Author's Notes: Next update on Wednesday. Thanks for all the great reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy - Ke l ;)
"Are you kiddin' me?" Dean's question broke the silence that had hung over the room ever since Al had finished his story.
Al gave them a feeble grin and nodded. "I'm telling you the truth. One minute I was Alfred James, a senior at Delaware Valley College and the next I'm two feet tall and sitting on some stranger's front porch."
"Huh," Dean said as he met Sam's flabbergasted expression. "Told you gnomes don't exist."
Sam turned incredulous eyes on his brother and snorted, "That's it. That's all you can think to say 'gnomes don't exist'. Dean, he's possessing a lawn ornament."
Alfred began to struggle against his bonds again as he shouted, "Possessed, no way man. I was just road-trippin' with my buddy's I didn't possess nothing."
Dean threw an exasperated glance toward the creature and whipped out his silver blade once more. As he carefully leaned over the edge of the salt circle and began to cut through the ropes, he stated flatly, "Dude, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're dead."
Sam couldn't help but roll his eyes as he snapped, "Nice, Dean." He then turned toward the small figure and tried to explain. "We don't know for sure you're body is dead, Al, but its obvious you've lost your hold on it."
"Blurt it out, Sam. He's already had a shitty couple o' months, no reason to drag it out."
"I'm not draggin' it out', Dean, we really don't know what's going on," Sam argued.
"Oh, come on, it's so obvious. He and his buddies decide to do a little gnome-napping and then head off to parts unknown. Everything's all fun and games up until they get shit-faced and a skirmish breaks out over who's doing who's girlfriend on the sly and then…Bam!," Dean cried as he slapped one hand against the other. "Poor dumb Al here wakes up sporting a full-on Santa beard."
Sam couldn't help but shoot a sympathetic look toward Alfred. The small creature had pushed off the last of his bindings and had sat up, he now rested with his head in his hands.
"Naw, Phil and Paul were my friends. There's no way they would've done this to me. Even if I was de…I mean I'm not but if I was de…," Al's voice trailed off as tears began to make their way down his rosy red cheeks.
"Well, I'm putting my money on this Phil, after all, you admitted you were bangin' his girl all through finals week." Dean's smirk made it clear that Al had gotten what he deserved for talking out of turn. "that's not the kinda thing a guy hears and then just turns the other cheek."
Sam shot his brother a withering look and said, "We need to track down the others that were on the trip and hear their version."
"Yeah, but we'll keep our reasoning to ourselves. No cause to mention that we know Al here's toes up or that he's gone and possessed the gnome."
At the expression 'toe's up' Alfred moaned loudly. "Could you please stop saying stuff like that. I'm not dead, I know I'm not, if I was I'd know it."
Though he had little hope that Alfred was merely suffering from astral projection, Sam couldn't help but offer the little guy some hope. "Listen, you hang tight and we'll find out what's really going on."
Sam headed toward the front door his mind already racing through what set of circumstances could have caused Al to possess an inanimate object when his musing's were interrupted by his brother.
"Whoa there, little dude. I don't know what you're thinking, but you ain't coming with us."
"Please don't leave me here. This place is creepy and that Grainger guy's a freak. You know he talks to all of these," the gnome said, gesturing toward the stuffed creatures that filled every corner of the room.
Dean grimaced, his gaze jumping to the mange-riddled squirrel that was perched near the front door, and then hardened his expression. "I don't care if he uses you to play tea party with his furry friends, you're not coming."
Obviously scared to be left alone, Alfred reached out, grasped a handful of Dean's pant leg, and tugged. The little creature then wrapped his entire body around the hunter's leg using Dean's black boot as a perch while he ranted and raved about being left behind.
"Sam," the elder Winchester pleaded, "a little help here."
Seeing as Sam was doing his dead level best not to choke to death on his own laughter, there was really very little he could do for the disgruntled hunter.
Pushed well beyond his patience limit, Dean at last snagged a bit of Al's bright blue jacket and tugged, pulling the little guy free. There Al dangled three feet above the ground with tiny tears running down his red cheeks and snot dripping off the end of his chin as he continued to sob.
"Aw," Dean muttered as he gingerly lowered the creature back to the flood. "Come on, man. We can't take you. You're just too obvious."
Al seemed to sense the moment Dean weakened and he dove in for the kill. "Please," he begged, his black eyes glistening, "I'm just so scared."
Sam had known from the minute the tears had started that the gnome would be accompanying them. There was simply no way his brother, despite his outwardly tough exterior, would have been able to ignore the crying. Dean was a soft touch when it came to children, animals, or girls that turned the waterworks on him. Apparently, possessed gnomes also held sway.
With a sigh loud enough to knock Al over, Dean finally agreed. "Fine, you can come with us, but, you keep your mouth closed and you act like a garden gnome, you got it?"
"Got it," Al breathed as he drug a hand across his snotty face. "I won't say a word, it'll be like I'm not even here."
"Good, fine," Dean snapped as he reached out to grab the doorknob. Just before he stepped over the threshold, the tiny gnome at his heels, Dean glanced back at Sam and snapped, "Why don't you wipe that smirk off your face and work on getting us this Paul guy's address."
Not wanting to push his brother's already strained temper, Sam worked to compose his face and replied, "Will do."
888
"Damn, man, this is one fine ride you got here," hooted Al as he once again popped up from the back seat, his head thrust forward between Sam and Dean.
