Title: don't mess with a dirt journalist
Recipient: lj user "loveinstars"
Rating: T (some swearing)
Genre and/or Pairing: pre Sam/Gabe, pre Dean/Castiel, Chuck/Becky
Spoilers: some character spoilers
Warnings: AU, case!fic (kind of), humor, hurt/comfort, pre-slash,
Word Count: ~8000
Notes/Prompts:
Written for the "Secrtet Lovers Exchange for the Team_Free_Love community on LiveJournal
AU, Gabriel is dirt journalist(digs up scandalous info on celebrities) and his best friend Chuck is a writer who has a really popular novel about two brother's struggles against an abusive father, traumatic occurrences and how they manage to stick together no matter what to overcome their childhood. Then Chuck introduces him to a childhood friend, Sam Winchester, a man who bares an odd familiarity for Gabriel until he realizes this man's life is one that inspired Chuck's book. Gabriel/Sam. Bonus: Dean/Castiel, Chuck/Becky
I really hope you like this story, that it's not too far off the prompt and that pre-slash is ok! I'm participating for the first time in an exchange, so I'm really nervous...
Note: The winchesters are hunters, Gabriel and Castiel Novak are brothers. Crowley is bnot/b a demon.
Huge thanks to my beta lj user "lefty_spit" and lj user "supernatgeekgrl"!
Summary: Gabriel wants to get revenge on a fellow dirt journalist for a mean critique. When Gabe runs into unexpected troubles, Chuck calls an old friend for help.
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a few months earlier
"No!" the young man cried out, "I don't want this to be my life!"
"Do you want to betray me and everything I taught you? Do you want to betray your own brother, leave him alone? And worst of all: Do you want to betray the memory of your dead mother?" his dad growled, the anger barely suppressed by what little control he had left in him.
"Don't start with Mom! That's not your right! She would never have wanted this for me!"
The other young man's gaze flicked in terror from his desperate brother to his hurt and angry father and back. It hurt, even when he could never ever admit it. He didn't want to lose his brother, but he couldn't stay with them anymore... the rift between his dad and him was too severe.
His dad clenched his hand into a fist. With none of his anger suppressed anymore, he yelled, hurt obvious in his voice.
"If you really want to abandon your family, go ahead. But don't you dare ever come back!"
The boy didn't cry. He will cry later. He only cast one apologizing gaze to his older brother, showing how much it hurt to leave him. It was the closest thing to a good-bye he would ever get. Not looking at his father for a last time, he turned his back and left.
Dean was paralyzed on the spot. He wasn't one who knew how to deal with emotions, but right now everything weighed down on him so hard he could barely carry his own weight. He had no idea when he would see his brother again, if ever...
Chuck frowned. He did it again. He moved the cursor to the name Dean and replaced it with "Jake". He took another post-it and wrote on it:
Check the names!
He stuck it to the others that already occupied the frame of his computer screen, telling him very similar reminders. He really had to run a search program for Sam and Dean trough the document before he even dared to show it to anyone. He sighed and scanned over the paragraph, content with his work. Ever since he started writing a story inspired by his childhood and college friend Sam, he would wake up in the middle of the night, his head full of ideas and the story just flowing out of his fingers. For the first time in his miserable career as a writer, he had the feeling that the story was perfect as it was. Of course, he had to rewrite awkward sentences, check grammar and spelling, and it will beed to be edited. But still, he was content with the story. The only thing that bothered him were the damn headaches he always got when waking up...
Smiling, he hit the "save" button and suddenly heard a loud bumping at his door.
"C'mon, open up!" a familiar voice shouted.
Chuck jolted up instantly and rushed to the door. His best friend stood there. Or, more accurately, hung there on the door frame, drunk and barely able to stand on his feet.
"Please, Gabriel, keep it down! My neighbors are sleeping!"
Gabriel just grinned and gathered his best friend into a hug.
"Hey Chuckie! I had a great time! I'm gonna crash on your couch."
"Okay," Chuck responded sheepishly, "but why didn't you go to your place?"
Gabriel provided the same answer he always did. Chuck understood the drunk drawl only because he knew what Gabriel would say.
"Ya place is closer."
Chuck completed the little ritual with pointing out that the distance did not matter since Gabriel took a cab anyway. The argument was lost on Gabriel, as always, and like always, Chuck had no idea if he simply ignored it or was too drunk to understand it. Probably both. Gabriel pushed past Chuck and crashed on the couch.
"You would have loved it!" Gabriel exclaimed happily, "Why didn't I ask you to join me?"
"You did." Chuck answered, with his arms crossed. This discussion again.
"Ah, yes!" Gabriel chuckled. "And you said no, I'm boring, I want to make love to my computer! But why didn't I drag you with me anyway?"
"Because," Chuck sighed, "I'm not gay"
"Oh." Gabriel said as if it was a very new and confusing fact that someone was not gay. "Sure?"
Chuck sighed deeply. "Yes, I'm completely sure. Ever since you dragged me to that gay-strip-club." Chuck rubbed his tired temple, trying to get rid of those horrifying memories. Gabriel had paid a stripper to give him a lap dance. The sight had burned into his retina so deep he was sure he would never get rid of that particular picture in his head.
