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I'm always yours, Moose.
His voice always echoed in Sam's head, and it drove him crazy. The Winchester could still feel the kiss that lingered on his lips after Gabe would stand on his toes to kiss Sam.
Sam.
Sam shook his head, trying to get these painful words from his memory, but it never worked. It didn't help that he was flat-ass drunk right now too.
I love you, Sam.
The younger Winchester groaned, and squeezed his eyes shut. It hurt. It hurt so much.
"Sam?" Dean's voice called out from somewhere in the motel room. Sam's eyes opened, though his vision swam with dizziness. "Sam, are you still upset over him?"
"He's dead, Dean. What did you expect?" Sam grumbled back.
"I know, but-"
"Dean, of all the people I've ever been with, he's the only one I..." Sam stopped, and stared furiously at the wall. "I just wish I could have been there... to protect him. I should have known that bastard Lucifer would kill him." Dean sighed, and Sam rolled over on the bed, wishing that if he closed his eyes, maybe they might not open again.
~~~
Gabriel's death hit Sam hard, and not even Dean could bring a smile back onto his little brother's face again. But what could he do? Gabriel was an archangel, and a dead one at that. Who knows where they go in death?
He'd heard Sam calling out Gabe's name in his sleep, and it was just too much for Dean to take right now. He grabbed the room key and his jacket, and headed out.
Dean decided to pick up some necessary "midnight pie" from the gas station across the street.
But something was wrong. He could tell that before he even entered the store. It was a ghost town: not even a cashier to be seen. Dean looked around, but besides the absence of people and some seriously damaged security cameras, there was nothing out of place. He took caution in leaving no finger prints, and started loading the cash register money.
A click followed by static caught Dean's attention. He turned to the television set behind himself.
It was a simple Pepsi Max commercial. Dean would have paid it no mind if it wasn't under such suspicious circumstances and the fact that the TV turned itself on, so he watched a moment of it.
And low and behold, there was the bastard.
Gabriel was posing as the Pepsi Max man, talking to the Coke guy in a small diner. Dean blinked a few times to see if he'd been getting a little too less of sleep, but every time he blinked, it was clearer and clearer:
Gabriel was alive. And making Pepsi Max commercials.
"Son of a bitch." Dean muttered, stuffing the money in his hand into his pocket, and running out the door. He'd even forgotten his "midnight pie".
When he got back to the motel, he shook Sam, but the moose gave him no response other than an unconscious moan of deep slumber:
"Gabriel..."
Dean rolled his eyes. Sam was too drunk-asleep to wake up. So he grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled down on his bed with the remote. He could wait.
He turned on the TV to a channel that typically had the most generic commercials. After hours and almost falling asleep a couple of times, Dean saw it.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
A Pepsi Max ad with none other than the Trickster/archangel himself. Dean smiled, knowing his little brother's happiness might be restored.
~~~
In the morning, Sam didn't believe Dean at first, as much as he wanted to. He had every reason not to. But something gave him the hope that maybe his trickster was still alive. It was just enough hope to look for a sign.
A sign that came in the form of the motel complimentary notepad that Sam saw as he and Dean were heading out:
2957 Mill Avenue Bar. Tonight.
Be there, Samsquatch.
And that was proof enough for Sam.
~~~
That afternoon, Sam was happier than he'd been since Gabriel had faked his death. He'd even pulled his own prank on Dean: super gluing his older brother's hand to his beer bottle.
So when he showed up to the bar, he was a little nervous. He looked up at the TV screen to pass the time when he noticed the Pepsi Max commercial.
With Gabriel in it.
"Gabe?" Sam asked quietly.
~~~
He strode up to the bar seat, not sure if he should sit there. But somehow, he couldn't help himself. He was putting Sam in danger by doing this, but he just couldn't stand being away any longer. He sat next to Sam Winchester, who was watching the Pepsi Max commercial on the overhead TV so intently he didn't notice someone had filled the vacant seat adjacent to him. The commercial finished, and Sam looked down at his beer in anguish. It was then, that he spoke to Sam:
"I toldja: I'm always yours, Sam." Gabriel said as Sam turned towards him.
~fin~