Fic: The Necessary Steps, 3/? by Lara, NC17, Sam/Gabriel
Title: The Necessary Steps, Chapter 3
Author: Lara
Rating: NC17
Genre and/or Pairing: Sam/Gabriel
Spoilers: through 5.14 though no real references to anything in the eps outside of Gabriel's identity and I won't be incorporating any of post 5.14 canon.
Warnings: smut in this chapter, please read the warnings for each one as some will include BDSM and the like
Disclaimer: Not mine, they belong to Kripke and the CW and probably lots of other people.
Word Count: 2631
Summary: Gabriel's joined Team Free Will and he's come up with a way that will, hopefully, prevent Lucifer from taking Sam, who's closer and closer to saying 'yes'. It involves a lot of steps.
Author's Notes: Previous chapter. Wow, less than a week since I posted it!
After three nights of watching Gabriel disappear with Sam, Castiel finally corners his brother in his motel room.
"What are you doing, Gabriel?"
Lounging across the bed, the archangel waves his half-eaten Snickers bar at his baby brother. "What's it look like?"
Castiel frowns. "With Sam."
"Warding his dreams, like I said." Gabriel feels his expression freezing, closing down, and his grin withers beneath the intensity of Castiel's gaze.
"Is that working?"
"...For now."
"And when it stops?"
Sitting up, no longer hungry for sugar, Gabriel snaps away the candy and scowls. "Then we'll try something else."
"Sam isn't a homosexual."
"Whoa, where'd that come from?" Realizing he sounds defensive, he jumps to his feet and tries that grin again.
Castiel only frowns deeper and crosses his arms over his chest. "I may have lost much of my grace and powers, but I knew the first morning after. It was written all over Sam's face and the foremost thing on his mind."
Huffing, Gabriel snarks, "So?"
"Are you forcing yourself on him?"
Eyes widening in shock--and a bit of hurt--Gabriel quickly denies the accusation, "No! It's...I'm going to have to use pagan magic soon and that's almost always sex magic. Sam agreed to it."
"He's not a homosexual."
"Will you stop saying that? He doesn't want to be Lucifer's bitch!"
"So, you'll make him yours?"
In a quick, angry mood, Gabriel has his brother pinned to the wall, hands fisted in the lapels of his coat. "Don't," he hisses softly. "Don't push me on this. You're not stupid, Castiel. You know what the combination of pagan and angelic magics will do to me and yet I'm willing to go that far."
There's silence for a moment and then Castiel tilts his head and his expression turns curious. "The question, Gabriel, is why?"
Gabriel's not about to answer that, and with a thought sends his brother to Alaska.
*****
"You get in a fight with Cas?"
At Sam's entrance, Gabriel stops pacing. "Is he back?"
"Yeah. He showed up in Dean's room right after we got here. Told me you were in this room." Closing the door, Sam dumps his duffel on a chair and goes over to flop on the bed. He's been in the car for nearly eight hours and he's stiff and tired. "He said you sent him somewhere cold and dark."
"I stuck him on a glacier in Alaska. He was getting annoying about you."
Surprised, Sam sits up quickly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and gulps, "He knows?"
Gabriel nods. "He won't tell Dean."
Sam slumps again and, sighing, runs his fingers through his shaggy hair. "I have to figure out how to do that."
"Not tonight, kiddo." He's tired, having been waiting for half a day in this fleabag of a motel on the Arkansas/Louisiana border, and worried.
The night before, Lucifer almost got through into Sam's dreams. Gabriel's going to have to make the wards stronger and that's only going to make his brother fight harder. They could have a rocky night ahead of them.
So...pleasure first, something he's been holding off on since that first morning Sam woke aroused and sleepy and cute.
"You eat?"
"Yeah."
Gabriel smirks lightly and sits down on the end of the bed, leaning back on his hands and spreading his legs slightly. "I've been thinking about this all day, what I want to do to you. Or, better yet, what I want you to do to me," he amends, his voice going husky with desire. A glance over shows him that Sam's watching him, a strange look of resignation and curiosity on his face.