Gabriel laughed out loud. "Yeah, that was some fun! I went to that club tonight. Saw that tall stripper with the awesome long hair... You remember him?"
Chuck swallowed. How could he ever forget? Besides, he didn't want to remember! "Yes."
Chuck sighed. Even after years of being best friends with Gabriel, the other still didn't know when it was simply too much for his straight friend. Or, probably more likely, he didn't care. Whichever way it was, Chuck had learned that it didn't help to point it out, it would only provoke Gabriel to share even more.
"Cool." he said instead, "I'm tired. Good night." and fled to his bedroom. He heard snores from the other room only a few moments later and was relieved that the craziness was over. At least for now.
The last thing Chuck did before hitting the hay was to write a short text to Gabriel's baby brother. Unlike his elder brother, he was an angel, always helping out when Chuck needed rescue.
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It was suspiciously silent when Chuck woke up the next morning. He shrugged on a bath robe and almost fell over something in the mess on his floor, when he cautiously went to his living/working room.
His face fell. Gabriel was sitting in front of his computer screen, reading through the document he forgot to close last evening. Shit.
"Hey, good morning Chuckie!" Gabriel whistled way to cheerfully to be justified in the early hour. Especially after remembering how he'd gotten here last evening.
Chuck got his senses back and rushed over to the computer, shutting it off as fast as he could.
"Hey, I wasn't finished!" Gabriel complained.
"You can read it when it is finished." Chuck snapped.
Gabriel shrugged. "Oh, wasn't that interesting anyway." he said nonchalantly, "I mean seriously, who wants to read about a huge male baby who cries about his father all the time?"
Chuck crossed his arms, insulted. "This will be a good book, I just know it. And you don't like anything I write anyway."
"You know what? I'm gonna help you improve this book. There are supernatural things in this book, right? Why don't you write something funny? Like a... I don't know... trickster who zaps them to all kinds of weird places... like TV-shows or something. That would be fun!"
Gabriel grinned widely, proud of his own creativity.
Chuck sighed exaggerately. "No. It wouldn't fit in the story. I don't understand how anyone can read your work!" Chuck was a bit depressed about that. Gabriel was a successful journalist, and a lot of people liked his stuff. But he didn't like it at all. There was no way Gabriel could help him, besides proofreading. His and Gabriel's ideas of a good story were way too far apart.
"Cause I write about dirty things." Gabriel explained with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. "I'm appealing to the mean, selfish, dirty side of men!"
The doorbell rang, and Chuck went to open it immediately.
"Good morning, Chuck." a gravelly voice greeted him. Castiel handed him a large take-away cup of black coffee. "I've come to pick up Gabriel."
"Thanks a lot." Chuck sighed.
"But I don't want to go home, Mommy!" Gabriel whined like a little kid.
"I have cake at home." Castiel said. A little smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Gabriel shot up instantly. "'til next time!" he called and rushed out.
Chuck traded a relieved, grateful look with an amused Cas, before he was alone again. Sometimes he wondered how Gabriel could be his best friend.
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a few months later... today
Gabriel couldn't believe it. The sales of Chuck's new book were sky rocketing. It was the number one book in the charts one week after release, and the excitement about it was only getting worse. He still didn't like it, but everyone was entitled to have their own opinion. He was happy for Chuck anyways, although he would never admit it. He only told Chuck he still found the book shitty.
His boss came to the work desks of her two society journalists. His boss was a slim red haired woman, really good looking. But she was a bitch.
"Good morning, Anna!" Crowley greeted her from the other desk with a snide smile. She glared death daggers in Crowley's direction, but ignored his impertinence. Gabriel smirked.
"I want a report about that new break-through author, Carver Edlund. Mr. Novak, since I know you are his friend, Crowley is going to do this report. I want the feature on my desk tomorrow!" With that, she turned around and was gone again.
Crowley smiled in his direction. "Your friend will have a bad day tomorrow." he said with his unmistakable british accent.
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Gabriel slammed the paper onto the table angrily.
"Crowley is going to drown in dirt! I'm making a special on douchebag journalists tomorrow!"
Castiel looked up from his own morning paper. "What's the matter, Gabriel?"
"This douchebag Crowley wrote that Chuck's book is shitty! And he wrote Chuck is an untalented, whiny old maid with personal issues, who tries to flee into a fictional world where he can blame his miserable life on higher forces!"
Castiel tilted his head in confusion. "It may sound harsh, but I thought you agreed with him. You have stated your thoughts about Chuck's book several times, and I heard you saying that Chuck should live more and write less. Besides that, your own reports often sound very much like that"
"Yeah, Chuck's book is a ton of whiny shit and I don't care if he hits the charts I don't know how long with it, but Crowley isn't allowed to talk about it like that!" Gabriel exclaimed.
Castiel sighed. He knew Gabriel well enough to know that he did care. He might even like the book.
"What do you want to do about it?"
