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Stowaways and Stolen Hearts - Sabriel Big Bang

Title: Stowaways and Stolen Hearts Author: Aria Lerendeair Artist: @sabriel-otp Rating: Explicit (I mean, it IS me afterall) Pairings: Sabriel, side Destiel, Word Count: 38,178 Warnings: Mild (very mild) Gore (leg wound that recovers), Pirates!!! Summary: Sam Winchester is running away from home and stows away on he first ship that he comes across. How was he supposed to know it was the ship Kali, with it's dreaded and feared captain The Trickster? Come to find out, not quite as dreaded OR feared as he'd first thought, even if his jokes are completely terrible and even worse than his flirting...

Sam ducked behind a few more barrels at the sound of men walking by and kept his frame curled up as tightly as he could. He needed to wait until they were away from land before he could even begin to risk getting found. Or better yet, never be found at all and then just escape wherever the pirates made berth.

It took a few minutes, but the sound of voices faded and Sam ducked into the darkened hold. He stumbled around for a few minutes until he found a corner where he could keep hiding behind the different barrels and a few stacks of cannonballs. He took a deep breath and leaned back against the hull of the ship and wrapped his arms around his knees.

His father and brother wouldn't realize he was missing until this morning, and by then, he would be far, far out to sea. Dean wouldn't even think of him stowing away on a ship. Sam shifted his bag with meager supplies onto his lap and leaned back against the wall. Already he missed his books, and the library, but this was better than getting married.

Sam didn't realize he had fallen asleep until the sound of voices jolted him awake. He held himself frozen as the two men bantered back and forth, clearly down there to collect something. They walked by his hiding place once, then twice, before their voices faded away and they went deeper into the ship.

Sam let out a breath and strained his ears for any hint that they had left port already. He couldn't risk moving until he was sure, absolutely certain that they were no longer at port. He clenched his jacket a little tighter around him, frowning at the dampness that was soaking into everything down here.

It must have been hours before he could hear shouting on deck and then there was the slow motion of the ship rocking. They had to be out to sea, at last. Sam breathed out and closed his eyes, thinking of Dean, and how angry his father would be that he had run away. At least Dean had an out, already had a ship, and he could be trusted with it, knew how to sail almost as well as their father did.

Dean could escape. Sam had never wanted that, had buried himself in getting an education, in school, then at college before his father had called him home and announced his engagement. He was certain that Lucifer or Michael Novak were lovely men, and their fortunes all the more lovely, but Sam wanted nothing to do with them. Absolutely nothing.

He blew out a breath and stared at the wood above him and slowly broke off a small piece of the bread he had brought with him, taking a bite and swallowing it dry with a wince. He would need to make these supplies last. Sam wrapped up the bag again and leaned back against the hull of the ship, the gentle rocking enough to lull him back to sleep.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he was certain that it was at least two days. Sam was almost out of food, and his muscles were cramping from the lack of motion. He'd risked standing up and moving about when he heard no other noise from the ship, but he didn't know how close he was to sleeping crew, so he did his best not to make any noise.

By morning, the sounds of the crew were starting to stir, Sam was completely out of food. He would need to risk getting something this evening, just a small something to tide him over and then he could escape as soon as the ship stopped at another PORT.

Then he'd, well, he'd figure everything else out. He blew out a breath and tried to stretch his arms and wrinkled his nose at his smell. He hadn't bathed in days now and he certainly smelled like it. Sam stood up and kept himself carefully behind the barrels and peeked around them to try and get a better view of where he was.

Now that it was day, there was just enough light filtering in for him to see the cannons and gunpowder kegs stacked across from him. He swallowed hard as his eyes drifted over the cutlasses hanging on the wall, along with rifles and other weapons. He would have to stay hidden. For now.

~!~

That was a great plan. An excellent one, even. However, it was all ruined when the sound of cannon fire erupted around the ship.

Just like that, there was a flurry of motion around him, men dashing in to grab weapons, one after another, before running for the deck. Every few seconds, another man would return to the room to roll out a keg of gunpowder, or to grab more cannon balls, or another spare pistol.

Sam couldn't risk moving, but when a cannon ball ripped through the hull not five feet from him, he knew he couldn't stay.

He ducked out of his hiding spot and headed deeper into the ship, hoping that he could find another place to hide. Sam ducked behind a doorway as another man ran past him, this time holding a broadsword. He held his breath until the man was gone and started to follow the path he had come from.

Sam wasn't expecting to stumble into a hammock and the spot where majority of the crew slept. He looked around in horror, desperate for another place to hide. He had to find it, and find it quickly.

"Hey!"

Sam froze and closed his eyes for a moment. Oh no. He'd been caught. He turned around and looked at the person standing behind him and sized them up for a moment. He could take them.

He lunged forward before the other man had a chance to react and flipped him over his shoulder, pushing him down. "I won't hurt you, just stay there," Sam hissed, and was up and sprinting through the ship. He needed another place to hide and he needed it now!

"Stowaway!" Came the shout from behind him.

Sam cursed and pushed himself to run faster. Another man came around the corner and Sam pulled a fist back and laid him flat, and kept running. The ship was big, but not that big! He needed to find another place where he could-

Everything went black.

~!~

"Captain."

Gabriel hummed and picked up another handful of the gold they'd taken from the merchant ship and grinned. "Yes, Benny, what is it?"

"We've got a stowaway," Benny said, rubbing his jaw. "Kid was likely hiding below decks, but Samandriel caught him sneaking around the hammocks.

Gabriel sat up, grinning, bright and wide. "He clock you?"

Benny chuckled. "He knocked me on my ass with one punch. Kid's got some fighting training, that's for sure. He's a scrawny kid though, won't take him for much older than in his early twenties. Well off, too, if his clothes were anything to go by."

Gabriel whistled and raised an eyebrow. What on earth would a well-off twenty-something be doing on a pirate ship? He stood up and let the rest of the gold fall back into the chest. "Well, well. Guess I've got some threatening to do. You think we can turn him?"

Benny shrugged and held the door open for Gabriel. "Depends on what he is running from," he said, following Gabriel the main deck. "We've got him tied to the mast for now, he woke up and nearly escaped again."

"Not sure where he thinks he could have gone, we're days out to sea," Gabriel said with a laugh, shielding his eyes against the sunlight. He looked around deck and saw that most of the crew were there, and he raised his eyebrows at them. "I think you all have work to be doing. There's no show yet, now get to it."

Benny took up his order and started snapping the men into action. Gabriel walked closer to the man tied to the mast, who was glaring at him for all he was worth. Spitfire. He liked that. He pulled out his pistol and stopped a few feet in front of the kid. "What's your name?"

"What does it matter?" Sam snapped, glaring at the captain, all the way from that ridiculous hat with the feather, down to his boots. "Aren't you a little short for the captain?"

Gabriel laughed again and used the tip of his pistol to tilt his hat back and look the kid in the eye. "I might be short in height, but I'm well-endowed in all the ways that matter, kid."

"I'm not a kid."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the snarl and anger that was bleeding off the kid in waves at the comment. "No, you're just someone that stowed away on a pirate ship. Which, I admit, was not the smartest of ideas. I could run you through and no one would ever know."

Sam snapped his mouth shut and kept glaring at the pirate captain. "Sam," he bit out.

"There we go," Gabriel said, his voice merry as he stalked a little closer, tucking his pistol away and pulling out his sword a moment later. He ran a fingertip along the edge and looked up into Sam's eyes. "I should run you through."

"Go ahead," Sam said, tensing in his bonds. "Stop with the fucking games and do it already if you're going to."

"What are you running from, Sam?" Gabriel asked, tapping the blade of the sword against his palm. He did wonder what was so terrible that the kid didn't flinch at the idea of his own death. "Or should I ask who?"

Sam shrugged the best he could in the ropes. "It doesn't matter, not any more. If you're going to run me through-"

"You need to learn to pay better attention," Gabriel said, swing his sword in an easy motion, slicing the ropes away from Sam. He could feel the surprised look he was getting and pulled his pistol out and cocked it, pointing it at Sam. "Don't think about running."

"Why release me, just to shoot me?" Sam asked, crossing his arms over his chest, looking around. There had to be a way to escape, or somewhere he could go to escape.

"As I was saying," Gabriel snapped, glancing over his shoulder at Benny. "I should run you through. But I like you. I like that you laid my first mate flat," he added, chuckling a little bit. "How good are you in a fight, kid?"

Sam shifted both of his arms into fists and glared at the pirate. "Good enough."

Gabriel hummed and tapped his jaw with the pistol. "I imagine good enough in a proper fight, with rules and things of that sort, but in my kind of fight, you would lose, easily."

Sam didn't bother answering, he just narrowed his eyes and stared at the pirate in front of him. "What's your point?"

"My point, dear Sammy, is that I need good fighters on my crew. And since you have oh-so-conveniently stranded yourself here, on my ship, I think that I'm going to take advantage of that," Gabriel said, smiling a little more widely, his eyes trailing down Sam's legs and then up again.

"Why not just kill me?" Sam asked, glaring at the pirate. "You don't know that I won't try to kill you when you get the chance."

"Would you?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow, pointing the gun at Sam. "Should I shoot you right now?"

"What's your name?" Sam asked instead, glaring at the shorter man. If he was going to get shot, he just wished that he would go ahead and fucking do it.

Gabriel hummed and kept the gun on Sam. "You can call me The Trickster."

Sam froze, his eyes wide. Everyone who had ever heard about pirates knew who The Trickster was. He was renowned for being ruthless, cold-hearted and blood thirsty. He'd stolen from and ransacked hundreds of ships and was known for his decadent lifestyle.

"Ahhh," Gabriel said, walking closer, a smirk on his lips. "So you know of me, huh?"

Sam lifted his chin a fraction and glared at the Trickster. "Do your worst. Run me through."

"You don't want to live?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'd rather die right here, right now? Running from whatever you are?"

"Of course I want to live. But you don't exactly have a reputation for letting people walk away," Sam shot back, glaring at the other man.

Gabriel lowered the gun a fraction and sighed, looking up at the sky. "Sometimes I hate my reputation," he muttered, tucking his pistol back into his belt.

Sam blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Benny!" Gabriel snapped, turning to look over at his first mate.

"Yes?"

Sam swallowed and stared at the two men, glancing around quickly. There was nowhere he could run to that he wouldn't be able to be caught, almost immediately. He was at the mercy for whatever they wanted to do to him.

Gabriel turned to look at Sam and raised an eyebrow. "Life or death?"

"Life," Sam snapped, hating himself for the decision. But he didn't want to die. Not by a long shot.

"Excellent choice!" Gabriel said cheerily. "Benny, get the kid a bath, some clothes and put him to work. I think two weeks of swabbing the deck will do him wonders."

Gabriel ignored the wide-eyed look from Sam and tapped his jaw, putting his sword away a moment later. "Also, he'll be my cabin boy in what spare time he has, caring for my things."

"Gabriel-"

Gabriel gave Benny a look. "I'm not about to put one of the men out of their beds because we have someone who decided to stowaway. He'll stay in my cabin as a cabin boy."

Sam gritted his teeth together and looked away when Gabriel gave him a lecherous grin. Desire, dark and dirty, as it always had been, crawled up his spine and he focused on the horizon line, ignoring the other two men as they continued to discuss what he would be doing.

At least he wasn't going to die. And the second they hit port, he'd be able to escape. Run far enough away that Gabriel wouldn't even think about coming after him. Sam swallowed and turned to Benny when he heard the Trickster start to walk away.

"Sam, was it?" Benny asked.

Sam glared over his shoulder and crossed his arms a little tighter over his chest.

"No point in glaring at me, kid, I'll happily put a bullet in your head if you don't listen, what Gabriel said or not," Benny said, his voice cheerful as he steered Sam towards the deck. "But we'll do as the captain says and put you to work."

~!~

Gabriel spun the wheel idly in his hands, glancing down at his compass with a smile. He looked back up and across the deck and his eyes caught on Sam, against his will.

The kid was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and damn if Gabriel didn't want to get his hands all over him, six ways to Sunday.

Sam was scrawny, his body not completely filled out, but Gabriel could tell that the muscles of a fighter were there. Sam also hadn't complained for one second about any of the physical labor and was lifting almost twice the weight of what some of the other men were.

He chuckled and ignored the look from Uriel, his second mate, when he did. Sam had originally been pranked, or they had been attempting a prank, rather, when he had been given twice the weight of what the others were carrying and two kegs instead of one. Gabriel could tell that none of the men had expected Sam to pick up one keg, and then pick up the second with a bit of a grunt.

Sam was winded as soon as he put them both down, and Gabriel could see the way he was trying to shake feeling back into his arms, but the rest of the crew had immediately backed off pushing him. Gabriel couldn't blame them, since he was busy imagining what those arms could do in bed. Sam could likely just holding him up against the wall and fuck into him, every muscle straining-

"You shouldn't get involved with him," Uriel said, his voice gruff as he glared at Gabriel. "I know that look, and what that look means."

Gabriel glared at Uriel until he left the deck and turned his attention to Kali's sails. Some repairs would be needed the next time they made port. He had a feeling that Sam would be good with a thread and a needle. He smirked and tapped out a rhythm on the wheel, spinning it a few times to adjust their course.

They did have some cargo they could unload, thanks to the obliging merchant ship. The repairs on Kali were already almost complete, which told him that majority of the damage had been superficial. Gabriel dropped his eyes back down to where Sam was bent over, scrubbing hard at the deck, his hair falling down and around his face. His skin was pinking, and he was going to have one hell of a burn the following day.

Gabriel hummed and kept tapping on the wheel until his relief came. He winked at Benny and made his way to his cabin. Might as well attempt to get things organized for Sam, since he was going to have a cabin boy staying with him. A thought occurred and he grinned, putting a dagger out and on the table.

He did like to live dangerously, and this would tell him if Sam really was a threat to him. He suspected not, but he needed to be certain, especially with the rest of his crew. Gabriel was more than willing to risk his own life, but he would not risk the lives of the others.

He looked up at the setting sun and considered what else he could leave out for Sam to steal if he were so inclined. A few jewels on the desk seemed like a wise choice. Gabriel chuckled and deemed his cabin ready.

If Sam were willing to share his bed instead of the pallet that would be laid out for him? Well, all the better. Gabriel considered the room once more before stretching out on his bed and kicking his boots up on the footboard, letting the rocking of Kali lull him into a doze.

A loud knock on the door had his eyes snapping open and Gabriel immediately jumped out of the bed, opening the door eagerly. An exhausted looking Sam greeted him with a blank look and Gabriel bowed and held the door open for him. "Do join me, Sammich!"

Sam winced and wished that every single part of him didn't hurt. He didn't have the energy to put up with Gabriel today. He didn't want to have to need the energy. "What do you need me to do?"

Gabriel tilted his head and studied Sam again, taking in the way some of his muscles were shaking minutely. Kid was exhausted. "Starting first thing tomorrow," Gabriel said, and dammit, he could be nice when he wanted to be, and earning a little bit of trust from Sam might keep him from getting stabbed. He could already see some of the relief in Sam's body language. "You're going to help me get ready for the day, fetch my breakfast from the kitchen and eat with me in here before you begin your duties. I wake with the sunrise, so I suggest sleeping well tonight."

Sam nodded and looked down at the pallet on the floor. "Is this where I'm sleeping?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and glanced at his bed. "Unless you want to share mine?" he gave a lecherous smirk at Sam. "And I do mean that in the biblical sense."

Sam scowled at the Trickster and shook his head, peeling his boots off a moment later. He stretched out on the simple leather pallet and pillowed his head on his arms.

"You aren't going to eat dinner?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow at the way Sam was already breathing deeply, like he would fall asleep right there.

"Am I to be given dinner?" Sam asked tilting his head to look at the Trickster before he raised an eyebrow. "Benny made it clear I would only be offered what food you allowed me."

Gabriel wanted to cackle at the threats that Benny had clearly given out at his expense. Not that he would ever hold up any of them. He wanted Sam relatively healthy, after all. Starving Sam away into a waif wasn't going to do him much good in a fight.

"Well, starving you certainly isn't going to put you on my good side, and since we are sleeping in the same room, that is where I would like to keep you," Gabriel said, walking over to his bed and stretching out on top of it. "So, I'll head down to the kitchen with you and we can grab food and bring it back here. I want to know more about you, Sam."

Sam grunted and slowly pushed himself upright and nodded. He was so tired he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and then not wake up again for days and days. Maybe after this nightmare was over he'd still be in his hiding spot in the belly of the ship.

Gabriel could tell that the kid was dead on his feet and stood, leading the way to the kitchens. Sam followed behind him, his eyes focused on nothing and Gabriel quickly got them both plates and led them back to his cabin. He winked at the rest of the crew and shut the door behind them. They could assume whatever they would like.

He handed one of the plates to Sam and offered Sam a golden goblet and picked up the jug of rum, pouring some in. "Here."

"You're going to trust me with this?" Sam asked, looking at the opulent goblet with a wrinkle of his nose.

"And where, exactly, would you take it?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam. There was no good answer and he could see it in the way that Sam winced and focused on his food. Gabriel hummed and took a long sip from the jug itself. "So, Sam, have a last name?"

"Yes," Sam said, taking a large bite of the bread with a piece of cheese. He swallowed and washed it down with a sip from the mug. At least the Trickster was drinking from the same bottle, so he knew it wasn't drugged.

Gabriel laughed and settled back into the bed as he ate from his own plate. "Going to tell me what that is?"

"No," Sam said, frowning at the other man. He wasn't Gabriel, no matter what his crew called him. He was the Trickster. He needed to remember that. He was one of the cruelest and fiercest pirates on all of the seas, and he gave mercy to no one. Sam winced, wonder exactly what had made a pirate like that take mercy on him.

Gabriel watched as Sam slowly got more and more tense as he steadily ate his way across the plate until he looked like a pole, ready to snap. "What's going through your head right now?"

Sam snorted and shook his head, glaring up at the Trickster. "I want to know what your game is, and when you're going to kill me."

"Well, kiddo," Gabriel said, smirking at the glare that got him. "I play a great many games, so you'll need to specify for me there. And as for killing you, well, you haven't given me a reason yet, so I'm holding off on that for the time being." He took another bite of his food and chewed slowly. "Now, if we're talking about little deaths, that's another matter entirely."

Sam scowled and finished the last of the food and rum before putting both items up and on the table. "Thank you for dinner," he managed to grit out. His eyes caught on the dagger, just laying there on the table and he ignored it for a moment and stretched out on the pallet.

Sam closed his eyes and let his body sink into the leather. He would wait until the Trickster was sleeping and then... His eyes drifted back up to where the dagger was lying and he curled up a little bit. "I would like to go to sleep now," he managed.

"Sam?" Gabriel said, leaning on the edge of the bed, looking down at him. He could see the way the man tensed and cleared his throat, leaning back in the bed. "Whatever you're running from-"

"Captain," Sam interrupted, looking over his shoulder for a moment. The word tasted awkward in his mouth. "I am going to sleep now."

Gabriel snorted and rolled his eyes, falling onto his back on the bed. "All right, fine." He reached over and grabbed one of his pillows and tossed it down to the floor, knowing that he had hit Sam with it, right on the head. The frustrated grunt was evidence of that. "That'll be more comfy than your arms."

Sam looked down at the pillow in surprise and then up at Gabriel, no, the Trickster. He shifted and moved so he could lay his head down on the pillow and wasn't able to repress the groan of comfort as his head sank easily into the comfort the pillow offered.

"If you want to stay un-ravished, I would suggest refraining from those kinds of noises," Gabriel said, glaring at the edge of the bed. His dick had already perked up and was interested in those noises and hearing Sam make more of them, at that.

Sam bit down on his lip until he tasted blood, waiting for the other man to demand, or do more. Something would happen. The last thing he expected was a snore to come from the bed above him. He blinked and sat up a little, staring at the shorter man on the bed. The Trickster had fallen asleep just like that?

He settled back down into his pillow, closing his eyes. He really was exhausted. He just needed to sleep for a few hours and then he could, he could...

Sam snapped awake, the nightmare and threat of cold water having him awake in an instant, a scream still lodged in his throat. He'd long ago learned not to shout when he had nightmares, that only made the reactions from his father worse.

He looked out the window behind him and then to the bed. Gabriel, no, no, he had to remember that he was the Trickster. He was still there, sprawled on his back, his face completely relaxed in sleep.

Sam pushed himself upright and looked at the dagger that was on the table. He grabbed it and slowly slid it out of its sheath. It wouldn't take much. Just a press of the dagger to Gabriel’s throat and a quick movement and-

The Trickster. Not Gabriel. No matter what the men said and called him. He took a deep breath and walked towards the bed. He climbed on top of the Trickster and pressed the dagger to his throat.

Gabriel woke up in a second and swallowed, feeling the business end of the dagger pushing into his throat. "Well, this is definitely not my favorite way to wake up."

Sam frowned at the Trickster and made sure his hand was steady. Golden eyes were staring at him, expectantly and when he didn't say anything, one eyebrow raised, judging him.

"Let me go," Sam managed, tightening his grip on the dagger. "I want you to let me go, and I don't want, I don't want you to do anything to me."

Gabriel hummed and stared at Sam. His dick was already starting to harden in interest, and he couldn't be blamed for it with all of Sam on top of him and pinning him to the bed with a dagger. He had a danger kink, after all. "And where are you going to go?"

"Wherever you make port," Sam said, chewing on his lip and looking out the window. "You're heading for a port, I know you are. You've got cargo to offload."

"You're smarter than you look. But are you going to keep a dagger at my throat for the next forty-eight hours? Because that'll get awkward, quickly."

Sam flinched and pressed the dagger in. "Maybe I'll just kill you now and rid the world of one more pirate."

Gabriel chuckled and leaned back into the pillows. "Oh, kiddo. You need to learn not to believe the rumors. I guarantee I haven't done half of the shit that you've heard. People like to credit me with things I don't actually do all of the time."

