SPN Fic: The Path We Choose- 12/?
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 12:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenoko1Title: The Path We Choose
Author: Tenoko1
Rating: R, for language
Warning: Takes place after Season five with references through Season seven
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Sarah, slight Cas/Meg
Disclaimer: Do not own
Summary: Several months after Sam jumps into the pit, taking Michael with him, Dean is trying to move on with his life, happenstance causing him to stumble over the newly released Supernatural novels which foretell what has not happened yet. Trying to avert the war in Heaven and everything in his life falling apart again, Dean sets out to change destiny, determined that they’ll make the future of their choosing. He should know things are never that simple.
Notes: Comments are much love.
Podfic Master List
One l Two l Three l Four l Five l Six l Seven l Eight l Nine l Ten
Eleven
Chapter Twelve
“Okay, before we get too far into the day,” began Savvy, “let’s go ahead and take care of my end of the deal about offering ya’ll protection and shelter.”
Dean and Sam looked up where they were tying up their shoes and stretching, preparing for their run together. Dean was actually wearing basketball shorts and sneakers, courtesy of a cousin Marcus. Castiel was flipped curiously through a Supernatural magazine in the living room.
She had a small glass phial with a black screw on lid in her hand. “You three sit on the couch together.”
Cas set his magazine aside, watching intently as she came to stand in the center of the living room; the two hunters took seats on the couch with him in the middle of them.
“What are you going to do?” questioned Sam, eyeing the glass phial as she unscrewed the lid.
“What I was taught to do: pray. And don’t you dare laugh, Dean Winchester,” she ordered with a glare. “While I move around, ya’ll just stay there and either pray internally in agreement with my prayer or your own version, or say nothing.” She shot another look at Dean, who rolled his eyes. While he had no faith anyone upstairs was going to help them, it didn’t mean he couldn't indulge her as well.
With the lid off, a perfumed scent filled the air, making Cas blink in surprise. “Frankincense and myrrh.”
She nodded, and Dean noted she looked very uncomfortable as she dabbed some of the oil onto her finger. “I’ve never done this with other people, so this is kind of embarrassing. Ya’ll can’t be looking at me. And I mean it, Dean, don’t laugh.”
Sam and Cas both dutifully closed their eyes, and Dean lowered his gaze, even if he didn’t close his eyes completely. He was curious was she planned to do.
She walked over to the front door, touching the oil on her finger to the structure. “Father, I come to ask for protection and guidance for those residing in this home. I pray that you would place a hedge of protection around my home, that no harm would befall any who enter.” She leaned across to touch the window sill as she prayed, then moved over to stand in front of them, face red with embarrassment and pointedly ignoring Dean as she gently touched the oil to each of their foreheads with her index finger. “Father God, I pray that your angels would be about them, to guide and protect them as they walk the path you have laid before them. I ask you God that you would give each of them discernment, that they would know your voice and that the voice of strangers they’ll not follow. Thank you God for having seen them this far in their journey and for continuing to keep them safe. May they remain vigilant even as the dark of the night sets in and the Thief prowls around them, seeking entrance at the door. Protect them from he who came to steal, kill, and destroy, and let them not be deceived by pretty lies and false promises.”
She moved away and from the room, lightly touching her finger to doorframes as she passed through them continuing to pray. She asked for forgiveness of sins, that they would forgive those who had wronged them in the past and would wrong them in the future. She thanked him for the opportunity to met with them and offer them what little help she could, asked for guidance on her part so that she not stumble in the task she’d been given. Thanked God for the angels that guarded her personally and offered to sacrifice her protection detail, for her angels to guard them instead of her if it meant their safety. Then she quoted several scriptures from the Bible apparently of promises God made to ‘His Children’- believers, Dean supposed. As she drew to a close, she returned to lean against the door frame leading into the living room- Dean quickly dropped his gaze before she saw him- and folded her arms with an ‘Amen’.
Sam looked up, brows raised questioningly. “Is that it?”
She nodded. “You’re good to go. Best I know how to do. I also have my family and friends praying for your safety as well. They all think you’re key witnesses in a high profile case and that someone blew up your house to shut you up and send you into hiding, but prayer is prayer.”
Rising to his feet, Cas gave her a shadow of a smile. “You did marvelously.”
