Following day…
"Hey Twizzler," Gabriel said strolling into the kitchenette area where Maya was looking at her notebook again…and reading an urban legend newspaper? "What you got there?"
Maya turned to him with a sly smirk, while leaning back in her chair. "Well I've got some ideas for pledge master Curtis and our scientist friend."
"Oh?" Gabriel asked with an eyebrow raised as he sat himself down beside her. "Do tell."
"Well Curtis is a guy who likes being in charge, in control. Makes him feel all powerful and tingly inside when he uses that power to humiliate someone." Maya wiggled her fingers while scrunching her nose. "So best way to go about dealing with him is to make him lose all sense of control and power he has. However, it has to be done in a way that no one would believe a word he says, discrediting him, and humiliating him. No one will believe or respect him, or be intimidated by him." Maya said, pausing as she flipped the pages of the newspaper to a page titled:
An Alien Made Me Its Love Slave: Has She Found True Love At Last!
Maya smirked as she continued, "Figure an alien abduction should do the trick, with something extra." Gabriel was smirking in amusement.
"Something extra?" Gabriel queried.
Maya nodded. "Yeah something extra, aside from the normal expected alien abduction stuff. Something to take it into the realm of completely unbelievable and embarrassing."
"More embarrassing than getting probed?" Gabriel snorted, smiling with pride. His kid was growing up to be a clever little Trickster. "Any ideas?"
"Well..." Maya began. "There was one thing that came to mind because it just sounds so ridiculous for an alien to make somebody do."
"What is it?" Gabriel had a feeling it would be good.
"Slow dancing." Maya said uncertain, her voice making it sound more like a question than a statement. Gabriel kept calm for all of a second as he visualized it and burst out laughing.
"Th-that's perfect!" Gabriel gasped. "With the alien in a prom dress and prom lights and cheesy romantic music!" It took a few calming breathes before Gabriel could stop laughing. Maya watched him with calm amusement and a quiet huff here and there. "Okay…what do you have for the animal abuser?"
"Well it's not as funny as a slow dancing alien, but I was thinking along the lines of Peter Pan, or more specifically Captain Hook." She said, turning the pages to an article about an alligator terrorizing sewers. "Not only does he like testing on animals, but he is also greedy. Saw him find a lost wallet, pocket the cash, then throw it away. So I think losing a hand to a gator would be fitting. Some retribution for testing on animals, and some payback for being a scumbag. There's also a sewer grate near Crawford Hall that he walks by when going to the parking lot. Good place for a trap."
"Sewer gators, and aliens, oh my." Gabriel laughed. "Where'd you get the idea for using urban legends?" Maya snorted.
"You started by using that local urban legend with the ghost coed. Figured it could be a theme." Maya stated shrugging.
"I like it!" Gabriel exclaimed happily. "Who should we do first?"
"Pledge master." Maya stated confidently. "He can be abducted tonight when he's walking across campus from his night class. The research scientist can be tomorrow night since he works late at the office on Thursdays so he can leave earlier on Friday night." Maya bites her bottom lip a bit in worry before tentatively saying, "I can't do the tricks myself…it's okay that you do them, right?"
"Hey don't worry about it Jelly bean!" Gabriel said brightly bringing his girl in for a shoulder hug. He knew she didn't want to come across as using him, but Gabriel didn't mind. He was fully aware of why her powers and body was weaker compared to his, and it wasn't her fault. "You know you don't need to keep asking if it's alright." Maya relaxes into his hug and nodded.
"I know I just didn't want to assume anything. For all I know you have your own tricks to plan or something."
"Other than the she-who-must-not-be-named duplicate I didn't really have any planned. Besides, I like working with you, even with your strong 'no-killing' morals."
Maya snorted. "Yes they do make extracting appropriate just desserts difficult, but that just means I have to be smarter." She smirked slyly. Gabriel stared at Maya. She was hinting at somethi—
"HEY! You saying I'm dumb?!" Gabriel demanded with no real heat in his voice.
"No, no, no, no, no…maybe." Maya said, before bolting out of her chair and his reach, then out the front door laughing.
"Oh! IT'S ON Gobstopper!" Gabriel called after her as he began the impromptu game of 'Chase the Trickster'. It was like tag but they both had to use tricks to catch the other.
"Arcade is the finish line!" Maya yelled back as she burst through the apartment building's front doors. This was a variation on the game where the chaser had to catch the Trickster before they made it to the finish line, which in this case was 3 blocks away. Also the chaser, if it was Gabriel, couldn't use his teleporting abilities to just ambush the chasee, Maya, at the finish line.
It was a fun game of dodging, weaving, reacting, and in Maya's case creating illusions. When Gabriel lost sight of her for a brief moment, Maya had created an illusionary double to distract him, while she took another route to the arcade.
Gabriel chased the illusion Maya till she 'accidentally' took a wrong turn right into a dead end. It was only when Gabriel caught up to the illusion did he sense the faint difference between the real Maya and the fake one in front of him. Fake Maya turned to look at him cheekily before disappearing into faint purple smoke. Misdirection. His baby girl was learning well. Gabriel continues on his way to the arcade to find Maya standing outside the entrance leaning up against the building smiling triumphantly.
"Good job M&M! Didn't notice the difference till I caught up with her." Gabriel smiled proudly. Maya's smile broadened as he approached.
"Thanks Dad. Wanna see if you can win against me at air hockey? See if your reflexes are up to par?" Maya said with a teasing lit to her voice. Gabriel playfully narrowed his eyes.
