SPN Fic: Side Still Unchosen
Rating: Um, PG? For vague whump and drama drama drama.
Summary: Dean and Sam have difficulties with Lucifer. And then Lucifer and Gabriel have difficulties with each other.
Note: I figured since Castiel talked to Jimmy before putting him on, that Michael should be able to do the same.
It comes down to Sam on an altar, screaming as demons torture him, trying to make him say yes to Lucifer. To Castiel a bloody heap on the ground bleeding human red and angelic silver that Dean thinks is the remnants of his Grace. To Dean himself pinned against a wall with barely a thought by Lucifer, having to watch and listen to his brother dying and Michael using his dad's voice in his head saying that it could all stop, that Michael could help him save Sam once and for all if he would just say yes-
It comes down to a snap of fingers and the demons banished and Gabriel of all angels standing there. "Why am I not surprised?" he remarks, words as mocking as the Trickster but in the bitter, tired tone of the runaway Archangel. "Unloved middle child, making a scene. Honestly, brother, when will you stop being such a walking cliche?"
"Oh, that's rich, coming from you," Lucifer snaps. It surprises Dean briefly, Lucifer's anger at Gabriel. "As I recall, the description fits you just as well."
Sam gasps for air behind Lucifer and Gabriel barely casts a glance at him before focusing on Lucifer again. "Why don't you let the boys go? It's not like anyone but an angel can kill another angel. And since Dean over there's made it pretty clear he's not going to be Michael's prom dress, it shouldn't be a problem."
Lucifer still looks furious and Michael's voice in Dean's head doesn't sound too thrilled either. Dean gets the impression that once Michael finishes with Lucifer, Gabriel is next on the list. "You would kill me then, Gabriel?" Lucifer asks.
Gabriel crosses his arms, an entirely human gesture. "You know I didn't pick a side in this-"
"You sat and watched as I was banished, Gabriel! You may as well have picked Michael!"
"I didn't pick anyone's side," Gabriel repeats and Dean sees for a moment the shadow of wings on the wall. They're far larger than Castiel's had been, and Dean has to remind himself that yeah, the Trickster is an Archangel. "And that was because I was too busy trying to convince you to stop baiting Michael!"
Lucifer is suddenly right in Gabriel's face, fist flying, but Gabriel catches it and twists his arm. "We learned to fight together, or did you forget?"
"No, but I picked up some tricks in The Pit," Lucifer hisses and lashes out again.
It takes Dean a moment to realize that Lucifer has forgotten about him, and he's no longer pinned to the wall. Ignoring the reenactment of Clash of the Titans going on across the room, Dean helps get Sam out of the ropes holding him down. Most of the damage looks superficial (by Winchester standards, anyway) and Sam moves mostly under his own power when Dean helps him down. "Sammy, can you stand?"
"And run," Sam confirms and points at Castiel, who has slowly started to sit up. "Get Cas."
Castiel stares at the archangels' fight, hardly noticing as Dean slings Castiel's arm around his shoulders and hauls him upright. "C'mon, Cas, we need to get out of here."
"Not yet," Castiel disagrees with a shake of his head. He hasn't looked away yet.
"Cas, Lucifer is second only to Michael, I'm pretty sure we all know how this is going to end," Dean snaps. Sam joins them on Castiel's other side, just in case Dean needs more help.
Finally, Castiel looks at Dean. "They used to be close."
Gabriel slams into the wall next to them. He wipes the blood away from his mouth as he stands and is suddenly a step away from Lucifer and kicking him in the chest. "You still hit like a human," Gabriel sneers and Dean thinks maybe he takes offense to that, but he'll let it slide since Gabriel kind of saved them and they might not live past the next few minutes anyway if Cas doesn't get his ass in gear.
Sam grips Castiel's shoulder. "That's nice, Cas, but useful right now?"
