Epilogue

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel doesn't know how he managed it - only that he had. The last thing he remembered clearly was Lucifer's frozen grip like a vice around his wrist, driving his sword up and back into his chest. Then he was laying flat on his back in the middle of a mini-mart, much to the consternation of the young clerk. A shaky reassurance later, he stumbled outside and into the night, giant slurpee in hand.

Hey, he can't think on an empty stomach.

It takes a few days for Gabriel to put it all together, where he'd been and what had happened. The memories were fuzzy but they were real. Anna, Sam, Dean, Loki, friends and family that he'd never had in this world. A family that had loved him and a family he fought and died for more than once. What he remembers best is Sam. Tangled in bed with him, laughing on the couch over something ridiculous, even charging headlong into danger with the hunter at his side.

Gabriel sends out quiet feelers, seeking out the hunter and what he learns is a fucking horrorshow that rivals any of the hazy memories of the prison they had been trapped in together. Dean, ever the self-hating moron, had gone and taken the Mark of Cain and was currently rampaging his way across the west coast with Sam hot on his heels.

So he follows, waiting for Sam to pull off at a motel for the night before he simply appears in the passenger seat with a faint flutter of wings. Will he remember him? Gabriel hopes so. He doesn't really relish starting from scratch.

"Heya Sammy."

Comments

[fromfryingpantofire]

Over the past few years, Sam had done his best to ignore the dreams that plagued him. He was used to the ones from the Cage. He'd been having those for years, after all. They were familiar, if difficult.

Sometime after the Leviathans, though, when Dean was stuck in Purgatory, the dreams had changed. There were still the dreams of the Cage, of course, but they were joined by others, almost always centering around Gabriel. Not always, of course. There were dreams about his brother, always subtly different each time. And Anna, but not as he last remembered her. It had been good, really, seeing her that way.

But beyond all that had been Gabriel. Gabriel, who had died for them to have a chance to stop the Apocalypse. But he was there, in those dreams or memories. Not just there, but close to Sam. Always close, always there to help him out or keep him on an even keel. There were others that were tougher to deal with, but there was a lot of good in it as well.

So it probably should surprise Sam more than it does when he pulls the Impala to a stop at a hotel, only to hear the flutter of wings. Wings he shouldn't be hearing because there isn't an angel in the world that has them right now.

Then again, when has Gabriel ever followed the rules?

Which is probably why Sam doesn't bother following them, either. There's a frisson of relief that shivers down his back as Sam leans forward, taking hold of Gabriel's shirt and pulling the archangel into a kiss.

[low_key_angel]

Anticipation gives way to relief as Sam's hands twist in his shirt and pull him close. It hadn't been a dream, it was all real and he knew it the moment that Sam kissed him. They had done it. Escaped the prison and had managed, somehow, to retain their memories of it. Gabriel hums against his lips, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

Finding Dean, unraveling the Mark and setting Heaven back in order, none of it mattered right now. He'd finally found Sam again and this time nothing was going to tear them apart again, not Metatron and his posturing and not some insane goddess.

While Gabriel didn't have to breathe, Sam did and finally they have to break the kiss, but Gabriel doesn't give up an inch of space between them. Fondly he smooths back Sam's hair. "Heya kiddo. I missed you."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam takes a deep breath, fingers still twisted in the fabric of Gabriel's shirt. After everything, after all the worry and the half memories, he doesn't want to lose contact with Gabriel.

It's not that Dean and the Mark are less important in his mind. But right now, he's caught in a moment where so much of his world has been turned upside down and he's clinging to the only person who can help him get it right-side up again.

"Pretty sure I missed you, too," he says, watching Gabriel's face. "I...how?"

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel brushes a thumb lightly along his temple. Things are slowly falling into place now and while he might not understand it all, things are making sense now that he's found Sam. "I can hazard a few guesses, but even my memories are a little jinky about what happened to us."

He pulls back a bit, unable to take his eyes off Sam's face. "All I know is we got out. Couldn't say for sure where, but we got out."

[fromfryingpantofire]

He doesn't remember everything, but he remembers enough. "How...how are you even here? I mean, you were...you died." And there'd been a hollow place in his chest for years now, where some part of him knew Gabriel was meant to be.

