Chapter Text
When Sam returned to work on Monday morning, he was actually surprised to find Gabriel there, his usual chipper, bright self with a cup of overly-sugared coffee and a lollipop (really?) hanging out of his mouth--breakfast of champions, his words.
Sam had honestly expected Gabriel to call out after the weekend, or at least for the man to be hung over, or maybe jetlagged from flying back from New York (some small town) to Stanford, but alas, the older man was there, ready to work and ready to tease.
When Sam finally had a good long moment to stop for a break, it was lunch, and he found Gabriel leaning over his computer. Sam came around the back of the desk to see what his partner was working on (Sam hoped it was the LGBT housing descrimination case) but instead found him scrolling through Facebook, of all things.
"Gabe, that doesn't look like work. If one of the interns were on Facebook, you'd have them fired," Sam chastised, even though the older man was technically his boss.
Still, Gabriel shrugged and raised one eyebrow at him as he glanced up. "I'm on my lunchbreak, Samsquatch. Why don't you join me, pretend you know how to relax?"
"I know how to relax!" Sam protested.
"Then why did you refuse to join me this weekend?"
"I wasn't invited," Sam shot back, glaring at Gabriel as he slowly nibbled on a Snickers bar.
"I was allowed to bring a plus one." Gabriel grinned up at Sam. "Come on, why did you say no?"
"Because I'm married, maybe? I think Jess would have protested."
"You're no fun, Sammich. Hershey bar?" Gabriel extended an unpoened bar of chocolate in a peace offering, and Sam's nose wrinkled.
"No. Thank you."
Sam peered down at the screen as Gabriel scrolled down, and he snorted. "Get back to work after lunch, there's a lot to do on the housing case. What are you looking at anyway?"
"Will do. And photos from my little brother's wedding over the weekend. You met him once, Castiel. It's too bad you don't have a hot older brother for me to hit on instead, you know, since I can't get away with flirting with Cassie's new husband. He'd just hit me. The Winchester genes seem like they'd be strong, though."
Sam's gut clenched at the joke. "I remember Castiel. I didn't realize he was gay."
He didn't talk about his big brother. NOBODY talked about his big brother, not hardly more than a word since he disappeared without a trace 14 years ago.
Sam had been 12, his brother had been 16. Sam had gone to the library in town to try to do some homework, and his brother was supposed to pick him up later, but Dad had shown up instead. When they had returned to the hotel room, his brother was gone.
Sure, Sam had spent every summer since then looking for him. He even had a private detective on retainer, for Christ's sake. But nothing had ever turned up.
Gabriel glanced up at Sam. "That's not a problem, is it?"
Sam's face screwed up in irritation. "Is that a joke, Gabe? Seriously. Why would that be a problem for me?"
Gabriel shrugged, looking back at the screen. Sam started in surprise as Gabriel scrolled past a photo that chilled him to the bone--a young boy with light, floppy hair and a toy plane, and a teenage boy with dark hair and a sullen expression, one arm thrown protectively around the younger boy's shoulders as they leaned back against a black car.
Gabriel kept scrolling, but Sam grabbed at the mouse. "Wait! Go back!"
Gabriel started in surprise at Sam's behavior. "Woah, woah, what's up?"
"Go back," Sam insisted.
Gabriel squinted up at him but dutifully scrolled back up until Sam shouted loudly enough to make Gabriel jump in his seat. "There! That one! Who posted that?"
"Uh..." Gabriel leaned in, squinting. "Charlie Bradbury. She's a friend of the grooms, Cassie since elementary school, and Dean since he moved to town. Oh, wait, there's a description," Gabriel said, leaning closer, reading. "I've known Castiel and Dean for many years and have been privileged to call both of them my best friends. But it was only while we were planning for the wedding that I finally found out that while Dean may be a brother to me, he had no actual family that he knew of to invite to the wedding. It turned out this photograph is the only evidence he has that he may have a younger brother, so please share this photo. With your help, we might be able to find the other boy in the picture and find Dean's family for him--I couldn't hope to get him a better wedding gift!"
"Did you say Dean?" Sam breathed out. Could it...could it possibly be Dean? His brother, Dean, after all of these years? The younger boy in the picture looked like a young Sam, the car behind them looked like his father's '67 Chevy Impala. "Let me see a picture of Dean."
Gabriel looked confused, but he obliged, switching to a wedding party photo with the two grooms centered in the middle. Light brown hair and clear green eyes, Gabriel pointed out Dean to Sam.
"Switch back."
Gabriel huffed a sigh, rolling his eyes, but complying and switching back to the scan of the old photograph.
"How can I get in touch with Charlie Bradbury?" Sam asked, still staring.
"You wanna share with the class, Sammy?"
"I think I know Dean. I think....I think he's my brother."