Killing time - the streets (OTA)

[angel_awol]

The devil makes work for idle thumbs, or at least that's how the saying goes. Gabriel didn't need his brother's help to wind people up and normally keep himself entertained, but the same scenery was beginning to really get on his nerves. Pranks weren't helping, and he'd sorta given up with that anyway since Castiel had spoken with him

Comments

[mother_hunter]

It was nice to have the summer off although she liked teaching kindergarten most days. Now, however, it was time to focus on her children. In particular, she was focused on the fact that Faith was very much pregnant and was close to having a baby - Mary's first blood-related grandchild. She already treated Ed like her own, but it was just a smidgen different that this was going to be Dean's own flesh and blood. It was also compounded by the fact Mary was still from a time where she had hoped to have a third child of her own, not that she told anyone. As far as Mary knew, John was clueless to this need inside of her.

She was browsing the shops today looking for some gifts. The poor unborn child should be prepared to be showered immensely by the Winchesters.

[angel_awol]

Gabriel was sulking down the street, hands in pokes and an offensively bright lollipop clenched between his teeth when he saw her.

Saw was a little bit of a lie, because she was actually peering into a window, but Winchesters- even Winchesters by marriage- tended to have a little neon sign above their heads that angels couldn't easily ignore.

Maybe he should have done. But his curiosity was one of his few faults, and he was looking for something to relieve his boredom.

He glanced up and down the street, just in case either of the Brochesters were accompanying dear Mom. Apparently not, so he approached, trying not to grin from ear to ear.

"Mary Winchester? Neé Campbell? What a lovely surprise!"

Okay, he was a bastard.

[mother_hunter]

She was a little surprised at his welcome, but at least she knew Gabriel from before so she wasn't entirely on edge. Still, this was a different version and Mary knew all about how versions could be different. There had been several Michaels here, too.

"Hello Gabriel." She even offered him a smile. It was friendly, but also had the 'I am a Winchester so be careful' edge to it.

[angel_awol]

Gabriel deflated. Those two little words knocked out all the fun he'd been planning in his head, and made him curse, probably a word she'd probably hoped her new grandson wouldn't learn for at least four years.

"I guess you met a previous version of me, huh?" He had to ask, privately hating on the earlier version of himself that had ruined everything. It was just his luck.

[mother_hunter]

She actually felt a little for him since she could understand the desire, even if she didn't think she'd do it herself.

"I couple, actually. One looked like you and the other... was a lot more like your brother Michael, but darker." Mary had not been a fan.

"Sorry." She smirked a little - a more feminine version of Dean's, but definitely where he got it from. "If you want, we can start over and I can pretend to be oblivious."

[angel_awol]

"Oh great." Gabriel breathed, forcing himself to stand a little straighter. That way she wasn't too much taller than him, it wasn't so obvious that she was looking down when she spoke to him. "Nah, we'll just... go from that. I was only gonna be cruel to you."

And he was. But now teasing her about killing her eldest a few hundred times wasn't really all that appealing.

"Shopping for the baby?" He asked, glancing at the window they were stood in front of. "Cas told me. Can I suggest a personalized shiv and it's own weight in salt?"

[mother_hunter]

That was probably more of a gift John would want to give the baby, truthfully, though she nodded to his observation.

"It's Dean's first baby so I thought I'd get them something cuter. I'll let John hash out the other details." Mary didn't want any of her grandchildren to have to deal with the supernatural if she could help it.

"I'm hoping they won't need it."

[angel_awol]

Gabriel didn't know this lady at all, but he did feel something for her- she'd wanted to keep her kids safe, she'd wanted them out of harms way and she'd never wanted anything to do with all this. None of it was her doing but here she was, in it up to her eye-balls.

"Lady, I gotta be honest with you, I'd not let him within ten miles of a kid I wanted to grow up normal."

...Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. But too late now.

"I met Faith, first day I was here. Any creature would have to be crazy to take her and Deano on." He said, gently trying to reassure. "And maybe here... things might be different, who knows? Anyway- tell me what you're thinking. Booties are always good. Tiny baby booties."

Not that he had a soft spot for baby socks. Nope.

[mother_hunter]

His response was a bit of a surprise and she actually smiled. Mary actually had a soft spot for little shoes.

