Title: You gain an angel you know
Author: Istra_Faemore
Rating: PG
Genre and/or Pairing: None. Hints on Sam/Gabriel.
Spoilers: Blanket for Season 5
Warnings: None. Pre-slash
Word Count: 965
Summary: In which Gabriel dreams and Castiel comforts him
Gabriel moaned, caught in the depths of the nightmare. Lucifer had convinced Sam to let him in and was parading around in front of him, running his hands down his stolen body, knowing Gabriel's eyes were following, would always follow.
He opened his mouth to snap some pithy, and no doubt amusingly sarcastic response to Lucifer but then the ground started rocking, jerking him.
Jerking --
-- him awake, staring into the unnaturally blue eyes of his baby brother.
"Gabriel."
"Castiel? What...? How did you find me?" Gabriel blinked, still not quite awake. Angels didn't need to sleep, but Gabriel found it restful, enjoyed sleeping every so often. Raising an eyebrow when Castiel didn't move, he frowned.
"I sensed your grace, Gabriel." As usual, Castiel was sombre, and to the point. No questions came from him like "Why are you sleeping?" or "What caused you to lose it?" But his comment caused him to sit right up, nearly smacking his head against the younger angel who still loomed.
"You what?" Gabriel didn't shriek; archangels didn't shriek; trickster archangels wouldn't let such a sound leave their mouths.
Puzzlement crossed Castiel's face. Surely Gabriel had heard him? "I sensed --"
"I heard you the first time, little brother," Gabriel interrupted tiredly, closing his eyes briefly. "How long was it before you came?"
"I came as soon as I sensed it. I... know how much you wish to remain neutral. They are your brothers more than mine." Castiel hesitated before sitting on the bed as he would if it had been Dean who had had the nightmare.
"Castiel--" Gabriel started then stopped, just looking at his brother. His brother that was Falling for humanity, for a
human. His brother that came to alert him because he knew that Gabriel was too cowardly, too scared to choose a side against one of his brothers. But all he saw when he looked at the angel's face was tiredness and that same fear etched across his face.
"It's alright, brother. Aside from Lucifer, the only other archangel that could possibly be on earth is Raphael. And unless someone has freed him, he's trapped in a ring of holy fire." The voice that delivered that information was devoid of any tone, any emotion. Castiel, Gabriel remembered, had been close to the healer archangel, had learned how to heal at his feet. He snorted silently; who was he kidding? Certainly not himself. Castiel had been the baby of the four archangels.
He reached out to touch Castiel's shoulder and blanked his face when the younger angel tensed; it was what he deserved. But something in his heart caught and sank and he wanted to beg forgiveness to Castiel.
"Thanks, little brother. I... if I hadn't woken up..."
"Then Michael would have sensed you, came and retrieved you and you would be back in Heaven," Castiel had a knack for stating the obvious. He pulled away from him and stood.
"Castiel," Gabriel stood and stretched. "Thank you for waking me. I may not have woken in time if you hadn't." His voice broke at the end. Castiel turned and caught the look on Gabriel's face.
"Brother, what happened? What were you dreaming about to cause such distress in you?"
Gabriel shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly cold. A strange thing for a being made of fire and ice and righteous fury to be. It was not something he enjoyed, but he found himself unable to make the effort to warm himself.
"I... I dreamed of Sam and Lucifer. Of Sam
being Lucifer. And I didn't like it," he said in a small voice. Castiel's head tilted and he frowned in that way he had when he didn't understand.
"I thought you wanted Dean and Sam Winchester to embrace their destiny and accept Michael and Lucifer."
"I did. I wanted it to be over. I don't enjoy watching my brothers fight to kill each other, you know. I enjoy watching them try to kill you even less." He sighed. If he admitted to himself, he liked the Winchester brothers, Sam especially. He had only started dreaming recently because he wanted to feel what it might be like if he was actually with Sam. Yet thoughts of Lucifer possessing him kept interfering with those dreams. He would make Sam look so alien. So cold and untouchable.
"Gabriel," Castiel sighed. "You have always been the compassionate one. The one who cares. You cared too much about Michael and Lucifer and when they bickered and warred and ignored you, you became harder, colder. I watched as they pushed you away until you finally left." And he had. Castiel had to sit by silently; to interject in a dispute between archangels would have been suicidal for him.
"I can't anymore, little brother. I can't sit on the side lines anymore. I can't just sit and watch everything go down like it did before. And besides,
you wouldn't be here if not for our Father and that has to mean
something. It has to."
"Raphael suggested it was Lucifer who resurrected me."
"Raphael's an idiot with half a brain cell."
Castiel smiled at that, a little smile that tilted the edges of his mouth up and crinkled his nose. "He
is annoying at times." He considered his older brother once more, tilting his head. Gabriel had not changed; become more bitter, more sharp edged but the essence of him had never changed. Would never change. As much as he thought he had hidden, Castiel suspected that their Father knew and was fine with what Gabriel was doing.
"Gabriel--"
"-- I know what you're going to say."
"Then let me say it." The huff of air from Castiel had an amused undertone to it.
"Join us."
