The Amazing Mistake
Author's Note: This was written for spn-bigpretzel's Spring Fic Exchange 2012. It was written for phebemarie's prompt: "Dean and Sam once again visit the world of The French Mistake and find their alter egos in the middle of a celebrity version of The Amazing Race. With a ghost to gank at every pit stop, it's going to be a bumpy season."
This was also beta read (no, seriously!) by dark-supernatural-angel. Thanks again, hon!
You can read it here all in one go, or hop over to my LiveJournal (I'm mandraco) where it had to be split into two parts, but has the added bonus of graphics. If you're lucky it's still on the front page sandwiched between drawings of wee!Dean dressed as a superhero and Sam knitting. And if you go to spn-bigpretzel on LJ, there are fourteen or fifteen other stories written for this exchange. And none of them are about the Amazing Race!
x X X x
They'd never lost a team before. Contestants always wore giant backpacks and didn't really move all that quickly. Twenty seasons of the Amazing Race and the two of them had never lost sight of a single team. That didn't happen to them. They were the best of the best. While they'd watched other camera and audio people come and go over the seasons, they were the only ones who'd lasted throughout all of them. But if they didn't find Jared and Jensen in the next two minutes, they were going to be fired, effective immediately. Not to mention, this could have irrevocably screwed up the entire season. How had this happened to them?
The cameraman retraced their steps. It was the seventh leg of the race. There were six teams remaining. After coming in last in the last leg, Jensen and Jared, those two actors from that weird supernatural horror show, were starting hours after all the other teams had left and would be facing a speed bump on this leg of the race. He hadn't thought it would be any different from any other leg.
Starting last, the two actors had had a little extra time overnight. But Jared and Jensen had shown up on time, bickering. The pair of them had gone on the show to prove to the world that they were personable and likeable and really didn't hate each other. From what the rest of the production crew had shared about previous legs of the race, no one who watched the show was going to think that. Jared and Jensen, for reasons no one else knew, absolutely hated each other. He got the feeling that they hadn't had a conversation with each other that didn't take place in front of a camera in years. And though they tried to pretend that their on-camera squabbles were friendly and that the quips weren't meant to be malicious, it was completely obvious that the two of them loathed each other.
The cameraman had been looking forward to seeing it in action, actually. As a cameraman he always had to focus on two different sides: the team members and their surroundings. In the first race most crew members participated in, it was difficult to get a handle on exactly how much attention they needed to pay to their racers and to their environment. It was a thin line to walk (sometimes literally), but one he'd gotten down to an exact science. It was all automatic these days. He could keep intensely concentrated on the racers' conversation and still get every shot they needed; every fanny pack accidentally dropped, every clue box or route marker missed. And still he could silently laugh to himself about how stupid the racers were. He could enjoy it.
He'd been anticipating hearing juicy gossip that he wouldn't be able to share with anyone but the crew for the next few months. He'd gotten heaps on the last leg of the race. The diva from that teen show had been hilarious. He'd almost had trouble keeping himself from laughing out loud and the completely stupid things that came out of her mouth. And her partner, the man who played her father on the show? His stoic responses to everything she said were golden. He couldn't wait to see that all edited out into a nice package when this season finally aired. But that was seeing to be more and more unlikely the longer Jensen and Jared were missing.
They'd recorded racers through typhoons and dust storms and gotten lost in deserts. They'd struggled beside vehicles stuck in the mud and garbage and terrible smells and every single other possibility. But losing a team? That was every Amazing Race crew members' nightmare come to very vivid life. What had he done to deserve this? This had to be retribution for something. Was it because he'd bragged to the last two-man crew over the pit stop? The two of them were just so green and couldn't help but be distracted. He hadn't meant to belittle them. He'd only wanted them to realise that they had a long way to go if they wanted to be the best.