Dean drew in a deep breath as he tried to keep the tenuous hold he had on his anger. Though normally he felt an affinity for anyone that appreciated his car's classic beauty, he couldn't help the surge of annoyance that crept through him every time the little guy complimented the Impala. It didn't help that each compliment was accompanied by the gnome's button nose poking into the front seat. It was like riding in the car with a misbehaving dog, only Al wasn't as cute.
Without bothering to answer, Dean simply reached back with his right hand, planted his palm directly over the creature's face and pushed, shoving the gnome back down before anyone could spot him. "Stay down or I'm putting you in the trunk," Dean ground out for what felt like the hundredth time.
Of course, it was up to Sam to play mediator. "He hasn't been out of the house in three months, Dean. He's just a little excited." To Al, he simply reminded, "You can't be seen, because, we can't explain you."
"Sorry, sorry I just forgot. I'm wound a bit tight," Al apologized from somewhere near the vicinity of the floorboards. "What I could use is a cold one, not to mention a little action. I got a case of the blue-balls like you would not believe."
"Aw, gross," Dean spat at the sudden image that rose unbidden in his mind. "Will you stop talking like this is some kinda party bus. You're not getting a beer and I sure as hell ain't getting you laid, in fact most likely this little trip's gonna end with us salting you and setting you on fire."
"Noooo…." Al moaned. "Please you gotta help me."
"Dean," Sam warned as he glanced over the back of the front seat and looked down. "We're gonna work this out, Al, you'll see."
Determined to ignore the snuffling sound that drifted up from the floorboards, Dean questioned his brother, "So this guy Paul, you dig anything up on him?"
Sam leaned back in his seat and glanced down at the notepad he held in his hand. "Not really, Paul Smith graduated from a small high school in Arkansas. He's here at Delaware Valley with a full ride."
"What's he studying?" Dean questioned.
"Biotechnology," Sam uttered as he read from his notes. "That's the study of—"
"I know what it's the study of professor, I don't need a lecture," Dean snapped.
Sam's chin shot up as he looked over at Dean. "I know, I was just pointing out that he's working with the agricultural side of it," he replied in a patient tone.
Aware that he'd overreacted, Dean gestured for Sam to continue.
"Anyway," Sam continued, "I don't see anything in his background that suggests he's into the occult."
"The occult?" Al chimed in as he clamored up onto the backseat once more. "You mean like witches and devil worshiping and shit?"
Fed up with Al's interruptions, Dean checked his rear-view and slammed on the brakes bringing the Impala to a shuddering halt. As planned, Al lost his precarious hold on the back seat and flew forward into the back of the front seat with a thud. He then dropped to the floorboards with a groan.
"Dean," Sam snapped, as he bent to pick up the notebook he had dropped.
Dean didn't bother to smother his deep-throated chuckle as he got the car moving once more. "You were saying, Sam."
"I was saying that whatever happened I can't find any indication there was anything supernatural in nature."
"Except for our two foot buddy here," Dean replied with a glance toward the moaning heap of gnome.
"Right, except for him," Sam agreed.
"Okay, then what about the other dude Phil, or this chick Carrie?"
"Carrie had nothing to do with any of this, she wasn't even there that night," Al piped up from the backseat.
"Stay down, Tattoo, or so help me next time I'll splatter you across the windshield," Dean ground out. "You were fighting over this chick that puts her smack dab in the middle."
"There on the left, Dean. The white cape," Sam interrupted gesturing toward a run-down house set on a small scrap of property.
Dean parked well back from the house, and set the car in park. He then glanced toward Sam and asked, "So, what'd you think? Staties? Feds? I mean they crossed state lines, there's a good chance he's buried in some sand dune in Jersey."
"Actually, I was thinking cousins. The whole, haven't heard from him in awhile bit," Sam replied.
With a grimace, Dean nodded. "Will that work, Tiny?" he questioned.
"Yeah, say you're Tom and Gary, he'll recognize the names and you're close enough in age," the gnome replied. "But listen, guys, I think you should let me come."
"No" was Dean's emphatic reply.
"Seriously, I can tell you if he's lying or not. Come on," Al whined, his voice reaching an octave high enough to break crystal.
"No," Dean said again with a firm shake of his head. There was no way he was gonna enter that house with a gnome tucked under his arm.
"You know he's right. It would make things easier…" Sam's voice trailed off in response to the glare Dean sent his way.
"I'll just sneak under a window or something, they'll never know," Al pleaded.
Dean had to admit, even if it was only to himself, that having the victim listen in on their conversation would make things easier, but he was still determined that no one see him with the gnome. Decision made he climbed out of the car without a word and headed for the trunk. In minutes, he'd emptied out their largest duffle bag. With a bit of a smirk he walked around to Sam's side of the car and wordlessly held out the bag as he waited for his brother to climb from the car.
"You're kidding," Sam groaned as he took the proffered bag.
"Nope," Dean said with a grin. "You want the little freak to come, then this is the way its gonna be."
With a sigh, Sam opened the rear door of the car and held the bag out toward the creature that sat on the floor looking warily up at the brothers. "Here's the deal, Al. You want to come you're gonna have to stay hidden."
To Dean's surprise, Al didn't even hesitate. "I'll be quiet honest."
With a nod, Sam laid the bag on the sidewalk and waited as Al climbed out of the car and into the bag. Careful not to pull the zipper all the way shut, Sam hesitated only a second before he gingerly picked up the bag.
"I'm so kicking your ass for this," he muttered to his brother as he stalked past Dean.
"You're welcome to try, kiddo," he called out as he watched his brother carry their passenger down the sidewalk.
TBC