[low_key_angel]

"Details on that are kind of sketchy," he admits. "But Lucifer didn't kill who he thought he killed." That night is still an odd tangle in his head, one that he doesn't quite feel up to examining too closely yet. Too much emotion tied up with his brother, dying and being pulled away at the last instant.

"When I woke up, I knew I had to find you." Find Sam. Somehow Gabriel knew that if he could just find Sam, things would start to make sense again.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam reaches up, pressing his fingers to Gabriel's face. Despite the kiss, despite still having the fingers of his other hand tangled in Gabriel's shirt, there's a part of him that worries that, if he lets go, this will all cease to be. "I...I'm glad. That you came to find me. I've had these dreams...memories, I guess. For years now."

[low_key_angel]

They can't seem to get close enough and Gabriel tilts into every press of his fingers, smoothing down his hair and just touching him. It's grounding in a way, to touch Sam and know that all of those hazy memories were real. Everything they had was real. "Took me a lot longer than I wanted to sort through things. But I"m here now, kiddo. I'm here and nothing is gonna come between us again."

[fromfryingpantofire]

They're going to have to move to get closer, but that requires Sam to let go of Gabriel.

That's...not happening. Just yet.

He nods just a little, not wanting to dislodge Gabriel's hand. "I'm not sure I could handle losing you again. Just so you know." It had been one thing before, when Gabriel had sacrificed himself for the world. Now? Now, it wouldn't be something he could come back from.

[low_key_angel]

"Not gonna happen," he answered fiercely. "Whatever happened Sam, it's over and I've got my mojo back. Nothing is going to take me away this time." Not the fight to stabilize Heaven, not Crowley's latest power play, nothing. He wasn't going home, had no intention of switching on his connection to the Host. Let them think another old power was moving and worry about it. Gabriel could care less at that particular moment.

"I'm right here Sammy. I've found you and I'm not going anywhere." Gabriel smiled, kissing the tip of his nose. "But sooner or later we are gonna have to move inside. My foot's falling asleep."

[fromfryingpantofire]

That made Sam pause a moment, looking at Gabriel. "You have your Grace?" Well, he'd always had his Grace...wherever they'd been. But given the state of Heaven... "Uh, right. I hadn't gotten a room yet." Easy enough to do, really. And he'd be glad not to be alone, that was certain.

[low_key_angel]

"Guess so. Wherever we were, I was far enough out of the proverbial loop that I didn't get whammied. Probably why I'm the only one with wings that are worth a damn too." It's an unhappy thought, all of those angels suddenly earth bound with no way to get back home, but it's also a concern for later. Right now, he has Sam again and it's damned hard to think beyond the hunter still clinging to him.

"Staying off angel radio for now too. Whatever's going on, no one else knows I'm here." Although he has a sneaking suspicion he'll be talking to Castiel sooner rather than later.

"So let's get one." Gabriel leans for another kiss. "We've got a lotta lost time to make up for."

[fromfryingpantofire]

More than likely speaking with Castiel, as he and Sam are still fairly close. But where Castiel has things to do with Heaven and the earthbound angels, Sam has to deal with his brother. Phones are useful, but it's difficult to see one another often.

"I can explain some of it. Later, though." He took a breath, then forced himself to let go of Gabriel. "Okay. I'll get the room, then I'll be right back out and we can get out of the car." A moment, then, "You'll still be here when I get back, right?"

Sue him. He'd been crazy a few too many times to take it for granted.

[low_key_angel]

"Later," he agrees, slowly uncurling his fingers from Sam's shirt. Gabriel had been toying with the idea of mentioning a bond to Sam back.. wherever they'd been, but he'd always put it off. The pain that seemed completely commonplace in their prison would have threatened to overwhelm anything that joined them on such a level.

But out here? After being apart for so long, it wasn't looking like such a bad idea.

"Damn right I will, Sam. Not going anywhere, I promise."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Had he mentioned it there, Sam likely would have declined to do it. It would have been another connection that could have been used against them.

As he didn't know about it, though, he simply nodded and pulled away. "Right. I'll...be right back." Then moved because he wouldn't if he let himself think.