Sam frowned. "What do you mean?"

Gabriel waved at the ship. "The attack on the merchant vessel we made the other day? The stolen cargo? How many men do you think died?"

Sam blinked at the odd question and stared down at the other man. "All of them. You killed them all and sank the ship."

"Boy," Gabriel said, glaring at Sam. "You really need to pay some attention. None of them died. The ship, while damaged, like Kali, sailed away just fine."

Sam frowned and looked out the window and then back down at the Trickster. "You're lying."

Gabriel shrugged. "What reason do I have to lie? Seriously, kid. I'm not in the business of murdering people. I like my money, don't get me wrong, and I'll happily steal cargos until the cows come home, but I am not going to murder just because I can."

"You're a pirate," Sam snapped, digging the dagger in further.

"I'm a pirate who was at a royal port without any repercussions," Gabriel said, staring at Sam with a raised eyebrow. "You think I'd be able to do that easily if everyone was in danger when I was there?"

Sam didn't have a good answer for that and he scowled at him. "You bribed them, then. You've got plenty of treasure for it."

"Sure," Gabriel agreed with a grin. "I'll admit to my fair share of bribery. I've done plenty. But again. It's not like I ransacked the place."

"You've done that to towns before," Sam snapped. "I've heard-"

"What you've heard," Gabriel shot back, "Is of me attacking islands, slavers islands, and releasing all of the prisoners and killing the guards who beat and murder the women and children and starve the men to within an inch of their lives."

Sam froze and stared down at Gabriel, at the anger on his face. "What?"

"They usually neglect to mention that part," Gabriel said, his eyes challenging. "They probably tell you I ransacked the place, not that I offered money and safe passage to those looking to leave that island and return to their homes."

Sam pulled the knife away from the Trickster, just enough to let him breathe normally and frowned at him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"One," Gabriel said, raising a finger. "Because I have no desire to have my throat slit by someone who is trying to hold a dagger steady and is failing."

Sam scowled at his shaking hand and tightened his fist. "That's not encouraging me to let you leave here."

"Two," Gabriel continued, rocking his hips up to grind against Sam. "I'm enjoying you on top of me a little bit too much. So-" he froze when Sam shivered and gave a little groan. He raised both of his eyebrows. Well, that reaction was a tad unexpected.

Sam took a deep breath and glared at the Trickster. He was not going to get distracted, he was not going to let the Trickster make him think, think those things. Except then he moved beneath him again and Sam felt his hold on the dagger loosen as his pants started to tighten in response.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Gabriel asked, reaching up and letting his hands rest on Sam's hips. The dagger was resting against his collar bone now and hell if the little thrill of danger didn't make him harder. "You think this feels good, imagine if you moved back against me," he teased.

Sam glared at the Trickster. "I won't let you-"

"Let me?" Gabriel asked, slightly breathless as he felt Sam's hips rock down against him. "Kiddo, I'm not letting you do anything, you're moving all on your own. You done this before?"

Sam shook his head and tried not to shiver as the Trickster pulled down on his hips, making him rock forward and rub against his body. "I don't-"

"You're probably told it's wrong, weren't you?" Gabriel asked, closing his eyes for a moment as he coaxed Sam into a rocking motion against him, their erections sliding against each other. Sam was moving eagerly now, his movements quickening.

"I," Sam managed, slamming his eyes shut. "Please, it, it's..."

Gabriel chuckled and tightened his fingers in Sam's pants, tugging him closer. "It's good, isn't it?"

Sam clenched his hands tighter around the dagger and pushed it into the Trickster's skin. "Stop talking," he ordered.

"That's fine," Gabriel said, laughing a little. "Believe me, we don't need to talk."

Sam wanted to order him to stop, but then those hands shifted and were clenching him, pulling him closer, yanking him into every movement, and the gritty and rough friction was chasing up his spine. He panted and threw the dagger off the bed. Instead, he grabbed both of the Trickster's hands and pinned them to the bed.

Gabriel's breath caught and he moaned before he could stop himself at the display of strength. He was leaking, hard and desperate for just a little more from Sam. "Sam," he said, straining against the hold, but the kid had him hard. "Let me touch you, fuck, let me-"

"No," Sam growled, rocking his hips down, grinding them together. If this was going to happen, he was going to be in control over what, exactly, was happening.

"Okay," Gabriel said, nodding, a little bit glad that the dagger had left the bed for the time being. Sexy when it was being used properly, and right now, they were on the wrong side of desperate for sexy. "You'll want to get your laces undone," he said, squirming under the hold. "It won't be fun walking around tomorrow, otherwise, and you don't want to ask Benny for another pair of pants."

Sam scowled and shifted so he could keep both of the Trickster's wrists trapped in his hand and undid the laces on their pants, yanking them down, and their shirts up.

Gabriel strained a little harder against the hold and bit down on his lip to muffle the loud moan that wanted to escape. Sam was holding him down like it was effortless and fuck if that didn't make him want to ravish the kid all over again. "Good," he panted, looking up at Sam.

From the blown pupils, the desperate heaving of his chest and the way his hips hadn't stopped moving the desperate little rocks, Sam was completely gone, chasing his pleasure.

Gabriel grunted and shifted, spreading his legs a little wider and then both of their dicks were sliding together and Sam moaned, the sound low and guttural and fuck if that didn't go right through him. "Yeah, yeah," he added, wrapping his legs around the back of Sam's thighs to give him purchase to thrust up. The angle was awkward, but fuck if he cared.

Sam focused on the Trickster again and leaned over him, keeping his wrist pinned to the bed, his other hand helping to hold him up, his hips rocking forward frantically.

"That's it," Gabriel said, rocking up and into every thrust from Sam's hips. "Fuck, that's it, feels good, doesn't it?"

"Be, quiet!" Sam snarled, glaring down at Gabriel.

Gabriel grinned and licked his lips. "What if I say no? Are you going to make me?"

Sam shuddered and slammed his eyes shut, his entire body tensing as his orgasm ripped through him, his come spattering up and over the Trickster's belly and chest. He froze on top of the other man and then felt him thrust up twice more before adding to the mess between them.

Gabriel gave a happy groan and sank back down into the bed sheets, stretching luxuriously underneath Sam. "Oh, some hate sex is always so much fun," he mumbled, looking over at Sam.

He reached for the spare cloth for cleaning his spyglass he had on the table and wiped off the mess, tossing the cloth towards the end of the bed. Gabriel yawned and looked up at Sam, who still looked thunderstruck and a bit scared. "You okay?"

Sam immediately scrambled off of the bed, doing up the laces on his pants and yanking his shirt down. He had let his weakness get the better of him again, and he'd known better, had known than to let it happen. He grabbed the dagger and slammed it back into the sheath on the table and left it there, curling up tightly on the pallet on the floor.

Gabriel frowned at the robotic movements and watched as Sam curled up on the floor next to the bed. "Sam? What the hell are you doing? Get up here."

"No," Sam said, clenching his eyes shut, trying to ignore how good his body felt after, after that release. He'd let it happen again, and now, now the Trickster was going to expect it, demand it, even.

"Kiddo," Gabriel said, climbing off the bed. He reached out to touch Sam's arm and frowned when he flinched and curled up tighter. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the lanky man, his head tilted in concern.

"Please, stop," Sam begged, hating himself for how his voice cracked, but he couldn't, he couldn't do this.

Gabriel hummed and nodded, settling back into the bed again. "All right. Goodnight Sam."

Sam let out the breath he wasn't aware that he was holding and stuffed a small part of the blanket into his mouth. It wasn't supposed to be good, it was never supposed to feel good. Men together was, wrong. Wrong and not something that he should want. Especially not with the Trickster.

~!~

The next time Sam woke up, the sunlight was in his eyes and he sat up frantically, looking around with him. The Trickster was nowhere to be seen and he breathed a sigh of relief, covering his face with his hands. He couldn't believe he'd, that they'd...

He shook his head. It was best not to think about it. He wouldn't let it happen again. He pushed his fingers through his hair and caught sight of the bread and cheese sitting on a plate on the table. His stomach growled and he reached out, carefully breaking off half of it, and half of the cheese before downing the food eagerly.

He wasn't about to let Gabriel accuse him of eating his breakfast, and he was certain that he was already late for the duties he was supposed to be performing. He made sure that the laces on his pants were secured properly and hissed as his back suddenly pulled, like the skin was too tight.

Sam sucked in a breath and turned around in the room. There was no mirror, which meant he couldn't see what was wrong. It was likely just a severe burn from the sun. He would need to make sure he stayed covered for most of today. He took a deep breath and opened the door, making his way onto the deck, looking around for the first mate, Benny.

A moment later, a bucket was shoved into his arms and he scowled at the older man.

"Get to work, bedwarmer."

Sam flinched, but he bit down on his lip and started to do exactly that, mopping the deck, keeping to himself and working in the shade of the ship as much as he possibly could. When Benny found him, not an hour later, scowling, Sam only stared at him in confusion.

"Where have you been?"

Sam looked down at the bucket and then motioned to the deck around him. "I was-"

"You are to come see me for your orders every morning, or there will be a whipping in store for you," Benny snapped, taking the bucket and mop away from him. "Go below decks and stack the kegs of gunpowder. We need a count for when we make port."

Sam wanted to nearly cry with relief at the idea of the dark dampness of below decks, but he also didn't want Benny to know this wasn't a punishment. He nodded and made his way downstairs, grinning the second he was out of the harsh light of the sun.

Benny walked back up to where Gabriel was leaning against the wheel, the ship rocking slowly in the wind. "You're growing soft."

Gabriel snorted and looked over at Benny. "Ten lashes for Zachariah if he tries to get out of his duties like that again. Warn him that I don't take lightly the shirking of duties. Sam is my whipping boy, not his. And as for getting soft-" he eyed his first mate. "It's not soft, did you not see Sam's back? If Sam ends up with sun poisoning, he'll be useless for days. I can put him to just as much work below decks and save him that."

Benny raised an eyebrow and looked at the captain. "If you say so."

"Would you like to call him back up on deck and have him fall ill in a matter of hours?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow right back. "Because you are welcome to do so, and then you'll be acting as cabin boy in his place, Benny."

Benny snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't pull that posturing bullshit with me, leave it for the crew," he muttered and turned to head back down to the main deck.

Gabriel grinned and tilted his face up and to the sun. "Samandriel," he called, waiting for the younger man to join him.

"Yeah captain?"

"I need burn cream. Brought to my cabin, as well as bandages," Gabriel said, looking over at him.

"Yes sir, right away sir," Samandriel said, hurrying away downstairs.

Gabriel grinned at the kid and was glad, for the hundredth time, that Samandriel had decided staying with him on his ship was what he wanted to do for the time being. He blew out a breath and closed his eyes. Now, he just needed to figure out what to do about Sam.

Sam slunk into the Trickster's room after the sun had set and winced as he pulled his shirt off. His back was on fire, and it was starting to hurt to move more and more. Thank heaven at least he had spent the day below decks, but he was in agony, and there was no one he could ask for for help.

Gabriel walked into his cabin and gave a low impressed whistle at the sight of Sam's back. "I bet that hurts."

"Yes," Sam said, too tired and in too much pain to argue.

"All right, lay down on the bed," Gabriel ordered, walking over and picking up the jar that he could see had been left there, along with some of the bandages. It didn't look like he would need those, thankfully, but the ointment would be required, for at least a couple of days.

Sam tensed and scowled at the other man. "I will not-"

Gabriel tossed the jar at Sam and watched as he caught it. "It's ointment for your back. If you want to refuse it, fine, but you'll be in even more pain tomorrow."

"And how do you suggest I apply it?" Sam growled, glaring at the Trickster.

"I'm going to apply it if you stop being an asshole," Gabriel said, pointing to the bed again. "Now lay down, unless you want to be in outright agony tomorrow."

Sam considered refusing, but with as much pain as he was in, he didn't have a choice. He pushed himself upright, slowly, and climbed onto the bed, pressing himself face down into the softness with a groan.

Gabriel chuckled and climbed onto the bed after Sam, kneeling beside him, taking the jar from his loose fingers. "Yeah, you didn't notice that last time you were up here. Damn comfortable bed," Gabriel said, watching as Sam spread his arms out as well. He worked some of the cream onto his hands and pressed a hand to Sam's back, watching as he hissed.

"It's going to hurt like a sonofabitch," Gabriel said, slowly working his way over Sam's back. "But as soon as it kicks in, believe me, you are going to be thanking Samandriel for making his up about a thousand times over."

Sam grunted and closed his eyes, trying not to focus on how much the pressure of Gabriel's hands hurt, and instead the cooling sensation he could feel starting to sink into his skin. "What's it made of?" he asked.

"No idea," Gabriel said, pulling out a little bit more and moving up the middle of Sam's back, slowly making sure all of the pink skin was covered. "I just know that it works, and I've learned not to question shit that just works in my life."

Sam snorted and closed his eyes, groaning long and low as the cooling effect really started to take off, making him relax and the tightness in his skin fall away. "I can probably help him make more, that's why I'm asking."

"Well, well, look at you, wanting to be all helpful," Gabriel said, smiling as he moved over to Sam's arms and started to work the cream in there as well. "What inspired this sudden need to help?"

"I want to avoid the sun for the next few days," Sam said, trying for honesty. He was too tired to think up a lie that would make sense.

Gabriel laughed and worked his way down to Sam's lower back, trailing his fingers over the skin before pressing the cream in and working it into the burning skin. "I can't say that I blame you, and I certainly don't want you to get sunstroke. We'll find something for you to do."

Sam nodded and closed his eyes, letting his back slowly, slowly cool down and the fire and pain he had been dealing with all day had finally started to fade away. He took a deep breath and started to push himself up as soon as Gabriel was done.

"All right, you're going to have to sit up and sit on the edge of the bed. Think you can manage that for me?" Gabriel asked, watching as Sam moved far easier than he had a few minutes ago.

Sam shifted into position and stared at G- at the Trickster and nodded, taking deep breaths. It was easy to see how much the front of his chest hurt now, though his back had taken the worst of the damage.

"Okay!" Gabriel said, straddling Sam's knees before putting the cream down on the bed. "We're going to have to apply this again in the morning, but this is the only way that you're going to get some sleep tonight."

Sam stared in surprise and shock at the other man as he straddled his legs and then began working the cream into his neck and shoulders. He bit down on his lip to keep from groaning and stared at the Trickster. "Why are you doing this, Trickster?"

Gabriel chuckled and stared at Sam. "Call me Gabriel."

"No," Sam bit out, shaking his head. "You're the Trickster."

"My name," Gabriel said. "Is Gabriel. My reputation is the Trickster. Two very different things. Here? On my ship, among my men, and people I consider friends and allies? I'm Gabriel. They call me Gabriel"

Sam stared at the Trickster and bit down the angry response he wanted to make. He wasn't one of those allies, he wasn't one of the crew, or anyone who had a right to call him by that name, so why was the bastard almost insisting that he did? "Why do you want me to call you that?"

"Because that's who I am. Just like you are Sam. Who has a last name that he doesn't want to divulge for mysterious reasons," Gabriel said, working his way down Sam's upper arm and then forearm. Sam's eyes were still slammed shut and he had a twisted expression on his face. He gathered more of the cream into his hand and started to work his way down the other arm.

"Do you think," Gabriel said, lifting Sam's arm to make sure he covered the area. "If I was a ruthless pirate captain that wanted you to suffer, that I would be sitting here, rubbing burn cream into your sunburns to prevent sunstroke?"

Sam frowned and opened his eyes, freezing as he realized just how close Gabriel was sitting. He swallowed hard and leaned back a little bit, but Gabriel just made a pleased noise and started to rub the cream into his chest. Sam bit down on his lower lip until he tasted blood, preventing the groan that wanted to escape.

He just needed to pray that Gabriel would not notice, his, his interest in this situation at all. He took a deep breath and stared at the hands that were working down his chest and then his abdomen. "Why are you doing this? The burn ointment?"

Gabriel chuckled and gathered some more into his hand, before working his way over Sam's stomach. "Well. Call me selfish and a bit of a bastard, but I didn't like the idea of them touching you like this. If someone was going to, it was going to be me. There was no doubt in my mind of that."

Sam swallowed hard and this time the noise escaped his throat. Gabriel's eyes flew up to his and Sam watched as they darkened and he flushed in embarrassment at the reaction of his body.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Regret asking now, kiddo?"

Sam clenched his hands into the blankets on the bed. He wanted nothing more than to sink into the comforting sheets and sleep until dawn, but if he did, something like before would happen and he-

He groaned, loud and long as Gabriel wrapped a hand around him through his pants and squeezed. Sam reached out and grabbed his arm, shaking his head. "Wrong," he spat.

"It's not," Gabriel said, his voice quiet and certain. "It's want and desire, just between two men, instead of a man and a woman. There's nothing wrong with it. There's never been anything wrong with it."

Sam opened his eyes and stared at Gabriel, at the absolute certainty in his voice and swallowed hard. "How, how did you-"

Gabriel laughed a little bit and leaned in to press a kiss to Sam's forehead. "You're precious. Now, I'll make you a deal."

Sam gave the other man a wary look, but nodded. "All right."

"You let me teach you about this, about desire between two men. You can decide and tell me when to stop, what you want, or don't want. But you're clearly interested," Gabriel said, giving another squeeze. "So let me teach you."

Sam frowned at Gabriel. "I don't understand how that is a deal for you. What are you getting out of it?"

Gabriel smirked and slid off of Sam's knees, kneeling in front of him and undoing the laces. "You won't be asking me that question in a few weeks, I can promise you that, Sam." He didn't bother letting Sam make any more protests, instead, he leaned in and sucked the tip of Sam's cock into his mouth, sucking hard.

Sam gasped and let his head fall back, his hand flying to Gabriel's hair and pulling, his whole body overwhelmed with the sensation of tight, hot, heat. How was he supposed to think?

"By the way," Gabriel said, pulling off for a moment to look up at Sam. He smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up. "Call me Gabriel."

Sam made a strangled sound of agreement and shuddered when Gabriel lowered his mouth to him again and closed his eyes, losing himself completely to the sensation. He'd heard rumors of things like this, things that women could do to make a man completely senseless and now he understood. He'd lain with women before, but never, never had it felt like this.

Gabriel lost himself completely in the rhythm of swallowing Sam down until he had taken him deep into his throat, bobbing his head eagerly. Sam would not last long, inexperience would be his enemy in this case, but Gabriel didn't mind teaching him and helping him understand just how good desire between two men could be.

A few bobs of his head later and Sam was tensing, his thighs straining with the effort of not moving. Gabriel pulled back to suck on just the head, teasing his tongue along the slit before Sam was shouting his name, his back bowing backwards as he reached his release.

Swallowing him down was easy and Gabriel pulled back, sitting on his heels as Sam slumped backward, only barely catching himself before he fell completely to the bed. His hair was sticking to parts of his face and neck, his cheeks flushed and his eyes were wide and stunned. Gabriel licked his lips and felt the weight of Sam's stare afterward. "Good?"

"Yes," Sam managed, clearing his throat. "I've, I've lain with women, I'm not inexperienced-"

"But it's never felt quite like that, has it?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam shook his head and stared down at Gabriel's erection, tenting the front of his pants and frowned. "You have not-"

"Nope," Gabriel said, standing up and undoing the laces. "You want to help me with that?"

Sam flushed and cleared his throat. "I'm not sure that I could-"

"Oh no," Gabriel said, waving a hand as he straddled Sam's thighs again, scooting closer and looking up into the surprised hazel eyes. "Much easier. Give me your hand," he ordered, and waited until Sam had done exactly that.

He took Sam's hand and wrapped it around his erection and savored the shiver that ran up Sam's spine and smirked at him. "Touch me as you would yourself," Gabriel said, staring at Sam.

Sam swallowed hard and thought about that before pulling his hand away. The way he touched himself. He could manage that.

Gabriel was about to protest and glare at Sam for pulling his hand away when he watched Sam lick his palm, and then wrap it around his cock again. He let out a small groan as the added spit made the movements of Sam's hand that much easier. "Yes, good," he panted, rocking his hips up and into the touch.

Sam stared in surprise as Gabriel groaned, a small strangled noise escaping his throat as he moved on top of him. He brushed his thumb across the slit, he liked to do that sometimes, and Gabriel's entire body bucked and he moved frantically into every movement of Sam's hand. Sam focused much more closely, paying attention to the touches that Gabriel liked.

Only moments later, he could feel Gabriel swelling in his hand and then he had finished as well, making a mess of his stomach and hand. Sam stared at him in surprise and pulled his hand back, in awe that he had been the cause of Gabriel's pleasure. Gabriel was still shivering and had slumped forward over him as his whole body relaxed. "Are you all right?" Sam asked, his voice hoarse.

Gabriel laughed a little and lifted his head from Sam's shoulder. "I am about as all right as anyone could ever be," he managed, reaching for the handkerchief that he had made sure to keep by the table this evening and wiped himself off and stretched happily. "That was great."

Sam watched as Gabriel stood and stripped off his shirt and his pants. He flushed and immediately moved down to his pallet and didn't look at Gabriel when the other man paused beside him.

"You sure you don't want to sleep in the comfy bed?" Gabriel offered.

"I don't want to make a mess of the sheets," Sam said, clearing his throat as he settled down on the pallet. "Will you help apply the ointment again in the morning?"

Gabriel closed his eyes and smiled, sinking into the blankets and pillows. "Sure. Especially if that's how we end up afterward."

Sam flushed, his face turning red. While he would not mind that outcome, it seemed indecent to talk about it so blatantly.

Gabriel laughed and rolled his eyes. “I’m having a difficult time believing that someone who looks like you is shy, Sammich.”

