Reading Between The Lines (Sabriel)

Chapter 10

Sam doesn't make it to bed that night.

He falls asleep on Gabriel's shoulder, looking too peaceful for the archangel to even think about bringing him to an actual bed.

Gabriel can't complain, of course. This wasn't quite how he wanted to spend the night — although if anyone asked, he'd never admit that he really thought they were going to have sex again — but it's not a terrible disappointment, either. It sure beats spending the night alone, even if it means he's trapped in the same position because he's afraid moving will wake him up.

He has to admit, he's a little wary of the fact that Castiel is working with the Winchesters right now. The fact that he just happened to pick the vessel of Heaven's finest to hang out with after supposedly ditching the place is sketchy, to say the least. He may just be projecting, obviously, because he's also hanging out with one of the vessels despite knowing that they'll likely be possessed by the end of the month, but he's still not too fond of the idea that Heaven may have put a spy on the inside. After Hell did the same with Ruby, he'd hoped Heaven would give them a break.

Although, logically, that wouldn't make much sense. Ruby followed Sam around to get him hyped up on demon blood. She used him to open the cage. She had a purpose. Castiel wouldn't be able to help Heaven's cause very much, and they'd have to know that. They're doubtlessly going to threaten and torture Dean into saying yes, just like Lucifer is going to lie to trick Sam into it. They wouldn't have much use for a spy.

So why did Castiel do it?

Gabriel remembers him. They didn't know each other very well, of course; Gabriel was an archangel, and Castiel was just... normal. He was well-respected, of course, but a normal angel nonetheless. Gabriel can only assume they held him in high regard after Gabriel ditched, given that he got to swoop in and save Dean's ass himself. But Sam said he was lied to, which means he didn't know what he was doing.

Did he just not know why he was saving Dean? He didn't bother to question why they'd waited as long as they did? It didn't even occur to him that they could have stopped the first seal from breaking all together if that had been the real goal there?

But, then again, that would be angels for you — foolish, and loyal, a dangerous combination in a world as corrupt as Heaven.

It's a little disappointing that he'll never actually get to ask Castiel about it. He's been carefully avoiding all of his siblings out of fear of being recognized. He promised Loki that he would stay out of his petty family squabbles, and it would take more than the apocalypse to convince him to betray Loki's trust.

What's more disappointing, though, is the fact that Sam still isn't telling him anything. Gabriel has tried asking. He's tried prying. He's tried hinting. Sam won't breathe a word of any of it. He knows for a fact that Sam knows what started this apocalypse, so why won't he admit it? Sure, Gabriel wouldn't be able to do anything about it given that he's actually rooting against the Winchesters, but he'd like to at least see that Sam trusts him enough to confide in him.

How much better would Sam feel if he finally came clean? If he told Gabriel the truth, and Gabriel just gave him a hug and told him that it was okay? Everyone else may have turned on him, but Gabriel won't — not until Lucifers ready to claim his vessel and Gabriel has to look the other way. He could try to alleviate some of the guilt if Sam would just let them have this conversation.

But, obviously, Gabriel can't bring it up. He already pretended he didn't know a thing about it because he'd expected Sam to open up their conversation with it. The guy always tells him about his hunts and the issues he has. Gabriel hadn't expected this one to be any different. He just wanted to let Sam tell it his own way, at his own pace, and it's a little late to come clean and admit he's gotten the inside scoop from some acquaintances who know the whole story — which is essentially every supernatural being on the planet.