It didn't take long to get a room. Unlike Dean, Sam had to rest. His brother didn't, but he had seemed content with only staying a little ahead of Sam so far. He walked out of the office with a room key and got back into the car to move around, closer to where the room was. "I'm probably going to have to order food here before too long," he warned Gabriel as he parked once more. "But I think it can wait a little while."

[low_key_angel]

It would have been too dangerous before, and even with their freedom there was no guarantee that it wouldn't backfire on them at some point in the future. But it also meant that wherever they went, there would be a connection between them that no magic could sever. They could talk about it later, though. Sam was right, he needed to eat, and soon he was going to need to sleep and a topic as big as being marked by an archangel was probably a topic best left for the morning.

Gabriel hefted the bag from the back of the Impala and followed Sam inside. The moment the door closed, wards flared to life along all four walls.

"There. Should save you the trouble of the usual routine." The job done, Gabriel simply stepped into Sam's arms and wrapped himself around the big hunter. It felt.. right like he'd done it a million times before and he rubbed his cheek against familiar flannel. "Didn't even realize how much I missed this."

[fromfryingpantofire]

The wards were a surprise, though they shouldn't have been. After so long in the same place, wherever it had been, Gabriel knew Sam's wards like the back of his hand.

It did make things a lot easier. Sam dropped the room key on the rickety table, his laptop bag on the couch and then found himself with an armful of archangel. He didn't even hesitate to wrap his arms around Gabriel in return, sighing softly as he rubbed his hands over Gabriel's shoulders. "Neither did I. Not until you just did that."

[low_key_angel]

They were good together. Better than that. Sam's arms around him feel like coming home and Gabriel knows that he'd endure years in that prison again if he could have this with Sam. Slowly he tilted his head up to kiss his jaw. "Funny how the little things are the ones that stand out the brightest."

Laughing on the couch. The incident with the cupcake that had them laughing long into the night.

"I remember us the best."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Gabriel was a head shorter than Sam, but that didn't stop him from bending to meet Gabriel's lips. A kiss to the jaw wasn't enough. Not by half.

"I remember...yeah. Us best." Oh, he remembered a lot of pain, too, but Sam thought his brain was just geared toward that after his stint in the Cage. And Gabriel hadn't really been around until after that. "I don't remember a lot, admittedly, but I remember us."

[low_key_angel]

He's put together bits and pieces beyond the agony and sorrow and fear. Memories that were worth holding on to. A little sister he'd adored. A lean, orange tabby that liked riding on his shoulders. A young friend that had moved in with him. But Sam - he remembered best. "We can put it all together one day. What happened and how in the hell to spring anyone we left behind."

Gabriel hums into the kiss. "Later." Sam's got enough on his plate at the moment and sooner or later he's going to have to check in at home, but only after making it abundantly clear that he's not taking the throne. No way, no how. Not while Sam was on earth. He was staying with his hunter.

[fromfryingpantofire]

The lifespan of a human in the grand scheme of things wasn't that long. And it would take them some time to deal with opening Heaven up again.

Both of which were things that Sam would think about later, along with the people that they'd left behind. "Later," he agrees, running his hands down Gabriel's back. "I just...really want you close tonight." Sex or not, just having Gabriel there would be a massive help for him.

[low_key_angel]

The lifespan of a human wasn't long enough, but Gabriel wasn't thinking that far down the line. When Sam's time came, when he died after a long, peaceful retirement, Gabriel would be there to bring him home. To the rest he deserved.

He shakes his wings free, wrapping Sam close. "I'm right here, kiddo. Not going anywhere. Ever." Gabriel catches his hand, tugging him back towards the bed. Right now they need to lay together, bask in simple contact before they decide how far they want to take things that night. "C'mere."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Not that Sam ever thought he'd make it to a long, peaceful retirement. There were old hunters primarily because they got started late in their lives. Sam and Dean never really had a chance.

Sam quirks a half smile, even if it doesn't reach his eyes. "I hope you're going somewhere eventually. I might get really tired of this room, otherwise." But he follows Gabriel, too, climbing onto the bed to settle down.

