Chapter One
Speed and raw power under smooth, black lines tore down the road. The three people inside the '67 Chevy Impala were on a mission, and under no circumstances were they to be stopped.
Hell and Heaven had been closed, but Hell on Earth was about to break loose. They needed two more for their team before they could go for the title. The two men they needed happened to be in the quiet city of Santa Barbara.
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Shawn Spencer and his best friend Burton Guster entered the Black Dog Inn on a chilly Friday Night. Santa Barbara wasn't known for cold nights, but it had a few.
The blonde bartender that smiled and waved at them as they entered was Shawn's biggest reason for coming to this piss shack. Juliet O'Hara was out of this place's league by miles, but yet there she was.
"Evening, guys." Juliet smiled brightly as she greeted the mismatched pair. "The usual?" she asked, walking them to their favorite corner booth in the back of the shady establishment. They liked to watch what went on, but didn't care to be watched much themselves.
"That'd be great, Jules." Shawn warmly smiled back. "How's the Dog been today?" he referenced the fine establishment in which they were in.
"It's been kind of slow today." Juliet absentmindedly played with one of her pigtails. It wasn't her favorite style by far, but pigtails and eye liner brought tips. "It's been really slow lately." Juliet frowned. This job was the only one she had, and it was getting harder for her to scrape by.
Shawn shared a look with Gus, who didn't like that news either. Business at the Black Dog going down wasn't a good omen.
"Wait, I saw that look. What do you two know?" Juliet asked, sticking out a finger and changing who it pointed at every now and then.
"Nothing Jules, honest." Shawn lied and held up his hands. "It's dead in here. Pull up a booth." Shawn offered, sliding down the plushy seat.
"Right after I grab your drinks." Juliet smiled and sauntered off.
"Dude, there's no one around. This place is usually hopping. I know we've been out of the game a while, but what the Hell's going on?" Shawn didn't like it at all.
"I don't know!" Gus snapped, not knowing any more than Shawn. "I've had my ear to the ground more than you, and I haven't heard anything. Maybe no one is around because there's nothing to hunt." Gus offered.
"Nothing to hunt, Gus? There is always something to hunt!" Shawn didn't really care who heard what. Juliet was the only one who ever set foot in the Black Dog that hadn't hunted at least once.
"Like I said earlier Shawn, I don't know." Gus finished decisively just as Juliet reappeared with two beers, a glass of pop and a big basket of mozzarella sticks.
"So what's new with you guys?" Juliet asked innocently as she sipped from her drink, eyes going back and forth between Gus and Shawn.
"Not much, really." Gus shrugged. "Not a lot of personal cases and the police haven't really needed us." Shawn and Gus's psychic detective agency hadn't been doing too great lately. They needed something to keep them busy after they swore off hunting.
"That's a huge bummer." Juliet frowned. "Maybe I can hire you guys to find all my customers."
Shawn and Gus laughed at her good natured joke, but didn't like the idea of that becoming an actual job. Business at the Black Dog fluctuated, but it never snuffed out.
Just as Juliet swiped a mozzarella stick, the door opened and three new patrons entered. Juliet excused herself and went to see to the two men and one lady.
The boys seemed the usual clientele of the Black Dog: In shape, larger characters with a mostly serious demeanor at a glance. The one woman with them seemed a bit off. Juliet wasn't used to seeing taller blonde girls of model-like beauty in this slum.
"Can I help you folks?" Juliet asked in hopes of something to do. She didn't have to be a damned door greeter, but today she just wanted business.
"We're just here for the bar, waiting for two of our friends." The shorter of the two men said, though 6'1" wasn't all that short.
"Bar's right over there." She turned and pointed to the glossy hard top counter. She'd had plenty of time for cleaning lately.
The three strangers followed the blonde waitress, wondering why she pointed it out and went that way regardless. Their silent question was answered when she slipped behind the bar.
"Whatever is on tap is fine." the tall shaggy haired guy said, laying down a pile of bills that more than covered the drinks.
"We're looking for two friends of ours." The blonde spoke in Western accent that caught Juliet off guard. "Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster. Have they passed through here?" she asked pleasantly, though Juliet still froze in place.
"Are they in trouble?" Juliet was still tense. She didn't know a lot about Shawn and Gus, but she knew she liked them, counted them as her best friends even.
Across the room, Shawn and Gus were all ears with their hands resting on the pistols they never left home without.
"No, they're not in trouble." the oldest of the three stated with a charming smile. "We need their help with a little business problem we're having. They're two of the best at what we do." he more or less explained.
"Oh, so you're detectives too?" Juliet asked while she filled three glasses of Heineken.
