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[eclectics-world]

A Soft Dream

Part 9 of the "Gabriel Returns " series

Summary: Decisions are made.

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word count: 410

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Insecurities in one of the characters

You didn't know what time it was, but you knew it was too early to be awake. Why were you awake?

There was a knock on the door. That must be it. You pulled the covers off and opened the door wide enough to poke your head out.

"Gabriel?"

"Is this what humans mean when they say they can't sleep?"

You chuckled, and stood aside to let him in. "Come on in, then."

Gabriel followed you into the room. You got back under the covers. After a moment, he joined you. The air was beginning to feel heavy. You weren't sure you should have let him in -- he wasn't going to come with you tomorrow.

"Are you asleep?" He was whispering.

"No."

He rolled over, facing you. You watched his face in the near darkness of the room.

"Y/n...." He looked pensive. Almost scared. You waited. "Did you mean it? That -- that I could come with you?"

You wanted to answer in a heartbeat; to say yes, of course. "Are you sure that's what you want, Gabriel?" You needed him to be sure.

"I want to come with you. Y/n, you -- you deserve better than me. Better than some former archangel with no grace, no... anything. I don't feel right... burdening you with that. But.... Do you remember the hunt you went on in Klamath Falls? I told you not to go, to let someone else handle it, and you told me that I don't get to make your choices for you. And you went, and you took care of everything. I still think you deserve better. I'll understand if you say no. But I don't get to make your choices for you."

You hadn't thought about Klamath Falls in years. It hadn't ended your fights with Gabriel -- you hadn't disagreed on much, but you felt sometimes like his desire to protect you turned into him making decisions for you. "You didn't really listen to me then."

"Things change."

You nodded. "Come on."

"Really?"

"You sounded sure."

"I was."

You watched his face. He was watching your face. "It's getting late," you whispered, fighting back a yawn.

"I can go."

"You can stay." He laid an arm over your waist, slowly, watching you to make sure this was okay. You laid an arm against his side, and rested your forehead against his shoulder. "Good night, Gabe."

You felt him kiss the top of your head. "Good night, Y/n."

[eclectics-world]

Other World, Other Person

Part 8 of the "Gabriel Returns" series

Summary: The reader finds out what happened in the other world.

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word count: 931

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Alcohol mentions; what could be considered parasuicidal ideation from one of the characters; serious injury to one of the characters that they've already survived

You found everyone in the library. "So, boys. Time to talk shop." You sat, taking the drink Dean offered you. "That sounded like quite the fight that Abbie and I walked in on."

"I'm sorry, Y/n. We didn't mean to get into it in front of the kid --"

You held up your hand, cutting off Dean's apology. "I don't love that you did that, but she didn't get scared by it. Besides, if you want to apologize to someone, it's not me who needs it." Dean nodded.

Dean and Sam looked guilty, while Cas looked sad and Gabriel looked... uncertain, you decided. Like he wasn't sure what to do next. It wasn't really a face he wore often.

"Who died?" It was the best guess you could make.

"Nobody, exactly." Well. That made a lot of sense.

"Well, thanks for clearing that up for me, Dean."

"I think what he's trying to say is it was only sheer, dumb luck that they didn't get me killed." You looked at Gabriel. You heard Castiel sigh, and saw both the Winchester brothers avoid anyone's eyes. What the hell had happened in the other world?

"How close?" You weren't sure why that was the question you asked. Nobody looked you in the eyes -- they all seemed reluctant to answer.

"About a second and a half." A second and a half. It took more than a second a half to say that -- Gabriel had been that close to death?

"Are you hurt?" Gabriel frowned. Something was off here -- what you had asked wasn't a difficult question, but nobody at the table seemed quite sure of how to answer it. "What happened?"

"We fell behind." Sam was picking up the story now. "Dean and I, we fell behind. And Gabriel -- Gabriel got us through the opening to get back home. He held off Michael for us. And the opening, uh. The opening closed behind us." There were a thousand thoughts spinning through your mind. They left Gabriel alone, stranded in the other world? How did he get back? He was back -- sitting at the same table as you, looking at you -- so why was everyone acting like something was still wrong?

"There's more. What else am I still missing?" When nobody answered you immediately, you asked your next question. "Gabriel, how did you get back?"

"I used up what was left of my grace. All of it." You heard the harshness in his tone. You knew why it was there, what it meant for an angel to lose their grace.

"You're human." He nodded. You nodded back, processing what that meant. You'd known he was low on grace, that Asmodeus had been draining him of grace for years, but you hadn't realized that he was low enough on grace to be in danger of running completely out. You didn't know what Gabriel would want as a human -- you'd barely known what he'd wanted, really wanted, as an archangel. "So, what's next?"

Silence. He probably didn't know, you realized. "Well, considering I didn't have the luck to get killed --"

You meant to keep calm and collected, whatever had happened. But with that statement, you started crying. "The luck? The luck!? You -- you left me, alone, for years for reasons I still don't really understand, or even know about for that matter; you let me think you were dead, and then -- what? You show back up, I show back up, I come back for you, and you, what, want to get yourself killed, is that it?" You saw, from the corner of your eye, Sam gesture to Dean and Cas that this was probably their cue to leave.

