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“But I know where your heart truly lies.” Lucifer’s words are soft, just a whisper when compared to Gabriel’s impassioned speech. They make Gabriel hesitate for a brief moment.
Then Lucifer pivots, seizes the raised blade, and plunges it into the stomach of Gabriel’s vessel. Cold fire burns its way through his grace making him gasp and gurgle slightly. Gabriel grabs Lucifer’s hand to steady himself, and he almost doesn’t hear the next whispered word through the roaring in his ears and the shiver of his illusion dissolving.
Lucifer grips the side of his head and looks almost amused, like he had the last time Gabriel had tried that trick on him so long ago, back when things were the way they should be. “Amateur hocus pocus.” It hadn’t worked then either. “Don’t forget; you learned all your tricks from me,” Lucifer’s eyes narrow, “little brother.”
But the twist of the blade never comes. Because Gabriel can suddenly feel it, the gentle hum of Michael’s grace cradling his own, warmer and stronger than the arm wrapped around his vessel’s shoulders. It sooths the cold fire, and he can breathe again. He feels a third hand holding his blade and once again is reminded of the past: of Michael stepping in, calming Lucifer’s temper, and trying to bring him back to reason. Always the peace maker.
“Lucifer,” Michael adds emotions to his vessel’s voice that Dean Winchester would never allow to be heard in public: sadness and desperation. “What are you doing to our little brother?”
Lucifer releases the blade and takes a step back, unable to meet Michael’s eyes. Michael’s grace and arm tighten around Gabriel, and he is slowly lowered to the hotel floor. Gabriel looks over to Michael, at Michael still watching Lucifer with sad eyes, and doesn’t even gasp as he feel the gentle removal of the blade.
Michael says again, “Lucifer,” but Gabriel hears the rustle of feathers signaling his departure. Michael looks down at Gabriel and opens his mouth as if to speak, then closes it. He transfers his gaze to the already healed stab wound then back to Gabriel’s eyes and touches his fingertips to Gabriel’s forehead.
With another whoosh and a lightheaded floaty feeling, Gabriel is lying across the backseat of the Winchester’s Impala and has to brace himself as Sam slams on the breaks and swerves to the side of the road.
Sam spins around, catches sight of Gabriel, and asks, “Did he come?”
“Wha- Who?” Gabriel manages stutter out.
“Michael! And Dean. I prayed to him. To see if he could help and you two could, I don’t know, do something to fix all of this? So-”
“Yeah, he came.” Gabriel pauses.
“And?”
“And then Lucifer took off.”
“What? I thought he wanted to fight Michael,” Sam yells. “Wasn’t that the whole point of getting vessels?”
Gabriel gives a dark laugh. “Well, I don’t think he was actually expecting Michael to show up there; neither of us were. That-” He shakes his head and looks out the back window. “That wasn’t the Michael we were expecting.”
Sam jerks back. “That doesn’t even-”
“Sam,” Gabriel interrupts, “I haven’t seen Michael in a long time. A really long time. And it’s been even longer since I've seen my brother.”
“What do you mean?” Sam seems to sense Gabriel’s uncharacteristically solemn mood.
Gabriel sits up, closes his eyes, and tips his head back against the seat. “The war… And Lucifer’s Fall… It changed things down here, but the damage it did back home… Heaven was decimated. Dad left right after it all. Then Raphael became obsessed with order and the prophecy, and Michael was just empty. Cold. Everything I loved about my brothers, my family, was gone. So I left. They didn’t even look for me long.” He opens his eyes again. Sam is biting his lower lip and staring at the passenger seat.
“But Michael, that Michael was my brother again. I went in to rescue you and Kali expecting to die. On my best day I couldn’t beat Lucifer. I had a backup plan for you guys and everything. Made a video too.” Gabriel leans forward, forcing Sam to look at him. “I know Dean saying ‘yes’ is terrible for you, Sam, but for us… There’s hope again. Something’s changed in Michael. We might be able to end this without the final boss fight. Looks like your pig-headed brother’s coming through.”