"You live like one," Lucifer retorts. He shoves Gabriel against another wall, holds him there by his jacket. "Why, Gabriel? Just answer me that. Why would you choose to live among humans instead of-" Lucifer doesn't finish the sentence, and Dean doesn't feel like thinking too much on what he might have said. "Why?"
Castiel looks back at his brothers. "Lucifer won't kill him."
Gabriel doesn't even fight back, just looks up at his brother as all the anger drains away. "Hell was too far a Fall," he answers almost too quietly for Dean to hear. Even Sam has stopped trying to tug Castiel out of the room. Gabriel reaches up and wraps his hand around one of Lucifer's. "And Heaven wasn't home without you."
Lucifer disappears without warning and Gabriel just closes his eyes. When he opens his eyes again, he still looks tired and sad, and now also angry. "You find a way to end this," he tells them, voice hard. "I don't give a crap how, so long as both of them are alive in the end."
"Yeah, that might be a little hard," Dean replies sarcastically, "seeing as neither one of them seems inclined to play nice with each other. Are you finally picking a side in this or what?"
Thunder rolls and the lights flicker. "I'm on whatever side doesn't kill more of my brothers, particularly those two."
"Gabriel, what if we can't end it with them alive?" Sam asks. "Dean's right, all they want to do is use Earth for the big showdown."
Gabriel's expression is terrible, like the first time Dean called the angels douchebags to his face, only worse. "This thing starts and ends with you two. Find a way, or you'll have bigger problems than the prospect of being my brothers' meatsuits."
He says something in the angelic tongue that makes Dean's ears literally bleed, and then he's gone. Michael's voice has also disappeared, but Dean's not about to complain about that. "What did he say last?" Sam asks as he presses a hand to his ear. It comes away bloody, matching most of the rest of him.
Castiel doesn't look at them. "It was a private message," he answers and starts herding them to the door. Dean almost snorts; they'd been trying to get Cas moving, and now he's pushing them. "I believe Gabriel will assist us."
"Even after we've told him we can't think of any way for this to end with Michael and Lucifer alive?" Dean's finding that a little hard to believe, especially since one more archangel against them is par for the course.
Castiel just looks at him. The angel is still bloody, but at least not actively bleeding anymore. All the silver, at least, is gone, and Dean hopes the silver he saw was just a trick of the light in the first place. "The rest of the Heavenly Host will now be after Gabriel, now that he has shown himself. And Gabriel would not choose to side with Lucifer."
"Yeah, he's good at not choosing a side," Dean mutters bitterly. This is a little better than Gabriel actively encouraging that he and Sam become meatsuits, but not by much.
Castiel keeps looking at Dean. "He could have chosen Lucifer."
That stops Dean. "Neutral is good."
"Cas," Sam says, and Castiel has to turn to him, which is good, since Castiel had been looking at Dean like Dean was being difficult. Dean has a point, thank you very much. Unfortunately, so does Castiel. "Is there a chance that Gabriel will choose Lucifer this time?"
"No." The angel seems sure of that. "Lucifer and his fallen brothers killed too many of Heaven's army for Gabriel to choose him now."
"But you said they were close," Sam points out.
"Yeah, and Gabriel sure seemed like that hadn't changed," Dean adds. "At least on his part."
Castiel looks at them like they're missing something important. "Gabriel doesn't agree with Lucifer," he tells them. "It doesn't mean he doesn't love him anymore."
"Oh."
Castiel doesn't sigh, but it looks like a near thing.
==
Castiel waits until Dean and Sam are bandaged and sleeping in a different hotel from the one in which they started today before leaving and looking up at the stars. 'When you find Dad,' Gabriel had said to him as, unbeknown to the Winchesters, he healed the damage to Castiel's physical form and what little he could for his Grace, 'ask him to forgive.'
Not 'if.' 'When.' Gabriel wants to believe their Father can be found, and will be willing to forgive their fallen brother, and Gabriel himself as well. Wants it enough that Castiel thinks he may have a fellow searcher, now. Hope is truly a remarkable thing, Castiel thinks as he takes off. He has his Father to find.