He'll ignore the former and take the latter. Leaning over a bit, he murmurs against Sam's neck, "I want you on your knees in front of me, Sammy. You have a luscious mouth." He shoots him a quick grin as his face flushes, and is actually surprised when Sam doesn't hesitate, quickly moving around the bed and sliding to the floor between his legs.
Their eyes meet for a split second, then Sam drops his, staring at the archangel's chest. "You know I've never done this."
"Are you willing?" he asks softly, surprised to find that he needs the kid to be.
"I've...been thinking about it." Sam licks his lips and Gabriel muffles a groan as his cock hardens and presses against his zipper. "I'm probably going to be bad at it."
Chuckling, Gabriel reaches out and runs one hand down Sam's head and across his cheek to cup his chin and lift his gaze to his. "I don't think I'll run screaming from the room. Hell, you can even use your teeth. I like a bit of pain at times."
"Jesus, Gabriel."
Still laughing, he pats Sam's cheek, then leans back again on both hands and wriggles his hips. "Come on, big boy."
He watches Sam roll his eyes, and is glad to see he's more at ease. His eyes follow Sam's hands as they move to his belt, unbuckling it, struggling a bit with the unusual angle, ditto with the button and zipper of his jeans. Once his fly is open, Sam hesitates for a moment, then reaches in and wraps his hand around his cock, freeing it from the tight denim.
At the first touch of a hot, slightly damp palm on his cock, he's fully erect, and he groans softly and licks his suddenly dry lips as he waits for Sam's next move.
Which is a lowering of his head and a quick flick of his tongue across the tip as his hand slides down the shaft. The foreskin glides back with the movement, then retreats. Sam's open mouth pushes it back the next time and Gabriel finds himself digging his fingers into the bedding to keep from dragging them through Sam's hair. He watches Sam begin to bob his head, sucking on the end, not taking him too deeply, but that's to be expected.
"Use your hand to pump me."
Sam obeys, being the one in control allowing him to go a bit farther down the shaft, his lips a beautiful, wet circle. The look on his face is one of concentration, but there's no disgust there, and his other hand moves from Gabriel's knee up his thigh, kneading.
Not wanting to prolong this and make his cheeks sore, Gabriel doesn't hold back the quick rise of his desire and his balls begin to ache and tighten. "Keep doing that," he encourages, finally reaching out and caressing Sam's shoulder, brushing his fingers against the nape of his neck beneath his hair. "Yeah, use your tongue."
He has a really good tongue. Gabriel is suddenly panting brokenly and trying not to thrust his hips up. His hand tightens around Sam's neck and he sees his eyes pop open wide. He stops sucking, starts to pull back, and his teeth lightly scrape the underside of the shaft, and Gabriel's gone, coming with a loud groan.
Choking and sputtering, Sam jerks back and the last shot of semen hits him in the chin.
Gabriel can't help it. He starts laughing and, when Sam glares and goes red from something other than embarrassment, all he can do is lean down and lick his clenched chin clean.
"I told you'd I be bad at this." Sam rises stiffly to his feet and the archangel can only roll his eyes and snort.
"Sex should be funny, Sam. It's messy and awkward and should be laughed at. You did great. I certainly enjoyed myself." As he explains, he finds himself level with Sam's mid-section and... "Looks like you did, too." Stretching out his hand he palms the bulge in Sam's jeans, making him jerk back quickly. "Oh come on, Sammy." He waggles his eyebrows and runs his eyes up the tight, young body before him. "I'll let you have all the control."
The annoyance on Sam's face is quickly replaced by interest and he relaxes a little, stepping back into the space between Gabriel's legs. "I can fuck your mouth?" he asks, wanting clarity.
Gabriel grins lustfully and begins to unfasten Sam's jeans. "You can fuck my mouth, you can grab my hair, you can come all over my face. Let that dominant side out, lover."
Sam is obviously startled but his erection doesn't diminish, only grows as Gabriel shoves his jeans and shorts down and wraps his hand around the shaft, using it to tug him forward. As he lowers his head, his other arm wraps around Sam's hips and he sucks the tip of his cock into his mouth.
