Crusaders 2 7/7
Previous
Epilogue
When the angels left Rievaulx, Gabriel surprised Castiel by not taking him directly back to the future. Instead, they went to the future site of Lawrence, still on the same day, and stopped.
Castiel looked around. “Why are we here?”
Gabriel sighed. “Look, you know what a wrench it is even going thirty-five years and even with the full strength of the Host to draw on. And you’ve got some idea how much work it was for me to get us back this far. The trouble with going forward is that we haven’t created a closed loop; we’ve spawned off a new timeline. It’s still ironing itself out. And that would make it twice as hard to jump forward all at once. So... Dad suggested we go a century at a time. Stop, let knowledge of what happened catch up with us, see as far ahead as we can, make sure things are still going the right way. And by that I mean the real right way, not what Zach and Mike used to think was the right way.”
Castiel stared. “You have spoken to Father?”
“More like He spoke to me. But yeah, we... we had a long talk back in Nazareth.”
“Was He displeased?”
“With the Loki schtick, yeah. With this? Nah. Said He wants us to keep the lid on that hellmouth in Ilchester at all costs and support Sam and Dean as much as we can.”
Castiel heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and Gabriel gave the back of his neck a fond squeeze. “All right, then. Hundred-year leaps it is.”
Gabriel nodded and moved his hand to Castiel’s shoulder, and they jumped.
Over the first few centuries, not much seemed to change. The Winchester family grew and spread as it should, as did Clan Campbell, and major historical events occurred on schedule. There were some differences in demonic activity, but they were slight. In fact, the biggest changes resulted from that retaliatory attack on Rievaulx in 1148, what with Azazel’s son “Tom” being exorcised and the anti-possession sigil on Dean and Samuel confusing the lower ranks of demons to the point that many thought angelic vessels were possession-proof. Castiel couldn’t say he was sorry about either development.
By 1848, though, both angels began to sense trouble. Tom was close to escaping from Hell again, and he was likely to try to use the upcoming Bleeding Kansas days as cover for wiping out the Winchester line in Lawrence if he could find the family there. It took some doing to use foresight to track all the individuals involved, but when Castiel offered a plan he thought Sam and Dean would approve of, Gabriel gave him a Trickster grin, and they left the near-future site of Lawrence to put it into action.
When they landed outside Topeka in 1857, Gabriel had to coach Castiel on how to change his manner of dress and how to hide his nature. That done, though, they made their way to a saloon and reached it just as Chronos came out with a barmaid who had no idea she was about to be consumed by the god. Chronos and Gabriel acknowledged each other with a nod and a smirk, and the angels went inside and made their way to the bar. There they each ordered a beer and settled in to wait.
Castiel had just finished his first beer and was contemplating ordering a second when Tom came in, wearing a cattle rustler. Gabriel’s smirk grew as the demon spotted them, and he raised his mug in greeting. Tom took the hint and walked over.
“Well, well,” said Gabriel. “If it’s not Tom Tom the Piper’s Son.”
“What are you doing here, Loki?” Tom snarled.
“Just passin’ through. You?”
“I’ve got a score to settle in this territory. The Winchesters.”
“Winchesters?” Gabriel scoffed. “Tom, that’s ancient history. Trying to avenge that death after all this time would only raise some eyebrows with the God Squad.”
“I don’t care. They killed my father.”
“What you’re forgetting is that your dad wasn’t just out to end that bloodline. He had an actual mission... a mission no one else has taken up on your side.”
“Which was?”
“Hellmouths, kid. Hellmouths. You find the right one, you can open a line to the Cage. And once you do that, ol’ Peacock-britches can tell you how to bust him out.”
“So, I’ll take out the Winchesters first and then look into hellmouths.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“What do you care?”
“I don’t. The angels can go hang for all I care. But from what I hear, Luci’s vessel has to come from the same line as Michael’s.” And Gabriel took a long drink of beer.
Tom studied Gabriel for a moment. “Where would I find the nearest hellmouth?”
Gabriel swallowed and shrugged. “We’re pretty new here ourselves, don’t know the geography too well. Most of our crew are up in Minnesota still. But Coyote was telling us about this one... what was the name of that town, Helblindi?”
“Sunrise,” Castiel supplied.
“That’s it, right. Twenty miles from Sunrise, in... well, I guess it’s Nebraska Territory right now.”
Tom nodded, then leaned closer. “If this is a trick, Loki, I’ll be looking for you.”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow and his mug, and Tom vanished. Then Gabriel ordered Castiel another beer. “Well played, little bro,” he told Castiel quietly.
Castiel frowned. “Shouldn’t we....”
“Just making sure.”
So they sat and drank a while longer, just until they felt the shockwave of Tom running into Samuel Colt.
“All right, muttonhead,” Gabriel said then, putting down his mug and tossing some change onto the bar. “Let’s make tracks for Ilchester.”
“Ilchester?”
“Sure. It’s not that far.” And Gabriel winked.
And Castiel understood that he meant to go on to 1972. “I suppose not.”
As they walked out of the saloon together, Gabriel clapped a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Gotta hand it to you, kid. That? Was one hell of a great trick.”
Castiel could only smile.
