A Road That Takes Me Home - Part Two

[slowsunrise]

Gabriel was alone on the poop deck now, standing at the rudder wheel with his eyes fastened on the horizon. That in itself wasn't an unusual sight at all. Gabriel loved his Wolf more than anything else in the world and some of his finest moments in life were on just that very spot.

It was his body language that was different. Most often, he almost slouched at the wheel, moving with it as if they were dancing in their sleep. That, and the ever-present smile, were integral parts of the pirate captain with the carefree attitude.

Now, his movements were rigid and the smile wiped from his face. It was all Sam's fault, and maybe even Dean's too. He wished that Sam hadn't been stupid enough to fall over board and be picked up by them. If that hadn't happened, Sam would still just be a character in the stories Dean told and Gabriel would be lounging instead of sulking on the poop deck. Or maybe brooding was a better, manlier word. Brooding on the poop deck.

This whole business was silly to begin with. Sometimes, Dean would tell stories from his rather wild childhood around the fire when they camped out on a beach, or just at the dinner table in the galley. The stories would always begin with 'So, Sammy and me' and then go on describing all their adventures, real and play-pretend, that boys tended to have. Gabriel listened to these stories and loved them. He had developed an almost boyish crush on this Sam, which in itself was silly too because he might as well have been fictional.

Then one day, Dean had come running to him with his heart in his throat, claiming that Sam, his brother Sam, was clinging to a crate in the middle of the ocean and they needed to turn the ship around now. Gabriel had first wondered just what the hell Dean had been drinking, but the second it became obvious that he wasn't joking, The Bad Wolf had set course to save Sam.

The rescue hadn't been as epic and adventurous as some of the romance novels Gabriel claimed he never read, but that didn't matter because Sam stood before him and looked like that.

Gabriel's thoughts had drifted to biblical paintings of angels visiting earth. Sure, a very drenched angel, but still, nobody ought to be allowed to look like that. First things first: the boy was tall as a house and with his wet shirt clinging to his body like a desperate woman, Gabriel had been able to see the toned muscles beneath it. His face was gorgeous too, even if his hair needed a good meet-up with the barber. At least there was a mane to grab when he would finally be able to do those things that came rushing to his mind when he looked at Sam's stature.

After a few well-selected comments, Gabriel let the kid get away for now seeing that he seemed to be ready to break in half any given second. Ellen's cooking would do miracles as always and then, well...

Only, when 'then' came along, Dean and Cas were hurrying across the deck, together holding an unconscious Sam in their arms. The door to the sick-bay slammed closed and Gabriel found himself cursing and calling in for a replacement at the wheel.

Then followed many hours of worry as Sam slipped in and out of the fever. Castiel had to drag Dean away for the food and rest he couldn't go without, but Gabriel too spent an unhealthy amount of time by his side. Dean didn't say anything to his company, but only looked over at his captain once in a while as if to confirm that he was still there. Gabriel just met his gaze silently.

He wasn't there when Sam woke up, which maybe was a good thing after all because there were certain limits after which one became creepy. Gabriel didn't have plans on crossing them quite yet. This also gave him the opportunity to get rid of the last of his worries and put on a smile instead.

The smile didn't last long though. Sam came up to the poop deck and Gabriel wouldn’t say that hell broke loose, because he had seen hell and it didn't look like that. What did happen however, was that Sam took a giant sledgehammer and slammed it into... Gabriel absolutely refused to say heart, but the crush he had on Sam broke into tiny, tiny pieces when the heavy hammer of Sam's words hit it.

* * *
A few days passed and just as planned, they restocked their supplies in an obscure small harbor where no one asked what flag they were sailing under. Following their tradition, there was a party that night, involving everybody. Almost everybody. Sam was missing during the whole evening and as people started to drop off, Gabriel found himself walking to the deck house, knowing that Sam was there.

“The kid's not half bad, you know.”