"Is today 'Make-fun-of-Dad' day or something?" he said good-humoredly as he followed Maya into the arcade.
They played a few games together before Gabriel had to head to the campus for the night shift, and be ready for pledge master Curtis to be abducted, by aliens. HA! Maya told him that she planned to stay for another hour or two before heading back to the apartment.
The arcade grew a little more crowded as school let out for the day. Maya didn't pay much mind; too busy trying to not get eaten by the ghosts in Pac Man.
"Um, hi?" came a sudden voice from beside her. Maya's body tensed in surprise causing her hands to jerk on the joystick in the wrong direction, right into the path of a ghost. Dead Pac Man noise. Damn. Maya looked to see who spoke to her. What she finds was a teenage boy around her age, looking at her nervously. "Uh…sorry?"
"It's fine." Maya sighed in exasperation as she finds her score in 10th place. Quickly typing her name for the scoreboard she turns to look at the boy again. "You want next game?" she asked gesturing to the machine.
"Oh! Uh, no! I was wondering if you wanted to go out tomorrow night? With me?" he asked shifting uncomfortably, his eyes shifting off to one side. Maya just stared at him. Huh.
"Really?" she questioned suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Why?" There was something about him.
"Well um…I…my…" poor guy was so nervous. He looks at her and Maya gives him a small encouraging smile. He takes a deep breath and lets out a steading sigh. "My friends wanted to do a group thing but didn't tell me we were supposed to bring a date. Or-no they suggested it, but now they all have dates and are trying to help me find one so I don't feel left out and were telling me to ask you out because you're pretty…NOT THAT I DON'T THINK YOUR PRETTY!" he said panicky shaking his hands. "You're just not…well, what I mean is…" he looked at her apologetically.
Maya glanced in the direction where his eyes darted sometimes to see a group of boys watching in exasperation at their friend's fumbling. The boy's eyes seem to lock onto one of the others, his face, ears and neck reddening in embarrassment. Ah. That's what it was.
"I just don't have the right plumbing between the legs?" Maya asked with a smirk. Oh his face! Eyes wide in shock, his face going even redder, as he tried to deny what Maya was insinuating. "Me thinks the lad doust protest too much. It's alright I'm not judging." The boy's shoulders relax in defeat.
"That obvious?" he asked despondent. Maya gave a sympathetic nod. He groaned.
"Hey let's make a deal," Maya began catching his attention. "I go on this date with you, as friends, and I use this as a way to play a prank on my Dad." She finished smirking. She knew how much her Dad would flip and with another night shift and just desserts planned he'll be too occupied to do anything.
"…your Dad won't kill me right?" he asked nervously. Maya waved him off.
"Nah, but I gotta tell him when I'm home that you're batting for the other team, that'll save you. I won't tell anyone else. I swear." She smiled reassuringly. "I'm Maya by the way."
"Jason, and thanks." He said relieved. "High school drama sucks." Maya laughed at that, gaining a friendly smile from Jason. "Want to meet the yahoos watching us?"
"You're funny. I like that, but I must warn you." Maya said giving him a mock serious face. "I have been known to be devastatingly witty. You're friends may not survive the encounter." That got a laugh from Jason.
Next morning…
Maya had gone to bed the previous night, not bothering to wait up for her Dad to come back from the prank on the frat boy. Sleep was a beautiful thing, unless you have a Trickster Dad that decided to jump on your sleeping body as a way to wake you up.
"AGAIN?!" Maya said raising her voice in sleepy aggravation. "What do you have against sleep?!"
"It's already 9," the asshole smirked. "Besides, I thought you'd wanna hear how it went last night." The less-of-an-asshole enticed. Maya raised herself in a very Dracula-esque fashion to a sitting position, eyes still closed.
"Teeeeeeeeellllllllllll meeeeeeeeee." She groaned still partially asleep.
"How about you wake up some more," Gabriel said rolling his eyes at his daughter's antics. "And while we're eating I'll tell you how it went."
Gabriel waited for Maya to give a response, or move. She stayed sitting up, swaying a little, but didn't really move. He poked her shoulder.
She collapsed back into her bed with a soft thump and a light snore, once again asleep.
Huh. Well then. Gabriel snapped his fingers and a bucket of ice water appeared in his hands. He proceeded to dump it on his sleeping daughter. That woke her up.
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Maya screeched as she jumped out of her bed and stared at her laughing father. She tackled him into the wet sheet and comforter in retaliation.
It was in the afternoon when the door to the apartment opened to show Gabriel saunter in with a laptop under his arm.
"Really?" Maya said raising her eyebrow at the laptop, having a pretty good idea of where it came from.
"Yep," Gabriel snickered. "What's a little more chaos and tension between Hunters?"
Maya rolled her eyes at him, but her lips were still quirked in amusement.
"So ready for tonight?" Maya asked.
"You know it!" Gabriel said plopping the laptop on the couch, and then snapped his fingers to make some pizza appear on the kitchen table. "C'mon. I know you're hungry."
"How do you know?" She queried.
"You've got your hungry face on." Gabriel said pointing at her face.
"I do not have a hungry face!" Maya protested.
"Yeah you do."
"…shut up." Maya mumbled as she tucked into the pizza, studiously ignoring Gabriel's smirking face.
"Off to the night shift?" Maya asked her Dad, waiting for him to leave so she could call Jason.
"Yep." he said. "Remember, no throwing parties! Unless I'm there of course. See ya later alligator!" Maya laughed at him as he left the apartment.
Maya waited a few minutes to be sure he was gone before she called Jason.
