We walked a million hills - Chapter 10
Title: Trinity Verse II. - We walked a million hills (10/?)
Author:
scyllaya
Rating: PG-13
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel/Gabriel
Warning(s): cursing
Spoiler(s): AU (characters up to S5)
Word Count: ~ 3 100 (this chapter) WIP
Summary: Dean, Castiel and Gabriel live the life they wanted to have. Their biggest problem should be synchronizing their crazy schedules, unfortunately life is never that simple. Disclaimer: Nearly all names and characters in this story belong to CW/WB and Kripke. I’m making no profit whatsoever. It’s just for fun!Most places and establishments in the story are real, but I’ve never visited any of them, so I have no true knowledge about them. People (OCs) in the story are not real! Any resemblance to real life is just a coincidence.
AN: Second story of Trinity verse.
Title from: Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World
Unbeta-ed. Trinity Verse I: Broke our Mirrors
Trinity II - Chapter One
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Chapter X
Castiel stayed with Dean all afternoon, and even the whole night despite his resistance. He wanted Castiel to go home and rest, to check up on Gabriel, but as far as Cas was concerned Dean needed him more right now. Gabriel liked to be left alone for a while if something was bothering him, and if anyone babied him or started making a fuss whether he was fine or not before he himself made the first step he just got even more angry. Cas was sure that once he was cleaned up and rested, it would be much easier to be there for him or deal with him in general. He would be worried about Dean and would get back to them in no time. Dean on the other hand was shaken up a little by what happened, but considering that he was buried under a building for over twelve hours it was understandable.
Because of his concussion Cas couldn't let him sleep for long, The doctor who checked on him said that it was bad enough that he didn't seem to remember bits and pieces about his rescue nor the circa 10 hours after it. He spent that time mostly asleep, but he had to be waken up every hour. Not like it seemed like he remembered any of that. Every time he woke up he asked where Gabriel was, Castiel always told him, but the next time Dean was woken up he asked the question again, and he was always surprised when Cas told him that Gabe was still out at the Broadway site. His pain medication may had something to do with that too. Castiel was just glad that apparently he could recall everything that was happening now. It meant that his concussion was not that bad.
His Father checked in on him during the night before he drove home to Castle Rock and ordered Castiel to get a shower and change his clothes. Luckily he could talk some nurse into allowing him to get cleaned up at the hospital, so he didn't have to be away from Dean for long. His Dad told him that both John and Katrina said that they would come visit the next day.
The next morning Dean was doing better, but not much. Castiel figured that Gabriel being so harsh and short with him the previous day on top of everything else that happened did not help his peace of mind one bit. Dean was always more likely to take things to heart when it came to Gabriel, or Sam. Castiel never saw him getting truly upset or actually hurt by words alone except when it was because of his little brother or Gabe. Others just didn't have that effect on him. Considering everything, Castiel was a bit angry with Gabriel. He understood that he just lost a friend, but him not being there for a single minute while they were searching for Dean and not being able to say that he was glad Dean was fine, that was just not something Cas could understand, no matter how hard he tried. He would've needed Gabriel to be there with him when they couldn't find Dean and they were searching hour after hour hopelessly. He would've needed Gabriel to just tell Dean that of course none of this was his fault and he couldn't have done anything to save Pete. Instead he told him to shut up and left right after. Cas just couldn't understand him when he was like this, always walking away from such things. God forbid Gabriel Morgenstern faced a problem head on when it was immediate instead of hours or days after when it quieted down as much as possible.
So Castiel knew that Dean was thinking about whether there was something he could've done differently, whether there was anything that could've saved the doctor he was trapped together with. He knew Dean, of course he was asking himself that question, but he wouldn't have been this deeply in thought if Gabriel would've just told him not to. He really hoped that after getting proper rest Gabriel would think clearly enough to remedy this, because he too knew how likely Dean was to blame himself even for things that were way out of his control.
