94. Chapter 94

On the morning of the 23rd, Gabriel returned to the shop where Dean had found Bobby's Christmas gift. He lingered outside, watching people walking by, until he heard the click of the door unlocking behind him - it was never a good idea to walk into a witch's territory uninvited, archangel or not. The last thing he wanted to have to do was wait to be rescued from a circle of holy oil. Not only would Castiel never let him hear the end of it, but Dean would also probably have a panic attack over the thought of his uncle or daddy being trapped somewhere and unable to escape.

"Have you come for the ring?" the witch asked as Gabriel entered the shop. She didn't seem surprised that Gabriel had waited longer to return than she'd told him that he needed to.

"Yup," Gabriel said, looking at her expectantly.

She wordlessly opened her palm to show him what she held. It was a small black ring box. Nestled inside was a ring that looked like it was made from pure silver, though Gabriel knew otherwise. Various runes had been etched into the inside of the ring, leaving the outside largely untouched. But what mattered the most was what Gabriel could feel. The power emanating off the ring was immense and tickled at the edges of his grace. It was a peculiar feeling, but also a satisfying one. He gave an approving nod and took the ring box from her.

"What's your price?" he asked, closing the box and putting it in his pocket.

She named a price that would've made most people cringe, but Gabriel didn't bat an eye. The safety of the Winchesters was paramount. He would have happily paid for a second ring for Dean, but that was a little pointless given that Dean was always with Castiel or Gabriel now. Sam, on the other hand, was by far the easiest target between the two of them, even if Sam wouldn't have been willing to admit it.

So he paid up and thanked her, before quietly leaving the shop and spreading his wings. He cast his grace wide until he locked onto Sam's location and then flew north, and shortly was landing about five feet away from one Sam Winchester - though he made sure to keep himself invisible for the moment. Sam, like the rest of his classmates, was completely absorbed in an exam and either didn't notice or didn't want to acknowledge the flutter of an arriving angel's wings. Watching him, Gabriel suspected that Sam probably hadn't noticed.

"Alright, class. You've got ten minutes late," the professor announced, eyeing the clock on the wall.

Sam shifted his seat, a few beads of sweat breaking out across his forehead. Gabriel frowned and looked at him more closely, taking in the circles under Sam's eyes and the stubble on Sam's chin - it was pretty unusual for Sam not to be clean-shaved. His cheeks a little hollower than usual, and his clothes didn't seem to fit quite as well. he had lost weight, Gabriel realized. That sounded about right. Castiel had told him once that there were a lot of times when Sam got so deep into research on a hunt that he'd forget all about the rest of the world until Dean or Castiel shoved food in front of him.

Damn the Winchester boys and their deep-seated stubbornness. The end of the year couldn't come fast enough.

The ten minutes clearly flew by for Sam and his classmates. There was a chorus of groans when the professor announced the end of the exam, and Sam sat back in his chair with a grimace and a sigh that made it clear he wasn't satisfied with how things had gone. But he stood up with everyone else, handed his exam booklet over to his professor, and then walked out of the room with a slump to his shoulders and his hands tucked in his pockets. Rather than followed, Gabriel flew out of the classroom and to a few bushes just outside the building.

He emerged from the bushes just as Sam was leaving, and called out, "Hey Sammy!"

Sam's head lifted in surprise. "Gabriel? What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding a little wary.

"Rude. I'm here to take you to Bobby's, remember?" Gabriel said, casually sauntering over to him. A few of Sam's classmates eyed him appreciatively as he approached, and Gabriel graced them all with a sexy smile. It was fine with him if they wanted to think that Sam and he were dating: that was a pretty easy cover story.

"My exam literally just ended. I'm not even packed yet," Sam said.

Gabriel shrugged. "That's fine. I don't mind waiting."

"You can come out with us for drinks if you want," one of Sam's classmates piped up.

"No, that's okay," said Sam, shaking his head. "See you next year, guys." He waved as his classmates ambled off.

"I don't mind if you want to go out with your friends. I can wait," Gabriel said, though he privately thought that Sam didn't look like he should be drinking right now. Still, it was pretty dangerous to get between a Winchester and their alcohol unless they were as far along in the hatchling process as Dean was.

"You mean, you don't mind spying on me," Sam said dryly, shooting him a knowing look. "It's fine. They're not really my friends. They just thought you were cute."

"Well, I am pretty cute," Gabriel said, watching Sam out of the corner of his eye. More and more, it seemed like Sam didn't really have any friends here. That was a little concerning. In spite of the world they had grown up in, Sam was a friendly, out-going, handsome, intelligent man. There was no reason why he shouldn't have at least a few friends, if not a girlfriend.

"Keep telling yourself that," Sam said. He let his head fall back, rolling his shoulders. "Man, I'm glad those exams are done."

"You can rest a lot on your vacation," Gabriel offered.

"If only it was that easy. Some of my classes are full-year courses, so I have a couple essays due the first week we're back. I'll have to work on them during the break," Sam explained, sighing.