Looking up as he sucks, he sees the desire darken Sam's eyes, his nostrils flare, and isn't surprised when one large hand wraps in his hair and the other lands on his shoulder. He grins and opens his throat.
The first thrust is deep, to the edge of his throat, but Gabriel can take it and their eyes lock as Sam tilts his head at just the right angle and bucks his hips harder, in control and losing it all at the same time. Gabriel holds his hips lightly, allowing Sam all the power, and isn't surprised when only a couple minutes pass before the young man is grunting loudly and pulling out to spray over his face.
Grinning, Gabriel wipes his fingers over the mess and licks them clean as he watches Sam stumble back and collapse in a chair, pants still around his knees and cock glistening between his legs. "Like that?"
Sam mumbles something unintelligible, a sappy look on his face.
Fastening his jeans, Gabriel rises to go clean up, then comes back to find Sam has managed to get his pants up and closed but is still limp and relaxed in the chair. He sits back on the bed and admires him. The younger Winchester looks good all debauched. It's a look he never saw when he'd look in on him over the years he's been on the road with Dean. Curiosity gets the better of him and he asks, "How many lovers have you had?"
Startling, Sam sits up a bit straighter and scrunches his brow. "Why?"
"Just wondering. I already know I'm the first guy."
"Um...not all that many."
Gabriel cocks an eyebrow at that. "Really? With Dean the man-whore as your brother?"
Snorting, Sam shakes his head. "It...It needs to mean something for me. I mean, an orgasm is great but sex without emotion can be...It's not something I usually want," he finally says softly. "Maybe that's because my first time was with a hooker Dean got me."
"You're kidding."
He ruefully shakes his head again. "I was seventeen and Dean was worried I'd never get laid. I mean, she was actually nice about it and not sleazy, but after that I always tried to find girls, women I could connect with emotionally. So...do I have to count Ruby?" Gabriel nods and Sam sighs, "She was nine. You're the tenth."
Gabriel is honestly surprised. "Wow. You mean you haven't been with anyone since the demon? How come you haven't exploded?"
Laughing, Sam replies, "I can take the edge off myself."
"I guess I can see the need for an emotional connection. Sometimes I prefer real people over my creations for that reason, but...where does that put us?" He finds he's actually bracing himself for Sam's answer. This kid has gotten way too far under his skin.
Sam flushes and rubs his neck in a nervous gesture. "Um, well, I like you. I think you like me. I don't...I don't know, Gabriel. I still don't think I'm even bi. I'm not really attracted to you," he finally admits. "I respond, because you're really good at it, and I enjoy it because I'm only human, but...Shit, this is weird."
Gabriel grows serious and nods in agreement. "I'm glad you can enjoy it. I do prefer that, you know. Because we're going to have to go farther."
"Yeah, I figured," Sam mumbles.
"Lucifer nearly got through last night. I'm going to have to try something deeper but I have to be careful he doesn't figure out I'm behind it."
"Why? I mean, he will eventually, right?"
"If I leave an imprint of myself behind, he'll be able to find me and since I'm usually with you..."
Sam grows alarmed and sits forward, gripping the arms of the chair. "Can he find Cas?"
"No." He shakes his head. "If he could, he'd have found you ages ago. He doesn't know Castiel, not like me." Gabriel blows out a deep breath. "There are a couple spells that I can use to hide myself once he's locked on, but they're tricky and...Look, we'll cross that bridge at the last possible second, 'kay?"
"Okay," Sam agrees reluctantly then yawns, making Gabriel smile.
"Wear you out?"
Shooting him a dirty look, Sam gets up and heads for the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."
"Take about twenty minutes. I need to meditate."
"You going to do some yoga?"
Laughing at being teased, Gabriel blinks up a chocolate shake--his favorite form of meditation--and flops back on the bed, reaching for the remote. There's got to be a CSI or Law & Order on somewhere--there are only at least fifty incarnations in continuous rotation, after all.