With one last sweep of the starting point, he was almost ready to give up and call the producers. Then- He actually slipped and let out an audible sigh of relief when he saw them. They were ten yards from the last place he'd seen them yet they were wearing completely different outfits. He didn't watch their show, so he wasn't one hundred percent certain, but he was pretty sure that they were now dressed exactly like their characters. In flannel shirts, jeans and sturdy boots instead of the ski jackets and sneakers they'd previously been wearing. It seemed like Jensen and Jared were having a little fun with the show. Well, the game was on. He was going to get every second of this on camera.
"Goddamn you, Cas!" Jensen shouted out into the air. A long string of expletives that would not be making it to air followed.
Jared looked at Jensen, then at the cameraman and his sound partner. Jared looked straight at them, which was strange since racers knew not to do that unless they really wanted to address the audience. They were usually too caught up in their own dramas to care about who was watching them.
Jared grabbed Jensen by the shirt sleeve, forcing him to look at them, too. "Are you seeing this?"
"I don't know," said Jensen. "Where the hell are we?"
"I think," said Jared, staring at the cameraman's monogrammed shirt. "I'm not sure, but I think we might be on the Amazing Race."
"What the hell is the Amazing Race?"
"You know," said Jared. "That show on TV; the one where people do stupid things on their quest for a million dollars."
"You're going to have to narrow it down a little," said Jensen. "That's every reality show on air."
"The one where they do it all over the world," said Jared. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
"Seriously, Toto?" asked Jensen. And Jared actually looked like he didn't give a crap that Jensen had just called him a little dog.
"What's the date?" asked Jared. "Because I'm pretty sure that exactly a year ago this exact same thing happened."
"Canada?" said Jensen.
"I don't think we're in North America anymore."
Jensen cursed another stream. "So how do we get back?" he asked. "No sigil."
"I'm not sure," said Jared. "But I think it has something to do with Cas' ghost."
"And how is that supposed to help us? If you're right, there's no friggin' supernatural anything in this world. Whatever ghost can't follow us here."
"Are you sure about that?" Then Jared pointed to where they'd left their packs and the clue envelope they were still yet to open.
The cameraman couldn't see anything, but Jensen and Jared were clearly seeing a ghost. Maybe he'd have to start watching their show after all. They weren't half bad actors.
If their show actually made it to another season, that was. Apparently after one of the producers and actors and some of the crew, had died in the space of a day about a year ago, they'd been seriously considering cancelling the show. In fact they'd had to cut last season short because people thought the show was cursed.
"What? He wants us to play?"
"I think so," said Jared.
"That's bull crap," said Jensen. "I'm not just going to play along with this stupid television show when the apocalypse is happening for the ten millionth time back in our world."
"Well," said Jared. "We don't even know what country we're in. And at least on the race they'll give us cash to get back to America. It's not like you've got any better ideas, Dean."
"How would you know?" he asked. "I could have tons."
"Name one."
"We could wait," said Jensen. "If this is really happening to us again, then maybe we just need to wait until the same amount of time has passed. Didn't we spend a whole twenty-four hours there last time?"
"A bit more than that," said Jared. "Doesn't mean we shouldn't play along until then."
"Play along?" said Jensen. "Do you think it's Gabriel again?"
"He's dead," said Jared. "And I don't think he has anything to do with the apocalypse this time. Lucifer's still in his cage."
"But you want to do it anyway." Jensen looked at Jared with a new light in his eyes. "You actually think it's going to be fun."
"Come on, Dean. It's a world with no magic. Let's have a vacation."
"On a race?"
"Winner gets a million dollars," said Jared. They wouldn't, actually. The million dollars would go to the winners' chosen charity. Jensen and Jared were playing for children's cancer research.
Jensen glared at the invisible ghost. "Fine," he said. "But magic or no magic, bones or no bones, don't think I'm not going to figure out a way to gank you."
