The Bowling-match of the Angels

Lightning crashed down and the rain banged against the window, the wind howling around the house.

Standing on his tip-toes, the child stared out of the window, watching the rampaging thunderstorm outside with fascination. When the sky roared once more, a small gasp left Sam's mouth and he ducked down.

Small hands clasping the windowsill tightly, he pulled himself up once more and his green eyes focused on the sky above. Sam watched how another lightning bolt stroke down to the ground, the sky roaring not long afterward.

A sigh left his lips. There's no way I can sleep like this, Sam thought in annoyance.

Closing his eyes and clasping his hands together in front of him, he send out a prayer. Might as well try. "Hello angels," the child spoke, "pastor Jim once told me that thunder is angels bowling."

The sky quieted down. Hoping that the angels were listening, he continued. "My name is Sam Winchester and I am trying to sleep here, so I would appreciate it greatly if you could just shut up for now. Amen."

Unclasping his hands, Sam went away from the window, crawling back into the warmth of his bed at Bobby's. Finally, silence. But sadly for Sam, it did not last long. For the moment he had closed his eyes, the lightning show started again louder than before; almost like a mockery towards the child.

Sitting up in his bed, Sam groaned in irritation. "Really?" He muttered under his breath, throwing the blanket off him and jumping out of bed.

Sam crossed the room and opened the door, groggily rubbing his eyes. "Dean!" He whined, going down the creaking stairs. "Dean! Bobby!"

He ran into Bobby when rounding a corner. "What are you doing out of bed, kiddo?" Bobby asked. Sam looked up into the older man's gaze which stared down at him in slight concern. "It's already past your bedtime."

Sam pouted. "I can't sleep," he said, "the angels are keeping me awake."

Bobby stared down at the child before him. "Angels?" He asked in bewilderment. It would have been more logical to him if Sam had told him there was a poltergeist or a wendigo in his room, but angels? No hunter has ever seen an angel and there was no way Bobby believed they were real, not without any proof at least.

Nodding his head, Sam replied. "Pastor Jim says that thunder is angels bowling." As if on cue, the sky roared once more, followed by another flash of light. Sam stared out of the window before focusing his attention back on Bobby.

"Do you know where Dean is?" Sam continued.

"On the couch," Bobby replied, pointing somewhere behind him. "Get some milk from the fridge or something and get back to sleep, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Sure," walking past Bobby, he went towards the living room to find his big brother.

Watching Sam go, Bobby shook his head, deciding that he needed to have a chat with Pastor Jim to stop filling the boys head with crap like angels. "Idjits," he muttered and left.

Just like Bobby had said, Dean was on the couch. Sam watched his brother with his head tilted to the side. Dean was sprawled out on the couch, appearing to be reading a porn magazine of some sorts - Sam never understood his brother's liking towards it - and Dean was lightly chuckling to himself.

Peeking over his brother's shoulder, Sam saw the picture of a half-naked Asian woman. Pulling a face, he whined, "Dean!"

Startled, Dean dropped the magazine and turned around wide-eyed. "Sammy!" He said. "Don't do that."

"And aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Dean added, glancing at the clock on the wall that read past ten. "It's past your curfew."

"Dean," Sam asked, "Pastor Jim says thunder is angels bowling... that true?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dean went back to the magazine. "There is no such a thing as angels."

"Anyway, if they were real. Do you really think angels can be that loud?" He added.

As if on cue, the sky roared once more, louder than before and numerous lightning bolts illuminated the sky. The brothers looked outside and Dean said, "Just try to sleep. It's late."

Sam sighed. "Alright then, good night," he mumbled, going back towards his room.

Once in his room, he glanced out of the window once more. Sam swore he could hear someone yell 'strike' very loudly. Shaking his head, he went to bed and covered his head with the pillow, hoping to block out the obnoxious thunderstorm that way.

~~~~~~

Meanwhile in Heaven.

"Guys," Castiel said, trying to catch the attention of his siblings. "That was just mean. Perhaps we should let the child sleep. We can bowl another day."

His siblings ignored him. Castiel hung his shoulders slightly.

Uriel meanwhile, held a bowling ball in his hand, staring at the pins in great concentration. The other angels watching on.

Pulling back his arm, Uriel shot the ball towards the pins, but before he could release it, Gabriel flew forward and screamed loudly in his ear. Yelping, Uriel's arm twisted and he missed the pins by a feather's breed. Another lightning bolt went towards the world below when the Angel had thrown the bowling ball. He turned towards the smirking Archangel and asked with furrowed eyebrows, "Brother, what did you do that for?"

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. "I just felt like it. Now shut up and watch how the pro does it, little fledgling," the Archangel spoke, picking up his golden bowling ball and standing in position.

"Zachariah," Uriel tried desperately, turning towards the angel who wrote down the scores, "say something about it."

Zachariah stared at him. "I am not going to tell an Archangel off. I don't have a death wish."

"Gabriel," Castiel tried again, "you really shouldn't cheat. Cheating is a sin."

"Shut up, Cassie," Gabriel replied, tongue poked out. He threw the ball and it went towards the pins, all of them went down. "STRIKE!!" Gabriel yelled, fist pumping the air in victory. Numerous lightning bolts illuminated the skyline of Earth when the Archangel got a strike.

Uriel threw his bowling ball into the ground in irritation. And Raphael electrocuted a yelping Gabriel. "Don't cheat," Raphael said, lightning radiating off him, "you should follow the rules!"

"Nobody cares about the rules!" Gabriel retorted.

"Who gave you the right to cheat?" Raphael asked again, starting to feel agitated with Gabriel's actions.

A smirk grew on Gabriel's face. "I did."

The Archangels glared at each other and Anna slipped away, knowing what was going to happen next. Uriel was also starting to sneak away and Castiel mostly looked confused.

Zachariah looked down at his clipboard, pen in hand. "Ten points for Gabriel," he said, adding a '10' to the Archangel's score.

He turned towards poor Castiel, who did not seem to understand what was going on. "Castiel," he called out. The black-winged angel looked his way. "You might want to get away from here. This isn't going to get pretty."

Castiel lightly bowed to the higher-ranked angel before he disappeared in a flutter of wings. Glancing one last look at the two fuming Archangels, Zachariah himself disappeared as well. If Raphael and Gabriel really were going to fly at each other's throats he did not wish to be there.

~~~~~~

Michael watched how Gabriel and Raphael clashed together, the force strong enough to create an enormous thunderstorm above the entire American continent.

He wasn't worried though. Not at all.

Michael knew his younger brothers wouldn't kill each other and they never fought long either way - a few hours at most, until Gabriel got bored and went back to Earth to play as a pagan god.

Interfering was pointless in his opinion. "Idiots," the eldest Archangel muttered.

Glancing down at Earth, towards the child who had sent out a prayer - the very child who was to be Lucifer's vessel - Michael felt slightly bad for him, but not bad enough to actually do something about it.

He knew the child wasn't going to get any sleep done tonight either way.