Chapter 127

Jack and Gabriel never really said whether they were planning to come back after their night of training, and Sam had sort of assumed they wouldn't. Gabriel seemed a little hesitant to spend the afternoon with them the day, and he probably only did because he was already there and Jack wanted him to. Sam doesn't expect the same thing to happen again.

That's why he's surprised when Jack and Gabriel show up in the war room the next morning anyway, looking bright and cheerful -- or as bright and cheerful as one look when God Himself imposed a supernatural lockdown on them.

"Hey!" Sam waves at the archangel, and he can't even pretend he's not excited to see him. He's been getting sick of third-wheeling with his brother and his boyfriend. They were a lot more bearable when Sam thought Castiel just liked Dean more than him; it's so much more annoying now that they're together.

Gabriel grins. "Hey, Sam." He appears in front of Sam with the flap of his wings, not bothering to walk the last 20 feet or so. It's still a little weird to hear Gabriel call him "Sam" instead of some weird nickname, but at least Gabriel's back in his life at all. He can't complain.

"How'd last night go?" Sam asks, glancing over at Jack as he says it. Jack is hanging out with Michael and Jo -- a weird combination, but fortunately not a problematic one, so he doesn't think he needs to worry about it.

"Pretty good, actually," Gabriel says. "I think the break did him some good because he's really starting to figure telekinesis out."

"Oh, that's awesome," Sam says, and he means it, too. He's not sure how telekinesis will coincide with taking down Chuck and his warding, but he trusts that Gabriel knows what he's doing.

"I know, right?" Gabriel says with a grin. "Have you given much thought to what you're gonna do if and when Jack gets us out of here?"

"The same thing I've always done, probably," Sam says. "Hunt."

Gabriel glances at Dean and Castiel, who have been enjoying their time here far more than they should. "Are you sure they're gonna be up for that?"

"Their honeymoon phase has to end eventually," Sam says with a shrug. "Cas is all for it, and I'm sure between the two of us, we can convince Dean to get back to hunting." Dean has mentioned before that he's really enjoying this apple pie life and that he thinks he might feel at home now if they could come and go as they please, but Castiel has made his position very clear that he doesn't think Dean should stop hunting, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. "How about you?"

"I don't know," Gabriel admits. "I guess it depends on whether I still want to kill Lucifer when I finally get the chance."

Sam frowns. He'd been hoping Gabriel would have decided against that, but apparently even renewing their friendship wasn't enough to convince him that his suicide mission isn't worth it.

"Was he any better last night?" Sam asks, though he's decently sure Lucifer will never be "better." More bearable for a brief period of time, sure, but not .

"He didn't show," Gabriel says.

"That's... weird," Sam says. He would have assumed Lucifer to be involved if he was hanging out with them the night before, but if he ditched at the first possible moment...

"Hey, I ain't complaining," Gabriel says. "The less I have to deal with him, the better."

Sam nods in understanding. He can definitely relate. The difference, it would seem, is that Lucifer is also doing his best to stay away from , too, if him disappearing as soon as Sam walked into the garage was any indication.

"I hope he decides to stay away," Sam says. "I think it would work out best for everyone."

"I don't know if I expect us to get lucky," Gabriel says, "but it would be nice. Maybe we won't hear from him until the warding's down and Chuck has to let us out."

Sam scoffs. "That would be the dream."

~~

Meanwhile, Jack is chatting with Michael and Jo. He talked to a lot of people yesterday, but these were the two he felt more comfortable with -- something he hadn't expected going into this. He's finding it surprisingly easy to separate this Michael from the one in his world -- arguably an easier time than he had separating the Winchesters from both worlds. At their essence, Sam and Dean are both the same people in both worlds, even if their recent experiences differ; the Michael he sees here and the Michael he used to know are nothing alike. It's not too difficult to see them as two different people.

He was a little wary to interrupt the couple's conversation today. They are very clearly , and while Jack doesn't exactly know the protocol for hanging around two people who are together, he's decently sure staying by their side all day is not the norm. Fortunately for him, they greet him with a smile as soon as they see him, and Jo waves him over.

"Hi!" Jack says with a smile.

"Hey, buddy," Jo greets him. "How'd last night go? Getting any better?"

"No pressure, of course," Michael adds, and Jack appreciates it. He knows Jo wasn't trying to rush him, but he's glad Michael is making sure he's aware.

"I did, actually!" Jack says. "Look!" He glances around the room for something to take, but there isn't much lying around the war room on a daily basis. After a few moments of deliberation, he stealthily levitates Gabriel's blade out of his pocket. Gabriel doesn't react, so he thinks he's doing really well.

"Nicely done, kid," Jo says, amused.

The blade flies into Jack's hand. "See? I couldn't do that 24 hours ago."

"You're definitely making progress," Michael tells him. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you!" Jack says with a smile.

"How long do you think it's gonna take Gabriel to notice you stole his blade?" Jo asks.

"Good question," Gabriel says, and though he's still looking at Sam, he's speaking loudly enough that she knows it's directed towards her. "How long do you think you've got? Place your bets."

Sam laughs, and Jack has to admit, that makes him really happy. He never would have guessed they were just going through a rough patch just 24 hours earlier. It's such a stark contrast from the lonely Gabriel he had seen in the garage that first night, or the brokenhearted Sam Winchester he stumbled upon when Chuck dropped him here. He likes these versions of them much more.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 'not long,'" Jo says.

"Really?" Sam feigns surprise at that. "I think you guys have a while. Gabriel doesn't seem to be paying much attention."

"You know what?" Jo says. "You have a point. I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one."

"Me, too," Gabriel says.

Jack has to admit, he finds the exchange funny, but he's also a little confused. Is he supposed to give the blade back now? He'd just assumed that either Gabriel would ask for it back, or he wouldn't notice and Jack would give it to him tonight. He's not sure what to do now that Gabriel's aware.

The blade floats out of his hand and into Gabriel's, and that answers that question. He glances at the archangel, mostly to make sure he's not in trouble for stealing his archangel blade.

But when Gabriel glances over his shoulder at the nephilim, there's a smile on his face. "Nicely done, Jack. Nicely done."