Bobby was standing next to him and Gabriel twitched, not at the surprise, but at Bobby's words. He had tried to push Sam back to the darkest corners of his mind. That wasn't so easy when he had been sitting in the middle of the room, playing chess with Bobby and smiling like the sun. Gabriel, despite being the captain, had kept to a corner with the pretense of reading a book. He hadn't been registering a single word from it though, but rather looked at Sam over its edge, good and long.

Gabriel groaned once, quietly in the back of his throat. He hoped that Bobby noticing that didn't mean that Sam himself had done the same.

“I just don't - ” Gabriel begun without a single clue on how to finish that sentence. Sam wasn't supposed to do this damn it, wasn't supposed to render Gabriel speechless without even being present. He always had an answer or a way to talk back to people, no matter the situation.

Sam was a nobody. He didn't matter. He was the symbol of everything opposite to Gabriel and that alone ought to put a distance between them. Yet, Gabriel couldn't let that silly boy-crush go. He had stayed away from Sam and he had watched him from a distance. The rest of the crew, save Dean, Castiel and old Bobby, had followed their captain's example and none of them had really been talking to him.

“He'll be out of our hair soon enough and then it won't matter, because he'll be gone from this place.”

Gabriel tried to force a certainty into his words, but he could feel himself failing at that task. Bobby gave him a half smile and patted his shoulder.

“I don't know about that, cap. Maybe you've been too quick to judge him?”

Bobby gave a shrug before leaving Gabriel and his thoughts alone. The pirate captain glared after the leaving man. He hated it when Bobby was right.

* * *
The sun was on its way to setting when Gabriel gave the rudder wheel to Bobby for the night. It had been a calm day with the wind coming from the right direction for once. Not much to do for Gabriel, but that was the charm of it. Just the wind in his back, bringing the smell of salt onto the ship, the sun moving over the sky as his crew moved on the ship and Gabriel just standing at the wheel, guiding his Wolf ever so slightly through the waves. It was the freedom he had always wanted and nothing tasted quite as sweet as it.

The wind was still gentle when he stepped down the stairs and he took a deep breath before he was about to step into the deck house. That was when he spotted Sam.

The half-giant had made himself surprisingly small where he had crouched in a corner. His legs were folded under him and his arm was at an awkward angle, being used as a pillow. Gabriel could, with one look, confirm that the boy was going to have one hell of a neck ache if no one woke him up soon.

A book was resting open over his chest, heaving up and down as he breathed. Gabriel didn't recognize it and thus he picked it up, curious as ever. He wanted to drop it immediately after doing so. It was one of Castiel's medical journals; this one was about unusual bowel movements and almost every other word was in Latin.

Gabriel looked down at the sleeping figure with something close to pity. One must be really bored to read crap like the book Gabriel was holding, that was unless you were like cousin Cas and liked to poke around in other human beings.

As his eyes lingered on Sam, his thoughts drifted from Castiel and to Bobby's words from the other night, that maybe he had been too quick in judging Sam. Now, Gabriel wasn't a fan of admitting that he had been wrong, but maybe there had been some truth in Bobby's words. There usually were, but this time Gabriel was unsure whether he wanted there to be or not.

Sam right now was the image of a sleeping beauty and, well, Gabriel wouldn't object to waking up to that face. He had seen Sam move around the ship these days as he had been asking if he could help out, only to be rejected. Gabriel had in one way enjoyed the sight of his crew working together in shunning Sam from the ship and thus his life and home. Not every part of him though.

He cursed Bobby for putting doubts in his head and himself for actually doubting that he had been wrong about Sam. Because maybe he had been wrong. Gabriel had heard before that he was so used to getting what he wanted in the dream he lived that he tended to reject anything that didn't slot perfectly in with it. Such as Sam.

With a final look at the sleeping Sam, he made up his mind with a determined sigh. His boot met Sam's thigh and shook him awake. Freedom wasn't worth it without taking a shot in the darkness every now and then.

