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Your heart sinks at the number of demons in front of you. Dozens. You’re weak, injured, sick, outnumbered, outgunned…there’s simply no way you’d be able to get past them. Tears threaten to spill as you desperately search for some kind of escape. This isn’t good. Despite the bleak circumstances, you refused to cry. There was still a slim ray of hope. You were a Winchester, after all. What would your brothers do in a situation this tight? They’d gotten themselves out of some pretty nasty scenarios, some of which you were present for. But this? You doubt there’s any way you’ll be able to escape alive. Clutching your broken arm against your chest, you back up. The mob of demons still hadn’t detected you. Yet. You know your brothers aren’t coming for you, and you don’t think you’ve ever been so scared before. You can’t die, not yet! You sink to your knees and pray for Castiel one more time, hoping he somehow miraculously escaped the ring of holy fire he’d been trapped in. To your surprise, you hear the familiar flutter of angel wings. You stand, only to find- “Shh, sugar,” mumbles Gabriel as you grasp onto his elbows. He bends down next to you, slipping his arm under your back and the other under your knees. Lifting you up, the archangel carries you to a nearby room. You wrap your injured arm with your good one, leaning your head into his shoulder. Inside the room, he sets you down after he makes sure it’s clear. Quietly shutting the door, he kneels down to you, taking your hand in his. “How did you…” you trail off as he raises his hand to your cheek. “I don’t know,” he admits. “But my angel mojo’s pretty limited here. They messed the sigils up, but it's still affecting my power." Figures. You try not to let your tears slip, but it’s no use. Gabriel uses his thumb to wipe away your tears. “Don’t cry, buttercup,” he breathes, his whiskey-colored eyes gazing down into yours. You wish that his usually enthusiastic face would appear and the two of you could move on from this. “I hate it when you cry.” “Can’t we get out of here?” you ask. Surely if he got in undetected then the two of you could slip out, right? “I have an idea,” he begins, his eyes a little downcast as he stares down at you. “Wh-what is it?” you ask, hope sparking inside you. He seems to avoid your hopeful gaze as he sits down beside you, gently pulling you into his embrace. He shifts around before giving you a slip of paper. “Take this. You aren’t anywhere close to where you were before you were taken. That sheet contains instructions for you when you escape.” You frown. If there’s one thing you’ve learned when working with angels, demons, or archangels, then it was to listen carefully to their choice of wording. Gabriel’s concerned you. “M-me? You mean us, right?” you question, tears streaming down your cheeks as you look up at the archangel holding you. “No, sugar. You,” he corrects, placing a finger on your lips, shushing the protests forming on your lips. “I have enough mojo to destroy the spell holding you back from escaping. After I cast the spell, I’m going to give you a gift. You’ll know what kind of gift it is soon enough, but it will get you out of here. I won’t lie, buttercup.” He runs his fingers through your messy hair a few times, untangling some of the knots. “This is going to suck big time.” “If you have enough magic to cast a powerful spell, then can’t we fight off the demons together?!” you ask, turning to face him. “Maybe. But we won’t be able to get out with this spell encompassing the property.” He sighs, and you try to focus on his vessel’s heartbeat. “The spell I’m going to cast will destroy my vessel, but I’ll be back, sugar,” he mumbles. You bite your lip. “I don’t think I can do this alone. There are too many demons for me to take on.” He curls his arms around your waist. “You can do it. You will. Remember the gift I talked about? It’ll give you a temporary power. That, along with your unbreakable Winchester spirit, will get you out of here.” He closes his eyes, resting his head on the wall and closing his eyes. He finds your hands where they’re curled up on your lap, taking them into his. “I don’t want your vessel to die because of me,” you admit softly. He gives your hands a squeeze, careful to be wary about your broken arm. “I know, sweetest. I know. But I can’t just reveal my true form…it’ll hurt you. And one sacrifice would be better than more people being killed,” he mumbles, holding you tighter. “I have to get you back to your brothers. This world needs you, and they’re the only people who can protect you.” You squeeze your eyes shut. You don’t think there’s any other way you’d be able to escape this. “Gabe…” you whisper, voice shaky. “Come back to me.” “I will, sugar, I promise you. I’ll be back before you know it,” he vows. You slide off of his lap and shift to the side. This time, you straddle him and put your face on his forehead. He gingerly wraps his arms around you. “I’ll be back, gorgeous. Back in my favorite vessel,” he muses, smiling sadly. “For now…” he closes his eyes and raises one of his hands, placing it over your heart. He concentrates for a moment, and you feel something pulsing inside you. At first, it’s uncomfortable, and soon, it starts…soothing you. You slowly shut your eyes at the sensation inside of you. “Is that your…your…” you sigh at the feeling of magic rushing through your body. The archangel hums contentedly. “What you’re feeling, love, is my Grace. I’m granting you a small portion of it so you can fight back and get the hell out of here.” “Gabe…” you whisper, the name lingering on your lips. "You can do this. Look," he lifts your shirt slightly, careful not to hit your injured arm. Carefully printed onto the