He left Dean alone for a while to get them breakfast and spotted Gabriel on the corridor. First he thought that he must've just arrived, but he was wearing scrubs and was talking about something with a nurse pointing out things on a chart. Castiel frowned and walked closer, because that was just not possible.
'Gabriel.'
'Hey Cas,' he greeted. 'That's all for now Nurse Rosen,' he said to the nurse and the blond woman walked away with the chart.
'How long have you been here?' Cas asked. Gabriel glanced at the clock on the wall behind the nurse station.
'Three hours.' Cas just looked at him for a moment, waiting for the explanation that never came.
'Why didn't you come see Dean yet?' he asked after he realized that Gabe didn't want to add anything else.
'I talked with his doctor already, I know he's fine,' Gabriel answered.
'That's not the point,' Castiel said, and he was sure he was getting angry now. Angry and very confused, because this was just so out of anything resembling sense that he had no words for it. 'You came in... to work? And you didn't come to check up on Dean, what...' no, he had absolutely no idea how to put this into words.
'Well, we have patients, literally everywhere, and we're already one doctor short, so...'
'What?' Cas asked stunned, because no, he did not just say that. 'Don't tell me, that you just said that you don't have time to check up on Dean.' The calmness in his tone was forced now, because the blood rushing in his ears indicated nothing but anger.
'Listen, Cas--'
'Why are you arguing about this?' he asked incredulously. 'This is Dean. You're supposed to love him or is that not the case?'
Gabriel looked at him sharply this time, finally a reaction that was not calm nonchalance.
'Of course I do,' he said.
'Then why aren't you there already? Seeing how he is, personally! Tell him that you're glad he's fine and that nothing was his fault. That he couldn't have done anything and that what matters is that he's okay. He needs to hear these things, and especially from you!'
Gabriel averted his gaze for a moment and took a large breath.
'Ok, give me a minute. I'll be right there,' he said as he picked up another chart from the desk.
'Now, Gabriel!' Cas told him sternly covering the chart with his hand.
'I said, give me a fucking minute, Cas!' Gabriel snapped at him and yanked the chart away and turned his back to walk off. Castiel was too shocked by the response to stop him. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
'God, what the hell is happening?' he asked himself before he headed back to Dean's room with the food.
Gabriel showed up half an hour later. Castiel pointedly didn't tell Dean that he saw him before, it was not the time to talk about such things.
'Gabe,' and again the second Gabriel showed up at the door of the ward Dean sat up straighter in the bed. Gabriel walked closer without a word and yanked the curtains shut, hiding them from the rest of the room. He then went to Dean and pulled him into a kiss, holding his face with both hands and capturing his lips with his own. After they parted Gabriel sat down and pulled Dean closer to him, wrapped his arms around him so Dean could rest his chin on his shoulder or bury his face in his neck.
'I'm glad you're fine,' Gabriel said as he ran his fingers through Dean's short hair.
'I'm so sorry about Pete,' Dean answered.
'Nothing of it was your fault,' Gabriel told him. 'You couldn't have done anything.' Dean breathed out deeply.
'I'm still sorry,' he said.
'What matters is that you're okay,' Gabriel said quietly and he put a small kiss to the side of Dean's head. He glanced up at Castiel after that, his expression questioning, like he was asking for something or willing him to calm down now, it was hard to tell. Cas felt how his anger eased up and he put a hand on Gabriel's reassuringly, again it was not the time for an argument. Gabriel was here finally, that was what mattered for now. Something strange was nagging the back of his mind, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly. He should have felt completely relieved now that Gabriel came and did tell Dean exactly what Castiel told him to say, but for some reason, he was not.
Dean was released from the hospital the next day after they could finally do an MRI and see that he had no damage in his head. On their way home Gabriel told them that he too got some time off so he would be home for a while. Castiel would've been surprised if he didn't get a break from work. And since both Dean and Gabriel were to stay home for a while Castiel also pulled some strings - called his Father - and got himself some some time off.