She flushed bright red and ducked her head. “Yeah, okay. Have a nice run, boys. If you get turned around in the neighborhoods, just ask someone how to get back to this street. There are always people out exercising and such.” She tossed something to Dean, and he snatched it out of the air, opening his palm to look at the key on the small key chain of a drawn kitten with a strawberry. “Sorry it’s girly. It’s the only one I had. That way you can get back in the house if I’m not here. If any of my neighbors see you and ask questions, just tell them you’re family who blew into town for a little while. I doubt they will, though, we keep to ourselves.”
Sam regarded her curiously. “What about you?”
“I’ll clean house while ya’ll are gone. Cas, you’re free to get scarce as well. You must be curious about things in this world and how they differ from yours. Or if you can contact Heaven or whatever.”
Nodding, Dean watched as the angel’s clothes instantly changed to his normal suit and trench coat before the angel vanished from sight, making Dean scowl angrily.
He and Sam were several blocks away before he said anything. “What is the deal with Cas since we got here?” he demanded. His brother glanced at him curiously. They were ‘incognito’ as Savvy told them, handing them both ball caps and sun glasses with sports straps. He felt like a celebrity trying to dodge the paparazzi, but she hadn’t wanted to take any chances. “Do you realize we’re taking orders from a girl who I don’t even know if she can vote yet? And Cas! Cas just does what she says! Without question! He would smite either one of us if we just told him to do something. We have to ask, but her? Oh no.” He mimicked her voice, “Cas sit up front. Cas go to sleep. Cas eat something. Cas, feel free to get lost.” He snapped his head to the side to glare at his brother. “Every time we get something to eat and he’s with us, I offer to get him something, or for him to share my food. Has he ever? No! We show up here, she gives the word, he just goes with it! What the hell, man!”
Sam shrugged the best he could while jogging. “I dunno, man. I mean, Cas was a soldier for how long? Taking orders without thought comes as easy as breathing to him, it’s thinking for himself that is a learned behavior. If he really had a reason to tell her ‘no’, he would have, but there’s been no reason to argue with any of the things she made him do.”
“And what are we suppose to do while we’re here anyway? Huh?” he demanded, increasingly angry. “Sit around twiddling our thumbs and wait for Balthazar to come pick us up? Shouldn’t he have been here by now? How long does it take for God to open a cage of his own making?”
“Technically, I think Michael made the cage,” pointed out Sam, earning a cross look from his brother. “Look, dude, I know this has you on edge, but we just gotta make the best of it and hope we go home soon. Now do you wanna run or do you wanna talk, because we can’t do both,” he huffed.
Setting his mouth in a flat line, Dean picked up his pace.
It was more than an hour later when they finally made their way back to Savvy’s apartment. They could hear her music blasting from outside, making Sam comment on she must still be cleaning house. Dean didn’t care. He was hot, he was tired, and he wanted a shower- which he called dibs on first. From the sound, it was like she was listening to some pop/dance club song, making him roll his eyes. Her musical choices endeared her to him no further.
After they’d sat on her back porch long enough to do cool down stretches and catch their breath, they unlocked the back door and went in. Cas stood in the middle of the dining room looking into the living room, his head angled to the side curiously. It wouldn’t have been odd except for the fact that Savvy was in full dance mode in center of the room, twisting, turning, and swinging her hips to the fast pace beat, hands shoulder height or above her head. She was completely oblivious to the angel watching her as she was pulled away from her dusting by the beat of a favorite song.
Sam and Dean approached in confusion, glancing at the girl that still had no idea as to their presence then to the angel watching intently. For whatever reason, it really pissed Dean off.
“Cas, what are you doing just standing there?” Sam asked.
“Seriously,” agreed Dean. “And we gotta leave and come back and slam the door loud so she doesn’t realize we saw her partying and gets all embarrassed and mad.” He just wanted her to stop and for the angel to stop looking so fascinated.
Castiel shook his head. “She can neither see us nor hear us.” He reached out a hand and the air in front of them shimmered. A barrier. “We’re safe.”
“That doesn’t explain what you’re doing,” Sam pointed out.
“It’s intriguing to watch,” the angel admitted.
“…and that doesn’t make it any less creepy you’re watching some unawares girl who thinks she’s safe in the privacy of her own home.”
“While she shakes it in those jeans,” added Dean, regarding the girl and the way she danced wildly and happily to the music blasting through her stereo. Yeah, okay, were she anyone else, he could completely see the fascination in watching, were it anyone else watching.
The angel shrugged. “I just like watching.”
Dean looked at him in surprise. “Cas! You kinky bastard!”
