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Gabriel sat on the cheap bed of the motel room with the laptop open on his knees. Some rumors had reached him a couple of towns back and he had to come investigate. He didn't need his keen hunter senses to know something weird was happening in the area. Three months, three little towns where a limited number of people had been killed over the course of a couple of days. If that hadn't been clue enough, there was something else. All the victims’ eyes had been burned.
In his long years hunting, both with his brothers and after deciding to go on alone, he had only encountered something like that once. He had been a child, maybe 6 or 7, but already shooting targets better than people thrice his age. He had been left home, protecting their younger sister while his father and his brothers went looking for the creature. He had been too young to remember the details, but he remembered what mattered: a monster entering their room, him pointlessly shooting at the thing, and his baby sister crying in her crib. Then, a flash of light from the hand of a man he had not seen coming inside the room. A man that had told him that everything would be alright, that he was safe, who held him in his arms when the only thing he could do was sob uncontrollably.
When his father and brothers found the body of the monster with the same burned out eyes as the rest of the victims, well... it didn't go well for Gabriel. They never found out what did it, either. After that the killings stopped and they moved on with their lives. Now it had started all over again, and he wasn't about to let that son of a bitch escape again. His fingers were itching to pick up his guns and beat the crap out of the bastard who thought the Earth was its playground. Gabriel had suspicions it was a demon. No monster in the lore fit the description and demons... well, in his experience they came in every flavor imaginable; you never knew what to expect with them. One thing was sure: they were always out in search of new ways to torture and kill.
He decided nothing could be done until the sun came up again: being a strange man new in town going around in the middle of the night had nearly earned him a bullet in his head before. He wasn't about to take his chances again. He closed the laptop and discarded it to the side, knowing whatever was the piece to solve this puzzle wasn't there. He curled up on himself and waited for sleep to claim him, trying hard to focus on the hunt at hand and not on the memories of when he shared these kinds of rooms with his brothers. Finally, his consciousness slipped away and nothing mattered anymore.
Gabriel was reluctant to go inside the building. Growing up in an extremely religious family while he himself was of a... well, a more relaxed moral code, made church give him the creeps. Still, it was the only thing all the crimes had had in common. All the victims, while of varying degrees of devoutness, had laid foot in that place. From Sunday goers to those who went once to assist in a wedding, the priest had seen them all, so Gabriel thought it was worth a shot talking to him.
He had been waiting patiently, half hidden near the big doors, but he was sure most of the parishioners were gone. Suppressing a sigh and putting on his good guy mask, Gabriel walked through the doors. The inside of the building felt cooler; the faint light that came from the high stained glass windows gave the whole place a holy feeling. He supposed that was the purpose of it all. It was big -- bigger than he would have thought in a small town like this.
“Can I help you?” Gabriel was startled by a soothing voice that came from behind him. He turned quickly, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of the dagger he always carried hidden in his jacket. But there was only the man he had been looking for.
“Sorry, father,” he muttered. A soft laugh stopped him from saying anything else.
“Just Sam is fine. You're new around here, right?” His voice was like honey, softly washing over Gabriel. He cleared his throat, shouting to himself in his mind to get a grip and concentrate.
“Yes. Actually, I've come on pretty grim business,” he started saying, his act of grieving relative on. He just hoped he hadn't slipped up already. “My cousin, you see, disappeared about a month ago. Her name was Sally Graves, and she lived in a little town close to here. Came to this church every Sunday.”
“Yes, I remember her. A terrible thing, indeed.” Sorrow spread through Sam's face, who turned away to rearrange some candles. “I'm sorry for your loss.”
“I know it's happened to other people here. I wanted to ask if you could remember something -- any detail they could have had in common.” Sam looked him with wide eyes.
“I think these matters are better left to the police, sir,” he answered carefully.
“I'm... I'm just trying to understand. That's all,” Gabriel nearly whimpered, shaking his head and trying to contort his expression into one of grief.
“They've all been devout people. Good, kindhearted people,” Sam asserted, giving him a strange look Gabriel could not quite decide the meaning of. There was something in his eyes, some kind of unnatural glow... but it was gone before Gabriel could even be sure it was there. Sam put a warm hand on his shoulder and gave him a sad smile. “I'm really sorry for your loss, Gabriel, but some things are beyond comprehension. You should go and rest.”
“Thank you for your time, father.” Gabriel felt the words leave him before he could even think about it. As if some greater force was pulling him, he turned and walked toward the exit.
“It's Sam.” The voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at him.