Things were... off somehow. Dean was recovering just fine, Gabriel and his silence was more worrying in the first two days. Dean also kept looking at him with a particular frown on his face and many times Cas got the impression that he wanted to talk about something, but he didn't find it in himself to actually bring it up. One evening when Gabriel was in the shower Dean turned towards him on the bed and told him that maybe they should bring Pete up.
'I don't know anything about him,' Castiel said. 'What am I supposed to say?'
'That's just it, Cas,' Dean said. 'Pete told me, while we were down there, that he'd been friends with Gabriel for 10 years, that they'd been roommates in college. And we don't know a single thing about him... it's just... I feel like... I don't know Cas, like there are things we should be asking about, but I have no idea what the questions are.'
Castiel turned it over in his head and was willing to admit that he didn't know either. When he asked Gabriel how he was doing when he came to bed he just told them with a sleepy smile that he was much better. Castiel couldn't tell whether it was true or not, it seemed too soon for Gabriel to be completely fine, but he looked like he was.
The next day he was a lot more energetic than before, talked a lot like usual, so it looked like he really was much better, even Dean seemed less worried. Castiel had every reason to believe that they were on the right track again. They prepared to watch a movie together, comfortably on the couch with all the snacks Dean and Gabriel liked. They didn't have time to do things like this in a long time now, so Castiel was really looking forward to it. So of course it was when the doorbell rang.
He was the one to open the door since Dean and Gabriel were in the middle of deciding which dipping sauce would be best. Outside stood a slender dark-skinned woman, Arabesque or Indian, Cas wasn't sure. She wore a dark form-fitting dress and she practically eyed him up and down the second Castiel opened the door.
'Can I help you?' Castiel asked.
'Yes,' she drawled. She didn't have an accent and was talking in a smooth calm tone. 'Is Gabriel home?' Castiel frowned in surprise.
'And who are you?' he couldn't help but ask. She scoffed or maybe it was a laugh.
'Of course,' she said. 'Why am I not surprised?' Castiel was waiting for her to elaborate, but her gaze drifted away from Castiel. She was looking somewhere inside the apartment. Her face softened a little and she let out a breath.
'Kali.' Cas turned around to look at Gabriel. Dean's head popped up at the living-room entryway too. The woman - Kali - paid Cas no attention and walked past him without a glance, marching into their place with ease, she didn't stop until she could throw her arms around Gabriel in a hug.
Gabriel seemed more than a little shocked at first, not returning the gesture.
'What are you doing here?' he asked in an obviously stunned voice.
'You called me,' Kali answered.
'Yeah but...' he finally returned the hug and after he did Kali pulled back a little, not much, just that they could look at each other. 'I didn't think you would fly here all the way from India.'
'Well, I did,' she stated. It was Gabriel's turn to huff out a breath. He looked down at the floor averting his gaze.
'Pete...' he started.
'I know,' Kali said while she raised Gabriel's head by putting her hands on his cheeks, then she embraced him again, this time Gabriel hugged back easily. All of it seemed to be more than a little familiar. Castiel had about a hundred questions in his head two seconds flat as he shut the door.
'Um, not to interrupt, but...' Dean spoke up, obviously wanting to interrupt. Gabriel let go of Kali a second later, even taking a step back from her. 'Who is she?'
Gabriel looked at Dean, then back at the woman. Obviously searching for the right words.
'I could use a drink' Kali spoke up before Gabriel could speak. 'Kitchen?'
'Right... this way,' Gabriel turned and headed towards the kitchen. Kali followed and of course so did Dean and Castiel. Kali put her handbag down as she looked around, her eyes scanning everything again.
'I don't really trust anyone to make me a decent tea,' she talked again. 'And I'm sure a cup would do you wonders too.'
Dean and Cas stopped in the doorway, while Gabriel hovered somewhere around the table. He too seemed uncertain by Kali's presence, but he didn't stop her from starting her search in the kitchen.
'Kali, this really isn't a good time for...'