On the angel’s other side, his brother was nodding in disbelief. “I gotta say, I never took you for the pervert type, Cas.”
The angel looked at each of them in alarm. “What?”
“Secretly watching some innocent girl while she shakes her groove thing in her living room thinking she’s alone?” Dean arched a brow, and shook his head. “Heavy mouth breather stuff right there, is what it is.”
Scoffing, Cas rolled his eyes. “You misunderstand. I’m not watching her.” He grabbed Dean by the elbow and pulled him in front of him, placing one hand on Dean’s left shoulder, sending a burst of electricity through the hunter’s body and causing the living room to suddenly explode with color and light.
“Whoa!” exclaimed Dean in surprise, eyes darting at the pulsing lights and colors radiating from the living room. “I feel like I’m tripping on acid. What is this?”
“What do you see?” asked Cas, moving to share the hunter’s line of sight, his mouth close to Dean’s ear, that puff of breath on the rim sending a new kind of electricity through the hunter.
“U-uh. Color. Lights. Um, Savvy’s still partying like she’s in concert. The light seems to be radiating from her.”
“What else do you see? Ignore her.” The angel’s lips accidentally brushed Dean’s ear and it did rip a shudder from him, forcing him to swallow and shake his head. It had been a simple accident that was all; the angel had no idea what he was doing to Dean, that the heat rolling off the other man’s body through his clothes made the hunter ache. God help him, he wanted to whirl around and claim that mouth that was unintentionally teasing him. To ravish it.
Blinking and forcing himself to focus, Dean let his eyes drift around what he could see of the other room, the rainbow of color and light like a dance club. He faltered when he saw what he thought was movement, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the spot. His eyes widened in shock, even as he took in more than one such shape in the room with her.
“Holy fuck!” he swore. Sam’s gaze snapped to the room in alarm, clearly not seeing anything. Cas’ hand dropped from Dean’s shoulder and his vision lost the acid trip filter, but the hunter was still stunned, pointing helplessly at the room. “She’s not alone! There a-are people or ghosts or something in there with her! It looks like a freaking dance club in there, man!”
“That’s an exaggeration,” stated Cas absently, head angled to the side as he continued to regard the other room. “There are only three forms in the room with her, all of them dancing along with her.”
“Her apartment is haunted?” questioned Sam in shock.
“A lot of good that prayer of hers did us,” scoffed Dean. “She’s got spirits already living under her own roof.”
“They aren’t ghosts, Dean,” stated Cas softly, a genuine sound of awe to his voice. “They’re angels. Her angels, the ones that protect her.” His gaze flicked at the spaces around her. “They love her very much. Personally, not just as another ward to watch after.”
“Dancing to the radio with her? Are you kidding me?”
The angel turned his head to meet his gaze. “You saw them for yourself.” He looked back. “It takes a lot of concentration and effort for me to be even see them that well. Communication with them is impossible as far as I can tell. They can see us, but they’re ignoring us. They know we want to get in contact with them or Heaven, but we won’t be able to unless they reveal themselves, which somehow, I’m highly doubtful of.”
“Why?”
“They would have already done it,” he stated simply.
“Huh.” The three of them stood there, regarding the girl still oblivious to their presence as she faltered in her dusting of shelves as the chorus to the song struck up and she started dancing again. “See, only girls can get away with that kind of freedom,” Dean noted. “Randomly busting out dancing wherever they want when a song they like comes on.”
Cas looked at him. “Did you never do that when you were a girl?”
“Hell no,” the hunter scoffed. “I may have looked like a girl, but I was still all me, dude.”
“Dean is more likely to start playing air guitar and air drums when his favorite rock song comes on,” stated Sam with a smirk and sidelong glance at his brother. “Act like he’s a rock star in concert.”
“Yeah, Sam’s the one more likely to break out dancing to his iPod in public, Cas.”
Pursing his lips as he considered this, Sam finally gave a nod. “Yeah, you’re right. I would.” He and Dean bumped fists, grinning. “No shame.”
“Way to own it.”
Cas nodded distractedly. Dean glanced in Savvy’s direction again. “Well if you know you can’t make first contact, why are you still staring?”
“Well, once you brought it to my attention, I realized it is rather fascinating- the way she ‘shakes it in those jeans’.”
Clamping his jaw shut, a furious expression flitted over Dean’s face, even while Sam only looked taken by surprise. The elder Winchester grabbed his brother by the arm, pulling him toward the door. “We need to take another cool down lap. Now,” he growled.
