Okayyyyyyy… not gonna lie. I'm a pretty big fan of this chapter because I'm a pretty big fan of this episode- and well. Richard. He made such an impression on me at the Con I attended and I'll forever love him for making time for me. I love getting to play with his character and the story that follows. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed putting it together! I'm so over school and I miss writing about my Emily. I miss you all- please review and let me know where we wanna take our girl's story. Let me know what you think about the roller coaster so far. I miss you guys.
"Sam, how much longer are we going to do this?" I growled from behind the prop door on set.
"I don't know, okay! I'm as sick of it as you are…"
"We have to get the fuck out of here and figure out what the hell is going on!"
"Shhh… listen for the cue."
"I'm gonna need a bigger mouth." Dean joked from the other side of the door. The audience applauding as Sam pushed open the door and I painted a fake grin on my face following him into the room.
"Hey there, Sam. Em. What's happening?"
"Oh, nothing. Um. Just the end of the world." I shrugged. The laughing started up again.
"You're gonna need a bigger mouth." Sam said looking down at Dean's sandwich. "Hey, uh, have you done your research yet?"
"Oh, yeah. All kinds of research. All night."
"Yeah? Hm."
"Oh, Dean..." A tall brunette wearing nothing but a bra and underwear called out from the now open bathroom door. "We have some more research to do."
"Dean..." Sam folded his arms and I shook my head.
"Son of a bitch!"
More laughter… I'm fucking sick of the laughing!
….
….
….
2 DAYS EARLIER
"Don't tell me Em talked you into watching Dr. Sexy again?" Sam sighed as he saw Dean and I sitting on the bed, glued to the small TV.
"Again?" Judson asked from the other bed annoyed. "You mean he was aware of how terrible this was before?"
"Shut up. You ready?" Dean said standing, turning off the TV.
"Hey! It's got like 10 minutes left in the episode!"
"Emily please." Judson groaned falling back on the bed dramatically.
"Fine." I sighed standing, reaching over and pulling him up by the arm he extended, following Sam and Dean out to the car.
"Ya know… you could spend all that time watching Dr. Sexy, or I could be your very own Dr. Sexy." He mumbled with his hot breath against my ear. I shivered at the thought.
"Oh?"
"Anything to not have to sit through another episode of that…"
"Yeah yeah… you're going to have to make it worth my time."
"Oh, I can certainly do that."
"PG-13!" Dean yelled as we got closer to the car.
…..
…..
…..
"Bill Randolph died from a bear attack."
"How sure are you—that it was a bear?" Sam asked as I stood beside him, arms crossed. Thinking for some reason my damn pencil skirt is feeling a little tight. I must be bloated… damn Chinese food.
"What else would it be?"
"Well, whatever it was, it chased Mr. Randolph through the woods, smashed through his front door and followed him up the stairs, and killed him in his bedroom. Is that common, a bear doing all that?" I asked skeptically.
"Depends how pissed off it is, I guess. Look, the Randolphs live way up in high country. You got trout runs to make a grown man weep… and bears."
Smartass local law.
"Right. Now, what about Mrs. Randolph? The file says she saw the whole thing." Sam interrupted the stare down between myself and the officer.
"Yes, she did. My heart goes out to that poor woman."
"She said bear?"
"Kathy Randolph went through a hell of a trauma. She's confused."
"What did she say?" I asked.
"You've seen her statement, want me to read it out loud for you?"
"I think we're done here." I turned to look to Sam. Thankfully Dean and Judson were already in the process of interviewing the wife.
"Yeah. Thank you for your time." Sam nodded to him as we turned to walk out.
"Well he was useless." I mumbled once we were out of the building.
"Yeah. Well you weren't exactly open minded to the conversation either."
"I just… I don't know. I don't have the time for the bullshit right now. Ya know?"
"You seem restless lately Em. What is it?"
"I don't know… remember when Dean made his deal? Felt like we were on a ticking time bomb till his year was up?"
"Yeah?"
"I feel. That… same anxiety? I guess." I paused as we got closer to the car. "I feel like something is coming… or happening."
"Well kiddo. It is the end of the world, you sure it's not just catching up to you?"
"Yeah, but it's like its worse the last few days. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being weird or something."
"Think you need to take a few days off?" Sam asked as we slid into the car.
"I stayed back at Bobby's already while you guys took off. I had a couple of days."
"Yeah, but those weren't day's off, kiddo. You were worried about Bobby and I know you and Judson were working on controlling your abilities. PLUS you ended up working the case anyways."
"Yeah. I don't know. Doesn't seem like the time to take a break. The world can't afford us to drop the ball right now."
"Emily. You can't help anyone if you're spinning in circles. I'm serious. If we need to take a break then we will. Take a couple of days, all of us. Just you and the boy, whatever we need."