Sam glared at the pallet and kept his attention carefully away from Gabriel. He was not going to snap back at the man who could decide whether or not he wanted to kill him. He was not. Now he needed to sleep and not dream of Gabriel.

“Suit yourself,” Gabriel said, shrugging and leaning back into the pillows. “I think you’re crazy, but if you want to do that, sure, have at it.”

Sam ignored Gabriel and focused on falling asleep. He would need to be awake in a handful of hours, and it would be best to get rest while he still could. He took a deep breath and focused on the pallet in front of him.

“Night Sam,” Gabriel said, yawning again and settling into his pillow. At least the kid had kept the pillow from last night, so he wouldn’t be completely miserable.

~!~

When Sam woke up, he was even more miserable than before, his entire back and body on fire. He could hear Gabriel moving about the room and he slowly pushed himself upright, sucking in a pained breath.

Gabriel gave a low whistle and immediately moved for the jar that he had left on the table. “Yeah, we need to get more of this on you right away,” he said, gesturing for Sam to lay down as he had yesterday.

This time, he kept the sensual touches to a minimum, instead focusing on doing his absolute best to alleviate Sam’s pain. Slowly, moment by moment, Sam relaxed, leaning into the bed he was stretched out on. Gabriel worked the cream into him and paused when he finished. “How does your front feel?”

“Nowhere near as awful as my back,” Sam said, truthfully.

Gabriel chuckled and stood up, capping the jar and leaving it on the table. “Can you do without cream, or would you like it there as well?” he asked, grabbing Sam’s shirt off the floor from where they had left it the night before. He offered it to Sam when he got a negative grunt in response. “Guess that’s a no. You stay there and let the cream start working and I’ll grab us breakfast.”

Sam nodded again and watched as Gabriel let himself out of the room. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing through the pain. Eventually, the fire that was erupting on his back faded away and he could move without pain. He would have to ask this Samandriel exactly what was in the cream, because it was remarkable.

The door opened again and Sam relaxed when he saw that it was Gabriel. He took a deep breath and forced himself upright, pulling his shirt on. He reached out for the plate that Gabriel handed him and blinked in surprise at the amount of food. “Are we sharing?”

“Oh, is that why you left some of your food yesterday?” Gabriel asked, sitting down in the chair beside his desk. “I was wondering. No, we are not sharing, I have my own food, thank you.”

Sam nodded and took the bread, cheese and water and dug into it gratefully. When he was finished, he found Gabriel staring at him again and he stared down at the plate before he held his hand out for Gabriel’s. “Your plate,” he said, waving his hand a little. “I’ll return it to the kitchen.”

Gabriel handed his plate over with a bemused smile. “Sure. Also, report to Samandriel after you finish. He’ll be figuring out what you can do to assist him through the day.”

Sam chuckled and stared at Gabriel. "What, no threats to run me through today?"

Gabriel grinned and winked at Sam. "I can do one of those, but it will not be the running through that you are thinking of, so if you'd like me to make one of those jokes, I am more than able to do so."

Sam flushed and swallowed down the last of his food, trying to roll his eyes at Gabriel, even as heat started to creep up his spine at the idea. He needed to keep himself in control. He couldn't allow Gabriel to keep influencing his thoughts like this. That road only led to ruin. He'd learned that once already, the hard way.

He cleared his throat again and took the plates down to the kitchen, washing them and ducking away from the stares of the men there, asking a quick question around where he might find Samandriel before slipping behind the kitchen and towards the room the healer had been known to hide in.

"Hello?" Sam called, looking around the small room. He inhaled the scent of spices and a variety of other herbs that he recognized and started to look around, leaning in closer to some plants. There was the basic spices, and then there were pots and jars of things that he didn't recognize.

"Yes, yes, one minute!" Samandriel called impatiently. "I'm sure you want something, so just give me a moment to-ow!"

Sam was immediately around the table and striding for the backroom, finding the source of the yelp followed by cursing. Samandriel, one of the men that he had caught a glimpse of the other day was waving a hand and sucking a fingertip into his mouth with a grimace on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course," Samandriel said, raising an eyebrow at the tall man filling his doorway. "What sent you charging back here?"

"You uh," Sam cleared his throat. "You sounded like you were in pain, and I wanted to help."

Samandriel gave a large smile, charmed. "Aren't you the sweetest thing. You must be Sam."

Sam blinked and tried to swallow the fact that the other man knew who he was.

"Oh trust me, we're all talking about you, and how Gabriel has appropriated you to be his cabin boy. Some people aren't too pleased with that fact, but let me tell you, I think majority of us couldn't care less," Samandriel said, moving a vial from one side of his desk to the other.

"I, uh," Sam said, trying to clear his throat and explain that Gabriel had sent him down here to keep working. On what, he had no idea, but he was sure that Samandriel would put him to work doing something that he needed.

"So what brings you down here? Is the cream working for your back?" Samandriel asked, walking around Sam and studying the burn through his shirt. He sniffed. "I can tell that you are wearing it, are you still in pain?"

"No, it's great," Sam said, clearing his throat. "Gabriel sent me down here to help you. I have some working knowledge of herbology as well as other things that might be of assistance to you and-"

"Do you know chemistry at all?" Samandriel asked, perking up. "I would love a fellow chemist to talk with. It's been years since I talked with anyone who studied anything of that nature, and you frankly might be the first!"

Sam blinked at the enthusiasm and nodded. "I do have some basic training in chemistry and biology, so if you needed something in those areas-"

"What was your passion?" Samandriel asked, gesturing to two chairs in front of the fire. "Come, talk to me, where did you study, you must tell me everything."

"How did you come to be here?" Sam asked, settling into the seat, looking at Samandriel. The more the other man talked it was clear he was from a genteel lifestyle, which made the way he talked and the fact that he was on a pirate ship all the more confusing. One more mystery that he needed to figure out.

Samandriel laughed. "You will find this quite ridiculous, but I got myself into trouble. Gabriel is one of my many cousins and when I explained to him what had happened, he said that he needed to get me out of the country for a little while."

Sam nodded and couldn't help but smiling a little bit. That did sound like something Gabriel would do. "And after a little while had passed?"

"Well, let's just say I got used to things here and that I didn't want to leave once this place had become family to me. And it is," Samandriel said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Gabriel keeps me well-funded, as long as I keep the men healthy and alive, and between the both of us, we've found places where we are far more useful than we were previously."

"Why do you all call him Gabriel?" Sam asked, tilting his head and studying Samandriel. "His reputation-"

Samandriel scowled. "Is almost entirely false, and is a bit infuriating to listen to for those who know Gabriel much closer than that. He loves the talk, for it makes him more fearsome when he needs to negotiate a deal, and you never want to get into a fight with the man. But as for the raping, pillaging and other things that pirates are known for? I've never seen him do anything other than steal, give to those who need it, as well as enact punishment to those that deserve it."

Sam blinked at the vehemence in Samandriel's tone and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to bring up a topic that is sore for everyone."

"It's not sore, per se," Samandriel said. "However, many of the good things that Gabriel has done are overshadowed by the reputation of the Trickster."

That made sense, and explained quite a few things at the same time.

"Now, I think that I have talked quite enough," Samandriel said, smiling at Sam. "Tell me everything about you. I want to know what and where you studied, what your favorites were, I had a classical education myself, so I guarantee that I would be able to speak on the same level easily."

Sam took a deep breath and wondered if all of this information was going to make its way back to Gabriel. He was pretty sure that it would, so he was careful about what he said in terms of his family and where he had come from, but once he started talking about school, there was no need to censor himself and what his passions had been.

He and Samandriel talked for hours until Sam felt guilty for not doing any sort of work and he looked around, chewing on his lip. "Could we make more of that burn cream?"

Samandriel tilted his head to the side and looked out the window, chuckling. "I suppose that we have been talking for quite a few hours. Very well, we can make more of that burn cream." His eyes sharpened. "Are you running low?"

"No," Sam said, shaking his head. "But in case someone else needs it, I don't want you to have run out."

Samandriel gave a pleased smile and led Sam over to his workshop table. "Everything, almost entirely, is bolted down, allowing for the movement of the ship, of course, but it should also make it easy for you to learn where things are. If you aren't sure of something, ask. I won't have you making a mistake on my watch."

Sam nodded and listened intently.

~!~

By the end of the day, he wasn't as exhausted as he had been while doing the manual labor that the ship demanded, but his mind was exhausted and he made it back to Gabriel's cabin and fell down on the pallet and into the comfortable pillow. He didn't stop to think that he needed to get dinner, or anything else, he only wanted to sleep.

Gabriel came into the room a few hours later, wondering what sort of trouble Sam could have gotten into with Samandriel and chuckled at the sight of Sam passed out and snoring on his pallet. He shut the door behind him and went over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and studying Sam where he was laying on the floor. He winced. That could not be comfortable.

Gabriel went to go get the both of them food and left the plates and goblets on the table, before prodding Sam with his foot. A low, annoyed grunt escaped Sam and Gabriel did it again, unable to keep from chuckling. "Sam, come on, wake up."

Sam opened one eye and glared at Gabriel. Why did he have to be woken up? There was no need to wake him up, he could have kept sleeping for hours and hours and that would have been blissful. "What?" he snapped.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget that you are my cabin boy and should be fetching my dinner?"

Sam groaned and pushed himself up and onto his knees. He had forgotten, and the threat of Gabriel running him through was still fresh enough that he stumbled to his feet and then caught sight of the food on the table. He scowled and turned to glare at Gabriel. "You went to get your food already?"

"Of course I did. I wasn't going to wait to eat dinner. Now, since you made me go get my own food, which isn't part of this agreement, you're going to have to do something to make that up to me," Gabriel said, laying back on the bed.

Sam narrowed his eyes and frowned, but nodded. "All right," he agreed, wondering exactly what Gabriel was going to make him to do to make up for falling asleep on his duties.

"Feed me," Gabriel ordered, stretching back against the pillows.

"What?" Sam asked, his voice incredulous. "You want me to feed you?"

"Yup," Gabriel said, waving his hand at the plate of food. "The grapes and fruit first, since I have no desire whatsoever to get scurvy."

Sam scowled and reached out for the plate, bringing it closer as he sat on the edge of the bed. "How would you like things? One grape at a time?"

"Yes that sounds perfect," Gabriel said, unable to keep from grinning. Sam was so frustrated and annoyed at him, but hopefully would see that this was for the best and that there was a reason he was making this demand.

Sam picked up a single grape and held it out towards Gabriel, raising an annoyed eyebrow at him. That, of course, was when Gabriel leaned forward and sealed his lips around his fingers and sucked and licked at him as he took the grape into his mouth. Sam groaned in surprise and watched as Gabriel pulled back and bit down on the grape, chewing easily. He was frozen until Gabriel swallowed and raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Right," Sam croaked out, reaching for another grape on the plate. He repeated the process, holding the grape out to Gabriel, only to watch him lick and suck at it as he took it between his teeth. "You are maddening," he whispered.

"Yes," Gabriel agreed, picking up another grape and holding it out to Sam's lips. "You try," he ordered, clearing his throat.

Sam leaned forward and hesitated, looking at Gabriel, at the golden eyes that were riveted to him, to what he was about to try.

He sucked all three of Gabriel's fingers into his mouth and used his tongue to pry the grape free, slowly teasing his teeth against Gabriel's fingers as he pulled his mouth away. Gabriel let out a startled moan and Sam focused on him again, on the way the golden eyes had gone wide with shock and arousal.

"Wow," Gabriel whispered, staring at Sam. "Quick learner there, kid." he whispered, leaning in and pressing his lips to Sam's neck, sucking and nibbling at the pinkened skin. Sam moaned and fell back to the bed, Gabriel climbed off and stripped of his own boots and Sam's in a quick moment, before climbing back on top of him, continuing down to the collar bone that had been teasing him by peeking out of Sam's shirt for hours.

Sam tried to remember that this was the Trickster, that this was a ruthless pirate who stole and pillaged and did things that were illegal and hurt a lot of people. He was trying to remember that, but all he could think about was Gabriel, the man who Samandriel had told dozens of stories about, who had saved his life and who was touching him like this. They were two completely separate people in his mind now, and he wanted Gabriel. Wanted him like he had never wanted another being before in his life.

He pushed Gabriel up and away from him, ignoring the growl of protest before he ripped his shirt the rest of the way off. Sam caught sight of pleased golden eyes again before Gabriel was back on his skin, licking and sucking down his sternum. The touch was almost too intimate and he closed his eyes, trying to focus on something else, anything else.

"Look at you," Gabriel purred, wrapping his hand around Sam's cock, giving it a slow squeeze. "So very beautiful for me, hard and straining with barely a touch." He undid the laces to Sam’s pants a moment later, tugging them away and pulling Sam's breeches down to his thighs. Almost entirely bare to his gaze now, Gabriel looked his fill, licking his lips. So very gorgeous.

Sam flushed and bit down on his lips, trying to keep the noises from escaping that wanted to. He couldn't allow Gabriel to do this to him, take him apart with nothing more than words and a handful of light touches. "I'm not," he protested.

Gabriel chuckled and pressed a kiss to the cut of Sam's hipbone. "If you think that, Sam, you have not seen nearly enough beauty in your life and I consider that to be a criminal offense," he teased, reaching out for the jeweled dagger on the bedside. He held it out and in front of Sam. "Do you consider this beautiful?"

Sam nodded. "In a deadly way, yes." Much like Gabriel. Gabriel was beautiful, and ruthless, and sometimes funny, and also surprisingly kind. He was a dichotomy of emotions and Sam was helplessly attracted to him. In the wrong way, in the way that he had always been told would lead him to hell.

If Hell included Gabriel, and feeling like this? He wasn't sure how it could possibly be seen as a bad thing.

"Now, you might be wondering," Gabriel said, lifting the dagger between them and pulling it out of its sheath. "Why I enjoyed you having this pressed against my skin the other day."

Sam had wondered and had chocked it up to some people enjoying that type of thing. He did not understand why Dean loved ships as much as he did, but it was something simply about him that he loved and would never want different. "I did wonder, yes," he managed, and the words sounded softer, gentler, the both of them in the bed like this.

Gabriel smiled and pressed his finger into the dagger and held it against the skin of his arm. "I press it here, no effect," he said, reaching out for Sam's hand, taking it and bringing it to the hilt of the dagger. "However, if I give it to you, I am trusting you not to hurt me, to hold it there and know that the only thing keeping me from harm is your control."

Sam gasped, his breath coming in harder and faster pants as he held the dagger up to Gabriel's skin, his eyes caught on the golden eyes above him, unable to look away. The dagger didn't tremble, even as the rest of him did. "The power-"

"Yes," Gabriel whispered, tilting his head back with a groan. "The knowledge that you have all of the power here. That I am completely and totally at your mercy," he added, his hips rocking forward to rub against Sam. "There is nothing more intoxicating than that feeling, and I will be chasing it for the rest of my life."

Sam trailed the dagger further down the soft skin of Gabriel's chest, pressing in in a few places, just to watch him tremble. "You're enjoying this?"

Gabriel opened an eye and looked down, drawing Sam's gaze to his erection. "I think it's obvious just how much I enjoy this."

"What do you want me to do?" Sam asked, holding the knife still, staring at Gabriel. "Tell me what you want me to do."

Gabriel chuckled and settled a little more firmly against Sam's thighs, untying the ties on his breeches as well. "I'd like you to put the dagger away for now, because you are going to touch the both of us together."

Sam pulled the knife away and reached up, tangling his fingers in Gabriel's shirt and tugging it off of him, baring the rest of his skin to his eyes. He wasn't sure what it was important that they shared the same level of nakedness, but it was, and he wanted to see it, and absolutely drown himself in it.

He took another deep breath and stared up at Gabriel, wondering what they were going to do next. "How?"

"Simple," Gabriel said, reaching out for Sam's hand and bringing it down between them. He sat back a little, to make the angle easier. "You've got much larger hands than I do. We're now going to put them to use!"

Sam chuckled at Gabriel's enthusiasm and debating obeying the order, but Gabriel rocked against him, sending little sparks shooting up his spine and hell if he could resist the lure of precisely how good that felt. Because it did, everything about that was good, glorious even. He needed more of it.

He was hesitant, but he wrapped his hand around them both and stroked, slowly, the gritty friction of what they were doing as they moved together an added thrill. "Gabriel," he whispered, his hips bucking up and into his hand.

Gabriel moaned and pressed his forehead to Sam's collar, cursing their height. They needed to switch this around so he could watch the kid start to lose control. "Yeah?" he asked, leaning down and nuzzling the lightly burned skin.

Sam didn't have the words for how good it felt, how much the simple touch made him feel. It was too much, especially when Gabriel started moving in tandem with him. He took a deep breath and shivered, hard. He stroked them, the roughness of the friction just making them move even faster than before.

"Yes," Gabriel said, planting his hands on either side of Sam's shoulders, staring down at him as Sam started to lose control, bucking into each and every touch. "Yes, like that," he ordered, moving just that much faster. He closed his eyes and groaned as the rough pad of Sam's thumb slid across the tip of his cock, making him shudder. "Sam," he moaned.

Sam shuddered again, the sound of Gabriel's voice completely ambrosia to his brain and he was going to make a complete and utter mess of Gabriel and himself again. "Gabriel, please, I need," he begged, biting down on his lip as he moved his hand a little bit faster.

Gabriel nodded and bit down on Sam's collarbone, leaving a mark there, just a small little mark to say that Sam was his and always would be his and anyone who tried anything otherwise was going to answer to him. "I know, I know exactly what you need, and don't worry, I'm going to make sure that you get it," he panted out, rocking his hips forward, letting the two of them grind against each other.

It wasn't long before the mutual friction of Sam's hand and rubbing against each other had Gabriel shuddering his way through his orgasm. Only a few moments later, Sam followed him, adding to the complete mess on his belly. Gabriel pulled back just enough to admire the state of Sam like that, his entire body wrecked and on display. He was the most decadent and beautiful treasure that Gabriel had ever seen.

Sam was laying on the bed, panting hard, his entire body still shaking with the aftershocks of what he had gone through. Gabriel grinned at him and cleaned them both up before settling back down on top of Sam, cuddling into his chest.

Sam made a surprised noise, but didn't protest, so Gabriel didn't bother moving from where he was. He poked Sam in the side when he could still feel Sam thinking and staring at him in confusion. "Men are allowed to like curling up as well, so stop thinking so hard. I want to stay right where I am and you aren't allowed to move."

Sam only grunted at him, so Gabriel took that for a yes for the time being and settled in, finding a perfect place for his head in the crook of Sam's neck. He was comfortable and whined when Sam moved and shifted a little bit. But then Sam spread his legs just enough and Gabriel sank into him even more and then there was a blanket wrapped around them both and he gave a happy grunt.

Perfect, exactly what he had needed and now he just needed even more of it, and to convince the kid to stay with him every single night like this. They could work their way up to fucking, even. If he had his way, Sam was going to be his cabin boy for a very long time.

~!~

It was strange how quickly he had fallen into a rhythm here, Sam mused, as he finished stirring something for Samandriel. While he didn't have the other man's extensive knowledge of herbs and healing, he did know a few things that Samandriel didn't, and it was interesting to see where their knowledge overlapped and didn't.

Sam also wasn't allowed to spend all of his time with Samandriel. As soon as his back healed, he spent a great deal of time on deck, learning everything there was to know about sailing. His skin darkened and started to tan, and even though they had made port a dozen times over, Sam didn't bother trying to escape. Gabriel kept them moored in the bays, and sent groups in to fetch the supplies in that they needed. Whether that was to prevent him from escaping or some other reason, Sam didn't bother finding out.

He could have escaped if he wanted to, the opportunities had been there. He could have escaped and made himself a new life, far away from his father and far away from Gabriel, but, he was finding that he didn't want to. He'd told Gabriel once, in the beginning, that as soon as he could, he would try to escape, but now, he just could not find it in him to do so.

What was there for him out there? Here, at least, he had earned his place. The rest of the crew no longer looked at him with disdain, though there was ribbing about the fact that he shared the Captain's bed, but none of it was cruel. In fact, it reminded him of Dean and the sailors that Dean would hang out with as often as he was able to do so. It made him miss his brother more and more.

But he would try his best not to think about Dean, or his previous life. There was no point in thinking about it, and it would be better for everyone if he just moved on from being Sam Winchester and became someone else. There was nothing left for him attached to the Winchester name. Only ruin, and disappointment. Everything their father had built, turned to ash.

Sam pushed his fingers through his hair and looked up at the sky. He glanced back at the wheel and smiled when he saw Gabriel arguing with Benny there. He understood, better than ever, now, why the crew called him Gabriel and not the Trickster. He'd seen glimpses of it, now, when they captured the slaver ships, of the man named the Trickster, the violence he didn't hesitate to reign down on those who would call themselves better than other men.

Afterward, Gabriel would drink himself until he would pass out onto his bed and Sam would strip him, and tuck him into his sheets carefully. Those were the only nights that Sam still spent on his pallet, the rest of the time it went unused. He stretched and looked into the sun again. Gabriel and the others were convinced that there was a storm coming, but he could see no evidence of it on the horizon. But the sails had been rolled and strapped tightly, and now they did nothing more than wait for the storm to hit them.

He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of sea salt and looked out and over the ocean. For years, he had told Dean that he would never be satisfied on the sea for the rest of his life, but Gabriel did have a funny way of changing his thinking. He secured the last rope into place and glanced at Benny, waiting for the approving nod before he moved onto the next task to be complete before the storm hit.

Gabriel advised him, as the sun was starting to set, that he catch what few hours of sleep that he could before the storm hit. Sam nodded and managed to crawl into bed, only to be woken by a loud clap of thunder. He looked out the back window and saw nothing but sheets of rain. Panic for Gabriel set in and he tugged his shirt on and sprinted for the deck.

Sam spun around, nearly slipping and losing his footing before his boots caught on the rough wood and he cleared his throat, grabbing onto a loose piece of the rigging before sprinting for the moorings on the other side of the ship.

