I wake slowly the next morning. Two snoozed alarms later and I was still comfy as I snuggled into the warmth next to me, thoroughly in a deliriously dozy haze. I can feel something fuzzy pressing into my cheek and a heavy, warm weight holding down my arm as tingles shoot up and down it. I smell pine and musk and something dark I'm not quite able to describe. I try to flex my tingling arm as the sensation begins to sprout with pain and swish my tongue around in my mouth. My eyes leisurely open one at a time breaking through a thin layer of crust. I see my dark blue ceiling covered in stars coming into focus above me, noticing the soft glow of sunlight from the tiny window. Watching the dust motes dance lazily through the air.
It hits the point where my arm begins to throb so I glance down and find an eyeful of sandy brown hair.
Oh… that's right. Dean.
Memories of last night flood my brain and I start to smile as my spare hand comes up to rub my forehead in disbelief. My thoughts start rolling around. What now? What do I do now? What do WE do now? The boys have spent the night, but what comes next?
Getting them home. My brain supplies like it's an obvious solution and not a totally impossible concept until yesterday. Yesterday when the characters of a TV show appeared in my bedroom.
Yeah totally normal.
Suddenly, I realize that I can't keep this to myself, despite all the effort I went through last night just to keep my father from stumbling into it. With my mind made up I start shifting my arm, simultaneously encouraging my bed mate awake.
"Wake up, Winchester." Then I use my other hand to boop his nose. He wrinkles it in response then lifts up his hand that was across my abdomen (Which, I somehow failed to notice. Weird.) and rubs his nose, then he drops it back where it was and hugs me closer. A squeak escapes me in surprise.
"Mmm. Don't wanna." Dean mumbles and nuzzles down into my shoulder, which makes me laugh this light airy chuckle.
"Too bad." I tell him and hear him let out a huge bear of a sigh. I finally free my arm, shaking it out to get the blood flowing properly, but Dean is still holding me captive. I sigh and look down at him to see his little smile but his eyes are still stubbornly closed.
"I didn't know you were so cuddly." I tell him with mild defeat slumping into my shoulders and I run my hand over his hair. He hums in appreciation as I lightly scratch his scalp.
"Bet there's still a few other things you don't know, Ms. Alternate Universe."
"I'll accept the crown for now… But… technically," I drawl out the last word and tap my fingers on his arm. "You're from the 'Alternate Universe' since you're in my universe." I laugh at myself and Dean picks his head up from my shoulder to give me a weird smile. "God, this is so insane." Quickly I take advantage of the new position and slip out of Dean's grasp and jump off the bed.
"Yeah, I know." Dean says then scrubs a hand over his face. I smirk at him and start to gather up my hair into a loose bun. Dean stares at me the whole time and I try not to look at him but it's a heavy stare.
"You can't keep doing that." I scold him. He gives me an innocent look from where his head rests in his hand, propped up on an elbow. He opens his mouth to object, probably, and I point a finger at him. "You know exactly what." Dean shuts his mouth and holds up his hands in surrender. "I just met you, okay? So… I can't just act like I've known you forever. Especially because you don't know me at all." I finish my rant and start off toward my closet.
"You're right." He says and I turn back to look at him. His feet dangle off the bed as he sits up. I raise my eyebrows expectantly, hoping he might continue. "I should take you out for a drink first." A devilish smile crosses his face and I groan as I walk into the closet, away from him.
"You're impossible Dean Winchester." I call out. I hear chuckling behind me in response.
"That wasn't a 'no', so I'm taking it as a win!" When I come back out to the room Dean has changed back into his jeans and is pulling on a t-shirt. I suck in a breath at the sight of his smooth, lightly tanned skin just before it disappears under the black cotton material. I swallow thickly watching him do a quick smell check then shrug and go to grab his flannel off the couch. He sees me and gives me a lazy lopsided smile as he pulls on the green and black flannel. "We're gonna need to get you more clothes. And… other necessities."
Dean's smile drops and his jaw clenches.
