm fine," Sam managed to say. "Just need some water."

Dean nodded. Watching as his brother walked out the room, Sam decided it would be best to follow, albeit at a much more sluggish pace.

As he reached the exit and stepped back into the main part of the diner, Sam was handed a glass. Throwing Dean a smile in thanks, he took a long swig of the icy liquid. Downing about three quarters of it in one go, Sam's body sagged a tiny amount in relief as the parched feeling in his entire being dissipated. It felt magnificent.

Tipping the rest of the water into his mouth and swallowing it back with a satisfied smile, Sam stepped over to their table and placed the now empty glass on it. His food was still sitting there, untouched and mocking him. Although Sam knew that the latter thing was kind of stupid, he couldn't prevent himself from imagining it. His hunger was present, and would be for the rest of the night, but that wasn't too bad. There was no way in Hell he was going to eat anything in the next few hours, so there was no use in feeling sorry for himself.

Glancing at Dean and asking if he'd already paid for everything, Sam headed towards the exit at Dean's answer. Stepping out into the warm air and allowing a wary smile to light up his face, Sam started in the direction of their motel. Grateful that it was only a short walk away, meaning they hadn't needed the Impala - Sam didn't get motion sickness, but being a passenger was something that would not have turned out well had it been required right at this moment - he shoved his hands in his pockets as Dean caught up to him.

"What was that?" Dean asked. Sam shrugged. He had no clue, but he wanted to find out if it had anything to do with what had happened earlier.

-o-

Running from the building had been a mistake. Gabriel had an incline that, prior to the paranoia that had seeped into him the second he'd landed from his flight, he'd already known it would turn out to be one. That hadn't stopped him from leaving, regardless.

What was troubling, was that he'd returned to the location just an hour later, thinking it would somehow remove the revolting feelings running through his form. Finding out that his emotions had not settled upon arrival at the place, nor after spending half an hour there, Gabriel had come to the conclusion that it wasn't the _building_ that was causing him to feel terrible.

That left him at a dead end. Yes, he'd regained some memories, and knew that the device he'd seen lying on the building's floor had been the cause of his unconsciousness, but that didn't help him with his current predicament. With his wings staying unnaturally taut even during flight, with his emotions becoming uncontrollable, and with his Grace practically screaming out for him to get to somewhere in which he didn't actually know the location of, Gabriel was starting to become desperate. He needed to get rid of this feeling. It was vile, and although it wasn't in a literal sense, it still seemed like it was tearing him apart.

Gritting his teeth together, Gabriel understood that flying around aimlessly in the hopes of finding whatever it was he was looking for wasn't exactly productive. Despite knowing this, he couldn't sit down and do nothing. Already he'd lashed out with some of his power for no apparent reason; though he'd been in a field at the time, so no one had got hurt, it was still an extremely dangerous sign. The idea of releasing some force from his Grace in a populated area was beginning to appeal to him, with every passing second, and that would not do. Of course, he'd dealt killings before, but only to those that _deserved_ it. The growing desire currently building within him didn't seem to care if the souls were guilty or not.

He was at a loss as to what to do. Where could he go to get help? Heaven was out, and going on a hunt for one of his older brothers would probably end in disaster. The pagans were off the list, too, since they had no idea about his real identity.

Who did that leave?

Quickly scanning his immediate area, Gabriel located the closest building and landed on it. As his feet touched the solidness of the roof, an unbelievable rage surged through him. Hot and rapid, it pulsed down and past all his defenses - they were the last thing he could rely on when hit with an emotional attack of any kind - before settling in the core of his Grace.

Growling out a yell of frustrated anger, Gabriel focused some of his energy into one of his feet. Waiting for it to develop into something lethal - it took no more than a tenth of a second, by human counting - and revelling a tad at the familiar burn of power, he lifted his leg up slowly, before stomping with abrupt determination. At once, the metal and concrete below him distorted and snapped apart. Listening to the cracking as beams tore from their holdings and walls smashed into millions of minuscule pieces, Gabriel's expression became impassive as the screams that had started quickly began increasing in volume.