"About time you got out here!" Benny shouted. "We need your help!"

"What do I do?" Sam shouted back, wincing at the loud clap of thunder.

"Go help Gabriel!" Benny said, gesturing to the upper deck where Gabriel was struggling with the wheel. "Storm's fighting him too hard, and we need to get to the eye."

Sam nodded and slipped and ran for the upper deck, gripping onto handrails as he listened to Kali groan as she crested over another wave and immediately descended. The height of the next wave ahead of him made his eyes widen and he grabbed onto the railing as tightly as he could when it crashed over the bow of the ship, sending gallons of water washing over them.

He could hear Gabriel shouting order after order, and Sam stumbled his way over to him, grabbing the other side of the wheel and helping Gabriel keep it steady as Gabriel yelled out more orders. "Go!" Sam shouted, holding the wheel straight with a grunt as Gabriel spun to look at him in shock.

"They need to be able to hear you, go!" He waved towards the deck and Gabriel was off a minute later, weaving through the men, shouting orders. Moments later, Benny was beside him, gripping the other side of the wheel and directing him as they made their way through crest after crest.

Each wave of water hitting the deck of the ship, bathing all of the men in waist deep water or higher made Sam panic. Gabriel wasn't as large as some of the men, but every time he looked, he was able to see golden hair, and Gabriel holding onto a rope, or a piece of Kali, a manic grin on his face as he helped secure the rigging.

It was maddening to watch and to see, but he had to focus on keeping the boat straight. Then thunder flashed and the sight of the wave in front of them made Benny shout out a warning to the men, grabbing the bell and ringing it, as hard as he could, in warning.

Sam gripped the wheel tightly and held on, praying that they would make it through this wave as it crashed over the bow of the ship. He lost sight of the deck for precious seconds as water flooded it and Kali's body creaked, straining under the weight of the water. Sam held onto the wheel tighter and offered up a prayer to Kali, the goddess that Gabriel had named the ship after. They just needed to make it through this wave, everything else would be fine, they just needed to make it through this wave.

The water finally started to recede and Sam saw heads and chests pop up from the water, most of the men gasping for air as they pulled the ropes tight all over again, trying to keep everything secure. Sam's heart jumped into his throat when he realized that he couldn't see Gabriel, not yet. He looked over all of the men again and then he caught sight of Gabriel, against one of the rails on the side, sucking in breaths of air.

Lightening flashed and Sam nearly slumped in relief as Gabriel started to make his way over towards where the other men were working. A shadow came up behind Gabriel and Sam shouted over the sound of thunder when Gabriel suddenly went limp. Benny was looking at him, but there was no time, the shadowed figure was carrying Gabriel towards the side of the board and Sam pointed, before releasing the wheel and running for Gabriel.

He shoved past the men, but none of them could see, none of them knew why he was trying to do, and he got to the railing, just as the figure in black shoved Gabriel over the edge and into the churning water. "No!" he screamed and looked around. Garth was behind him and Sam grabbed a coiled length of rope, running for the side. "Secure it!" He ordered over his shoulder as he jumped up on the railing. He tied it tight around his waist and dove into the water, ignoring the shouts from the crew.

They hadn't seen Gabriel go over.

Another lightning flash illuminated the water for long enough so Sam could see the body floating deeper and deeper into the ocean. He stretched himself out and prayed that Garth had heard his order and swam towards Gabriel.

He managed to grab Gabriel's arm as soon as the rope around his waist went taut and he was yanked in the other direction. He swam for the surface, hauling Gabriel into his arms and holding onto him for all that he was worth. He would save Gabriel, he would.

Sam broke to the surface a few moments later, only to have a wave crash over him. He sucked in a desperate breath of air and fought for the surface again. This time when he broke it, he could see the men on the ship, desperately pulling on the rope, yanking him in closer. Three more waves later, Sam was finally able to reach the ladder built into the side of the ship. He hauled himself up, keeping Gabriel tucked under his arm as he climbed.

He managed to get on deck, coughing up water, and turned to look at Gabriel. Benny was shouting orders, urging the men to action. Samandriel was by them in a second and was struggling to lift Gabriel. Sam stumbled to his feet and picked up Gabriel, following Samandriel into Gabriel's cabin. He put Gabriel down on the floor, his legs giving out on him and watched as Samandriel pounded on Gabriel's chest.

A few heart-stopping moments later, Gabriel jack-knifed upright, coughing up water and bile and Sam had never been so grateful to see someone sucking in air like Gabriel was. Samandriel sat back on his haunches and covered his face.

Gabriel coughed for a few minutes and looked between the frantic faces of Sam and Samandriel, waiting for one of them to tell him what the hell had happened. "Why do you both look like someone nearly died?" he asked, tilting his head at them in curiosity.

Sam wanted to laugh, he did, but the shout of the men out on the deck had him looking at Samandriel. "I've got to go. Keep an eye on him?"

Samandriel nodded and grabbed a pillow for Gabriel's head, keeping him elevated so that he could breath easier.

Gabriel appreciated the gesture, but it wasn't like he was dying. He sat up and his head immediately swam, making him lay back down. "Woah, why does my head hurt?"

"I'm not sure," Samandriel admitted, leaning over Gabriel's head, probing through Gabriel's hair until he found a wound that was seeping a little bit of blood. "Someone got you upside the head. Good, from what I can tell."

Gabriel blinked and stared at Samandriel. "Are you saying that someone hit me and tried to throw me overboard?"

"Yes," Samandriel said, looking at Gabriel. "And Sam, is the only one who noticed. He dove after you without a thought for his own safety, he didn't even wait until we had secured the rope that he tied around himself before he was diving after you."

Gabriel groaned and covered his face. "Of course, of course he had to save me."

"He did save you," Samandriel said, going to Gabriel's table and grabbing some of the spare bandages that Gabriel kept there. He brought them back over and dabbed at the head wound, wiping away the excess blood. "Saved your life, good and proper. I think he's proven himself a member of this crew like the rest of us."

"Except the rest of you aren't going to leave the second that you get to port," Gabriel said, groaning a little bit as he coughed again, his lungs not appreciating the water he had put into them, apparently.

Samandriel raised an eyebrow. "Sam told you that? When?"

"Doesn't matter," Gabriel said, waving his hand. "It was true then, it's true now, Sam's not going to stay, hell, he probably only saved me to make sure whoever else took over didn't end up running him through."

Samandriel huffed. "I would not have allowed him to be run through and you know it. There is no need to be dramatic, Gabriel."

Gabriel grunted and tried to roll himself upright as the ship crashed through another wave. "I've got to get back out there."

"No you don't," Samandriel said, tugging Gabriel back down to where he was lying. "Right now you are more of a liability than you will be a help. Benny will take care of things, I have no doubt. Sam's out there helping him."

Gabriel huffed. "Sam doesn't know what he's doing."

"No," Samandriel agreed. "But he is willing to listen and follow orders, and he's strong, so right now, he's needed. I'm sure he'll crawl into bed with you soon enough."

Gabriel groaned and slowly managed to get himself upright. "Speaking of bed, am I allowed to sit in there instead of on my floor?"

"I don't think that you are going to be able to walk to the bed, as much as you would like to try," Samandriel said. "But when Sam returns, he will be happy to oblige you."

Gabriel grunted and settled back onto the pillow when the nausea rolled over him in another slow wave again. At least he didn't have a full concussion, or anything that would hinder him for long. "Does Sam know who hit me?"

Samandriel shook his head. "Leave such questions for the morning, Gabriel."

"What if someone else gets hurt?" Gabriel protested, looking out at the window when thunder crashed again.

"If their target was you, there is little point in coming after anyone else on the ship and earning your proper wrath," Samandriel said, putting away the rest of the bandages.

Gabriel hated how logical that Samandriel could be at times, even if he was right in this particular case. "I hate this. I'm going to have to kill one of them."

"Yes, you are," Samandriel agreed, looking down at Gabriel. "But you can leave that problem for the morning. Rest, if you can, I am going to get something for your head."

Gabriel stared up at the ceiling and listening to the shouting out on deck. The franticness was dying down by the sounds of things, and so were the large crests between waves. They were out of the worst of it. He reached out and patted the wood beneath him. "Good girl," he whispered.

It was hours, and there was the sight of sun before Sam was able to drag himself back to Gabriel's cabin. He was soaked through, a hundred times over and he would have paid a King's fortune to have a warm bath waiting for him. But instead, he could at least hope for a warm Gabriel, which would be something to praise.

Sam opened the door and smiled at Samandriel who rose. "He doing okay?"

"He's not an invalid," Gabriel groused from his spot on the floor. "However, I am very tired, and since Samandriel couldn't quite get me into the bed, could you help with that?"

Sam nodded and stripped off his shirt. He dropped the wet clothing to the floor and promised that he would pick it up later. He lifted Gabriel gently, easily, and carried him over to the bed, laying him down with his head propped up on pillows. "All right?"

"Sam, I'm going to bring you some clothing and a towel," Samandriel said, stepping out of the room to allow the two of them a moment of privacy.

Gabriel wanted to be grateful to the meddling bastard, but he couldn't quite make himself be. He should shout and scream at Sam for taking a risk like that, but since the risk had resulted in his life being saved, could he really complain all that much. "You look exhausted."

Sam laughed and pushed his hand through his wet hair. "I am exhausted. I didn't know I could be this tired."

Gabriel grinned and scooted to the side on the bed, patting it. "Come on, lay down, you know that you want to," he teased.

Sam shook his head and locked his knees. "I'm going to dry off and put clean clothing on, or I'm never going to get up again, and you're going to regret letting my cold, wet self into bed."

Gabriel laughed and then realized just how much that hurt, falling back onto the pillows. He took a deep breath and tried to relax, wincing a little bit. "So, I want to ask the obvious question."

"You'll get an obvious answer," Sam said, pushing his fingers through his hair again.

"Why'd you save me?"

Sam shrugged and looked at Gabriel, who had managed to sit himself up on the side of the bed and stare at him with those golden eyes. Sam swallowed and tried to look away. "You were hurt, and you got thrown overboard."

Gabriel sobered and stared at Sam for a long moment. "Did you see who did it?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, he was wearing a black cape, and I couldn't see his face. Didn't even see what he hit you with, actually."

Gabriel sighed and leaned back into the pillows. "That's what I was afraid of. That means we have someone that wants the captain dead and have no idea who and why they want me dead. Not the best place to be in."

Sam frowned and walked closer to the bed before remembering he couldn't do anything while he was soaking wet.

"Take your breeches off," Gabriel said, looking down at the wet clothing clinging to Sam. "It's certainly not hiding any hint of your modesty, and on top of that, you're freezing in them."

Sam sighed and stripped them off, holding them in front of himself when Samandriel returned to the room with a change of clothes for Sam as well as a towel. Sam took the towel gratefully.

"You both have a good night - Sam, wake me immediately if Gabriel starts experiencing nausea again," Samandriel ordered, closing the door behind him.

Sam nodded and dropped the wet clothing to the floor before picking up his shirt and breeches and hanging them on the fire grate. At least they could hang there to dry until the morning. He rubbed the towel along his skin, relaxing as he wiped the last of the rainwater away from him and focused on drying his hair next.

"Don't bother with the clothing," Gabriel said, eyeing Sam up and down. "I didn't want to, but Samandriel made me put on pants."

Sam laughed and put the towel on the grate as well before walking towards the bed. "You just want to have me naked in bed with you."

"You caught me," Gabriel admitted, looking up at Sam, taking a long moment to appreciate that long and still lanky body. He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. "I make no promises that you will remain untouched if you decide to get into bed wearing nothing."

Sam laughed and rolled his eyes, pulling his breeches on and sliding into the bed next to Gabriel. Gabriel made a protesting noise that Sam ignored and snuggled into the blankets a little bit more. "You're hurt and I am too tired to do anything other than fall asleep," Sam said, smiling at Gabriel before he yawned and let his head fall into the pillow. "Good night."

Gabriel watched as Sam fell asleep almost immediately, his face and body relaxing as he sagged into the comfort the bed offered him. He had no doubt that a good many of the men on the ship were doing the exact same thing, now that they were past the worst of the storm. Gabriel yawned and reached out to run his fingers through Sam's hair, considering. He was getting in too deep with Sam, he needed to be very careful. Sam wouldn't stay, as soon as he got the chance, he would be away, on an island, running from his life and from Gabriel.

Sam made a noise in his sleep and a small smile crawled up his face, making his dimples show. Gabriel stared at him until he could feel his own eyelids starting to get heavy. He focused on the slope of Sam's nose and his pink lips. That was one thing they hadn't done, a line that they had both drawn without meaning to.

No kissing. He knew what Sam tasted like in a carnal sense, but his lips? He would never be able to know what Sam's lips tasted of. They were chapped too. Gabriel pressed his thumb to Sam's lower lip and tested the softness, imagining kissing them for only a moment before he pulled his finger away and let himself drift into sleep. Sleep was an excellent idea.

~!~

They slept in well past the morning and by the time Sam managed to get out of bed, his every muscle aching, the sun was high in the sky. He frowned at it in the back window and looked down at Gabriel, who was blinking at him sleepily. He yawned and stretched. "I'm going to go see what there is left in the kitchen and bring us back food."

Gabriel watched as Sam didn't bother putting on a shirt, merely left the room to go deeper into the bowels of his ship and he realized that Samandriel was right in part. Sam was starting to feel a little bit more like family. Maybe that meant, that when the time came, Sam would consider staying, or at least seeing him regularly. The thought was comforting and Gabriel pulled himself out of bed, stretching and going digging for fresh clothing.

Sam returned a few minutes later with food for the both of them and Gabriel made a happy noise when he saw the two mugs of rum. He immediately took his and took a large gulp, the burn making a happy trail straight down to his stomach. He dug into the bread and cheese moments later, devouring all of the food that Sam had brought up for him. "No fruit?"

Sam shook his head. "We'll have some tomorrow when we stop at port."

Gabriel nodded and smiled, swallowing down his next bite with more rum. He settled back down on the edge of the bed and grinned at Sam. "So why did you save the pirate who has roped you into captivity, Sam?"

Sam shrugged and smirked at Gabriel. "I think there might be some sorts of pirates that I like. Clearly, he's proof that they can't all be bad. Now, I've got to help cleaning up the mess we have out there. When you're up to it, I'm sure everyone wants to see you as well."

Gabriel chuckled as Sam made his way back outside, still not bothering with the shirt. Long gone were the days where Sam would have to wear a shirt to protect his pale back. He finished off the last of his food and brought the plates down to the kitchen, adding them to the pile before he made his way on deck.

He smirked at the men and started barking orders, startling them until he saw grins start to emerge and people to move with a little bit more jump in their step. It wasn't surprising, seeing him bounce back after an injury always made everyone a little happier. Happened whenever one of them was wounded.

"Good to see you up and about so quickly," Benny said, walking over to Gabriel to stand by the railing. He lowered his voice and looked around for a minute before continuing. "Did Sam see who hit you?"

Gabriel shook his head, careful not to do it too hard, the motion still made him dizzy. "Was wearing a black cape, he said."

"That kid, he thinks well on his feet," Benny said, glancing over at where Sam was climbing into the rigging, calling out questions as he went higher and higher. "He had dove off the side after you before we had the other end of the rope in our hands. He trusted us completely."

Gabriel ignored the warm glow that statement caused, deep in the pit of his chest. "He hasn't given me a reason for why he saved me."

"Because he thinks that you should be saved, that you've got a pretty good thing going on here, hell, maybe just because he likes you, though hell if I could figure out why on that last one," Benny said, stretching.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and looked around the ship again, grinning as some people caught his eye. "So far everyone has been able to look me in the eye and smile, so, so much for obvious technique."

"Know who it is?" Benny asked, glancing around.

"I'm weighing my options. There's a couple of people who stand to gain a great deal if I die. You might be one of them, considering you'd become captain," Gabriel said, looking up at Benny with a raised eyebrow. Benny merely stared back at him, waiting, and Gabriel grinned. "Lucky for your ass, I know that you were holding onto the wheel with Sam."

"Is that the only reason you don't suspect me?" Benny asked.

"No," Gabriel said, winking at him. "But that's the show I'm going to have to make. I trust you, with my life, in battle, or sleeping next to me. That has never been under question. But I will question every single person on this ship."

Benny nodded, appeased, and settled back down, staring out and across the waves. "And Sam?"

"What about Sam?" Gabriel asked, his eyes going up to where Sam was walking easily along one of the masts. Weeks ago, Sam hadn't even been willing to climb into the rigging like that.

"Is he an official part of the crew now? I think he's waiting for you to make the announcement or hold a party or some shit," Benny said, snickering.

Gabriel's eyes lit with an idea and he grinned, bright and wide. "We're putting in to Tortuga, right?"

"Yes," Benny said, raising an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"I think I'm going to bring Sam ashore and show him the cave," Gabriel said, getting more and more excited with the idea the longer he thought about it. Yes, that would do perfectly.

Benny snorted and shook his head. "Hopefully the kid finds the idea of laying in a giant pile of gold appealing."

"Don't even tell me you haven't tried to do exactly that before," Gabriel grumbled and glared at Benny. "Hell, the only reason we keep it there, is because-"

"I know, I know," Benny said, rolling his eyes again. "And so do the locals. All right, I'll keep the others away from it. Take your man there and do whatever you like to him."

Gabriel grinned a little bit and tapped his hands on Kali's railing. "How long will the repairs take?"

Benny hummed. "Between repairs, supplies and offloading the cargo, maybe forty-eight hours, so you've got a little bit of time."

Gabriel smirked and started making plans properly. He would give Sam one hell of a reason to make sure that he stayed on the ship, and maybe it would give Sam enough to think about when it came to staying there permanently. Though it was better not to think about that, especially for the time being.

~!~

Sam blinked and stared at Gabriel. "Ashore?"

"Well, not officially ashore, but there's a place I want to show you," Gabriel said, winking at Sam. "Call it your official initiation into the crew."

Sam gave Gabriel a happy grin and nodded, tugging his shirt on. "All right, lead the way captain."

Gabriel laughed and led the way on deck where one of the longboats was waiting for him and Sam to use. "Don't think about trying to escape. There's no one here that doesn't know this ship, or her crew, and they'll toss you right back in my lap as soon as you give them the chance."

"I'm not running away," Sam said, following Gabriel into the longboat, raising an eyebrow at the bag of supplies that Gabriel was also carrying with him. No comment was made about them and they started to lower the boat into the ocean. It took a few minutes, but Sam relaxed as soon as they were into the water and picked up the oars.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "You doing all the heavy lifting for me?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I want to get there before sunset."

Gabriel laughed again and pointed Sam towards the cove. "Shouldn't take more than twenty minutes, but there's no way to get there, unless you know where you're going, you'd sink in a heartbeat."

Sam nodded and started to row, pulling them through the water at a smooth pace. After a few minutes Gabriel started to give him more careful directions and Sam kept his gaze on the water in front of them, continuing to move them forward.

When they finally slipped into the cover of a cave, he was about to mention that he regretted not bringing a torch of some kind when Gabriel lit a match. Immediately, fire leapt along the edge of the cave and Sam saw that there was what looked like a pool of oil, running the length of the cave, cut into the wood itself.

He was about to comment on the brilliance of using something like that, when he realized where they were. He gasped as Gabriel took over rowing and pulled them towards the giant pile of gold that was in the middle of the cave. The boat brushed up on a shallow shore and Gabriel immediately leapt out of the boat, heading for the pile of treasure.

"Bring the supplies, Sam!" Gabriel called behind him, scrambling up the pile of treasure before finding a spot that would be perfect for what they wanted, letting himself fall back against it and shivering at the touch of the gold coins on his body.

Sam laughed and brought the bag with him, heavier than it looked, and followed Gabriel up and over the pile of gold. Gabriel was laying in what he would almost call a nest, curled contentedly in the gold coins. He put the bag down, carefully and raised an eyebrow. "You look like the very definition of decadent."

"Years ago," Gabriel said, grinning at up at the ceiling of the cave. "There was an island. A haunted island, with a treasure chest filled with cursed gold. It had once been home to bloodthirsty pirates," he teased, winking at Sam.

"Suffice to say, when the bloodthirsty pirates died, and there was treasure left aplenty, another pirate came along, ignored the lure of the cursed gold and took all the rest for himself," Gabriel said, gesturing to the piles of gold around them.

"Oh?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow as he knelt next to Gabriel. "And what did the pirate do with all of that gold?"

Gabriel hummed and took in the sight of Sam, kneeling next to him, surrounded by gold that could not come close to the equal of Sam's beauty. "He brought it to a pirate town. He asked the people to protect the secret, and in return, he gave them half of it. All of them, spread out across the town."

Sam's eyes widened and he looked across the piles of gold. "This is only half?"

"Shhhh," Gabriel said, bringing his finger up to his lips. "I'm not done with the story yet."

Sam chuckled and nodded, miming zipping his lips so that Gabriel could continue with the story.

"The townspeople, well, as generous as this was, they offered the pirate a deal, instead," Gabriel said, smiling. "They gave him a ship. A ship that had once belonged to another pirate. A pirate who had passed away, whose ship was his legacy, as anything could ever be. He's kept that ship, and the townspeople have kept the gold, and together, they share it, and prosper."

"So, Kali-"

"That is not the first name that ship has had," Gabriel said with a chuckle, thinking of her. "Nor will it be her last, I am sure. She's rumored to be magic, and her black sails cast doubt and fear into the hearts of men. She's sailed through one age and into another, into lands that you cannot find on a map."

Sam hummed and stretched out next to Gabriel, tracing a finger down his neck and along his collarbone. "You know," he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to Gabriel's neck. "I think you may have brought me here to seduce me."

Gabriel laughed and tilted his head back, allowing Sam much easier access to the tendons in his neck. "Why Sam, whatever would give you that idea?"