"Hey man it's Maya," she said into the cellphone held up to her ear. "So where am I meeting up with you and your friends?...The arcade? Alright. See you in a bit." After hanging up Maya went to get changed in some slightly nicer top than the dark Kansas world tour band t-shirt she was wearing. Finding a burnt orange spaghetti top she put that on, paired with the dark fitted jeans she was already wearing. Grabbing her light brown leather she puts her wallet and phone in the pockets and leaves the apartment, locking the door behind her.
Crawford Hall
Gabriel was boooooored! This guy had decided to work extra late tonight in his office at Crawford Hall. It was what? 8:12pm already? He'd already visited his lab to set the animals loose. Gabriel ended up taking the male, brown and white Jack Russell terrier that gave him the biggest set of puppy eyes he'd ever seen! Poor guy just wanted some love. The little guy kept him company while he waited, in boredom. To quench his boredom he took out his cellphone and calls Maya, while giving the pup a good belly rub. He was so cute.
She doesn't answer. Gabriel tried again. Thankfully she answered this time.
"Hey Dad! Wait, give me a moment…" She responded loudly, trying to talk over the background music and other loud voices. The background noise faded, as it was obvious she made her way to a quieter place. "Alright. Sorry about that! I was a little distracted."
"I know I said no throwing parties, but I was only trying to make a joke. Not spark some teenage rebellion." Gabriel watched as the research scientist finally left his office, and then the Hall. A quick snap of the fingers and an expensive looking watch was glinting in the sewer grate. He gives the good boy scritches behind the ear, and there goes the tail!
"Don't worry I'm not throwing any parties and I'm not at one." Maya reassured. Gabriel snapped up a hungry alligator from the everglades in Florida into the sewer, with the researcher's reaching hand in sight. That guy really wanted that watch. The dog was as happy as could be getting positive affection for probably the first time in a long time.
"Well then what was with the loud background noise?" Gabriel asked. Something was up. The gator snapped its powerful jaws on the scientist's hand and begun its death roll to break it off.
"I'm at the arcade on a date." Maya said calmly, like it wasn't all that important. Gabriel's brain came to a complete stop.
What? What? WHAT?!
"Di-Did you say date? I'm hoping that's not what you just said! I don't of approve this!" Gabriel hissed into his cellphone as he turned around and missed the gator push open the sewer gate to get to the rest of the tasty treat he got a piece of.
"Nothing's happened Dad. Just went to the movies and spent some time at the arcade with his friends and their dates." Maya sighed, though there was something in her voice that had Gabriel suspicious, but the thought of his little girl on a date pushed it aside.
"Apartment. Now Maya." Gabriel said sternly, petting the happy dog with him.
"Okay. Just give me a chance to say goodbye Jason. See you soooooooon~" she sing songed as she hung up. Gabriel scowled at his phone. Oh he was going to have words with that girl. What kind of name was Jason anyways? Sounded like a prick to him. He turned back to where the scientist was and—oh. Oops.
All that was left of the scientist seemed to be an arm and half a leg. Gabriel quickly snapped the satiated and happy alligator back to his home in the everglades. Gabriel picked up the Jack Russell and looked at the smiling dog.
"I won't say anything if you won't." he said. He got a whine and some dog kisses as a response. "Good boy." With a snap of his fingers he was back in the apartment and waited for his daughter to get home.
Apartment
The front door unlocked and Maya walked calmly into the apartment to find her Dad and—was that a dog?—waiting for her. Her Dad did not look happy.
"What's with the dog?" Maya asked, kneeling down to pet the Jack Russell. "Aww who's a good boy? You are!" she cooed, ignoring the upset eyes burrowing into her.
"Soooo Jason," he said with slight disgust. "Not the gentleman type to walk you home, huh?" he said with disdain.
"Oh no he offered," Maya countered. "I told him you were pissed and it was probably best that he didn't." She stood up to look her Dad in the eye. "Even if he batted for the other team." Maya gave a knowing smirk.
"OF COURSE I'M—" Gabriel paused. "Wait, what?" he asked confused. "He's gay?"
CLICK! Maya took a picture of his dumbfounded face, smiling like the cat that got the cream.
"Well yeah." Maya said rolling her eyes with a smirk. "Hasn't come out yet and his friends were pressuring him to get a date for tonight." She continued with a shoulder shrug. "We went out as friends." She stressed. "I helped get his friends off his case and I get to use this date as a prank. On you." Maya finished with a smug expression as she looked at the photo and chuckled.
"I don't know whether to be upset that you went on a date with a guy, or proud that you pranked me by going on a date with a gay guy."
Maya chuckled. "Well let me know so I know whether or not I'm in trouble." She picked up the wiggling dog and took him to the couch to give him pets. All of the pets for the good boy! "So, wanna tell me how it went tonight?" She watched as her Dad tensed a little then relaxed.
"It went great. Even went to his lab and released all the animals there." He said as he sat on the other side of the Jack Russell. "This little guy conned me into taking him home." He stated as he began scratching behind the dog's ears causing his back leg to start kicking.
"You're not telling me something," Maya said with a suspicious tone.
"The gator was really hungry and I…uh…got distracted." Gabriel said sheepishly. "There wasn't much left." Maya gave a sigh of exasperation and slump in her seat on the couch. The dog took this as an opportunity to jump into her lap and smother her face in kisses. This got her smiling at she fixed her posture and held onto the enthusiastic canine to keep him from giving her more wet kisses.
"Down boy!" She laughed, as she began petting the Jack Russell. "So does this little guy have a name?" Gabriel shook his head.