"We're not gonna be here long enough for that." He turns toward the bed to fix the blankets and pillows. I give him a sympathetic look behind his back and grab his arm lightly. He's fluffing a pillow but he drops his hands to the bed at the contact and turns to look at me. I rub his arm lightly but bite my tongue to hold in all the more realistic thoughts that he may be stuck here for a while.
"Maybe just borrow some deodorant?" I suggest and he smiles at me while reaching over to pat my hand, then he goes back to his task. Feeling better about the situation I walk away saying as I go, "I need to make a call. Use whatever you need to from the bathroom. Toothbrush. Make up. Shower. Whatever."
"Where is it?"
"Up the stairs, to the left."
"Got it."
Then I'm out of the bedroom, up the half flight of stairs, across the family room and out the sliding glass door next to the bathroom. It's warmish outside, to a native northerner, temperature hanging just above 50 degrees fahrenheit. It's a nice day for late March. The 30th to be exact, it's almost April. The sun shines down on me in my black tank top and black leggings, and my feet easily walk between the melting piles of snow still littering the back patio area. I walk over to the covered porch and hop up into one of the tall chairs. The wind blows softly, giving the air a slight chill despite the bright sun, and goosebumps start to form on my arms. Pulling out my phone my thumb deftly unlocks the device and pulls up the contact Sarahhhh. I press the smooth surface to my ear and hear the trill ringing.
"Hello?" Answers a very confused voice.
"You're not gonna believe this until you see it. So I need you to get over here now. It's an emergency." I tell the voice on the other side, then I pause to let her process.
"You're serious."
"Deadly."
"Shit. What's going on?!"
"Like I said, you won't believe me if I tell you." I hear a sigh on the other end and run my fingers through my hair.
"Fine. I'm coming. You want Caribou?"
"Yes!" I say with relief.
"Hot chocolate?"
"Yes, but make it two. And two coffee's. One sweetened, the other black." I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the response.
"What the fuck?!"
"Trust me. We need it. Emergency and all." I huff a laugh and I hear some grumbling and shuffling on the other end.
"I'll be there in half an hour."
"Perfect. Love you!"
"Yeah, you better." I sigh a breath of relief as I tuck my phone into the elastic waistband of my leggings and stand up. I hop swiftly back into the house before the chill can settle in, and almost run into Dean coming out of the bathroom. He looks flustered and drops his gaze down as he rubs the back of his neck.
"I- uh… used your toothbrush."
"Kinky." I say with a smirk. He glances up at me like he wants to say something else but he doesn't. "Okay. Well, let's go wake up your brother and angel."
"Right." Dean says slowly with a nod and wipes his palms on his pants. I nod back and take off up the stairs to my left, passing through the kitchen rounding the corner and up the second flight to the spare bedroom where I pause to knock. Cas opens the door and my brain freezes for a minute on the sight of him. Damn all these boys and their astonishingly good looks.
"Is it safe to leave the room?" Cas asks. I laugh and nod glancing around Cas to see Sam still asleep, stretched treacherously between the chair and the ottoman, making himself a human bridge between the two. I hear Dean chuckle behind me then he pushes past me and Cas, pulling out his phone to take a picture of the moose. I roll my eyes at the two and signal for Cas to follow me. He nods and we leave the upper hall, down the stairs, and pass through the living room to the dining room where we sit at the table, a moderate size mahogany one with four chairs around it and two off to the side. Cas sits kitty corner to me and I angle myself to face him, he copies me and our knees bump. It seems the moments of how surreal this all is haven't stopped yet, cause here I am, bumping knees with Castiel. I clasp my hands together on the table and twiddle my thumbs. Cas' gaze is trained out the window just to his left of behind me, where the nice blue sky with the wispy stratus clouds are visible. His gorgeous blue eyes reflect the sky, he's so pretty it makes me sad.
"Do you want cereal?" I offer and Cas looks at me, tilts his head, his eyes sparkling with amusement and curiosity
"I don't-"
"I know Cas, I'm trying to be polite." Cas shuts his mouth and nods.