Sam laughed and crawled on top of Gabriel, arching himself just enough so he could bite down on the delicate skin of Gabriel's neck, sucking a mark into it only a moment later. He took a deep breath and licked his way lower. "Telling me stories of pirates. Stories of yourself, and others. I've heard those stories too. They never happened."

Gabriel grinned and reached down to tangle his fingers to Sam's hair. "Perhaps they never did. Maybe I'm just a good storyteller, and this is all of my loot from my years of pirating."

Sam grinned and leaned up to press a kiss to Gabriel's jaw. "Now that is a story that I believe. And, since you have brought me here to seduce me, I believe that you should get on with it."

Flipping them over took a little bit of strength, but as golden coins shifted and fell down on them, Gabriel couldn't be angry at the way Sam's eyes sparkled brighter than any jewel that he had ever seen. He tugged Sam's shirt off of him and threw it to the side, following it with his own shirt, rocking them together. "Now what shall I do to you?" he mused.

Gabriel turned and reached for the bag that Sam had brought with them and rifled through it for a few moments before he found the small vial that would be what he wanted. He opened it and poured some of the oil onto his fingers.

Sam sniffed the air and recognized the scent almost immediately. "Olive oil?"

Gabriel nodded and straddled Sam's hips again, reaching back to press a single finger into himself with a groan. "Oh yes. What the ancient greeks used, since I know that you do like your history," he teased, gasping and arching.

"Gabriel," Sam breathed, realizing what Gabriel was inferring, what they would be doing here. Gabriel had teasingly told him how it worked between two men, how it wasn't easy, but worth it when there was time.

"Have I ever told you what you saying my name like that does to me, kiddo?" Gabriel asked, pressing in a second, scissoring himself open. "I think I like it a little bit too much."

Sam nodded and leaned up, licking at the dark mark he'd left on Gabriel's skin, biting down and making another. He wanted to mark Gabriel up, to have the world know that Gabriel was his, have everyone acknowledge it. "I should do it more often then," he teased, licking his lips.

Gabriel chuckled and pressed in a third finger, grunting in pain until he relaxed, rocking into it. "I don't think that I need you teasing me more, you do it often enough as-is."

"This is going to get cold," Sam said, shivering a little bit as more cold coins fell down onto his shoulders.

Gabriel leaned down over him and smirked. "I brought a blanket, but first, I'll warm you up."

Sam groaned and rolled his eyes that he didn't notice Gabriel pouring more oil into his hand until the hand was wrapped around his dick and stroking him easily, coating him in the oil. "Gabriel," he moaned, arching his back and pushing his hips into the touch.

"See," Gabriel panted, shifting so he was on top of Sam. "Love my name like that."

He reached out with his clean hand and grabbed the blanket, spreading it out before scrambling onto his back, shifting his legs wide for Sam. "Get over to here. We can try the acrobatics when we are back in my bed, but this'll be easiest for right now."

Sam grunted and shifted, climbing on top of Gabriel, planting his fingers into the pile of gold coins, glad his knees were on the blanket at least. Gabriel's skin was pink and flushed in so many areas and Sam wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into Gabriel's skin. "You're gorgeous," he whispered, staring at Gabriel beneath him.

"Just get in me," Gabriel ordered, spreading his legs wider to accommodate Sam's hips. Sam was a big boy, in the best of ways, but he wanted Sam in him and he wanted it now. He took a deep breath as Sam positioned himself and then started to slide in, unable to prevent a groan for just how good that stretch felt as Sam sank into him.

Sam sucked in desperate breaths of air, fighting for control as Gabriel squirmed and wiggled underneath him, trying to get him to move. "Hold still," he snarled, because he certainly didn't need this to be over before it had even started, but if he had thought that he enjoyed lying with women, it had nothing on how this felt and how wild he was being driven.

"Sam, please," Gabriel begged, tightening his thighs around Sam's hips. "Move, please move."

Sam leaned down and bit down on Gabriel's shoulder, sucking hard until there was a livid bruise blooming on Gabriel's skin. Gabriel shouted and bucked against him and that was enough to convince him that he needed to be moving. He pulled out and pushed back in, careful of his size. Women had always told him that he needed to be careful, gentle even, or he could-

"Sam!" Gabriel snarled, reaching up and grabbing Sam's hair, yanking on it, just the way that he knew Sam loved. "I am not a woman. Now, move!"

Sam rankled a little bit at the order, but if Gabriel wanted him to move so badly, well, then, he would. He pulled his hips back and then slammed himself forward, sinking in, nice and deep into Gabriel's body. He didn't hold still for more than a moment, fucking into Gabriel, hard, fast and desperate.

Gabriel arched beneath Sam and wrapped his arms around Sam's shoulders, clinging to him for all that he was worth as Sam finally started to move like he knew the kid could. He was leaking between them, his arousal bordering on painful as he rode out the desperate thrusts of Sam. He just needed to, he squirmed and Sam dropped a hand to his hip and yanked him back into the thrust and that was it.

Gabriel screamed and his back left the blanket, pushing desperately back for more of that feeling, how good it had been. He could feel the tension running through Sam, and that he had been worried there was something wrong, but apparently Gabriel writhing on his lap, begging for him to do that again was enough to convince him that no, there was nothing wrong and that yes, he needed to do that again.

Sam tossed some of his hair out of his face and leaned down, pressing their foreheads together, panting hard, trying to catch his breath. "Gabriel, you're so, it's-"

"Stop trying to talk," Gabriel growled, continuing to rock back, trying to get Sam even deeper into him. That was what he needed, he needed Sam fucking him like this, hard and desperate for more. Fuck, he needed more than he needed breathing. "Please, just stop fucking talking and fuck me, Sam."

Sam did his absolute best, driving himself into Gabriel over and over again until the shorter man was screaming, sweat beading on his body. He released Gabriel's hip and let the shorter man move on his own and wrapped it around Gabriel's erection, obviously wet and leaking between them. He started stroking and Gabriel jack-knifed again, moving desperately into his hand and then he reached his end, flying over it with a cry of his name.

Whatever he had expected when Gabriel came, it was not the vice-like grip of heat that happened in an instant and had Sam falling over the edge, burying himself as deep into Gabriel as he could go. Sam panted hard, trying to breathe through it and dropped his head to Gabriel's shoulder.

Gabriel closed his eyes and leaned back into the blanket, pillowed on the piles of gold treasure. He looked around for a moment before bringing his eyes back to Sam and how he was looking like a combination of stunned and blissfully happy. He was almost positive that if he could, he would have kept Sam here, forever, with him. Just like this, where there weren't any other needs from the outside world. Just the two of them, together, doing their best to make their way in the world.

Sam of course, couldn't keep quiet, or still for long and Gabriel groaned as Sam pulled out of him, leaving him open and certain to be sore in the morning.

"Hold on," Sam coaxed, rummaging through the bag until he found the cloth that he was looking for. He wiped Gabriel clean, carefully and pulled out the other blanket that Gabriel had brought with him, settling back down into the pile of gold. He wrapped the blanket around the both of them and then snuck an arm around Gabriel's middle, pulling him in close.

Gabriel curled up against Sam's chest with a smile and tried to let himself breathe. He could have this, he could have this, at least for a little while. He needed to remind himself of that.

He took a deep breath and relaxed and let himself sink into the afterglow and into the warmth of Sam's scent. If and when Sam decided to leave, it was going to break him. He would eventually get over it, but Sam would take most of his heart with him, and he would never get it back.

They slept for a few hours before waking to have each other again, this time with mouths and fingers and Gabriel was the closest to blissfully happy he had ever come close to experiencing.

By the time they made their way back to Kali, Gabriel knew it was going to be hard to sit down for a few days, but he couldn't be more glad of it. That and Sam kept giving him these big and wide grins that made his stomach turn over in rather violent ways that couldn't possibly be healthy.

Sam helped Gabriel back and up into Kali and got him into his room with Benny, discussing the supplies and what they had received for the stolen goods they had brought along. Sam made his way over towards where they were loading things and offered his help, stepping in with a grin to help the assembly line go a little bit faster.

Sam did his best to ignore the knowing looks and raised eyebrows that he was getting from the most of the crew. Apparently that place was a well-known place to the pirates and it was not the first time that one of their number had taken someone there for a tryst.

They did make sure that Sam knew it was only for people that were trusted, and that, now, he was officially part of the crew. Still new, still to be mocked and teased, but part of the crew.

He didn't notice the figure scowling at him from the corner, though this time not wearing a cape, clearly not pleased with the turn of events.

~!~

Gabriel relaxed behind the wheel and glanced over to Benny as he joined him on deck. "Please have good news for me?"

"He's not going to recover," Benny said and Gabriel slumped. "However, your brother-"

Gabriel wasn't sure he could take any more terrible news and he opened his eyes to look at Benny. "Castiel?"

"Yes," Benny said. "He is going to recover. He's got a broken leg, a concussion and some minor injuries, but he survived."

Gabriel leaned in and pressed his forehead against the wheel. "Can we risk going into Port Royale?"

Benny whistled and leaned back against the railing. "I wouldn't consider it. The sails alone make us a known pirate ship."

Gabriel chewed on his lip and thought through the possibilities. "And Cas can't be easily transported, can he?"

"No," Benny said, shaking his head. "You could send a group of us, to go get him."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "No, I don't think that you would be able to pass as family to a group of upper aristo-"

"Sam would. So would Samandriel," Benny said, raising an eyebrow. "You could send them in to get your brother. Bring him here."

"And take him where?" Gabriel asked, tightening his fingers on the wheel.

"He loves sailing," Benny said, walking closer to Gabriel. "Take him with you. Hell, let me train him, I always liked the kid, he wanted to learn and wasn't afraid to get hurt doing it."

Gabriel laughed a little and pressed his forehead to the wheel. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"It is an idea. And it's the best one we've got. You need to get to Castiel before the rest of your family does, and you're running low on choices," Benny said.

Gabriel blew out a breath and nodded. "All right. We dock on the far side of the island. Send Sam in, and Samandriel, let them know what's going on."

"And you?" Benny asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gabriel walked over to a trunk that he kept locked and unlocked it, pulling out some of his finest clothes before he had left everything behind. "I am going to be the distraction that lets you all get away. They'll be so busy chasing me, they won't even know they're getting Cas away."

Benny frowned. "And what happens when they arrest you for piracy?"

Gabriel shrugged and grinned at him. "You come rescue me before they hang me."

"That's reassuring," Benny growled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Like it or not," Gabriel said, shaking the jacket out. "It's the best option that we have at this point in time, so it's the one that we're going to take."

Benny nodded tightly and headed for the stairs. "I'll inform Sam and Samandriel. You'll need to tell them what's going on."

"Samandriel can tell Sam. I've got to figure out what I'm going to do to make sure that my family is chasing me and not Castiel," Gabriel said, pushing his fingers through his hair as he looked at the finery in front of him. The idea of wearing it again made his stomach turn, but he had played the role once before, and he could again.

Benny frowned, but made his way downstairs. Once he was in Samandriel's rooms, he could hear the two men laughing together as they worked on some sort of something. He shook his head and knocked on the doorframe.

Sam and Samandriel came around the corner and both of their smiles died as soon as they saw him. Benny wondered if he really did look that fierce, or if his worry for Gabriel was starting to bleed through into everything else. "We have a situation, and we need your help."

It took a lot longer to explain what Gabriel wanted them to do than he was comfortable with, and he could see the questions that were burning in Sam's eyes. He shook his head and pointed to Samandriel. "He can explain to you what's going on, and why Castiel is important. Right now, I've got to get us there, and quickly."

Sam snapped his mouth shut and nodded, watching as Benny strode away. He cleared his throat and turned to Samandriel. "So, we're going in, pretending to be his brothers, and kidnapping him?"

Samandriel nodded and frowned, rubbing his hands over his face. "There is more to this plan, I'm certain of it. Gabriel's brothers-"

"He has other brothers?" Sam asked, feeling a little surprised at this. Gabriel did act a little like a younger sibling, Sam recognized some of the behaviors, but he was finding more and more about Gabriel's family through this mess.

"Yes, and it's not my place to tell you their story. Suffice to say that Gabriel left all of that behind, with good reason, and he wanted to bring Castiel with him. When push came to shove, Gabriel didn't want to take Castiel out of school when it was the only thing that gave him joy," Samandriel explained. "However, that was when Castiel had the protection of their Father, who encouraged his studies. Now that he does not, the rest of the family wishes to bring him into the fold."

Sam cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. "Why is that a problem?"

Samandriel blew out a breath and tried to think about how to explain. "You need to understand that Gabriel came from a life very similar to yours, Sam. Maybe even a better one, however, his siblings were involved with things he could not condone. The slave trade, for one. They have multiple plantations-"

"That's why Gabriel goes after the slavers," Sam breathed, realization hitting him in a moment.

"Yes, and Castiel has been allowed to stay out of that business and to focus on his studies. This will not be allowed to continue, and he will be put into the business," Samandriel said. "Unless we can get him out of there."

Sam pushed his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. "I have a feeling there's much more to the story than you're telling me."

Samandriel gave him a quick smile. "There is. A great deal more, but it is best if that information comes from Gabriel, not from myself."

Sam nodded and stretched, looking around the tiny room. "So, from the sounds of things, we absolutely have work to do. How are we going to go about this?"

~!~

Two days of planning later, Sam knew exactly how they were going to get in, remove Castiel and hopefully make it back to the ship without an issue. What he didn't know was what Gabriel would be doing. Gabriel had been deliberately vague about his plans and had, instead, forced him to repeat and go over what he would be doing to rescue Castiel time and time again, until Sam could recite the plan in his sleep.

Gabriel was worrying him, but now, tonight they would dock at Port Royale, on the back side of the island, then he and Samandriel would have parts to play to get Castiel back to the boat. He was injured, which complicated things further, but if the worst case scenario did happen, he would be able to carry Castiel most of the way.

It was easy to put on the finery again, to straighten his back and his shoulders, to use his height and his stature to his advantage. Women smiled at him, and men stepped out of his way. Sam led Samandriel through the crowd and for the house that was at the end of the street, walking through the gates. He rapped on the door with his brand new walking stick and waited for the answer.

When it was opened by a doorman, he gave his blandest smile. "Michael and Lucifer Novak here to see our brother." Sam didn't wait for a response, only walked past the doorman, who was gawking at them both. He turned to a servant who had also stopped to stare and raised an eyebrow. "We would like to be taken to Castiel. Now," he ordered.

The servants jumped at the commanding tone and the maid immediately led them upstairs, babbling apologies and giving curtsies every few minutes. When she pushed open the door, Sam nodded to Samandriel and watched as he shut the door in her face. He advanced on the bed, dropping the facade with a shake of his head and smiled at the young man sitting there, his face white and his hands clenched into the blankets.

"You, you aren't Michael and Lucifer," the young man said.

"No," Sam agreed, giving him a quick grin. "We absolutely are not. My name's Sam. That's Samandriel. We're here to get you out of here before your real brothers show up."

"My name is-"

"Castiel Novak," Samandriel supplied, pulling the blankets back to examine Castiel's broken leg. "We are aware, considering we both know Gabriel."

Sam had filed away the knowledge of Gabriel's last name as a tidbit that he would research far more when he had the time and opportunity, but for the moment, every last piece of him was focused on getting Castiel out of here and on his way.

"You know my brother?" Castiel breathed, his eyes wide. "How? Where is he? Is he safe? He has to leave, Michael and Lucifer are due to arrive today and if they find him-"

"Hush," Sam ordered, even as panic started to fill him. Was this what Gabriel was planning? To be some sort of diversion so they could get Castiel out in time? "Castiel, we need you to be quiet for us, we have to get you out of here."

Castiel nodded. "I can't walk."

Samandriel looked up at Sam. "They have his leg set properly and braced, but there is no way that he can walk on it. Compound fracture."

Sam nodded and grinned at Castiel. "Good thing we planned for that. Now, no matter what I do, this is going to hurt, so, I'm sorry in advance." He picked the man up and grunted under the weight and looked to Samandriel. "We have a couple of horses waiting for us, they'll take us to the ship."

Castiel nodded and wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Give me your pistol," he said, his voice hoarse.

Sam blinked, and looked to Samandriel. He got a nod in response and handed the pistol to Castiel.

"I can shoot, if we're followed," Castiel said, looking down at the gun and checking the chamber. "Now, hurry, we don't have a lot of time, I was expecting my brothers at any moment."

Sam nodded and hurried after Samandriel as he led the way through the house and out the back door, into the gardens. On the other side of the gardens, their horses were waiting, exactly as they had planned. Castiel was pale, and every jostle made a small noise of pain escape his mouth.

Sam waited for Samandriel to be mounted before he settled Castiel on his own horse and climbed up, cradling Castiel as best he could. "I'm sorry," he murmured again, before jolting the horse into action with a quick heel to the sides. Both of their horses leapt forward and Sam raced for the coast, keeping an eye out for anyone following them. They wouldn't be far behind if they were.

However, they made it to the longboats with no problem and Sam and Samandriel passed on both of their horses to the man that had let them borrow them in the first place. He looked around for any sign of Gabriel and helped Samandriel load Castiel into the longboat. "Where's Gabriel? What's his escape plan?"

Benny grabbed the oars and nodded to the other boat. "According to him, it was either he show up and we ride off into the sunset, or he gets arrested and we have to come bust him out."

Sam growled through his teeth and paced in front of the other longboat. "How do we know which is which?" he asked, turning eyes on Benny.

Benny gave him a small shrug and Sam wanted to murder Gabriel. He looked up at the sky and pushed a finger through his hair. "If I go after him and he shows up, I'm going to fucking kill him," he growled, ripping off the expensive jacket and tossing it into the boat with Cas. "But there's no way he made it out, he'd be here by now."

Benny nodded. "So what are you going to do?"

Sam ripped off his cravat and held it out to Benny, picking up his sword that he had left in the boat. "I'm going to go after him, of course."

"We can't guarantee you a way out," Benny said, frowning as Sam set off for the road that he had just left on.

"I'll make my own way out. You get the boat to safe mooring, leave one of the longboats here and I'll get Gabriel back," Sam said, tying his hair back. He took a deep breath and started running. He needed to get to Gabriel before they decided that hanging him tonight was a good plan.

~!~

Gabriel grunted as his brother threw him into the jail cell, his head hitting one of the wet stones. He glared up at Lucifer and raised an eyebrow. "Getting your hands dirty now, bro? I'm impressed."

"Silence, Pirate," Lucifer sneered. "You'll be hung first thing in the morning, and if we find your ship, it will become a pile of ash and wood at the bottom of the sea."

"Pity that wood floats, then, huh?" Gabriel snapped back, watching as Lucifer's eyes narrowed in anger and he pulled out a pistol. Gabriel waited for Michael to intervene as he always did, putting an arm on Lucifer's.

"Patience, Lucifer," Michael coaxed, forcing him to lower the fun. "He shall see his end tomorrow morning and all of the town will be in attendance to see the Trickster hang."

Lucifer spat at Gabriel in the cage. "A well-deserved ending for a scoundrel such as yourself."

Gabriel laughed and stared at the ceiling. "You're calling me the scoundrel when you're the ones transporting people into slavery. Well, that's a joke."

"Careful, Gabriel," Michael warned, looking back at him. "There are several places that Lucifer could shoot you that wouldn't be lethal."

"Like here," Lucifer snapped, pointing the gun at Gabriel's leg and firing, watching as Gabriel cried out and buckled in pain. "I suggest you don't tease me further, brother."

Gabriel lifted his head and glared at Lucifer, watching as both he and Michael made their way out of the jail, the door slamming shut behind him. He slumped down in the cell and pressed his hands to the bleeding wound, sucking in desperate breaths. Shit. This was not good.

~!~

It was easy to sneak into the jail once he knocked out the guard and left him slumped in his chair and dribbled some ale into his mouth. The other guards who passed by, merely rolled their eyes and kept gossiping as they walked on.

Sam slipped by them all and ran for the cells deeper into the fort. He heard a grunt of pain and turned, running for it. He pushed open a heavy door, propping it open for a moment and looked around the dark cells. "Gabriel," he hissed, looking behind him into the hallway.

Gabriel forced his eyes open and looked up, squinting against the light that was flooding into the cell. Sam was standing there, and Gabriel had never seen anyone look so good in his entire life. "Sammich," he called out, coughing hard, frowning when he saw there was some blood. Probably from when Michael had pushed him.

Sam raced into the cell and slid to a stop in front of Gabriel, kneeling down. Gabriel's face was almost white from the pain and Sam could smell the blood on the ground. "What's wrong," he whispered, squinting to see Gabriel better.

"Well," Gabriel said, trying to keep the tone conversational. "My brother decided to shoot me and I've been bleeding out for at least a couple of hours, and they plan to hang me in the morning unless you've got the-"

Sam held up the keys and immediately started trying different ones until he found one that worked and twisted the lock open, dropping it to the ground. He yanked the door open and stepped into the cell, kneeling down beside Gabriel. "We've got to get you out of here," he whispered.

"Is Cas safe?" Gabriel asked, muffling his shout of pain when Sam lifted him as though he weighed nothing. "Please tell me Cas is safe."

"Castiel is fine, and safely on Kali," Sam whispered, carrying Gabriel out of the jail, slipping past another few guards. He knew that he was leaving a trail, what with the blood dripping slowly down Gabriel's leg, but he didn't have a choice. He would just need to pray that no one came looking for Gabriel for at least a few hours.

The path out of town was perilous and Sam had to stop a few dozen times to make sure they weren't caught. Somewhere along the line, Gabriel passed out, a pale, dead-weight burden in his arms, and if it weren't for the mostly-steady breaths he was taking, Sam would have panicked.

When he finally made it to the longboat he had ordered Benny to leave for him, Sam put Gabriel down carefully and pushed them into the water, starting to row away from shore. He could see Kali, at least another twenty minutes worth of rowing off shore, but poised to run.