Everything was almost straightforward after that. Jared read the clue aloud, revealing that they would be travelling to Madrid, Spain. They picked up their bags and after an initial argument about who would carry the fanny pack and another about hot-wiring a car, they made their way over to the last race-marked car. Jensen got into the driver's seat then complained that everything was on the wrong side. The cameraman thought that they would be over that after the last leg of the race, but it seemed as though they were playing their characters. This was method acting on a level he'd never seen before.
The cameraman and his partner got the exterior shots, then got into the car. Jensen asked them what the hell they were doing before Jared kicked the back of his seat and told him to play along.
"Fine, Jared," Jensen said, stressing the name. They were actually going so far as to play Sam and Dean playing Jared and Jensen. The cameraman couldn't wait to see how this played out.
x x x
On the drive to the airport, Jensen proved himself remarkably good at navigating despite the fact that until they saw the first road sign, they were pretending they had no idea that they were in England, let alone which way was north. He was an aggressive driver, and though he hit the wipers a couple more times than were strictly necessary, they all arrived at the airport in one piece.
Jensen and Jared forgot to ask for four tickets at the counter, but the woman at the counter had clearly helped other teams before them, and clarified the number of tickets. Jared looked at the crew sheepishly, but at least the show's producers would have the two tickets conversation to play for the audience.
The other teams were all gathered to one side of the airport by the exchange counters. Jensen and Jared made no move to join them. One of the other teams, the one from the soap opera, followed them. If the cameraman remembered correctly, one had been on that soap opera with Jensen and her partner was on the soap with her now.
"I thought you'd never get here," the older woman said. "Which flight out did you get?"
"Nine-thirty," said Jared.
"That's the one we're on," she said. "The Big Brother guys and the Disney kids leave an hour earlier. But everyone else is on the same flight." Then she looked over her shoulder at where the rest of the teams were resting. "Do you want to form an alliance for this leg of the race? I know you've got the speed bump, but I just really want Dr Sexy gone. What he pulled last leg was so not cool."
Jensen's head shot up at the mention of Dr. Sexy. Jared rolled his eyes. "Dr Sexy's here?" asked Jensen. "Where?"
The soap woman looked at him. "He's over there with everyone else," she said.
"Sam," said Jensen under his breath, though their cameraman was sure his partner's microphone had gotten it. "We need to go over there. Right now."
"Hey, wait," said the soap woman. "I thought we were friends."
"Sorry lady," said Jensen. "I have no idea who you are."
Jensen started walking away, and Jared had to follow. "Dean," said Jared. "What are you even going to say?"
"Same thing she said to us. We're going to form an alliance. And then I'm going to find out what happened at the end of last season. I need to know if Dr Piccolo's baby died or not- Hey. She's with him! They're both here."
"Yeah," said Jared. "This is the Celebrity Amazing Race."
"Celebrity?" said Jensen. "These clowns aren't anywhere in the same league as Dr Sexy. None of these people look at all familiar to me."
"Well," said Jared. "I'm pretty sure the girls we were just talking to are on that soap that Jensen used to be on."
"Seriously?" said Jensen. "God. Can we forget my face was ever on that thing?"
"No," said Jared. "Then there's the guys on last year's season of Big Brother. The one on the left has a web show now."
"It's not porn, is it?" said Jensen, obviously not expecting a yes for an answer.
"I've got no idea who those kids are, but I guess they must be on some sort of Disney show, since the other team I don't recognize are older."
Jensen nodded, then walked right over to the two actors who played doctors on their show. The cameraman literally had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud as Jensen Ackles played up the part of devoted fan to the actors from Dr Sexy MD. This was better than gold.
x x x
The flight from London to Madrid was a little different from the last flight they'd all been on. Very rarely did the cameraman feel uncomfortable when filming racers. There had been a few moments when he'd gotten involved enough in their stories that he wanted to help them in some way. But never before had he seen a racer so full of fear while on an aeroplane. It was even stranger because he remembered seeing Jensen on the flight into England. He'd seemed calm and collected, and not speaking a single word to his partner. But now Jared was trying to distract him from his fear with stupid jokes and snacks, and Jensen attempted to cover his own fear with a spiel on why Dr Sexy was no longer his favourite television show character.
