Gabriel groaned and slowly blinked his eyes open, staring up at the dingy ceiling of the motel room. It had been weeks since he lost his grace. Since they'd taken his wings. He sighed and ran a hand through his tangled hair, struggling to sit. He scratched at the side of his head and gripped the bedpost, shakily pulling himself up to stand. He winced and limped over to the counter,grabbing a bottle of water. He fumbled with the cap for a few awkward seconds before finally twisting it off, spilling most of the water on the floor. He let out an exasperated sigh and took a few sips, sitting back down with a wince. He hadn't eaten in days.
'Why me?' Gabriel thought. 'There are plenty of other, more accessible angels out there. Why would anyone go to the trouble of dragging me out of hiding and then....' He didn't want to think about that. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
"Hey..." He muttered softly. "I- I dunno if you guys are listening.....or if you even care. Most of you probably think I'm dead. I wish that was true." He sighed. "But um...I need help. Sorry- this....this was stupid." He let out a ragged sigh, concluding his attempt at a prayer. He lay back down on the bed and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Castiel tilted his head to the side. That...that couldn't be real. It had to be a trap. He sighed and closed his eyes, appearing in Gabriel's room. His eyes widened as he looked down at his brother's sleeping form. "Gabriel?" He murmured.
Gabriel jerked awake and fell off the bed with a groan. "Cas-" He panted out, struggling to get up. "D- Don't scare me like that.." He forced a shaky laugh.
Castiel ran over and helped Gabriel stand up. Gabriel yelped and shoved Castiel's arm off his back. He fell back onto the bed and let out a shaky sob, running a hand over his back.
Castiel furrowed his brow. "...Gabriel? Your grace is-"
"Gone. Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious, bro." Gabriel sighed and sat up, gingerly leaning against the headboard.
Castiel sighed. "What happened?"
Gabriel shook his head. "It's a long story. One that I have neither the time nor the patience to tell." He spat.
--To Be Continued--
