low_key_angel | A different sort of hunt

Sam smiled down at Gabriel. "You don't have to give this place up," he said after a moment. "I mean, of course you're not giving up the bakery, but...this place. This is yours, too. You should have space of your own, if you want. Though...it may be safer for you to stay with the pack at night for a while." Especially if Lucifer was going to take things badly.

Something he really didn't like thinking about. And, for once, wished his knot would go down early so that he could get started on getting things sorted out. He knew his family wouldn't have a problem with Gabriel. They'd welcome him, even if they might be a bit surprised at how quickly the bonding happened, though he was sure he remembered stories of how John's bond with Mary had happened quick, too.

"Well, we're going to have to furnish the place ourselves, I'm sure. Should probably try not to eat into what you have too much. But once I pass the bar and everything, it sounds like we should be pretty well set."

"Might have a nice place to steal you away when you can visit? Have you all to myself?" Gabriel quirked a grin back at Sam. "You're right though. Until things settle down with Lucifer, I'd feel a hell of a lot better sleeping with the pack close by."

Sensing the tension, he pressed himself back against Sam, resting his free hand on his hip. "Hey. We'll start on all the heavy lifting soon enough. Get things planned out." Right now, they had time to rest, to talk before his knot went down enough for them to plan for the next round.

"Oh I've been doing pretty damn good on my own for years now. Think we'll be able to do the place up right once you get done with school and we can settle in."

"Well, until we have our own place, I kinda doubt we're going to want to spend all of my visits with the pack." Bad enough they'd be able to smell the sex, anyway. It was just bad manners to have sex in the house where they could hear it, too. "And I'd feel better knowing there were others around for you as well," he admitted, nuzzling Gabriel's hair.

The touch made Sam take a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "You're right, of course. And it's not like anybody knows where we are at the moment." Sure, Lucifer or Michael or Raphael might come to find them, but Gabriel thought that was a fairly low chance, so he'd accept that.

He grinned at the rest of it, though, shifting his hand to cover Gabriel's on his hip. "I bet you're the kind of person who has been planning his dream home for years."

“Our place,” he repeated with a smile. “I kinda like the sound of that.” Gabriel had resigned himself to life on his own, with no mate that his brothers would allow near him. Now he had a mate and a chance to live with a real pack. “So do I. Always wondered what it would be like living with a bigger pack, one that wasn’t as screwed up.”

Gabriel’s entire frame shook with laughter at the question and he squeezed Sam’s hand. “You got me. Guess I’ve always been the domestic type.” Even his little apartment was warm and comfortable, thick quilts to cover thrift store couches, bright pillows everywhere, glass candy dishes sparkling in the sun. “Always wanted a place big enough for a family. A big kitchen, plenty of land to shift and run on.”

“We’ve got time before anyone realizes I haven’t come home. I can usually get away with a couple of days by myself, we’ll be okay until we can call for a ride and send Anna off with a little peace offering.” Long enough to grab and possibly share a shower and bake off a couple of pies to send to his new pack. His new family.

Gabriel couldn’t wait.

"Well. I think we're all screwed up, just in a different way." John had never really gotten over Mary's death. But he'd left Sam and Dean with Ellen and Bobby while he went off to find himself. It had taken time for him to settle and come home, though Sam didn't really remember them. He'd been a decent enough father, even if he and Sam occasionally butted heads. That was to be expected with Alphas, though.

He smiled, though the laughter did all sorts of interesting things to his body. "I'll make sure Dad has you in on the planning process with the house. We already have the land, but I'm sure we can manage a big kitchen. Pick out a room to be the nursery, even if we wait on decorating it for a while." It was bad luck to decorate before you actually knew a cub was on the way, after all. "We even have some woods on the land. I like going out there to think when everything seems a bit too much, too hemmed in."

Gabriel smiled, threading his fingers with Sam where they were on his hip. A few more minutes and he could probably work himself free, but right now it was enough to enjoy being close. A few more moments of basking. "And I'll throw in what I can towards building a house. Expand things out."

Mention of a nursery gets a quieter smile out of him and he let his eyes drift closed. Content to rest for a bit longer. "I'd like that. Saved a couple of things from when I was a cub, things my Mom left me when we get to that point." A little porcelain figure of a she-wolf, an old book of stories and a single, battered picture of his mother in her wolf form.

"I like just heading out for a good sunbeam when the weather's right. Something about just melting into the grass, you know?"

Honestly, now that he'd calmed down some, Sam wasn't looking forward to separating from Gabriel. Knew it had to happen, that they had things to do before they could even consider going home the next day, but it was nice, just being able to lay with him and let the Omega's touch soothe him.

"Oh yeah, sunbeams are nice. There've been a couple of times when I've just shifted at school and flopped out in front of the window of my dorm or apartment in bliss." Not quite as lovely as going outside, but there were some people who still didn't really accept wolves for who they were.

