Broken wings

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. I do not profit from this story.
Characters: Gabriel, Lucifer, Sam, Dean, pagan gods
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Spoilers: Episode 5.19 Hammer of the Gods
Beta: Webbswoman

Summary: Alternate ending for Hammer of the Gods: the gods take Gabriel's real sword and pin one of his wings to the floor. Lucifer isn't happy. (One-shot)

Author's note: Some lines are not mine. Where appropriate, I used lines from the episode.

They were on their way to being manhandled back into the ball room when it happened. It was a scream which made Sam and Dean reach for their ears, an angelic scream which shattered glass windows. Even the gods holding them looked surprised but they continued hauling the humans to their destination. The scream cut off.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing: Gabriel.

The gods threw them through the doors and into the ball room. Kali, Baldur and Baron Samedi were standing in a loose circle within the U of the tables around Gabriel, who was lying on the floor. Mercury, sitting at the table, looked vaguely sick. The Winchesters were pushed into two chairs.

Gabriel had his teeth furiously clenched together. His eyes were unfocused and shone with grace close to the surface like Dean had only seen in dying angels. His angelic blade was stuck behind his back into the floor and only on taking a closer look were the Winchesters able to see the black outline of a wing. The gods had pinned Gabriel by at least one of his wings onto the floor. The archangel's expression was one of excruciating pain.

"Let him go," Sam demanded.

Baron Samedi laughed. Kali's expression didn't change. "No," she said.

"Alright you primitive screwheads," Dean stood. "Listen up." His eyes flickered to Gabriel. "We can get you Lucifer. We can get him here."

"How?" The Hindu goddess asked.

"First you let those main courses and Gabriel go. I may not like him but I can't let you have him either. Then we talk."

The gods looked at each other. "You can have the humans."

"No deal," Sam replied instantly. "The people and Gabriel. Otherwise no deal."

Ganesh approached them. "You filthy little humans, don't you know that you're in our hands? There are plenty of things we can do to you before we kill you."

"Let's start with the people then," Dean conceded.

"Come on everybody! Let's go, let's go, let's go. Alright, alright, go, go, go! Get outta here!" Dean shooed the people out of the hotel. It wasn't necessary. They'd seen enough. They jumped into their cars and left black rubber on the pavement as they drove away.

For a moment, Dean looked after them, then he went back inside. Mercury was back at the reception. Only Kali and Baldur were left in the ball room. And Gabriel, of course. The archangel was shaking all over.

"How are you going to summon Lucifer?" Kali asked Sam.

"You'll have to squeegee some stuff from my ribs and he'll come running."

"Breaking them would be easier," Kali commented.

Sam looked uncomfortable.

Someone hit the bell and Mercury turned around.

"Checking in."

The lights flickered and not longer after, screams echoed through the hotel.

"It's him," Sam said, dead certain.

"How?" The Hindu goddess demanded.

"Does it matter?" Dean shot back.

When Lucifer entered the ball room the archangel on the floor drew his eyes first.

"You shouldn't have done that," Lucifer said softly, his eyes meeting Gabriel's pain-filled ones before giving the pagans a cold look. He nodded to the Winchesters. "Sam, Dean, good to see you again."

Baldur went to meet Lucifer.

"Baldur, don't," Kali warned her lover. But the god wouldn't listen.

Sam and Dean, in the meantime, rushed to Gabriel.

"Get out of here," Gabriel hissed to them. "He'll let you go. He knows it's not time yet."

Sam shook his head. "Then it doesn't matter if we leave now or later."

Baldur's body hit the floor, a hole ripped into his chest. Kali threw fire at Lucifer and the Winchesters were forced to duck behind a table. Gabriel grimaced as the flames licked at him. Lucifer, of course, wasn't harmed. Kali drew back her fist, but the fallen archangel was faster and threw her against the wall.

Gabriel attempted to rise but it only resulted in another, ear-deafening cry. He could only watch as his former lover disintegrated into ashes.

"Brother, what have they done to you?" Lucifer knelt next to him and reached out to softly stroke his face.

Gabriel tried for a grin. "Guess they didn't like my tricks. Or my family."

"You should never have come here."

"Right back at you, bro'."

Lucifer looked up to where Dean was pulling Sam towards the door. "This once I'll let you go. But the next time we see each other, Sam,…" he trailed off.

"We get it," Dean replied.

Lucifer snapped his fingers, transporting the brothers into their car.

"Now what, Luci? Raphie isn't in the healing business anymore from what I hear and I doubt he'd come to help me anyhow."

"When I got out, I thought none of you would have changed."

Gabriel chuckled painfully. "You were wrong. How does it feel to see that the oldest brother is still desperately clinging to his absent father's orders, the third son has turned into a psychopath and the fourth fled home like a coward?"

"It tastes as sweet as honey and as bitter as poison on my tongue."

The downed archangel laughed. "How poetic. Are you gonna pull out that sword now or what?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I want you to pull it out as much as I want Raphie or Mike to do it. But someone has to."

"You might never fly again."

"I'll fly. And if I have to flutter around like a drunk bumble bee after getting hit by a book then I will. Now quit gabbing."

Lucifer wrapped his hand around Gabriel's sword. Holding the younger archangel down with his other arm, he jerked out the blade.

Gabriel shrieked. The fallen archangel slapped his hand down on the crippled wing and Gabriel's cry cut off as a painfully cold iciness filled his wing. He gasped for air. After what seemed like half of an eternity, Lucifer pulled back and while the cold did not vanish, it became bearable. Barely so but Gabriel finally felt as if he could move again. The wound was cauterized.

"Next time, little brother, I'll make you choose. Either you're with me, or you're with Michael." Lucifer stroked over his cheek once more. "See you soon, Gabriel."

Then he was gone.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are always appreciated!