"No thank you." He responds. I smile at him for using such a simple human expression. He gives me a little smile back. I fidget with my fingers some more, squirming in my seat. Castiel tilts his head slightly, squinting his eyes to observe me and I have to look away, not used to someone with such a penetrating stare. "What is it you want to tell me?" Asks Cas' grumbly voice with low tones. I huff out a laugh.
"Whoever said you don't understand humans is a liar." I tell him and he smirks at me, waiting for me to go on. "Right. Well…" I sigh. "I had another dream." I say softly, barely audible.
"I know." I look up at Cas in surprise.
"Wow. Okay, uh… I can't tell if that's weird or cool or creepy." There's Cas' smirk again and it makes me smile, a relaxing feeling floats into my body. He makes me feel better about the craziness of all this. Whereas Dean just keeps me on my toes, constantly having to check my peripherals, afraid I might crash… and Sam is just like, a new pair of glasses that aren't quite the right prescription. Blurry, the whole world looks jarring around him. Cas is calmness, a message in a bottle that you can just pluck out of the raging ocean.
"It would appear we are connected."
"I think I've decided.. And that's really cool." I give Cas a bright smile and he smiles back, then looks down shyly. He's positively adorable and no one can convince me otherwise. Precious cinnamon roll doesn't even come close. Wait… what were we talking about? Oh yeah, freaky cool dream mind connection thingy. "Well, what are we gonna do about it then?" I look at Cas with slightly panicked eyes. He reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder.
"We'll just… cross that bridge when we come to it." Despite trying to control myself, I laugh at Cas' use of metaphor, just a derisive snort comes out. That's when Dean decides to make his reappearance with Sam as they come clambouring down the stairs, both of them laughing till Dean shoves Sam who goes sprawling over one of the tan leather couches in my living room. I catch Cas' eyes and we've both got wistful smirks on our faces. The same thought crosses our minds… If only they could be this happy everyday.
"I'm gonna gather up some computers for you guys." I say as I stand. "If you want cereal or something for breakfast, just scour the kitchen for whatever." Dean nods, licks his lips, and heads for the kitchen. Sam manages to push himself to a sitting position.
"You want some help?" Sam asks, and I nod at him gratefully.
"Coffee should be here soon too." I tell all of them, Dean makes an appreciative noise as he rifles through the cereal options and selects one. Good ole Marshmallow Mateys. I head for the stairs.
"I knew I liked you." Dean says, I roll my eyes without turning back, Sam follows me. We've just reached the bottom of the stairs when Sam speaks up, reaching out to grab my elbow.
"I just wanna say thank you, Allie. For letting us stay and helping us find our way back. Summoning Dean coffee, this has been the least stressful escapade in a while." I smile kindly at him.
"You should knock on wood." Sam chuckles and obliges, rapping on the support beam. "Honestly, what kind of fan would I be if I just turned you out in the cold?" That makes Sam laugh.
"I'm also really glad you're not like Becky." I shudder at the name,
"Yeah, she's like the perfect example of how not to be a fan." With that I turn into the basement, hopping down the few steps, and into my room. I rummage for a second before coming up with an iPad, a charger, and a bluetooth keyboard. My thoughts are swirling with all that's happening. It's like, no matter what's going on I can't escape the racing thoughts honing in on the improbability of all of this. The real people sitting in my house who feel as if the entire world rides on their shoulders. "Will they be alright up there?" I glance at Sam and see his confused face, clearly not privy to my train of thought, before realization dawns on him. In the end he just shakes his head.
"I don't know. Dean's been super irritable and upset lately. Anytime I ask about what happened in that crypt." I grimace and turn around to go rummage in another part of my room, under the bed. So it's exactly as bad as I thought it might be. Awesome. Well, at least Dean currently has a bowl of cereal to occupy his big mouth, so the chances of a fight are slightly minimized.
