Broken and Burned

20. Burning on the Outside Too

Gabriel leaned closer to the mirror. He gently touched the deepest cut on his cheek. He'd already cleaned away most of the blood and some of the bruises had already healed. It was all he could do with the bracelets on. With a sigh he turned on the water and let it collect in his cupped hands.
He splashed the water on his face. After drying the water off with a towel he lifted up his shirt to examine the bruises Dean's fist had left.
He grimaced and let his shirt fall back down.
Gabriel brought his wings around him and looked at the bruised bone.
There was a loud clang from outside. Gabriel frowned and left the bathroom. He took the long way around to avoid the secure room.
He walked into the family room and sighed when he saw that everyone else was gone.
He wandered into the kitchen and started opening the cupboards.
He opened the first two and gave the contents a disappointed look.
He moved to the third. Once he started to open it a soft click sounded inside.
Gabriel frowned. A few more clicks came from inside then a loud screeching sound followed by a flashing red light.
Gabriel's eyes widened. He dived away a second before the bomb exploded.
The force of it sent him hard into the counter.
Fire eagerly began to consume the kitchen. Groaning, Gabriel rolled onto his side. One if his wings had been snapped by the counter and lay uselessly aching with a dull pain that was slowly esculating.
Gabriel gripped the counter to pull himself to his feet. He looked down when a sharp pain radiated through his leg. A piece of metal had gone straight through his calf.
Gabriel reached down and touched it. He instantly pulled back when the red hot metal burned him. The metal was already cauterizing the wound.
Head spinning, Gabriel forced himself up as the flames started to surround him. He desperately moved to the door, leaning on anything that was strong enough to hold his body weight. The metal in his leg was starting to burn..
He reached the door and tried to opened it. The door jiggled a little in its frame but stayed shut.
Desperately, Gabriel beat his fist against the door. When it didn't move he slammed his entire body against it; his shoulder slamming into it.
The door remained closed.
Like something was accidentally blocking it.
Or not so accidental.

~~~~

Dean bit his lip. "Sam, it's not that I have a problem with Gabriel-"
"Yes, it is."
Dean sighed. "Ok fine, it is. But he's a slave, a angel, a archangel!"
Sam looked down at his hands. "Dean. He kissed me, I kissed him back. It's not that complicated."
Dean kicked the ground. "It is that complicated. I can live with you being with anyone else but Gabriel? Come on Sam."
Sam sighed.
"Dean! Sam!" Ruby came over to them, Samandriel following.
"I completely forgot to tell you. A man came around and offered to set me free if I attacked you."
Sam's stared at her in shock. "What? Why? Who? Did you?"
"Of course not, idiot."
Dean looked at her, "Did he say his name was Adam."
Ruby frowned, "Ummm, yeah, I think he did. Why? Do you know him?"
"Yes. He's the one who had Alastair attack me. I'm fine. But he did break my arm."
"Who is this guy? And what does he want?"
"He said something about working for him."
"No way. He's completely insane."
"Guys. Look!" Ruby said suddenly her attention complete focused on the building.
They turned to see fire had started to consume the building. It rapidly grew and spread.
Sam's eyes immediately tried to find the window that marked his apartment. It seemed to be in the center of the flames.
He started to run towards the building.
"Sam! Hey! Stop! What are you doing?"
"Gabriel's still inside!" Sam yelled after him.
Dean ran and caught up to him. "He's an archangel; he'll be fine."
"He's not out yet. If he was he would have found us." Sam pushed through the crowd that had gathered ad broke into a run.
"Sam!" Dean raced after him. "Sam! Wait!"
Sam opened the doors to the building only pausing to let some people run out.
"Sam!" Dean yelled, he followed him up the stairs.
Around the fifth floor the flames started appearing. They grew along the walls, paster littered the ground where it had begun to crumble.
The flames got stronger on the sixth floor. Sam coughed as smoke entered his lungs. He stumbled to the stairs the smoke making him cry.
"Sam! Stop! You're going to get yourself killed!" Sam stopped and turned to look at Dean.
"I'm going in because Gabriel is still inside and I'm not going to let him. Die. In. This. Fire. So either get out or help me."
He ran up the stairs and into the seventh floor. The flames quickly surrounded him.
Sam's eyes where drawn to his apartment; he could hardly find it since the flames had nearly engulfed it.
Dean came up the steps and joined him.
They carefully moved to the apartment door; keeping low to avoid the smoke.
"What the hell is that?"
Dean moved closer at examine the marks that had been carved into a metal bar that was placed across the door.
"The symbols keep an angel from getting in or out."