Transmission from the Trickster

Chapter 30

But apparently, Gabriel does sleep.

The rest of Team Free Will are all in the war room, each with a beer in their hands. They glance over every few minutes at the archangel slumped against the wall. No one mentions him at first, but after a few hours, Dean gives up on ignoring him.

"What's he doing?" Dean asks, gesturing to the angel with his head.

"Sleeping, I think," Sam replies.

"I thought angels don't sleep," Dean reminds him.

"They don't," Castiel says suspiciously.

Sam cocks his head in confusion. "Gabriel? Are you awake?"

Unsurprisingly, there's no answer. The rest of Team Free Will decides to ignore him again, but Sam can't help but watch him, waiting for him to wake up, or to show some sign that he's been awake this whole time. If it hadn't been for the slow, rhythmic rising and falling of his chest, Sam would have wondered if he were still alive at all.

Suddenly, Gabriel jerks awake, and Sam can see a look of panic cross his face before he remembers where he is. When he notices Sam watching him, he flashes the boy a small smile, but it does nothing to hide his confusion.

Sam leaves his beer on the table and takes a seat in front of him, crossing his legs like a child. "Hey."

"What just happened?" Gabriel asks, seeming more confused than Sam has ever seen him.

"What do you mean?" Nothing's happened since Lucifer left. They've just been sitting here.

"I..." Gabriel looks around, not bothered by everyone else watching him. "I don't know. Something feels wrong."

Sam cocks his head in confusion, but then it occurs to him that there probably is something wrong to him. "Are you talking about the sudden passage of time?"

This just seems to confuse the archangel more.

"You fell asleep," Sam tells him.

"I — what?" Gabriel shakes his head. "No, I couldn't have fallen asleep. I'm an angel. I don't sleep." He pauses, then adds, "I think. You know, I'm actually kind of fuzzy on the rules right now."

"You and me both," Sam replies. "But, regardless of whether or not that was supposed to happen, do you at least feel a little better after your nap?"

"You're literally treating me like a toddler right now," Gabriel deadpans. "I could destroy this entire building and everyone in it just by snapping my fingers. I think I deserve a little more respect."

"Sorry," Sam mumbles.

"Three hours ago, you couldn't even stand up on your own," Dean reminds him. "Something tells me we don't have to worry about you blowing the place up."

Gabriel shoots him a glare. He snaps his fingers, and Dean flinches, doubtlessly expecting Gabriel to do something to him, but when nothing happens for a few seconds, Dean seems to figure out that there's nothing to be afraid of.

"Thanks for proving my point," Dean says.

Gabriel throws his head back in exasperation, and it hits the wall with loud thud. "I hate this so much," he mutters under his breath, probably not meant for anyone to hear.

"Hey, it's okay," Sam coos.

"What happened to not treating me like a toddler?" Gabriel reminds him. "I'm not five, Sam. I'm older than the air you're breathing."

"Right, sorry," Sam mutters, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

Gabriel pushes himself to his feet with a groan, and he instantly leans against the wall for support. "God, I've never felt this hungover in my life, and I didn't even drink anything."

Sam chuckles, standing up as well. "Can I get you anything?"

"Unless you've got a hidden grace stash that you haven't told me about, I'm gonna have to go with no."

"Yeah, can't help with that one," Sam says with a sympathetic smile. "Sorry."

Gabriel waves a dismissive hand. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." He takes a deep breath and steps away from the wall, testing his strength. When it seems to go fine, he grins. "See? I'm doing great."

Sam raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't question it. If Gabriel wants to pretend a three-hour nap fixed him right up, who's he to argue?

Dean doesn't seem to get the memo, because he says, "You look like crap, man."

"Yeah, well, you're not my type, either," Gabriel replies.

Dean crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his eyes.

"He's right, you know," Mary tells the angel, her motherly side coming out. "Maybe you should sit down."

Gabriel looks over at her, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if the idea of someone treating him kindly is unheard of. If Mary notices, she doesn't acknowledge it, instead just gesturing to the chair next to her, inviting him to sit.

Gabriel reaches a hand out as if he's going to bring the chair to him with his powers, but thinks better of it. He walks over and drags the chair a couple feet away from the table, a subtle movement, then takes a seat.

"So," Ketch says after what feels like an hour of tense silence, though it couldn't be more than ten seconds. "What do we do now?"