DOLLHOUSE

A Part Of Me

Dean's eyes opened and she sprung upright from her hunched position over the library table. Casting a glance around her to assure herself that nobody had seen her, she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth, relieved that she hadn't been drooling all over the book she'd fallen asleep reading. Her head was pounding, the lights feeling a bit too bright for the sleepy girl and she groaned as she looked back down at the useless tome she'd been reading. It was a short account of the various witch trials, but she hadn't read a single thing about Hecate that couldn't be written off as fiction. Like Arteban, she was a ghost that no one believed in. 

A warm hand wrapped itself around her mouth the same time an arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her backwards. Her startled scream was muffled by the hand, and she tried to stomp on her attacker's feet, but they danced out of the way as they pulled her up to her feet, turned her to face them, and shoved her back firmly against a bookshelf. Before she got a good look at his face, she sunk her teeth into the soft flesh and he yanked back with a hiss. 

"Ow! Damn it, Dean, would you calm down? It's me!" 

She stayed against the shelf, her chest heaving, heartbeat racing so fast it hurt. When her vision corrected itself, she was able to take in the man standing in front of her, a sheepish look on his dark face. She went so still she could have been a monster herself, her brain not quite understanding what she was seeing right in front of her. It was too good to be true, and she thought for a moment that she was still asleep, or maybe hallucinating. 

Gabriel looked exactly as she'd left him. His dark eyes were wide, laughter crinkles on his forehead, dimples on either side of his small smile. His cheekbones, unmarred and perfect with skin that always seemed to be glowing. His hand came up to rub the back of his neck, staring back at her like she held the sun in her hands. How was this even possible? 

"I guess you're probably wondering how I'm alive, huh?" Asked Gabriel, and Dean's words got caught in her throat as she tentatively reached out a hand to touch him. Her fingers connected with the cotton of his cream colored shirt and felt the warmth of his skin beneath it. Anger, fear, and relief all rushed into her at once as she lunged at him, her hand connecting with his cheek so quick he barely saw it move. She shoved him backwards, her teeth gritting and her breathing returning to a ragged pace as she was blinded by her emotions. 

"How are you alive? You left me there? Alone? Where have you been this whole time? Why didn't you send help?" The questions poured out of her. Control had left her as soon as she felt that he was a corporeal being. She just wanted to understand. Wanted to know why this was happening to her. 

Gabriel caught her hands in his own with no force at all, but it was all it took for Dean to collapse into his chest and allow his arms to encircle her. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "For everything. For scaring you. I wasn't sure what you'd do if you saw me. The nuns can't know I'm here." 

They slid down to the ground together, still embracing as Dean fought to regain control of herself. She took several deep breathes before finally looking up at his face. "Why?" She asked, her voice cracking. 

Gabriel heaved a long sigh and looked above her head at nothing, trying to gather his thoughts. "Because...by all rights, I'm dead." 

"But then, how are you here?" 

Her mind raced for an explanation while he took his time to formulate the correct response. He was warm to the touch, and his eyes were still the same inviting shade of dark brown. There was nothing on him that she could see that he'd changed into a supernatural creature. If he were a demon, would he offer her a deal? Or would her soul have been lost the minute he put his hands on her? 

"Screw it," Gabriel hissed under his breath before catching his gaze on hers. "There's nothing in the rules saying I can't tell you about myself." He paused again, nervously squeezing his hand into a fist and stretching it out again several times. "I'm an angel. An archangel, to be specific. Hence the name...Gabriel."