Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters.

The Forbidden

1983

Gabriel sat with a newborn baby in his arms. His son. Never did he consider that he'd father a child. He of course knew it was possible, albeit forbidden, for an angel to create a child with a human, but he never considered that maybe contraceptives might not be too useful with an angel, which he'd admit was kind of idiotic of him.

Gabriel literally found out about his son the second he came into the world. Apparently if an archangel has a child, he's alerted immediately because his heart called to the boy the second he drew breath. Gabriel of course didn't know what his heart was calling to until he appeared before the boy and his mother, a woman he remembered sleeping with. That along with feeling the boy's grace, which he really had to look for because it wasn't as potent as a normal angel's, told him that the child was his and he was what was calling to Gabriel.

Gabriel had immediately altered the woman's memories, as well as any doctors and nurses who'd seen his child, before taking him. There was no way Melanie, the woman he'd given him his son, could be trusted with his kid. First, he remembered her well and she wasn't the mothering type. Two, she was human with no idea of the supernatural. Their son was not human. He could end up showing that one day and God only knew what Melanie would do if he did.

So now Gabriel had a problem. He had to figure out what to do with his son. He couldn't keep him. He wanted to. He loved his child. He loved him more than anything, even his father and brothers. He knew giving him up would break him, but the boy wouldn't be safe with him. He was in what he called witness protection, and while he'd lived lifetimes without his brothers finding him, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't one day. If they did, they'd find his son and would likely find out what he was. Then they would kill him. He knew his brothers well. Michael would hear the word nephilim and kill him before anyone could utter the word 'abomination'. Gabriel would do what he needed to to ensure that never happened.

Gabriel racked his brain to come up with a solution. He couldn't keep the kid and he couldn't leave him with a run of the mill human. That left him with a demon, which really wasn't a choice, a witch, just as horrifying and out of the question, or a hunter. But if Gabriel left him with a hunter, it would have to be someone who wouldn't kill him just for being less than human. There weren't many like that. But he could think of one that might at least be willing to listen.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Mary Winchester was in her kitchen picking up from dinner. Her son, Dean, was asleep, and her husband was working late, so she was pretty much alone. She'd just put a plate in the oven for John and turned around to do the dishes when a man appeared out of nowhere. She screamed out in surprise, but her hunter instincts soon kicked in and she bragged a knife.

The man seized her wrist as quickly as she raised it. "That won't work on me."

Mary knew that was true. The knife was just a regular kitchen knife. It wouldn't work on a demon or anything else the thing in front of her might be, but it was all she had handy right now. She didn't even have holy water nearby, as she'd gotten out of that life years ago. "What do you want?" she asked as she struggled out of his grip. It was like iron though. It made her attempts to escape seem pitiful.

"I'll let go if you agree to listen. You can't hurt me, but trying might hurt him," he said as he glanced down at his other hand.

Mary followed his eyes. She hadn't noticed before, but his other hand held an infant carrier, and a few cries let her know that it was not empty. "Fine."

He let go. "I'm not a demon."

"What are you then?" Marry asked.

"My name's Gabriel. I'm an angel," Gabriel told her, saying it out loud for the first time since he left Heaven.

Mary gaped at him in shock. She'd seen and heard of many creatures as a hunter, but she'd never encountered an angel, and truthfully, once she got over the shock of even hearing it, she wasn't convinced this guy was one. If you expect me to believe that, you better have some proof."

Gabriel put the baby carrier on the kitchen table. He then showed her the shadow of his wings. "This is as much proof as I can give you, unless you want to at the very least go blind. That would certainly defeat my purpose for coming to you.

Mary only stared at him for a good five minutes, not sure of what to say. She was standing in front of a freaking angel. It wasn't that she was totally against the idea that they existed, although after everything she'd seen, it was kind of questionable, but she was actually standing in front of one. "I...I… W...why are you here?"

Gabriel glanced over at his son. "I'm here for him.

Mary looked over just as the baby began to fuss. "May I?"

Gabriel nodded.

Mary went over and pulled back the hood of the carrier so .she could get a look at the baby. She smiled. She loved babies. She and John had been trying for a few months to have another child, but so far they had no luck. "Hi, sweetie. What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one yet. He isn't completely human. He's half angel," Gabriel told her.

Mary's head shot over to him and surprise. "That's possible?"

"Yes, though it's not supposed to happen. It's forbidden."

"He's yours, isn't he?" Marry said. She could tell by the way he currently looked at the child. She could tell he loved him.

"Yes. No one can find that out. My brothers would execute him if they found out," Gabriel said.

Mary gasped. "Angels would kill a child."

"Angels can be assholes. We're not like how you see on TV or hear about in church. Most only really care about themselves, each other, and our father. You're nothing to them and my son is something they know nothing about, so they outlawed him. They would kill him out of fear what what he'd become. So, yeah, Angels are real, but I wouldn't go praying because your pleas would just be something for most of them to laugh at," Gabriel said. He loved his brothers, but most of them were dicks. Some of the younger ones might care, but most, like Michael, saw humans as insignificant.

Mary took in the shocking and horrifying information. "So what do you want from me? Protection? How can I protect him if his angel father can't?"

"No one but you knows he exists. I can't take care of him. If they find me, they'll find him. I can't leave him with normal humans because they won't be prepared should he exhibit any abilities," Gabriel said.

"You want me to," Mary realized.

"You know what he is. You're prepared for what he'll become and unlike other hunters, you won't hurt him because of it," Gabriel said.

"Of course not," Mary said. Yes, she was a hunter, but she was not going to kill an innocent baby because he wasn't fully human. This child hadn't done anything wrong. He had as much right to live as anyone else.

"I need someone who won't abandon him if he shows abilities or turn him in to be some experiment. You have a child of your own, so you'll know how to care for him. Please," Gabriel asked. He didn't usually speak like this with anyone and he never begged, but this was his child and he needed Mary Winchester to keep him safe.

Mary looked back at the baby, who'd since fallen asleep. She was unsure. She had no trouble agreeing to adopt someone else's baby, but she worried she wouldn't know what to do when his powers manifested. What if she screwed up with him. He was a special child. What the hell was she gonna tell him? "If I agreed to this, what would I tell my husband?"

"You wouldn't have to tell him anything. I'd alter his memories and your son's. He'd believe the baby was his. Johnny would be as in the dark as he is about everything else," Gabriel said with a smile.

Mary still had doubts about whether or not she could take care of this baby without screwing up, but looking at him now, she was already falling for him. "Okay."

Gabriel picked the baby up into his arms. "Give me a minute."

Mary nodded and left the room to check on Dean.

Gabriel held baby close. This was going to break him worse than Michael and Lucifer's fighting or his father leaving ever had. "I'm sorry. I feel no better than my own father when he bailed, but this is for the best. I'll look out for you. I won't let anything happen to you. You'll probably be better without me anyway. You'll definitely have better morals.

Mary came back a few moments later.

"Do you know what you'll call him?" Gabriel asked.

"I was planning to name any second son I had Sam, after my father. If you want something else though, I'd be glad to call him that," Mary said.

Gabriel nodded. Sam. Sammy. That fit the boy. He was more than happy with it. "It's fine. Bye, Sammy," he said before turning to Mary and handing him over. A second later, he was gone, not knowing what his choice would eventually lead to.