He shifted his hips, feeling the knot deflating slightly more. "So. About how long is this lull supposed to take, hmm?"

A slow intake of air as Sam shifted against him. God, it felt good just to lay like this, even though he was kind of ready for Sam to pull free so he could roll over and touch him properly, card his fingers through his hair and stroke down his arms and shoulders. Simple touches after frantic (and fairly amazing) passion.

"This early in? Two hours I think." Gabriel scratched his nose. "But this has been my first heat with an Alpha, so I'm kinda winging it here."

He still wouldn't want Sam to go far. As long as he stayed close, he could probably keep a lid on it a little longer. "Long enough to make a couple of calls, get the pies taken care of. Beyond that, we'll probably have to see."

They wouldn't be able to relax immediately, but perhaps after the next round. "To be honest, it's my first time with an Omega in heat, so we're both kinda winging it."

He leaned down, kissing Gabriel's shoulder again as he tested the knot and hummed. "I think we might be able to separate now. Definitely in about five minutes. Then we can get on the other stuff so we don't have to worry during the next round." He smiled slightly. "As much as I'm loving this? I'll admit that I'm also looking forward to the end of heat and being able to take my time."

After a few rounds, they can probably even sleep, just collapse in a tangle of warm limbs for a few hours. Get some decent rest between the frantic hormonal surges driving them both to mate. Gabriel chuckled as Sam kissed his shoulder, leaning back against his mate. "Then we've got five minutes to figure out what we're going to do?"

He grins wickedly. "Oh me too. I'm a big fan of going slow when we've got the time. Memorize every line of you before we're done. And tradition is one thing, but I'd much rather pull you over me."

"I'll get the pies upstairs, maybe get us something to eat, you check in with the family? If we have time, I can call Anna and let her know to pick us up in a couple of hours, get us back to your pack."

"Oh, I'd much rather be over you, too. But I don't think hormones really let us think that far." He smiled against Gabriel's skin. "Especially if, during the next round, we're going to bond." They had to use the same position again to complete the bond. It was the only way to get to the right spot on the neck.

He nodded, squeezing Gabriel's hip. "Sound's good. Once you're properly bonded, we can get stuff together after we've waited on the knot to go down and be ready when she arrives."

Gabriel can't help the involuntary head tilt at the mention of the bond. With a smile, he nodded. "So we'll postpone that to round three or so." Because sooner or later it was going to happen. The rush of hormones would eventually begin to ebb, allowing them to thing a bit clearer.

"She isn't far, so a quick text and Anna can be over in a flash."

When the knot finally deflated, they had their plan in order. Gabriel retrieved a bathrobe and disappeared downstairs to retrieve the pies and set them to bake in the little kitchen in his apartment. While Sam called his pack, he sent a text to his cousin, letting her know the good news and that they'd need a ride in a few hours back to the Winchester's land.

There was a text from Lucifer waiting, but he left it unread. Sam was his mate now. His life. He was leaving his old pack behind and starting a new life with someone who wanted him near.

Gabriel wasn't the only one with a text message waiting, but Sam wasn't ignoring any of his. As expected, Bobby had noticed him leave with Gabriel. And the old coot had known that Gabriel was nearing heat, having been around far more Omegas in his time than Sam had.

So, of course, Sam had about a dozen texts from Dean giving him shit over it and a missed call from his father.

Them knowing before he called did make the discussion a lot easier, really. Other than his dad saying that they'd talk about it when Gabriel's heat had slowed, there wasn't really a reaction to the fact that he thought he might have walked into a destined mating and that Gabriel was going to be his bonded mate. Of course, he thought he might have Bobby to thank for some of that, too, considering he probably apprised John of some of Gabriel's background.

He stepped out into the kitchen when the call was finished, smiling as he watched Gabriel and absolutely unashamed of the fact he was naked. "We're cleared to use the heat cottage for the next couple of days. Though once the hormones ease off, I think Dad wants to talk to both of us. Luckily, immediate bonding isn't that unusual."

And for smoothing things over, Gabriel owed the canny old wolf bigtime. It would be a hell of a lot easier on both of them if he didn't have to explain to the rest of his new pack the potential danger his brothers posed, or their overall dim view of Omegas to begin with. Since he'd taken care of that, they could handle the more basic details when things started to cool down.

He smiled at Sam, taking a moment to drink in the sight of his mate. His Sam. Long and powerful, but it was that smile that made his stomach twist in a pleasant sort of way. All warmth and affection and Gabriel stepped easily into his arms, raising up for a kiss.

"Glad he's okay with things, with us. Anna can't wait to meet you. She's so excited." At least he'd been able to share his happiness with someone. Finding a mate, knowing that the next time his heat rose, he'd be bonded to Sam.