"I'll make a special about douchey journalists and dig up so much dirt on Crowley's face, he won't recognize himself anymore!"
Gabriel paced around the room, plotting angrily. "Hey Cas, isn't Crowley one of your clients?"
"I cannot pass on information about my clients." Castiel responded automatically.
Gabriel snorted. "What - is my bro a holy tax accountant? Give me some clues at least!"
"No." Castiel deadpanned. "Chuck will be able to handle a negative critique."
"That's not a negative critique, that's Crowley stomping him in the mud! Besides, you know the guy! He can't even handle a lame insult!"
"If that were true, it seems highly unlikely that he would still be your best friend."
"Oh, shut up Cas. Just give me a tip on how to take Crowley apart."
"No."
"Ok, I'll do it the old-fashioned way. Anna is sending Crowley to work on a story in NY, so his house will be empty... Come and join me, like in old times?"
Castiel sighed exaggeratedly. "No, I will not break into the house of one of my clients."
"You know that you're a hypocrite, right? I mean, if you really cared, you would rat me out to the police!"
Castiel rolled his blue eyes. "I will not risk any of my other brothers comming for me in revenge"
Gabriel chuckled. "You're smart... I wonder what Lucie is doing right now. He was always kind of unstable..."
"You should not talk about our brother like that if he is not here." Cas scolded.
This time, Gabriel rolled his eyes and threw his arms up.
"And you should know that I can't talk about him like that if he is here! He'd make shis kebab out of me!"
Gabriel hopped up. "Anyway, I'm going after Crowley tonight. You come and get me out if I get caught!"
"Don't get caught." Cas responded, not taking his eyes off the morning paper.
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Equipped with a block, a flashlight and his huge professional camera, Gabriel broke in to Crowley's house. The house was big, furnished tastefully and much too wealthy for a fellow dirt journalist. Gabriel snapped some pictures. The fact that Crowley was living in such an expensive house was already giving Gabriel enough material to bathe him in dirt. But of course, Gabriel kept digging. He made his way to the bedroom, and Gabriel was working his way through the drawers. Sadly, there was nothing worth noting. Men's pants, shirts, boxers and a notable amount of expensive suits and dress shoes. Gabriel already knew that Crowley loved to be overdressed.
Gabriel swore a little bit. He would have sworn a snaky English man like Crowley had to have something embarrassing in his bedroom. Gabriel kept on searching, but the rest of the house was clean. The only thing he could accuse Crowley of was wealth. If I don't find anything, I can still make something up, Gabriel thought. In his opinion, there was no way his dirt assault against Crowley could not fail.
Last but not least, Gabriel went to check the basement. He noted nothing out of order at first, until he spotted a door, hidden behind an old shelf. Curiously, Gabriel opened it. Finally, he was greeted by a sight worth reporting. The small room was full of candles, odd ornaments and symbols and a small table with lots of curious stuff that looked almost like a small altar. A big smile spread on Gabriel's face. This was more than he had hoped for. Now all he had left to do was to catch Crowley in action.
Smirking, Gabriel picked up his camera and shot a series of pictures of the small room. He went in and looked at a large book that lay open on the table. Fascinated, Gabriel turned a few pages and stared at the strange symbols. Suddenly, his chest tightened in panic. The knives and strange things on the altar stared at him dangerously. They seemed to be crawling towards him. Gabriel backed away from the book, raising his hands in a protective gesture. As soon as he left the small room, he turned around and ran out as fast as he could. He stumbled out of the house, but the panic got even worse, forcing him into a breakneck gallop. He completely forgot about keeping a low profile.
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Gabriel ran until he reached Chuck's flat. He didn't even know how long he ran until he reached it. Panting heavily, he hammered against the door.
"Chuck, open up!" He screamed in panic. Only a few seconds flew by until the door opened, but it felt like hours to Gabriel. He kept glancing at the staircase, fearful that something would come after him. Finally, a blonde girl opened the door.
Shocked by the foreign face, Gabriel screamed at the top of his lungs. Only Chuck's face appearing next to her kept him from running away.
"Hi, Gabriel. Becky, meet Gabriel. Gabriel, this is my new girlfriend, Becky."
Becky stared bewildered at Gabriel. "What's wrong with him?"
Gabriel still stood there, pressed against the wall of the corridor, staring at her in shock.
"I have no idea." Chuck responded frowning.
Gabriel's eyes shifted, haunted. "They're coming for me!" he screamed.
"Shut your mouth!" the shout of one of Chuck's neighbors sounded dampened through the thin walls.
"Come in." Chuck offered and took Gabriel's arm to guide him in.
"What happened?" he asked as soon as Gabriel was sitting securely on his couch. Gabriel's fingers dug into the fabric, threatening to tear it.
"Crowley... he's evil... he'll be coming for me!" Gabriel stammered.
"Crowley?" Becky exclaimed. "That sleaze ball! That's the one who wrote that stupid article about you!"
Chuck frowned. He had no idea how to deal with the situation.