"It wasn't just Kali I was trying to protect. I didn't want my brothers to know about you, to know what you meant -- what you mean -- to me. I figured if I went into hiding that I could find a way to take my brothers down. Something they wouldn't see coming. That just didn't exactly go according to plan."

You nodded. That had always been a point of contention between you and Gabriel: his desire to protect you, and your desire to have independence. "I really am sorry for what you went through, Gabriel. I -- I know it wasn't easy. That you went through -- through things you didn't deserve." You swallowed. "But it was hard without you. Having Abbie around and -- and not you. And now you're back and -- and -- Gabe, I don't want to lose you again. I can't lose you again. I know that you don't know what to do next, but --" You didn't have the confidence to finish the sentence.

"I can't go with you." Apparently he knew how that sentence was going to end anyways. "Y/n, I -- I don't have anything. I don't have a job, or an education, I don't even have a legal name." He was rarely so serious: only when he had his mind made up.

"Come with me." You didn't know why you had the confidence to say it now. "Do you think I don't know? I know you don't have anything. But you're going to have to work that out somewhere, so work it out with me."

Gabriel shook his head. "What could a runaway with nothing offer?"

You sighed. It had been a long day, and it was wearing on you. Gabriel seemed to have his mind made up, and you didn't know how to feel about that. You needed some time to yourself. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Gabriel."

[eclectics-world]

Domestic Bliss

Part 7 of the "Gabriel Returns" series

Summary: The reader makes dinner with Gabriel and their daughter

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word count: 370

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: I don't think there's any, but if you find one let me know

"I found them first!" Abbie was beaming, leading her way and Gabriel's way back into the kitchen.

"Did you? Well, you're a very fast girl, I bet Gabriel had a hard time keeping up with you!" You ruffled her hair. "What did they say about us making them dinner?"

"Dean said that was okay as long as we didn't let, but Sam told him to shut up and said it was just okay." You laughed. That sounded about right.

"Okay. Well, what do you want for dinner, pumpkin?" You opened the fridge and looked at what was inside. "How about burgers?" She nodded enthusiastically, and you started pulling out the ingredients you'd need.

Gabriel handed you a pan, and you began to fry up the patties. Abbie mostly "helped" by chatting with you and Gabriel. "He got really close to beating me, I bet that next time you could beat me if you ran just a little faster --" You nodded along, mmhmming in the appropriate spots. You caught Gabriel's eye a couple times, and smiled. Each time, he was intently listening to your daughter -- to his daughter -- but when he saw you looking at him, he smiled back at you.

You'd never let yourself imagine something like this. Even when you had wondered what would have happened had Gabriel not died, you didn't picture anything so... domestic. You knew that, realistically, the answer was that you wouldn't have survived. There wouldn't have been any argument to give God to save your life. Besides, domesticity wasn't Gabriel's style.

You turned your attention back to the burgers, which were finishing up nicely. "Okay, baby. I think dinner will be ready in just a couple minutes. How about you decide where you want to go sit at the table, and Gabriel will go tell everybody else?"

At dinner, Abbie insisted on sitting between you and Gabriel. Sam asked her how she liked school, while Cas and Dean mostly ignored her -- but they'd never been the best with children.

Abbie didn't stay up that much longer after dinner. Sleepy, you led her to the room that Sam and Dean had set aside for her, and tucked her into the bed. You kissed her forehead, and quietly shut the door behind you as you left.

[eclectics-world]

Hellos

Part 6 of the "Gabriel Returns " series

Summary: Reader and her daughter show back up at the bunker

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word count: 610

Genre: And the fluff begins

Warnings: An argument, I guess? A child that's probably very unchildlike

You made plans to come back in a week. The schools had a break then, so your daughter wouldn't have to miss class. Besides, you got the feeling that the Winchesters needed Gabriel's help with the whole "alternate Michael" thing, and you weren't going to be around for that.

When you pulled back up to the bunker, you weren't entirely sure what to expect. The boys knew to expect you back today, so you figured that they'd probably done whatever it was they needed to do it the other world.

Sam had given you a key to the bunker when you left, so you let yourself and your daughter in. You walked straight into an argument in the front room.

"-- be so stupid! You two dicks -- "

"Hey buddy, it's not our fault that -- "

"See, that's funny, because I thought -- "

"ENOUGH!" The argument must have been going on for a while for Cas to get so angry, but it made everyone fall silent.

You cleared your throat from the balcony. All four heads in the room swiveled up. "I must say, not quite the greeting we were expecting." All the men looked appropriately apologetic.

"Sorry, Y/n." Sam was the first to apologize.

"Sorry, Y/n."

"Sorry."

Gabriel was the only one who hadn't spoken. He had yet to take his eyes off your daughter. You squeezed her hand, and led her down the stairs.

"Well, these are the people that I was telling you about, baby. This is Sam --" Sam nodded as you pointed to him, "-- and Dean --" Dean raised his fingers, "and Cas and Gabriel."

Your daughter lit up at the mention of Gabriel's name. "That's my name! Kinda. My middle name is Gabrielle. Mama calls me Abbie."