"Nope. Unless you count Subject 7 as a name." Maya scrunched her nose at that in distaste.
Looking at the little dog Maya came up with name. "He looks like a Puck." Maya stated, pleased. Puck gave a small bark of agreement.
"Puck?" Gabriel questioned, only to have the small dog turn his little head at the sound of his new name. "Look at that he already knows his new name." Gabriel said impressed.
"Of course! Jack Russell terriers are quite clever and can be prone to their own bouts of mischief." Maya stated proudly. "Ready to help me cause mischief clever Puck?" she asked the dog, and getting an affirmative bark in response. "Good boy! You hungry?" Another bark and Puck jumped down from her lap, looking at her expectantly with a wagging tale. Maya looked at Gabriel and he rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers to make dog supplies appear on the newspaper-strewn coffee table.
"If you want to keep him you've got to look after him, alright?" Gabriel stated as Maya looked through the stuff to find Puck's food and food bowl. As she poured the little dog some food she looked at her Dad with a blinding smile.
"I promise!" she said excitedly. Turning back to the hungry dog she put her hand near his food bowl to test his food aggression.
Puck
The little dog saw the girl's hand, and maybe if she and the man were human he would have growled or snapped at it, but he didn't. The newly named Puck understood that these two bipeds had power, but most importantly they projected their emotions a lot more than others. Puck knew he was safe, and with the love coming off the girl, he was now loved. He'd obey the male that rescued him, but he definitively decided that the girl was his friend and master. He'd stay by her side and keep her safe from the evil beings like the one that kept him in the small cage and stabbed him with sharp things that made him feel sick.
Finished with his food his ears perk up at the sound of going outside. The girl grabbed a red strip of leather from the coffee table and placed it comfortably around his neck. Puck had heard of these things, collars, a sign that he belonged to someone, belonged to a family. He jumped at the girl to give her face appreciative kisses, she didn't smack him away, but gently pushed him away smiling. His mistress grabs a really long strip of black leather and attaches it to his collar. Puck, his mistress, and the male leave their home to take him for a quick walk and bathroom break. So many sights, sounds and smells!
They all return and mistress grabbed a small soft bed, his bed, and put it beside her own in her room. Oh it was so soft and comfortable! Puck's mistress was the best! So much better than that bad man and the hard cold cage. He followed her around as she brushes her teeth and change into some clothes. The older male says something about him that causes his mistress to look at him and give a small chuckle, and more pets! Puck was pretty sure mistress was pleased with his company and guarding.
Puck and his girl retire to the girl's room, mistress in her bed, and Puck in his bed. Puck hears the door creak open and he was now wide-awake and alert. It was just the older male. He watched as the older male stroked his sleeping mistress's head fur from her face, before kissing her forehead, and giving her a loving look. Puck recognized the look as one his mother once gave him, this male must be her parent. The parent looks at him and kneels down in front of him.
The male's hand glowed slightly and reached toward Puck's head. Puck wasn't sure what was going on put the power he felt told him to be calm, and that no harm will come to him. He stayed still as the light touched his head and his mind.
"Hey Puck, I'm Gabriel." Said the male. "I've given you the ability to understand human speech." Gabriel said smiling. "I've got an important job for you okay? I want you to look after Maya for me. Be a guardian and a friend. I'm sure she'll figure out what I've done to you but lets let her find out on her own. More fun that way." Gabriel winked. "Nod yes if you understand."
Puck nodded, his tail wagging happily as Gabriel gave him a few more pets before leaving the room. He settled back down into his bed and went into a light sleep. After all, he's been charged with mistress Maya's protection and companionship.
Couple days later…
Sam and Dean
Sam and Dean had just finished telling Bobby about everything that had been going on with their case so far, including the tension growing between them from the frozen on a porn site computer and the laptop disappearing. Dean finished explaining the air being let out of the tires of his Baby, finding Sam's money clip beside the car, and the ensuing struggle between the two for said money clip.
"Okay, I've heard enough." Bobby said, exasperated with the two knuckleheads in front of him.
"You showed up about an hour after that." Dean stated, which brought them all to the present. Bobby stared at them in be wonderment at their thick-headedness. Did the boys seriously not realize what they were dealing with? Apparently not.
"I'm surprised at you two. I really am." Bobby looked at Sam and began his explanation. "Sam, first off, Dean did not steal your computer."
"But I—" Sam tried to protest. Bobby wasn't having it.
"Sh, sh, sh, sh!" Bobby interrupted looking away and holding his hand out in a stop gesture. Dean raised his arms in 'see!' gesture looking at his brother. Bobby looked at Dean and addressed him.
"And, Dean, Sam did not touch your car." Bobby said, like it was obvious. Dean's face looked blank while Sam looked at him smiling in triumph.
"Yeah." Sam chuckled at his older brother. Now Bobby addressed both of them.
"And if you two bothered to pull your heads out of your asses, it all would have been pretty clear." Bobby said, like the answer was staring the two younger Hunters in the face.
"What?" Dean asked confused.
"What you're dealing with." Bobby stated, looking at the two idiots that were not meeting his gaze and obviously didn't know what he was talking about. Great. He was going to have to spell it out for them.
"Uh…"Sam gave an I don't know what the answer is face.
"I got nothing." Dean said in his up front manner.
"Me neither." Sam admitted right after.
"You got a Trickster on your hands." Bobby finally stated, exasperated with the boys. It was so obvious.
"That's what I thought!" Dean said snapping his fingers and smiling. No he didn't.