He could already hear the shouts on board that he had been spotted. He was just pulling up to the boat when he caught sight of horses pulling up to the beach he had just fled from. Sam didn't waste any time. The second he reached Kali, he threw Gabriel over his shoulder, ignored the burning of his muscles and started to climb. "Go!" he shouted the order. "Leave, hurry!"

The men on deck didn't hesitate to jump into action, and Sam climbed the rest of the way just as the first bullets hit the water beneath him. He threw Gabriel on deck and fell after him, panting hard from exhaustion. "Samadriel!"

In a moment, the man was next to him.

"What's wrong?" Samandriel asked, his eyes flying over the blood that was splattered all over Sam. He couldn't pick up any signs of an injury, which meant-

"Not me!" Sam said, pushing Samandriel towards Gabriel, who was still motionless on the deck. "Gabriel, it's his blood, one of his brothers shot him."

In an instant, anyone within hearing range froze and stared at Gabriel, pale and shaking on the deck. Sam forced himself to his feet and glared at all of them. "Don't stop!" he snapped, pointing to the shore. "Unless you want to be caught and hung in the morning, get us out of here!"

The crew leapt into action again and Sam knelt down across from Samandriel and by the look on his face, things weren't good. He swallowed hard and hung his head. "I got him here as fast as I could-"

"Now is not the time," Samandriel said, standing and heading for the hatch. "Get him into his bed, and wake him if you can. We need to get the alcohol and that bullet out. He'll lose the leg if we don't do it quickly."

Sam picked up Gabriel again, cradling him carefully and carried him into the room. He stripped off Gabriel's pants and shirt and apparently the motion must have been enough pain to wake him, because Gabriel stirred and groaned. "Gabriel!"

Gabriel blinked blearily at Sam and opened his mouth to respond, but everything was blinding pain. He wanted to know why the hell his cell looked like the captain's quarters on Kali, and why he was naked. And why Samandriel was there, talking to Sam in low tones.

When Samandriel held up a bottle of clear liquid Gabriel let his head fall back. He knew what that was, had seen Samandriel use on men before. This was going to hurt, so fucking badly. In a moment the clear liquid, the alcohol that they had bartered off a Russian trade ship, was being poured onto his leg and everything was fire.

"The alcohol will clean the wound enough for us to remove the bullet. We need to get it out of there," Samandriel said. He looked at Sam and swallowed hard. "You're going to need to hold him down," he ordered, watching as Sam moved to do exactly that, his body bracketing Gabriel's. "Keep him still."

Sam swallowed hard and nodded, leaning down to kiss Gabriel's forehead. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, and then kept Gabriel pinned to the bed as Samandriel stuck the tongs into Gabriel's leg and started to dig around for the bullet. Gabriel tried to jack-knife under him, but Sam kept him still and watched Samandriel work.

After a few painstaking moments, he pulled the forceps back and dropped the bullet onto the table beside them both. Sam let out a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding and watched as Samandriel started to wash out the wound again, making Gabriel scream in pain. Sam felt tears prickling in the corner of his eyes as Gabriel fell into unconsciousness and Samandriel started to wrap his leg.

"Stay with him, I have to see to Castiel," Samandriel ordered, gathering his things and leaving the room.

Sam settled into bed next to Gabriel and started to brush some of the sweaty hair out of Gabriel's face. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I should have gotten to you sooner, you should have told me that you were going to need help."

Gabriel didn't say a word, not that Sam had expected him to. He swallowed hard and focused on making sure that he did everything he could to take care of Gabriel, propping him up on the pillow and wiping his brow with a cool cloth. Gabriel was getting hotter and hotter as time went by, clearly growing feverish.

Sam debated running to get Samandriel, but soon enough the man came back. "He's running a fever, but he's not delirious, not yet," Sam said, holding onto Gabriel's hand as tightly as he could. Gabriel was going to be okay, he had to be okay.

~!~

Two days later, Gabriel's fever still hadn't broken, and Sam had barely slept in that time. Samandriel kept trying to order him to sleep, but Sam did everything he could to try to bring Gabriel's temperature down, including giving him ice baths and keeping him as cool as possible.

None of it was working, and even Samandriel had admitted that Gabriel was beyond his skill now. There was nothing Sam could do either, and as Gabriel slowly grew weaker and weaker, Sam tried to think of anything, anything that all that could help him.

He wandered back down to Samandriel's rooms, staring at the jars on the walls and tables. There was something here. There had to be something here. He took a deep breath and looked around the room. He and Samandriel had been through the room a dozen times over. They had tried everything they both knew to break Gabriel's fever, and still he stayed in it.

Sam sat down in the chair in the middle of the room and dropped his head into his hands. All of this knowledge, between the two of them, and no way to help Gabriel.

For the first time since he had run away from home, Sam wished that Dean was with him, because Dean knew all sorts of things like this. Things that were simply useful for life, even though others found them pointless. Dean would have known what to do. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to remember if Dean had ever told him something about this, anything at all.

'There's a plant, you know the weed that grows just beyond the house?'

Sam blinked at the sudden memory of Dean and closed his eyes. The plant, he remembered it, what was it called?

'It's strange, because it's a weed, right? But you know, they've mashed it up into a powder and put it on wounds and sometimes it sucks the infection right out of a wound.'

Sam froze, his chest heaving. That's right. Dean had told him about the weed the summer he had come home from school, fascinated in all things biology and herbology. He'd talked to his brother (because his father wouldn't find it appropriate) and had found out that Dean knew so many things already!

Sam spun around the room again as he remembered himself shoving Dean and calling him a know it all. He grabbed Samandriel's mortar and pestle and scanned the bottles. Samandriel had to have it. He had to.

He found a small clutch of the weed on a shelf, shoved in the back and Sam grabbed it before running out of Samandriel's room and past the crew, who gave him strange looks. Sam slid into Gabriel's room and slowly unwrapped the bandage from Gabriel's leg. The wicked red lines showing from the wound told him just how infected it was and he tossed the weed into the mortar bowl and started grinding it up.

Samandriel was in the room moments later and noticed him furiously at work. "What's wrong, the crew saw you running and I thought the worst-"

"I know how to help him," Sam said, grinding the small plant into dust, chewing down on his lip. "We need to make a poultice. A cream, to put this in, it's going to help."

"Sam, what did you take?" Samandriel asked.

Sam held up the plant and ignored the stunned look on Samandriel's face. "I don't know the name of it, I just know it's a weed, and it can suck out the infection of an injured horse, and if it can do that then, maybe, maybe it can help Gabriel too."

Samandriel bit down on his lip. "Or it could kill him."

"I don't care, it's better than sitting here and watching him die!" Sam said, grinding the plant into dust even harder. He finished and watched as Samandriel handed him a cream to mix the plant into.

He did it hurriedly and grabbed the bottle of alcohol from the desk. The wound needed to be as clean as it possibly could be before he tried this. Sam splashed the liquor on Gabriel's leg and watched as he moaned in pain, ensuring the wound was clean before he grabbed the needle and thread from the desk.

They had been intending to sew up the wound today, regardless, to see if that would help with the healing process, and now it might be their only hope. Sam made his stitches small and careful, pulling the skin together, with Samandriel looking over his shoulder.

After he was finished, he spread some of the cream onto Gabriel's leg and wrapped it, kneeling by Gabriel's bedside table, clasping Gabriel's hand in his.

"Now what?" Samandriel asked, his voice quiet.

Sam closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Gabriel's hand and didn't look up at him. "Now we pray that I wasn't too late."

Sam didn't see or hear Samandriel leave the room, or even return a few hours later with an order to rest. Sam stretched out on the pallet he still kept in the room and managed to catch an hour of sleep before the sound of Gabriel moaning woke him up. He sat up and immediately moved to Gabriel's beside. He changed the wound again, and if he wasn't mistaken, it looked better than it had a few hours previous.

But he wouldn't let himself hope, not yet. He peeled the cream away and applied a new layer of it under Samandriel's gaze and made sure to wrap Gabriel's leg carefully again.

"You need to sleep, Sam," Samandriel said, reaching out to rub his back. "You will do no good to Gabriel like this."

"I'm not leaving him," Sam said, his voice ringing with conviction. "I'm not going to leave Samandriel, so please stop trying to get me to do so."

Samandriel chuckled and shook his head a little bit. "You are just as stubborn as he is."

Sam wanted to smile and laugh at the comment and perhaps if Gabriel hadn't been so near death's door, he would have. But now, now all he wanted was to see his stubborn pirate captain fight his way back to life. That's all he wanted. "Come on, Gabriel," he whispered, staring down at the other man. "Fight. Please, fight. I won't lose you yet."

Castiel, Gabriel's younger brother, joined him in the room a few times and murmured prayers and kept Gabriel company while Sam relieved himself and caught snatches of sleep that were never enough. The man was nice enough, a bit naive, but Sam would have called himself that a few short months ago.

Another day went by and Sam woke up as Gabriel stirred, jolting awake and reaching for Gabriel's forehead. The heat was gone - the heat that had been present for so long. Its absence shocked him and he looked down and saw tired golden eyes blinking at him. "Gabriel," he whispered.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Gabriel mumbled, closing his eyes for a long moment before forcing them open. "We get Cas out?"

Sam choked on a laugh and sank into the chair beside Gabriel, wanting to cry in relief. "Yes, yes, we got Cas out, he's staying in one of the passenger berths." He blinked hard and shook his head a little bit. He was not going to cry in front of Gabriel, not yet.

Gabriel frowned a little and tried to lick his lips. "You look like shit, kiddo. Who almost died?" he croaked out.

Sam would have hit Gabriel if he wasn't still recovering from a fever. Instead, he let a few tears drip down his cheeks and just pressed his face to Gabriel's hand and sucked in shaky breaths. "Tease me about that in a few days, okay?"

Gabriel stared at Sam in surprise at how serious and sorrowful his face was. Sam had a face made for smiles and sunshine. Not for looks like that. He yawned and settled back into the pillows. "I'll wake up again in a bit. Get some rest. I want you looking better too."

Sam laughed and he was going to hit Gabriel, he was, the smart-assed bastard. But as Gabriel drifted back off into sleep and Samandriel came into the room, looking almost like a ghost himself, Sam couldn't resist the news. "His fever broke."

Samandriel nearly dropped the bowl of chilled water he was carrying, rushing over the bedside to press his hand to Gabriel's forehead. "Oh thank god," he whispered, slipping limply into the other chair.

"Yeah," Sam said, grinning goofily at Samandriel. "We did it."

"You, you did it," Samandriel said, slumping back into the chair. "You and whatever the name of that weed is. Saved him."

Sam wanted to close his eyes and sleep for a week, and he might do it, except he didn't want to stop grinning at the thought that they had managed to save Gabriel.

Samandriel helped him change the bandage once more and Sam grinned at the skin that was free of red marks, and just slightly pink around the area healing where his stitches were. "Let's put one more application on, just to be sure."

Sam nodded and watched as Samandriel did and wrapped up Gabriel's leg. He pushed himself upright and swayed, nearly falling over. He needed to sleep. For hours. He turned to look at the cot and then to Gabriel's bed.

"If you don't get into his bed I'm going to push you in there myself," Samandriel said, cleaning up the last of his things. "Just climb over him and pass out."

Sam didn't feel like arguing and frankly Gabriel's bed sounded like the best kind of heaven at the moment. He managed to clamber over Gabriel and sink into the pillows with a groan and was asleep within seconds.

Samandriel chuckled at the sight the two of them made and focused on cleaning up the rest of his things. Sam wasn't the only one who could use a week's worth of sleeping. Samandriel stopped by to check on Castiel and then made his way down to his bed and collapsed into it gratefully.

~!~

Sam woke up again when Gabriel made a happy noise against his shoulder and he grinned when he didn't feel any fever-like heat bleeding off of Gabriel. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Gabriel's forehead and moved off of him.

A quick trip down to the kitchens told him that it was over twenty-four hours later, but the news of Gabriel's recovery had spread through the entire ship and Sam had to endure far more back slaps than he was comfortable with, from the rest of the crew. He grinned all of them and brought food up for both he and Gabriel. Gabriel was still asleep when he returned, but Sam dug into his food and stood up, eager to be up and moving, because there was definitely plenty of work that needed to be doing.

He took a deep breath and dragged his ass over to Benny and demanded to be put to work. It didn't take long for Benny to do exactly that, having him organize the lower decks for some of the cargo that they were about to take on board.

By the time he nearly crawled to Gabriel's room later, he was exhausted in the best way. Gabriel's plate was nearly empty, showing that he had eaten and Sam didn't want to risk waking him. He dropped himself to the pallet beside the bed and was snoring before he even hit the pillow.

The next morning, Gabriel was sleeping, still and Sam did a quick check of his temperature, as well as of the wound, and everything looked to be healing well. He brought Gabriel another plate of food and set about spreading the word that Gabriel was properly on the mend.

The relief in the crew was palpable, and Sam couldn't help grinning every chance that he got. Gabriel was going to be all right, everything was going to be fine, and they were going to keep being pirates and making a mess of things for as long as they could manage.

~!~

Two weeks later, Gabriel was suffering from the worst kind of cabin fever. He had barely seen Sam, except for a few moments in the morning, and then again in the evening, when he returned, his limbs almost trembling from exhaustion as he sank down into the pallet.

Sam had also refused an offer to sleep with him, or to even touch him and Gabriel was getting more and more frustrated by the moment. It was possible that Sam had decided he didn't want anything further to happen between them, but he couldn't consider that. It hurt, far too much.

Instead, he let things go on as they were, slowly re-teaching himself to walk and move easily across the deck of his ship. No matter what he tried, Sam's stitches held, and Gabriel didn't miss the impressed tone of Samandriel's voice when he commented on it. Gabriel pushed his fingers through his hair and wondered if that was where Sam had turned his affections.

It was another week before he could move around without any twinges of pain and Gabriel was going to demand answers from Sam. Just this morning, Sam had given him a heated look as he stepped into his clothes for the day, and damn the bastard, if Gabriel hadn't been thinking about that.

Snapping at Benny, he turned over the wheel with an order not to come looking for him or Sam, and that they had some things to work out. Benny gave him a knowing look and a raised eyebrow that Gabriel did his best to ignore. That was not what he had meant, even if it was going to be a little bit true.

He was finally going to get his answers from Sam, and if they were answers he didn't like, while, he would man up and fucking deal with them. Or kick Sam off the ship. He wasn't sure which option he liked better at the moment, but he was leaning towards the latter as he headed down towards where Sam was organizing the gunpowder and canon balls that they had picked up on their last trip into port.

Gabriel paused in the doorway and had to stare. Sam was shirtless, his white shirt tossed haphazardly in the corner of the room, and his breeches were riding low on his hips, exposing the sharp cuts of his hip bones and Gabriel wanted. He licked his lips and stepped closer before he thought of it.

Gabriel watched as Sam bent and easily picked up a barrel of gunpowder, lifting it over his head before turning to place it against the wall. He swallowed, staring as he watched those muscles bunch and coil and couldn't resist imagining them doing something else, something that was far more useful than moving kegs around. "Sam," he called.

Sam stumbled and nearly dropped the keg of gunpowder he was in the process of stacking when he heard Gabriel's voice. "Good to see you walking around," he teased, putting the keg up where it belonged. Sam got it settled and turned around to Gabriel, his hands on his hips and gave him a wide grin.

Gabriel couldn't help the mouth went dry at the sight of Sam and he walked closer, slowly taking in the chest and arms that were bronzed, almost golden now. Covered in a fine sheen of sweat with smudges of gunpowder everywhere. He wanted to taste every single inch of Sam and leave him begging for more. "You've been avoiding me," he said.

Sam blinked and cocked his hip a little, walking closer. "How do you figure that?"

"You haven't been anywhere near me or my bed for weeks now? Found someone better to warm your bed?" Gabriel asked, the question rankling him just as much out loud as it did thinking it.

Sam laughed and stepped closer to Gabriel. "I haven't had a single moment to think of anything other than work, or you, Gabriel. When would I have had time for someone else?"

Gabriel shrugged and stared at Sam. "You haven't let me touch you."

Sam reached out and cupped Gabriel's face in his hands. "Because you were injured and I had no desire to injure you again and have to wait even longer."

Gabriel's heart was starting to pound and he stared up at Sam, wondering if he could believe a single word that he was saying. "Why did you save me?"

Sam licked his lips and leaned down to press their foreheads together. "Someone had to come after your stupid self-sacrificing ass after that shit you pulled," he grumbled. "The shit that nearly got you killed, by the way."

Gabriel snorted and rolled his eyes, reaching out to press his hands to Sam's chest, reminded again, of just how much bigger Sam was than him. "You came to my rescue. Even saved me again with some fancy healing tricks if the rumors of the crew are to be believed."

Sam nodded and stepped closer, able to feel the heat of Gabriel's body against his. He dropped his hands to Gabriel's hips and squeezed. "Maybe I did. I'm not telling," he teased, smirking at Gabriel.

Gabriel wanted to question Sam further, but like this, surrounded by the scent of sweat, and gunpowder and Sam, he was helpless. He reached up and yanked Sam down and into a kiss, finally giving himself a taste of what he had denied himself for so long.

Sam froze for a moment before he moaned and tightened his hold on Gabriel's hips and lifted him, spinning Gabriel around to pin him to the hull of the ship, one of Gabriel's thighs sliding between his legs. He couldn't resist groaning again and leaned in for another kiss, nipping and sucking Gabriel's lips. He knew what those lips felt like on his cock, but not against his.

Whatever he had expected when he finally got the courage to kiss Sam, it hadn't been this. Gabriel let himself be completely swept away as Sam pinned him to Kali's hull, rubbing and grinding and moaning into each of their kisses. They were rocking desperately together and fuck he didn't care if his thigh was twinging in a little bit of pain, he would not stop this between them for nothing.

Gabriel tangled his fingers into Sam's hair and pulled him down and into the kiss proper, sucking on Sam's tongue to listen to him moan, before giving a similar treatment to both of Sam's lips. Sam was a panting, moaning mess by the time they pulled apart to stare at each other, their hips still moving and rocking against each other. "Sam," he whispered.

"No one," Sam growled, leaning in and kissing Gabriel again, keeping him pinned to Kali's hull. "There is no one that could compare or even begin to hold a candle to you, Gabriel, and I will not let you believe otherwise," he promised, rocking his hips forward, desperate for any kind of friction.

“Sam, I-” Gabriel tried to protest.

"I don't care," Sam said, his fingers tugging hard at Gabriel's breeches until he had managed to get them down and around his thighs, allowing him to grind against the rough friction of Sam's leg and the breeches he was still wearing. "I will take you to bed, Gabriel, and make you scream so loudly that no one on this ship will doubt my desire for you."

Gabriel shuddered and tried to hold onto Sam tighter, his fingers clawing into Sam's shoulders, rocking desperately against him, chasing his orgasm. "Sam, please, please, Sam," he begged.

Sam shifted his hold, dropping his hands to Gabriel's ass, squeezing hard and leaning down to suck a mark into Gabriel's neck. "Yes, that's it," he panted, rocking his hips into the air, desperate for a little friction of his own. "Let me hear you, Gabriel." He yanked Gabriel forward and into each thrust, letting him rut and seek out his own pleasure.

Gabriel yanked Sam into another kiss, letting Sam kiss him hard and deep until he wasn't certain that he was ever going to come up from air. He felt completely possessed by Sam, his body controlled by the other man and he never wanted to feel anyone else for the rest of his life.

When Sam's mouth moved far enough back to order him to come, before kissing him again, Gabriel couldn't control the explosive reaction he had, his whole body shaking as he found his release. He made a mess of his trousers, and likely Sam's as well, but he couldn't regret a single second of it. "Sam..."

"Beautiful," Sam whispered, dropping a hand to his erection, undoing the laces of his pants to be able to push them down to mid-thigh as well.

Gabriel might have been come drunk in the best possible way right then, but he wasn't going to completely ignore Sam. He yanked Sam's hips forward and shoved his uninjured thigh between Sam's legs, smirking at the loud moan and buck forward that got him.

Sam pinned him to the wall again, his hips moving frantically as their lips smashed together and Gabriel let Sam devour him until they had to break apart to breathe. It took only a few moments, some desperate thrusts before Sam was tensing and crying out his name, making even more of a mess of them both.

Gabriel slumped back on the wall and reached up, tangling his fingers into Sam's hair, pulling him down for another kiss, this one slow and languid as they both came down from the high. When they pulled apart, Sam was grinning at him, and Gabriel couldn't help but grin at him as well. "Well that, kiddo, was a long time coming."

Sam groaned and pressed his face to Gabriel's neck. "I have no idea why I put up with you," he muttered.

"My sparkling wit and stunning personality? Oh, and talented mouth, don't forget," Gabriel teased, grinning when Sam leaned in to kiss him again. He couldn't believe that they had lasted this long without tasting each other. He would never get enough of Sam's lips.

When Sam pulled back, just enough, to take in the sight of Gabriel, he couldn't help giving a goofy grin. "Tonight, I'll be sleeping in your bed again."

Gabriel laughed. "Thank fuck for that, I was getting bored."

Sam leaned down and nipped at Gabriel's lower lip before kissing him again. "I like the way you taste," he whispered.

"Careful, kiddo," Gabriel cautioned. "You keep that up and we're not even going to make it to my bed."

He ignored the appraising look Sam gave him and strode over to one of the lockers and opened it, fishing through it for a few moments before he pulled out a spare bit of cloth, normally used for cleaning the guns. Gabriel wiped himself down and tossed it at Sam with a smirk. "Come on. If you want to spend the rest of the afternoon in bed, I am not going to complain. But it will be in bed, if we are."

Sam laughed and followed him back to his room and Gabriel fell asleep, curled up in Sam's arms, glad that he hadn't lost this just yet.

