[detroit!AU: Summoning]

[stilljustandrew]

There's a triple circle on the floor of the room: standard Summoning, and two extra tracks. The one of holy oil is a matter of last resort.

Oddly enough, it's the true name part that's easiest this time.




Andrew speaks the last words of the Summoning, and rises to his feet.

Comments

[stilljustandrew]

A slow exhalation, more sigh than word. "Yeah."

His gaze drops to the grass underfoot.

"Thank you."

[changeinasnap]

"It's not going to happen again." Clipped. "You've played your get out of immolation free card. And I gave you a five-second head start on top of it, so you'd better start running before he figures out you're not really dead and comes looking for you."

And for Gabriel himself.

But of the two of them, Andrew's much more likely to end up dead.

[stilljustandrew]

"Can he find me in my world?"

Andrew doesn't look up.

[changeinasnap]

"I don't know, now that you've gone and set up a couple of neon signs leading him straight to the nexus of a thousand different worlds..."

A meaningful tilt of the head.

[stilljustandrew]

Now he looks up, eyes widening. "What? No," he says. "I didn't. I -- he's been here before."

[changeinasnap]

"Who?" he asks, "Sam, or Lucifer?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Lucifer. I mean, both, but ... Lucifer was here, he talked to me, that's -- that's why --"

He stops, lips pressed tight, and works at forcing the tears back.

[changeinasnap]

Gabriel watches him for a beat.

"All right," he allows quietly. "So he got here on his own. But before this? I'm thinking he didn't have much of a target to aim at besides our Dad and our garrison."

[stilljustandrew]

"Garrison?" Uncertain.

[changeinasnap]

He lifts his eyebrows.

"Hello? This is a war."

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah, but ..." A breath. "Okay. Yeah. And ... you think he might try adding a second front. Third. However many."

[changeinasnap]

"Get him pissed off enough, and I bet he'll at least start thinking about it," says Gabriel matter-of-factly. "Or maybe..."

He uncrosses his arms.

"You'll get lucky and he'll call it square once he's done with just you."

[stilljustandrew]

Barely audible: "He said he had a use for me."

[changeinasnap]

Rolling his eyes, Gabriel all but snaps, "Then why aren't you running yet?"

This kid. He swears.

No wonder he was friends with the Winchesters.

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew casts a driven glance up at him. "Because if he can follow me home, if he can track me to my world -- I can't do that. I can't. We've got no defenses that could stand against him, I don't know if I'd even have time to warn anybody. But if -- if he'd be using me against your world for something worse ...."

He swallows.

"I don't need to run. I need to hide."

[changeinasnap]

And see, there's the thing.

Say what you want about Gabriel being a coward, about not having the stones to stand up to his family, whatever. It's done, it is what it is, blah blah blah. And that's not the point anyway; what is the point is that it's left him with a healthy appreciation to the virtues of hiding over diving headlong into another battle.

(Plus, guardian angel? Not his gig. No way is he going to hover on anybody's shoulder telling them what to do; it's more fun to see them figure it out for themselves.)

The trick now -- if you'll excuse another bad pun -- is to see whether Andrew says the magic words. Until then, Gabriel's perfectly happy to sit here and wait in silence.

[stilljustandrew]

"I just don't know where. Or how."

[changeinasnap]

"You've got a thousand different worlds at your disposal, too, you know," Gabriel points out, blandly. "Ask around. I'm sure you'll find something."

[stilljustandrew]

"Ask around." Andrew rakes both hands through his hair.

And looks at Gabriel.

"You know how his powers work, right? Is there a ... I don't know, some way to like jam his radar?"

[changeinasnap]

Bingo.

The smile's a lot more pleased this time.

"Tricks are kind of what I do," he says, and beckons to Andrew. "C'mere."

[stilljustandrew]

There's a bare flicker of hesitation, and then he steps closer.

Because really, it's a bit late for self-preservation instincts to kick in.

[changeinasnap]

That thought might cross Gabriel's mind. For once, he refrains from commenting on it.

He's got work to do.

"An oldie but a goodie," he says, cheerfully. "This one's actually something I picked up from one of my kid brothers of all places. It's gonna sting."

And with no further warning, he slaps a hand to Andrew's chest and sends a jolt of power through him.

[stilljustandrew]

Sting is not quite the word.

A cloud of birds takes off from the nearby trees at the sound of Andrew's yell.

[changeinasnap]

Oh, quit whining, Gabriel does not say.

Five seconds later, he takes his hand away -- rips it away, more accurately, like there's a magnet stuck under Andrew's ribs -- and dusts off his hands theatrically. "There."

[stilljustandrew]

He's gasping, but stays on his feet.

"What --" Wheeze. "What was that?"