Something was wrong with Sam.
Call it twin psychic connection, call it sisterly observance, call it whatever. But you knew, as you watched Sam stumble through the bunker, claiming he was just tired, that he was a little wiped from the trials, something was wrong.
Dean, of course, refused to listen to you. He parroted Sam, trying to put you at ease with talk of trials and exhaustion. But you saw a flicker of worry cross his features as he turned away, when he thought you weren’t looking.
And then there were the times when you would walk into a room, your brothers standing at the far end. Dean’s eyes would flick to you before he held a hand up to Sam, halting whatever conversation the two of them were having. He would step from Sam, crossing towards you, trying to distract you with questions: “You need something, Y/N?”, “You find any information on that creature yet?”, “What are you thinking for dinner?” All the while, Sam would keep his back to you, straight as a rod. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was avoiding looking at you.
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Finally, once the pot boiled over, Dean had to tell you the truth– the only way he could save Sam was to let an angel possess him, to heal him from the inside out. Sam, understandably, was upset. You, however, were relieved– you hadn’t imagined the oddness about your brother. And, now that he was free from Gadreel, he would hopefully return to normal.
Normal, however, was far from what you got. While Sam seemed more like himself, the air in the bunker was tense. Dean eventually left, going off with the King of Hell, of all people. Castiel was spending more time at the bunker, helping Sam hunt for Bartholomew and Gadreel and, of course, Metatron. Neither of your siblings wanted your help, which was typical. Despite only being a few minutes younger than Sam, both of your brothers often treated you as though you were years younger than them, fragile, something that needed to be locked away in a china cabinet to keep from getting broken.
You were sitting in the library, table covered with ancient texts that you were supposed to be going through. Your mind, however, refused to focus on the words.
“Y/N.” Looking up, you saw the trench-coated angel standing before you. “Where’s Sam?”
Cas nodded. “Then… I suppose I will wait here.” He awkwardly took a seat across from you.
“Anything I can help you with?”
The angel gave you a small smile, paired with a shake of his head. “No. I will wait for Sam.”
You studied the angel for a few moments. “You found him, didn’t you?”
Cas’ eyes widened slightly. “What are you–”
“Which one? Bartholomew or Gadreel?”
The angel straightened slightly, hands smoothing out his trenchcoat. “I don’t think we should be discussing–”
“Dammit, Cas! I’ll take overprotection and secrets from my brothers, but not from you. I thought we were supposed to be friends.”
A sigh. After a very long pause, the smallest whisper: “Gadreel.”
“Gadreel.” Cas turned his brilliantly blue eyes towards you, holding eye contact in that intense manner of his. “I found Gadreel.”
You turned the name over in your mind. “Take me to him.”
“Y/N, I do not think that’s wise.”
“Between my brothers and I, who do you think is the better Winchester to meet him? Sam’s pissed because of the intrusion, Dean’s pissed because of the whole Kevin situation… but me…”
“I told Dean I would not involve you.”
The angel’s words shocked you. “What?”
“He regretted involving Sam with Gadreel. He did not want to put you at risk.”
You considered this. “Well, I’m already involved. I had to watch my brother be piloted around by him, even if I didn’t know it at the time.”
Cas was quiet for a few moments. “I… suppose there is some truth in what you’re saying.”
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Cas pointed through the window of the bar. “That’s him. Or rather, the vessel he’s controlling now.”
“And you’re sure that’s him?”
The angel nodded. “What is your plan?”
“I just want to talk to him.”
“Your brothers have said that before. It usually ends in bloodshed.”
“I’m not my brothers, Cas.”
“I can give you five minutes with him. Then I’m taking you back to the bunker.”
Not exactly a ton of time, but longer than either of your brothers would consider giving you. Stepping into the darkened interior of the bar, you were greeted with the smell of spilled beer and fried food.
The man behind the bar glanced up. His hands stilled on the glass he was cleaning, a flicker of recognition in his eyes as you stepped towards him. “You… are the youngest Winchester. The twin of Sam. Y/N, correct?”