"Thanks Sammy." I smiled back to him as he drove.
…..
…..
…..
"Hey." I said walking in and kissing Judson before plopping to sit down in the chair between him and Dean at the table. "You two get anything?"
"Well, uh, I saw the house." Dean nodded.
"And?" Sam asked.
"And there is a giant eight-foot-wide hole where the front door used to be. Almost like, uh A Hulk-sized hole."
"Hulk?" I asked with eyes raised.
"Yeah, apparently the wife claims Lou Ferrigno came bursting through… some bear." Judson answered looking at me. "What do you got?"
"Well, it turns out that Bill Randolph had quite the temper. He's got two counts of spousal battery, bar brawls, and court-ordered anger management sessions. You might say you wouldn't like him when he's angry." I answered. "Oh- and the local sheriff is an asshole."
"So a hothead getting killed by TV's greatest hothead. Kinda sounds like just desserts, doesn't it?" Sam said.
My body froze. My heart sped up slightly.
"Em?" Judson whispered taking in my reaction.
"It's all starting to make sense." Sam continued.
"How is it starting to make sense?" Dean asked.
"Well, I found something else at the crime scene." Sam said pulling candy wrappers out of his pocket. "Candy wrappers. Lots of them too."
"Just desserts, sweet tooth, screwing with people before you kill 'em—we're dealing with the Trickster, aren't we?" Dean asked catching on.
"Sure looks like it."
"Wait- is that the guy from the ground hog day thing?" Judson said turning to look at me.
"Yeah. I've wanted to gank that mother since that damn Mystery Spot." Dean answered for me as I could only sit with my lips sealed tightly.
"You sure this is a good idea?" I asked. "Dean. I promised him we wouldn't hunt him. What if he just kills you again?!"
"Yeah I'm sure! That was before I ever even went to hell, Em. That deals expired. We're ganking his ass."
"I agree, he's too dangerous to leave him be." Judson nodded.
"I mean are you sure you wanna kill him?" Sam asked.
"Son of a bitch didn't think twice about icing me a thousand times."
A shiver ran through me at the thought. I stood up from the table and sighed pinching the bridge of my nose.
"No, I know, I mean, I'm just saying—" Sam paused.
"What are you saying? If you don't want to kill him, then what?" Dean asked.
"Talk to him?"
"What about?"
"Think about it, Dean. He's one of the most powerful creatures we've ever met. Maybe we can use him."
"For what?" I spun and asked. "So he can fuck with us some more?! If we're gonna do this then we do it quick and clean. No chances for him to get a jump on us."
"Okay, Trickster's like a Hugh Hefner type, right? Wine, women, song—maybe he doesn't want the party to end. Maybe he hates this angels and demons stuff as much as we do. Maybe he'll help us." Sam explained.
"You're serious." Dean mumbled surprised.
"Yeah."
"Ally with the Trickster."
"Yeah. I mean he had a thing for Em. Maybe we can get her to talk to him and-"
"Sam. He TORTURED me for weeks! He obviously doesn't have much of a thing for me anymore!"
"A bloody, violent monster, and you wanna be Facebook friends with him? Nice, Sammy." Dean nodded.
"Okay. Let's take a break…" Judson said calmly as tensions started to grow.
"The world is gonna end, Dean. We don't have the luxury of a moral stand. Look, I'm just saying it's worth a shot. That's all. If it doesn't work, we'll kill him." Sam argued ignoring Judson's request.
"Okay." Judson said again. "Fine. How are we gonna find the guy, anyway?"
"Well, he never takes just one victim, right? He'll show."
"I don't like this." I said walking around the table. "I don't like any bit of this."
"Kiddo. He's not gonna get one over on us again. You are stronger. WE are all smarter. We know what to look for. It's gonna be fine." Dean assured me.
"I think we should leave." I shrugged.
"Em." Judson sighed. "He can't go unchecked… after what he did to you. It's too risky to let him go."
"You all say that now, but NONE of you lived through that shit over and over and over again. I KNOW how dangerous he can be. I know how dangerous he IS. But I also know that getting anywhere near him is on the bottom of my to-do list."
"Em." Sam said softly. "I know you think this is probably what's been causing your anxiety to flare up, but it's not kiddo."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Dean asked suddenly concerned as he looked over at me.
"Nothing." I said irritably as I turned away from them all.
"Emily. We're battling the devil. I know he scares you… I know that you have a link to him that we don't understand, and I'm sure that's what's got your anxiety running rampant."
"Can we please stop!" I turned and shouted at Sam as he spoke softly, he didn't shrink away from my temper, none of them did. Instead Judson reached to link his hand in mine and my brothers looked at each other and then back at me.
"IF we hunt him. We do it quick. Clean. And we fucking do it now." I said putting the issue to rest.