“Cas,” called Sam as Dean dragged him toward the door. The angel looked back at them curiously, but Dean refused to meet his gaze, furiously glaring at the doorknob, the fist gripping it so tightly it threatened to snap the contraption off altogether. “Seriously, dude, you can’t watch her like that without her knowing. It’s creepy.”
The angel glanced back at the girl, then followed after the Winchesters, appearing on the sidewalk outside just as they shut the door behind them. Sam was glancing around worriedly in case anyone saw, but for the most part, it seemed like Savvy was the only one ever home.
“Actually, Sam,” began Cas, his gaze drifting from the taller hunter to Dean, his azure gaze locking with green, “I need to speak with Dean.” Nodding, Sam shifted his weight and waited. “As my parabatai,” clarified the angel.
“Oh, alone,” realized Sam with a nod of his head, leaping off the porch with all the grace of a cat. “Got it. I’ll, uh, I’ll just head… back in, I guess?” Dean nodded.
As the younger Winchester returned back inside, Cas’ eyes followed him. In the moment, Dean let his eyes rake over Cas’ form, taking in his stance and posture, the angle of his chin in the air. The hunter wasn’t sure the angel was even aware of the way his posture changed in reflection to his mood. This was when Dean knew he was looking at an Angel of the Lord, it wasn’t aggressive, but defiant. It was as if he was daring an opponent to do there worst and see what happened. There was a confidence to it, which truthfully endeared the angel to Dean, because it was like he knew who he was and what he stood for. His stance even screamed that he would not be moved by any force.
Dean could feel nothing from Cas though. He didn’t always pick up on the angel’s emotions, really, just heightened ones, or perhaps things Cas didn’t mind if Dean was aware of, like if he were amused, then it was like a secret communicated between them.
Those blue eyes swept to where Dean was still standing on the porch, his vantage point leaving him towering over the man standing on lower ground. Stepping forward, Dean lowered himself to sit on the edge of the porch, his feet dangling inches off the ground. He regarded Cas. “What’s up?”
The angel shifted, his gaze dropping as he considered his words. “It has come to my attention that our parabatai contract remains incomplete and imbalanced. I would like this remedied.”
Dean shook his head. “Incomplete? Incomplete how?”
Sighing, Cas shook his head. “I’m sorry I was not able to enter into this with you with all information in hand at the time, it would have been simpler. Now I only have instances of insight if things are… out of tune. Something akin to instinct to go on.”
The hunter shrugged, and made a gesture with his open hands. “Okay, well, what is it and how do we fix it? We fix it, everything’s balanced and right, right?”
“Balanced,” repeated the angel. His gaze snapped up, head angling to regard Dean. “I marked you as my parabatai. Humans and angels alike can see these marks. The rune, the writing, even the scar are all proof to our bond.”
Nodding, Dean thought he was following the current situation. “Yeah, okay. This is all true.”
“You have not marked me as your parabatai, though.”
“Oh.”
“This is a problem.”
The brunette was nodding again. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. So, you didn’t find a mark on you, then? Yeah, I guess not. Well, what can we do? It’s not like I can write runes in you or something saying ‘Dean is my homeboy’. We could get you a tat, like I said.” Cas gave an infinitesimally shake of his head, making Dean frown. “You don’t want one?”
“It would not fulfill the requirements unless you were the one permanently inscribing my skin. It has to be something you do of your own volition.”
“Cas, I’m not an angel. I can’t mark you.”
“In the way an angel would, true, but surely there is some manner of human equivalent? You’ve admitted it with your mouth and have no reservations in informing others we are parabatai, we only need a physical representation of that agreement. And it has to be from you, some meaning attached to it.” Dean frowned in confusion. “My name has meaning to me. It is something I highly value. There are memories and feelings from a long history attached to my name, so that was how my commitment to you chose to manifest itself.”
The hunter understood. It had to be something of personal value he handed over as his part of the exchange. Well, shit. He didn’t have anything. The amulet Sam had given Dean so many years ago came to mind, but he’d long since gotten rid of it when God let them all down. Everything he owned fit in a bag, and none of it held any value.
Frustrated, Dean made a helpless gesture. And stopped, gazing at his hand in confusion. He glanced at Cas who was watching curiously. He turned his splayed hand, showing the ring he never took off.
