Trouble With The Trickster || Gabriel - Supernatural

-3-

I fell asleep somewhere towards the end of the movie, happy to get some real rest without terrible pain accompanying it. Dad must have noticed because when I awoke, I had been moved to a slightly smaller room with a beautiful dresser and a fourposter bed like the ones I only ever saw on old TV shows. The walls were painted light blue and printed along the border were tiny little angels, each with different wings like the ones I'd seen fighting with Dad before.

It was beautiful.

I could only guess that Balthazar had made this room for me especially, either while I slept or perhaps even before he came to rescue me.

As I sat up beneath the mountains of blankets he'd smothered me in, I could hear clattering from what I figured was the kitchen. What the heck was he doing? I got up and threw the covers back, placing my socked feet on the cool linoleum and padding over to the door just as it was thrown open and Dad rushed in, holding a tray with breakfast on.

We almost collided but he skidded to a stop just in time, looking up and laughing at the near miss, "I made you breakfast. Pancakes, okay?"

"Yeah, pancakes are great," I grinned, shifting back over to the bed and perching on the end as he placed the tray on my lap, "Did you make these?" He nodded. "I thought you could just, y'know, magic things up?"

"Well, I can, but I haven't made any food in ages. I don't eat. You don't really have to either but I guessed you'd probably grown accustomed to eating so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone, so to speak..."

"I don't think I could ever not eat," I laughed, sticking my fork into the pancakes which oozed maple syrup and sugar, "Does that mean I can't put on weight?"

Dad chuckled, "You know, you remind me of Gabriel far too much..." I still had no idea who this 'Gabriel' guy was... "Yes, you don't receive any nutrients from food so you don't gain weight. Both the demon and the angel side of you give you that luxury."

"Hey, Dad?" I looked up, munching happily on the sweet doughy pancakes, "How exactly do I exist if you said I shouldn't?"

"Wow, going straight to the deep questions are we? Well, for one, demons and angels don't usually procreate. I was drunk, I think I thought your mother was an angel... bit of a bad shock in the morning..." He sighed and I giggled even though he was basically saying that I was a mistake - better a brilliant mistake than a wanted disappointment. "Anyway, demons burn at the touch of an angel's grace, that's a fact. You have half a grace yet your demon side has not been destroyed by it. This is extraordinary and, if I'm honest, I'm surprised you haven't exploded yet..."

"I'll try to refrain from doing that, then," I mumbled through the pancakes I'd stuffed in my mouth while he was talking.

"Yes. Please do," he smiled, coming to sit beside me just as we both heard a flutter of large wings coming from the lounge.

Balthazar darted up and disappeared into the other room as I hurried to put the tray down and rush after him. I didn't barge straight into the room in case it was one of the angry angels so I remained outside in the hall, listening as Dad talked to whoever it was.

"Balthazar, you realise that every angel up there wants your head on a spike, right?" the new one said, seemingly indifferent about the news he was breaking.

"Please, when have they ever not wanted to kill me?" I heard Dad reply and as I peeked around the door I saw that he had positioned himself between the angel and where I was standing so I couldn't see the other guy's face.

"True, true. Where is the abomination?"

"She's my daughter. She is not an abomination!" Balthazar replied angrily as I felt the ground shake with his wrath.

"Fine, fine, where is your daughter? Believe me, Balthy, I don't want to hurt her. I've never cared for politics, you know that..."

"...okay, but if you show any signs of violence, I will not hesitate to make use of this," I saw a glint of silver in Balthazar's hand and the other angel let out an unimpressed sigh, "Elizabeth, you can come in now."

I jumped as Dad suddenly turned around and looked straight at me. How long did he know I was there? Awkwardly, I straightened up and walked into the room, finally seeing the other angel's face. He looked young with brown hair and a cheeky grin, wearing a simple army jacket and jeans as he stood by the couch with his hands in his pockets.

"How long did you know?" I asked Dad.

"Since you got there. I can sense your grace even if it is clouded by the demon side."

"So that's what that was?" the other one butted in, nodding as he understood, "I thought I could sense another angel but it was as if the signal was weak. I can barely even feel it when you're stood right there."

"Elizabeth, this is Gabriel," Dad introduced the angel, "Gabriel, this is Elizabeth. Don't hurt each other."

"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. Can I call you Beth?" Gabriel asked, kissing the back of my hand as Dad rolled his eyes.

"Uh, sure? If I can call you Gabe? Gabriel's a bit long..."

"Sure. I know, I can be a mouthful..." he winked before Balthazar slapped his shoulder.

"Hey, that's my daughter! Don't you go corrupting her!" his tone was filled with anger but he was smiling as Gabe and I burst out laughing.

"I like her, Balthy. I can help to protect her, if you want? An archangel's protection surely trumps everything that bunch in Heaven's got... at least until one of my big bros gets involved..." Gabe sighed and shook his head, "One of them's bound to..."

"Thank you, Gabriel. What can you do?" Dad asked sincerely. Gabe just smiled and clicked his fingers.

In seconds, I felt a slight weight around my neck and cold metal against my left ankle. Looking down, I found a silver necklace engraved with strange lettering around my neck and, upon further inspection, a similar anklet around my ankle. "What are they?"

"Dragon-forged silver. Poisonous to, and hides you from, just about all creatures except the wearer and archangels. Should protect you from just about everything on Earth, so be careful not to touch it," he directed the last instruction at Balthazar who nodded understandingly. I'd hate to injure my own Dad.

"Thanks, Gabe," I smiled, stepping forward and pulling him into a hug that he clearly wasn't expecting.

He hugged me back happily, not able to be hurt by the silver, "Any time, Beth. I've got to go now, though. Castiel wants to know if I've seen you - he can't break through the sigils you've put on the house like I can." He turns to me, seeing my worried expression, "Don't worry, I only got through because your Dad let me in. I won't tell anyone I saw you. See ya!"

And with that, he abruptly disappeared into thin air.