You saw Sam gesturing to Dean and Cas to leave. You caught his eye, and he nodded. So the boys knew. You nodded back -- a gesture of thanks.

"You look so much like your mother." Gabriel finally spoke. You smiled.

"She acts like her father."

You and Gabriel hadn't discussed exactly when you were going to tell her that he was her father. Instead, you'd both agreed that the wise thing to do was to let them get acquainted and tell her once she'd gotten to know him a little bit better.

"I'll tell you what, baby. You know how Sam and Dean are being nice and letting us stay here, at their house?" Abbie nodded. "So, I think we should do something nice for them, too. How about we go find them and ask if we can make them dinner? And if you want, Gabriel can help us, too." Abbie nodded again, grinning. You looked over at Gabriel from the corner of your eye, and he nodded.

"I'll tell you what: how about you and I race to see who can find them first?" Abbie looked to you, and you nodded.

"If you and Gabriel want to race, you can, but you need to both be careful, okay? No running into things, and no getting lost." Abbie nodded, and she turned to Gabriel. He looked at her.

"Are you ready?"

"You have to agree to Mama's rules. No running into things, and no getting lost." Gabriel smacked his forehead.

"Of course! How could I forget?" He turned to you. "I promise to follow all the rules." He turned back to Abbie, and held out his hand. "Now are we ready?" Abbie nodded, shook his hand, and was off like a shot. Gabriel whispered to you, "I'll look after her, make sure she stays out of trouble."

"I know." You smiled. "You're doing good with her." Gabriel smiled, and went off after her.

[eclectics-world]

Conversations

Part 5 of the "Gabriel Returns " series

Summary: The Reader tells Gabriel the information she thinks he needs to know.

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word count: 550

Genre: The lightest shade of angst

Warnings: Reader mentions a time several years ago when God threatened to kill her

"You let me think you'd died." Your voice broke on the last word. "I -- I spent years praying to a dead man and it turns out you've been alive this whole time?" You swallowed. "I mean, it hasn't been a cake walk for you, obviously, but --" You dropped your hands. "I was out of the life and came back for you."

"Why?" You knew what he meant. Your heart was pounding. You'd never thought that this would happen -- how could it? Gabriel was dead.

"My daughter is seven. I left when, when I found out that I was gonna have her." You could see Gabriel doing some quick thinking.

"I only 'died' eight years ago." You nodded. "I'm glad to see you moved on so quickly." You didn't miss the scorn in his tone. Deep breath.

"Our daughter is seven, Gabriel." The sound he made was harsher than you expected.

"That's not possible. Nephilim --"

"Kill the mother. I know." You paused, trying to collect your thoughts well enough to tell the story. "I... I met God, Gabriel. Like, personally."

He seemed surprised to hear you say that. Well, why wouldn't he be? It's not like God was a very attentive figure. He hadn't even bothered with His sons in millenia. "You saw Dad?"

This part of the story was the hardest part to sort out. Even now, years later, you hated to think of it. "He told me that what we had done was an abomination. That He had to kill me before the child was born." Gabriel's face looked like it was carved of stone.

"My Father threatened to kill you." His voice was even, but you saw the anger in his eyes.

"I got on my knees. I didn't know what else to do. I told Him that I hadn't even known, but that -- that this child was all I had left of... of anything. That this child was all anyone would ever have of you, of His son. And I asked Him for a miracle." You nodded, remembering the conversation. The fear. "She's human, Gabe. No powers. But she's still yours."

He was silent. You could tell he was processing what you'd said -- that was fair, you supposed. It was a lot to process. "Where is she?"

"She's back home with the neighbors. Few hours away." You debated on if you wanted to say what you were thinking, but the yes side of you won out pretty quickly. "She reminds me of you." He made to stand, but you shook your head. "I've got two minutes left."

"Y/n, I -- I don't know how to be a father." He laughed. "I run from responsibility!"

"You didn't always. You -- you told me about Heaven. How God put the young angels in your care."

He only kept laughing at that -- a bitter sound. "And look how that turned out."

"It looks to me like you did generations of work. And like you did it well." Silence. "I can't make you stay. I know that. But I can tell you what you would be missing."

Gabriel stood. "The five minutes are up." You nodded -- you knew. He looked at you, and you looked back at him. "Would you bring her here?"

[eclectics-world]

Decisions

Part 4 of the "Gabriel Returns" series

Summary: Will Gabriel stay at the bunker, or leave?

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word count: 153

Genre: Neutral, I guess

Warnings: None -- this one is really just a super short filler chapter

You were shocked to hear what Sam was describing. An alternate world, an alternate Michael -- it was a lot to process.

"Uh, not exactly." You looked at Gabriel. You frowned -- you weren't planning to stay yourself, you had to get back home, but Gabriel didn't just get to leave.

"No." They all three looked at you -- the man, the angel, and the arch-angel. "No, you -- you have to stay, you --"

Castiel took over your sentence. "You cannot turn your back on your father's creation."

"I don't owe --"

"You owe me!" Gabriel turned his gaze from Cas to you. "You let me think you'd died, and, and -- Gabriel, there are things you need to know." Your heart was pounding. "Five minutes. Give me five minutes and then, if you want, I'll let you go." He nodded. You looked at Sam and Cas. Sam nodded, and tapped Cas on the shoulder. They left the room.