skin right above your hip is an odd symbol that is somewhat familiar. He runs his thumb over it gently. "That's my Mark. It grants its host a portion of my Grace whenever they're in a tight situation." He sighs. "I'll go in first. Stay behind me, alright? This isn't goodbye. I love you, sugar." You can't cry. You have to be strong now, since there's no room for error of any kind. "I love you too. Please come back." "I will. But it's now or never, cupcake," Gabriel mumbles softly. He helps you up by slipping a hand underneath your arm and guiding you up. Clutching your bad arm, you follow him out of the room. The two of you make your way to the main room, where the demons are mingling. However, when they see you and your archangel, they stand at attention, tension immediately emanating off of them. "How did you escape?!" one demands. "It is of no matter. Just kill them already." Gabriel steps in front of you protectively. You can see that he's back to his usual witty self, but in knowing him so well you can see how scared he is. It makes your heart ache for the poor archangel. "Hm, she's with an archangel?!" another gasps. "He's weak," notes one. "Shut up," Gabriel growls. He widens his stance before moving his hands into a gesture before a bright blast of light fills the room and the demons screech. Gabriel begins chanting in Enochian as the light fades and is replaced by a sizzling noise. Orange runes appear all over the room, covering a darker type of magic, almost like the two are battling. Then, the runes grow in size. Gabriel's chanting comes to a stop. The world seemingly halts as Gabriel's vessel begins to strain itself, and before you know it, the vessel is torn apart, the remnant dissipating midair. You knew this was going to happen, but it's still heartbreaking to see him. He's not dead. He's alive. Just...elsewhere. You shake your head back into reality as the demons screech in fury, snapping their neck to face you. Before they can attack, time seemingly slows to a halt again as your eyes settle onto the runes again. You hear your heartbeat pumping, and suddenly you're self-aware of...of everything. The blood flowing in your veins. Every single breath you take. Your eyes widen at one specific memory. Horror floods your mind as you continue to try and comprehend the feeling shooting through the pit of your stomach. Your brain is stuck on one emotion, still trying to process everything that just happened , the entire memory set on loop as it flashes over and over. The hatred filling Sammy's eyes, the one key that told you that that wasn't your brother anymore. A force far darker had taken over him, but what hurt you was the fact that he let it. He'd given up the fight when he told you he never would succumb. The sharpness of Dean's tone as he yelled at you to leave and shouted at Sam for him to never come back. The big brother that had never left your side no longer wanted anything to do with you. He'd left you when he promised he'd be there for you, no matter what. And, just like that, the realization dawns on you ever so suddenly. All of the betrayal, all of the hurt, all of the rage you'd been holding in. You release a blood-curdling scream of mixed emotion. All of the furniture surrounding you is blasted back along with the demons, and something orange lights up at your feet. After your strangled cry has escaped your lips, you glance down, only to find that an orange magic circle has opened up beneath your feet. There's a stinging sensation on your stomach, where Gabe had placed his Mark. And you can feel it. His Grace, swelling underneath your skin as the circle underneath your feet swirls with life. The magic seeping into your skin is healing you, comforting you, saying it’ll be alright. You hear the demons gasp as your unending fury escapes you. Then, there's another burst of orange. And you know exactly what to do with it. You can't quite explain why, but you know how; it's kind of like Gabriel's there, guiding you. Your eyes fly open, and suddenly, you're not in your outfit anymore. You're dressed in a long pair of soft pants with orange runes imprinted on them. Your chest is covered with a top that's seemingly made of bandages but is bound together by magic. In your hand rests a katana, its silver blade embedded with runes similar to the ones on your pants. You're barefoot, and your hair is neatly done. The Mark of Gabriel is flaring bright orange on your stomach. The circle beneath your feet dies down, and you rush into action with a hardened gaze and a fierce battle cry. The demons are absolutely obliterated. With just one strike of your katana, five of them are down at once, a light blue light emanating from its tip. You’re livid as hell and taking it out on them. Tears escape your eyes as you slash and swing and block, everything that’s happened over the past few months just snapping then and there. Blood spatters the wall as you stab and keep up your never-ending onslaught. You’re moving too fast for the demons to keep up. A few minutes later, you stand in the center of the room, now victorious. Your newfound power dies down slightly, and you raise your head, body swelling with energy. This...this is what magic feels like. It’s coursing through your veins, pumping wildly to match the speed of your heartbeat. Lifting your gaze, you see that the protective barrier is open, as Gabriel said it would be. With that, you rush outside. You knew that, even though, he only lent you this power, that it would be with you forever. Running outside, you grimace as the sun appears. With this power, you would be able to help bring your brothers back together. You would end this damned war if it killed you. And that is the story of how you became a Warrioress of the Archangels.