"What?! No, you didn't!" Sam denied.
"I gotta tell you…you guys were the biggest clue." Bobby revealed looking at them.
"What do you mean?" Sam questioned looking at the older Hunter. Bobby continued with his explanation.
"These things create chaos and mischief, as easy as breathing, and it's got you so turned around and at each other's throats, you can't even think straight." Bobby pointed out.
"The laptop." Sam said realizing what Bobby was saying.
"The tires." Dean said a moment later.
"It knows you're on to 'em, and it's been playing you like fiddles." Bobby told them.
"So, what is it – spirit, demon, what?" Dean asked. Bobby looked away from them and shifted his weight.
"Well, more like demigods, really." Bobby admitted looking at them. "There's Loki in Scandanavia. Anansi in West Africa. There's also Coyote here in America." Bobby listed. "There are dozens of them. They're immortal, and can create things out of thin air, things as real as you and me. Make 'em vanish just as quick."
"You mean like an angry spirit or an alien or an alligator." Dean stated. The pieces of the puzzle they had were coming together.
"The victims fit the M.O., too. Tricksters target the high and the mighty, knock 'em down a peg, usually with a sense of humor—deadly pranks, things like that." Bobby added.
"Bobby, what do these things look like?" Dean asked; he had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy as finding a ghost or a rawhead, but he had a suspicion of whom.
Bobby thought and gave a little shrug as he answered, "Lots of things, but human, mostly." Realization and probable confirmation dawned on Dean's face as he turned to look at Sam.
"And what human do we know who has been at ground zero this whole time?" Dean pointedly asked his brother. Sam pondered, unsure at first, before he too realized what Dean was thinking.
"The janitor, he's been working at Crawford Hall this whole time and he was the one to find the professors." Sam stated, looking from his brother to Bobby.
"Exactly." Dean said, with a look of determination. "Now we can go gank this son of a bitch. Bobby how do we kill it?" he asked the older Hunter. Bobby looked at the boys and scratched his beard thinking.
"Gonna need some wooden stakes and blood from one of its victims. Coat the stakes in the blood and get close enough to stab it in the heart. If it'll let us." Bobby cautioned.
"What do you mean Bobby?" Sam asked concerned, that last bit didn't sound too good.
"Depends whether or not it knows you've figured it out, or if it likes you, I guess." Bobby said shrugging. "They're slippery buggers from what I've read. For all we know it might have already hightailed it out of here." He said throwing his thumb over his shoulder. "Now, if it likes you, it might wanna play with you, so to speak."
"Play with us?" Dean asked incredulously. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Could be anywhere from pranks to bribery to lettin' 'em go, or if they're a confident son of a bitch it might wanna fight you using its powers." Bobby admitted, his mind wandering to a certain Trickster and his daughter.
"So what do we do? We all ambush him at the same time?" Sam offered.
"No." Dean said with a look of concentration. "He'd expect that. Like Bobby said, they're immortal so he's probably run into Hunters before. We need to make him think that he's the one in control, the one with all the cards."
"Boy, are you askin' us to trick a Trickster?" Bobby asked in disbelief. "These things are extremely clever."
"Yeah, but if he thinks that his tricks against me and Sam worked in tearing us apart…" Dean said pointedly as he looked at Sam. Sam nodded seeing where he was coming from.
"He'd be over confident in his ability to handle one measly Hunter, and wouldn't think that the partner would show up to the confrontation." Sam finished. "That's pretty impressive thinking Dean. Did it hurt?" Sam smirked. Dean frowned at his brother's dig.
"Bitch."
"Jerk." A frown crossed Sam's face as he thought of something. "Wait, what about the girl?" Bobby's eyes furrowed as he looked at Sam and Dean, they didn't mention some girl in their story.
"Goldy?" Dean asked, "What about her? She's probably not even real, like Bobby said they can conjure things out of thin air. I'm guessin' that includes people too." Dean said matter of factly. Bobby had a bad feeling growing inside of him.
"You idjits mind telling me what you're goin' on about?" he asked, kind of hoping for a different answer than what he got. Sam looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry, it's just some girl we met. We saw her first at the local pizza joint and then later the same day when we went to talk to the janitor. Said she was his daughter." Sam explained.
"Didn't think she was worth mentioning." Dean added, shrugging his shoulder and taking a swig of beer.
"First off, don't be stupid, all details are important in a case," Bobby started. Pausing he asked seriously, "Second, was this girl about mid-teens, short dark curly brown hair, freckles, and have bright gold eyes?" The Winchesters looked at Bobby's trepidation filled face with worry.
"Uh, yeah, actually. How'd you know?" Sam asked confused as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
"Was her name Maya?" Bobby sighed. Things just got more complicated.
"Bobby, what's going on? How do you know this?" Dean asked, not liking where this was going.
"The kid's real alright. I've known Maya for almost six years now. She's mischievous like her Pa, but is also a real sweet kid, smart too. Been coming to my place for a couple a weeks every few months for almost six years." Bobby admitted reluctantly. Sam and Dean stared at Bobby in utter disbelief. He had a Trickster spawn in his house multiple times and never ganked her?!
"What the hell Bobby?!" Dean accused. "Why's she still alive?!" That got Bobby angry real quick.
"Because Maya is harmless!" Bobby barked back. "It's her Dad that's killin' folks to teach 'em a lesson. Kid never understood that, 'cause she believes in people having the chance at redemption, of actually learnin' from her lessons. She refuses to kill people in pranks!"
