God willing, I'll see you on the other side

[hunter_returns]

Sam had been driving most of the night, energized by a combination of caffeine and elation. He knew how to do it. After two, nearly three years, he finally knew how to repay a very old debt. Dean was taking care of things with Benny and frankly, the less Sam thought about that, the happier he was going to be. At least this time it was an amicable

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[hesnoangel]

"Yeah, well, I'll live, unless the thing happens to hang around specifically to shiv cherubs. Looks like you might have cracked your blockhead, though."

He stared at the back of his head for a second, but was interrupted by disturbingly well-placed heel to the shoulder.

"Ma'am," he grabbed her ankle, decisively putting it on the seat, "please, manners."

"Who the fuck are you?!"

Gabriel dodged another swatting hand adorned with long pink claws. Looking at her screaming herself red with panic, however, he noticed that something had slipped from her shirt - a silver necklace with a cross.

Under the clothes, so obviously not for show. Didn't look flashy either. And if she wasn't unsconscious from shock yet, this might be worth trying.

Gabriel gave his best to smile like one of those featherbrainedly staring saint pictures he saw in church pamphlets and spread out his wings. Not the full six-piece set, obviously, but the smallest pair (which where already large enough to spill over to the front seat and get crammed uncomfortably against the rearview window.

"I'm an angel of the Lord. We are here to help free you from the devil's servants."

The woman stared in him in dumbfounded shock. Eventually, she apparently decided if she was being chased by a ghost child, this wasn't a lot more crazy. She turned, slowly, and looked at Sam. "A-and he..."

"That's Brother Samuel. He is my confidant on earth, my child," Gabriel said in a solemn voice. "Now, please do answer his questions."

Swallowing, the woman sat up, puling at her hair, then her necklace. "Th- this is crazy, but I think that's... that's my older brother." She pulled harder, tears welling up. "But he's been dead for - I mean - I only wanted to help!"

[hunter_returns]

"My head's fine," and before he can even glance back, Sam ducked another wild swing that nearly caught him in the temple.

"Ga--" Angel of the Lord. Brilliant. Ok, so he nearly caught a wing in the face when Gabriel revealed them, but it calmed her down and it sounded like she trusted him immediately.
Although the 'Brother Samuel' earned a face while he drove and Gabriel talked. He was good with her, earning her trust almost immediately. Just like any other hunter.

Sam had to admit, Gabriel was good.

"Just.. just take a deep breath. You were only trying to help. What happened? What did you do?"

[hesnoangel]

Gabriel gave him a grin over Sam's head at 'Brother Samuel', shrugging slightly. Alright, so this might have just made the hysterics worse, but it wasn't the first time he dealt with a hyperventilating human. Turned out the message of the lord was usually sort of an unexpected delivery and most people didn't react to well to strangers suddenly levitating in their bedroom, so he'd learned his way around that.

Sammy here seemed to have the talking part well in hand, though. Calm voice, friendly but still assertive tone, so the angel sat back slightly as he woman sniffed and tried to cool down enough to form real sentences.

"His... His name is Timothy. He was my mom's first child. His father died in a car accident when he was real young and my mom then married my dad. But, like... he wasn't... he wasn't really that good of a person, you know? I mean, he liked me, but he never cared that much about Tim, from what mom told me. It must have been around the time when I was five... he left him alone in the bath and the hair blower dropped into the bathtub. My mom and dad never told anyone so he wouldn't be charged with reckless endangerment? Or... or whatever that's called." She gave a wet sob. "B-but that was... ages ago! And I didn't... I was five. I didn't understand."

[hunter_returns]

Sam ticked off the criteria in his head. Vengeful spirit, probably not laid to rest correctly or at all, and something suddenly stirred it up. It would also explain the blast of electricity that had sent Gabriel flying earlier.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. You were just a kid too." His hands tighten marginally on the wheel. He knows a little something about stolen childhoods.

"What happened? Why is he awake now? Or has he always been around? Gabriel, he.. he's here to help. We'll make sure he gets his rest but you have to tell Gabriel everything."

Hey, if Gabriel can work that angle, so can he.

[hesnoangel]

Gabriel made a mental note to tease Sam about his obvious Dr. Phil qualities later on, but for now, his steady voice seemed to do quite a bit to convince the woman that she had indeed not been abducted. Giving a shaky look between reverence and confusion at Gabriel's wings (probably, she was trying to ascertain if she was indeed surrounded by the supernatural or if she'd just snapped), the woman straighthened herself with a subdued, "Yes, Father."

"I honestly... don't really know. I mean, I used to believe he was kidnapped, like, like my mom and dad told everyone. They also nailed shut the cellar where my dad used to salt his fish. I remember I was sad 'cause a few of the barrels were always broken and leaking salt and the smell reminded - well, anyway." She shook her head, trying to get back on topic. "When my mom died of cancer ten years ago, she told me... everything. I was terrified, I never ever wanted to go back to that place, but I kept it anyway since my brother was in there. Last month, I got notice that the river flooded the basement and... well... then I thought... it has to be a sign... I can't leave my brother in an old basement, right?"

Gabriel had folded back his wings and thrown a glance over his shoulder, casually. However, the sight had him turning back slowly, gently brushing a feather along Sam's cheek to gatherh is attention and giving a sharp nod of the the head towards the rear window.

If they wanted her to finish the story, it was best not to alert her to the fact that her half-intact car was currently, driverless, following behind them on the road.

[hunter_returns]

The gentle brush of a feather startled Sam but he recovered just as quickly, catching Gabriel's eye and flicking his attention towards the rear view mirror.

Fuck.

A half-wrecked car was following them. Yeah, this wasn't going to be a simple salt and burn. Not by a long shot. It was a vengeful spirit, but why was it tying itself to her? She had just been a child when it happened?

"Right. Just.. tell Gabriel everything. What happened when you went back? Did you take him somewhere?" Like the trunk of your car?

There was another moment of shared eye contact with Gabriel as Sam turned off the interstate. They were going to have to get away from the general population with a haunted car on their tail.