Work Text:
An Archangel has many blades; each with its own purpose. Many tools for many jobs because they all must fight, even the messenger.
An Archangel only has one Sword. Rarely seen and even more infrequently used; it is less a weapon and more an extension of angelic self.
When an Archangel or his chosen Bearer wields the blade, it lights with holy fire and gives protection from all lesser weapons. There may only ever be one Bearer chosen per Archangel.
The Archangel Gabriel has never chosen a Bearer for his Sword. Until now.
There has never been a human Bearer. Until now.
~*~
Sam is about to be overpowered by almost a whole nest of Demons when it happens. The few that aren't surrounding him are keeping Dean and Cas busy and Sam lost the knife somewhere over the other side of the room.
It's pretty much the definition of screwed six ways from sideways but Sam has never been any good at giving up gracefully. He reaches behind himself trying to find something, anything to use as a weapon even though he knows that anything he finds will be useless.
One moment there's nothing, the next his hand closes around something that feels suspiciously, amazingly like a sword hilt. Sensation rushes up his arm, a flood of familiarity, belonging, home, mine and he swings the blade up and round before he's even conscious of making the decision. It feels like instinct and muscle memory that Sam knows he doesn't have but he doesn't have time to worry about it because there's fire racing up and covering the blade.
A flaming sword. He's wielding a flaming sword. What the fuck?
The Demons shy back as if they're all being operated by the same puppet master and Sam's aware of a word hissed in disgust and fear, flying through their rank. Bearer, bearer, bearer. He wonders what it means.
That it apparently means run like hell becomes evident as a flood of black smoke and falling vessels signals the departure of the Demons. Sam stares, meeting Dean's confused expression through the clearing smoke.
When he moves onto Cas's absolutely poleaxed one the familiar feeling of 'something really important has just happened and he doesn't understand it at all' solidifies.
Unfortunately Sam knows his life well enough to realise that everything just got infinitely more complicated.