Sam shook his head and raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, let's calm down." Sam said calmly, looking at the irate Hunters staring each other down. "Bobby, maybe you should explain from the beginning? How'd you meet Maya?"
Bobby looked at Sam then at Dean, who looked back expectantly. He rubbed his face and let out a sigh as he sat down on the motel room's couch.
"Alright, it will be six years this May when I first met Maya, or more accurately when I rescued her. I was in Rockwell City, Iowa with Rufus huntin' down a small vamp nest. We found the bloodsuckers hiding out in some abandoned warehouses near the old industrial park of the city…
Flashback
Bobby and Rufus had found the vampire's nest in an old and dilapidated warehouse. They kept silent, using hand signals, as they moved through it. It was a small nest of maybe five or so vampires and wouldn't be much of a challenge for the two experienced Hunters.
They were careful as they snuck in to find the bloodsuckers sleeping like they do during the daylight hours. There were a couple of bodies tied up, but from the lack of movement they were too late for them. Bobby and Rufus were about to go hacking off heads when one of the vamps stirred and got up. Another mumbled out a question of what it was doing.
"Feelin' a little peckish. Going take a sip from the kid Reggie and Tyrone brought in." it said and made its way over to a dark corner, where low and behold was a little girl with her hands and feet bound. Bobby could tell from his hiding spot that there was something else wrong with her. She was awake, but barely, and could hardly move. She should be wiggling around like mad with the vamp coming at her, but she barely pushed herself up.
The girl couldn't wait. Bobby quickly jumped from his spot, Rufus cussing out his name and following him into the melee. They chopped two sleeping vamps before the others woke up, but they were made quick work of. The vamp going after the girl saw him and had decided to just grab the girl and flee instead of fight. Bobby sprinted after it and watched as the girl stuck out her bound hands in front of her and cast a goddamn wall of fire around her. The vamp reared itself backwards at the sigh of the flames and stumbled back, neck in prime position for his machete. SLICE!
"Bobby!" Rufus called as he ran up beside him. "What the hell was that?" he yelled pointing at the flames that all of a sudden vanished, and at the heavily breathing girl that summoned them. "We gotta kill her Bobby." Rufus said with certainty as he started to move towards the weak child.
"What?!" Bobby asked incredulous. No would ever claim that Bobby was an idiot when it came to the supernatural or the world in general. He also knew that not all creatures were evil, and so far all they knew of this girl was that she just tried to protect herself. That's it. Not a good reason to slice her head off! So Bobby grabbed Rufus by the scruff and pulled him back.
"What the hell man?!" Rufus exclaimed.
"We don't know if she killed anyone, and look at her she's just a kid!" Bobby pointed out, gesturing to the kid in question who wasn't looking so good. "Besides, we don't even know what she is. How do you know your machete will actually kill her?"
"Wouldn't hurt to try." Rufus shrugged. "Probably slow it down some."
"Yeah and if she was so powerful why did a couple of vamps grab her and almost make a meal out of her?" Bobby observed. "Not to mention there's no scorch marks on the floor…" he said kneeling down where he saw the ring of flames just moments ago. "I don't even remember feeling any heat from the fire."
"Bobby, she's probably a witch, lets just gank her and get out of here." Rufus suggested. Bobby admitted to himself that Rufus had a point but then again she seemed too young to be a witch and if she was a witch why not just kill the vamps with her hocus pocus? Or make a real wall of flames? Bobby told him so.
"So? She might've used too much juice and got snatched when she was too weak to fight back." Rufus argued getting antsy. "I bet you a round of shots that she's got a witch's mark." He said nodding towards the girl. Bobby wasn't too sure, but he was willing to take that bet.
He walked up to the barely with it kid, up close she looked even worse. Pulling back her shirt he looked at her back and showed Rufus. No mark. Rufus started cussing up a storm. Bobby began checking her vitals and they were getting weaker. While he was doing that Rufus had found a backpack that had a photo of the girl and what appeared to be her parent in the front pocket. Opening up the main compartment he was met with a bunch of candy wrappers, with clothes and other personal items buried beneath them. Conjuring illusions, even if they're not real, out of nothing and a major sweet tooth?
"Bobby, it's a fucking Trickster!" Rufus yelped. "The illusionary fire, the backpack full of candy wrappers, it's a Trickster!"
"That might be why she's so weak. Blood sugar too low to keep her high metabolism stable. Hypoglygemia." Bobby pondered a loud, before turning to Rufus. "Rufus, go to my truck. There should be a case of coke in the bed, grab me a can."
"What are you thinking Bobby?! It's a Trickster! I say we get some blood covered stakes and put 'em through its heart." Rufus suggested walking over to where Bobby was with the girl, her backpack in hand.
"We can't. Don't know if she killed anyone to get the blood from. So until I know for sure I'm goin' to help her." Bobby countered. He wasn't budging on this.
"You've finally gone insane haven't you?" Rufus accused. Bobby just glowered at him.
"Shut up you idjit and go get that pop!" He ordered. Rufus threw his hands up in the air.
"Fine! But if it kills you later I'm gonna to spit on your pyre and do an 'I-told-you-so' jig on your fuckin' ashes! And don't think that I won't!" Rufus yelled as he jogged out of the warehouse to Bobby's truck.
Bobby looked at the dark haired little girl and took in her features. She was dirty, looked like it'd been a few days since her last bath and her clothes were stained. Her hair was dark and stringy; she had freckles across her nose that stood out against her pallor skin. She started shaking slightly. Putting a hand to her forehead he found her skin was becoming clammy. Oh no. He checked her pulse and found it beating rapidly. She was going into shock.