Thankfully it was only a short flight. Two and a half hours later and they were back on land. Jensen was already cracking jokes at Jared's expense and looked no worse for wear beyond the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead.
x x x
At the airport Jared and Jensen fumbled about as though they'd never been inside one before. That the signs were clearly labelled in English as well as Spanish didn't seem to be helping them out much. He longed to point them toward the exit after they missed three signs, but he was a professional and professionals did not interact with racers while the cameras were rolling. On the other hand, he no longer had to wonder why two fit men like themselves came in last during the last leg of the race.
At least five minutes after all the other teams had left, they made their way out of the airport and started scanning the long term parking lot for their marked car. Jensen looked over a few of the other cars in the lot and once again said something about jacking them. With all the money these guys had from all the work they'd done since they were children, it was surprising how capable of it he sounded. On the other hand, it explained why he was still capable of putting food on his plate.
Jared literally had to drag the other man away from one particularly fine looking classic. Cars weren't the cameraman's thing, but this was Europe and European cars had always made him a little hot under the collar. They would be driving a Ford, though, and as the cameraman got into the front seat beside Jensen, he felt a little badly about it. Like he was betraying the entire continent he was in.
The clue Jared and Jensen received back in London told them to find a certain bridge over the Manzanares River. He watched as Jensen managed to get back some of the time they'd lost in the airport. He wasn't entirely certain, but he thought they'd passed two other teams. With the first two teams from the previous plane long gone, they were in second position in this part of the pack.
Jensen and Jared parked the car by the bridge and ambled around, looking for their next clue. Or at least, that was what he presumed they were doing. They were actually bickering about who'd been the one to fart in the car last- it had been surprisingly potent, but that wasn't relevant to the race. They were about to stumble upon the clue box completely by chance before they were overtaken by the teams they'd passed, who were not ambling anywhere and were in a full on sprint. Jensen yelled some disparaging things at them, then he noticed the large faux road sign with a picture of them and the words 'Speed Bump' written on it.
"Hey, why are not-me and not-you on that sign?" he asked Jared.
"I guess they came in last in the last leg," said Jared.
"And what does that mean?" Jensen eyed Jared suspiciously as though something really bad was going to happen very soon.
"It means," said Jared. "That we have to do an extra task before we can get the next clue. The one that those teams are all opening."
"Well," said Jensen. "Then we'd better hurry up and open it." Jensen tore open the clue and read it before passing it to Jared.
"You have to read it out loud," said Jared. Then he clearly spoke for the microphone.
"They want us to wear a stupid costume," said Jensen.
"That's what it says," said Jared.
"Well I'm not going to," said Jensen.
"I thought we agreed we were going to play the game by the rules," said Jared.
"But that was before a stupid piece of paper told me to dress up like a toy soldier."
"Oh come on," said Jared. "I know you love playing dress up. Remember that trip to 1861? You went shopping for it."
"That was different," said Jensen. "That was the old west. This is Spain."
"Just do it," said Jared, already walking toward the changing tents. "I thought we were going to be the team to beat Dr Sexy."
Jensen marched ahead of him. Apparently the run in back in London had made him a lot less of a Dr Sexy fan. The cameraman couldn't blame him. They'd had Dr Sexy in the first leg of the race and he'd been so smarmy it was disgusting.
When they emerged in their costumes, he had to admit that they were kind of ridiculous looking. If only because Jared and Jensen were two large men and people back then were smaller. They were larger than life. And he was getting it all right on his camera.
Jensen and Jared had to row a boat across the river and though there were a couple of false starts, they managed it faster than the cameraman had thought they would be able to. And Jensen seemed to have an obscene amount of fun in firing off the cannon at the end before they received their next clue.
x x x
Jared and Jensen were obviously in last place now that they'd been delayed by their speed bump. Still, while somehow managing to avoid outright speeding, Jensen got them out of Madrid and into the southern Spanish countryside easily. He was pretty sure they'd manage to catch up a little of the forty-five minutes they'd lost rowing across the river.