“Thank you, Sam.” As soon as the words were out of his lips, he turned again. In the corner of his eye he thought he had seen some kind of shadow lurking behind the priest, but he was sure he had just imagined it. He left the church and went straight back to his motel room. Once he was inside he mechanically took his shoes off and threw himself on the bed. The priest had been so nice. And gorgeous. He was incredibly beautiful: tall and with a masculine face framed by his long hair.
As he thought of this, Gabriel felt something itching in his brain. He had been a hunter almost since he was a kid, trained by his father and, not much later on, by his older brothers. He had even helped in training his three younger siblings, too young to even remember their father. In other words, he knew when something was off and something was definitely not right in this whole situation. The priest had been young and gorgeous. Maybe too much so for a priest?
Anyway, why hadn't he pressed harder in his interrogation? He could have gotten his melodramatic act on, played Sam like he had played so many others before him into giving him the information he needed. He could have teared up, told him how much he missed his “cousin” and how he needed closure. Instead, Sam had made him give up with just a word. His eyes opened and he sat up in bed, his hands clenching the sheets.
“The bastard knew my name,” Gabriel grunted. Now he remembered it clearly: the strange light in his eyes and the shadow at his back. He had found him, the fucking beast that had killed all those innocent people. He was going to have to be fast. Sam knew who he was and surely knew what he had come to do, too. He stood up and opened his duffel bag, taking out everything that could be used against a demon, witch, or anything that could have human shape. Whatever it was had powers beyond anything he had seen before, but this time he wouldn't take him by surprise. He was going to get ready, stalk it to make sure it didn't escape, and then strike the monster when no one was looking.
“I've got you, bitch,” was the last thing he remembered saying before everything went black in front of him.
When Gabriel could finally open his eyes only the moonlight illuminated the inside of the room. He felt the dirty rug on his cheek and for one second wondered how much had he drunk to end up sleeping on the floor. Then, a flash of green eyes in his head made him jump to his feet and gather everything he had already taken out of his duffel bag that morning. It had been the monster, no doubt, and Gabriel was cursing himself in his mind. Something was not right. Why hadn't it killed him yet when it had had so many chances? Especially being as powerful as it seemed.
He put everything he could in his pockets and pushed the rest inside the smaller bag he always carried with him and run out. He didn't know the exact time, but every single business was closed and nearly all the houses' windows were dark. It had to have been long hours since the creature knew there was a hunter in town, but Gabriel had to at least try to find him. Just one walk around the town and he would immediately get his car and go after any sign of the bastard.
He scoffed a laugh when he saw light gleaming through the stained-glass windows, bringing the scenes in them to life. He could nearly hear his brother lecturing him about going head first into situations that were so obviously a trap. Well, there was a reason why Michael wasn't his favorite brother, after all. He took the dagger out of his jacket and made his way inside the church.
As soon as he set a foot on the stone floor the metallic smell hit him, so strong that it nearly made him gag. As his eyes got used to the dim light he realized it was everywhere. The walls, the pillars... even the white cloth that covered the altar was dripping red. There were lumps on the sides: bodies. And in the center of it all, standing too tall under the direct light of one of the windows, was the monster. Sam was smiling and it made his blood grow cold on his veins. In front of him, kneeling on the floor, trying to stand with the last of her strength, was a girl. Some terrible noise came from her and then Gabriel saw that blood was coming in a stream from her neck.
He tried to school his breath and stepped aside, using the pillars as protection. He walked as silently as he could toward the altar, hoping that he could at least be on time to save the girl. Or at least to find Sam distracted enough to put his blade through its heart.
"Are you asking for mercy?" He heard Sam's cold voice. He clenched his fist on the dagger. "You should, because you're not going back to where you came from. This-- This is the end for you and the rest of your friends."
Gabriel hurried, no longer caring about being found out. He had to be fast, he had to... Just as he turned around the last column, he saw Sam raising a knife covered in blood. Before Gabriel could move a finger Sam looked at him and, with eyes full of sorrow, gave him a sad smile. The only thing Gabriel could hear was the girl’s final cry and his own shouts. He saw a light coming from her body and a heavy thump as she fell. And then he run toward the monster, dagger firmly clutched in his hand, the only thing he could feel for sure through the fog that was making prey of his brain.
“How can you be moving?” Sam gasped in surprise. Gabriel wasn't listening; he just stabbed the monster in its unprotected heart. A massive force made it impossible for him to move his hand the inch that separated his blade from Sam's priest clothes. He aimed his other hand to punch Sam’s face, but it was stopped in the same way. Both Sam's hands were clutching his wrists and no matter how much Gabriel tossed, he could not move them even an inch.