Summary: Dean and Sam have difficulties with Lucifer. And then Lucifer and Gabriel have difficulties with each other.
Note: I figured since Castiel talked to Jimmy before putting him on, that Michael should be able to do the same.
It comes down to Sam on an altar, screaming as demons torture him, trying to make him say yes to Lucifer. To Castiel a bloody heap on the ground bleeding human red and angelic silver that Dean thinks is the remnants of his Grace. To Dean himself pinned against a wall with barely a thought by Lucifer, having to watch and listen to his brother dying and Michael using his dad's voice in his head saying that it could all stop, that Michael could help him save Sam once and for all if he would just say yes-
It comes down to a snap of fingers and the demons banished and Gabriel of all angels standing there. "Why am I not surprised?" he remarks, words as mocking as the Trickster but in the bitter, tired tone of the runaway Archangel. "Unloved middle child, making a scene. Honestly, brother, when will you stop being such a walking cliche?"
"Oh, that's rich, coming from you," Lucifer snaps. It surprises Dean briefly, Lucifer's anger at Gabriel. "As I recall, the description fits you just as well."
Sam gasps for air behind Lucifer and Gabriel barely casts a glance at him before focusing on Lucifer again. "Why don't you let the boys go? It's not like anyone but an angel can kill another angel. And since Dean over there's made it pretty clear he's not going to be Michael's prom dress, it shouldn't be a problem."
Lucifer still looks furious and Michael's voice in Dean's head doesn't sound too thrilled either. Dean gets the impression that once Michael finishes with Lucifer, Gabriel is next on the list. "You would kill me then, Gabriel?" Lucifer asks.
Gabriel crosses his arms, an entirely human gesture. "You know I didn't pick a side in this-"
"You sat and watched as I was banished, Gabriel! You may as well have picked Michael!"
"I didn't pick anyone's side," Gabriel repeats and Dean sees for a moment the shadow of wings on the wall. They're far larger than Castiel's had been, and Dean has to remind himself that yeah, the Trickster is an Archangel. "And that was because I was too busy trying to convince you to stop baiting Michael!"
Lucifer is suddenly right in Gabriel's face, fist flying, but Gabriel catches it and twists his arm. "We learned to fight together, or did you forget?"
"No, but I picked up some tricks in The Pit," Lucifer hisses and lashes out again.
It takes Dean a moment to realize that Lucifer has forgotten about him, and he's no longer pinned to the wall. Ignoring the reenactment of Clash of the Titans going on across the room, Dean helps get Sam out of the ropes holding him down. Most of the damage looks superficial (by Winchester standards, anyway) and Sam moves mostly under his own power when Dean helps him down. "Sammy, can you stand?"
"And run," Sam confirms and points at Castiel, who has slowly started to sit up. "Get Cas."
Castiel stares at the archangels' fight, hardly noticing as Dean slings Castiel's arm around his shoulders and hauls him upright. "C'mon, Cas, we need to get out of here."
"Not yet," Castiel disagrees with a shake of his head. He hasn't looked away yet.
"Cas, Lucifer is second only to Michael, I'm pretty sure we all know how this is going to end," Dean snaps. Sam joins them on Castiel's other side, just in case Dean needs more help.
Finally, Castiel looks at Dean. "They used to be close."
Gabriel slams into the wall next to them. He wipes the blood away from his mouth as he stands and is suddenly a step away from Lucifer and kicking him in the chest. "You still hit like a human," Gabriel sneers and Dean thinks maybe he takes offense to that, but he'll let it slide since Gabriel kind of saved them and they might not live past the next few minutes anyway if Cas doesn't get his ass in gear.
Sam grips Castiel's shoulder. "That's nice, Cas, but useful right now?"
"You live like one," Lucifer retorts. He shoves Gabriel against another wall, holds him there by his jacket. "Why, Gabriel? Just answer me that. Why would you choose to live among humans instead of-" Lucifer doesn't finish the sentence, and Dean doesn't feel like thinking too much on what he might have said. "Why?"