* * *
Something startled Sam awake and he immediately reached to catch the book he had borrowed from Castiel. It hadn't been the most exciting of reads and quite frankly one reason why he had fallen asleep in the first place. Still, he owed it to Castiel not to destroy one of the few books that the doctor did own, even if Sam's taste wasn't fit for medical connect-the-dot books.

It wasn't where he last had placed it and instead, Sam found himself slapping his own stomach. He let out a huff of breath and it didn't take long before a soft chuckle was heard. Sam looked up without really wanting to, following the red coat to the inevitable smirking face that he had worked hard to avoid.

Gabriel seemed to have decided to wake Sam up from his impromptu nap and whatever his reason, Sam was convinced he wouldn't like it. To say that he and Gabriel had got off on the wrong foot was a grave understatement and while the captain so far had only set out to ignore and bore Sam to death, whatever his business was now, it was bound to be unpleasant.

“Captain?”

Gabriel gave a twitch as if he was about to turn around and for a second Sam thought that he wouldn't have to go through another bashing. Then the pirate remained where he stood and reached a hesitant hand out towards Sam. Sam looked at it good and long as if it was an alien third limb that Gabriel suddenly had grown. It took a while before he understood that he was actually supposed to grab it and did so. At least Gabriel didn't drop him so he didn't have to fall flat on his ass.

When he stood up, he stretched and every joint in his body seemed to poop. He would have to remind himself to never fall asleep outside his bunk again. Then Gabriel cleared his throat and handed Sam the book he had borrowed from Castiel. Still a little doubtful about this whole thing, Sam waited for a second before grabbing it and holding it against his chest. He didn't feel like losing it again.

“Not really what I call a joy read,” Gabriel said and nodded at the medical journal. “If you come with me, I'll show you something else.”

Sam looked up at Gabriel, his eyebrows knitted together. He was waiting for the catch or the joke to come when he realized that he was waiting in vain. Gabriel had already turned his back to Sam and now he was looking over his shoulder to see if he was going to follow. Tucking the book under his arm, Sam did so.

He was still unsure about Gabriel's motive, if he was maybe getting Sam alone to push him over board or something equally crazy, but the more curious part of him had latched onto the, for him, unusual behavior of the pirate captain.

Since the first day on board The Bad Wolf or at least the first day he had spent conscious, he had watched Gabriel move around with his crew. There hadn't been any air of superiority but only smiles, especially from Gabriel himself. Sam had known better than to engage the captain again after their latest clash, but he had tried to talk to the crew in an attempt to learn. He wanted to feel the same thing the rest of the crew seemed to feel, seemed to share.

Not that he wanted to join them. Not at all. They were still pirates after all, just... happy pirates. He didn't have to face that choice though, since none of the pirates offered any sailing lessons. Just like on The Avalanche, they just looked amused when he asked if he could help. Some of them declined more politely than others, but they declined nevertheless.

Dean had offered him to show him the ropes around the ship, but then it had been Sam's turn to decline. It was nice and all that Dean could stand up and do whatever he wanted, but Sam was still set on making sure that Dean kept the family he had made with the crew. Instead he found himself chatting with Castiel inside the sick-bay when he wasn't needed elsewhere, or reading whatever he could lay his hands on in various corners of the ship.

There weren't many books on the ship though. Bobby had two, Dean, not so surprisingly, none, and then all that remained was Castiel's medical books. The first mate Balthazar had actually offered him a pamphlet of sorts with a smirk worse than an alligator, but when Sam realized just what kind of pictures it included, he promptly gave it back with a furious blush.

“Don't space out and hit your head, kid!”

Sam was snapped back to the present and discovered that he had almost walked into the door frame that led into the captain's quarters. Yet another second passed before he fully comprehended just what his brain had told him. The captain's quarters. Gabriel was holding the door open for him and now he was arching an eyebrow at Sam.