"What about Crowley?" he asked his best friend. Crowley's article had hit him hard, and it was obvious Gabriel didn't like it, but he was more than overreacting.
"He will come... do as he pleases..." Gabriel muttered on. His voice died down, the next words an unclear whisper.
Chuck stared at his friend, still at a loss. Becky noticed the camera that still hung around Gabriel's neck, turned on and with the lens still attached to it. She snatched the camera from his neck. Gabriel pressed back into the pillows, shrieking like a little girl.
Becky sat down next to Chuck and looked at the pictures. "What a weird son of a bitch" she muttered. Chucks eyes went wide in shock. He couldn't believe it. For the second time in his life, he had encountered something supernatural. And this time, it had frightened his best friend.
Chuck stood up and told Becky to look after Gabriel. He took his mobile phone and went to the kitchen to call the friend who had saved him from his first supernatural encounter. Sam.
The friendship with Sam was the oldest he had. He had first met Sam as a little boy in school. Sam only stayed at his school for a few weeks, but they became friends. He never thought he would see Sam again, until he met him a second time a few years later, in a breakfast diner. They hadn't had time to go through everything they had missed in the time passed, and Sam had curiously avoided talking about his life. It was like he had a dark secret. Sam was mostly telling him about his problems with his father. Chuck felt as if he'd lost a friend when Sam left again, only a few hours after they had met. But as the old saying goes, you meet every person in your life at least three times. The third time, he met Sam in Stanford. They became good friends and hung out a lot with each other, until one day, Chuck finally found out what Sam was doing all those years.
Chuck had been walking home with Sam from a party, when a girl suddenly appeared in front of them. Her clothes where soaked in blood, and when she opened her mouth it revealed rows of pointed, sharp teeth. Chuck had screamed and backed off in fear, while Sam did the complete opposite. Drawing a huge knife out of nowhere, he carefully stepped in front of her. She leaped against him, and after a short blur, a long haired head hit the ground. Chuck couldn't see what exactly had happened, but he saw his friend had cut her head off and was wiping the blade clean calmly.
They had talked until the sun dawned, and Sam had explained everything about supernatural creatures. That he had fought them, but that he wanted to stop hunting and live a normal life. About his father, that he had forced him into this life.
A few months later, Sam disappeared without a note. When Chuck called him, Sam only explained that his old life had caught up with him and that they needed to break contact because he didn't want Chuck to get dragged into it. Now, the supernatural had come to Chuck. Of course, Chuck was concerned about his best friend, but he was also happy that he could see an old friend again.
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Becky was angrily complaining about Crowley when Chuck came back into the living room. Gabriel sat still on the couch, listening to Becky with big, fearful eyes.
"If he thinks this badly about the book, then why did he read it and write about it? He's such a jerk!"
Since Gabriel was not talking back much, she turned to Chuck.
"So, what do we do?" she asked. She was smiling in weird excitement.
"I called an old friend." Chuck explained. "He will know what to do."
"Oh, I'm so excited!" Becky exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "This is just like in your books! We will find out what to do and "gank" the monster, right?"
Chuck only stared at her in bewilderment. How could she get so enthusiastic about danger?
Suddenly, her eyes got wide. "This IS like in your books! You knew these things exist?"
Chuck rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Yes, I did. But the story is pure fiction."
"Oh, this is all so exciting!" Becky shrieked again. "I can't wait to meet people like Jake and Jack in real life! When will your friend be here? What's his name?"
"He said they can be here in the morning."
"They?"
"Yes, Sam and his brother Dean."
The grin on Becky's face slowly started to bother Chuck. How could she be happy about all this?
"I can't wait to meet them!" Becky sighed blissfully.
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Castiel felt weird when he got up the next morning. He had the eerie feeling of being watched. Sitting up from his bed slowly, he scanned the bedroom. He didn't dare to move fast, he feared when he moved fast he would alert whatever was watching him. Slowly, very slowly he got up and walked to the bathroom, the creeping fear of being watched, being haunted never leaving his thoughts. In the bathroom, he reached for his razor when his hand froze half way to it. The sharp blades seemed to laugh at him, scream at him, trying to mock him. In panic, he rushed back to his bed and hid beneath the covers. He reached sneakily for the mobile phone on his night stand and dialed the number of his brother.
"Gabriel... where are you?" he whispered fearfully into the speaker.
"I'm at Chuck's. He's getting some help." Gabriel's voice sounded insecure and full of fear. Castiel had never before heard that tone on his brother. Hearing his strong, always smirking, never impressed brother whispering fearfully sent new shivers of fear down his own spine.
"What is this? What is threatening us?" he couldn't help but ask, even if he was afraid of the answer.
"Crowley" came the silent response. The single name made all of Castiel's hair stand up, and tears of fear slowly filled his eyes.
"Please, Gabriel, help me!" Castiel sobbed into the phone before it slipped from his shaking grip.
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Gabriel fought with himself. Out there, in their shared house was his brother, alone, with no one to help him. He should tell Chuck and Becky, but he was terrified about being left alone by either of them. But Castiel was his younger brother, and he couldn't let him down. He was terrified of the idea that Cas was alone, without protection from Crowley.