*****
Five hours later, Gabriel feels the pinpoint hole in his strongest ward and reaches over to shake Sam, who wakes with a loud gasp. He's in a cold sweat and trembling, and the archangel gathers him into his arms. Sam clings, burying his face in the crook of Gabriel's neck.
"Sorry, Sammy."
"He...he was coming through," Sam pants.
"We can't risk you going back to sleep tonight." He conjures up a large black coffee and props Sam up against the headboard with it, then slips from the bed to pace. "I'll turn you over to Cas and your brother in the morning. I have to do some research on the next step."
Sam's eyes widen. "How long will you be gone?"
Shooting him a chagrined look, Gabriel shrugs. "A couple of days at least."
"He'll find me."
"He'll find you in your dreams. You've had several nights of uninterrupted sleep. You should be strong enough to fight him off."
Sipping the coffee, Sam shakes his head. "I just won't sleep."
"Don't be stupid."
"I've gone three plus days before." To Sam, it's the logical solution. To Gabriel, it's completely stupid and he turns angrily on his heel to let him know that.
"You'll be even more vulnerable," Gabriel snaps. "Cas can monitor you. Wake you if you start twitching too much. It sucks he can't read your unconscious mind anymore, but he can pull you out before Lucifer makes any real progress."
"Dean needs him. Dean has his own nightmares."
Throwing up his hands, Gabriel glares at him. "Spare me from Winchester martyrs."
"You can always leave now," Sam glares back then gasps as his coffee's suspended in the air and Gabriel is pinning him to the pillows, straddling his hips and gripping his wrists so tightly they both can feel the bones shift.
"Don't push me."
He can see when Sam gets it and the anger disappears from his face. "You're mad you couldn't keep him out tonight."
"It happened sooner than I expected," Gabriel admits reluctantly, then relaxes slightly and looks down into Sam's pretty eyes. His hands remain around Sam's wrists, but loosen to a caress, and he leans down. "I didn't kiss you tonight."
"We um...we got right to..."
"Yeah. Let's not do that again. I like kissing you, Sammy."
And for the next half hour or so he proves it.
End Chapter 3
Author: Lara
Rating: NC17
Genre and/or Pairing: Sam/Gabriel
Spoilers: through 5.14 though no real references to anything in the eps outside of Gabriel's identity and I won't be incorporating any of post 5.14 canon.
Warnings: smut in this chapter, please read the warnings for each one as some will include BDSM and the like
Disclaimer: Not mine, they belong to Kripke and the CW and probably lots of other people.
Word Count: 2631
Summary: Gabriel's joined Team Free Will and he's come up with a way that will, hopefully, prevent Lucifer from taking Sam, who's closer and closer to saying 'yes'. It involves a lot of steps.
Author's Notes: Previous chapter. Wow, less than a week since I posted it!
After three nights of watching Gabriel disappear with Sam, Castiel finally corners his brother in his motel room.
"What are you doing, Gabriel?"
Lounging across the bed, the archangel waves his half-eaten Snickers bar at his baby brother. "What's it look like?"
Castiel frowns. "With Sam."
"Warding his dreams, like I said." Gabriel feels his expression freezing, closing down, and his grin withers beneath the intensity of Castiel's gaze.
"Is that working?"
"...For now."
"And when it stops?"
Sitting up, no longer hungry for sugar, Gabriel snaps away the candy and scowls. "Then we'll try something else."
"Sam isn't a homosexual."
"Whoa, where'd that come from?" Realizing he sounds defensive, he jumps to his feet and tries that grin again.
Castiel only frowns deeper and crosses his arms over his chest. "I may have lost much of my grace and powers, but I knew the first morning after. It was written all over Sam's face and the foremost thing on his mind."
Huffing, Gabriel snarks, "So?"
"Are you forcing yourself on him?"
Eyes widening in shock--and a bit of hurt--Gabriel quickly denies the accusation, "No! It's...I'm going to have to use pagan magic soon and that's almost always sex magic. Sam agreed to it."
"He's not a homosexual."
"Will you stop saying that? He doesn't want to be Lucifer's bitch!"
