"You can tell a lot about someone by the music they listen to. Hit shuffle on your iPod/iPhone/iTunes/media player and write down the first 10 songs. Then pass this onto 10 people.”
I was tagged by olddeadned
the boys by Girls Generation
Flat on The Floor by Carrie Underwood
Tonight (i'm Lovin' you) by Enrique Iglesias
All night to get there by Rascal Flatts
This I promise You by Nsync
Careless Whisper by Seether
Weakness by The Wanted
Just cant get enough by The Saturdays
DNA by Little Mix
SHINee Girl by Shinee
I am tagging foreverstormydays, i-cut-my-nightmares-out-of-paper, logicaltribble, nowandfournever, oddisamazing, onceuponasnogbox, oddhappenings, petercapcldi, sherlylovesdeansdoctor, youknownothinjonsnoooow.
Jessica gave Sam a tour around campus before they left, and Sam was hanging onto every little bit of it. Gabriel could practically see him in the fall, filling out a transfer application. Not that he could really blame him, Stanford was great, and it was perfect for Sam, but Gabriel would miss him.
As they were heading back to the Impala, a silver Corvette pulled up beside them and parked. A girl with curly brown hair stepped out and embraced Jessica. "You better be careful out there this summer," she told her in an English accent.
"I will be! You have fun back across the pond." Jess turned to the boys, her arm around her friend's waist, and introduced them. "This is my friend Bela, she's going to be my roommate next year."
Bela introduced herself to the boys, and Gabriel could tell that Sam was intrigued by this girl as much as he was Jessica. He could tell by the way his face lit up with that stupid, dorky smile and by how fast his pupils dilated. Gabriel snorted and folded his arms across his chest while leaning against the Impala. The girls stayed there and talked for a moment, before an angry student pulled up behind Bela's car and honked on their horn for her to move. They shared a quick goodbye, and then the trio was off.
Gabriel ended up falling asleep with an Oscar-worthy monologue of an apology in his head, and jealousy towards Sam and Jessica's friendship in his heart. He knew it was just him being stupid, that he should have expected that this would happen. Sam had known Jessica pretty much since they were kids and they had history, whereas he was only a temporary fixture in the younger Winchester's life. In and out of Kansas and jail, and he could only imagine some of the things Cas had said about him behind his back. Gabriel really shouldn't have expected much in the way of friendship, but the last couple days had meant more to him than the last 10 years of his life, and it was all because of Sam.
He was awoken to a punch in the arm a few hours later. Gabriel opened his eyes and saw Sam half turned around in his seat, and grinning at him. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He snorted, laughing as the older boy glared up at him. "We're hungry. And we didn't feel like leaving the windows rolled down for you."
"Yeah," Jessica added. "We didn't feel like being nice today."
Gabriel rolled his eyes and sat up, stretching his back as best as he could in the seat, and opened his door. "Well I don't care what you do, but one of you is buying me lunch for the emotional trauma that came from this." He could hear Sam laughing from somewhere behind him and it brought a smile to Gabriel's face. He liked that sound a little too much for his own good, he decided.
____
"...I met Jess in middle school. It was at a dance. We - uh.... We both were there alone, and she came up to me and asked if I wanted to dance." Sam said in response to a question from Gabriel. There was a light blush in his cheeks, and an adoring smile on his face as he spoke, and Gabriel couldn't help but find himself grinning right along with him.
"He was so embarrassed. I walked up to him and asked, and he just sputtered at me for a minute before finally giving up and nodding. And then he gets up and he's like... five foot ten inches of pure awkward." Jessica giggled, chancing a look at Sam. "It was adorable." Gabriel chuckled, not taking his eyes away from the younger Winchester, watching his face, and shook his head. "Now, Gabriel, how did you meet Sam?"
Gabriel finally turned, and his expression turned from fond to teasing in a matter of a half of a second. "Because of our brothers." He answered. "Dean and Cassie went to school together. And when they first met, Cas hated Dean-o's guts, because Dean would pick on him at school. Then one day, Dean and Sam's mom died, Cas found Dean sitting alone in the library barely holding it together, and just sat down to talk to him. Ever since then, they've been inseparable." He smirked then, and nodded his head towards Sam. "How Sammy and I fit into the picture... I found my baby brother mackin' on Dean-o in our house one afternoon, and after that, we decided that it was time to meet the family. So, Cas and I went over to Dean's one night for a dinner, and I met Sam, and the rest is history."
Jessica wore a confused expression as she looked at Gabriel, not knowing the rest of this story, and turned to Sam. "What's the rest?"