"Kiddo, have you been seeing him? Hearing him again?" Dean asked.
"Are we going to kill this mother fucker or not?" I asked dodging his question. He bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the floor as he nodded softly.
I'm sure I answered his question without answering his question but I'm not ready to deal with Lucifer popping up in my dreams. The whispers in my ear as we walk around out in the open. I feel like he's so close… I feel like he's coming.
"Yeah. We're gonna get him kiddo." Dean finally assured me, dropping the other issue for now.
"How do we kill it?" Judson asked.
We spent the next few hours filling in the blanks on all Judson's questions. Sharpening stakes. Getting supplies together. I spent most of it silent, not feeling the need to speak up and risk more questions being asked in regards to the voice that's been making appearances in my head.
Most of the time its when I'm asleep… but sometimes it's when I'm wide awake and I feel like he's watching me.
"Um, Dispatch? I, I got a possible 187 out here at the old paper mill on Route 6?" The police scanner said pulling all of our attention.
"Roger that. What are you looking at there, son?" The other voice responded.
"Honestly, Walt, I, I wouldn't even know how to describe what I'm seeing. Just—send everybody."
"All right, stay calm, stay by your car. Help's on the way."
"That sounds weird." Judson said with a glance at me.
"Weird enough to be our guy." Dean nodded as he stood and put the last of his things in the duffle. "Let's go."
The drive to the warehouse was short, most of it spent just listening to the radio or my brother's talk back and forth while I bounced my knee up and down in the backseat.
"Babe. You're okay. We're gonna be okay…"
"You don't know that."
"I know you're scared, but this has to happen. We have to take this guy out, and then you never have to be scared of him again."
"We should have called someone else to do it." I growled back at a whisper.
"There's no one else you'd trust to get this done." He countered quietly as he placed his hand over my knee and rubbed at it gently to calm my nerves. "WE will take care of it. You just stay close and don't let him get you worked up."
"Let's just get it over with." I said watching us turn onto the road mentioned over the scanner. I watched out the window as the warehouse came into view.
My stomach sank.
No cars. No police. No nothing.
"There was a murder here, and there's no police cars. There's nobody. How's that look to you?" Dean asked as we climbed out of the car.
"Crappy." Sam sighed. "Eyes open, watch your backs."
"This is probably a trap. We should go back." I tried to reason.
"Kiddo I know it's a trap, but knowing that is half the battle. We got this." Dean nodded to me confidently before reaching out his hand. I grabbed it hesitantly and let him lead me in the open doors, flashlights up.
As soon as we stepped foot inside and I blinked the warehouse was gone, and I stood in a hospital hallway. Hand still linked with Dean's as I noticed he and Sam both in scrubs and white jackets. I looked down and found myself in a shade of blue scrubs a little different than theirs, no jacket. But a stethoscope around my neck.
"What the hell?" Dean asked watching as people passed us by.
I spun.
"Judson!" Spinning around, grabbing Dean's hand harder as my eyes landed on Sam. "He was right behind us, where is he?!"
"I-I don't know." Sam mumbled as another man in scrubs and a jacket approached us.
"Doctor." He nodded to Sam as he passed.
"Doctor?"
"uhhhh…" Dean hummed as he pushed open the door beside him, releasing my hand in the process. Apparently this is the janitor's closet, where a man and woman both getting hot and heavy into their make out session when I have a feeling they should be on the clock.
Suddenly a brunette doctor walked towards us… and I could swear I know her. She stops in front of Sam and looks to us, and then back to him.
"Doctor." She nods before slapping him.
"Hey!" I yelled simultaneously as Sam cried out and "Ow."
"Seriously." She said shaking her head at him with tears pricking her eyes.
"What?"
"Seriously? You're brilliant, you know that? And a coward. You're a brilliant coward."
"Um. What are you talking about?"
She slaps him again.
"As if you don't know!" She yells before storming off.
"Okay, I know I'm gonna slap her if she comes back up here one more time." I hissed as she walked down the hall.
"I don't believe this." Dean says with a slight smile on his face.
"What?!"
"EM! It's Dr. Ellen Piccolo." He says to me with wide eyes.
"HOLY SHIT! You're right!" I squealed turning back around to find her, she now stood next to- NO FUCKING WAY!
"DEAN! Dean it's Dr. Sexy MD! We're in Dr. Sexy, MD!" I said with a slight fangirl squeal.
"Dude. What the hell?" Sam sighed.
"I don't know." I shrugged.
"One theory. Any theory." Dean sighed.
"Uh, the Trickster trapped us in TV Land." I mumbled.
"That's your theory. That's stupid." Dean rolled his eyes.
"Dean! You're the one who recognized Dr. Ellen Piccolo first!"
"Yeah, but TV land isn't TV Land. I mean, there's actors and, and lights and crew members, you know. This looks real."