"It wasn't good, Sam. I could tell you what happened, and I will if it becomes a problem, but for now I hope he'll tell you on his own." Sam scoffs at that as I pull out a large red laptop and charging cord to pass to him.
"Yeah and we both know how that works." I nod to that sentiment and then head out of my room.
"Maybe they'll just work it out on their own." I say hopefully, but I know neither of us really believe that. The Winchester way of 'working it out' often involves fists in other people's faces. Which, needless to say, is completely toxic and not constructive at all. As we pass through the family room I make a detour to snag another laptop and charger.
"Uhhh… why do you have so many electronics if it's just the two of you living here?" I laugh at that as I wrap the cord and turn back to him, it's a bitter sound though, and Sam notices a concerned look etched into his face.
"Well… besides just the fact that Dad and I like them?" I pause and glance away. "My mom died a few months ago. So we kinda have extra now." Sam stalls behind me momentarily, but easily takes a giant step to catch up just as I'm passing through the entryway and up the stairs into the living room, which are parallel to the set of stairs that lead up into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry."
"I know." And I do, I know Sam of all people is sincere. I turn back to him once we reach the top and he manages to put a hand on my shoulder despite his arm load. "You get it. I'm fine. I don't need to talk right now." I cross the living room and round the corner of the couch, ending up right next to the dining room, stepping up to a medium brown leather recliner, a set of two. The chair is covered in a thin layer of dust and next to it is a small striped ottoman. I flip open the lid of it and pull out another. slightly larger, iPad.
"But if-" Sam starts
"If I need to, I'll find you." When we turn to face the table Dean has a look of confusion on his face, spoon halfway to his open mouth. Cas on the other hand, already knows. I ignore Dean and start passing out devices, iPads first. My mom's goes to Cas and my old one goes to Dean, along with the wireless keyboard. I let Sam keep the laptop he's holding then I sit at the head of the table, seeing as Dean has stolen my previous spot. Sam, meanwhile, takes the last empty chair at the table, furthest from the kitchen, but with the best view of the entire room.
"Alright, here's the drill." I say as I whip open my laptop and unlock it with ease. I quickly open up my browser and start adjusting settings for the other devices. "We need to find a way for you all to get back to your universe and solve the shit going on there. Now, I've preemptively locked down all searches regarding anything to do with the show, your name's, your counterpart name's, and I completely blocked off tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook." They all give me incredulous looks that to switch to varying degrees of impressed. "Just to be safe." I clarify by holding up a hand.
"Holy shit." Dean breathes out. "You must be some kind of… computer super genius!" I laugh at that and Sam gives his brother the most patronizing look from across the table.
"No, I only know a little more than the basics."
"And you don't understand computers, so it all seems impressive to you." Sam adds. Dean shoots Sam a bitch face and I laugh again. Cas is rolling his eyes across from me.
"Well, I'm no Charlie, and I'm guessing Sam could easily get around the blockage if he tried, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt he won't try to." I give the aforementioned Winchester a distinct look. He smiles at me and I really hope that means he's going to behave. "Anyway. Let's go at this like a research paper. All of us take our own approach, copy and paste anything relevant into your own google doc I've just set up for you." I hit enter on the last doc, all titled neatly with each person's name. "Dean, you're Cas' gopher if he needs help operating the iPad, but Cas, first thing I want you to do is type up any relevant info you already know." Cas nods and I smile brightly. "Any questions?"
"You're very organized." Cas comments.
"Thank you." I say with a wink. "I wear it with pride." Sam, who has already started typing away pipes up.
"Who's Sarah?" I blink at him for a moment, then it occurs to me, facebook messenger had been left open on that computer which could only mean...
"Oh right! Coffee!"
"Coffee?" Dean asks hopefully just as the sound of the back door creaking open reaches our ears. The door shuts with a heavy clunk and all the boys turn in the general direction, then glance back to me.
"Who did you bring into this?" Dean asks in a hushed angry tone.
"Another expert!" I snap back as an explanation and quip all in one.