"Chuck, Cassie is out there!" he whimpered, grabbing Chucks shirt and pulling on it with big, pleading eyes. "Someone has to go and get him!"
Chuck was confused. What did Castiel have to do with their problem? Anyway, it would be a good idea to get him, he would surely be able to calm Gabriel down.
"Ok. Sam texted me. He'll be here in an hour, I'll tell him to go to your place and pick Cas up."
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Cas has hidden himself deep under the blanket, sobbing silently into the sheets. He couldn't stop weeping, no matter how hard he tried, the fear was just too strong. He was terrified someone could hear him, but the fear only made him only cry more.
Suddenly, he heard the door open. He held his breath in terror. Was Gabriel coming for him? No, it must be Crowley! Coming for him to do unspeakable things with him!
Castiel slipped off the bed and hid under it. He knew it was the oldest trick, but his fear-dazed brain couldn't think up any better ideas.
An unfamiliar voice called out his name. "Castiel? Where are you?"
The voice seemed nice enough, but Castiel didn't believe it. It came to do something to him, something terrible, he was sure of that...
"Castiel, my name is Dean. Chuck called us and told us to pick you up. Now come out!"
Castiel froze. Chuck? No, this must be a trick. Crowley tried to trick him.
"I don't think he's gonna come, Dean. The way Chuck described it, it seems like a fear spell. Since Castiel is Gabriel's brother, it might have transferred to him." a second voice stated.
"Ok, let's search for him. You stay here and watch that he can't escape through the door while I check the bedroom."
"Okay."
Castiel held his breath. Boots and jeans moved into his sight. The boots walked around a bit, opened his closet and walked back to the door. Castiel didn't dare to breathe or make a single movement. Suddenly, the man dropped to his knees and looked under the bed. Green eyes found blue ones and a low whimper escaped from Castiel's mouth.
"Now, I'm not here to harm you!" Dean said soothingly. "I'm Dean. Out there is my brother Sam. You can trust us, I swear!"
Still in terror, Castiel retreated back. His lips trembled in fear. Dean sighed in sympathy. Fear spells sucked.
"I know your situation sucks. Come out and we can help you."
Castiel didn't respond, he just stared at Dean with big, frightened blue eyes. Dean stayed there, looking back at him and waiting. He knew he couldn't force the guy or he would snap.
After what felt like an eternity staring into those green eyes, Castiel couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears ran down his cheeks and his whole body trembled under painful sobs. It was even worse that he had the breakdown in front of a stranger.
Dean sighed. His protective instincts kicked in. He felt for the poor guy. He reached his hand out, slowly, he didn't want to scare the guy. Between the sobs, the guy took his hand and Dean could finally pull him out from under the bed. Suddenly, Castiel grabbed Dean's shirt, digging his fingers into it like his life depended on it while he completely lost it and cried openly into Dean's shoulder.
Awkwardly, Dean patted the guys back. Sam appeared next to him, staring down at him with a bemused frown.
Dean sighed and gave in to his fate. He so wished that the guy was clinging onto Sam instead of him. Sam was so much better at chick-flick stuff like this.
"Hey, we're here and we'll protect you." Sam said, rubbing the guys back soothingly. "You Castiel?"
"Yes." Castiel responded weakly. Dean stared for a moment. The depth of the voice coming from such a small body took him completely by surprise.
Castiel pulled back, finally regaining a shred of control. He noted Dean's soaked shoulder and looked at Dean with red eyes.
"My apologies." was all he said.
"We're cool." Dean said automatically. "Not your fault. Damn witches and their damn spells! I hate them!"
Castiel tilted his head in confusion. "I do not understand."
"Let's get to Chuck's." Sam suggested, "We can go through everything there."
Castiel nodded. He stood up on his own, but his movements were still shaky.
"Uhm. You should put something on." Dean said, noting Castiel was still in his nightwear. "We will wait for you outside."
"No!" Castiel shouted, fearfully gripping Dean's shirt, "Don't leave me alone!"
Dean looked at him uncomfortably. The guy was in his personal space again. But considering the state he was in, Dean really couldn't hold a grudge.
"Okay. We'll stay here. But hurry up."
Dean and Sam stood at the door, awkwardly turned away from the small man and waited. Castiel hurried up and slipped into the dress pants and shirt that were neatly tucked away next to his bed from last evening.
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Chuck was relieved when Sam and Dean finally arrived at his flat with Castiel. He and Becky were not able to close a single eye the whole night. They had to calm Gabriel down the whole time, and Chuck was exhausted by now. Gabriel was still wide awake. Chuck wondered how he still could have the energy left after freaking out every few minutes about everything the whole night. Becky had almost slipped into sleep on the couch when the doorbell rang. Abruptly, she jolted up and was full of excitement again.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god they're here!" she shrieked.
Chuck sighed. He went to the door and opened it. Becky was right on his heels, grinning madly as she stared at the two large men waiting at the door.
"Hi Chuck." the taller man smiled.