“Surprised, you bastard? Your dirty tricks no longer work on me,” Gabriel bluffed. Even he wasn't sure what he had done. Maybe it was one of the hex bags he carried in his bag, maybe just luck. Truth was he was still pretty affected by Sam’s powers and it was mostly his will keeping his eyes open.
“You should have slept until I had finished the job; it would have been easier for you,” Sam sighed. “Look, I don't want to hurt you. And your weapons can't do anything against me, anyway. So, how about you stay put and we talk.”
“Right,” Gabriel laughed in his face. It was probably not the most intelligent thing to do, but luckily Sam just looked a bit exasperated. “And then we have tea and you go on your merry way. You know what I am.”
“But you don't know what I am.”
“Demon. Witch. A brand new kind of thing that goes bump in the night,” Gabriel spat. “Do I look like I care? I only need to know how to erase you from the face of the Earth.”
“Hunters...” Sam sighed, looking at the mess around him. There weren't many hours left before people would start stirring in their beds, getting ready for their days, and he still had so much to do before leaving the town. He then looked at Gabriel, eyes set firmly on his. “I'm not a monster.”
“Yeah and I'm an angel.”
“I've given you two chances to get out of my way and I'm going to give you this last one. Go away and never think of tracking me again.”
“And if I don't? What? You gonna kill me?”
“I'm a fool; I should have known you would never give up. After all, here you are again,” Sam laughed, shaking his head fondly. Sam released his wrists and, instead, ran his fingers through Gabriel's hair until his hand came to rest on his cheek. Gabriel was paralyzed by this tender gesture. “You're immune to the spell now, but that was just cheap witch magic. Now this...”
Gabriel felt two fingers pressing against his forehead and, before he could move, he felt no more.
He wasn't going to sleep again for a year if he could help it, Gabriel decided. There are only so many times a man can be knocked out with magic before it gets tiresome. He felt his nose itching, but when he tried to move a finger to scratch it, he found that he couldn't do it. Damn it.
"Seriously? Ropes?" he sneered, opening his eyes. He was in a nondescript room, probably not a motel but it definitely didn't look like anyone had ever lived there. Everything was too new, too clinically clean.
"I'm sorry, but it's for your own safety. As soon as you’re free you will try to kill me again. Things could go wrong and you could hurt yourself. I'm not going to let that happen," Sam explained as if he was a little kid. Gabriel had to give him credit for his act: if he didn't know that Sam was the monster responsible for the deaths of so many people, he would have believed he really felt bad for the whole situation.
"My nose is itching," Gabriel snapped, looking directly at Sam’s eyes. Maybe deep down he was scared that he was at the mercy of the creature, maybe not; not even he was sure, but he knew that he would not show any sign of weakness, not even for a second. Gabriel had been in difficult situations in the past and had always gotten through them nearly unscathed. This was not going to be different.
"And you want me to scratch it for you?" Sam asked, a smile dancing on his lips. To Gabriel’s surprise, he got close and let his hand wander through Gabriel's hair, like he had done in the church. A refreshing sensation run through his whole face and he felt better. Much better. Not only had his nose stopped itching, but also the remnants of fog and headache disappeared.
"What are you?" Gabriel's eyes were wide open as Sam looked down at him with a calm smile.
"I'm not here to harm you, neither you nor the rest of humans. Those people you've seen dead... They had been gone for years; demons had taken their place," Sam said in the same sweet tone. "Now are you going to behave if I untie you?"
"Let's say I believe you. How can I be sure you're not worse than those demons?" Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow. "Because you're something, Sam. No human can do what I've seen you doing, not even the most powerful witch."
"You know deep in your heart that you can trust me," Sam sounded wounded. "Or don't you remember me?"
"I remember," he answered quietly. It was not a good memory for him, not with everything that happened after, but he remembered the man who had saved him all those years ago. "Doesn't mean anything. Tell me what you are."
Sam looked at him with furrowed brow for long seconds. At first he seemed confused, but then tears came to his eyes and his mouth fell half-opened in surprise. He fell to his knees and cupped one of Gabriel's hands on his own.
"And I must ask for your forgiveness again. I didn't know my visit had caused you so much pain in the past." Gabriel gasped in surprise. A single tear had escaped Sam's eyes, rolling down his cheek. His eyes were so full of remorse. What if he wasn't acting? Did that change anything? And, most importantly, how could he know what Gabriel had been thinking about?
"But you mustn't worry, Gabriel. I'm an angel and I was there to protect you, but now... now I hunt evil, just like you do."