The captain's quarters were smaller than the deck house's main room where he slept, but still grand considering it just housed one man. The first thing Sam noticed was the bed and he threw a longing gaze at it. It might be the double size of his own bunk and just by looking at it, Sam felt how soft it was. He felt a sting of jealousy but also a desire to just drop dead on it and continue his nap.

That was obviously not why Gabriel had brought him there though so Sam let his eyes continue to roam inside the room. There stood a desk in the back of the room, littered with papers and documents. It didn't look like Gabriel spent a lot of time there though, but somehow that didn't surprise Sam in the least.

Then there were books. There were long rows with books of every color, lined up as a small, personal library. If Sam had been jealous about the bed...

Gabriel picked a book from the shelf and handed it over to Sam. After a moment, he took it and turned it around with the back facing him. Gold letters were printed on the spine, spelling out the book's name. The Flying Dutchman.

“If you want, you can borrow that.”

“But why?” Sam couldn't stop himself before he spurted out the words, but Gabriel just shrugged.

“Hey, so I know you probably hate my guts and all, but yeah, I don't like having unhappy mooses on board my ship, so feel free to borrow it. I know I can be a dick, but it seems like sometimes I can... not be a dick. Sam, I don't know why I am doing this, really, but I'd like you to have it.”

Sam thanked him, not wanting to dwell any further, and gave him an awkward smile which Gabriel returned. Then, he left the captain to his own and went to his bunk, finally with some proper literature.

* * *
It was the beginning of it all, a battered copy of The Flying Dutchman bound in blue leather. Or well, their first beginning had included a drenched Sam and then a quarrel over gold and piracy, but this was their second beginning. Their real beginning if you would.

Sam swallowed the book, hook, line and sinker, and the very next day he came back to the captain's quarters to return it. He hoped that he would be able to borrow another one, but he knew very well that Gabriel's attitude could have changed again and returned to its previous setting of detesting Sam's gut. But, one could always hope.

His hand paused just before he was about to knock, and he stared hard at the door. Maybe he ought to just send Dean or Castiel to give back the book. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to get involved even more. Then again, he wouldn't last much longer if he didn't do anything about his boredom. So, he knocked. Later, when he thought back at the choice he made right then, he would always smile. Because boy, did his boredom disappear!

Gabriel actually smiled when he opened his door for Sam, and he accepted the return of his book. Then, when Sam hesitantly asked if it was possible if he, maybe, could borrow another one, Gabriel said no. Sam hung his head ever so slightly, but Gabriel's smile didn't falter. Instead he placed a hand on Sam's shoulder.

“You can read when you're old. Today I'm teaching you how to sail.”

* * *
“And now, everybody, I'd like to bring out a toast for Sam!” Gabriel swayed a bit where he stood in the sand, his bottle of rum already lifted. “Cause he turned out to be a decent man after all. Cheers, kiddo!”

Gabriel put the bottle to his mouth and drank as the rest of the crew exclaimed their cheers too before there was a quiet moment when everybody drank. Sam could feel a blush creeping up his neck, but he too took a swig from the bottle.

They had stopped for the night next to a deserted island and as soon as it was clear that no navy ships or other dangers were spotted, Gabriel had announced that tonight there was a party to be had. They had gone ashore and started a giant bonfire as some of them carried as many bottles as possible and lined them up in the sand.

Sam had been unsure whether to join in or not. He knew that he probably shouldn't do it, but something kept tugging him towards the beach. The last days had really been wonderful and he had realized just what Gabriel had been talking about when he had gone on about the wind in one's face and all that. And Gabriel... Sam hadn't had so much fun in years as when Gabriel finally opened up bit by bit.

He had spent the last couple of days showing Sam the ropes around the ship, both literally and figuratively. Sam was convinced that he would never be able to remember the names of every article on board, but nevertheless, he discovered that sailing was a great joy. Sailing with Gabriel? Both the weirdest and the most fun thing Sam had ever done.