[eclectics-world]

Showdown

Part 3 of the "Gabriel Returns" series

Summary: Asmodeus comes to the bunker to get Gabriel back.

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word Count: 570

Genre: Mostly angst again but a fluffy end this time

Warnings: Asmodeus; strong language; reader gets briefly tortured by forces of Hell and at one point thinks this might be how she dies

"Asmodeus is on his way here."

You could feel Gabriel tense up at Sam's words. "Hey, hey, hey, we've got you, Gabriel; we're not gonna let you go anywhere." You turned to Sam. "How long?"

"Ten minutes." You nodded. Ten minutes. Not as long as you would like, but longer than you would have expected.

"I'll work on the warding. Sam, you lay out anything that you have that's for banishing -- stones, herbs, talismans, whatever. Gabriel, you -- you just stay here, okay? We're gonna keep him out. We're gonna keep him out, I promise." Gabriel was holding onto your arms with a grip that was so tight it hurt. "I know you're scared Gabe, but you gotta let me go. Give me ten minutes and I'll be back. I promise. Ten minutes, Gabe." You nodded, and he let go.

You had never put up so much warding so fast in your life. You drew protective signs on every vent you saw, carved sigils into doors. You tried to keep a rough count in your head. How long had passed -- a minute? Nine minutes to go? It didn't matter; you needed to focus: carve, carve, carve.

By your count you still had nineteen seconds left when the lights turned red. Asmodeus. Shit. You didn't know if the warding you and Sam had done would be enough.

Your question was answered when you saw what you assumed was a demon coming towards you. You looked for a weapon -- all you had was the pocket knife that you'd used to carve sigils into the doors. Fuck. Still, you slid into a basic fighting stance. "I'm armed!" The demon laughed, and with a snap of it's fingers the knife had flown out of your hands and you had been pushed up against the wall, unable to move.

No. No, no, no, no, no, this wasn't it, this couldn't be it. You had found yourself in tight spots before and always gotten out, this would be the same thing. You were going to get out of this. You had to get out of this -- there were people counting on you.

The demon was leading you to the main room of the bunker, dragging you along on some kind of leash. Sam was in there, and Castiel, too, each being controlled by a different demon.

"Well, and who is this?" It must be Asmodeus speaking. You could barely see, straining against the invisible collar around your throat. Asmodeus snapped, and the amount of pain you felt tripled. It was beyond all comprehension. You screamed, a wordless expression of pure pain.

And in the next moment, the pain had stopped. You looked up at the balcony. Gabriel -- healed, his arms outstretched. "Gabriel!" Asmodeus was speaking again. "What are you doin', son? You know too well what I can do to you! I broke you! You're too weak!"

"I've always hated that dumb-ass suit." And then Asmodeus was gone, burned away to nothing.

"Gabriel." His eyes found yours.

"Y/n. Are you alright?" You didn't even realize he was moving towards you until he was standing in front of you.

"I'm fine." You could tell he didn't believe that. "Really, Gabe, I'm fine, are you--?"

"Fine." He answered shortly, offering you his hand. You saw Castiel helping Sam up in the corner of your eye. You took Gabriel's hand.

[eclectics-world]

Moonlit Hands

Part 2 of the "Gabriel Returns" series

Summary: Gabriel and the reader share a quiet moment.

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word Count: 551

Genre: The fluffy side of angst?

Warnings: Post-Asmodeus Gabriel

You weren't able to sleep. That in itself wasn't unusual -- you'd always struggled with sleeping. As a hunter, you saw some stuff that you'd rather forget. As a mother, you started waking up at the slightest noise your daughter made to make sure that she was alright. But there were no hunts now, and your daughter was miles away.

You weren't able to sleep. You thought back to the sleepless nights you'd had before -- before the Apocalypse, before you left the life behind.

You still weren't completely sure how to find your way around the bunker, but you knew that you could find what you were looking for. Fairly sure, anyways.

You softly knocked before you went into Gabriel's room. You didn't want to startle him. You opened the door wide enough that you could stick your head in. Gabriel was still sitting on the bed, but he was looking at you now. The knock, you figured. Still, it was progress.

"Hey, Gabe. Do you mind if I come in?" He didn't say anything, but you were taking anything that wasn't a no as a yes. You walked to the edge of the bed and sat, keeping a careful eye on Gabriel. If he acted like he didn't want you here, you'd leave. But all he did was watch you. Still, you supposed you were glad for that much change.

"I couldn't sleep." You made sure to speak softly. "Do you remember before the Apocalypse? When I couldn't sleep, I'd pray to you. And you would come and stay the night with me." You shrugged. "I guess I'm sentimental."

Gabriel hadn't stopped watching you. "That's my line." You were startled -- you weren't expecting him to speak. You didn't even know if he could still speak.

"Gabriel." You swallowed. You weren't sure what to say next. "Hi."

"Hi." Well, he was talking to you, and that was something to be excited about.

"How are you?" You felt stupid as soon as you asked -- obviously he wasn't well. "Sorry, that's a dumb question."

