Trouble With The Trickster || Gabriel - Supernatural

-19-

"Dean!" I called after him as he was climbing into the driver's seat. He looked up at me through the windscreen, watching while I ran over.

"Look, Liz..." he started but I cut him off.

"Don't you, 'look, Liz' me. Wherever you're going, I'm coming with," I got into the passenger seat before he had a chance to argue, "Your grandad doesn't seem to like me much either..."

Dean sighed and put the car into reverse, "Yeah, I know... If I'd known he was such a jerk, I'd have forgiven Dad for how he raised us a long time ago..." He pulled out into the road and picked up speed as we drove into the night, "Did you see how he didn't even care that he's not going back to him? How can someone hate their kid that much?"

I nodded understandingly though he was looking at the road ahead, "I know the feeling..." he turned to me worriedly, "Yeah, my parents were crap..."

I explained the first eighteen years of my life to him in the next half an hour as we kept driving, not particularly heading anywhere. Dean seemed both intrigued and saddened by my story, only interrupting to squeeze my hand as I relived the pain of the hellhounds' torture.

"Your mother did that?" he asked horrified, tapping his hands on the steering wheel as we cruised down the highway, "Demons, man..."

"That's what Balthazar reckons. She's the only one who could have broken through the protection he placed over me... he felt so terrible when he found out..."

"Well, at least you've got a better family now, hey?" he smiled, gently pushing my shoulder and ruffling my hair as I laughed, batting his hand away, "Balthazar may be crazy but it looks like he's handling it well and, well, you've always got Gabriel..." He noticed my face fall. "Okay, maybe you haven't...? What happened?"

"I think I'm overreacting but he mentioned his past flings... how they didn't last long..." I looked down at my hands in my lap, fiddling with the zip on my hoodie.

Dean whistled lowly, "Wow... mentioning the exes? Big mistake." He glanced over at me, "Come on..." He suddenly pulled the Impala up beside a field before cutting the engine and getting out, beckoning for me to follow. I looked at him as if he'd gone mad but he insisted.

He stood in the middle of the field, pulling me to stand next to him, "Call Gabriel."

"What?"

"Call him." Dean gestured towards the empty land in front of us. "If he cares, he'll come running."

"He won-" I began but Dean cut me off with a meaningful glare, "Fine..." I closed my eyes and called "Gabe!" After waiting for a minute of two, I sighed in defeat, "See?"

I turned to head back to the Impala but stopped and snapped back around when I heard wings. I expected Gabe to be stood there but my heart sunk slightly then rose a bit when I found Dad in front of me, "Dad?"

"I know you were expecting Gabriel but he's not at the house," as I looked up at his face, I saw that he was shaking with worry, "He took off earlier mumbling something about 'making things right with the other angels'. I'm worried he's gone on a suicide mission..."

"Dad, I'm sure he'll be okay," I assured him, suddenly wracked with worry myself as I ran over and hugged him, "Do you have any idea where he's gone?"

He shook his head with a look of sorrow in his eyes, "Cas left early this morning to avoid suspicion but I doubt he'd be of much use. I hoped you could help me find him... if Sam and Dean can manage without you. Gabriel might listen to you..."

He looked to Dean who nodded, "I'm sure we can get by. Go find him - he'll be a nervous wreck without you..." He directed the last part at me.

"Thank you, Dean," Dad said honestly before turning back to me, "Will you come with me, darling?"

"Okay."

As soon as I said it, I was whisked away as he flew me back to the cabin. We landed slightly rougher than usual as he stumbled at the last second with worry but we recovered quickly and rushed inside.

The house was scarily quiet without Gabe, the lack of his laughter made our footsteps echo eerily despite my attempts to tread lightly, "So what exactly did he say?"

"Something along the lines of 'I've made a mistake... I have to make things right with the other angels... maybe then they'll leave her alone'" Dad recalled, knowing full well how it sounded.

My heart plummeted, "So, you think...?" I trailed off, not able to say it.

"He's handing himself over in your place... Yes..." Dad sighed, running a hand through his hair, "We need to stop him... but I don't know how..."

"Where do you think he'll have gone?"

"Heaven, probably," he told me after considering it, looking at me as if trying to figure out why I wanted to know, "Why?"

"Take me there," his eyes went wide at the suggestion.

"No! Definitely not!" he argued, shaking his head, "That is not even an option! No-"

"Dad, you know it's the only way they'll let him out alive..."

"You are not sacrificing yourself for him! Are you crazy?!" Dad cried, taking my face in his hands, "You mean too much to me, Elizabeth... I'm not letting my daughter walk in there and get killed!"

I sighed helplessly, "Then come with me... they won't even know we're there until it's too late... I care too much about Gabe to leave him there to die..." As I said it, I realised it was true - I'd gotten so angry at him for something that didn't really matter but I still cared about him, I couldn't bear the thought of him getting hurt for my sake...

Dad pondered it and there was a reluctant look in his eyes but he gave in. "Okay..." he breathed, pressing his lips to my forehead, "I'll take you but don't do anything stupid... promise me you'll stay behind me..."

"I promise, Dad," I replied, taking his outstretched hand.

He smiled down at me and for the first time I saw he was nervous, his nerves on edge, "Okay... let's go..."