Gabriel had forced him to help set sail, trim the ropes for the ultimate speed and even take the wheel. It was heavier than Sam thought and the waves constantly hitting the hull made it hard to keep a straight course. And then of course with his luck, a navy ship had been spotted at the horizon. It set towards them and every last man worked his hardest to maximize the speed. Sam had felt panic rising and moved away to give the wheel back to Gabriel.

The captain refused to take it, though, and forced Sam to steer them away. He had gripped the rudder wheel so hard that his knuckles had become white from blood loss and it felt as if he had sweated out an entire ocean. In the end though, The Bad Wolf made it out of the danger zone as they lost their trail. Sam had heaved a sigh of relief. Gabriel had just laughed and patted Sam's shoulder, telling him that he had done a good job. Sam couldn't help but to smile at that.

And here they were now, getting drunk on a beach after sunset. Gabriel, of course, had convinced Sam to join them and if Sam was perfectly honest, he didn't regret it. He had found an odd pace in which he fit in with the ship. He still didn't talk with that many of the crew members, but everything was so much different than it had been just a few days ago.

Dean had once told him that Gabriel's crew consisted of outcasts and misfits, and that they had all, at some point, been picked up by Gabriel to join his crew and family. It was one of the many reasons why this pirate crew held together and had done so for so long. No one ever left anyone behind, because everybody was family. Sam knew what that word meant to Dean so hearing him say such a thing about Gabriel's crew was incredibly significant.

Today, Sam really understood what he had meant when he looked around at the faces glowing in the light from the bonfire. Dean and Cas were sitting a bit away from him, Dean's arm slung over Castiel's shoulder as he gulped down even more alcohol. Castiel frowned a little at that, but otherwise the doctor was nothing but fond smiles and tipsy blush. Bobby was in the middle of a discussion with Jo, the woman he had met the first day, with Jo showing him something on a piece of paper. Bobby smiled proudly and said something before Jo laughed and smacked his shoulder. Balthazar was talking to someone Sam didn't know the name of, but judging from their laughter, they too were having a great time.

And Gabriel... He had sat down again after his toast, just a few feet from Sam. He was still drinking and didn't notice Sam's eyes on him. He was telling a joke now, and started to laugh in the middle of it. People around him laughed too, and Sam couldn't help but join in the laughter.

Gabriel's face shone with the fire as his hands flew up in the air as a part of his story telling. Once, he almost fell backwards, but righted himself and took another drink instead. His facial expressions were a river of feelings and Sam couldn't tear his eyes away from his face. He must have stared too long because eventually, Gabriel turned around towards him and asked if something was wrong. Sam shook his head maybe a bit too quickly, and he blamed his blush on the alcohol, but when Gabriel returned to the story he was telling, Sam continued to look at him.

The hours passed by and as the bottles emptied, so did the beach of people. Bobby had been one of the first to go, complaining that he was really too old for these things and progressively, people followed them until only four remained seated in the sand: Sam, Dean, Castiel and Gabriel. Dean had almost fallen asleep on Castiel's shoulder, lulling back and forth. Castiel then said his goodnights and half dragged the now drunk Dean back to the ship, leaving Sam and Gabriel alone.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Sam shifting from gazing at the star spread sky and at Gabriel. Gabriel himself had closed his eyes and for a moment, Sam thought he too had fallen asleep. The fire was dying out now, darkness closing in on them and Sam thought about turning in for the night. He had been drinking a lot and he could feel his head slowly spinning. Tomorrow might be less tedious if he went to sleep before dawn broke. He closed his eyes, giving a deep sigh. He could already feel the start of a headache.

When he opened his eyes again, all thoughts of headaches and tomorrow were gone because Gabriel wasn't sleeping. He had moved closer to Sam, looking into his eyes. They were mere inches apart from each other and neither of them moved for a long, long time. Sam's eyes darted between Gabriel's features, his strong eyes fastened on Sam and his tongue, dampening his lips.