You nodded. “And you’re Gadreel.”
The other angel nodded. “Of course. Their little watchdog.” He set aside the glass, the towel. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you doing here?”
“I just… wanted to talk to you.”
“You possessed my brother.”
The angel studied you. “You… are not angry.” You shook your head. “But your brothers…”
“Yeah, I know, a lot of big feelings from them. But… I think they’ve forgotten that you did save Sam.” You bit your lip. “I saw the doctor’s report in the hospital. He…” You cleared your throat. “You were the only chance he had of surviving.” Your eyes flicked up to the angel. “I just wanted to thank you.”
Your words hung heavy in the air between the two of you for a moment. “You’re welcome,” Gadreel finally said.
The bell above the door tinkled, grabbing the angel’s attention. You saw his features harden, his arms dropping to his sides. “What are you doing here?”
You turned, finding two figures by the door. The man and woman were dressed inconspicuously, but you could almost feel an intense air radiating from them. Each of them held a long, silver blade– angel blades. How had they gotten past Cas?
“We’re here for her,” the man said.
“Why?” Gadreel’s voice was a rumble behind you.
The woman smiled, one that sent shivers down your spine. “Metatron wants all the Winchesters out of his way.”
“Then you will have to go through me.”
Your heart fluttered at the words. You turned towards the deep voice, forgetting all your brothers’ training about never turning your back on an enemy.
Gadreel’s eyes met yours briefly. “Get down.”
Thankfully, your body reacted before your mind could decipher the phrase, knees bending as your arms went up in front of your face. You heard a set of feet slam down beside you, the angel having vaulted over the bar. He crossed to Metatron’s two angels in a few steps, quickly spinning the female in front of himself, using her as a shield against her partner’s angel blade.
Gadreel dropped the deceased angel with a thump, but not before sliding her blade from her grip. With a quick uppercut, the blade lodged itself into the male angel’s torso, his eyes flickering blue as his grace left his body. His corpse was dropped to the floor with another thump, Gadreel’s eyes turning to you. “Are you alright?”
You slowly stood, eyes trailing over the deceased angels. They had been sent there to capture (or kill) you. Gadreel could have very easily let them, not gotten in the middle of this. And wasn’t Sam and Cas’ working theory that he was working for Metatron? If that were true, why would he save you?
You looked up, finding Gadreel stepping carefully over the fallen angels toward you. Concern creased his brow. “Fine,” you said, your voice barely louder than a whisper. “I… thank you.” He gave you a solemn nod. “I’d better go check on Cas.” You made your way towards the door, stepping around the bodies.
You paused, hand above the doorknob. “Gadreel?” You turned back towards the angel.
“My brothers… are two of the most stubborn people I know. But I will do whatever I can to try and make them see that you are not the enemy.”
“I appreciate that. But you do not need to fight for me.”
“And you didn’t have to fight for me just now.”
Gadreel’s eyes dropped to the corpses at your feet as you stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. Cas was lying on his side near the door, a trickle of blood dripping down his cheek from his hairline.
“Cas!” You rushed to the angel, crouching down and shaking him slightly. His eyes slowly opened, and he propped himself up on his elbows. “Oh, thank god you’re okay.”
“Those angels… they work for Metatron.” He turned to you. “Are you okay? They said they were here for you.”
“Fine, Cas. Gadreel took care of them.”
The angel looked toward the bar, understanding just what ‘took care of’ entailed. “I should get you back to the bunker. It’s far too dangerous here, especially if Metatron is sending out missionaries to find you.”
“They said Metatron wants ‘all the Winchesters out of his way’.”
Cas slowly stood. “I feared that would be the case. Once I get you home, I will go find your brothers.” He studied you for a moment. “I believe Metatron is beginning to fear the strength of the Winchesters. That is good news– his fear might provide a spot of weakness.”
From inside the bar, Gadreel watched as Cas laid a hand on your shoulder and the two of you popped away. ‘How strange,’ he thought, turning back to begin disposing of the angel corpses. ‘The youngest Winchester… so like her brothers, especially Sam… but so different.’
