“This story is inspired by Supernatural, but it exists in its own space. It doesn’t follow a strict timeline or canon—some things are different, some are left out, and some are exactly as they should be. It’s all about the emotions, the connections, and the possibilities. Just dive in and enjoy.”
A story told in feathers and ash - The Other Man
-Proluge-
A laugh broke the tense mood of the room, filling it with cheerfulness instead. They sat together on the floor, with torn wrapping paper scattered around them. It was Christmas Eve. Accordingly, the small room was lit up by the fairy lights that had been wrapped around the tree. It relaxed the atmosphere of the situation even more and also underlined the security between the two.
He held up the T-shirt he had just pulled out of the packaging. "Well, I'm definitely going to wear that!" he laughed, frowning at the shirt from which a photo collage of her smiled at him. She seemed pleased that it had managed to make him laugh by such a silly present.
~ Splash ~
The whole house smelled like someone had been baking. Instead, the whole kitchen was covered with various bowls, glasses and other ingredients scattered everywhere. The young woman who was leaning against the counter folded her arms and glared at him cheekily. "That was the first and last time I did that... well, at least with you!" she teased him and smeared some of the remaining caramel on his face.
He grinned back just as cheekily and put a hand on his chest, pretending to be insulted. "So that wasn't a learning experience for you?" he said with an innocent expression. "Aah! Yes, I'll never let them into my kitchen again!" She laughed and tried to push him. But he stood firmly in front of her and avoided her on her second attempt.
~ splash ~
"You know what, then piss off! Get out of here!" she screamed, her voice distorted. Anger and a certain fear flashed in her eyes. He stood a few meters away from her, staring at her with an indifferent look. Without saying a word, he snapped his fingers and vanished.
She threw something in his direction, where he was standing. The rain was pouring down on her mercilessly, soaking her completely. She was crying now. Out of nowhere, he appeared again, right in front of her. He didn't say a single word, just grabbed her chin and kissed her.
~ splash ~
It was completely silent, the only sound was the rain hitting the window from outside. She had leaned her head on his shoulder and was slowly rocking her as if she were dancing to silent music. His hand gently grasped hers. Neither of them said a word. It was more about simply enjoying the moment together.
(1) Long Time No See
She absentmindedly sorted the cards that were scattered across the table, as if it wasn't yet clear which pattern would be best for them to follow. Nothing seemed to fit well, regardless of the shape and color of the cards. She sighed in annoyance and threw them back on the table.
The soft sound of feathers and a light breeze blowing through her hair made her pause. She turned her head slightly, just enough to see it out of the corner of her eye. Her heart stopped.
"Hey," the voice sounded weak. The man who had appeared in the room behind her stood there somewhat awkwardly, his hands casually in his jacket pockets.
She opened her mouth in irritation, but said nothing. Instead, she brushed a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t know how to fetch single thought straight.
"Gabriel... what are you looking for here?" she asked, surprised but not unkindly. He grinned cheekily and shrugged his shoulder. "I thought I'd make you happy with my visit," he said, grinning.
She bit her lower lip slightly and asked again: "I'm serious, what are you doing here?"
Still wearing the same grin, he looked at her with his hands raised. "I hear you're to be congratulated," he said.
"Come here, let me give you a hug. That's great," he waved both hands in a hug. She gave in to the gesture and slowly let him close his arms around her.
"Thank you, Gabriel," she said again, but a little, as she pulled away from him. Her hands slowly retreated over his arms. "I'm glad you're happy," he said with a smile, but there was something bitter in his eyes alongside the playful expression.
"I just wanted to tell you. After all, we haven't seen each other in a while..." She just nodded, somehow having a hard time taking her hands off his arm.
He smiled briefly and vanished as suddenly as he had come.
(2) Take a hint
A few days had passed since Gabriel had suddenly appeared at her place. She had had to think about him, but had come to no conclusion. Every time he entered her head, her body strained and somehow numb, yet electric. There was no proper way to explain it.
When she entered the kitchen, there was a large bouquet on the counter. Surprised, she went over.
"Good morning. This must have been at the door this morning." Danny, her fiancé, suddenly stood next to her and kissed her hair. She smiled at him.
"There was another card, I think," he said, taking a sip of coffee. She reached for the small, white envelope.
"Congratulations on your engagement, I hope you like them. Yours sincerely, G.," she read, her fingers tracing lightly over the slanted, neat handwriting.
"That's nice. Okay, I have to go to the office, see you later," he put down the cup and kissed her goodbye before leaving.
She put the card aside and looked at the flowers. She liked them, inconspicuous, pale pink and white blossoms. She wasn't the rose type, Gabriel had always known that.
Over the next few days, she noticed several small signs and clues that he was nearby. It reminded her of the time she spent with him and how he had made her feel. Her heart sank when she thought about it.
When she got out of the shower and turned to the mirror, there was a little smiley face drawn in the bottom corner. She couldn't help but smile and then wiped it away.
Another day, she threw herself on the couch, exhausted from work and wedding preparations. Without thinking, she turned on the TV to get some distraction. She heard 'Grease Lightning' playing. Grease. She loved that musical.