[low_key_angel]

To be fair, most hunters didn't have an archangel on their sides either. Not that Gabriel would prolong Sam's life against his will, he'd been controlled so many times during his life that was a line he'd never cross. But injuries along the way, turning away a weapon meant for Sam? He could do that much.

"Smartass," he murmurs, not even bothering to toe off his shoes or take off his jacket. That could come later. Right now all they need is the quiet and each other. "We stay off the grid for tonight. Tomorrow we can worry about work."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Given what Sam had just gone through with Dean, he'd be grateful for that.

Sam settles beside Gabriel, under the blanket of his wing and sighs, shifting as close as he can. "Okay, yeah. That...that sounds like a good plan." Some part of him chafes at the idea of letting Dean get that far ahead of him, but he knows not to worry too much. Gabriel can find Dean, no matter where he goes. And maybe, with Gabriel at his side, they can find a way to get the Mark of Cain off of him.

[low_key_angel]

"He won't get far," Gabriel runs a soothing hand through his hair. Sam is one of the best hunters he's ever known and Gabriel one of the only angels left who has functioning wings. Tracking down a pair of demons, even ones that don't want to be found, won't be that difficult. Not when they're together.

He presses in for a kiss, his wings shifting to blanket Sam and keep him as close and as sheltered as possible. "We'll find him Sam."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam lets out a slow breath and nods, pulling Gabriel closer and sliding a leg over the other man's. He doesn't have wings to wrap him up with, so he just has to make do.

"I know we will." And it sounds so good to be able to say 'we'. He wasn't expecting any help, but that doesn't mean he's not happy for it. "I'm just...I thought I'd be alone doing this. I'm really glad I'm not. And that you're back."

[low_key_angel]

Funny after.. however long apart, they still know exactly how to lay together. Which arms go where, how to tangle their legs up without making it uncomfortable, or even how to duck an arm beneath a secondary wing. Gabriel noses against his jaw, kissing him again. GabrielandSam, SamandGabriel, they were together - that was all that mattered.

"You and me both Sammy." Whatever had happened to them, they'd figure it out. And after? Well. Unraveling the Mark of Cain and setting Heaven right again? Small potatoes. He'd found Sam again. They could conquer anything as long as they were together.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam might not be as confident in their ability to fix things, but the fact that they're even together is a help and a boon to his tattered soul. Which, if anything, may be a bit more tattered than even wherever they had been.

Still he hums at the kiss to his jaw, sighing softly. "That's one hell of a relief, I'll admit."

[low_key_angel]

It might be a tattered soul, but it's still the brightest one Gabriel knows. Wherever Sam was, he'd always find him, drawn back to him, half-remembered prisons be damned.

They had each other, that was a good start. Gabriel strokes his hand along his side. "Yeah. It is."

"There's something I want you to think about Sammy. A bond, between you and me. One that would never be broken. You'd always sense me, where I was."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam blinks at that, pulling back a bit so that he could look Gabriel in the eye. "A bond? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that angels can do that, but I kinda am."

[low_key_angel]

"Well, you should be surprised. Because it's never mentioned in any books, Apocrypha or otherwise. But there were some angels who took humans as spouses back in the day - that's how we wound up with Nephilim. Some of them bonded with their spouses. The short version is the angel scribed their name on a human soul and left a bit of grace behind to forge an eternal bond." Gabriel absently traces a finger along his arm and chest as he explains. No one had even spoken of a bond since the Nephilim pogroms - and Dad knows he'd done his share to try and hide some of those poor kids away.

[fromfryingpantofire]

"Well, I'm relatively certain that isn't going to be a problem here." Unless there are things that Gabriel hasn't told him.

Well, that's possible. But he's choosing to simply concentrating on this for the moment. "That...sounds nice, though. That connection." He pauses a moment. "Have you...I mean, have you ever had a bond with others?"

[low_key_angel]

"Nope," he answers, taking a moment to pop the P. "In fact, no archangel has ever bonded with another."

Gabriel's expression sobers. "It's going to hurt, Sam. I'm going to pour raw grace into your soul, etch my name into it and carve yours into me. So it's going to work, but I can't guarantee it's going to be a party."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam reaches out, taking Gabriel's hand and threading their fingers together. It takes another moment, but he forces himself to look Gabriel in the eye. "I'm not afraid of pain, Gabriel. Especially not if it means staying closer to you."

