Downtime – chpt 2.
by: sifi.
OOooOO
Sam stood with his back pressed firmly to the side of the building as a Native American warrior gave chase against a retreating warrior from a different tribe. An arrow shot past him as the death echo was played out and the two images dissipated.
"It's a pretty regular thing this time of day during the summer," a gravelly voice chuckled from a doorway behind him. "I tend to get out of the way too just cause it's kinda creepy otherwise."
"Yeah," Sam nodded turning to the old man, "Sam Diamond," he introduced himself.
"Wally Banks." He grinned as they shook hands. Across the street a digital camera clicked.
"I don't suppose you'd have time to help me out a bit would you?"
"Boy all I got is time... and caretakin' this place is a lonely job... at least till August when we get the last rush of tourists to the town." He held open the door inviting Sam inside the cozy little building that looked out onto the bulk of an Historical park.
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Come ON... show yourself you son of a bitch! Dean scowled closing his phone. At least THAT'll go right. His senses were keen and on hyper alert as he continued his walk slowly through the old playhouse. It's not like it's the Ford theater... sheesh... in his hand the EMF meter was jumping and the closer he got to the apron of the stage and the footlights the louder it squealed.
Okay so in 1894, on the centennial anniversary of the town's founding the theater goes up in smoke, kills over thirty patrons and most of the cast that was trapped on stage when the one of the drapes caught fire on the footlight... perfect place for a death echo haunting... but that ain't what's got my short hairs at attention... some one? Some thing? Is still following me. C'mon you bastard lemme get a look at cha...
He'd noticed it first not too long after passing through the cemetery and wondered if maybe some spirit there had latched onto him but even if that was the case it should have either shown itself by now or been drawn back to where it belonged.
A shiver worked its way up his spine and once more he turned in place, wheeling around with the flashlight in the hopes of catching sight of it. But again, there was nothing.
He made his way back stage and as he did the faint sound of a single set of applause gradually grew into the sound of a crowd clapping. He peered out from behind the curtains into the audience where nearly a hundred men and women dressed to the nines sat primly in the chairs, their faces carefully delighted as a woman dressed in regal costuming moved through him from behind.
"Shit!" he huffed taken by surprise as the players hit their marks on the stage and the curtain began to rise.
"Shhh," the woman hissed scowling at him before turning her attention to the play.
The play's the thing... he thought leaning against the wall, watching the entertainment unfold as it had that night.
Do we see them so much more than anyone else cause we're open to it and they somehow know? Or ... would this be going on if no one was here at all? If a tree falls in the forest yadda yadda yadda...
In the middle of the third act flames engulfed the stage and people were trampled in their race for the exits as the theater went up like a tinderbox. Dean watched it all his hackles still at attention as he sighed sorrowfully for the lives lost before their time. "Never even got to finish the play, it was just getting good too." He muttered aloud letting himself out the back door and into the rapidly darkening lavender of dusk.
"How far'd you get?" Sam asked falling into step at his side as he reached the park bench where the younger Winchester had been watching the sun set.
"About halfway through the list... you ever heard of The Training of the Shrew?" he asked.
"The Taming of the Shrew," Sam corrected with a smile, "Yeah, it's a classic why?"
"How's it end?" Dean asked.
Sam's surprise was easily read, "Really?"
"Yeah... I mean dude if a guy did that kind of crap to a chick these days she'd kill him, did she really fall for it? For him?" he asked.
Sam nodded smiling curiously, "Uh... yeah... she did, finally."
"Happily ever after?" Dean asked.
"Pretty much. Why are you..."
"I was watching it at the theater, it went up in smoke about halfway through the third act... it was just getting interesting." Dean shook his head, "I can't imagine any girl putting up with that shit."
"Consider the times Dean, women were possessions, given less consideration than horses or dogs."
"Mmm."
Sam smiled easily but kept his eyes forward, "You miss her huh?"
"Yeah."
"Dean, Lilith did attack her... she was..." God I can't even THINK it, no wonder I can't say it... son of a bitch!
"When's she figure she's gonna be home?"
Dean shook his head, "No telling... as soon as she finds the guys that are trying to kill the Acolyte." He shrugged, "Okay back to business... Death echoes all over the place... you?"
"Yep. Haven't seen an actual ghost yet... you?"
"Uh uh... Oh! I did get the feeling I was being followed once I left the cemetery though... all the way through the playhouse... you get anything like that?"