Castiel looks back at his brothers. "Lucifer won't kill him."
Gabriel doesn't even fight back, just looks up at his brother as all the anger drains away. "Hell was too far a Fall," he answers almost too quietly for Dean to hear. Even Sam has stopped trying to tug Castiel out of the room. Gabriel reaches up and wraps his hand around one of Lucifer's. "And Heaven wasn't home without you."
Lucifer disappears without warning and Gabriel just closes his eyes. When he opens his eyes again, he still looks tired and sad, and now also angry. "You find a way to end this," he tells them, voice hard. "I don't give a crap how, so long as both of them are alive in the end."
"Yeah, that might be a little hard," Dean replies sarcastically, "seeing as neither one of them seems inclined to play nice with each other. Are you finally picking a side in this or what?"
Thunder rolls and the lights flicker. "I'm on whatever side doesn't kill more of my brothers, particularly those two."
"Gabriel, what if we can't end it with them alive?" Sam asks. "Dean's right, all they want to do is use Earth for the big showdown."
Gabriel's expression is terrible, like the first time Dean called the angels douchebags to his face, only worse. "This thing starts and ends with you two. Find a way, or you'll have bigger problems than the prospect of being my brothers' meatsuits."
He says something in the angelic tongue that makes Dean's ears literally bleed, and then he's gone. Michael's voice has also disappeared, but Dean's not about to complain about that. "What did he say last?" Sam asks as he presses a hand to his ear. It comes away bloody, matching most of the rest of him.
Castiel doesn't look at them. "It was a private message," he answers and starts herding them to the door. Dean almost snorts; they'd been trying to get Cas moving, and now he's pushing them. "I believe Gabriel will assist us."
"Even after we've told him we can't think of any way for this to end with Michael and Lucifer alive?" Dean's finding that a little hard to believe, especially since one more archangel against them is par for the course.
Castiel just looks at him. The angel is still bloody, but at least not actively bleeding anymore. All the silver, at least, is gone, and Dean hopes the silver he saw was just a trick of the light in the first place. "The rest of the Heavenly Host will now be after Gabriel, now that he has shown himself. And Gabriel would not choose to side with Lucifer."
"Yeah, he's good at not choosing a side," Dean mutters bitterly. This is a little better than Gabriel actively encouraging that he and Sam become meatsuits, but not by much.
Castiel keeps looking at Dean. "He could have chosen Lucifer."
That stops Dean. "Neutral is good."
"Cas," Sam says, and Castiel has to turn to him, which is good, since Castiel had been looking at Dean like Dean was being difficult. Dean has a point, thank you very much. Unfortunately, so does Castiel. "Is there a chance that Gabriel will choose Lucifer this time?"
"No." The angel seems sure of that. "Lucifer and his fallen brothers killed too many of Heaven's army for Gabriel to choose him now."
"But you said they were close," Sam points out.
"Yeah, and Gabriel sure seemed like that hadn't changed," Dean adds. "At least on his part."
Castiel looks at them like they're missing something important. "Gabriel doesn't agree with Lucifer," he tells them. "It doesn't mean he doesn't love him anymore."
"Oh."
Castiel doesn't sigh, but it looks like a near thing.
==
Castiel waits until Dean and Sam are bandaged and sleeping in a different hotel from the one in which they started today before leaving and looking up at the stars. 'When you find Dad,' Gabriel had said to him as, unbeknown to the Winchesters, he healed the damage to Castiel's physical form and what little he could for his Grace, 'ask him to forgive.'
Not 'if.' 'When.' Gabriel wants to believe their Father can be found, and will be willing to forgive their fallen brother, and Gabriel himself as well. Wants it enough that Castiel thinks he may have a fellow searcher, now. Hope is truly a remarkable thing, Castiel thinks as he takes off. He has his Father to find.