“Would this work? It’s not much, but it’s mine, I never take it off, and anyone who knows me, knows it’s my ring.” He scoffed. “I feel like a freaking high schooler, exchanging rings as a symbol of a bond, dude. This is lame, but it’s all I’ve got. I don’t have my amulet anymore; it seems more your style than a gunmetal ring.” Cas stepped closer, regarding Dean’s hand with a curious tilt to his head. “Will this balance out our being parabatai?” He frowned, glancing at Cas. “It’s not causing any ill-effects for you, is it?”
“This should suffice, actually,” stated Cas.
Dean slid the ring off his finger a bit reluctantly, after all, he’d never taken it off in all the years since he’d had it. With a shrug, he held it out to the angel. “If it doesn’t fit, we can get you a chain to wear it on. What is it with you and taking all my jewelry, man? Now I really feel naked.” He looked down at his unadorned fingers. “I’m gonna have to get a new one. I really liked that ring. Don’t ask me why.”
The angel slipped the ring onto the same finger Dean had worn it on, looking down to regard it, open palm upward. “It is very much you, though. I do hate to deprive you of it. Yes, this is perfect.” He smiled at Dean. “Thank you.”
The hunter nodded. “So that’s it then? Are we balanced as far as this parabatai claiming thing goes? I’m marked as yours; my ring marks you as mine?” He scoffed and shook his head. “That sounded a lot gayer than I meant.”
An amused twinkle in his eye, Cas chuckled and smirked at Dean. “We could seal it with a kiss if you would like.”
The hunter barked with laughter, bringing his feet up and rising to stand, shoving back the way his gaze had immediately fallen to the angel’s pink lips somewhere to the deep recesses of his mind. Thinking about the angel like that was only going to get him in a mess of trouble, and thinking about kissing him twice in one day was not a good sign.
“Naw, dude, we’re good. Brothers in arms. Yin and Yang. BFF’s for life. Let’s not even validate that ‘there are no straight men in the trenches’ saying.” He paused, one hand on the handle of the screen door. Pivoting, he pointed at the angel ascending the stairs. “And no more watching Savvy when she thinks she’s alone to shake her groove thing.”
Cas chuckled. “I think this is where Sam would ask you if you were jealous.”
The hunter flushed. “Of course not! It’s just creepy is all!”
The shorter man gave a shrug. “I guess angels are so use to watching humanity without their knowledge, we think nothing of it. I was only one of four angels in the room with her, remember?”
“It’s their job to stalk her and lurk from the shadows watching,” he argued opening the door. “Not yours.” As they entered the apartment again, Dean grinned once more back at his angel. “Besides, if we do get you a tat, you know, just to make things ‘even’, we need to get you one like your mark on me, except it’ll be a ring of script, my name all in cursive or some coliseum looking font, and then in the center of the ring it’ll say ‘made of win’, whaddya think? Or we could make it bigger, more tribal looking, all black ink, where it looks like just a really cool design and then the letters start to stand out and you realize it’s words, not just awesome to look at.”
Cas was actually laughing, blue eyes sparkling and everything as he nodded. “I would actually consider getting that done. It would always make me smile.”
Dean barked with laughter, reaching over to clap the angel on the back, giving his shoulder an affection squeeze. Grateful to God for one of the few good things in his life he knew he could never live without.
“Welcome back,” greeted Savvy, putting away cleaning stuff in a closet. Dean nodded to her, noting the way Cas made a point to give the hunter’s arm a squeeze in return as he passed, Dean sensing the angel’s mutual affection and happiness that they were fortunate enough to have met and become friends, regardless of all the hardships that came with that. “Is there anything ya’ll would like to do today?” She placed her hands on her hips, regarding Dean now that they were alone. “We can do research, but I don’t know if it’ll turn up anything. I really doubt it will. Purgatory here is a Catholic belief, from what I understand, it’s where you go when you die to be purged so that you are clean upon entering Heaven. Which would make Jesus’ sacrifice pointless if you still had to go to Purgatory, but that’s what they believe. Some say it’s just a waiting place between here and there. It’s not some hell dimension like it is in your world. Your version of Purgatory sounds like something off of Buffy and Angel.”
At the unfamiliar names, Dean frowned and shook his head. “What are those? Shows?”
She nodded. “Buffy is The Slayer, a destiny ordained warrior, one girl in all the world chosen to fight the vampires. Her vampires are different than yours as well. Homegirl kicks the ass. Angel is-“
“Lemme guess,” he interrupted, “about an angel roaming the earth smiting evil in the name of God?”