"So, you'll make him yours?"
In a quick, angry mood, Gabriel has his brother pinned to the wall, hands fisted in the lapels of his coat. "Don't," he hisses softly. "Don't push me on this. You're not stupid, Castiel. You know what the combination of pagan and angelic magics will do to me and yet I'm willing to go that far."
There's silence for a moment and then Castiel tilts his head and his expression turns curious. "The question, Gabriel, is why?"
Gabriel's not about to answer that, and with a thought sends his brother to Alaska.
*****
"You get in a fight with Cas?"
At Sam's entrance, Gabriel stops pacing. "Is he back?"
"Yeah. He showed up in Dean's room right after we got here. Told me you were in this room." Closing the door, Sam dumps his duffel on a chair and goes over to flop on the bed. He's been in the car for nearly eight hours and he's stiff and tired. "He said you sent him somewhere cold and dark."
"I stuck him on a glacier in Alaska. He was getting annoying about you."
Surprised, Sam sits up quickly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and gulps, "He knows?"
Gabriel nods. "He won't tell Dean."
Sam slumps again and, sighing, runs his fingers through his shaggy hair. "I have to figure out how to do that."
"Not tonight, kiddo." He's tired, having been waiting for half a day in this fleabag of a motel on the Arkansas/Louisiana border, and worried.
The night before, Lucifer almost got through into Sam's dreams. Gabriel's going to have to make the wards stronger and that's only going to make his brother fight harder. They could have a rocky night ahead of them.
So...pleasure first, something he's been holding off on since that first morning Sam woke aroused and sleepy and cute.
"You eat?"
"Yeah."
Gabriel smirks lightly and sits down on the end of the bed, leaning back on his hands and spreading his legs slightly. "I've been thinking about this all day, what I want to do to you. Or, better yet, what I want you to do to me," he amends, his voice going husky with desire. A glance over shows him that Sam's watching him, a strange look of resignation and curiosity on his face.
He'll ignore the former and take the latter. Leaning over a bit, he murmurs against Sam's neck, "I want you on your knees in front of me, Sammy. You have a luscious mouth." He shoots him a quick grin as his face flushes, and is actually surprised when Sam doesn't hesitate, quickly moving around the bed and sliding to the floor between his legs.
Their eyes meet for a split second, then Sam drops his, staring at the archangel's chest. "You know I've never done this."
"Are you willing?" he asks softly, surprised to find that he needs the kid to be.
"I've...been thinking about it." Sam licks his lips and Gabriel muffles a groan as his cock hardens and presses against his zipper. "I'm probably going to be bad at it."
Chuckling, Gabriel reaches out and runs one hand down Sam's head and across his cheek to cup his chin and lift his gaze to his. "I don't think I'll run screaming from the room. Hell, you can even use your teeth. I like a bit of pain at times."
"Jesus, Gabriel."
Still laughing, he pats Sam's cheek, then leans back again on both hands and wriggles his hips. "Come on, big boy."
He watches Sam roll his eyes, and is glad to see he's more at ease. His eyes follow Sam's hands as they move to his belt, unbuckling it, struggling a bit with the unusual angle, ditto with the button and zipper of his jeans. Once his fly is open, Sam hesitates for a moment, then reaches in and wraps his hand around his cock, freeing it from the tight denim.
At the first touch of a hot, slightly damp palm on his cock, he's fully erect, and he groans softly and licks his suddenly dry lips as he waits for Sam's next move.
Which is a lowering of his head and a quick flick of his tongue across the tip as his hand slides down the shaft. The foreskin glides back with the movement, then retreats. Sam's open mouth pushes it back the next time and Gabriel finds himself digging his fingers into the bedding to keep from dragging them through Sam's hair. He watches Sam begin to bob his head, sucking on the end, not taking him too deeply, but that's to be expected.
"Use your hand to pump me."
Sam obeys, being the one in control allowing him to go a bit farther down the shaft, his lips a beautiful, wet circle. The look on his face is one of concentration, but there's no disgust there, and his other hand moves from Gabriel's knee up his thigh, kneading.