~!~

After that, Gabriel knew it was only a matter of time before something happened. Things were too good, too idyllic. Castiel was turning into a fine sailor, adapting easily and immediately to the life, and his eagerness to learn everything impressed the rest of his crew.

Sam, well, Sam was clearly a member of the crew now, though Gabriel had caught moments where Sam, Samandriel and Castiel were all together, talking about school and some of their teachers, and things they had loved learning. He wondered if Sam ever missed that, missed his brother, the life he had left behind, everything else.

Gabriel knew that Sam wouldn't stay forever. He couldn't. He wasn't meant for something like this. He was meant for bigger and better things. Things that never involved being a cabin boy on a ship like Kali. Gabriel bit down on his lip and looked at the horizon line, changing their course easily.

It was about time they started selling some of their cargo that they had accumulated. It was going to take them a little while, so he would have time. And he'd just pretend that he still had a reason to keep Sam aboard while he worked on getting stuff offloaded. He pushed his fingers through his hair and tugged on it, hard and then forced himself to grin, bright and wide when Sam approached him and pushed him back against the wheel to kiss him.

Things were too good. Good things never lasted long. Not in his life.

By the time they put into port almost two days later, Gabriel was ready to drop. He was exhausted and he kept looking for Sam and finding him, ready with a smile or touch. Things were too good. Something would happen. He bit down on his lip and prayed that he was going to survive whatever it was.

~!~

It took the better part of the day haggling to offload his cargo, but when he was done, Gabriel wanted nothing more than to curl into bed with Sam and sleep for hours. He yawned and went back into the cabin, only to find it empty.

He blinked in surprise, but shrugged and started to walk through the ship. Sam usually found things to keep himself busy whenever he needed to, so that was all that had happened. Except, after walking the whole ship, Sam was nowhere to be found.

"Who are you looking for, Gabriel?" Castiel asked, tilting his head.

Gabriel stopped and smiled at his younger brother. "Sam. Have you seen him?"

Castiel pointed towards the bay. "He went ashore. A few hours ago with the others. They've returned, said that Sam had an errand to run."

Gabriel stared in horror at where Castiel was pointing and felt his heart stop for several agonizing seconds. Sam had gone ashore. Sam was gone. The others were back. It would have been easy to tell the lie, to say that he would be back soon.

"Gabriel?"

He ignored the question from Castiel and focused on Benny, who was frowning at him. "Cast off," he snapped, glaring at his first mate.

Benny took a step towards Gabriel. He'd never seen Gabriel look like that before. "Gabriel, what's-"

"I said cast off!" Gabriel said, raising his voice into a shout. People on the deck immediately leapt into motion and Gabriel stalked towards the wheel.

"Gabriel," Castiel said, following Gabriel to the upper deck. "What about Sam, he isn't back yet!"

Gabriel gave a harsh laugh and shook his head. "Sam saw his opportunity and took it. He's been wanting to get off of this ship since the day I caught him stowing away. I should be proud of him for pulling it off so easily."

"No, that can't-"

"Enough," Gabriel snapped, turning to look at his brother. "Either go help Benny, or go below decks. We need to depart."

Castiel snapped his mouth shut and stared at his brother in worry before immediately heading below deck to find Samandriel. He would know what to do. He always did.

~!~

Sam grinned and flipped a coin in his hands, heading back towards the docks. The sun was starting to set, but if he was lucky, Gabriel would have never noticed that he snuck ashore with the rest of the men. He had a surprise, after all, and he needed to make sure-

He froze when he turned a corner and Kali wasn't waiting at the end of the dock. Sam's head spun and he looked around, frantic, but there was no sight of her, the black sails missing. He ran towards the end of the dock and squinted, looking at the entrance to the bay.

There she was. Kali, leaving the island behind her, too far for him to be able to catch up, or shout, or anything.

Sam fell to his knees and watched her until she disappeared past the horizon line. No. His eyes filled with tears and he bowed his head and let them come. There was no one left to see now. Gabriel was gone.

~!~

"You monumental fool!" Samandriel said, bursting into Gabriel's cabin as soon as they had reached open sea and Gabriel had decided to give up standing on deck after hours of barely moving. "Turn us around this instant!"

"No," Gabriel said, walking over to the bed, his leg throbbing after standing on it without moving for so many hours. He sank down into the covers that still smelled like Sam and pushed himself up, immediately, stripping the linen off.

"Gabriel-"

Gabriel whirled around to face Samandriel again. "No. No more. He's gone. He'd been wanting to get free, waited until the perfect moment, and now he's gone."

Samandriel threw his hands up. "He's in love with you!"

Gabriel felt another stab to his heart at those words, but Sam had never ever said anything of the kind. It had always been obvious that Sam was there to learn things from him, and now he'd take that knowledge and do whatever he wanted. Maybe he'd even return home.

"He was never in love with me. I made that clear from the beginning, exactly what this was," Gabriel said, his voice hoarse as he finished pulling everything off the bed. He fell to the bed and flinched when he could still smell Sam.

"Gabriel, he barely left your bedside when you nearly died. He ran himself ragged doing anything and everything he could to save you-"

"Because the crew would have killed him if I'd died," Gabriel said, his voice dull as he stared at the wall. "He's going to go back to his family now. He had his adventure, and now he's done with it all."

Samandriel was quiet for a long time. "And what about you Gabriel? Does he take your heart with him, back to his life? Will you not fight for him?"

"There's nothing an old pirate like me can give Sam Winchester," Gabriel said, closing his eyes. He felt the truth of that statement down to his bones. There was nothing that he could give Sam. Not any longer. Maybe there had been stolen moments where he was more than Sam, but they were easily lost among the facts.

He'd kept Sam imprisoned against his will. He'd, he'd forced Sam into a physical relationship. Yeah, Sam had liked it, eventually, but maybe Sam had only been humoring him, doing what he thought that Gabriel wanted. Gabriel curled up tighter and prayed that Samandriel was done with the inquisition now.

His steps faded and the door was shut behind him. Gabriel reached out to grab Sam's pillow, pressing his face to it. His leg ached, his whole body was sore, his tears were soaking the pillow and Sam was gone. Sam was gone, and he'd never be back.

Gabriel muffled his sob in the pillow and hugged it tighter, holding onto the last vestiges of Sam that he would ever have. It was better this way. So much better this way. Sam would have everything he needed and deserved.

~!~

After almost two months at sea, Gabriel knew they had to make port for an extended stay. He directed them to Tortuga and left Benny to organize everything else. They would have an extensive amount of cargo and treasure to unload, and damage to repair. The last two tangles with slaver ships hadn't gone well.

Gabriel limped back to his cabin and fell face-first onto the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. The crew would be grateful for a respite. They needed it, they were getting edgier and edgier these days. A break would be good for them all.

Maybe he would even find books or something that Castiel could study while on board. He'd been taken under Benny's wing and was quickly becoming an excellent sailor. At least he would have someone to pass his legacy away to when he finally kicked the bucket.

Gabriel inhaled slowly. Sam's scent had long since faded from the sheets, pillow and mattress. But the memories were still there, and he'd never get rid of them. He never wanted to. At least here, like this, he could remember and miss Sam.

Even the crew had missed Sam. Benny had told them all something, because no one asked him where Sam had gone, and Gabriel was grateful because he wasn't sure he could have withstood the questions from the crew. A knock at his door made him tense and he lifted his head to glare at it.

"Who is it?" he called.

"Castiel."

Gabriel slumped back down to the pillows. "Come on in, Cas, you know that you don't need to ask."

Castiel entered, carefully balancing their food and drink as he walked towards Gabriel's bed, putting the plates down on the desk. "Gabriel, I need to speak with you about something."

Gabriel levered himself upright. Castiel looked solemn and serious and he forced himself not to panic at those words. Even if Castiel was leaving, he would at least stay in touch, right? He swallowed and stared at Castiel with a nod. "Sure, Cas, go ahead."

"I know that you think me naive, Gabriel," Castiel said, sitting on one of the chairs by the desk, staring at his brother in determination.

Gabriel smiled a little. "You are," he said, winking at Castiel.

Castiel dropped his head and stared at his hands. "I've been in love, Gabriel. With a man I spoke to only once."

Gabriel blinked in shock, staring at Castiel, unsure what the hell he was supposed to say to that. "Uh. What happened to him?"

Castiel looked back up at Gabriel and cleared his throat. "He left. He was a sailor, like you, like Sam. He was," he exhaled, his eyes half closed in memory. "he was beautiful, Gabriel. Kind, as well. I spent a great many hours on the docks, pretending to sketch so I could watch him with the men. He was a first mate on a ship. He was," he shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah it does," Gabriel interrupted, leaning in closer. "I mean, if he's a sailor, we can probably find him. Do you know his name? The ship he sails on?"

Castiel shook his head. "This is not about me Gabriel. This is about Sam."

Gabriel flinched back, clearing his throat and attempting to glare at his brother. "We are not going to talk about Sam."

"You're in love with him, Gabriel," Castiel said. "He was in love with you. You'd found each other, you were both happy. Why did you leave?"

Gabriel scowled at his brother. "He left. He told me, many times that he would escape as soon as he had the opportunity, and when the opportunity came, he took it."

"Gabriel," Castiel said. "You can't be certain of that. We weren't set to cast off until the following morning. What if Sam went ashore for another reason?"

"What reason could there be?" Gabriel snapped, standing and striding across the room, not caring how much it hurt his leg and made the scar ache. "He's been a prisoner, Cas, and he took his chance and he left. Hell, he's probably already home with his father and brother."

Castiel frowned and stared at his brother. "Do you know nothing of his family?"

Gabriel blinked at the vehemence in Castiel's tone and turned back to him. "Excuse me?"

Castiel crossed his arms over his chest. "You do not know the reason Sam left, do you?" he asked, shaking his head again. "No wonder you do not believe that Sam would stay with you."

Gabriel froze and cleared his throat. "The reason doesn't matter, and whatever it was, I was just a means to an end. I enabled him to get away, and now he has what he wanted."

"He wanted you, Gabriel!" Castiel snapped, stepping forward. "Do you not understand what a gift that was? How could you throw it away?"

"I didn't throw anything away!" Gabriel shouted, glaring at Castiel. "He left. He left without telling anyone-"

"For a reason you do not know and can only guess at!" Castiel snarled, glaring at his brother. "You are a fool, Gabriel! Every day, we all see you, you wear your broken heart on your sleeve, it is obvious to us all!"

Gabriel flinched and turned his back on Castiel, staring out the window. "Get out."

Castiel sighed and stood, walking towards the door. "I want you to be happy, Gabriel. Sam made you happy. Whatever brought him here and drove him to pick your ship to stow away on, I am certain he thanked it, each and every day."

Gabriel tightened his fingers on the window sill and glared out at the calm seas. There should be a storm, a hurricane, something to reflect the churning in his heart. Anything would be better than this. The sense of calm that he could no longer feel.

He glared at his bed, his leg still aching, even more so now with his pacing, and headed for the door. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well take a shift and allow one of the other men to sleep. He'd be able to find a partner in Tortuga. Someone to warm his bed and to help him forget any and all thoughts of Sam.

The crew avoided him for the next two days, and even Benny kept himself scarce. Gabriel knew he was in a foul mood and tried to curb his wrath, but with no one to take things out on, he had to keep it almost to himself, making him completely unable to sleep.

When they finally docked and were in the process of unloading, Gabriel went to the nearest inn and drank enough rum to numb away the pain for a few hours, if only a few.

~!~

They decided to stay in Tortuga for three weeks. The crew was grateful for the respite and Gabriel knew he could get anything and everything to do with Sam out of his system.

There was only a small problem with that. He wasn't attracted to anyone, and the few times he had tried had ended in him being completely repulsed by his partner of choice. Gabriel wanted Sam, he wanted the scent of Sam's clean sweat, and he wanted to see the tall man spread out on his bed again, begging for him.

Gabriel cursed and took another deep drink. Two weeks here in Tortuga and Gabriel was itching to leave, to run away again, maybe even all the way to Singapore. If it ran far enough, maybe Sam would fade with the memories.

Not to mention, rumors of a new pirate captain were swirling around Tortuga. He was making for the port, with a ship that he had single-handedly captured. Or so the rumors went. Gabriel ignored them, focused on trying to forget Sam.

Then the rumors got even more interesting. Gabriel perked up when he heard that this new pirate captain was looking for him. He had no idea why, or what on earth the bastard could want, but a 'business proposition' sounded ominous.

Gabriel kept himself buried in his cups, and ignored the knowing looks from Castiel and Benny and the rest of the crew. He wasn't heartbroken and he wasn't calculating how long it would take to get back to the port they had left Sam at to try and track him down.

Sam had already moved on, he was certain about it. Gabriel blew out a shaky breath and tried to hide just how much that thought hurt. Because it did. It was painful and Gabriel wasn't certain that he was ever, ever going to be able to recover from it completely. He took a deep breath and ignored the sound of the door when another man came in.

He frowned when Benny stopped in front of him and yanked the mug away from his hands. "Benny!"

"Someone here to see you," Benny said, nodding towards the door.

Gabriel scowled and turned around in his chair to stare at the man wearing all black and a black mask standing in the doorway. The whole inn had gone silent with the entrance of the man and Gabriel watched him approach.

He stared at the broad shoulders and height and had to do his absolute best not to think that the stranger looked exactly like Sam did. Slim hips and strong arms and thighs. He liked black a hell of a lot more than Sam did. But despite that, everything from the boots, to the sword at his hip that was bare, with a jeweled handle, clearly well-made, to the chest that stretched the black cotton shirt, to the strong jaw and hands, had Gabriel aching for Sam. Maybe if he could tumble this man into bed, he could forget Sam.

The thought was enough to have his heart lurch and he decided to throw that idea how immediately. Forgetting Sam was impossible, his drinking the past two weeks with no luck had made that abundantly clear and now he just needed to figure out what the hell this bastard wanted and get him on his way. Gabriel scowled at him as the man stopped in front of his table and sat down across from him.

"You're a hard one to track down, know that?" he said.

His voice was rough, but then, even like this, he reminded Gabriel of Sam and now Gabriel just wanted to drink until he slept and never woke up. His fingers itched to have a cup to knock back, so he pulled a gold coin out of his pocket and flipped it around his fingers. "Maybe I didn't want to be found," Gabriel snapped, looking up to glare at him.

He couldn't get a good look at the eyes through the mask, but then, he didn't care who the bastard was. This was clearly the captain that had been looking for him for whatever the hell reason it was. Gabriel frowned at him. "But I heard that you had some sort of proposition for me?"

"Maybe," the man said, waving for a tankard.

Gabriel wanted to challenge the bastard to a duel for wasting his time and interrupting his solitude, but he could see Benny staring at them from not far away. His first mate would step in if he did anything monumentally stupid. Instead he scowled at the mask again, because it was keeping him from getting a good luck at the mysterious captain.

"Anyone ever tell you that masks were in last century?" he snapped.

"Maybe a few," the man agrees, lifting his hands to the mask, tugging it high enough to reveal his mouth.

Gabriel made a stunned noise at the grin that appeared as soon as the man's mouth was uncovered. He knew that grin, knew it as well as his own, and the white teeth, and jawline that he had left numerous marks on-

When Sam whipped the mask the rest of the way off and his hair fell out of the ponytail and down and around his face, Gabriel was frozen to his seat, completely unable to move. "Sam," he croaked, his voice hoarse and his eyes blurry with what were definitely not tears. He wasn't even sure Sam knew he'd tried to say his name, because the word hadn't sounded clear at all.

"So, Gabriel," Sam said, stretching out in his chair, putting both of his hands behind his head, smirking at the other man. "I've got a business proposition for you. I've found myself with a ship. And a crew. But I don't want to be captain."

Gabriel frowned, because he was relatively certain that Sam would make an excellent captain, and that didn’t make sense. Why take a ship and then decide that you didn’t want it? He made another noise, because his mouth was refusing to work properly. He was sure that his heart had lodged itself in his throat.

"My brother," Sam continued. "is a proper sailor, in all of the ways that count. Since the ship belonged to our father, before he lost it in a bet, I stole it back, to give to him. It's his, now."

Gabriel was confused. He was terrified, but Sam was grinning at him and Gabriel was trying to memorize every single piece of Sam while he had him sitting here before he disappeared from his life all over again.

Sam smiled at Gabriel and pushed his fingers through his hair, tossing it over his shoulders. "He needs a first mate, and he wants Castiel."

Gabriel blinked in confusion, trying to understand. "My brother? But he's-" he swallowed, trying to figure out how the hell this worked in with a business proposition, what they were supposed to do now, and he wasn't sure he could afford to lose Castiel again so soon.

Sam shrugged a little. "Dean said he knew your brother, so I figured there was no harm in it."

"I don't, I can't lose my brother," Gabriel muttered, terror closing in on his heart. He couldn't lose Castiel too, not after losing Sam. Except Sam was sitting right in front of him, having gone nowhere and was suddenly the captain of a ship and a crew and nothing was ever going to make sense again.

Sam couldn't keep the grin in as he leaned closer and put his elbows on the table. "Well, you get a trade off," he reasoned, grinning at Gabriel.

Gabriel frowned in confusion. Sam hadn't mentioned anything he would be getting. "I do?"

Sam tapped his fingers on his jaw and smirked. "Me."

His heart stopped and all the sounds of the inn, the taproom, all of them went fuzzy and Gabriel couldn't look away from Sam. His heart started beating again, pounding harder and faster than it has in months, but Sam was serious, dead serious, hadn’t looked away from him once and Gabriel swallowed hard. There was no way that Sam could be serious.

Sam leaned back in his chair and grinned at Gabriel again, tossing the mask on the table between them. He didn't need it, not anymore. "I'll be a cabin boy for you again. Castiel can go to Dean, be his first mate," Sam said, his grin getting wider by the second. "We'll fly under similar flags, maybe even find home berths for us. Somewhere in the caribbean, I think," he said, considering it, looking around. "I like it here."

Gabriel couldn't say anything, he felt completely frozen, his mind racing as fast as his heart. None of this could be real, it was a drunken hallucination, and a cruel one at that. The ideas that Sam was spouting, finding a home for them all, sailing under similar flags, it was something he had only thought about in his deepest dreams.

Then he realized Sam was pulling something out of a pocket and tossing it towards him. Gabriel grabbed it out of reflex and looked down at the small package wrapped in paper. He frowned at it and flipped it slowly in his fingers and then looked up at Sam with a raised eyebrow.

"I snuck out to go to the market to buy you a present. One of the crew had told me I could find what I wanted there. Was going to celebrate. Tell you I was staying," Sam said, looking down at the package, smiling a little bit.

Gabriel didn't let the sound that wanted to be a whimper escape his throat. He blinked hard, the sight of the package blurring for several long moments before it cleared again. "I-"

"Open it," Sam said, taking the tankard that had been dropped off for them and knocking back the rum, in slow, noisy swallows.

Gabriel opened it, carefully peeling away the twine and the paper until a braided chain fell into his palm. It's a necklace of sorts and Gabriel turned it over in his hand and immediately recognized the symbols carved into the amber stone. Loki. The Norse Trickster God. "Sam-"

"I thought you'd like it. I saw it and knew that you had to have it. Not just because the stone matched your eyes, but Loki? The Trickster God? No one but you could own that necklace, Gabriel," Sam said, smiling widely.

"Thank you," Gabriel whispered, and knew that he had to find a way to get Sam to forgive him, no matter what it took, he would spend the next fifty years if he had to working at earning Sam's forgiveness. He looked up and cleared his throat. "Sam, I-"

"You should thank me properly," Sam said, looking down at his empty mug, putting a few gold coins down on the table before standing. "Especially since your bed is big enough for us both."

Gabriel laughed and only just caught sight of Benny grinning out of the corner of his eye as Sam dragged him away, towards Kali, with a determined stride.

Later, of course, when they were sated and curled up together, Gabriel apologized, properly. “I thought you took your chance and left. I never meant to leave you there.”

“I know,” Sam said, reaching out and combing his fingers through Gabriel’s hair with a grin. “Why the hell do you think I chased after you? I wasn’t about to let you go without a fight.”

Gabriel sighed and curled a little tighter into Sam, guilt choking him. "I didn't-"

"Hey," Sam said, lifting Gabriel's face so he could grin at him. "Enough. It's done. There's nothing we can do about it now. I'm here, you're here, and that is what matters." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the pendant that was resting against Gabriel's chest.

Gabriel exhaled hard and kept his arm tightly around Sam as they both dozed. A knock on the door made him stir just enough to tug the blankets up and over their hips. "Come in!"

Samandriel opened the door a moment later and smiled widely at the both of them. "I do thank you for at least making yourselves modest," he said, stepping around a pair of boots and then another pair of breeches.

Sam snickered against Gabriel's throat and propped himself up, running his fingers through his hair. "You're welcome Samandriel. What can we do for you?"

"As much as I am sure that you would like to continue celebrating Sam's return, there is something that needs to be discussed," he pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to Gabriel.

Gabriel wrinkled his nose and took the piece of parchment and unfolded it. There were few enough words. "Where did you find this?"

Sam frowned at Gabriel's serious tone and looked at the note.

'He must die. Alert the brothers.'

"The brothers?" Sam asked, looking from Gabriel to Samandriel. "Not-"

"Lucifer and Michael," Gabriel said, his tone harsh. He rolled out of bed and immediately grabbed his pants, yanking them back on and doing up the laces. "We have a traitor in our midst."

Samandriel nodded. "I found this near the bunks. It was crumpled and thrown into a corner. I don't know who it belongs to, but I think it is likely that the person who nearly killed you during the storm is also our traitor."

Sam blew out a breath and climbed out of the bed after Gabriel. So much for the honeymoon. "So what do we do?"