"Yeah a couple times. By the cemetery, through the hall of records until I got close to the museum by the historical park then it dissipated. " Sam nodded, "And I talked with this guy, Wally Banks, he's a daytime caretaker over at the historical park, seems to know a little more than the average joe about supernatural stuff. He says most of the actual ghosts were settlers that were killed in Indian raids or got in the way when they were Counting Coup."
"What'd you find out about the hotel?"
"Just the same stuff you'd find with any old hotel, seriously a couple suicides, slashed wrists, hangings, there have been a couple murders over infidelities, average stuff."
"I wonder if we'll see anything tonight." Dean shrugged, "Hey y'know there's an awesome spa downstairs, indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, weight room... we could get a workout with real weights instead of digging up corpses."
Sam stopped abruptly, his face twisted in complete confusion, "Are you possessed?"
Mm the jig's up, "What?" he asked hoping to come off innocent.
"We're supposed to be hunting here Dean, not... oh man..." Sam groaned and rolled his head on his shoulders before leaning questioningly into his big brother's hand-in-the-cookie-jar grin.
"Whaaaaaat!?" Dean shrugged, "We deserve the break Sam! And YOU need to recover!"
"This whole thing is a setup."
"Not the WHOLE thing." Dean half whined, "There's ghosts and death echoes... and the hotel's on a cemetery... AND our suite is supposed to be haunted y'know."
"Dean! For the love of God we've got an ancient succubus out there somewhere gestating the murderer of the WORLD spawned from ME! Are you THAT screwed in the head!?" Sam hollered angrily drawing a few curious looks from other guests strolling the grounds.
Deep in the shadows of a nearby alley another digital picture was taken.
Dean hastily glanced left and right then with a hand in the center of his little brother's back guided the younger man into a gazebo on the hotel's front lawn, "Siddown!" He ordered once again feeling his hackles on end.
"We don't have time for this..." Sam started to protest.
"Shut up and listen to me, I KNOW how you feel."
Sam shook his head, "No you don't."
"Yes I do Sam, your nightmares for the last week let alone while you were out of it in the hospital... I heard you. I heard that bitch make you beg!" he hissed furiously, "I heard every cry and whimper that..." he gritted his teeth and with a deep breath collected himself, "but you gotta understand one thing little brother, we will NEVER win against this bitch if we don't make sure we're at the top of our game and if that means taking a little time out for a couple massages and some jacuzzi lounging then goddamnit that's what we're gonna do and better to do it NOW than when she's close to popping that puppy out. Do you understand me?"
Sam studied his shoes, "I miss Kitsune." he mumbled.
Dean dropped a hand onto the younger man's shoulder, "She'll be here around supper time. It was supposed to be a surprise."
The younger hunter's eyes leaped up latching onto his big brothers', "What the hell makes you think I'm open to seeing her?"
"I know when you're thinking about breaking wind, let alone when you need the comfort of a good woman, especially one who wouldn't even THINK of judging you. Now, will you please, please Sam... just try to relax a little here?"
The younger hunter sighed still examining his shoes, "How much did you see?" he asked.
Dean sat down beside him, leaning forward, gazing at the plankboard floor of the gazebo, "Not much," he lied, "Mostly it was what I heard. Every now and again there were glimpses, light and shadow y'know?"
Sam nodded.
"Look, whatever it is you're holding onto... you gotta let it go. If you keep chewing on it, it's gonna choke you." He shook his head, "I do get it if it's not something you can talk to me about, I really do." He assured the younger man.
Sam turned his head, barely daring a glance at his big brother but knowing there were some things they might never be able to talk with each other about. The revelation left a sore spot deep inside even as he nodded his understanding.
"And if that's the case, then maybe it's something you can talk through with Kitsune. I promise you Sam, you will NEVER find another woman like her."
"Because you commanded that she look after me."
Dean was taken aback, his expression belied his surprise as he elbowed the younger man, "Yeah I did, until Nergal was done with. After that I set her free."
Sam's brows furrowed as he gazed into his brother's face, "You..."
"No one can command a woman's heart, not a mortal woman or a kitsune's, loyalty yes, duty, yes... but not their heart you idiot."
"I thought..."
Dean shook his head, "I told her, 'when Nergal is defeated your debt is paid in full, you're free.' I swear to God Sam... after the battle was done she came back to you of her own accord, I thought you knew."