"Oh my god Chuck, they're so tall and muscular!" Becky exclaimed. Chuck turned around to stare at her irritated. Sam knitted his eyebrows incredulously. Dean just stared at her blankly.
"Come in." Chuck finally said.
The two men entered. Dean led Castiel right to the couch, where he saw a small figure that looked just as frightened as the one still clinging to his shirt, as if his life depended on it.
"Gabriel, right?" Dean asked. The small guy nodded. Cas sat down next to his brother, and Dean assessed the two. They didn't look very much alike, but they were both small, he concluded.
"What have you found out?" Sam was already asking Chuck.
"There was another journalist... His name is Crowley. Gabriel went to dig up some dirt about him and came back this way."
"He took plenty of photos!" Becky exclaimed, excitingly shoving the camera under Sam's nose. Irritated by her obtrusive way, he took the camera and looked at the photos.
"I can't believe it." he chuckled.
"What?" Dean asked and went to stand next to him to look at the photos.
"Gabriel has actually snapped a picture of the spell. Even one of the reverse spell! All we have to do is find the ingredients and reverse the spell."
Dean knitted his brows together. "It can't be that easy." he muttered.
"I know," Sam answered concerned, "but we should try it anyway."
Sam looked over to the two victims and found them staring at them. To be precise, Gabriel stared at him, looking like a kicked puppy while Castiel unblinkingly stared at Dean.
"So, how do we reverse that spell?" Dean asked.
Sam looked back down on the camera and zoomed in to get a closer look at the pictures. And frowned.
"We have to do a weird dance with them at midnight and burn something of the witch's."
"Something of the witch's? What does that mean?" Becky asked nosily.
"Something of his or her DNA, like a hair or something." Sam explained.
"Do you know where we could get something like that?" Dean asked Chuck.
Chuck shook his head. "Gabriel knows. They work at the same place, and he knows where his house is."
Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Both raised their hands and played a game of rock-paper-scissors.
"Damn." Sam muttered and Dean grinned.
Sam turned to Chuck. "I'll take Gabriel and get what we need. Dean will stay here to keep an eye on you all."
As if to confirm Sam, Dean landed on the couch with a happy grin and tossed the car keys at him.
"Wake me when something is wrong, I've been driving all night." he ordered and made himself comfortable.
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"Where are we going?" Gabriel asked frightened. He turned around, searching the parking lot. Something was there, staring at him, laughing at him. It made his skin crawl.
"Back to his house. We should find some hair there."
Red alert klaxons went off in Gabriel's head. "You want to go to Crowley's house?" he screamed. The memories from last night overwhelmed him. It was a place of pure evil, a devouring place. Just thinking about it shook him to his very core.
"It'll be alright." Sam said empathically, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll look out for you, promise."
Gabriel calmed down a bit. Something about this huge man was calming and vaguely familiar. It felt like he knew this guy and his brother could take on anything. But he had no idea where to place that feeling.
Calmed a little bit, he crawled into the shotgun seat of the black Chevrolet Impala. Sam sat down in the driver's seat and started the engine.
"There! There is something!" Gabriel suddenly shrieked. Sam stared in the direction but saw nothing.
"I don't see anything." he said, but stood up again to check anyway. With a gun in his hand, he cautiously went to check the spot Gabriel had pointed at. There was absolutely nothing. Sam sighed and went back. If Gabriel kept seeing things like this, this was going to be a long ride.
"Gabe?" he asked when he didn't see the small guy in the car. A blond head appeared in the shotgun seat.
"I was afraid when you left..." the man confessed sheepishly, crawling back onto the seat.
Sam sighed. "I'm here." he reassured and climbed into the car.
Suddenly, Gabriel stared hard out of the window. Sam followed his gaze and spotted absolutely nothing. This was going to be a long ride.
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Dean woke up to someone shaking his shoulder.
"Sam, let me be." Dean yawned into his pillow.
"Dean, something is here" a deep and frightened voice whispered.
Dean sat up instantly, remembering where he was and why he was here.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't know..." Castiel said, his eyes shifting fearfully from one place to another. "Something is hiding here, somewhere. I can feel it."
"Cas." Dean said, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "I'm sure you're just imagining things."
"You don't know what it's like." Castiel said, looking at him with huge puppy dog eyes. "Dean, I'm frightened!"
Dean looked into his eyes for a moment. "I know what it's like." he finally said. "Okay, I'll check everything."
Dean drew his gun and checked every inch of the flat. Every time he took a step back, he bumped into Castiel, who was following his every step.
"Dude, personal space!" Dean exclaimed more than once.
"My apologies." Castiel said. But the next moment, he was right behind Dean again. Dean couldn't really blame the guy, he was scared out of his skull.
"Done." Dean finally said. His final stop was the kitchen. Dean grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a nice, large cup. Cas's frightened eyes told him that he wasn't going to sleep soon.
"Hey, tell me something about yourself." Dean asked. He could at least try to distract the guy.
"What do you want to know?" Castiel answered deadpan.
"What do you do?"
"I'm a tax accountant."