"Something like that." the blonde concurred. "Are they around here?" she pressed.
"Mind if they ask who's asking?" Shawn asked as he came to the bar, Gus by his side.
"Sam and Dean Winchester, along with Evie Hatfield." They had names now, and they could guess which one was Evie.
"Eve," the blond corrected in almost a growl.
"Why do Sam and Dean Winchester want our help?" Gus asked, more than familiar with the brothers.
"Something's going on, and we don't really know what." Sam began. "We know you guys are two of the best."
"Our dads were legends together, Shawn. We know he taught you and Gus. We need your help like our dads helped each other." Dean relied on nostalgia for this negotiation.
Juliet and this girl, Eve, more or less watched the four men speak almost cryptically back and forth. "Sooooo..." Eve ventured awkwardly to Juliet while Shawn and Gus tried to explain they were 'retired'.
"I'm guessing you're not from around here?" Juliet tried to play back.
"West Virginia," Eve nodded
"We know you guys packed it in, but good hunters are going missing and something is up nation wide." Dean tried to make the two see how big it was.
"Hunters go missing all the time, Dean." Gus argued. "That's a risk of the job. The Gates closed, so I don't think there's anything conspiring to put down large numbers of hunters."
"We just want to figure out what's going on. We're not asking you two to fix it, just to help us figure out how to fix it." Sam jumped in, feeling like Shawn and Gus were going to leave them out to dry. "You two were the best problem solving heads out there. There was never a job you two couldn't figure out. Figure this out and let me and Dean fix it."
"I don't get the whole point of this game you guys are talking about. I've never played it." Juliet said shaking her head. That comment caused the five customers to stop and stare at the blonde that now felt like she was shrinking.
"Is that a joke?" Dean blinked, being completely serious in his question.
"Everyone that comes in here talks about this game, but I've never even heard the name of it." Juliet said, completely in the dark on the subject.
"Okay Jules," Shawn steadied himself with a deep breath. "This 'game' isn't a game. It's real. All of it, everything you've heard since you started here. It's not a lame role playing game. This is real life and it's what we do... did." Shawn kind of explained.
"Wait, she works in a hunter bar and doesn't know that this all is real?" Sam had to ask, having a hard time believing it.
Juliet's head was spinning. What she thought was some kind of online massive multiplayer game was real?
"When she started, we kind of told her that it was a game all of the hunters played. We were trying to keep her safe." Gus explained her naivety to Sam, Dean and Eve.
"I can see how she could believe that. It's quite hard to believe without first hand experience." Eve said with a popped eyebrow, seeing things from Juliet's point of view.
"Thank you." Juliet waved a hand towards Eve, happy for the backup. "So what do you need Shawn and Gus's help with?" Juliet had been around hunters for a long time, thanks to this job. She had no field experience, but she was well informed on just about everything.
"That's just the thing, we don't know." Dean said, looking to Juliet.
"Wait wait, Jules, aren't you really freaked out right now? We just told you all of this stuff is real and you're not losing your mind or freaking out?" Shawn had expected the usual outcome of outsiders that gained the knowledge of the existence of things that go bump in the night.
"I'm damn surprised to be honest, but I'm not going to go into shock, Shawn. I've been listening to ghost stories for three years. I'd freak out if I came face to face with something, but this is no different than hearing my customers." Juliet tried to rationalize the whole situation.
"Come on you two." Eve brought the conversation back to where they needed it to be. "Investigate a bit with us and give us your thoughts. We do all the dirty work then you go home." Eve laid out the proposition to make it as simple as possible.
Shawn turned to Gus and they stared at each other for a moment before returning to the group. "We need a side huddle." The two left the stools they had inhabited and moved towards the jukebox before beginning to talk animatedly.
It wasn't long before they came back with a final decision. "We'll help you three out. We'll find out what's up, then we're out. That's it." Gus shared their answer.
"Alright! That's what we needed!" Dean shouted. He was afraid they were going to get stiffed. He was happy to have the old team back together if he was honest. With the exceptions of their parents, that is.
"We'll be ready tomorrow." Shawn said with a head nod as he reached into his wallet to pay Jules.
"Shawn, do you have a minute?" Juliet asked quietly, a hand resting softly on his arm.
"Yeah Jules, what's up?" Shawn's voice seemed happy with a tinge of unsettled at the thought that something could be wrong.
"Can I go with you?" Juliet blurted out before she could go back on herself.
Shawn's eyes bugged out briefly, not sure if he had misunderstood her or not. "I'm sorry Jules, did I hear you wrong, or did you ask if you could come hunting with me?" Shawn said with a chuckle.