She smirked. “Wrong. Angel is a vampire, the show is a spin off of Buffy after he moves away from Sunnydale- a hellmouth, to L.A., another Hellmouth. He and a motley crew of humans, supernaturals, and demons create a team that saves people from the things that go bump in the night. They’re like hunters, but they have an office and get paid.”
“They both sound lame.”
“Buffy Summers could throw you across a room and kick your ass in three inch heels, Dean Winchester,” she threw over her shoulder as she followed after Cas into the living room.
They ended up watching a movie, actually. The four of them. Dean actually thought it was a great idea, it would be give them a chance to catch Cas up on the more iconic films people frequently referenced. Sam and Cas thought it would be fair for Sav to pick the movie since it was her house, she argued that she couldn’t make three grown men watch Disney movies where characters, animals, and inanimate objects randomly burst into synchronized song and dance. Dean was eternally grateful, but he also saw the appeal in starting off with children’s movies because of Cas. It ended with the arrangement that Savvy and Cas would work on animated movies when Dean and Sam weren’t present, instead they ended up watching the most classic of all must-see movies: the original Star Wars trilogy.
Savvy sat curled up in the corner of her couch, Cas sat in the center, and Dean in the other corner, his arm stretched across the back of the couch. Sam was kicked back in a chair, one long leg slung over the arm.
Then Savvy got Cas to help her in the kitchen making lunch, while Sam swapped out the movie and got out the next one for them to watch. Dean moved around restlessly while he waited, trying not to get irritated at the way Cas and Savvy seemed to easily amuse the other one while they worked together in the kitchen. It was good there was harmony in the house, that there was no threat in this world looming over their heads, allowing them to relax. They all needed it, and the angel deserved normal more than anyone Dean knew. That didn’t stop the burning anger Dean was unwilling to attach a name to.
Worse still, this wasn’t Bobby’s, so it wasn’t like he knew what to do when bored. He examined her different books cases, scanning titles for something to do, examining her dvd and boxset collection, pausing when his eyes landed on a photograph of her and another girl grinning at the camera.
He glanced around, circling the room to examine all the different photographs, noting that all of them seemed to miss the same element. He came to lean against the doorframe.
“Hey, Savvy, are you gay?”
Both angel and female turned sharply to look at him in surprise. “What?”
He hooked a thumb over his shoulder into the living room. “None of the pictures show you with a guy. I didn’t know if that was because one of them is your girlfriend.”
Some small part of his brain was really hoping she would say ‘yes’.
“No, I’m not. I’m just not dating anyone, and none of my exes are worth keeping a photograph of. Those pictures are all of me with family or friends.”
“Got a type?”
“It’s not you, if that’s what you’re asking,” she quipped. Sam barked with laughter in the living room, apparently listening in on the conversation. “You get around Dean, and I am not a one night stand kind of girl.”
“As of late, Dean seems to have out grown that behavior,” defended Cas, causing her to look at him curiously as they finished fixing the different plates of sandwiches and chips. “He was in a stable relationship with Lisa for several months and since then has not been with anyone that I’m aware of.”
Her face lit up to Dean’s surprise. “Really?” she asked the hunter. “Aw! That’s sweet! Not the Lisa part, that was freaking weird and out of character, but the you being capable of a committed, long term relationship, that you’ve settled into yourself enough to stop living so recklessly, that’s sweet. I’d like to see that for you, you could settle down if you wanted.”
He blinked in surprise, not having expected that. “Are you serious?” She nodded, smiling. He frowned at her. “How can you think that would even be possible with our jobs? The world constantly being in danger?”
“Well, if they’re a hunter, I would think it would be easy. Or actually, even if they aren’t a hunter. Dean, you falling in love with someone isn’t going to change the fact that they are in danger everyday from things they don’t even know about, like the wall to Purgatory about to blow. And maybe being with you might put them in more harm’s way than they originally might have been exposed to, but anyone you make friends with or come in contact with is taking that same risk, but that never stops ya’ll. And settling down is possible without getting out of the life entirely, you could open up a Winchester Roadhouse, like Ellen did, offer tips to hunters that blow through, hunt only in a particular radius. Not everything has to be on ya’ll, you know. Put out a memo: In case of apocalypse, call the Winchesters. Everything else, figure it out.” Dean blinked in surprise, reminded that Lisa had said almost the exact same thing to him.