Explicit Libri Secundi Gestum Angelorum Gabriel et Castiel
Fratrorumque Decanum et Samuel
Epilogue
When the angels left Rievaulx, Gabriel surprised Castiel by not taking him directly back to the future. Instead, they went to the future site of Lawrence, still on the same day, and stopped.
Castiel looked around. “Why are we here?”
Gabriel sighed. “Look, you know what a wrench it is even going thirty-five years and even with the full strength of the Host to draw on. And you’ve got some idea how much work it was for me to get us back this far. The trouble with going forward is that we haven’t created a closed loop; we’ve spawned off a new timeline. It’s still ironing itself out. And that would make it twice as hard to jump forward all at once. So... Dad suggested we go a century at a time. Stop, let knowledge of what happened catch up with us, see as far ahead as we can, make sure things are still going the right way. And by that I mean the real right way, not what Zach and Mike used to think was the right way.”
Castiel stared. “You have spoken to Father?”
“More like He spoke to me. But yeah, we... we had a long talk back in Nazareth.”
“Was He displeased?”
“With the Loki schtick, yeah. With this? Nah. Said He wants us to keep the lid on that hellmouth in Ilchester at all costs and support Sam and Dean as much as we can.”
Castiel heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and Gabriel gave the back of his neck a fond squeeze. “All right, then. Hundred-year leaps it is.”
Gabriel nodded and moved his hand to Castiel’s shoulder, and they jumped.
Over the first few centuries, not much seemed to change. The Winchester family grew and spread as it should, as did Clan Campbell, and major historical events occurred on schedule. There were some differences in demonic activity, but they were slight. In fact, the biggest changes resulted from that retaliatory attack on Rievaulx in 1148, what with Azazel’s son “Tom” being exorcised and the anti-possession sigil on Dean and Samuel confusing the lower ranks of demons to the point that many thought angelic vessels were possession-proof. Castiel couldn’t say he was sorry about either development.
By 1848, though, both angels began to sense trouble. Tom was close to escaping from Hell again, and he was likely to try to use the upcoming Bleeding Kansas days as cover for wiping out the Winchester line in Lawrence if he could find the family there. It took some doing to use foresight to track all the individuals involved, but when Castiel offered a plan he thought Sam and Dean would approve of, Gabriel gave him a Trickster grin, and they left the near-future site of Lawrence to put it into action.
When they landed outside Topeka in 1857, Gabriel had to coach Castiel on how to change his manner of dress and how to hide his nature. That done, though, they made their way to a saloon and reached it just as Chronos came out with a barmaid who had no idea she was about to be consumed by the god. Chronos and Gabriel acknowledged each other with a nod and a smirk, and the angels went inside and made their way to the bar. There they each ordered a beer and settled in to wait.
Castiel had just finished his first beer and was contemplating ordering a second when Tom came in, wearing a cattle rustler. Gabriel’s smirk grew as the demon spotted them, and he raised his mug in greeting. Tom took the hint and walked over.
“Well, well,” said Gabriel. “If it’s not Tom Tom the Piper’s Son.”
“What are you doing here, Loki?” Tom snarled.
“Just passin’ through. You?”
“I’ve got a score to settle in this territory. The Winchesters.”
“Winchesters?” Gabriel scoffed. “Tom, that’s ancient history. Trying to avenge that death after all this time would only raise some eyebrows with the God Squad.”
“I don’t care. They killed my father.”
“What you’re forgetting is that your dad wasn’t just out to end that bloodline. He had an actual mission... a mission no one else has taken up on your side.”
“Which was?”
“Hellmouths, kid. Hellmouths. You find the right one, you can open a line to the Cage. And once you do that, ol’ Peacock-britches can tell you how to bust him out.”
“So, I’ll take out the Winchesters first and then look into hellmouths.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“What do you care?”
“I don’t. The angels can go hang for all I care. But from what I hear, Luci’s vessel has to come from the same line as Michael’s.” And Gabriel took a long drink of beer.
Tom studied Gabriel for a moment. “Where would I find the nearest hellmouth?”
Gabriel swallowed and shrugged. “We’re pretty new here ourselves, don’t know the geography too well. Most of our crew are up in Minnesota still. But Coyote was telling us about this one... what was the name of that town, Helblindi?”
“Sunrise,” Castiel supplied.
“That’s it, right. Twenty miles from Sunrise, in... well, I guess it’s Nebraska Territory right now.”
Tom nodded, then leaned closer. “If this is a trick, Loki, I’ll be looking for you.”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow and his mug, and Tom vanished. Then Gabriel ordered Castiel another beer. “Well played, little bro,” he told Castiel quietly.
Castiel frowned. “Shouldn’t we....”
“Just making sure.”
So they sat and drank a while longer, just until they felt the shockwave of Tom running into Samuel Colt.
“All right, muttonhead,” Gabriel said then, putting down his mug and tossing some change onto the bar. “Let’s make tracks for Ilchester.”
“Ilchester?”
“Sure. It’s not that far.” And Gabriel winked.
And Castiel understood that he meant to go on to 1972. “I suppose not.”
As they walked out of the saloon together, Gabriel clapped a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Gotta hand it to you, kid. That? Was one hell of a great trick.”
Castiel could only smile.
Explicit Libri Secundi Gestum Angelorum Gabriel et Castiel
Fratrorumque Decanum et Samuel