“Hey, kiddo, I meant that before,” Gabriel said, his voice a little slurred from the drinking. “You're a decent man, you know. I've liked hanging around you these days. You're kind of... kinda...”

And then he was moving forward. Sam's heart beat like a frightened rabbit and he felt like the world was just about to crash and burn. Gabriel's breath smelled of alcohol, but it wasn't as unpleasant as it should have been. It was probably a sign of just how drunk Sam really was, but that wasn't important right now when Gabriel was so close he could actually smell his breath.

Sam's tongue shot out to wet his now drying lips and Gabriel followed the movement with fascination. In the light of the dying fire, Gabriel looked almost magical. His red hair fit perfectly in with the warm glow and his eyes were more golden than ever.

“Gabe,” Sam breathed, not even thinking about the shortening of the name at this point. “I should... We... I... Gabriel...”

Sam leaned in ever so slightly, the action sparking off panic in the back of his head. His heart was beating hard and it felt like it would break through his ribcage any second now. Then Gabriel lifted his hand and moved it over Sam's face, the thumb stroking his lower lip. The intimate motion made Sam realize that this was actually happening. Eyes widening, he inched backwards. Gabriel didn't seem to realize and he continued leaning inwards.

That was the moment when Sam's panic won out. He stood up so quickly that he became even more dizzy, almost falling back down again. Gabriel, though, actually fell backwards at Sam's sudden movement. He leaned back on his arms, giving Sam a questioning look. Sam wanted to explain, wanted to tell Gabriel that he couldn't do it, that it was wrong, that they both were drunk as hell. But the only word that made it past his lips were: “Sorry.”

Then he ran.

* * *
They had since long drunk past the setting sun and now Gabriel was sitting alone in the darkness. The sand crunched beneath him when he moved his knees to draw them up against his chest. He rested his forehead against them and closed his eyes so tightly that light danced in his vision.

How had he ended up like this? Everything was obviously Sam's fault, but that didn't explain how the boy had wormed himself under Gabriel's skin and reduced him to a stuttering, love-struck mess. Only that Gabriel wasn't using the 'L-word'. Ever.

And they had been so close too. He had been able to feel Sam's breath against his face, looked into his big brown eyes. Gabriel had never been a coward when it came to closing the deal, yet he had held back, just staring at Sam's features before Sam had rushed away like he had been badly burned.

Gabriel rubbed a hand over his tired eyes and sighed. There was still some liquid left in one of the half buried bottles, be it rum, wine or something else. He grabbed it around the neck and took a swig of it. He took another one and then he raised the bottle in a lonely toast to himself.

“Here's to you and your incapability to keep your ass out of trouble, even if at least it’s gorgeous trouble this time...”

He took yet another swig of the bottle and blinked at the footprints Sam had left in the sand leading back to the ship. With a much quieter voice, he added a simple:

“Sam...”

* * *
Sam didn't even bother to slow down when he reached the water. He plowed through it until he made it to the rope ladder and started to climb upwards. He pulled himself from the water's grip and, with relief, swung over the gunwale. One of the night guards greeted him and Sam nodded back, glad that the other man didn't strike up a real conversation at this time.

After catching his breath, he stood up carefully, his now drenched boots a bit slippery. When he leaned over the gunwale and squinted, he could with the moonlight's aid see that Gabriel was still on the beach. It took a while before Sam averted his eyes now that he knew that he wasn't being followed. The small figure on the beach seemed so lonely now that he looked at him from a distance. Sam felt bad for running, he really did. He felt regret stabbing at him for every second he looked at Gabriel, but what could he have done?

He could have kissed him senseless, his brain told him. A dark, dark side of his brain, because Gabriel was, well, he was just that: Gabriel. He was an annoying know-it-all with a need to always have the last word. He had an ego many sizes bigger than his body. He was a notorious pirate captain who had outright stated that he wasn't going to do anything else with his life. He was short, and bossy, and wonderful, and he had amazing eyes Sam never tired of looking into.

