The Corgi Effect

Square One... Again

(AN: THERE ARE HOBBIT SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST MOVIE OR READ THE BOOK)

"Dean is going to kill you," Gabriel announces. "I know, but I've learnt from past experience that I'll come back," Sam shrugs as he drives the impala down the road (AN: so far...)

Gabriel chuckles lightly and looks at the human moose who's driving a car. "Where are we going?" He asks as he stares out the window at the lights wishing past them.

"I got a lead," Sam replies. "And you didn't think to tell the Romeo and Juliet?" Gabriel quizzes as he turns to look at Sam. "I noticed what they've been doing wrong. They're making it obvious that they're looking for something, whereas if we looked like we were just in town..."

"We could find Balthazar easier. But he'd recognise you, and especially me, in a second-"

"Dean and Cas were also looking in the wrong place, and they made it obvious that they were searching for something. Now if we just 'pop in' to a town that Balthazar just so happens to be in, the we can get you fixed... And the Mark off Dean's arm." Sam smiles and Gabriel laughs, "you are a lot smarter than one would think. No where near as dysfunctional as I was lead to believe," he says.

"Wow," Sam dead pans. The hunter drives through the night as he is accompanied by a corgi.

------

"I think he's in this town," Sam says sleepily. He had been driving all night.

"Balthazar would never settle for place a dodgy as this, believe me," Gabriel mentions.

"Exactly." Sam gets out of the car and opens the trunk and pulls out a rope as the corgi waits in the car. Sam opens the passengers side and ties the rope around the Trickster's neck.

"Seriously? Seriously?! I'm not going to do anything bad... much..."

Sam bitch-faces him and tugs on the rope, "you have to act like an actual dog."

The corgi jumps from the car and is instantly corgi-fied.

The two walk about the dog-friendly town (which is quite fortunate might I add). Sam orders a room in which pets are allowed and they walk into their new accommodation. The corgi jumps up onto the large bed and makes himself comfortable, even though there's a perfectly good dog bed in the corner. I guess even when he's corgi-fied there's still some Gabriel in him.

Sam flops onto the bed too and quickly falls asleep, he had been driving all night after all.

-----

He woke with a corgi in his arms and a smile on his lips, but hey, no homo right?

Sam pushes the dog away and does whatever hunters do first thing in the morning, then he wakes Gabriel.

"Hey, c'mon. Don't you want to be normal again?" The corgi slowly but surely wakes up wi a growl, but he calms down and they head out.

"Why do you think Balthazar is here?" Gabriel asks, "because, if you wanted to hide, wouldn't you do it where people would think last to find you? Balthazar is the champaign and yacht type of guy, right?"

"Right."

"So you'd naturally think to look for him on a yacht..."

"And..?"

"He's smart, he's know that's how we'd think, so he's hitting lowly towns to keep his cover. But he got a whiff of Dean and Cas on his tail, so he went to the crappiest town he could find on a short notice. Here."

"Very clever Sam. Very clever."

"But he still has standards."

"...So he's be in the nicest part of town."

Sam pushes open a building door which looks old a posh, and sure enough there's as the angel himself. Balthazar.

"Long time no see, Balthie," Gabriel announces behind Balthazar, who turns to face the duo. "So you did find me. Great. What do you want?"

"Isn't obvious?"

Balthazar eyes corgi Gabriel, "I want to be normal again," Gabriel demands. Balthazar nods, "and what makes you think I can do that?"

"I know you've got the right thing somewhere."

"That may be true, but what makes you think I'd use it on you?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe because we're family!"

"Now you want to play the family card?"

"Hey, when you first fell and you found me, I took you under my wing. Now repay the favour."

Balthazar sighs, "don't paint yourself to be a hero, brother," he says. "He is a hero," Sam interjects. "He died so Dean and I and Kali could live. He stood toe-to-toe with his own brother alone, and faced him."

Balthazar draws a deep breath. "Well that is a very touching story between two lovers, but I really must be going," Balthazar flies away.

Sam looks taken aback and Gabriel sighs in defeat. "Everyone who can help, doesn't," he says. "Come on, let's go to the hotel room and make another plan," Sam offers but Gabriel yaps his agreement. Twice in less than 24 hours he has gone proper corgi. Time's running low and their last chance flew away.

-------

"We should go after him, track him down again," Sam proposes. "I don't know," the corgi sighs. "I don't think I'll ever have fingers again..." he replies. This was the first conversation they've had for four hours. Gabriel had full corgi-ed once Balthazar had left, and Sam got worried. Really worried. A little too worried for Sam's comfort, but Gabriel is once again a Trickster in a corgi's body.

"We'll figure something out," Sam says as he lies down on the bed, closing his eyes. He feels something small jump onto the bed and nuzzle themselves into Sam's side. The hunter smiles softly but quickly pulls the smile away. He was the Trickster's friend, and nothing more. The youngest Winchester sits up and the warmth resting on his side disappears, he walks across the room and pulls out The Hobbit, he walks back to the bed and sits down. He waves the book in front of the corgi's face, who just nods his answer.

Sam reads aloud, filling the empty stale air with words of a tale from Middle Earth.

------

No! Thorin can't die! Come on, that's just-" Gabriel can't find any more words to say. "You've never read the book?" Sam quizzes, "no. And I haven't seem the movie either," the corgi sulks. "Shall I keep reading?" Sam asks, "why not?" the corgi replies, Sam keeps reading.

"Not Fili and Kili too!" Gabriel cries a few moments later. "Yes, Fili and Kili too," Sam states. "But why?" The Trickster asks, "I don't know. Ask Tolkien yourself," Sam replies. "I will once I'm normal again," the corgi says. "Just keep reading," he commands. Sam complies and he keeps reading aloud.

----

They had fallen asleep during the second last chapter, and the book no longer rested in Sam's hands, but instead it lay on the corgi's back.

They slept until the sun fell and the sun rose again, bringing a new day.

"Gabriel, get up..." Sam mumbles as he shoves the corgi to wake him up. Gabriel wakes up but he's in full corgi mode, making harder for Sam to get sorted and drive back to the Bunker.

----

They had arrived at the Bunker and Gabriel had been the Trickster and then back to full corgi. Sam was becoming more worried with each second that ticked on.

"Where did you take my Baby?" Dean rushes as he sees Sam again, "we found Balthazar but he wouldn't help, so we came back." Sam explains, Dean nods his understanding but still glares at Sam for taking his Baby.

"Looks like we're at square one again," Sam sighs.