"Another fan you mean?" Sam asks and he also has a disapproving frown.
"Allie!" Sarah calls, "Help me carry this shit." I look between the unhappy brothers and the stairway in the kitchen. I feel panic start to creep in.
"Go." Cas says, meeting my eyes with a calming gaze that tells me he trusts me and that he'll talk to the boys. I nod my thanks and dash down the stairs, catching Sarah right at the bottom of them. In a rush I pull her back down the stairs and more into the family room.
"Woah, woah. Hey! Ok. What the fuck?" She says but she goes where I pull her, the carrier of cups in her hand slosh a little bit. "Who are you talking to up there?" She asks and I meet her eyes carefully.
"The emergency."
"Uh okay." She rolls her eyes. "So what's the problem? It's nine a.m. on a Saturday and you have me show up at your house with 5 Caribou orders." I give her a pained shrug and take a deep breath to hoard inside of me. I let it out quick and sharp as I speak.
"What you're about to see is gonna seem crazy but I promise you, I am NOT playing a joke on you. Okay? Even though it seems impossible, it's real." Sarah scoffs but then sees my serious expression and quickly sobers.
"Yeah, okay. It's real. Not a joke. Got it." She concedes and I let out the rest of that breath.
"Okay, give me those. And let's go upstairs." Sarah passes over the drinks without complaint. Then we turn and head through the entryway and up the stairs into the living room. For the moment Sarah can't see past me, which is probably for the best. Until Sarah's curiosity gets the better of her.
"Allie just-" Sarah practically shoves me to the side so she can finally see the people at the table. "Uhhh. Woah. What. What?!" All three men are staring back at her, three faces only ever seen on the small screen in poor quality. Sam speaks first, standing to attempt an introduction, stretching out his hand.
"Hey. I'm Sam-"
"Winchester. Yeah." Sarah's voice is breathy with disbelief, she shakes his hand, eyes wide and turns back to Allie.
"I'm guessing we don't need to introduce ourselves." Dean says and Sarah turns back to him.
"No… just," Sarah flips back to Allie again. "What the hell are the Winchesters and Castiel doing in your dining room!" She's practically yelling which makes me wince as I start distributing drinks.
"Guys, this is Sarah. My best friend." I tell them, then respond to Sarah herself. "It's kinda complicated.. " I set a cup in front of each man then answer their curious looks. "Black for Sam. Mocha for Dean. Hot chocolate for Cas." All the boys, but Dean in particular, give me appreciative looks.
"Thank you." Sam says and the other two nod in agreement. My phone chooses the next moment to start blaring the SPN credit theme.
"Oh crap. I gotta get that. Sam, will you…?" I ask and nod towards Sarah.
"Yep." He answers, I smile at him then dash off down the stairs. Securing my phone from where I'd apparently left it on one of the couches in the family room, I quickly decline the call, and quietly creep closer to the stairs to listen. Sometimes you just gotta dive in head first, a bucket of cold water to the head can break the shell shock. It would do Sarah good.
"So basically, Cas and Allie are connected somehow, so Cas decided to drag us to this universe. Which is a way to protect the angel tablet from Naomi. Now we're working on ways to get back." Sam finishes his rough explanation, thankfully Cas chimes in.
"However, Allie has blocked us from looking up any info about ourselves in this universe." Alright well… that wasn't exactly pertinent information. But at least they're trying, I think.
"And now here you are, and you brought us coffee. You're all caught up. Can we get to work now?" Dean is definitely still annoyed.
"Alright. Got it. So, you're acting out a new version of The French Mistake for her." I have to restrain myself from face palming at the fact that my best friend still can't believe what's in front of her. The resounding silence from the chorus should be answer enough but Sarah keeps rolling. "Seriously, you can drop the act while it's just us and tell me… is this some 'Make-a-Wish' thing?" Dean laughs at that.
"Isn't that some program for kids with cancer?" Cas asks.
"Shit, you think she's dying?" Dean adds, then laughs again.