He was nothing Sam thought he had wanted and everything that he actually did want and that scared Sam. He was Gabriel alright.

Sam kept staring into the distance before he, with pure strength of will, snapped out of it. He shot one last, lingering look at Gabriel before he made his way to the deck house. Only Balthazar was still awake, offering him a game of drunk chess. Sam declined, and for one moment it looked like Balthazar was about to pry. Fortunately, he decided against it and left Sam alone when he crawled into his bunk, drawing the covers all the way up past his nose.

This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. Sam couldn't say that he had a specific plan, but he had a vague notion. That notion involved a legal occupation, probably a wife at some point and maybe even a few kids. He was fairly sure that it didn't involve pirate captains, be they the most handsome person Sam had ever met mashed with an enigma of a personality.

He groaned, pulling the covers all the way up over his head. He turned around so he was facing the wall and when Balthazar asked if something was wrong, he ignored him and feigned sleep. However, it took a long while before Sam actually fell asleep that night.

* * *
Maybe it was just because it took so long for him to fall asleep that he over-slept the morning after. When he finally did wake, the deck house was empty, something for which Sam was glad. He groaned as he rolled out of bed. Sitting on the edge of it, he massaged his temples. His head was ringing and it felt and sounded like the whole ship was a battlefield.

Deciding that Ellen probably had some kind of fix, or at least a course of warm food, Sam rose and headed for the galley. He wasn't really awake when he opened and closed the door to the deck house, but he was soon to be.

A dagger came flying and Sam barely had time to widen his eyes, much less duck, before it hit the door, mere inches from his face. Slowly, he turned around and saw his reflection in the sharp blade. It was embedded in the wood and he swallowed, thinking how close it had been to hitting something much more vital for Sam.

“Sam!”

Gabriel’s voice was filled with panic, and Sam snapped his gaze away from the knife to look out over the deck. The morning fog was still lingering in the air, obscuring the sight slightly, but Sam could see clearly what was happening. His head was indeed still ringing from all the drinking the night before, but he was sure that he wasn’t hallucinating. The deck of The Bad Wolf had become an actual battlefield.

He saw two bodies lying on the deck. He didn't know if they were dead or just unconscious, but it still made him sick. From what he could see, the pirate crew outnumbered their attackers, but what with the fog and the attacker having the element of surprise on their side, a fight was taking place.

“Sam! Get back in and don't come back out! Go back, Sam!”

Gabriel, with sweat covering his brow, met the blade of his attacker - the leader, Sam assumed - with his own. Sam was stunned into terrified stillness by the harsh sounds of metal clashing against metal, the force enough to send sparks flying. Gabriel moved across the deck, back and forth, back and forth, like he was engaging in a deadly dance. Sam couldn't tear his eyes off him, couldn't tear his eyes off Gabriel's face.

It was a mask of concentration, his eyes seeming to burn into his opponent. Then, for a split second he shifted his attention to Sam, yelling his name again. It was all he could afford before throwing himself back into the fight. Gabriel’s shout was enough to jolt Sam back into motion. He thought that it would be best if he didn’t distract Gabriel any further, so he spun around to go back inside.

Pulling at the door to open it, Sam's face turned pale. He pulled at it once, twice, but to no avail. The knife that had almost cracked Sam's skull in half had stuck in the door frame, preventing him from opening it. No matter how hard he tugged and pulled, the door wouldn't give way.

Instead, he grabbed the knife and started pulling. It was embedded deep in the wood and Sam gulped as he once again thought about just how close to death he had been. Gabriel shouted his name again, but Sam didn't turn around to face him, too preoccupied with trying to get the door open. He put his boot up against the wall while gripping the knife's handle with all his might. Gabriel screamed, his voice filled with stress and a pitch higher than usual. For a second, Sam wondered if Gabriel couldn't see that he was doing his best to open the door. No matter how much both Sam and Gabriel wanted the door open, it wouldn't go faster if the captain screamed at him.