"It's supposed to be a boy, so I guess I should get blue." May some yellow ones, too, and green. Blue could get rather boring - she had two boys, after all.

As for his other comment, Mary certainly hoped so. She wanted this place to be a new start for her children and their children's children.

"Are you adjusting to the village?" He obviously had no memory of before.

[angel_awol]

Gabriel shrugged. "Blue I guess. But don't you think that's boring? What is it with people and colours and gender anyway. Try purple. No, red. Red is great. Or lime green. Lime green means you'll never loose him if you leave him on the ground."

His head tipped slightly to one side, a little knot forming as he considered her question. "I'll get back to you on that one." He said after a moment. After all, he had been considering setting half of it on fire, just to relieve some boredom. "I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and find myself something to do, as it won't let me leave and Castiel gets his panties in a twist if I prank anyone."

"But enough about me. You got the whole family here. That's gotta be nice for a lady like you. Let me guess, you've got a huge dining room table and come Thanks Giving, you're going to cook the biggest turkey this place has ever seen."

[mother_hunter]

She might just pick up some lime green booties, now. The idea was kind of adorable and she was sure there were some that were cute rather than gawdy.

When he mentioned the pranks, it was nice to know who was behind some of them. A smile spread across her face as the mention of family dinners.

"You're actually pretty accurate... our family dinners can get pretty big here." And every holiday she used it as an excuse, although most Sundays the Winchesters got together, too.

"We usually invite Castiel and Anna, too." Which was kind of an invitation in a 'You could earn that, too' kind of way.

[angel_awol]

Gabriel would argue that nothing in lime-green was gaudy, but he knew some colours that were beyond her physical ability to see, so it didn't really count.

"I can imagine, remember I come from the mother-load of families." He said with a gentle grin, offering her his arm so they could continue to browse the store. "Big family dinners are great. If no one starts arguing." He added, but waved that away.

"Young know, Castiel is probably knitting that baby about a hundred different sweaters." He said with a grin, "So they probably won't be short on those. Are you getting Ed a gift? Met him, he's a good kid. He'll feel left out if you don't get him something. I suggest a great big fire-truck."

Then he paused, at her words, at the implication, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Mrs Winchester, are you trying to bribe me? With home-cooked food and good company?"

[mother_hunter]

It was only a small hesitation before she took his arm. If you had told her she would spend time with a supernatural being even five years ago, she would have told you, you were crazy.

"I already bought Ed a few things, including very special, made-for-big-brothers-only stuff... but a red fire truck would also be nice." She was lucky John liked buying gifts, too, and supported her want to give to the children.

She looked at him as he mentioned a bribe. "Only if you think I'm bribing you with it to behave yourself." She smiled a little, somewhat amused. Angels who were jerks did not get invites.

[angel_awol]

Well perhaps it was a little crazy to expect Gabriel to behave, to be unguarded around him. But at the moment strangely enough he was occupied only by the little onesies on display, and not by any wicked tricks or pranks. Sometimes it was just nice to kick back.

"I think he might appreciate it." Gabriel said, "Not that you should let me cloud your judgement. Fire trucks weren't even invented when my kids were born. Hells, fire was still pretty hot off the press." He said to her with a wide grin and a wink.

"That's exactly why I think you're trying to bribe me." Gabriel said. After all, she'd said as much. But be couldn't imagine Dean being very pleased to see him. Gabriel wasn't exactly Cas and he certainly wasn't Anna.

[mother_hunter]

"You can't blame a mother for trying." She meant in regards to the bribing - she didn't exactly want to see Dean die a whole bunch of times, for example.

"From what I hear, we've been pretty lucky with the angels who've come to the village."

[angel_awol]

"Nope." Gabriel said, "Especially not you, of all the possible mothers to get on the wrong side of." He said, because he didn't have any intention of doing that to her. She deserved better than that, after everything. She didn't deserve what had happened.

"Well, I guess that luck might have run out, now that I'm here." He said, a little doubtfully. After all, they did have Balthazar and they did have Luci. You couldn't really say you have nice angels when Satan lived a few blocks away. But maybe he was only causing minor headaches.

"I guess with the promise of home cooking, I could try and behave though." He added, considering it.