Because it's not like he hasn't felt the pain of raw Grace against his soul before. But Lucifer and Michael hadn't had reasons nearly so good for doing it. That had been torture, something Sam was only glad enough to go through if it meant that they left Adam alone. It didn't always work, but he'd done his best.

[low_key_angel]

Naturally that wouldn’t stop Sam. His smile turns fond as he slowly drags his hand down his chest, letting it come to rest on his hip. Okay. They can do this. A way to remain connected that no one, not even a mainiac goddess, could come between. Traditionalists would call it taking a mate, but in Gabriel’s mind? He’s been Sam’s long before this.

“Remember to breathe, kiddo.” Gabriel sucks in a deep breath he doesn’t really need, slowly drawing up his grace, letting it unfurl and fill his vessel until warm light flared behind his eyes. He doesn’t want to hurt Sam, to cause him pain, but the end result would be worth it for both of them. A permanent reminder of what they meant to each other.

Power pours down his arm, through his hand and into Sam. Past flesh and muscle and bone, sinking deep into him, curling tendrils of grace around his battered soul, etching his true name into Sam’s very being and carving Sam’s into his. A link forged with power and affection and everything that they’d endured together.

Hang on Sam. Almost there.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Breathing is...a lot harder than Sam expected. Possibly because breathing hadn't been a worry the last time he'd had this much Grace pumped into him. He finds himself gritting his teeth, holding his breath and having to fight to remember to actually breathe.

The reminder was probably a good idea in retrospect.

Even through the pain (and Sam will probably always be more sensitive to Grace than most), he can feel that it's different than what he's been through before. Gentler, more careful. Because Gabriel knows that this is going to cause pain and he's doing his best to keep that to a minimum. Sam bends his head, pressing his forehead to Gabriel's shoulder and just listening to that voice tell him that it'll be all right. That they're almost done.

[low_key_angel]

Slowly Gabriel pulls his hand back, checking the brief tendrils of grace still clinging to his hand. A touch of two fingers helps to heal the mark left behind on Sam’s skin, a raised welt of his handprint on Sam’s skin. The connection is there, forged between them, now all he has to do is test it.

Sammy? Can you hear me? Cautious affection pressed through the bond rather than any sort of telepathic contact. He’s careful to go slow so as not to overwhelm Sam. Talk to me kiddo.

[fromfryingpantofire]

There's a moment of shock that reverberates down the bond, then a more cautious feeling out of things. This is Sam, after all, and it's not like he's completely unused to this sort of thing.

Just...never from a bond outside of himself, that's all.

He takes a shuddering breath, letting it out slowly as he raises his head to look at Gabriel. You can talk, he manages down the bond. Or think or...whatever. Not entirely unused to this, you know.

[low_key_angel]

The first thing that rolls across the new bond is amusement and Gabriel strokes a hand along his hip, soothing the burn. "Yeah, I know you aren't. But this is a little different too, kiddo. This is mutual, and it's for both of us." A light feather of grace dances across the bond, warm and tentative.

No more being alone. No more wondering.

[fromfryingpantofire]

It feels better almost immediately, the burn lightening to a duller pain with Gabriel's touch. He knows that it really shouldn't, that the touch should only intensify the pain. Probably would have if it were a normal burn.

He lets out a sigh of relief, though, settling against Gabriel more easily. "It's nice." It's going to take some time to get used to the bond, to know what can be done with it. But it already feels better, being able to feel Gabriel before him in a way that's more than physical.

[low_key_angel]

They might not be any safer here than they had been.. wherever that prison had kept them. But they were together and the bond meant that nothing would keep them apart again. He had Sam back. The rest of the world could frankly go hang, as far as Gabriel was concerned. At least for tonight.

Gabriel leaned for a kiss, mischief lighting up his eyes. "And I bet it's going to have all sorts of fun applications once we get the hang of it."

[fromfryingpantofire]

The kiss is good for settling Sam, though he laughs and shakes his head as Gabriel speaks. "It very well might. Right now, I'm just glad to have you closer." Physically as well as spiritually. Or however you wanted to define the bond.