When she looked over at the television, she paused for a moment. The faces of the main characters... it was hers and Gabriel's. She shook her head briefly and everything went back to normal.
A few days later, as she was walking through town and was rummaging around in her bag for her keys, she pulled out several small plastic wrappers. All of them were slightly sticky from the sweets that had been wrapped in them.
She smiled and crumpled it in her hand before throwing it away.
(3) It has to stop
The last few weeks had been exhausting. The day had consisted only of making phone calls and running errands for the wedding. After all, it was only a little time away.
She had barely been able to think clearly. He was always in her head, constantly giving little hints of his presence. It was getting unbearable…
Danny was in the office late again, it didn't surprise her anymore, but why should she be annoyed about it? So she sat alone in the kitchen, clutching her teacup with both hands while she stared into space.
A soft rustling sound made her look up. "Oh, someone looks thoughtful." His teasing voice was unmistakable. She smiled at him, putting more warmth into it than she intended. "Good evening, lovely lady," he then said.
"What was going on the last few days?" she asked him bluntly. He grinned charmingly and raised his hands defensively. "I have no idea what you're talking about..." he explained.
She took a deep breath and pushed aside the growing excitement. She had to speak frankly now.
"You have to stop that..." she said quietly. He just looked at her indignantly. "Gabriel, I'm serious..." "I'm serious!" he replied. She shook her head slightly, avoiding his gaze.
"You really have to stop doing that... You can't keep watching me or slipping me little notes or candy wrappers... You're messing with me." He exhaled deeply and for a second something bitter and painful flashed in his eyes. "You just shouldn't forget me..." he said with a stony expression.
"I will never forget what happened between us," her voice broke. He raised his chin defiantly. "Ok... I'll let it go," he said. She smiled weakly. A tiny part of her screamed to touch him and tell him that he shouldn't stop, but should do everything to get her attention.
She swallowed the feeling. "See you..." he murmured. Before he could simply disappear, she reached out to him, but her fingers grasped at nothing, he had already vanished again.
(4) Restless
The days passed painfully slowly, each day seemed to drag on forever... Every thought was connected to him. It was driving Elli crazy.
She felt guilty... guilty towards Danny and herself, towards Gabriel. She didn't know how to classify her feelings.
The fact that she thought she could see him everywhere or that she could smell his scent or hear the soft rustling of his wings for a moment... it was slowly driving her crazy...
She felt trapped between the past and the future—between the memories Gabriel left like ghosts in her heart and the life she had promised to build with Danny.
He was everywhere! By now she was even sure that she wasn't imagining that she saw him, but that he was really always near her. She wasn't imagining that she could feel him, like she used to. Like she always had...
She stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the living room, staring outside as the pale light bathed her surroundings in an eerie glow.
She felt something soft caress her cheek, then she noticed him. He was standing in the middle of the living room, saying nothing, just looking at her.
She couldn't read his eyes as she turned to look at him. Emotions were building up in her chest, bubbling as if they were about to burst out.
He came towards her until he was standing very close to her. She closed her eyes as he came so close to her that she could almost hear his heartbeat. His face hovered over hers. The tension was almost unbearable.
Everything in her was screaming for him, wanting him to hold her. She couldn't move, her breathing was heavy. His lips were still hovering over hers, about to touch hers, but he didn't. She put her hand on his cheek.
Finally he leaned further down to her, but at the last moment she pulled back. His jaw clenched convulsively.
"I... I can't," she barely managed to say. He grimaced and took a few steps back. "I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip to suppress the hot feeling behind her eyes.
"What is this? I thought you felt this between us too," he pressed. She avoided his piercing gaze. "Gabriel... the thing is..." she began. He waited, his breath hitch and his eyes burned.
"I felt it and I wanted it too, more than anything," she looked at him with a slight pain in her eyes. His entire body tensed, hope flickered in him like an undying flame. "But you didn't want at the time..." And just like that, hope was gone. He grimaced and huffed. "I can't wait my whole life for you to choose me, Gabriel. Just like you chose not to open up to me and admit that you love me, I chose not to endure my heart breaking while I wait for you to choose me. I chose to move on, I chose myself." Her silence sounded gentle but hurt.
His eyes searched hers. "You can't deny it!" he said harshly, standing right in front of her again. "I'm sorry... I'm engaged. That wouldn't be fair to him..." He snorted again, more contemptuously this time. "You..." he began again. "I'm sorry..." she almost cried, it wouldn’t be long now.
He pressed his lips together, then he disappeared.
She squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands over her face. What had just happened? She sobbed briefly.
(5)Back to the wall
Before she knew it, she heard the familiar beating of wings again. One quick movement was enough for him to grab her.
His arms wrapped around her back, pulling her close to him. She involuntarily gave in to him and returned the kiss he pressed on her lips.
She couldn't breathe, her throat felt like it was being constricted. She clung to him, her only focus not to lose herself completely.
Neither of them could resist it. It just happened.
She still clung to him, the world spinning. His hands grabbed tight around her body, holding her. She melted into the feeling, and into the French kiss.
Even as his fingers slightly slipped under the rim of her shirt. She just broke the kiss and dragged him with her upstairs, where she gave into him completely.