He spread his wings out and flapped them idly as the building caved in on itself, so he wouldn't fall along with it. Gabriel noticed a distinct smell of dust begin to filter through the air as he watched the broken pieces of what remained of the building settle into a pile on the ground. Breathing in deeply, he knew that, had he been human, the particles would have made him sneeze.

Eyes roaming over the growing mass of people that had been witness to the building's collapse, Gabriel frowned. There had been humans in the structure he'd just totalled. He could hear some cries now, from those who'd actually managed to survive the initial carnage. Mouth parting slightly, Gabriel found that he couldn't muster up any words.

What in Hell's name had he done?

Lips forming a thin line, Gabriel closed his eyes as the last of his fury faded away. What replaced that emotion was not wanted, yet it came without remorse. He despised shame. It was one of a few emotions that he rarely experienced; each time it turned up, he developed an even greater loathing of it. Worse than fear, guilt or horror, shame couldn't be edited or removed by distraction. It was a constant, and one that would stay within him for far too long.

Cursing the fact that he couldn't undo the damage that he'd done, for it would at least lessen what he was feeling, Gabriel opened his eyes once more to do a quick sweep of the mess he had created. Three dozen lives had been taken - not because of mercy or motive, but because they had been _there_ and in the way of his outburst - and from what he could determine, at least four or five more people would die before any medical help even reached the area.

Knowing he couldn't do anything to put this right without drawing unwanted attention from his brothers, Gabriel closed his eyes. The scornful smile that made its way onto his face was completely involuntary. Immoral didn't even begin to describe how cruel this situation was.

Hesitating for a moment as he tried to block off the sound of peoples' wails, Gabriel knew that there was only one thing he could do to try and stop some of the pain the people were suffering. Though it was harsh, it would be for the best.

Lifting an arm, he snapped his fingers, and every survivor trapped in the rubble died.

Unable to stay any longer, Gabriel turned around and began heading to any place that wasn't _there_. He didn't know what he could possibly do to put this right. Even though the destroyed building could be pinpointed to faulty design plans, the fact was, if he continued in this pattern, he'd undoubtedly gain the attention of his brothers despite his best efforts. They would recognise him using his powers eventually, and he wasn't sure what they'd do if they found him.

Understanding that neither Michael, Lucifer or Raphael had done anything when they'd all been tricked to the location of the device wasn't enough to put his mind at rest. The circumstances had been different, and there had been an unknown object involved that could somehow hurt archangels. It wasn't too hard to come to the conclusion that his brothers had simply done a runner between him touching the thing, and him waking up. For what reason, he didn't know, but he wasn't willing to put his life on the line to get any answers from them.

Holding back on the shout that wanted to escape his throat, Gabriel halted his flight and once again found himself perching on a rooftop. This time, he made sure there were no occupants within it first, before landing safely on its surface. He did not want a repeat performance of the last few minutes.

Gabriel sighed. The night was cool and there were only a couple of clouds in the sky. He paid little attention to that, though. Walking over to the edge of the roof, he peered down at the gloomy streets below. The late hour meant that the roads were empty, save for the parked cars.

Body going still as he glanced upon one of the cars in particular, Gabriel was hit with a rather strange epiphany. They owed him nothing and would probably deny any requests he made, but that didn't matter. It was an option; one that couldn't get him killed on the spot. Smiling slightly, Gabriel relaxed as he sat down. He understood that waiting until morning was not a good idea, considering his emotions. But, staring down at the car, Gabriel noticed that his aggravation had actually begun settling down a touch. Was that a good thing, or should he take it as a warning?

In all honesty, Gabriel didn't care, because the Impala was the most beautiful thing he'd seen all day, and he was not moving until he knew the Winchesters had woken up.

**To Be Continued**

**-o-**


End file.

Supernatural, Angst, Hurt-Comfort