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Gabriel walked around the console, pushing buttons and flicking switches. The hum of the Tardis and the motion of the time rotor formed a soothing background as he contemplated the next move on his mission.
His mission. It seemed odd to take orders after all this time. He had set his own course since he left Gallifrey so many years ago.
While his fellow time lords saw their home as the height of civilization, Gabriel found it stifling. With all of time and space at their fingertips, the others were content to simply sit at home - spending their time in pointless rituals making pompous speeches.
The only kindred spirit Gabriel had met amongst his own kind was his best (and only) friend at school. Lucifer was brilliant, even more brilliant in some ways than Gabriel, and the two misfits became as close as brothers.
But madness and a lust for power corrupted Lucifer. As his evil deeds grew he assumed another name that became feared throughout the galaxy.
Lucifer changed from brother to adversary.
Gabriel mourned the loss of all that bright potential, and in all their clashes could never make himself bring a final end to his nemesis. Lucifer, he suspected, had no such inhibition.
But Lucifer wasn’t the only enemy he had faced. In his journeys Gabriel often found himself the champion for the cause of justice.
And he had nourished the potential in others he had found in his travels. Bright young beings who admired his brilliance and shared his love of adventure. They traveled by his side until they found their own place, their own home.
Recently Gabriel was traveling alone. Well, except for his dog, K-9 mark ? (he’d left so many with associates along the way he had lost track). But while a steadfast companion, K-9 was a bit too literal to be a good conversationalist. Still, Gabriel had been content with his semi-solitary nomadic existence.
Until an authority even Gabriel respected gave him a mission. The consequences of failing that mission would mean the end of everything.
So when Gabriel was told he would have a companion on this mission, one of his own people, he acquiesced and squelched his misgivings.
Gabriel wasn’t met with the disdain he expected from one of his arrogant race. Instead, young Castiel seemed to believe that if Gabriel had been chosen for this mission, he must by default be worthy. Gabriel wasn’t quite sure what to do with that kind of faith.
Gabriel groaned when Castiel’s visit to the wardrobe room ended up with him dressed in a plain dark suit. And not a cool suit like those Gabriel’s past selves had worn, but the kind of suit a tax accountant would wear. Gabriel despaired of his dress sense. The only glimmer of hope lay in the tan trench coat. One of Gabriel’s past selves was well acquainted with the dramatic possibilities of a long tan coat.
Gabriel found the young time lord was made of sterner stuff than he first thought. He was surprisingly cool in the face of danger for one who had led such a sheltered life. He was also resolute in pursuit of their mission, willing to charge into hell itself if need be to accomplish their goal. Gabriel began to suspect that he might be even more stubborn than Gabriel himself. So far Castiel’s only flaw was that he was almost as literal as K-9, and his idea of a good conversation seemed to be an intense stare with a head tilt thrown in for emphasis.
Gabriel had sent Castiel off with Sam and Dean, their two most recent acquisitions, to help them get settled in their new rooms. They had encountered the brothers in their visit to Earth. Both had great potential. The younger brother had shown a flattering interest in Gabriel’s rapid fire explanations of technical matters. The older brother had made some amusing criticisms of the “tin men” and “pepper pots.” Unlike Sam and Castiel, Dean hadn’t been impressed with Gabriel’s claim that his lack of weapons gave him the moral high ground. So it was a little embarrassing later when Dean “saved their collective asses” with a confiscated pulse rifle.
Gabriel thought it was time to check in again on his charges. He had been casually rearranging the corridors of the Tardis while they were walking so that they would never reach their destination. As they were stopped in what was currently level 4 intersection 3, it seemed like they might have begun to suspect his trick. Although Dean’s claim that “all these friggin’ walls look the same” was almost literally true. The Tardis was just too big to personalize more than 10% of the interior. The rest was simply left as a blank slate. Now Castiel was giving Sam a detailed description of inter-dimensional theory and application, while Dean was gesturing emphatically (and rather rudely).
Gabriel munched on another jelly baby and figured it was about time he went to their rescue.