Jensen parked outside the cave system alongside one other team's car. The actors found their next clue box right by the road. The red roadblock envelope came out and Jensen read it. "Who's ready to go to hell?" He frowned. "I find that question to be tasteless and asking for trouble."
"It's just a joke," said Jared. "It doesn't actually mean we'll end up in Hell."
"Considering our track record," said Jensen. "I think that's exactly what it means."
"Well if you think that, then I'll do it," said Jared.
"No way," said Jensen. "You went to Hell longer than I did. I think it's my turn."
"Dean," said Jared, and in one name there were a lot of things said that the cameraman couldn't hear.
"Hey, you're the one who said we're not really going to Hell."
"Alright, fine. You do it, then."
Jensen opened the rest of the clue, which told him to find a particular cave system and rappel down into it. At the bottom he'd have to go through the cave, swim through a pool of water and retrieve some fairytale clue before exiting the other end of the cave. The cameraman hadn't seen the grotto and was a little disappointed taht he wouldn't as that was one of the things they weren't going to be filming. He and his partner would travel with Jared and meet Jensen on the other side. He didn't envy Jensen. It was going to be cold in there.
As Jensen got to the entrance, they could see Dr Sexy, soaking wet, starting to rappel down again. If a contestant didn't find the clue before ten minutes were up, he had to start from the beginning again. Considering how much time had passed since they'd last seen Dr Sexy, this had to have been at least his third attempt. It was hard not to be amused by the look of pure determined smugness on Jensen's face when he realised that. If he could find the clue first, they'd be ahead simply because Dr Sexy looked far too tired to beat them in a footrace.
Without his companion, Jared spoke little, seemingly involved in his own internal demons. This wasn't the kind of roadblock where he was going to be able to shout encouragement (or criticism) to his partner. While they waited for Jensen to emerge from the grotto, Jared rifled through his pack like he was looking for something. Rarely did contestants open their packs while racing. Sometimes they'd pull out gloves or hats or flashlights, but the main things they needed were kept in the fanny pack. He kept the camera focused on Jared to see what happened when he found something. Another camera would take care of capturing Jensen's exit from the cave. Jared seemed to linger over the memorial picture of the actor who'd died on their set. He didn't know why Jared was carrying it, but it seemed important.
Jensen emerged from the cave triumphant, an hour later, soaking wet but high on adrenaline. "I've got it Sammy," he said. "Let's go."
They didn't go far, as the next clue was in the form of a small jigsaw puzzle. Jensen kept an eye on the cave exit while Jared quickly pieced together the puzzle. "I know where we're going," he said, grabbing his bag and standing up.
Jensen took one last look and didn't see Dr Sexy emerging. "Where are we going?" he asked as they made their way back to their car.
Jared held up the completed puzzle. It was the image of a castle. "Here."
"What? You want to drive around until you see that specific castle? I don't think we passed that on the way here."
"Of course you don't remember," said Jared. "It's Garcia Castle. The guy who built it literally spent everything he had on it. His wife couldn't take it and killed herself, and after he died the debt collectors started pulling it to pieces. One of which made its way to Delaware where we had to stop housewives from doing the same thing after their houses were foreclosed."
"Oh yeah," said Jensen. "The hot waitress with the sweet ride."
They reached the car and got in.
"You got an address?" asked Jensen.
"I don't think its far east from here," said Jared. "I wish I had my laptop, though."
Jensen looked at the hills and trees surrounding them, and up at the wide blue sky. "Doubt you'd get a connection."
x x x
Though the cameraman was surprised that Jared recognised the castle immediately and knew where it was generally, he was more surprised by the way they made their way there with ease. Jensen didn't have to stop for directions a single time, as the landmark was well known enough to appear on a few of the road signs. Once they were close enough to see the castle it was easy for them to make their way out there.