Not wanting to prolong this and make his cheeks sore, Gabriel doesn't hold back the quick rise of his desire and his balls begin to ache and tighten. "Keep doing that," he encourages, finally reaching out and caressing Sam's shoulder, brushing his fingers against the nape of his neck beneath his hair. "Yeah, use your tongue."
He has a really good tongue. Gabriel is suddenly panting brokenly and trying not to thrust his hips up. His hand tightens around Sam's neck and he sees his eyes pop open wide. He stops sucking, starts to pull back, and his teeth lightly scrape the underside of the shaft, and Gabriel's gone, coming with a loud groan.
Choking and sputtering, Sam jerks back and the last shot of semen hits him in the chin.
Gabriel can't help it. He starts laughing and, when Sam glares and goes red from something other than embarrassment, all he can do is lean down and lick his clenched chin clean.
"I told you'd I be bad at this." Sam rises stiffly to his feet and the archangel can only roll his eyes and snort.
"Sex should be funny, Sam. It's messy and awkward and should be laughed at. You did great. I certainly enjoyed myself." As he explains, he finds himself level with Sam's mid-section and... "Looks like you did, too." Stretching out his hand he palms the bulge in Sam's jeans, making him jerk back quickly. "Oh come on, Sammy." He waggles his eyebrows and runs his eyes up the tight, young body before him. "I'll let you have all the control."
The annoyance on Sam's face is quickly replaced by interest and he relaxes a little, stepping back into the space between Gabriel's legs. "I can fuck your mouth?" he asks, wanting clarity.
Gabriel grins lustfully and begins to unfasten Sam's jeans. "You can fuck my mouth, you can grab my hair, you can come all over my face. Let that dominant side out, lover."
Sam is obviously startled but his erection doesn't diminish, only grows as Gabriel shoves his jeans and shorts down and wraps his hand around the shaft, using it to tug him forward. As he lowers his head, his other arm wraps around Sam's hips and he sucks the tip of his cock into his mouth.
Looking up as he sucks, he sees the desire darken Sam's eyes, his nostrils flare, and isn't surprised when one large hand wraps in his hair and the other lands on his shoulder. He grins and opens his throat.
The first thrust is deep, to the edge of his throat, but Gabriel can take it and their eyes lock as Sam tilts his head at just the right angle and bucks his hips harder, in control and losing it all at the same time. Gabriel holds his hips lightly, allowing Sam all the power, and isn't surprised when only a couple minutes pass before the young man is grunting loudly and pulling out to spray over his face.
Grinning, Gabriel wipes his fingers over the mess and licks them clean as he watches Sam stumble back and collapse in a chair, pants still around his knees and cock glistening between his legs. "Like that?"
Sam mumbles something unintelligible, a sappy look on his face.
Fastening his jeans, Gabriel rises to go clean up, then comes back to find Sam has managed to get his pants up and closed but is still limp and relaxed in the chair. He sits back on the bed and admires him. The younger Winchester looks good all debauched. It's a look he never saw when he'd look in on him over the years he's been on the road with Dean. Curiosity gets the better of him and he asks, "How many lovers have you had?"
Startling, Sam sits up a bit straighter and scrunches his brow. "Why?"
"Just wondering. I already know I'm the first guy."
"Um...not all that many."
Gabriel cocks an eyebrow at that. "Really? With Dean the man-whore as your brother?"
Snorting, Sam shakes his head. "It...It needs to mean something for me. I mean, an orgasm is great but sex without emotion can be...It's not something I usually want," he finally says softly. "Maybe that's because my first time was with a hooker Dean got me."
"You're kidding."
He ruefully shakes his head again. "I was seventeen and Dean was worried I'd never get laid. I mean, she was actually nice about it and not sleazy, but after that I always tried to find girls, women I could connect with emotionally. So...do I have to count Ruby?" Gabriel nods and Sam sighs, "She was nine. You're the tenth."
Gabriel is honestly surprised. "Wow. You mean you haven't been with anyone since the demon? How come you haven't exploded?"