"The rest, dear Jessica, is that shortly after that, I ended up gettin' kicked out after trying to keep Cassie from getting the shit knocked out of him at the hands of our dear old dad. Cas and Dean moved out and got a place of their own, and I've been in and out of the pen for one stupid reason or another. I'd still be there now if Sam didn't come spring me out." It was hard for Gabriel to keep the shame out of his voice, but he managed.
"Why were you in jail?" Jessica asked.
Gabriel hesitated for a moment before answering, not knowing if he should really come clean or not, but one quick look at Sam and the curiosity in his eyes broke him. "I uh... It's been a number of different things. Couple times for DUI's, couple a times for vandalism, once for drugs..." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his seat, trying to play it off as no big deal. Sam and Jessica said nothing, and Gabriel sighed. "I don't use anymore, if you're wondering. I'm completely clean."
It still didn't seem to help much, so Gabriel stopped trying. The way that they looked at him after that, it made Gabriel feel dirty, and brought back a lot of the self loathing that haunted him when he was younger and Castiel would look at him like this. Gabriel cleared his throat and excused himself for a moment to go to the bathroom, half expecting Sam and Jessica to get up and leave without him. He couldn't say he would blame them, honestly. He'd leave himself too.
Gabriel clutched the sides of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. For someone as young as he was, he looked like he'd lived a thousand years. the lines in his cheeks were those of a man of forty, the bags under his eyes were dark purple, as though he hadn't slept in weeks, and the wrinkles on his forehead were deep with worry and sadness. He also noticed that when he released the porcelain of the sink that his hands shook. He only wondered what that was from; the need of a drink, or a hit, or of his own embarrassment and nervousness.
With a deep sigh, Gabriel turned on the sink and splashed a bit of water onto his face, hoping to wake himself up some and get a grip. He was 22 for God's sake, he shouldn't have felt like this. Gabriel shook his head and looked at himself again. /Pull it together, Novak,/ he thought to himself.
"Hey, Gabe," came a voice from the door. Sam poked his head inside, his expression worried as he looked at him, and then stepped in. "Are you okay, man? You've been in here awhile."
Gabriel swallowed and sucked in a quick breath before turning to Sam with a haggard smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, kiddo. Just got a little light headed. Don't worry so much." He stepped away from the mirror and gestured for Sam to lead the way back out, and Gabriel shot Jessica the same smile when she was in view.
"Are we ready, then?" Sam asked, grabbing the bill and starting for the counter.
"Sam, wait." Gabriel reached into his back pocket for a $10 and handed it to Sam. "It's for breakfast. I don't want to make you pay for it." He said insistently. He didn't take his eyes away from the younger boy until Sam finally accepted and left. Gabriel leaned back against the table with his hands in his pockets and a frown tugging at his lips.
Jessica chewed on her bottom lip while she thought of something to say. "Gabriel, I'm sorry if we made you feel bad. I just... I wasn't expecting that. I'm sorry."
Gabriel turned to look at the young girl and shot her another half-smile. "Don't sweat it, kid. I'm used to it."
That did nothing to ease Jessica's mind, but she dropped the subject and started picking at her nails until Sam returned. Gabriel led the way out of the diner without a word to anyone, and dropped himself into the back seat when they got to the car.
_____
Gabriel decided to treat the three of them to a drink, and made Sam pull into a bar at nearly 10:00 that night. He instructed the two to find a more secluded place to sit, and Gabriel treated them to a round of tequila. And then another, and another, and another. After four, Sam was done, seeing as he would have to be the one to drive them, but Jessica and Gabriel kept drinking until they could barely stand up.
"I'm gonna... I'm gonna see if I can't talk the bartender into giving me another shot!" Jessica giggled, stumbling out of the booth and up to the bar. Sam watched her, worried about the others that were up there and what they would do. He watched as Jess put on her best flirty face, leaning over the counter with her arms folded in a way that made her breasts pop out more, and waved the man over. Sam could see a tall, gruff looking hickish man watching her, and it made his stomach roll.
The man grinned at his friends and slid his slimy self farther down to get a better look at the young girl, and put a hand on her arm. "What are you doing out here all by yourself, dollbaby?" He asked her.
Jessica turned and pulled her arm away, her expression sobering some. "None of your business," she said quietly.
"I asked you a question." The man told her, taking a step closer.
"And I said it's none of your business." Jessica's voice rose, and after Sam saw the look on the guy's face, he got up and and decided to step in.
"Is there a problem here?" Sam asked, trying to look as menacing as possible.
"This your little bitch?" The man slurred. "You need to teach your bitch some manners."