"Guys, she just thinks we're the actors-" Poor Sam, trying to bring clarity to an insane situation.
"Of course you're actors! There's no way this is real. So just knock it off!" She's sounding borderline hysterical. Jesus what have I gotten us into?
"Is Allison really so dramatic as to not tell you she's dying and stage an elaborate thing like this?" Sam asks and I wince from my eavesdropping position. There's a few moments of silence as, what I suspect, is Sarah considering her answer and the boys all watching her with muted fascination.
"Yes." Sarah finally responds in total deadpan. More silence, I actually facepalm this time, making a light smacking sound. Just like that, with one word, Sarah has sent me reeling back into the crazy fan territory. Fantastical. Or, if not that, straight into the manipulative, secretive, and exceptionally dramatic category… which… honestly? Fair.
"I can change her mind." Ah Cas, my favorite voice of reason already. The sounds of the chair scuffing backward echoes in the house, probably Cas standing up. I quickly sneak to the base of the other stairs to easily watch the following exchange. Only their heads are visible but that's enough.
"How?" Sarah wonders, crossing her arms as Cas squares up with her. He simply raises his hand and places two fingers on her temple. Castiel's eyes flash blue and Sarah gasps, stepping away. "Oh my god!" She covers her mouth and points at Cas. I choose this exact moment to make my entrance, finally having been vindicated by not being an overdramatic liar. Sarah's pointing finger goes to the boys and then gasps again, hand dropping from her face. "You're real!" She turns to me and laughs. "They're real." I nod at her and grab her arm, rubbing up and down firmly. Hopefully grounding her in reality. And keeping her from passing out, just in case that might be an option for her.
"Sarah, are you-"
"I'm fine. It's just, wow. Okay." Sarah's gaze turns back to Cas. "So you're actually an..?"
"Angel. Yes." Something twinkles in Sarah's eye while staring at Cas.
"Wow." Then she swallows and tears her eyes away from him. "So, you're all here from an alternate universe where everything we've ever seen on your TV show actually happened." Then she plops down on the arm of the couch just behind her, her words settling like the reality altering infinity stone in her stomach. I rub her back sympathetically.
"I know. It's very Twilight Zone in here right now." I tell her as Cas sits back down. She laughs.
"There's probably a universe for that too." Sarah says with the tone of someone in a dream-like state. I hum in thought at that.
"Who would have thought the multiverse was full of TV shows." Sarah looks at me and smiles.
"Makes you wonder what TV show we're in." She adds and I shrug in agreement.
"Not to cut the revelations short, but we've got work to do if we're ever gonna get back to our universe." Dean interjects.
"Sorry, you're right. Research time." Sarah says with a nod and claps her hands. "My laptop is in the car." Then she's up and moving. We all watch her go. After a moment I stand up and scoot around Dean to grab a spare chair. Breaking up the head of the table into two spots, I take the one closer to Dean.
"So… she's an expert?" Dean asks and I give him an annoyed look.
"Yes. An expert, who never dreamed any of this stuff was true, like I did. So she's more in shock." Dean nods considering this.
"I didn't think individuals in shock could pull a fake gun out and use it to threaten others." Cas quips and I glare at him.
"Hey now, I-"
"So, what you're saying is you believe in us?" Dean gives me a wolfish smile as Sam groans. "Did you click your heels and wish really hard on a blue star?" I smack his arm lightly. Thankfully Sarah makes her reappearance, jumping up the stairs. Then she settles into the vacant chair and dutifully opens her laptop. We all settle into work for a bit, but before long Sam clears his throat and all of us look up at him.
"I feel like we should learn a bit more about the two of you before we just put you to work for us…. So, tell us... What do you do?" I nod and turn to Sarah, wondering who should go first. She nods to me.
"Uh, well. I'm kinda a teacher, er- paraprofessional. I teach a few styles of fighting and dance on the side. I live with my dad, mom passed away a bit ago, but my dad and I always did better together rather than separate. Uhhh… yeah." The boys look moderately impressed.