Gabriel's frown deepened, though he was careful not to let Sam see that. It was so tempting to just grab Sam and spirit him away from the world, but that wouldn't be fair to Sam. Much like how Dean and Castiel had started out, Sam had to want to become a nestling. And he wouldn't right now. He was too determined to finish what he'd started in terms of his degree. That was important to Sam in a way that Gabriel couldn't fully understand, but which he had to appreciate. But that didn't mean he couldn't encourage Sam to relax a little.

"It won't take you the whole time. You'll be able to relax some too. Dean's looking forward to seeing you," Gabriel said.

Sam brightened a little at the mention of his brother. "How is he doing?"

"Really good. We went Christmas shopping the other day. Dean picked out gifts for everyone," said Gabriel.

"I can't believe you willingly got Dean to go shopping," Sam said, snorting. "I think I have most of my stuff worked out too. I was able to pick up a few extra shifts at the cafe to pay for everything."

Gabriel casually slid his hand into his pocket and snapped his fingers, adding a couple thousand dollars to Sam's bank account, and said, "Were they mad you're going away for Christmas?"

"Nah. I'm one of their best workers. They were a little disappointed, but they understood. It happens when you hire students." Sam shrugged and jogged up the stairs to his building. Gabriel followed, slipping in behind Sam. The building was quieter than he had expected, but then he realized that a lot of students had probably already left for the year.

"Is it okay if I give you your Christmas gift early?" Gabriel asked.

Sam paused midway up the stairs and turned to look down at him, seemingly confused. "My what?"

"Your Christmas gift. I picked it up this morning and I want you to have it now," said Gabriel, walking up the steps to join him. The sooner Sam had the ring on his hand, the better.

"Uh... okay, I guess," Sam said, still wearing an adorably baffled look. "Wait. This isn't going to get me in trouble with the university, right? I'm not going to end up getting security called on me?"

"The lack of faith you have in me hurts, Sam. It really does," Gabriel said mock-seriously.

Sam put his hands on his hips. "The first time Dean and I came across you, you were posing as a janitor to kill people on a university campus. Forgive me for being a bit skeptical as to your intentions."

Gabriel smiled to himself. "Those were some good days," he said lightly. What Sam didn't know what just how much Gabriel didn't miss those days. That was back when he'd second guessed his every move because he was worried about heaven finding him - back when he hadn't had contact with any other angels in centuries - back when he didn't have a baby brother and a nephew that he loved with every ounce of grace that he possessed. But that was probably a little hard for Sam to understand right now, given that Sam was clinging so hard to his own past.

"Never mind. I don't want the gift after all," Sam said.

"Hey! You already said yes. You can't change your mind." Gabriel took the box out of his pocket and held it out. Sam's eyebrows shot up when he saw it.

"Are you proposing to me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Am I down on one knee?" Gabriel countered, amused in spite of himself. "Just open it, Sam."

Still looking a little skeptical, Sam took the box and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw what was inside. "A ring. You seriously got me a ring?"

"Yup. It has a lot of protective properties," Gabriel said, deciding to omit for the time being that he'd asked for a witch's help with that.

"Thanks, but I'm done with hunting... so I guess I don't need it," Sam replied. He went to give the box back, but Gabriel shook his head.

"It's not for hunting. I know you're done with that. Consider it more of a pre-emptive strike. Supernatural creatures will have a much harder time finding you if you're wearing that. Means that no one will be able to take the fight to you... and you must know that eventually someone will. Even if you and Dean aren't hunting now, you made a a lot of enemies when you were. Eventually some vampire or werewolf or something is going to try to track you down for revenge, and this ring will hopefully stop them from doing that," Gabriel explained.

"Huh. That actually sounds pretty useful. Like a ward that I can carry around," Sam said slowly, opening the ring box up to give the ring another look.

Gabriel nodded. "Exactly. It's also got a tiny bit of my grace in it so that I'll know if you're in danger."

"You're keeping tabs on me?" Sam said, frowning.

"Not at all. It doesn't tell me what you're doing or where you are or anything like that unless you're actively in danger. Think of it as an easy way to have an angel on your shoulder without an angel actually following you around," Gabriel said. The ring would actually alert Gabriel, and by extension Castiel, if there was a supernatural creature around Sam. That way, they'd hopefully be able to deal with any problems that arouse before Sam even knew about them.

"Putting this on won't turn me into a chicken or something, will it?" Sam took the ring out of the box but hesitated before putting it on.

"So suspicious. No, I swear on your brother's life that the ring won't do anything to you," Gabriel said, which was about as serious as he could get.

Sam seemed to get that because he put the ring on his middle finger. It fit perfectly. He flexed his hand a few times, testing the weight, before giving a tentative smile. "Then... thanks."

"You're welcome, Sammy," Gabriel said gently, fighting the urge to hug him. It wouldn't be welcomed - but damn did he want to. Someday, he consoled himself. He just needed to be patient.

"Come on, then. I gotta pack." Sam put the box in his pocket and then jogged the rest of the way up the stairs, leaving Gabriel to follow.