"Run," Gabriel said, grabbing his shirt, yanking it on. "Samandriel, get the word out to the crew. I don't care what state the men are in, get them on the ship, we're weighing anchor tonight."

In an instant, Samandriel was gone. Gabriel turned to Sam and reached out, cupping his face. "You should-"

"Gabriel," Sam snarled. "If you think for a second that I am going to leave-"

"Shhh," Gabriel hushed, pulling Sam down and into a hard and desperate kiss. "I am not going to ask you to leave. I am going to ask you to go warn Dean and Castiel that they need to weigh anchor. If my brothers find out that Castiel is here...."

Sam relaxed and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on a moment later. "I'll warn them now. We won't have long."

"I know," Gabriel said, looking out the window at the sunset. "We need to get out of here, with all of the men."

Sam nodded and grabbed his boots, tugging them on before he wrapped his arms around Gabriel and held him tight. "I'll be back as soon as I've warned Dean and Cas to weigh anchor. Do you have a plan for where you want to go?"

"Far away from here," Gabriel growled, his mind racing. If they weren't safe here, in a pirate port, where were they going to be safe?

"We'll pick an island we can lie low at for a while. One that has some resources," Sam said, watching as Gabriel paced across the room. "Something in the Americas, maybe."

Gabriel nodded and paced across the room again. "I have to get the ship ready."

"I know," Sam said, leaning down to give Gabriel a kiss. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

Gabriel watched Sam race for the door and couldn't help the way his heart leapt with fear. Sam would be all right. Sam had managed to capture a ship all on his own, and had sailed here. He blew out another breath and focused on what he had to do to get the ship ready.

~!~

Sam raced for The Impala and ran up the gangplank, immediately barking orders to ready the ship for departure, that they needed to run, as soon as feasibly possible. He hurried for the Captain's cabin and banged on the door, hard. "Dean!"

There was the sound of murmuring inside and Sam wanted to curse whatever woman Dean had decided to bring back on the boat. "Dean, we need to hurry!"

Sam was about to bang on the door again when it was suddenly opened, by Castiel, who was standing in nothing more than his breeches, his hair in more disarray than usual. Sam blinked and glanced at his brother over Castiel's shoulder and saw him in a similar state of undress. "Right."

"You interrupted us for a reason, Sam?" Castiel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Sam said, shaking his head. "Someone's betrayed Gabriel, and it's very likely they've found a way to contact Lucifer and Michael and they are on there way here now. We need to get out."

Castiel froze, his eyes going wide, all of the blood draining from his face. "Lucifer...and Michael?"

"Woah!" Dean said, striding forward to wrap an arm around Castiel's waist when he started to stumble. "Who the hell are Lucifer and Michael and why are we running from them?"

Sam looked at his brother. "It's a long story. But they're Gabriel and Castiel's older brothers. They have a great deal of money invested in the slave trade and wanted to involve Castiel in the business. Gabriel got to him before they could."

Dean frowned. "Sounds like some first class assholes."

"You would be accurate in that assessment," Castiel said, taking a slow, deep breath. "How does Gabriel know they are coming, Sam?"

Sam looked at Castiel and bit down on his lip for a moment. "Samandriel found a note. It said 'He must die. Alert the brothers.'"

Castiel sucked in a pained breath. "Who is the 'he' they are referring to?"

Sam stopped and stared at Castiel. The note did sound a little odd if it was going to be focused on Castiel. They wanted, needed him alive. But Gabriel? Gabriel they had tried to kill before. Horror and fear curled in Sam's stomach. "I've got to go. Both of you get out of here!"

Sam didn't want to see what either of them said, he had to get back to Gabriel, before, before he found Gabriel with a far more lethal gunshot this time around. Fuck, he should never have left!

He didn't see the wire that tripped him up in his path, and when he hit the ground, his head smacked hard enough against the cobblestones to make the entire world go black in the space of a second.

~!~

Gabriel paced angrily across the deck, pushing his fingers through his hair. They were ready to go, Dean and Cas had already left, not an hour ago and were starting to fade into the sunset. There was still no sign of Sam. Everyone had returned, but now Sam was missing, and he had promised, had promised that he would come back.

"Gabriel," Samandriel begin, stepping closer to him. "We need-"

"I am not leaving without Sam!" Gabriel roared, turning to face him, his entire face contorted in anger.

"I am not asking you to!" Samandriel shouted back, grabbing Gabriel's shoulders to stop him from pacing. "But I need you rational and able to think!"

Gabriel blew out a hard breath and glared at Samandriel. "Fine!"

"Gabriel," Samandriel started. "What did the note say?"

"Do you need me to repeat it?" Gabriel snarled, glaring at him. "It's obvious-"

"No, it isn't," Samandriel interrupted. "They weren't coming after you, Gabriel. Don't you think if they were, they would have been here, already?"

Gabriel blinked and frowned at Samandriel. "What?"

Samandriel stepped in closer to Gabriel. "If the traitor is here. And they are the one that threw you overboard, why haven't they betrayed you to Michael and Lucifer long before now? Why did nothing happen after Sam left?"

"I don't..." Gabriel trailed off, his mind racing. Other than his own foul mood, nothing had happened after Sam had left. Months, and nothing had happened or changed. He had heard nothing from his brothers. "What are you suggesting?"

"Did Sam ever tell you why he left, Gabriel?" Samandriel asked, his voice urgent. "Why he had to run away? Why he stowed away on the first ship that he could find?"

"I," Gabriel paused and shook his head. No, he couldn't remember Sam ever telling him the reason that he had run away. "No, no, he hasn't."

Samandriel blew out a breath and looked at the sky. "You must promise to keep this secret, Gabriel. You must promise."

Gabriel looked at Samandriel. "What could possibly-"

"He's the son of a Duke," Samandriel said.

Gabriel froze and stared at Samandriel in shock, his mouth falling open. "He's, he's a what?"

"Right," Samandriel said. "He's a member of the nobility, high enough that if he were to formally go missing, a large force would likely be out after him."

"But, but, why would he, why would he leave any of that?" Gabriel asked, his mind reeling. "I don't understand, Samandriel, why wouldn't he have told me?"

Samandriel sighed and forced Gabriel to look at him. "Gabriel! Think!"

Gabriel struggled, but then he managed to focus on Samandriel again. "Wh-what?"

"What have Lucifer and Michael wanted for years, in order to get formal justification for the slave trade?" Samandriel hissed.

"Nobility and royalty buy-in," Gabriel murmured, echoing something he had heard them say a thousand times over.

"Now, imagine if one of them were to wed someone eligible and heir to a Dukedom!" Samandriel said, waiting for Gabriel to get it. "Imagine if they were to forge a marriage certificate. To force Sam to sign it, and then..."

Gabriel froze, all of his blood turning to ice. "Then kill him, so he would not be able to renounce their marriage. But, but why would his father-"

"Money!" Samandriel said, his face falling. "Money. Sam's entire family is bankrupt, and Dean gave up the title to become a sailor more than a decade ago. The entire fate of the family fell to Sam."

Gabriel leaned back against the railing. "So it's not me they're after. It's Sam. If Michael or Lucifer were to marry him, assume the title of the Dukedom after Sam's father..."

"Suddenly your brothers start to have far more political clout than they did before," Samandriel said.

Gabriel couldn’t speak, he had no idea what they needed to do. If Lucifer and Michael were on the island and that’s where Sam was being taken. “We need to organize a search party.”

Samamdriel nodded and started shouting orders to the crew. Gabriel was still standing by the railing, his hands white with how tightly he was clenching the wood. "Gabriel, come on, we're going to need your help!"

Gabriel looked over his shoulder at where Dean and Cas had disappeared from sight and couldn't help the sinking feeling that they weren't going to get to Sam in time. There weren't enough of them to cover all of the island quickly enough.

"Gabriel!" Samandriel snapped.

Gabriel jumped and immediately strode for the gangplank. He couldn't think about that. He just needed to find Sam, as fast as he could.

~!~

Sam woke up, his head throbbing as he looked around. He tried to move and found his hands behind his back, thick ropes tied across his chest, and his legs bound to the chair. "What-"

"You know," Lucifer said, walking out of the shadows. "You have caused so many more problems than you are worth, Sam Winchester."

Sam froze at the sight of Lucifer and closed his eyes a little in resignation. "Gabriel will come looking for me," he said, his voice certain.

"Then we'll kill him. We don't care, and he's been a thorn in our side for long enough already," Michael said, stepping up beside Lucifer.

"He's your brother!" Sam snarled.

Lucifer chuckled and examined his fingernails. "He's renounced us a thousand times over. I am sure that he doesn't mind. We'll finish the job that we started a few months ago."

Sam slumped a little bit and looked around, frowning. He was in some sort of cave. It reminded him a little bit of where the treasure was that Gabriel had brought him to, but there was nothing here, only a small torch lighting the room. "What do you want?"

"What we have always wanted," Lucifer said, rocking back on his heels. "For you to obey your father, marry one of us-"

"No," Sam spat, glaring at him. "I won't marry either of you. I won't give you my name. I'll renounce it first."

"And let it pass to your cousin?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam. "She's not befitting the heir of a dukedom, Sam."

"Charlie is far more fitting than either of you!" Sam snapped.

Lucifer's fist hit his cheek hard enough to nearly have him lose the food he had eaten earlier. Nausea swamped him and it took several seconds before the world stopped spinning enough that Sam could focus on Lucifer and Michael again. "You think hitting me is going to make sure that I'm coherent when the time comes?"

"I think you deserve a good whipping after what has happened. Abandoning your father to his debtors, then stealing his old ship?" Michael taunted, leaning in close. "Sailing her under a pirate flag. Why, if anyone ever found out-"

"If anyone finds out, my name becomes useless," Sam snapped, flexing his wrists, pulling at the ropes on them. They were loose, but it would take him a little while to get them off his wrist and he was definitely running out of time.

Michael hummed. "Very true. So we suggest you cooperate, or we'll have you hung as a pirate."

Sam sneered and glared at him. "There goes your dukedom."

"You don't think that either of us could seduce Charlie? As young and innocent as she is?" Lucifer asked, leaning in close to Sam. "We could, and then we would kill her. Her death would be on you, on your shoulders. Surely you wouldn't want that."

Sam froze and glared at Lucifer and Michael. He was running out of time to stall, but maybe if he could get them to knock him out, that would give Gabriel a few more hours. "She's smarter than that. She'd give you both the dressing down you deserve."

This time Michael's fist was the one to hit him and Sam didn't have time to feel relieved before blackness was surrounding him again.

~!~

Gabriel paced angrily, waiting for the report back from Benny and Samandriel. No one had seen anything suspicious, and that only made everything worse. Because there was no sign of Sam.

Cannon fire made him look towards the port and to Kali. But she was the only ship there.

Benny rounded the corner at a run a moment later. "The far side of the island! It's The Impala! She's fighting off Heaven's Warriors!"

“Lucifer’s ship?” Gabriel shouted, immediately sprinting for Benny, the rest of the crew only a few steps behind him. More cannon fire, this time the quick, sharp rapports of The Impala.

“She was docked in the cove, she’s riding high in the water, Lucifer and Michael can't be far!" Samandriel shouted, running behind Gabriel.

Gabriel suddenly knew exactly where Michael and Lucifer had taken Sam. And it made so much sense. "They're in the caves!! The treasure caves!"

Benny and Samandriel froze and looked at each other.

Gabriel spun in a circle and pointed to the crew. "Samandriel, you take everyone and get Kali over there to help The Impala, right now! Benny, Zachariah, Inias, you're with me!"

He turned and sprinted for the caves, glad when he heard Samandriel start shouting orders for the rest of the crew. Gabriel pushed himself harder, finally seeing the entrance to the caves after a few minutes. There was a longboat at the entrance and that only served to confirm exactly what he thought. "Come on!" He shouted, heading for the entrance.

~!~

Sam kept himself slumped and opened one eye, studying Michael and Lucifer. They were standing several feet away from him, at the water's edge. He took a slow breath and then the sound of cannon fire echoed in the cave again.

"I'm sure it's just Gabriel's little ship attempting to stir up trouble," Lucifer said, sniffing. "She won't be a match for Heaven's Warriors, as outdated as she is. She'll be sunk in a matter of minutes."

"Even if that is the case, we need to accelerate our plans. Sam needs to sign the marriage contract," Michael said, turning to look at him.

"Why can we not forge his signature?" Lucifer asked, his voice turning angry.

"There are too many documents and letters that exist with his signature. We need this to be foolproof," Michael said, turning to look at him. "Wake up Sam," he ordered.

Sam had no idea what Lucifer was planning to do to wake him up, but he waited until the next rapport of cannon fire went off and took the opportunity to groan, blinking his eyes open.

"Well, well, if Prince Charming isn't awake. It's about time. Sadly, we've overstayed our welcome," Lucifer said, pulling a leaflet of papers out of his pocket and a pen. "Now, Sam. It's time for you to be of use in your last few moments."

"I'll never sign it," Sam spat, glaring at Lucifer and Michael.

"No?" Lucifer said, his voice cruel. He leaned in and whispered into Sam's ear. "Maybe your cousin will find herself with an accident that leaves her dead. Your brother? We will hunt him down and ensure he is hung as the pirate he is. And Gabriel?" he whispered.

Lucifer turned to face Sam, holding out a knife. "We shall peel every single inch of his skin from his body and remind him, as he screams with pain, that this could have all been avoided if you had only done as we asked."

Sam choked on a sob and glared at the man in front of him. "He has spent too much of his life fighting against you and everything you represent! I will not be intimidated by you!"

"Foolish boy!" Lucifer snarled, slashing out with the knife across Sam's face.

Sam grunted and had to blink hard as blood started to drip into his eyes. Fuck. He wasn't going to last much longer. Gabriel needed to hurry up already. He squirmed against the bonds and started to feel them give, finally! He could almost slip his hand all of the way out.

"We need him alive, Lucifer," Michael reminded him, his voice mild. "We'll need a body as proof of your marriage. If we can't prove his death, we will get nowhere."

"If you touch him again, I will put a bullet in both of your skulls!" Gabriel snarled, stepped into the light, a gun held in his hands. Benny and Inias stepped up behind him, guns held in both of their hands. "It's over, you've both lost!"

Lucifer turned to face his brother, holding up the knife with Sam's blood on it. "Have we? Somehow, I think that you aren't quite right there, Gabriel."

Gabriel froze at the sound of two more guns cocking echoed from behind him. He turned and saw Zachariah holding two pistols, pointed at them all.

"Don't try anything, Gabriel," he warned, raising the guns. He turned to Lucifer and Michael. "You were right. He was predictable. Charged right here the second that he knew where you were. No sense."

Benny snarled. "Traitor! You're the one who tried to murder Gabriel!"

Zachariah smiled. "Oh, yes. I wasn't counting on the stupidity of that young man over there."

Sam watched as Lucifer and Michael turned to face Gabriel and he kept struggling with his bonds. No one was looking at him now, he could get free! He managed to slip one hand free and looked to the side of the cave, squinting hard. He could see what was a sword, probably Michael’s, since Lucifer was wearing his. Another few tugs and his other hand was free.

“Imagine my surprise,” Lucifer said. “That when Zachariah here got in touch with us to say that he would give up Gabriel's location, he happened to mention the very young man we were looking for!"

Gabriel scowled. "I won't let you get away with this!"

Michael raised an eyebrow. "No? I think you are very wrong there, brother."

"Now," Lucifer said, his voice eager. "We have the perfect leverage to get Sam to do as we want. It is one thing to threaten, but there's nothing quite like hearing the screams of a loved one to...incentivize."

"No!" Sam shouted, working on the knots tying his shoulders to the chair. It didn't matter if he could move his arms, if he couldn't get out of these ropes, everyone was going to end up dead because of him.

Lucifer paused and turned to Sam, raising an eyebrow. "Are you willing to cooperate and sign the marriage contract and license now Sam?"

"No!" Gabriel said, stepping closer. "Sam, don't, don't, please, don't, it'll be okay, I promise it'll be okay!"

Sam was pretty sure that the world was swimming as more blood dripped into his eyes. He was going to have to try to be strong enough to watch Gabriel be tortured. "Gabriel, I can't-"

"You can," Gabriel promised, staring straight at Sam. "I know you can. And it's okay, Sam. It's okay."

Sam bit down on his lip, hard and turned to look at Benny and then Inias. Except Inias wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the sword that Sam had noticed. When Inias looked back at him, Sam nodded, just enough. "Gabriel, I..." He turned back to Gabriel and forced a smile. "Thank you."

Gabriel held his gun steady, but only barely, keeping it trained on Lucifer. "Don't thank me yet."

Lucifer laughed. "So touching! Drop the gun Gabriel!" he ordered, pointing his own at Sam. "Or I shoot and you watch him bleed out while I torture you."

Gabriel flinched and dropped the gun a moment later.

Sam looked to Inias again. Michael stepped closer to Zachariah and the two were speaking quietly together. His gaze flicked to Benny, and then to the men behind him. By the widening of Benny's eyes, he caught on to what Sam was planning.

"Now," Lucifer said, stepping closer. "Where should I start? Perhaps I'll cut out your eyes so you can't look at Sam anymore."

Gabriel sucked in a breath and stared at Sam, memorizing the sight of him before he turned to face Lucifer, raising his chin. "You don't have the guys to bring that knife anywhere near me. I'll kill you."

"You're right," Lucifer said, raising the pistol in his other hand, cocking it. "Let's make that a little easier, shall we?"

Sam shifted his weight forward, still tied to the chair and leapt for Lucifer, slamming all of his weight into Lucifer's back, knocking him to the ground, sending the pistol flying. The flimsy chair he was tied to broke apart at the impact and after a moment of struggling with Lucifer, he came up with the knife Lucifer had had. "Gabriel!"

Another three gunshots sounded in the dark room and Sam spun around, meeting Gabriel's scared eyes.

"Benny! Inias!" Gabriel snapped, turning around to them, glad when he saw Inias standing, holding his pistol and the sight of Zachariah on the floor, a hole in his skull.

"Cher, I might need help getting back to Kali," Benny said, his voice hoarse as he pressed a hand to his shoulder where the blood was seeping out and around his fingers.

"Where's Michael?" Gabriel asked, spinning around. The sound of footsteps near the front of the cave had him spinning. "Inias! After him!" he ordered.

Sam nearly sagged in relief and shrugged off the rest of his ropes, taking a step towards Gabriel when the sound a sword being unsheathed made him turn to Lucifer. He held out the knife and stepped in front of Gabriel, facing him.

"You think you can come after me with that?" Lucifer spat, holding the sword out.

“No,” Sam said, tossing the knife between his hands. He waited until Lucifer lunged forward, blocked the sword and pushed, sending Lucifer careening backward. He grabbed the sword that Michael had left behind and tested the weight in his hand before turning to face Lucifer.

“Sam!” Gabriel shouted, kneeling next to Benny, tearing his shirt off and pressing it to the wound. “He’s trained with master swordsmen, be careful!”

Sam smirked and advanced, standing between Gabriel and Benny and Lucifer. He held up the sword. “So have I,” he answered Gabriel, keeping his posture, waiting for Lucifer to advance.

“I’ll make you pay for this you ungrateful brat!” Lucifer snarled, shifting position. “Do you think you’re any match for me? I’ll cut you to pieces and watch as Gabriel watches you die!”

“Not that I ever had plans to marry you,” Sam said, keeping his position as Lucifer stalked in front of him. “But on a separate note, you’re far too obsessed with people being tortured. I could never marry someone like that.”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes and stalked closer. “And yet you’ll marry my no good pirate brother? Who steals and thieves and rapes and murders?”

Sam laughed and immediately parried as Lucifer jumped forward, advancing on him as their blades clashed, the sound ringing in the cave. “Your brother, the pirate, is more of a man than you could ever hope to be, Lucifer. You or Michael.”

Lucifer gave another scream of rage and dove forward.

Sam grunted as the full weight of Lucifer hit his blade and he shoved, getting him to retreat a few steps. He advanced, diving forward, his blade slicing along Lucifer’s thigh. He had to make Lucifer angry. Make him that much more likely to make a mistake. The longer this went on the more likely he would lose the fight.

“You think you are a match for me?” Lucifer said, tightening his hand on his hilt, spinning around, his blade catching Sam across Sam’s arm, making him falter. “Your chances of beating me are-”

“Lucifer,” Gabriel growled, cocking the pistol he’d picked up from the other side of Benny. “Shut up!” He pulled the trigger and watched Lucifer fall back, hitting the ground with a pained grunt.

Sam turned to Gabriel, lowering the sword. He grinned and wiped some of the blood off his face, and ignored how much his arm was throbbing. Voices were coming down the cave entrance and he sank down to his knees next to Gabriel and Benny. “How are you doing Benny?”

“Cher, just kiss him already,” Benny grumbled, leaning back against the slimy wall.

Sam laughed in relief and leaned in, brushing his nose against Gabriel’s. “I knew you’d come for me.”

“I think we should maybe call this an end to the kidnapping and rescuing each other thing we’ve got going on. We’re even now,” Gabriel said, grinning up at Sam. Inias and several other members of the crew came running into the small inlet a few seconds later.

Sam wrapped his arm around Gabriel and let his captain support him while they limped back to where Kali and The Impala were sailing past the wreckage of Heaven’s Warriors.

“So,” Gabriel said, glancing up at Sam. “A duke, huh?”

Sam tensed and looked down at Gabriel. “Samandriel told you, didn’t he?” He sagged a little bit and pushed his hair off his forehead. “Going to ransom me, now?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Nah. Had another idea.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

As it turns out, with the two older Novak’s both in prison, the money in his family fell to Gabriel. And well. He might have married someone who was an heir to a Duchy. And together, with their political and monetary clout, might have advocated for the abolishment of the slave trade.

And the Trickster? Well. He was more than happy to let someone else carry on the name and his battles.

After all. Even pirates can get a happily ever after.

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