/-/
Sam and Gabriel finally arrived at the house. It was much larger than Sam had anticipated. Gabriel had been a pain in the ass, seeing things and shrieking at every corner. Sam couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but that didn't make it any easier.
Sam turned to his passenger. "This is the house?" he wondered.
Gabriel nodded. He was shaking now.
"I'll be right back. You don't need to come with me." Sam offered.
"No! I don't want to be alone!" Gabriel shrieked.
"Okay, just stay right behind me." Sam ordered.
Gabriel did as ordered, following Sam closely. For Sam, it felt like a walk in the park. He picked the lock, slipped in, headed to the bathroom and collected hair from the brush. For Gabriel, it felt like hell on earth.
"Please, let's get out of here, fast!" he hurried, tugging at Sam's sleeve.
"Calm down." Sam sighed. He put on his best, reassuring sympathetic look. "I'm here for you."
This seemed to calm Gabriel. But Gabriel had a mixed expression on his face. Something seemed so familiar about that hunter...
Sam clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go."
Gabriel bolted, running out of the house instantly. The moment he reached the car, he regretted it because Sam did not follow as fast. Pacing nervously next to the car, he waited until Sam had finally re-locked the door and reached the car.
"Wasn't so bad, was it?" the hunter asked.
Gabriel melted into his seat. "It was worse."
/-/
Sam grinned when they arrived back and found Dean and Cas in the living room. Cas was sitting so close to Dean that their knees were practically touching.
"... and then Gabriel suddenly stood up and declared audibly that he was also gay and proud of it." Castiel explained. Sam stared at Dean incredulously.
"Wait a moment." Dean said and got up. Cas stared at him with wide eyes, begging him to stay. Chuck and Becky where hanging on the second couch, finally asleep.
Sam guided Gabriel to sit next to Cas and the hunters went to the kitchen to talk.
"So, you found anything useful?" Dean asked.
"Yeah." Sam answered, "I found a brush full of black hair. Gabe said they look like Crowley's."
"Great. After we reverse the spell, we should gank that bastard."
Sam frowned. "I don't know Dean. We have no proof he has ever done something really bad. Gabe ran into a spell Crowley set up to protect his stuff."
"He's a fucking witch! I have never met a good one!" Dean exclaimed.
"I'm only saying we should check first before we go and gank him." Sam said.
"Okay" Dean admitted.
"Dean..." Sam asked curiously, "What the hell where you talking about with Cas?"
Dean paced around, ruffling nervously through his hair. "The dude was flipping every few seconds. I had to distract him, so I started asking some questions. I have no idea how we got on that topic, but he didn't stop talking! He was just telling me about his big fat gay come-out!"
"And that doesn't bother you?" Sam asked, remembering how near Dean and Cas had been sitting.
"Of course it bothered me! But what should I do? The dude is a wreck!"
Sam grinned at him. "Let's go back to your new love, Dean."
"Bitch!"
Sam snickered and went back to the living room. Gabriel and Castiel turned around, and both faces lit up as the hunters entered the living room.
"Thank goodness you're back!" Gabriel started, "I just told Cassie that we got everything we need! It's awesome that you're helping us, Sammy!"
Dean leaned to his brother and whispered into his ear. "You do realize that Gabriel is also gay?"
"Jerk!"
Sam and Dean sat down awkwardly. Gabriel grinned at Sam, but his grin was off. He tried to look confident, smirking like he used to, but the fear in his eyes betrayed him. Sam wondered how the two brothers behave normally. Castiel's blue eyes stared straight at Dean. The longer nobody said a word, the more the two brothers got nervous.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Gabriel suddenly asked. Although the fear was consuming him, the feeling that he knew Sam was still nagging at him.
"I don't know." Sam wondered. "I don't remember you. How long have you known Chuck?"
"I think about 3 years." Gabriel answered. Sam quickly calculated. No, his time in college was finished longer ago. He couldn't know Gabriel from there.
"Sorry." Sam said, looking at Gabriel with apologetic puppy dog eyes. "I really don't remember."
Gabriel frowned. He must be confusing Sam with someone. Dean elbowed Sam's side.
"We should distract them." he said.
Sam nodded. He looked at Gabriel. "So, what do you do?"
"I'm a dirt journalist." the small guy said smirking. He seemed to be proud of what he did. "I throw all the important people from their shiny thrones."
Suddenly, his expression changed from proud smirking into fearful. "They must be mad at me, all of them!"
"Hey, I'm still there!", Sam reassured him and rubbed Gabe's back. Gabriel slowly turned his head up to stare at Sam like he was the hero of his dreams. Sam's throat was suddenly dry, but he couldn't back away. Gabe was a wreck and needed him right now. Gabriel suddenly disentangled the hand that was squeezing Cas's arm and held onto Sam to find security there. Sam frowned awkwardly, shooting a pleading gaze at his brother to help. Dean only grinned at him mischievously.
But with the comfort of his brother's hand gone, Castiel started fidgeting nervously where he was sitting, his eyes searching the place for danger. Dean noticed and flopped down on the couch next to Cas in defeat. Cas stilled instantly, and his silent stare showed Dean how grateful he was. Dean didn't break eye contact. He was glad that it helped the poor guy.