“Angel?” he asked, his tone flat.
“Yes,” Sam answered with a bright smile, thinking he was finally getting through the thick skull of the hunter.
“And where did you leave the fluffy wings?” Gabriel snorted.
“Is that some kind of joke?” Sam's lips were firmly pressed against each other in a expression of complete disapproval.
“I've never seen an angel, not even once before. And, trust me, I've seen pretty much everything there is to see. Why should I believe you?”
“Angels... hadn't bothered much with Earth's issues of late,” Sam stood and turned his back toward him. Sore spot, it seemed.
“And you?”
“I couldn't stand idle while demons roamed the Earth and made humans suffer.” Sam turned to him, righteous fury burning in his eyes. His expression made Gabriel clench his teeth, though he made sure to maintain his face relaxed. To be honest, it was a bit scary. Okay, really scary. And kind of hot, if he had to be honest.
“So...” started Gabriel, looking at the ceiling. Anywhere but those eyes. “What now? You gonna leave me here until someone finds me or I starve to death?”
“It would buy me some time, is that what you think?” Sam sneered but placed his hand soft against Gabriel's cheek, his thumb moving near his lips. Gabriel wriggled a bit, trying very hard not to look uncomfortable, not to let Sam see the effect he was having on him. “I've seen in your mind how your life is. How you long for the companionship your brothers gave you and ultimately denied you. I want you to come with me.”
“Oh, yeah, me teaming up with some supernatural creature to go on a murder spree, that seems like a good idea.” Gabriel felt how Sam grabbed his face to make him look at his eyes. Sam's expression was a pained one, but Gabriel could easily see the fury that was growing on the edges.
“I don't kill because I like it. I'd much rather save all the people possessed, but it can't be done.” Both their breaths had gotten quicker, their faces so close that Gabriel could feel the heat the angel emitted. “There is one demon left in the area and he'll fly as soon as notice reaches him of what has happened here. Come with me, just this once. Then I'll let you go.”
“Fine,” he answered without hesitating for one second. He was trapped and Sam outclassed him in every possible way. If the man he was looking for really was a demon, he would kill it gladly. If not, at least it would provide him enough distraction to flee as fast and as far as he could. Sam just smiled, relieved, and promptly started cutting the ropes. Gabriel was rubbing his wrists when he felt a big hand landing on his shoulder and, suddenly, something pulling his whole body off the ground and landing again before he could even blink. They were outside, next to a run-down building.
“What the...?” Gabriel started saying, but Sam quickly put his hand over his mouth. When Gabriel looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Sam just put a finger on his lips, signaling him to stay silent. Well, there went any plan of escaping. Now he didn't even know where he was or even how close any sign of civilization could be. Sam lightly tugged his arm before heading straight to the ruined front door.
Gabriel looked briefly behind him, trying to see in the darkness through the trees that surrounded them. The stars shone brightly above their heads, brighter than he had ever seen before. So, most likely no civilization for miles around. He didn't really have a choice, though Sam wasn't even looking at him anymore. Gabriel took out his dagger and walked behind him.
"I was waiting for you," a voice came from the far end of the room. The building must have been some kind of storage place, for it was a wide open room with just a couple of windows on the back of it. The figure in front of them stood. "A corrupt priest, eh? A fitting disguise for a fallen angel."
"What?" Gabriel asked, but Sam was walking toward the man as if he hadn't heard a word.
"Release that innocent man and no harm will come to you tonight," he said as he stood tall in front of him. The demon just laughed.
"And what are you gonna do if I don't? Smite me?" More laughter came and Gabriel could see how Sam's whole body tensed. He was getting angry. "First you would have to touch me."
Sam raised his hand, but just a second before he could touch the man, he quickly moved out of his way, so fast it looked as if he had disappeared. Light fell directly on his face and, if Gabriel had any doubt, it was quickly solved by his black eyes. The bastard was really a demon, after all. He gripped his dagger tighter and walked quietly, trying to sneak on the demon's back. Sam saw him and made a move to get close to the demon again, who disappeared again, ending between them and just as close as Gabriel needed him. He quickly moved to stab the demon with his iron dagger, but just when he felt the blade about to hit skin, he saw those black eyes fixing on him.
One moment he was standing and the next his back was hitting a stone wall. Hard. He felt something getting tighter and tighter around his neck, his feet unable to touch the ground.
"Well, well, and who is this little cockroach? Your little pet? I thought your people hated humans as much as us. Oh..." The demon turned to Sam, a grin on his face. "But that is the reason you left home, right?"