The chuckle and the dismissive way he set his question was very disheartening, but she needed a solid answer. "Listen Shawn, I know you think I'm just some girl, and I am." She was looking him right in the eye now. "But I want to go with you. I don't have anything here and I need somewhere to go."
"Jules, I don't think it's a good idea." Shawn told her honestly.
"Please Shawn, I need something new in my life. I hate my job, I don't have a lot of friends here and..." Juliet stopped, hating that she was about to admit it.
"And what, Jules?" Shawn ducked his head to reestablish eye contact.
"I'm about to be evicted from my apartment." Juliet said weakly. "I've been late so many times on rent, and I'm far from having the money I owe. I hit the road with you guys, or I'm homeless."
"Damn it." Shawn seethed, taking a step back and running both hands through his messy brown hair.
"Please Shawn." Juliet hated that she was reduced to begging. "You and Gus are the best friends I have. Sam, Dean and so many customers have all said you're two of the best. I feel... I know, I'll be safe with you." Her blues eyes held unshed tears and pleaded as much as her trembling voice.
Shawn turned his back to her and his shoulders slumped, his head towards the floor. He said nothing for quite some time, Juliet waiting with baited breath the whole time. Finally he said, "8:00 am tomorrow morning, be ready to go. You can have one bag. Pack smart."
"Oh my God Shawn, thank you thank you!" She sprang forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. "I don't know how yet, but I'll make sure you'll be happy you let me come."
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Dean unlocked the door to his and Sam's motel room and instantly dropped face first on his bed.
Sam chuckled and sat on the foot of his own bed. "Think they still got it? Hunters can get rusty." he pointed out.
"Shawn and Gus getting rusty? I doubt it. They've been out of the trenches a while, yeah, but they've stayed in the loop." Dean defended their new traveling partners.
"Think they'll actually go back home after we figure out what's going on?" Sam asked, not sure himself.
"Nah, I don't think so. They'll see this through. They're damn good hunters and they had a hard enough time leaving the first time."
"They didn't exactly leave it all behind them, either." Sam chuckled. "The way they were with the bartender, it's pretty obvious they've spent some time there."
"Let's hit the sack and be ready to head out early." Dean swept the duffel bag off his bed and dug his face into the cheap pillow.
"You comin' to bed, Eve?" Sam asked from the bed.
"I'd better," she said as she closed her book.
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7:45 rolled around, and so did Gus's blue Toyota Echo. The Impala was already there, waiting at the Black Dog.
"You guys are driving that?" Dean couldn't help but openly laugh at Gus's car when he had a classic American muscle.
"Dean, you're being an ass." Eve warned him from his left side.
"We ready to get rolling?" Sam asked as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Long road to Delaware."
"Not just yet." Gus said. He supported and trusted Shawn in this because it was Shawn, but he wasn't sure himself if he thought it was a good idea. The reasons were sound enough, but this kind of life wasn't for just anyone.
"Wait for iiiiiitttt..." Shawn dragged out and pointed to the parking lot entrance just as a 1980 Lincoln Mark VI turned in.
"Who the Hell is that in the Pimpmobile?" Dean asked with scrunched up face with the event of the new arrival.
"That would be Jules, my third to match your three." Shawn told him smugly, feeling like he had to at least attempt going toe to toe with the Winchesters.
"She's coming?" Eve asked. "That's awesome."
"Hey guys." Juliet said strongly with no emotion. Gus and Shawn seemed to be happy to see her along with Evelyn, but Dean didn't seem all that pleased.
"Hey," Sam said with a nod. "So, do you prefer Juliet or Jules?"
"You try calling her Jules, and I'll find a step stool, climb up it and slap you." Shawn said quickly and defensively. Sam held his hands up in defence with a chuckle.
"The only one who slaps Sammy is me, or something that we're about to ice." Dean pointed at Shawn in warning.
"I don't like how this is starting out…" Juliet said to Evelyn, the two of them along with Gus staying out of the fray.
"Calm down, boys. No one's slapping anybody. Let's just get this pony show on the road," Eve sighed.
"I haven't seen a pony since the time me and Cas…" Dean began but was cut off by Sam…
"Dean...not the time, man. Let's go," Sam shook his head as he started heading back to the 1967 Chevy Impala.
"Boys night out, let's go!" Shawn shouted with his finger up in the air, a salute to Adam Sandler's Billy Madison
Eve replied by simply lifting her middle finger as she followed Dean to the car.
"That doesn't work, Shawn," Gus stated. "There's two girls with us, and it's eight thirty in the morning.
"This is going to be so much fun." Juliet said with a sigh, getting in the driver's seat of her Lincoln and following the legendary Impala down the road.