Title: The Man in the Mirror
Author: ScrollingKingfisher
Rating: Mature
Fandom: Supernatural
Ships: Sam Winchester/Gabriel, Dean Winchester/Castiel
Ah, I do love a good Season 5 Sabriel fic, and this is an excellent one.
Quick summary. Sam goes back to the Elysian Fields post Hammer of the Gods and offers himself as a vessel to the dying Gabriel. Which, gotta say, is a pretty clever way to get around the whole “saying yes to Lucifer” thing. Because it’s not hard to imagine how Gabriel feels about that idea.
The rest of the story is a reworking of the rest of the Apocalypse, with the Sam-as-Gabe vessel change. And them falling in love, of course.
One of the things I generally do not enjoy are season rewrite fics because too many times authors just rewrite entire sections of episodes with the same dialogue and everything the same. That doesn’t do it for me. If you’re like me, you needn’t worry. Though this story does incorporate canon from Season 5, it does it in a way that enhances the story rather than bogging it down. In fact some of the canon changes are quite clever. Including bringing in an unexpected and familiar character to solve one of the problems of the season.
One of my hesitations in reading the story was the hook of Gabriel inhabiting Sam as a vessel. I wasn’t sure how the Sabriel relationship would work with them being in the same body. However, I will say the author handled it brilliantly, and I was rapt through the entire story. Of course, I am a sucker for the whole “mindscape” idea the author used.
Oh, the scenes of Gabriel learning how to use Sam’s body as a vessel are hilarious! Poor Gabriel goes from being 5’8″ to 6’4″, and it shows.
Destiel is significant side ship in this story, and, as is often the case, Gabriel’s perspective on his little brother and the older Winchester is well worth the read. Both for humor and Gabriel being so done with the pining.
There’s action, adventure, everyone being badass and lots of hurt/comfort for those who like that. And, really? Who doesn’t like that?
Highly recommended. And long, so it’s not over too soon!
Now check out the interview with the author, ScrollingKingfisher