'Hold kæft og sæt dig ned,' Kali replied sharply. Cas looked at Dean and saw his own surprise reflecting on his face. When Gabriel replied the whole thing turned even more bizarre.
'Huns ikke med mig,' he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Cas was too surprised to interrupt.
'Jeg sagde "hold kæft",' Kali said, this time with an almost commanding tone as she turned back towards Gabriel. He looked back at her before rolling his eyes and sitting down to one of the chairs. Kali went back to open up the cupboards, continuing her search. 'Enten gør jeg det her, eller også får jeg snart et opkald om at du har blæst din hjerne ud.'
Gabriel stared at the back of her head for a moment before replying. 'Du ved at jeg ikke er selvmorderisk,' he said in a quiet voice.
'Nå, tak Gud for lille barmhjertighed,' Kali said with a sigh.
'Du behøver ikke at gøre dette,' Gabriel told her.
'Jeg har allerede fløjet jorden rundt,' Kali said as she glanced back with a small smile. 'Du kan ikke smide mig ud nu.'
'What is going on?' Dean spoke up, obviously getting over his surprise. Kali and Gabriel shared a look that again seemed all way too familiar for Castiel's taste.
'I just asked what sort of teas you have in this house,' Kali told them, Castiel didn't believe it for a second.
'Okay, who is she?' he asked Gabriel.
'Guys, this is Kali Surendra' he introduced finally. 'We went to school together... in Copenhagen.'
Kali scoffed. 'Really?' she turned back to Gabriel, this time with two mugs in her hand. She put them down to the table before going back to the cupboard. 'Next time you're going to introduce me as some drinking-buddy?'
'So you were not in school together?' Dean asked, still frowning. He crossed his arms over his chest as he was eying her.
'Well, we did go to school together for three years,' she said then turned and looked at them. 'But we also lived together for two.' She didn't wait for their reaction before she turned back to the cupboard. Castiel was too surprised to speak up. Dean just kept frowning. 'And been engaged for one.'
'Excuse me?!' Castiel asked in utter bewilderment.
'Kali!' Gabriel said with a hint of anger in his voice. 'TMI of the century.'
'I'm not some sort of a dirty secret, Gabriel' she answered with the same tone. 'So deal with it.'
'I'm sorry, I think my concussion is acting up again,' Dean said as he took a step inside the kitchen looking at Gabriel now. 'Because I think I just heard that you were engaged... to her,' he pointed at Kali.
'No concussion,' she said.
'Not helping, Kali,' Gabriel commented.
'Oh, I am definitely not going to make this conversation easier on you,' she replied.
'Gabriel, what the hell?' Cas asked. Gabriel took a breath and looked skywards.
'You know what? We are not having this conversation in this set-up,' he said then he picked up Kali's bag and walked across the kitchen to grab her arm, pulling her out of the kitchen.
'Hey, my tea,' she protested.
'Forget the fucking tea, Kali,' Gabriel told her. 'I'll get back in an hour' he said.
'Whoa, no!' Dean protested too as he stepped in the way and put a hand on Gabriel's chest to stop him. 'Your ex-fiancée just walked into our apartment from out of nowhere. You can't walk out of the door like this! Not this time.' His voice was stern and deep, very rarely like this towards Gabriel. The frown was still firmly on his face too. Castiel knew by looking at the stubborn set of his features that there was no way he was going to let this one go.
'You owe us an explanation,' Castiel said. 'And no, it can't wait.'
'I happen to agree,' Kali said as she pulled her arm out of Gabriel's grip. She took her bag away from him too. 'You finish the tea then, don't mess it up,' she added before walking into the living room. Castiel agreed with Dean completely, but the look on Gabriel's face was fearful at best, and that just didn't mean anything good.
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AN2: Probably wondering what Kali and Gabriel were talking about... but um, sorry you are not supposed to get that right now, so I'm not gonna give translation. Those of you who happen to speak Danish are lucky. XD Just get on google translate if you're really curious.
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