"What styles of fighting?" Dean asks with that same flirtatious smirk. Sarah quirks an eyebrow at the interaction, but I just send my eyes skyward again.
"Dean." I warn him.
"Can we spar later?"
"You're insufferable."
"Anyway…" Sam interrupts and gestures politely. "Sarah?" She nods and clears her throat.
"Hey, I'm Sarah Johnson. I'm a veteran who works security detail most days, then works in a garden conservatory the other ones."
"What branch?" Sam asks.
"Army National Guard. Eight years." Dean laughs and everyone looks at him.
"So we popped through the universal wall to find two bad asses who admire the cause." Dean gives us both a huge smile. "Awesome."
"I don't think it was a coincidence." Cas speaks up for the first time since we all sat down. I clear my throat, trying to chase down the embarrassed heat at the back of my neck from the way Cas is looking at me.
"Last question." Dean says, putting a finger up. "How old are you two?"
"Thirty-two." Sarah and I respond in sync which makes the three of them give us a weird look.
"I'm older, by eight months." I add in while Sarah just rolls her eyes.
"Allie always has to add that." Sarah complains.
"Well I did graduate a year before you. We can't all be the product of baby envy. Someone had to be the inspiration." I do a grand gesture with my hands. Sam snorts and Dean actually laughs at that. Cas gives me a little smile and then shakes his head. Sam leans closer to Sarah and nudges her lightly.
"Is she known for having an ego normally or is it just-"
"Oh no. This the norm. Anytime you give her a compliment she just says 'I know.' It's never thank you or anything." Sarah tells him to the sound of more laughing. I just shrug because I can't deny it.
"Confidence is attractive." Dean tells me. I roll my eyes at him, ignoring the comment I shoot a glance at Sarah.
"Normal is for losers." After that a comfortable silence lapses for a few moments until Sam speaks up again.
"Well… is there anything you'd like to know about us?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, is there even anything you don't already know?" Dean adds, clearly still at odds with the whole TV show thing. He seemed to be doing better about it with just me around, but now that Sarah is here he's back to that original level of 'Dean hates outsiders' angst.
"Actually, yeah. I do have one." Sarah speaks up and all eyes turn to her expectantly. "Allie and I have this current running debate about what your Hogwarts houses are. So, just wondering if you guys have taken the test or not?" My eyes widen in interest.
"It's a double sided theory, but I still bet I'm right. Especially now." I tell her.
"Well, I'm definitely a Gryffindor and Sam is totally a Ravenclaw. He's such a book nerd. Cas is probably a Hufflepuff, but who knows he's a wild card." Dean answers smoothly, clearly he's thought about this before. I smile knowingly and give Sarah a pointed look.
"Alright, alright fine! You win the perceived houses card." Sarah tells me with a huff of annoyance. Then turning back to the boys, "But have any of you taken the official Pottermore test?" The brother's shake their heads but Cas just tilts his in confusion. Sarah claps her hands excitedly.
"We'll have to make some fake emails." I tell her.
"So what?! That'll take you all of an extra minute. You do set up for Dean and Cas, I'll do Sam." And so it began that after some furious typing and multiple fake email accounts later, all three boys sat using a rather large amount of focus to take their quizzes. I hover by Cas as he answers all his questions, the obscure questions confuse him so there was a lot of nudging him to listen to his gut or heart or whatever. Sarah is hovering over Sam's shoulder when he finally shoos her away. She plops down and waits. On Cas' last question I scurry over to my seat.
"When all three of you are done give me a look and then I'll tell you all to turn your screens towards us." Of course because I didn't specify I get a raised eyebrow from Sam upon his finishing… although whether that's because of surprise or not is yet to be determined. Cas just looks up confused and nods at me. Then finally Dean-
"What?! I'm a Hufflepuff?" He's clearly so surprised he couldn't keep it in.
"And that's another point for me." I add, and Sarah just glowers.