It took you a second to realize that the noise was Gabriel's chuckle. "I would've asked you sooner if I'd realized that was the reaction I was gonna get." You kept your tone light, but the smile fell from Gabriel's face. "I'm sorry, Gabe. I, uh. I don't really know what I'm doing here, to be honest. I want to help you, I just -- I'm worried that I, I don't know how to do it. I mean, Sam thought that you might not even be yourself at all anymore -- I'm sorry, saying that probably isn't helping --"

You hadn't meant to ramble like that. You meant what you had said: you wanted to help. But your rambling was cut off by Gabriel taking your hand.

"I'm me." His eyes flashed a bright blue -- just for a moment, but it was there. "I'm me."

"I want to help you." You moved towards him, slowly, but he didn't stop you. You leaned your forehead against his. "I want to help you." Your voice was only a whisper.

You didn't know how long you stayed like that -- a second, a minute, an hour -- but the moment was interrupted when Sam opened the door.

"Asmodeus is on his way here."

[eclectics-world]

The Return

Part 1 of the "Gabriel Returns" series

Summary: The reader leaves the hunting life behind after the apocalypse. When Sam calls her eight years later and tells her Gabriel is back, what will happen next?

Pairing: Past Gabriel × Reader; eventual Gabriel × Reader again

Word Count: 2,429

Genre: Angsty

Warnings: Post-Asmodeus Gabriel

You hadn't seen Sam or Dean in years -- about eight, to be exact. The first year had been quiet -- Sam was dead, and you figured that Dean was either killing himself hunting or really trying to make a go of it with Lisa and Ben, like you knew he'd promised Sam. Even odds, you figured.

You'd been surprised when the phone started ringing again after the first year. Maybe Dean had been with Lisa but that hadn't worked out? You didn't know -- you never answered. You were out of that life now. When you saw that Sam's phone had called yours, you were almost tempted to call back -- but it was apple pies for you now on. After a while, the calls stopped coming in. You missed the boys, but it was better this way. You knew that they would be hunters till it killed them, and you were out. But still, even if you were never going to answer their calls, you carried the old phone with you.

You were surprised when the phone rang for the first time in years. You looked, and immediately recognized the number as one of Sam's. Sure that it was against your better judgment, you answered.

"Y/n?" You couldn't blame Sam for sounding surprised.

"Hey, Sam."

"Hey. I, uh, I wasn't expecting you to answer."

"I didn't know that I would."

Silence. Sam seemed just as surprised as you were. Neither of you were quite sure what to say.

"So, uh, did you call me for something, or --?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Right. Uh." You heard him inhale. "Gabriel is back."

You heard Sam talking, but you weren't really listening. "Sam, I was there. He -- he died, he's not... I mean, it can't be --" You let the sentence trail off. You weren't sure how to end it.

"I know. I thought the same thing, but, uh. It's really him, we -- we made sure, only he's -- he's in pretty bad shape, and, uh. I remembered you saying when he died that you'd met him before and, well, I'm calling anyone that I thought might be able to help."

You nodded. Okay -- Gabriel was back. In bad shape: what did that mean? How did they make sure he was himself? Why had Sam called you? Sure, to help them out, but all you'd ever told the Winchesters was that you'd met Gabriel before, and Sam himself had admitted that he hadn't been expecting you to pick up.

"What, um. What does bad shape mean? Wait, how did you make sure it was him? Why did you call me?" You swallowed, thinking of your new life, the life you had now. "Sam, I -- I can't come."

More silence. "Well, uh. Do you know anything that could help us, then? How did you meet him, anyways? All you ever told us was that you'd met him before."

You didn't know what to say to that. It was complicated to try to explain. Was Gabriel really back? "Sam. Tell me that you're sure it's him."

"I'm sure, Y/n."

"Give me a couple hours. Let me get some, um. Some things sorted here, and then I'll be on my way. Text me the address, okay?"

You hung up before Sam could say anything. Before you could change your mind. Your phone buzzed. The address.

You packed a bag in record time. Only one thing left to do now. You went to your neighbor's door and knocked.

"Y/n? Is everything alright?"

"Hi, Mrs. Smith. Listen, I had a, uh, family emergency come up, and I was wondering if you could watch --"

"Oh, of course!" Mrs. Smith was like that -- she never let you finish a sentence.

"Thank you. There's a note on the table, so she'll know to come here, and --"

"Of course, of course! I hope that everything's okay, dear."

You nodded, and promised to call soon with more details. With that, you grabbed your bag and left.

It only took a couple hours to get to the address Sam had sent you, but you were fairly sure you were speeding most of the way. What was this place? Some kind of bunker? You grabbed the bag from your backseat, and went to knock on the door.

"Hey, Y/n. It's been a while."

"It sure has been." You smiled. "It's good to see you, Sam. Really." You hugged him, and he hugged you back. He pulled back and stepped aside, and you followed him into the building.

"Where is he?" You weren't sure why you were whispering.

"Y/n, you just got here. Do you want to put your bag down, or--?"

You handed him your bag. "Where is he?"

Sam led you to a closed door. "Y/n, I know I mentioned, but... it's bad. It's real bad."