"Sam..." Gabriel managed to get out. He was seeing Sam's expression getting contorted in rage and, well, he nearly couldn't breathe anymore and needed help. He should have turned around and run when he had the chance. Better lost in the woods than about to get killed by a demon. Fucking monsters.
"Daddy and your brothers didn't like you coming here, mingling with humans... and with demons."
"Shut up!" Sam shouted and charged with all his body against the demon, who just laughed and got away, closer to Gabriel.
"Well, this is what happens when you keep this company, boy." It was the first time the demon spoke directly to him. Gabriel shuddered when he saw his hand getting closer to his neck, the force around it tightening even more. And suddenly he fell on the floor, dizzy when he could again get oxygen into his lungs. When he looked up he saw the demon's eyes wide in rage, as he took a knife out of his arm. Gabriel heard the sound of metal hitting stone somewhere on his left, not even sure how close.
“Using the gifts your little whore gave you, aren't you?” the demon said, then snickered. “Say goodbye to your human.”
Sam's eyes widened as the demon turned away from him. Gabriel knew he had to move before his raised hand got closer to him. He had seen once how one of those things thrust his hand inside someone's stomach and, well, it hadn't been pretty. But he barely could do more than try to regain his breath, definitely not getting his legs to move him anywhere. He couldn't even close his eyes, but something big and black moved on the corner of his eyes. The demon was completely fixated on him, and Gabriel saw his hand getting closer so fast-- It was going to hurt... And then the only thing he could see was a wall of black feathers. A terrible cry filled his ears and Gabriel looked up to see Sam's pained face.
“Finish it off,” Sam muttered. Gabriel followed his eyes and then saw it: the knife. He didn't know how he did it, didn't even think about it. In one movement he just grabbed the knife and stabbed the arm that was stuck in the big wing, getting up from under the big mass of feathers and stabbing again, this time in the bastard's neck. Black eyes widened in surprise, but the demon didn't even have time to scream before he fell to the ground, completely still.
“This thing is really neat,” Gabriel commented looking at the blade. “Where the hell did you get it?”
“Past lover... Didn't end up well,” came the strangled voice from behind him. He turned to see Sam lying on the ground, his hand firmly pressed again one of his wings. His fingers were dyed in red.
“Oh, shit,” Gabriel quickly knelt beside him. From up close it was even worse; half his feathers were sticky with blood. He had to stop the bleeding and he didn't know how. “Tell me what I have to do.”
“It's okay,” Sam whispered. It was clear that even breathing was taking the little strength he had left. This couldn't be happening. Could angels even die from something like bleeding? Was it because it was the wing? Sam's eyes fell shut.
“Crap, crap, crap. Hey, gigantor, come back! Don't you dare go ditching me like this!” Gabriel was slapping his face, but Sam didn't react. Things were getting blurry before his eyes and, hell, he wasn't crying. It was just that the angel had saved his life, after all. Just that. Gabriel's hands fell from Sam's face, reduced to gripping his wide shoulders tight. “Don't you dare die on me after dragging me here!”
“I would never do that.” Gabriel blinked his tears away. Sam had a peaceful smile on his face and his eyes looked at him in wonder.
“You son of a...” Gabriel grabbed his high collar at the same time Sam softly pulled him with one hand. Their lips joined in a chaste kiss, both of them moving carefully around each other. When they parted, Gabriel looked at those eyes, so close and full of joy. Sam smiled.
“So... are you coming with me?”
“I guess I am.”
Gabriel thought that if there was a heaven, this was what it had to feel like. Warm, surrounded by clean sheets and fluffy pillows, with a gigantic angelic furnace pressed against his back. And no clothes. Well, actually he had pretty reliable information that heaven did exist and, well, if he could trust Sam’s word it wasn't even half as good as this. Gabriel felt him starting to stir. It was a wonder how Sam kept so still through the night when he didn't sleep, but he wasn't about to start complaining about that. He felt lips peppering kisses on the nape of his neck.
“Five more minutes,” Gabriel muttered, pulling the sheets closer around his body.
“Sorry.” His hand was starting to rub his arms. “We have a hunt.”
“Damn.” He turned to face Sam. God, he looked gorgeous with all his hair disheveled and his arms and chest and... Okay, hunt, concentrate Gabriel.
“Mutilated cattle, dry storms... and two people have disappeared. What do you say?” Gabriel pushed him into a quick kiss before kicking the sheets off and looking for his clothes in the heaps on the floor.
“Let's kick those bastards in the ass.”