"Alright, I wanna see you two. Spin 'em." Sarah commands. Cas' iPad screen shows red and gold banners and Sam's is green and black. "Aw come on! How did you even do that Allie?"
"I'd like to think it's the teacher in me that understands one's motivations better than the average person." I say with a haughty expression. Sarah scoffs and rolls her eyes at me. Sam looks impressed and intrigued.
"Actually, I'd like to know the thinking behind it." Sam asks. I look at the three of them, Cas is still confused and Dean is pouting. Well, this will either make him feel worse or better.
"Okay, uh. Well, it's pretty obvious that you Winchester boys are exceptionally brave, that's the obvious thing. So I'd bet pretty heavily both of your secondary houses are Gryffindor. But I guessed this based on your core motivations. Sam, ever since you were little you always wanted something more for life. Not that you don't love hunting, but you always wanted a better life for yourself. Stanford was the epitome of your ambitions. You've always been a very ambitious person. Which is what Slytherin's are at their core." Sam nods. Clearly understanding the logic there. "It has nothing to do with your past. Demon blood, or the vessel for the devil aside. They don't have anything to do with your true motivations. And despite popular belief, Slytherin is not an evil house. My secondary is Slytherin. So it just made sense. Wear it with pride." I smile at him and he chuckles softly and then turns to his computer, probably closing things out.
"Alright, give it to me oh sorting hat." Dean says and I smirk at him.
"Like I said, you're obviously a brave cat, Gryffindor is definitely your secondary. But you're a Hufflepuff because of your caring nature. You raised Sam, you were always there when your dad wasn't, and your dad pretty much conditioned you from a young age that taking care of Sam was the most important thing in the world. That's never changed for you. You'd die for family and sacrifice for family before anything else. Yes you'd always save the world, but if Cas, Sam, Charlie, Bobby, or anyone you care about was on the line, then they come first. Then there's the way you relate to kids and people in general. That's what makes you a Hufflepuff." Dean doesn't say anything, so I take that as acceptance.
"You gonna do Cas too?" Sam asks.
"If he wants." I say while watching Cas.
"Please." He tells me. I nod and dive back in.
"Up until you pulled Dean out of hell, I doubt you even had a house. You just didn't have much driving motivations that weren't typical of all angels. But you rebelled against everything you've ever known for the greater good. Leaving Dean in purgatory, going off on your own. Taking the tablet and running with it to keep it from Naomi. Taking a chance and opening a portal to an alternate dimension again, based on weird visions you were having. You do these things to protect others, you do it for these two, but you also do things for the greater good. Cas is the only true Gryffindor here because, when it comes down to it, his split second decisions are always the most brave and sometimes reckless options." Cas nods throughout, but remains silent at the end.
"Huh. You are good at that." Sam compliments me.
"I know." I say and they all chuckle.
"So, what're your houses?" Dean asks. Sarah answers, finally getting a chance to speak again.
"I'm a Ravenclaw and Allie is a Gryffindor." She says and Sam scoffs.
"You're both Gryffindor's too? Are you sure you two aren't soul tied or something?" Sam asks, mostly jokingly, of me and Cas. We respond at the same time.
"Cas doesn't have a soul."
-"I don't have a soul."
Then we both proceed to give eachother intrigued looks while everyone else looks confused.
"This connection thing is starting to freak me out." Dean quips as he looks between the two of us.
"Can we get back to work now?" I ask as I feel an embarrassed heat spread up my cheeks. Silence is my answer as we all start typing and searching through various sights on the web. Sarah and I have the advantage of getting to search through all the Supernatural related archives… or disadvantage depending on how you view it. Since all the TV show mojo is highly unlikely to actually work in this universe. My facebook tab lights up with a notification and I click over to see a message from Sarah. I give her a look before reading it.
-Msg from Sarah Johnson: We still need to talk about this 'connection' you have with Castiel.
I roll my eyes and type back a response.
-Msg to Sarah Johnson: Later. Don't break up the studious energy right now.
I hear a big sigh from next to me.
-Msg from Sarah Johnson: Fine. :P