He shook his head, "She asked permission to continue to serve... I don't want a servant Dean, I don't want a concubine, I don't want someone who thinks they OWE me something or worse yet owes you something..." he shook his head, "I want someone who..." he shrugged, "for who I am, me, Sam Winchester... not for who sleeps inside my soul."
Dean nodded.
"Like what you've got." He nearly whispered.
"Look Sam, she came back to you because she wanted to. No man, no woman, no thing can command her again. Obviously she sees something in the man you are. I mean shit, she's coming to be with you tonight so what does that say?"
"You didn't..." his eyes betrayed his hope.
"I just asked if she wanted to join you for a night out... or in." Dean smirked.
Sam huffed and nodded before smiling and shaking his head.
"What?" Dean asked.
"You," he huffed again, "You do surprise me sometimes."
"That's cause I'm awesome," he clapped his little brother on the shoulder, "Now, let's go get some dinner, I wanna hit that jacuzzi and steam room before the game tonight."
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"So we're really not gonna do anything about the haunting, I mean if there really IS one?" Sam asked searching through his bag yet again, "Have you seen my tie? The blue striped one?" he asked.
"Nuh uh," Dean shook his head grabbing one of the specialty candies off the top of a pyramid of them that had appeared on the nightstand while they were out.
"Looks like someone's got a crush going on," Sam nodded at the plate of goodies then smirked as Dean put the ball of chocolate back on top.
"Poor kid gonna miss out on all this," he joked digging through his bag, "so where are you gonna take her?"
"I dunno... it'll be nice to actually get a chance to talk, I mean all we do is have sex."
"Not a damn thing wrong with that," the elder man smiled and scratched his head, "huh?"
"What?"
"I coulda swore I put the ribbed rubbers in here but all I can find are the studded ones."
"DUDE!" Sam's grimace set off a barrage of snickers from his big brother.
"I can't find my pocket knife," he shrugged, "it's probably in my other jacket or in the car."
"You sure?" Sam asked motioning to the pyramid of goodies, "The massage tables are gone, there's that..."
"What you think someone...?"
"Maybe your crush is a little less Alicia Silverstone and more Glenn Close..."
Dean literally did a double take, "Since when are you the one who makes movie references?"
"What do you think I do when you're out ... polling the electorate."
"Research." Dean frowned, "And in case you haven't noticed... I'm a one woman man now alright."
Sam nodded with an easy smile taking his brother's point but cocked his eyebrow anyway, "But there's only so much research that can be done Dean."
The older man shrugged and seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head, "Nah.. come on Sam, she's a kid."
"Yeah," Sam nodded, "So was what's-her-face in Hard Candy."
"Hard Candy..." Dean thought then doubled over, "Oh God the one with the nuts! Geez Sam you gotta stop watching those indie things man... that's just sick!"
"Let's just go check the car."
"Yeah alright, I bet its in the ashtray."
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"Or not." Sam shook his head looking around as Dean crouched, reaching just a bit under the driver door where it appeared the knife had fallen maybe when he got out of the car.
At the far corner of the building a shadow watched him pick up the item before retreating unseen.
A moment later Sam finished rummaging through the trunk.
"Did you find it?" Dean asked.
"Nuh uh, it's not in here."
"Maybe it's not me she's crushing on or maybe one of the ghosts took is so he could hang himself."
"Funny."
"Or maybe it wasn't with the suit when you had it cleaned and you just didn't notice it."
"Mmm." Sam frowned but didn't say anything else. Dean could be right though he doubted it. Something strange was going on and he was pretty sure that the desk clerk was at the heart of it.
The pocket knife was a perfect example. If it wasn't in Dean's pocket it was in the ash tray where he kept it when he was watching a place and caving to his obsessive compulsion to clean beneath his fingernails.
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Not Dean, not Dean, not Dean... she thought watching the beautiful Japanese woman drift with ethereal grace toward the two men. A sigh slid from her lips as Sam rose first to greet her followed by a far less intimate greeting from Dean. Good!
If everything went as planned she'd be just getting off shift by the time they were done with dinner, and from what she'd heard Dean was planning on hitting the jacuzzi this evening so that gave her plenty of time.
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tbc.
Please R&R
Thanks,
sifi.
A/N: To all my American readers... Happy Thanksgiving and all the wish entails. To All my non-American readers, have a day full of blessings and love. And Thank You All.