Then, the air went out of his lungs and all thoughts escaped his mind, with only the instinct to not fall flat on his face remained. A body had slammed into his, causing him to lose his balance. A curse fell from his lips as his palms scraped against the deck, and he turned around, preparing himself to confront the guilty one. The change in his facial expression would probably have been amusing as his anger drained away from his face along with all color as he saw the corpse laying before him.

Sam had never seen a dead person before, especially not from this close up. He felt nauseous and had to fight bile back. It didn't get any better as he now saw the two weapons. The first was in the dead man's hand, the edge of the dagger pointing at Sam. Suddenly, Gabriel's panicked screams made more sense. The man had been on his way to stab Sam. Once again, he had escaped death by a hair’s breath.

Then Sam looked at the second weapon. Wide eyed, he stared as Gabriel withdrew his cutlass from the man's body and he had to fight back the urge to throw up when he heard the fleshy sound. He was dizzy and even if he wasn't standing up, it felt as if he was falling down, down.

“Sam? Sam, are you okay?”

Gabriel threw the bloody cutlass away with a clanking noise along the deck. Then he pushed the corpse out of the way as far as he managed, before he crouched down before Sam. Sam was still gaping, not able to take his eyes off the dead body. When Gabriel had moved it, it had rolled to the side and now Sam found himself staring into the empty eyes of the murdered man. Gabriel's hands were on him then, pulling him away from the horrendous sight.

Instead, Sam gazed into Gabriel's big, golden eyes. The captain's breathing was heavy, probably from the earlier fight with the attacker's leader, Sam thought. What had happened to him, anyway?

Breaking the look shared between the two to look behind Gabriel, Sam saw the lifeless body of the man the pirate captain had been fighting. He lay face-down in a growing pool of what Sam suspected was his own blood.

“Is he... Is he dead?”

Gabriel's hands tightened on his face, forcing his eyes away from the scene once again. He moved closer so that their faces were just as close as they had been on the beach the previous night. Gabriel didn't move in to kiss him though, which was probably good because Sam didn't think he could handle anything more right now.

“Don't think about that now, Sam. I need you to tell me that you're okay? Are you okay, Sam, please?”

Sam didn't respond in words, not trusting his own voice at this point. He only nodded, but that seemed to be good enough for Gabriel. He closed his eyes with a sigh and relaxed visibly, like someone had released him from a great burden. Still with his eyes closed, Gabriel closed in on Sam, not going for a kiss but simply resting their foreheads together. Another sigh heaved from his lungs as his hands went from Sam's cheeks to the back of his neck, pressing them together.

“I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am. I know you're all about this pacifistic love all, serve all thing, but I couldn't let him hurt you. It shouldn't have happened at all, and I'm sorry, Sam. I really am.”

Sam was about to tell him that he didn't like the thought of him dying any more than Gabriel did, maybe even less. He was thankful for what he had done with saving Sam's life, but then again, it had been at the cost of two innocent lives. Or well, maybe not that innocent, but still they were dead now, and that was because of Sam, because he had been too daft to keep a watch on his own back. Wasn't that one of the cardinal rules on a battlefield: never turn one’s back to the enemy?

It wasn't Gabriel's fault, it was Sam's and Sam wanted to tell him this, but he couldn't produce any words. He could feel tears burning in his eyes, and it didn't help as he furiously tried to blink them away.

“Gabriel,” he begun, but didn't get any further. Dean came running towards them, at first not noticing Sam in Gabriel's embrace.

“Gabe, they fled the ship after you took down the head honcho so... Sam? Sam, what happened? Sam!”

* * *

<<< PART ONE | MASTERPOST | PART THREE >>>