You weren't sure what you were expecting, but this wasn't it. Gabriel had always been larger than life. To see him curled in on himself in an empty room broke your heart. "Gabriel." You turned back to Sam and nodded, and he left you two alone.

"Gabriel, it's me. Y/n." Nothing. You weren't sure that you had really expected anything, but still. "Gabriel, can you hear me?" More nothing. You slowly walked to the edge of the bed. "Is it okay if I sit?" You knew he wouldn't answer, but you still wanted to ask.

You sat -- slowly, watching Gabriel. You didn't want to startle him. But still, he didn't react. "I'm just gonna sit here a while, okay?" And so you did. You sat, in silence, watching Gabriel. He still hadn't even lifted his head to look at you.

You waited about an hour before you figured you should regroup with Sam. "I'm gonna leave you alone now, but I'll still be here if you need me, okay?" You stood and went to the door. "I've missed you, Gabriel."

Once you'd left the room you weren't sure how to feel. You'd thought that you would never see Gabriel again - on the one hand, you were glad to know that he was alive. On the other hand, you were furious that he had left you the way he did. How could he do that to you? It was hard to be mad at him the way he was -- so... broken. But the anger was there, buried under the heartbreak you felt about the state he was in.

You weren't sure where Sam was, or even how to find your way around in this place. Eventually, your wandering led you to a room that looked like a kitchen. Sam was there.

"I didn't know it would be so bad."

Sam looked up when you spoke.

"Y/n."

You nodded at one of the chairs, and he gestured for you to sit.

"How long as he been here?"

"Not long. A day or two, maybe. You were my first call after Cas." So Castiel was still around. You wondered what he had said. Before you had the chance to ask, he continued speaking. "He came by, but... there wasn't much he could do. You saw." You nodded. "Y/n, how have you been?"

You looked at Sam. "Better than you, by the looks of it. What's been going on with you and Dean?"

Sam shrugged. "You know, a little bit of this, a bit of that. Some ghosts, some demons, some angels. What about you? Have you been, uh, keeping up with things, or...?"

You should have known that Sam wouldn't have fallen for the bait. He was always good at directing conversations to where he wanted them to go. It had proved helpful on the hunts you'd teamed up with the Winchesters for, but you found it particularly annoying at the moment. "I'm out, Sam. But I'm sure you know that."

He chuckled. "I didn't peg you as the type."

"Things change." You were thinking of a way to end the conversation -- maybe asking where the bathroom was -- but Sam spoke before you'd composed enough of a way to end the conversation.

"What things?"

"Sam." You shook your head.

"Oh, come on, Y/n. I mean, I know we didn't work together all the time, but we'd teamed up a few times. And then all of a sudden you stop answering Dean and I's calls? And you said you weren't gonna come but here you are!"

You sighed. "I'm only here for a couple days, Sam. I can't stay. Really," you added, seeing the look on Sam's face. "I can't leave the life I've built."

Sam looked away. "What kind of life is that, Y/n? I mean -- you know what's out there! You could be helping people and you're, what, baking apple pies instead?"

You sighed. "She's seven, Sam." When he looked confused, you clarified. "My daughter." Understanding crossed his face.

"You didn't want to raise her in the life."

"Would you?"

He chuckled. "No." He looked at you. "No, I wouldn't."

"I can only stay a couple days, Sam." You didn't want to give Sam the chance to ask more questions.

"I know. Y/n --"

"Where's my stuff?" You stood. The conversation was over. This time, Sam followed your cue.

"Come on, I'll take you."

[eclectics-world]

The Fire Has Burned

Summary: Obligatory "Gaang finds out about Zuko's scar fic." Centers around Aang and Zuko. Set right after the Aang / Ozai & Katara and Zuko / Azula showdowns.

Warnings: Canonical child abuse; mentions of a murder that doesn't actually happen

Genre: Angst with a happy (ish) ending

Word Count: 1,201

Aang had never felt so exhausted in his life. Taking away Ozai's bending had drained him of all his energy -- but it had also ensured that he had been able to spare the former Fire Lord's life.

He was about to arrive at the fire nation palace at any moment, with Sokka, Suki, Toph, and a defeated Ozai in tow. They had been lucky: the worst was Sokka's broken leg, and Katara could easily heal that -- assuming that she was alright. The ride back was very quiet. Everyone was worried for Katara, and for Zuko.

When the airship landed in the courtyard of the fire nation palace, Katara was there. Aang and Sokka were the first off the ship. Katara ran to them. "Sokka, your leg -- and where are Toph and Suki? Are they alright?"

"We're all okay. Toph and Suki are bringing Ozai off the ship. Where's Zuko?" Katara looked up from the water she had humming against Sokka's leg and blinked at Aang. "Zuko is resting, he jumped in front of Azula's lightning to protect me, but I've healed him some, he'll be okay. Did you say Ozai?"

And so the groups of friends caught each other up. Everyone clammered to see Zuko, but Katara flatly refused. "He got shot with lightning, tried to take one step, and passed out. Nobody is seeing him until he rests."

Aang understood that feeling. He felt like he might collapse at any moment without the fear of his friend's fates keeping him going. "I think we all need to rest."