Laughing, Sam replies, "I can take the edge off myself."
"I guess I can see the need for an emotional connection. Sometimes I prefer real people over my creations for that reason, but...where does that put us?" He finds he's actually bracing himself for Sam's answer. This kid has gotten way too far under his skin.
Sam flushes and rubs his neck in a nervous gesture. "Um, well, I like you. I think you like me. I don't...I don't know, Gabriel. I still don't think I'm even bi. I'm not really attracted to you," he finally admits. "I respond, because you're really good at it, and I enjoy it because I'm only human, but...Shit, this is weird."
Gabriel grows serious and nods in agreement. "I'm glad you can enjoy it. I do prefer that, you know. Because we're going to have to go farther."
"Yeah, I figured," Sam mumbles.
"Lucifer nearly got through last night. I'm going to have to try something deeper but I have to be careful he doesn't figure out I'm behind it."
"Why? I mean, he will eventually, right?"
"If I leave an imprint of myself behind, he'll be able to find me and since I'm usually with you..."
Sam grows alarmed and sits forward, gripping the arms of the chair. "Can he find Cas?"
"No." He shakes his head. "If he could, he'd have found you ages ago. He doesn't know Castiel, not like me." Gabriel blows out a deep breath. "There are a couple spells that I can use to hide myself once he's locked on, but they're tricky and...Look, we'll cross that bridge at the last possible second, 'kay?"
"Okay," Sam agrees reluctantly then yawns, making Gabriel smile.
"Wear you out?"
Shooting him a dirty look, Sam gets up and heads for the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."
"Take about twenty minutes. I need to meditate."
"You going to do some yoga?"
Laughing at being teased, Gabriel blinks up a chocolate shake--his favorite form of meditation--and flops back on the bed, reaching for the remote. There's got to be a CSI or Law & Order on somewhere--there are only at least fifty incarnations in continuous rotation, after all.
*****
Five hours later, Gabriel feels the pinpoint hole in his strongest ward and reaches over to shake Sam, who wakes with a loud gasp. He's in a cold sweat and trembling, and the archangel gathers him into his arms. Sam clings, burying his face in the crook of Gabriel's neck.
"Sorry, Sammy."
"He...he was coming through," Sam pants.
"We can't risk you going back to sleep tonight." He conjures up a large black coffee and props Sam up against the headboard with it, then slips from the bed to pace. "I'll turn you over to Cas and your brother in the morning. I have to do some research on the next step."
Sam's eyes widen. "How long will you be gone?"
Shooting him a chagrined look, Gabriel shrugs. "A couple of days at least."
"He'll find me."
"He'll find you in your dreams. You've had several nights of uninterrupted sleep. You should be strong enough to fight him off."
Sipping the coffee, Sam shakes his head. "I just won't sleep."
"Don't be stupid."
"I've gone three plus days before." To Sam, it's the logical solution. To Gabriel, it's completely stupid and he turns angrily on his heel to let him know that.
"You'll be even more vulnerable," Gabriel snaps. "Cas can monitor you. Wake you if you start twitching too much. It sucks he can't read your unconscious mind anymore, but he can pull you out before Lucifer makes any real progress."
"Dean needs him. Dean has his own nightmares."
Throwing up his hands, Gabriel glares at him. "Spare me from Winchester martyrs."
"You can always leave now," Sam glares back then gasps as his coffee's suspended in the air and Gabriel is pinning him to the pillows, straddling his hips and gripping his wrists so tightly they both can feel the bones shift.
"Don't push me."
He can see when Sam gets it and the anger disappears from his face. "You're mad you couldn't keep him out tonight."
"It happened sooner than I expected," Gabriel admits reluctantly, then relaxes slightly and looks down into Sam's pretty eyes. His hands remain around Sam's wrists, but loosen to a caress, and he leans down. "I didn't kiss you tonight."
"We um...we got right to..."
"Yeah. Let's not do that again. I like kissing you, Sammy."
And for the next half hour or so he proves it.
End Chapter 3