Sam bent, drawing Gabriel close and kissing him deeply. He could still scent the hormones in the air, the signs that heat was in full swing. Not enough to tip anything over the line, but definitely enough to remind him.

"I'm glad to hear your cousin is a lot more sensible than your brothers and I'm really looking forward to meeting here, too." And it might go a long way to explain why the cousins themselves weren't part of the pack. Unless the related parent had been an Omega. "I've given them warning to be expecting her. And we'll have to let her know that she's welcome on the grounds any time."

It was a lull, his body allowing itself time to recuperate from mating, to rest, eat and ready itself for another round. The greater the number of times an Omega coupled with an Alpha, the greater chance that a cub would be born. It also gave Gabriel time to just appreciate being close to Sam without the frantic burn of hormones clouding everything.

"Yeah, she's got a pretty solid head on her shoulders. You'll like her."

He pulled back long enough to slip the robe back off. "Her and Cas. They're good kids. I've done what I can to keep my brothers the hell away from both of them. It's safer." And it was easier to put his ass on the line than watch either one of them suffer Michael's anger or Lucifer's occasional rages.

Skin against skin once more and it wasn't enough to set either of them off. Not yet. Still didn't stop Sam from pulling Gabriel back to him, stroking his hands down the other man's arms, then around to his back.

"They're both welcome on pack land. I can't imagine any member of your family that you vouch for being turned away." Because there were several members who absolutely would. Violently, if it came down to it. "I can't speak for the entire pack, of course, but they'd have me at their back if there was an issue."

It's not enough to set anything off, but his body does respond to having his mate close, arching up into the soothing touch of Sam's hands.

"Zachariah, Michael, Raphael and Lucifer. I don't trust them. Neither should anyone in the pack. Cas and Anna stay out of it and Balthazar is in Italy somewhere. I think." He rested his cheek against Sam's chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart.

"I'd trust the three of them with anything, up to and including any cubs we might have. My brothers on the other hand, I wouldn't trust them. Ever."

Slowly Gabriel rubs his cheek against his warm skin. "Thank you Sam. That means everything."

Sam nodded, making notes of names. "If you have pictures of everybody, we can definitely make sure the pack knows who is allowed to be around and who should be run off." With a shotgun, if necessary.

He kept his hands moving over Gabriel's back in long, soothing strokes. "I? Am always going to have your back, Gabriel. Always. You belong with me and I will go after anybody who tries to keep us apart."

"I have a couple I can bring," Gabriel leaned into the reassuring touch, letting the Alpha soothe the last of the tension from his shoulders. "This is gonna sound cliche as hell, but I never thought I'd have this. Someone who'd have my back and mean it." Someone who would do it because he cared, not out of some sense of control.

Sam felt a growl building at the back of his throat, but he forced himself to calm down. "The fact that you never felt that with your own pack is truly a shame." He brought his hands up, stroking Gabriel's shoulders, then down his back again. "I will do my very best to make certain you never, ever have reason to doubt your new pack in the same way."

"You already have, Sam. I believe you." Gabriel pressed close, melting against the larger wolf. "I'm going to be part of what a pack should be and what mine never was. Believe me, I'm more than happy to leave that behind."

Lucifer would object, violently so, but Gabriel can't bring himself to care. He has Sam, nothing else matters. "My future is here, with you."

Sam bent, kissing Gabriel solidly. Because he had every intention of keeping that promise. "How long do the pies have to go?" he asked. "Because I haven't exactly had a tour of the place yet and I don't want to go poking my nose places where I haven't been invited yet."

And he grinned, because there were some who would have taken the impending bonding as a sign that they could do whatever they wanted. But this was still Gabriel's space and Sam wouldn't invade further than he was asked.

"Should be about twenty minutes until they're ready to come out." Smiling, Gabriel laced their fingers together. "Plenty of time to give you the nickel tour." It meant the world that Sam asked, that he was considerate. The only other Alphas he'd known had been his brothers, strong, possessive and demanding. They never asked, they only took.

Sam was showing him just how good a true Alpha should be.

His apartment was small, but bright and comfortable. Warm colors and bright glass dishes, battered but loved cooking utensils in the kitchen. "This is our place now. Same as the bakery. Yours as much as it is mine, you know."

"Well. If you cook, anyway."

Sam looked chagrined for a moment, though he was still smiling a bit. "I think it's probably best if I leave the cooking to you," he replied with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "I'll just look pretty and do any of the heavy lifting you want me to. Or fixing anything that breaks. I'm good at that sort of thing. Not so much with the cooking, though."

He kept close to Gabriel, often touching but keeping it light, brushes of the hand or arm, while they were walking. "I'm never just going to assume things, Gabriel. While legally it may be ours, this is someplace you built yourself. So always better to ask."

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