There were a few grumbled protests -- "I want to see Zuko," "I'm fine," -- but they were all half-hearted. Everyone allowed themselves to be led to a place to rest. Aang led up the end of the line. Once everyone was settled, he slipped away from the group.

Zuko's room was easy enough to find. It was clear as soon as he entered that Katara had been right -- Zuko was deep in a state of unconsciousness. Aang sat in a chair to wait for his friend to wake.

He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he heard Zuko's voice. "Aang?" The older boy sounded weak, and it was this more than anything that got Aang's attention. "Zuko! You're alright! I mean, Katara said you would be, but --" Zuko was smiling. "I'm alright, Aang. I'm glad to see you're alright, too." It was a statement, but Aang could hear the question underneath it. "I'm alright. We're all alright." Aang could see the relief on Zuko's face.

"So, you killed Ozai." Aang knew that this conversation would have to happen eventually -- it was why he had come into the room to begin with -- but he wished the silence had lasted longer.

"I didn't have to. I took away his bending instead." Aang couldn't quite decipher the look on Zuko's face -- anger? Relief? -- but it passed quickly, and Zuko schooled his face into a neutral expression. "I didn't know you could do that." His voice was remarkably smooth.

"Are you upset?" Aang wasn't entirely sure where that question came from, and Zuko seemed as surprised by the question as Aang was. Aang was about to tell Zuko that he didn't have to answer to end the uncomfortable silence when Zuko spoke. "I'm glad that you didn't have to do it."

Aang hesitated. Did that mean that he still wanted Ozai dead? Zuko seemed to be able to read the question on Aang's face. "I don't know how I feel. I wanted him dead for a while, after what he did to my face, but--"

Aang didn't hear the rest of what Zuko said. After what Ozai had done to his face? "Your father gave you that scar?" Zuko looked at Aang, and Aang belatedly realized that he had probably interrupted Zuko.

"You didn't know?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "Why did you think I was hunting you?" Aang wasn't sure what that had to do with anything, but it seemed connected in Zuko's mind. "Um, I never really thought about it. Cause you were from the Fire Nation, I guess."

"Spirits, Aang." Zuko struggled to sit up in his bed. Aang thought about telling Zuko not to, but he seemed so distressed that Aang didn't think he would have heard him.

"When I was thirteen, I spoke out of turn in a war meeting. My father felt that was a sign of great disrespect. So he burned off half my face and banished me. I couldn't return home until I captured the Avatar."

For the briefest of moments -- just a split second -- Aang wonders if he should have killed Ozai. "I was still in the ice." "You were," Zuko agreed.

For some reason, Zuko's calm agreeance made everything so much worse. "How can you be so calm!? You were a child!" "I know, Aang." Zuko spoke quietly, but Aang heard him. It only made him angrier.

"How can Ozai be so cruel? You were his child! You didn't deserve that -- nobody deserves that!" "They don't." Zuko was still calm, despite Aang's anger.

"Does the rest of the group know?" Zuko shrugged, then winced. "I don't think so. Maybe Toph? She said something once that made me think she did. I guess the nobility of other nations heard about it from the people who were there." Aang stopped his pacing. "People watched? And nobody did anything?"

Zuko sighed. The weariness he was feeling was evident, and Aang felt a wave of guilt crash over him. What had happened to him hadn't been his fault -- Aang shouldn't be taking his anger out on him.

"I'm sorry I yelled. It wasn't your fault, and I shouldn't be taking my anger out on you." Zuko smiled. "It's kind of nice to have someone care so much." A frown tugged at his mouth. "I think Azula celebrated when it happened." Aang winced at that.

"I don't want to make you talk about it if you don't want to talk about it." "It's okay. I don't know that there's anything else to say." Aang disagreed.

"You know that it wasn't your fault, right, Zuko?" Zuko nodded. "I do now." Now. And with that, Aang started crying.

"Oh. Um." Zuko was staring at Aang in alarm, clearly unsure of what to do. "I'm okay, Aang." Aang launched himself at the teenager, choosing to ignore his grunt of pain as he wrapped him in a hug. "But you weren't!" "No," Zuko agreed. "I wasn't."

They stayed like that for a while -- silent, Aang curled up against Zuko. Although he wouldn't admit it, Zuko was glad for the comfort. But the group couldn't rest forever -- there was a world to be rebuilt, and Zuko needed to be crowned, and Ozai's fate needed to be formally decided. So after some time, when he thought Zuko had drifted back off to sleep, Aang carefully disentangled himself from his friend, and stood to leave. "Aang?" He turned back to the bed. "Thank you for telling me." Aang nodded. "I wanted you to know." He paused, then continued. "Thank you for telling me, Zuko." And with that, Aang slipped out the door.

[eclectics-world]

Reminisces

Summary: Reader and Castiel talk about Gabriel.

Word count: 895

Genre: Light angst with an unresolved but hopeful ending

Warnings: Canonical death of a character

It was approximately late as fuck when you pulled up to the bunker. You knew that Sam and Dean were helping Jody with some kind of vampire thing, so the bunker should be empty. That suited you just fine -- you were coming back from your own hunt, and wanted nothing more than to just collapse in your bed.