The rest of the day was full of awkward moments, with Cas and Gabe flipping at every little opportunity. When Dean went to the toilet, Cas looked as if he was abandoned forever to drown in sorrow. Gabriel was trying to hide his fear behind jokes, but it didn't work. Cas was silent for the most part.
Finally, the sun set and midnight came around.
/-/
Dean and Sam had never had so little work to prepare a ritual. Sam explained to Becky what needed to be done, and she got it finished in record time.
"The circle...the sigils...candles...ritual drum...bowl with denatured alcohol to burn Crowley's hair...Crowley's hair..." she muttered on, pacing around in the living room, checking everything for the fifth time.
"Ready!" she sung happily and clapped her hands together, grinning at everyone. She grabbed the ritual drum and started beating a special rhythm described in the witch's book. Nervously, Sam stepped in front of the circle and began singing. He knew he wasn't a good singer, but he was the only one who understood the language in the witch's book.
Dean tried hard not to grimace at his brother's horrible singing. When Sam was finished, Dean dropped Crowley's hair in the bowl and set it on fire.
"Now repeat after me," Sam said to the cursed brothers, "This is my life, I make my own decisions and no witch has power over me!"
The two repeated the sentence, time after time in the rhythm of the drum until the fire in the bowl died down.
"Crowley, release them!" Sam shouted, feeling very awkward as he did so. He hated rituals that where asking to do pathetic things like this one. Dean and Chuck sat on the side. They could see the confidence coming back to the brothers.
At Sam's sign, Becky stopped the rhythm abruptly. They all sat in complete silence. Nothing happened at first, but then eerie red smoke emerged from the bowl and left. Everyone stared at the brothers, hoping it had worked.
Castiel's expression didn't change. But Gabriel suddenly smirked.
"Ha! We showed him!"
Finally, a smile spread on Castiel's face and he stood up.
"Sam, Dean, thank you. Thank you so much." he said, honest relief shining in his blue eyes.
"So... now we gank him?" Dean asked.
"Dude, we talked about that!" Sam exclaimed.
"Your work here is done?" Becky asked disappointed.
"Actually, no." Sam answered. "We have to stay for a few days and check if this was an exception or if we have to deal with Crowley."
"Cool!" Gabe exclaimed, "I still have to dig up dirt on him, we can work together!"
"Yeah... I guess." Sam said. He was a bit unsure if this was a good idea.
"Now we should party!" Gabriel went on, "I think we deserve that after this horrible day!"
Chuck shook his head. "I'll never understand where you get all this energy from."
Gabe ignored Chuck and offered to Sam "I know this great bar we could all go to... "
"NO!" Chuck and Cas suddenly exclaimed.
Gabe frowned. He looked with pleading eyes at Sam. "I bet you would like it..."
Sam knitted his brows together, not sure what to think of it. Sam decided he should not think too much about it and turned to Chuck. "You haven't told me how you're holding up lately."
Chuck smiled proudly. "One of my books is a huge success!"
"Yeah, Chuckie finally did it!" Gabriel laughed and patted Chuck's back. "But I still think the book is shit..."
"I know." Chuck growled.
"... I mean, who want's to read about a huge sasquatch and his brother hunting supernatural..."
Gabriel's voice trailed off, and his face slowly went up to Sam's face. He finally realized where he knew the guy from. Sam's mouth fell open.
Meanwhile, Cas had stepped up to Dean, once more invading his personal space and staring directly into his eyes.
"Dean, I can only repeat myself because I don't know how to thank you properly for what you have done. If it weren't for you and Sam, I don't know how we could have solved this situation."
Dean stared right back. "It's okay, we're cool." he stuttered.
"We're not." Castiel insisted. "In the next few days, while you stay here, do not hesitate to ask if you need anything. Anything at all."
Dean gulped. "Thanks."
They kept staring at each other for far longer than necessary, almost a ridiculous amount of time. They were only distracted by Sam's loud "YOU WROTE WHAT?" that he yelled into Chuck''s sheepish face.
A moment later, Gabriel took Sam's hand and dragged him out of Chuck's apartment to save his best friend from the raging sasquatch.
"I really want to show you that bar!"
/-/
Crowley frowned in front of his small ritual room. Someone had been there, his cover was blown. Well, it was time for a change of scene anyway.
"Exit stage Crowley." he muttered.
Sam woke up in the house they had gotten Castiel from. He had no idea what had happened last evening, until he discovered a small, blond form snuggling up to him...
A few weeks later, London's high society was afraid of a new upcoming dirt journalist. He even dared to throw dirt at the queen. The rich where afraid of him, the important dreaded him. The crowd loved him.
Somewhere else, two hunters cursed as they realized they'd lost track of the witch. But they had a good time anyway, and they found two new valuable allies. One was an expert in digging up anything on anyone, and the other at telling them exactly how to get money.
Cas was not such a holy tax accountant after all.
The End