There were still two cars parked outside, meaning they'd run into the rest of the pack from the second aeroplane. And that the takes they had to undertake would take them a while to complete.
Jared reached the clue box first and read the clue. "Meat up or meet up?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Jensen.
"Uh, it looks like we've got the choice between eating a ten pound paella or going through the castle ruins and finding the five places where old man Garcia put little shrines to saints instead of putting food on the table."
"Paella?" said Jensen. "With the meat and the rice? Let's do that one. I could eat."
"I know you can eat," said Jared. "But it's five pounds of carbs each."
"I know you're watching your girlish figure but it's not like you can't."
"Finding the shrines has to be faster," said Jared. "Don't you want to get this over with?"
"But I love Spanish food," said Jensen.
"No, you love Mexican food," said Jared.
"No, you love Mexican food, gassy," said Jensen.
"Rock paper scissors?" asked Jared.
"Alright," said Jensen with a grin.
They threw. Jensen went with scissors. Jared went with paper.
"What the hell?" said Jared. "You can't have picked scissors."
Jensen triumphantly punched his fists in the air. "I had to win sometime."
"Alright, fine," said Jared. "But when you're puking your guts up while we look for saints I'm going to say 'I told you so'."
"And when we're done eating before Dr Sexy gets here, I'm gonna punch you in the arm and say 'I told you so'."
The look that Jared shot at Jensen could best be described as bitchy and would have looked more at home on a teenage girl's face. And he'd caught it in perfect focus.
The detours were usually an opportunity for the travelling production crew to take a break from the race. They could get something to eat and recharge their batteries both literally and figuratively while the teams were watched by different members of the crew. So the cameraman and his partner didn't get to see much of the challenge, though direct feeds of each team were piped in while they waited.
An hour into the eating challenge, it became clear that neither man was going to be able to complete it. "I think I'm eating a bunny," he heard Jensen say clearly.
Dr Sexy and Dr Piccolo had arrived in the meantime and chose to search the building. The fake father and daughter left to make their way to the pit stop. Only the doctors and the soap actresses were left scouring the castle. It sounded simple to find a few shrines, but the castle was several miles of corridors, and parts of it had crumbled, leaving some areas inaccessible while others merely appeared inaccessible.
The soap girls had found three in the hours they'd been walking around the castle. The doctors were on a grand total of one. And though Jensen and Jared hadn't been in there nearly as long, and both looked a little green, they had already found two.
The cameraman grabbed a set of headphones when he saw that the Supernatural boys were coming into contact with the soap girls for the first time since their brush off at the airport. Now that Jensen wanted something from them, he dialled up the charm.
"How's it going, ladies?" he asked.
Both wore expressions of distaste. But they were tired so they stopped to converse.
"Three so far," the elder, the one who'd worked with Jensen, said.
"We've only got two," said Jared. "Since Dean decided he wanted to eat first."
"Dean?" the younger girl raised an eyebrow. Then a look of comprehension passed over her face. "Oh, you're pretending to be Dean and Sam."
"I am Dean," said Jensen. "The real Dean."
"Right," said the girl.
"Well that explains the earlier attitude," said the older.
"So," said Jensen. "Dr Sexy kind of sucks. Want to work together to get out of here before he does?"
It was clear that the girls were a little unsure. They looked at each other for a moment then came to an agreement.
"Okay," the older woman said. "I'm not sure how much we can help you since we've been lost in this rat maze for hours, but we can try."
It turned out that Jared and Jensen had found two completely different shrines from the ones the girls had found. But they could only remember the location of two of them. But apparently Jensen carried a map of the castle in his head, and Jared figured out a pattern based on some old superstitions and religious symbolism, and together they figured out where the last shrine was located, then the girls took off.