“You suggested you thought it possible when you originally included yourself in the search for Chuck, Dean,” Cas reminded him. “When I asked how you planned to hunt while you were with Lisa.”
“Because I wasn’t going to let ya’ll cut me out,” he argued. “A hunter trying to have a normal life isn’t some easy, simple matter. If it were, they would all do it.”
“No, it really is,” she argued back. “You’re just making it more complicated by putting limitations on yourself. Uninvolved third party here, remember? I see everything from all sides; it’s how I’m able to like both the good and bad guys.”
“You like our enemies?” questioned Cas, curiously.
She grinned, nodding rapidly. “Crowley is awesome, in part because he’s played by Mark Sheppard, who plays Badger in Firefly. I miss Gabriel, though he isn’t exactly an enemy. Meg got awesome when they changed her actress, I hated the blonde version. I was always ‘Bitch, you need to die. STFU.’ Y’know? It was the opposite with Ruby; I liked the blonde version better. And Lucifer is freaking epic.” She laughed. “God, they got such an awesome actor to play him, he does a great job. Especially in season seven when he’s there but only Sam can see him, and he’s being a complete ass keeping him from being able to sleep, but at the same time, it’s just freaking hysterical when he busts out singing in order to be annoying and distracting. It was just wrong. Poor Sam.”
Cas was staring at Dean in confusion, even horror. The hunter was shaking his head, and Cas did the same, following Savvy’s example and carrying the plates into the living room.
“It’s very strange to hear such a perception,” the angel stated, handing a plate to Dean.
“Not to mention creepy,” added the taller man.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely one hundred percent Team Free Will, but that doesn’t mean I can’t giggle like madly when certain characters are on screen or wish ya’ll could come to an agreement where you all work together to save the world or something.”
“Enemy of my enemy is my friend,” stated Sam accepting his lunch with a grateful smile.
“We’re trying to do that anyway,” argued his brother. “Before Balthazar threw us to the dark side of the moon, Crowley and Meg were in the house to discuss joining forces.”
“How’d you manage that?” she questioned before taking a bite of her sandwich. She took a seat on the floor, giving Harley a chip as the dog came to sit beside her.
“Crowley forcibly brought Meg.” Sam shrugged. “She had already met us to figure out what was going on and even was the one give us a small break in our case we were working on. When she wasn’t there, Crowley was, about the same thing. In the interest of saving time, I suppose, he got us all in one room together to have the same meeting.”
“Well that’s good,” Savvy said.
Dean scoffed. “Good, she says. We’re working with people who could stab us in the back at any time.”
“Except they can’t,” argued Sam, causing his brother to regard him in confusion. “Technically. Crowley has debts to pay to all of us. He has to make good on those debts before he can turn on us. He’s bound. I think that would mean him having to keep Meg from killing us as well.”
“Not to mention, she still needs allies to try and keep her safe from Crowley. When this is over, she’s hoping to still be well enough in our favor that we not feed her to him,” interjected Cas.
“Allies,” Dean repeated softly, nearly sending his sandwich flying as inspiration hit him. “That’s it!” he cried out loudly, standing sharply to his feet, food discarded. All three of the people watching him jumped in surprise. “We need to watch the show! Savvy, put in… whatever you called it. Season six.”
She frowned in distaste. “I’m not comfortable subjecting you to that.”
Sam was frowning in confusion at his brother. Cas sat with his head angled. “Dean?”
The hunter spun around to face them, pacing as thoughts raced through his head. “We can’t do any real research into a way to stop Purgatory, but we can still do research into allies. It was why we called Becky, to get her to cross reference. We can watch the show, make a list of people to seek out when we get back home, see? We’ll already have a list of candidates and people to help us.”
“I really don’t think-“ began Savvy tentatively, still looking unenthused.
“That’s actually not a bad idea, Dean,” commended Sam. “We’ll know who to call, who’s even up to the job, and if we would work well with them. We would just have to figure out how to find them once we get home.”
“I can take care of that,” offered Cas. “Plus with the help of the wide information network of the people offering us aid, we should be able to find all of them quickly and easily.”
“Crossroad demons could make deals with those not willing to just sign up,” offered Savvy, making them all look at her in horror. She continued, “You help us, I’ll help you in return’ as opposed to ‘I’ll help you in return for your soul in ten years’. The assistance offered in saving the world would be the demon’s asking price, see?”