"And you need to learn how to treat a woman with respect. You understand that word?" Sam spit.
Gabriel had been watching the whole thing, and after Sam made his last comment, and got to his feet. "Bitch!" He shouted, running over and grabbing Jessica by the arm. "What'd I tell you about runnin' off, huh!?" He shook his head and pulled the younger girl away from the bar, shooting an apologetic look at the men. "Sorry 'bout that, gentlemen. I keep tellin' her to stay put, she don't listen worth a damn. Come on, Linda Lou!"
Gabriel kept muttering to Jessica on the way out, waiting until they were out the door before releasing her and chuckling at her. "Nice moves back there, kiddo." He told her. "But next time, leave the drinks to me, alright?"
Sam all but ran out the door, and was at Jessica's side in an instant. "Are you okay?" He asked, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" When Jessica shook her head, Sam led her back to the car, his arm around her shoulders and a protective look on his face. He helped her into the car and glared back at Gabriel, almost as if he wanted to leave him there.
Gabriel waited for a moment, hating that he did what he did but knowing he had to do it, before finally making his way back to the car and climbing in the front seat. Jessica was about wasted, and they decided she should probably lay down.
_____
Sam waited until they were far down the road before attempting to speak. "What the fuck was that back there?!" He shouted at Gabriel. "Seriously, Gabe! What? Did you think I couldn't handle myself back there?"
"I was keeping you from getting you ass handed to you!" Gabriel snapped back. "The last thing, the absolute /last/ thing I need is for us to get home with you sporting a broken rid. I've got enough strikes against me with Dean as it is, the last thing I need is for him to find a reason to keep me from seeing my brother. And you coming home like that would be it."
"Do you really think my brother would do something like that? Do you really have that low of an opinion of him? Nice, Gabe! Really nice. If you're gonna act like this, then maybe he should."
Gabriel shook his head and clenched his jaw. "I know he has Cas's best interests at heart. He wants him to keep him from any unnecessary pain and/or drama. And if he thinks that I might be causing it, then you better believe he'd keep him away. I would."
Sam continued yelling at him for a moment, but Gabriel tuned it out and turned to the window.
/Look/ Gabriel noticed was sprayed across one of the exit signs on the freeway. He sat up a little straighter, and focused his eyes on the road as Sam yelled.
/In the/ Was written on another.
/Trunk/ Gabriel swallowed and clenched his hand on the handle of the door.
/Sam/. "Sam stop the car!" Gabriel shouted back, and it startled Sam enough that he did. Sam was slammed against the steering wheel, Gabe against his seatbelt, and they could hear a crash as Jessica hit the floor. Gabriel was out the door and heading to the back of the car before Sam could ask what was wrong, and yelled for him to pop the trunk.
Sam did as was told and then hopped out, asking Gabriel what the deal was, and headed back with him. He could hear Gabriel muttering something to himself and looked inside, and the younger boy's breath caught in his throat.
Waiting for them in the trunk was a shining, deadly, and menacing CB radio. Sam fisted his hands in his hair and exhaled, trying to make sense of it.
"What are we gonna do?" Gabriel asked, his voice full of panic.
"How'd he even know?"
"Back there," Gabriel replied. "There were words painted across the signs. 'Look in the trunk, Sam'. S'why I made you stop."
Sam swore, took the radio out, and shakily put it in the car. Thankfully, Jessica wasn't coherent enough to realize what was going on, and the boys wordlessly sat down and Sam pulled back onto the road. They didn't say anything else until they got pulled into the motel, and Gabriel went to pay for their rooms while Sam helped Jessica into hers.
The younger boy was taking her things up to her when Gabriel finished up, and with a sigh, he realized that Jessica was who Sam deserved. As he previously discussed with himself, they had known each other for years, and Jessica, as far as he knew, had never been thrown in jail. It hurt him to think about it, but he knew nothing would ever come of himself and Sam Winchester, and he decided to put this entire issue to bed before it got out of hand.
_____
"Hey Sam, you wanna watch a porno?" Gabriel asked as Sam brushed his teeth. Sam muttered something, and Gabriel took it as a yes, and he put one on that he knew neither of them would pay attention to. "The entertainment for this evening is Casa Erotica 12. Hope that's okay." Again, Sam muttered something and flopped down onto his bed, and in mere minutes Gabriel heard him snoring.
He decided it was time to act. Gabriel shut the movie off and changed it to a local station in case Sam woke up, and Gabriel slipped out the door, out to a vending machine to something that might settle Jessica's stomach, and then headed off to the younger girl's room.