The cameraman grabbed his camera and his partner, and they went to meet their team.
x x x
The drive to the pit stop was strange. The cameraman felt strangely upset by the fact that their leg of the race together would soon be over. It was the same way he felt at the end of a particularly good party, when the last of the guests were about to leave and they were all full of food, a touch tipsy, and generally high on life and laughter. He hadn't realised he was bonding with these characters, with Sam and Dean, not Jared and Jensen. He rarely connected with the teams he followed. But he found himself actually wanting them to win. He knew they wouldn't win this leg of the race, but he was excited for them to remain in the competition. He was looking forward to watching the show and the rest of the legs, and maybe once the cameras were off, he could speak to them and introduce himself properly.
The anticipation around Jensen and Jared was different from that which team members on their way to the pit stop usually had. Usually teams were worried that they were going to be eliminated, or trying to win first place and the accompanying prize. Occasionally they knew they were right in the middle of the pack, and were simply trying not to run into some kind of trouble that would get them eliminated. But Jared and Jensen seemed like they were gearing up for some kind of confrontation. They weren't looking forward to the end of a day of trials, but something else. Instead it was like they were gearing up for the battle they knew would end the war.
Jensen parked the car, and they got out, for a moment hesitating at the trunk after they'd pulled out their packs as though they might have left something behind. They were the most serious the cameraman had seen them all day. He filmed them walking toward the mat as though they had nothing better to do, then his day was done.
It didn't stop him from immediately walking over to the nearby production tent and watching the rest of the leg play out for Jensen and Jared. They answered Phil's questions about their behaviour, and when the mat interview was over, they seemed surprised that they were still there. The cameras were still rolling because Dr Sexy and Dr Piccolo were about to make their grand entrance.
"So that's it then?" said Jensen to Jared, ignoring Phil. "I guess your plan didn't work."
"It's not completely over yet," said Jared. "We weren't the last team to arrive."
"You're grasping at straws now," said Jensen. "Worse than that, you're- trying to keep a wave upon the sand."
"That's how you solve a problem like Maria," said Jared, not in the least amused by that throwaway reference to the Sound of Music. "I can't believe you've even seen that."
"Pot-kettle," said Jensen, quickly. "It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet."
"I think it has something to do with the guy who played Cas," said Jared, holding up the photo he'd found earlier. "This was in Jared's backpack."
The TV doctors ran toward them, and neither Jared nor Jensen stepped aside until Phil told them to make room. They didn't listen as Dr Sexy recounted how every mistake that was made that day was not his fault, and instead started drifting away, having an inaudible conversation. The producers would be glad of that at least, but the cameraman was not sure Jensen and Jared weren't going to need another run-through of the race rules.
As Phil informed the TV doctors that they'd been eliminated from the race, Jared and Jensen again looked like they were seeing a ghost. "That isn't Cas!" he heard Jensen shout loudly enough to come over the microphones. "It's the guy in the photo. Misha somebody."
And for the second time that day, the cameraman lost track of them. Around him, everyone else was as confused as he was, then Jared and Jensen appeared back on the mat beside the TV doctors. Again they were wearing their blue ski jackets from that morning.
That was some magic trick. David Copperfield could stand to learn something from them.
"Hey Phil," said Jared, as though nothing strange had happened. "I just wanted to-"
"We wanted to dedicate this leg of the race to our co-star Misha Collins," Jensen interrupted him, masking the disdain in his eyes with a wide smile. The cameraman could see it clearly now. Sam and Dean were gone and Jensen and Jared were back in their places. It was strange how two guys who could clearly fake getting along so well would ever let anyone see that they hated each other that much.
"Who died tragically on this day last year," said Jared, obviously trying to get in the last word.
The cameraman shook his head and tuned out the passive-aggressive argument. He was kind of glad he'd gotten Sam and Dean over the course of the day. They kind of made him miss his brother. He resolved to call him once everything was wrapped up today.
x X X x
A/N: Remember you can check out the graphics on my Livejournal.