When it was over, she just sat there, staring into space and feeling nothing. Not even guilty that she had just slept with him and thus cheated on her husband.
But it had been different... not like before. It had been much closer, much gentler. Even if it didn't justify anything, nothing justified what she had done.
Could you love two people at the same time? She felt like a cornered animal... she didn't know if it was because she was attached to the fact that she felt this way or if she still loved him enough that it hurt so much.
She shook her head to get rid of everything and to be able to think properly. She reached for her cell phone and waited impatiently for the phone to ring on the other end.
"Singer?" the voice on the other end answered. She stifled a sob. "Dad, I screwed up... and I can’t even explain how," her voice was too stupid. Silence on the phone.
"Elli, what's wrong?" came the question. Her father sounded genuinely worried, which was rather unusual with Bobby Singer. She wouldn't tell him exactly what had happened, she just wanted to hear that everything would be OK. "I made a mistake... I can't explain it to you, but..." He let her finish and then exhaled heavily.
"I'm not good at this, but mistakes are meant to be made, darling," he said, unsure if it was the right thing to do. She cried quietly. "It won't be that bad... or did you kill someone?" She said no.
(6)Don’t marry him
The wedding was to take place in a few days. She told herself that she was ready, even if she wasn't completely sure about it.
She stood in front of the closet, running her hand over the fabric of the dress in front of her. She had to swallow.
"You'll look beautiful in it." She didn't turn around and wasn't frightened anymore. "If I had chosen it, you would have been the most beautiful bride in the world, but..." She had to smile and turned to him.
There was a brief pause. His face changed, there was something hurt in his eyes. "Don't marry him," he mumbled. "What?" "Don't marry him. Please." She felt tears welling up inside her, not just from pain. "W-what?" "You heard me."
"W-what? Why?!" "You know why," he said and came closer.
"No..." She pressed her lips together. "Yes, you know!" His voice had a strain emphasis. He came even closer, she felt so uncomfortable with the situation. "No, I don't know!" "Yes!"
"Gabriel, don't..." "What?" He was so close to her that she could feel him so clearly in front of her and the vibration of his grace permeated her body. Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest that it almost jumped out.
„You’re being mean and unfair“, she finally said with a little stronger voice. „What? No, I-,“ he was cut off by her. „Stop it…“, her voice was more like a whisper. The heat behind her eyes and heart increased. It was more than pain: fear, anger, pain…
“I have been second to others my whole life, in everything. And I will not be the person you settled for just because you can’t have her, I won’t do it.” The first tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked up to him. Her voice seemed broken.
“I won’t do that - not when I spend my whole life loving you so much.” He looked down at her, reaching for her to touch her. She just backed off. “Don’t touch me.” “I had no idea.”
"Don't kid me, you were very aware of it! You knew that I would have done anything for you and you took advantage of it!" "I never took advantage of you!" She laughed hurtfully. "Maybe, but you didn't have to courage to let me in... at least it never felt like that, there were always other things kept you away from me." He avoided her gaze. She knew that she was being unfair to him and that not everything she wanted to throw at him was true, but it just hurt so unbelievably.
"It didn't feel like it, Gabriel. And now you expect me not to marry him, even though I think it's the right thing for me? Why? Where do you get the nerve to say something like that to me?" She cried, wiping the tears from her face over and over. She was so incredibly angry. Angry that it hurt her and that it still caused her so much pain after all this time. Angry that she was showing it to him. Angry that he had only brought it up now. Angry that he hadn't stopped her sooner. Angry at herself for still loving him.
"You don't love him at all,” Gabriel said, his voice razor sharp. His eyes burned into her like he could see right through her rip cage. "You don't love him at all, that's why you shouldn't marry him. You shouldn't commit your whole life to something you're not convinced of. You think it's the right thing for you? Nonsense! You're just telling yourself that." She glared at him angrily. "Who do you think you are? So I'm imagining it?" She dug her finger into his chest as she said this. "Yes," he said firmly. "Yes, you're telling yourself that it's the right thing and that you want it so that you don't have to deal with how you feel about me any more. I know you, that's not what you want. Marriage, house, child and maybe a dog?"
She couldn't answer, but she wanted so much to scream at him. Instead, she just stared at him as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that he's the right one for you. You know yourself that you'd rather be standing there with me." "Shut up!" She hit his chest with her fist. It didn't seem to impress or surprise him at all. She didn't want to hear that he was right, she couldn't bear it. "I would have done anything, anything! But I'm not willing to hurt myself anymore. I love you more than I should and… I love you, Gabriel!“
(7) The final day
She took a deep breath. Danny stood across from her, holding her hand. She smiled happily. It was beautiful.
His eyes sparkled with love and she knew that this was the best moment of his life.
"If someone has an objection, let him speak now or remain silent forever," she heard the pastor say. The church in front of her was completely silent; no one said a word. Everyone looked at them as a bride and groom.
"I have an objection." She didn’t even have to look up. she already knew: Gabriel. He was standing at the end of the aisle, wearing a smart dark green suit. Her breath caught in her throat, she felt like she was suffocating. "I have an objection..." he repeated.