"RUFUS! HURRY UP!" Bobby bellowed, to where Rufus disappeared.
"SHUT UP SINGER! I'M COMIN'!" Rufus yelled back, running back into sight with the pop can in hand. "Here ya go ya stubborn bastard." Rufus groused, handing the pop to the other Hunter. Rufus finally took a look at the Trickster he was ready to decapitate. Damn she didn't look good. "What's wrong with it?"
Bobby opened the can, having to hold it away when it fizzed over. Holding the girl in his arms he adjusted her head and brought the open can to her open lips. The moment the sugary drink touched her tongue her bound hands made a grab for the pop can. "Easy girlie, you're alright." Bobby muttered as he watched the girl take gulp after gulp of the carbonated liquid. She squinted her eyes as she experienced the carbonated burn in her throat, and stopped chugging to take a breath, before going right back to chugging till the can was emptied. Her eyes were opened, unfocusedly, and revealed beautiful bright gold irises.
"Still don't think this is a good idea Bobby." Rufus sighed. The kid's state was getting to him. Grumbling at his conscience he grabbed the package of Skittles in his coat pocket and handed it to Bobby. "Here, these things are practically pure sugar. Should help pick her up enough to ask what's going on."
Bobby took the Skittles and tore the package open with his teeth. Maya must of smelled the sweetness of the candy because her eyes focused enough to lock onto the package. Bound hands once again made a grab for the sugar and she started taking mouthfuls of the sugary candy, crushing them between her teeth. Bobby had to pull at the package a little so she slowed down enough that she didn't choke.
"Rufus, can ya cut the ropes on her wrists and ankles?" Bobby asked, keeping a careful eye on the candy-eating girl, her eyes becoming more focused. Rufus shook his head but did as asked.
"Hope you know what you're doin' Bobby." Rufus muttered.
Bobby sighed then muttered, "You and me both." He hefted the girl into his arms to carry her bridal style. "You grab her bag, I'm takin' her to my truck." With that he walked out of the warehouse and to where his truck was stashed, Rufus' own car not too far from his. Rufus, apparently, decided to be helpful and open the passenger side door of Bobby's truck so Bobby could put the girl in.
Bobby kept her seated up right till he got the seat belt on her. He straightened himself out to be met with two small lucid gold eyes staring at him fearfully. Bobby held her stare, but almost jumped back when a thin small ring of purple light appeared around her pupils, shimmering. He held perfectly still and felt utterly exposed and naked, like she was looking right into his goddamn soul. As quickly as it happened the ring disappeared, along with the naked feeling he had felt. The girl's eyes were no longer fearful of him, he could also tell she was tentatively trusting him. Imagine that, s Trickster trusting a Hunter. Bobby watched as the girl relaxed into her seat and closed her eyes; she was out like a light in seconds. He made sure her pulse was normal and the clamminess in her skin had disappeared.
"What was that?! Bobby?!" Rufus demanded, having seen the whole exchange. Bobby grabbed the kid's bag from Rufus' hands and placed it at her feet then shut the door.
"Think I just got my soul scanned." Bobby said bewildered. "What ever she saw must've put her at ease, went right to sleep after." Bobby scratched his head at that.
"They can do that?!"
"Gee I don't know, maybe? I doubt a Trickster ever thought 'Hey why not tell a Hunter all my secrets so they can kill me easier'" Bobby said sarcastically.
"Don't get sarcastic with me!" Rufus said putting up his hands. "I'm just askin' is all."
Sam and Dean
"Then what happened, Bobby?" Sam asked intrigued.
"Took her home, obviously." Bobby shrugged. "About an hour from Sioux Falls she woke up with a bit of a start but calmed down easily enough. Got her some more pop and candy, and we talked."
"What you talk about?" Dean asked, not knowing what you'd talk about with a Trickster.
"Got her name, how old she was, and that she was a runaway." Bobby answered.
"Really? But she's with her Dad now." Sam pointed out.
"Well for three months or so she was with me. After a couple weeks she finally opened up and explained what went on that made her run away. Her father, a year before, had tried to turn an accidental killin' she did into a positive thing. A way of introducin' her to deadly tricks."
"So she IS a kill—" Dean accused in anger, but was cut off by Bobby.
"What part of accidental don't you get? What you never accidentally got someone killed before? Either of you?" Bobby said, knowing full well neither boy had ground to stand on. Sam and Dean didn't meet his gaze. "That's what I thought.
As I was sayin', her Pa tried to make it a positive, but Maya wasn't havin' it. The death she caused had traumatized her and she couldn't understand why her Dad wanted her to kill people, even the real human monsters in the world. Apparently her Dad got it in his head that he'd have to force her to make sure she'd be able to kill someone if she found herself in a tight scrape."
"Wait a minute," Sam interrupted. "Maya doesn't want to kill people to teach a lesson, but her Dad wanted her to be able to kill people in order to defend herself? Those aren't really the same things. It's one thing to willfully kill someone for a prank, it's completely another thing when you're forced to kill someone in self-defense."
"That's the gist of it. They had a bad bout of miscommunication and battles of will for an entire year till the kid couldn't take it anymore and had to get away." Bobby said nodding in agreement. "Four days later I find her in Rockwell City about to be vamp food."
"Okay, so kid's not a killer." Dean amended. "What I don't get is how she could have been jumped by vamps in the first place. Like you pointed out these things are powerful." Dean said looking at Bobby, who nodded.