You were surprised to see that a light was on in the kitchen. You were even more surprised to see that Castiel was the one sitting at the table. He looked... worn was the only way you could really describe it.

"Castiel?" You spoke quietly, so as to not startle the angel. He looked over at you, unsurprised -- he had probably already sensed your presence.

"Y/n. How was your hunt?"

"It was fine. I was right, just a ghost. Simple salt and burn." You paused, giving him a chance to speak, but he didn't. "What have you been up to?"

You honestly weren't sure what you were expecting him to say, but his answer was not it.

"I saw Gabriel today." Thoughts whirled through your mind, the foremost being "but Gabriel is dead." You had been with Sam and Dean when it had happened - it was before you had teamed up full time, before you had moved into the bunker, but you had been there. In fact, you had ditched the boys and gone back. You knew it was stupid - a risk probably not worth taking - but you had to see. His body was already gone, but the imprint of his wings remained burned into the floor. You doubted it would ever come out. A single feather had survived the carnage: a slender, sky-blue thing. You couldn't imagine how anything so fragile had survived something so violent. Without thinking, you put it into your pocket and left. Later, you put it on a simple silver chain you wore under your shirt. The boys had never been aware of the whatever it was you had going on with Gabriel, and there was no point in telling them now.

Unless he wasn't dead. You looked closer at Castiel. He didn't look to be under the influence of any kind of spell, or possessed for that matter, but you knew you couldn't always tell by looking.

"Castiel, I saw him die." Castiel sighed deeply. "It wasn't really Gabriel that I saw today. It was one of Metatron's tricks."

You looked at Castiel -- weary, tired Castiel -- and your desire to shiv Metatron only increased. "I'm sorry." It was all you could think to say. You knew Gabriel and Castiel hadn't been especially close -- thousands of years of estrangement will do that to you -- but they both admired each other. "I am, too." Castiel spoke so softly you almost didn't hear him. "Neither of us should have lost him."

"What?" You weren't sure what to make of Castiel's comment. He tilted his head and squinted. "You two were close, I thought. You have one of the feathers from his wing." You unconsciously touched the feather where it rested under your shirt. "How did you know?" You didn't think that Castiel had ever seen the feather before. "I sensed it." You nodded. Suddenly aware of how achingly lonely you were, you gestured to the seat beside Castiel. He nodded, and you sat. It was silent for a few minutes, and then you spoke.

"I met Gabriel before I was teaming up with Sam and Dean full time. I was on a hunt, ran into Gabe. Figured that he was the cause of what was going on. But, uh. I didn't exactly have the morals the boys do. He wants to serve a wife-beater some just desserts and then kill him? Fine by me. And he made me the same deal he made Dean the first time they met: a peace offering. A distraction long enough to give him time to get to the next town. But I had seen the kind of power he had. So I asked him for an I owe you. For a way to get in touch if I was in a tight spot. And that's what he gave me."

Castiel was silent for a moment. Then he, too, spoke. "I knew Gabriel from the time I was born. Before Heaven fell, all the archangels had their own roles. Michael, the warrior. Raphael, the healer. Lucifer, the right hand. And Gabriel, the messenger. But God never gave us many messages, even when He was in Heaven. So Gabriel took care of the new angels as well. He knew all of us by name."

You swallowed. "I didn't know that. Gabriel never really talked about Heaven." "He never talked to me about his time on Earth." "I'll trade you."

And that was how you and Castiel spent the night: trading stories about Gabriel. You repeated the stories Gabriel had told you about his time on Earth, Castiel told you stories about Gabriel in Heaven.

It wasn't until dawn broke that you finally crawled into your bed. You were thoroughly exhausted now, but an odd contentment had settled over you. Over the last few years, you had missed Gabriel more than you could describe: it had been nice to talk about him with someone else. As you took off your necklace, you could swear that the feather looked just a little brighter.

[eclectics-world]

Funny as FUCK that this guy said if he got me pregnant he'd support me whatever I wanted to do but now he's acting like he's pro life. Like. You know damn good and well that you told me if I got pregnant you would support me whatever I wanted because it wasn't your body, where's that energy now? Fucking hypocrite

[eclectics-world]

[eclectics-world]

“Public libraries are such important, lovely places!” Yes but do you GO there. Do you STUDY there. Do you meet friends and get coffee there. Do you borrow the FREE, ZERO SUBSCRIPTION, ZERO TRACKING books, audiobooks, ebooks, and films. Have you checked out their events and schemes. Do you sign up for the low cost courses in ASL or knitting or programming or writing your CV that they probably run. Do you know they probably have myriad of schemes to help low income families. Do you hire their low cost rooms if you need them. Have you joined their social groups. Do you use the FREE COMPUTERS. Do you even know what your library is trying to offer you. Listen, the library shouldn’t just exist for you as a nice idea. That’s why more libraries shut every year

[eclectics-world]

i think the thing that bothers me the most about the gabby petito case is the chances of her still being alive would’ve been high if the police who stopped them before her disappearance had recognized that she was in an abusive relationship. instead they wrote it off, once again proving law enforcement need better training in all aspects of their job!!