Sam eyed her suspiciously. “And if the hunter backs out?”
Savvy shrugged. “I’m sure Crowley will have a breech of contract clause. You can get him to change it to where if the person entering into the agreement backs out, that gives the demon that made the deal full rights to possess said person for the sake of the agreement in joining the fighting force, in which case, the demon must then immediately vacate once terms of the contract are fulfilled.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” admitted Cas, his gaze flicking to Dean’s for his say on the matter. Dean knew Cas would side with whatever his parabatai decided. The angel could see the logic in the decision, but also knew it was a big risk.
The hunter was nodding, mostly to himself as ideas raced through his head.
“Cas.” The angel regarded him curiously. “That trick Balthazar pulled to get us here. If there are other realities, is there any way for us to duplicate what he did and enlist the aid of people from other places?”
The angel shook his head. “I do not think that would be wise or even possible. I have no idea how Balthazar did what he did to get us here, didn’t even know it was possible.”
The younger Winchester was nodding in agreement, brows furrowed. “Not to mention unfair, since we’re sort of facing the apocalypse here. What right do we have to drag people not even from our world into that? Or if they would even know how to fight the things we fight? Are there even worlds with other hunters?”
Dean motioned distractedly to where Savvy sat in the floor even as he paced all around her. “She said so. Some dike named ‘Buff’ or something.”
“Buffy,” she corrected, huffing in offense. “And she’s not a- Buffy is girly and a badass. Think Jo, but with the power to roundhouse kick you across the room.”
“That’s a very scary thought,” said Sam with a shudder.
“Okay, fine, no outside help,” huffed Dean, taking a seat next to Cas on the couch, placing his lunch in his lap again. “But I’m serious about searching the show for allies.”
Dubious, Sav was shaking her head. “I really wish you wouldn’t. I mean, I can help you come up with a list from memory and wikipedia’s list of guest stars or something. Most of the characters you’d probably want on your side you’re gonna find in season seven anyway-“
Shaking his head, Sam told her, “No, I’d really like to see the show so I can know what all Dean keeps talking about and the apocalypse he left Lisa to try and avoid.”
“I’m curious to see it as well,” stated Cas, causing her expression to continuously fall into dismay.
“Can’t we just have a session of ‘best and worst’ episodes? An overview of plot relevant episodes?” she asked hopefully. All three men were watching her expectantly.
Granted, Dean had read the books, so he knew what happened; he knew exactly why she was less than thrilled to dive into that again, but there was a part of him that was very curious to see his life portrayed on screen by actors who truly knew nothing about what his life was like. They may have known the story as well as the fans that read the books did, but the actor was not Dean. He wanted to see how he measured up.
“Just put it in, Savvy,” he told her.
Sighing, she rose to her feet, snapping her fingers at the dog that leaned in to sniff her sandwich. Harley withdrew her nose, settling down with her muzzle on her paws with a huff.
“Fine,” Savvy sighed heavily. “But I refuse to watch it with you. I just can’t unless it’s one of the few episodes I liked. When you make it to the end of a disc, let me know and I’ll try to counteract the trauma with a blooper and outtake reel from the previous seasons. A reward. Or, perhaps salve on a wound. It’ll be freaking weird for you, too, but hopefully you’ll laugh at the actors being ridiculously silly and so not acting like any of you. It might make you feel better.”
Sam glanced warily at his brother. “Just how bad is this?”
It was Castiel that answered. “If this is anything to go off of, apparently I have a make out scene with our friend Meg.” Sam’s eyes widened in horror, swiveling to Dean, who was nodding in confirmation.
Savvy chuckled eerily as she finished setting up the show for them to watch and handed off the controller. “That was actually a good episode, boys. There are others much worse.”
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Date: 2012-06-05 10:38 pm (UTC)I can't wait to see their reactions to the show:D
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Date: 2012-06-06 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-06 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-09 10:54 pm (UTC)http://tenoko1.livejournal.com/163519.html
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Date: 2012-06-06 04:25 pm (UTC)Watching season six I fear is going to be emotionally traumatizing, especially for Dean. He freaked out just from reading the books.
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Date: 2012-06-06 07:34 pm (UTC)I'm actually currently working on recording the chapters for podfic. Though you've already read them, I hope you'll listen and let me know what you think as I post each of the chapters in mp3 format.
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Date: 2012-06-07 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-09 10:54 pm (UTC)http://tenoko1.livejournal.com/163519.html