"You'd be right, except Maya was and, still is, very much still a child. You aren't born already knowin' how to talk, you gotta learn it. When the vamps jumped her she was low on blood sugar and couldn't even teleport something to her hand from a store without seein' it or bein' in the same room as it.
Even then Maya only had less than perfect illusions that weren't solid. Those vamps would've tracked her down anyways if she managed to run. She can't do everythin' her Pa does."
Bobby let that information sink in to their thick skulls. Honestly, after the whole moral debacle with Lenore and Gordon, he'd think the boys would've realized, or at least remembered, that the world ain't black and white.
"Right," Bobby decided to continue the story. "After findin' out what happened I essentially spent the next two months bein' a listenin' ear till she was ready to talk. Her big fear was that her Dad didn't love her anymore, but by that point I was pretty sure the Trickster was just tryin' to prepare the girl because he was scared."
Dean snorted at that. "Really? Scared of what?" Dean said callously. Sam gave him a bitch-face. "What?" Dean asked confused. Bobby called him an idjit under his breath.
"Dean," Sam started. "What's the biggest fear a parent could have?" Sam and Bobby looked at Dean expectantly. Dean opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of an answer.
Dean's only experience was with John and his fear was the yellow-eyed demon or some other supernatural fugly coming after…ah hell. A pang of sympathy went through him. "Scared of his kid getting hurt, or worse." Dean said, voice low, as he rubbed his face with his hand in vexation. This case was getting a little more complicated.
"Exactly. This son of a bitch was scared shitless because he thought his kid didn't want to kill, period, even if her life was in danger." Bobby groused.
"So he tried to force her to do it to make it easier when she was threatened." Sam sighed.
"Yep, but it backfired spectacularly. I was able to convince her to finally call him, but when he didn't answer I took her up to the nearest safe house to Fort Dodge, Iowa that she knew of. Her Dad had been quiet with his activities for the most part, so he was probably hidin' somewhere not too far away.
We get up there and the car they had was there. Poor thing's nervous as hell trying to get up the nerve to knock on the door. I stayed in the truck just at the end of the drive-way behind some trees to keep an eye on her. Apparently the Trickster was out walkin' about the property and came up behind her and called her name." Bobby paused remembering that scene and all the emotion going on between the two. Made it hard to remember that the Trickster kills people.
"Well, obviously they made-up." Dean pointed out. Bobby nodded.
"Yeah, it was, as you say Dean, a real chick-flick moment, lots of tears, huggin', and just holdin' each other. From what I saw the bastard looked like shit, unkempt, and nothing like you'd expect from a demi-god, but he was shaking with relief at having his kid back in his arms. You can say all you want about him, but he's a good father. I called the number Maya gave me a little while after he carried her inside the house and told him what's up. He was fair game, but as long as Maya doesn't start killin' people she's safe.
Apparently I had also left quite the impression on Maya as she somehow convinced her overprotective Pa to let her some to my place for a couple weeks every few months. Taught her some self-defense moves that proved useful for her when some pervert tried to nab her. Even taught her some of the language I know from reading the supernatural lore, she picked those up right quick, and just about devours information like a sponge." Bobby finished.
"So now what?" Dean finally asked. "We can't just leave! Her Dad is killing people! I'll agree to leave Maya alone if she ain't killing, but where does that leave us?" he asked in frustration.
"We'd be making her an orphan. Who knows what path she'll take then." Sam sighed resigned. "Does she have another parent she could live with?" Sam asked curiously.
Bobby shook his head. "No, bad idea." He said with finality
"Why?" Dean probed tiredly.
"She's half-human, and the human parent? They're a Hunter." Bobby intoned deeply.
"No fucking way." Dean said in disbelief. "Some Hunter chick slept with the Trickster and let him take her baby, nine months later?"
"Not exactly. Tricksters can be anythin', can even change how they look, even change their gender." Bobby insinuated.
"Her Trickster Dad, is actually her Mom?" Dean laughed; it was pretty funny to think about a demi-god getting knocked up by a human.
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother before looking at Bobby's fed up expression at Dean. "So chances are if we take her to her Hunter father he'd probably just try to kill her on the spot." Sam reasoned with a scowl.
"Yeah, and with Maya being half-human she's pretty much mortal. Good shot to the head and that's it." Bobby said. He remembered that conversation, the Trickster had trusted him with the information, as a way to keep her safe.
"So what're we going to do with her?" Dean pondered aloud.
"I take her in. Far as I know I'm the only one that knows about her and can keep her safe till she can look after herself." Bobby revealed with a shrug. It was the arrangement he had with the annoying pain in the ass Trickster.
"You sure Bobby? If any other Hunters find out you'll have one hell of a target on your back." Sam said concerned.
"Course I'm sure. I like the kid well enough and I ain't no push over, as well you both know." Bobby said pointedly at the two boys he's known since they were small.
"Alright," Dean surrendered with his hands up, non-offensively. "Now we just got to figure out how to kill her Dad…it's going to be a shitty night isn't it?" Dean uttered with dread. The other two hummed their agreement to that.
"Just leave Maya out of it." Bobby added.
"Why?" Dean stupidly asked. He's not a parent so you couldn't really blame the poor guy.
"Do you really want a pissed off parental demi-god Trickster on your asses for threatenin' his kid, or puttin' her in danger?" Bobby demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"No." "Nope." Came the unanimous responses from the Winchesters.
"That's what I thought. Idjits." Bobby groused.
AN: Holy crap this is long. This episode is just getting away from me! There should be one more part after this. I'm ending here cause it's a good enough place to end for a really long chapter. Thanks for reading!