"It can't be. Dean, how can this possibly be real?" Sam asked.
"I don't know."
"There goes Dr. Wang. The sexy but arrogant heart surgeon." I said pointing to him as he walked down the hall.
"And there's Johnny Drake. Oh, he's not even alive, he's a ghost in the mind of—" My eyes wandered until I spotted the other female doctor. "Of her. The sexy yet neurotic doctor over there."
"So... this show has ghosts? Why?" Sam asked confused.
"I don't know. It is compelling." Dean shrugged.
"I thought you said you weren't a fan." Sam teased.
"Dude. I'm not. I just watch for Em's sake."
"Sure." I deadpanned, then looked back down the hallway. "Oh shit… He's coming. He's coming!" I slightly bounced on my foot watching as Dr. Sexy MD walked towards us. Slapping Dean's arm slightly until he got closer.
"Doctors." He said nodding to Sam and Dean, then he looked to me. Giving me a hard glare.
"Doctor." I blushed back at him softly.
"You want to give me one good reason why you defied my direct order to schedule the experimental face transplant on Mrs. Biehl? The surgeon said YOU told him I requested it be done STAT."
"One reason?" I asked coyly. "I could give you five."
I wiggled my fingers at him and bit down on my lip.
"STOP." Dean gagged slightly, suddenly he looked down to the ground and then back up at the doctor in front of me, slamming him against the wall.
"You're not Dr. Sexy." He growled as he held him there. Sam and I looked to each other confused.
"You're crazy."
"Really? Because I swore part of what makes Dr. Sexy sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy boots. Not tennis shoes."
"Yeah. You're not a fan." I rolled my eyes.
"It's a guilty pleasure." He threw back at me.
"Call security." Dr. Sexy yelled to a nurse nearby.
"Yeah, go ahead, pal. See, we know who you are."
Oh shit… oh shit shit shit!
Why didn't I see this.
Every hair I had stood up on the back of my neck.
"You guys are getting better!" The trickster joked as he transformed out of Dr. Sexy and back to himself before our eyes.
"Get us the hell out of here." Dean slammed him again.
"Or what?" He said grabbing Dean's arm and twisting it, hurting him.
"Don't say you have wooden stakes, big guy."
"Don't need them." I said raising my hand. He let go of Dean and turned to me, taking a step towards me.
"Oh sweet thing, you don't wanna do that. You were just so happy to see me again, gotta say I'm surprised but happy to see you too. Although… I'd hate to see you go back on our deal and lose big brother over there now that you finally got him back."
"Leave him alone." I growled, but the words came out much shakier than I intended.
"That was you on the police scanner, right? This is a trick." Sam said pulling his attention off of me.
"Hello? Trickster. Come on! I heard you yahoos were in town. How could I resist?"
"Where the hell are we?" Dean pushed.
"Like it? It's all homemade. My own sets— My own actors...call it my own little idiot box. I picked it for you sweet thing." He winked at me.
"How do we get out?" I said, trying to push the fear out of my voice. "Where is Judson?!"
"Boyfriend's... busy. But the first question- that, my friend, is the sixty-four-dollar question."
"Whatever. We just, we need to talk to you. We need your help." Sam said.
"Hm, let me guess. You muttonheads broke the world, and you want me to sweep up your mess."
"Please. Just five minutes. Hear us out."
"Sure. Tell you what. Survive the next twenty-four hours, we'll talk."
"Survive what?" I asked nervously.
"The game!"
"What game?"
"You're in it."
"How do we play?" Dean asked him.
"You're playing it."
"What are the rules?"
He lifted his eyebrows, spinning back to me with another wink before vanishing into static. Suddenly the frozen world around us resumed.
"Oh, son of a bitch." Dean groaned. "Oh, by the way. Talking with monsters? Hell of a plan."
"Just, what do we do now?"
"You know what I'm doing? Leaving."
Before we could move Dr. Piccolo made her way back to us, swinging up to Sam before I could even blink.
"Lady, what the fuck?!" I said pushing towards her but Dean held me back.
"You are a brilliant, brilliant—"
"Yeah. A coward. You already said that. But I got news for you. I am not a doctor." Sam told her.
"Don't say that. You are the finest cerebrovascular neurosurgeon I have ever met, and I have met plenty. So that girl died on your table. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. Sometimes people just die."
"I have no idea what you're saying to me."
"You're afraid. You're afraid to operate again. And you're afraid to love." She ran away sobbing after her voice broke on the last word.
"Okay… I'm starting to get why maybe Judson thinks this show is a waste of my time." I sighed. "Where do you think he is?"
"Probably tied up somewhere, I'm sure he's not hurt. Just inconvenienced." Sam assured me.
"Maybe we can find him, let's get the hell out of this hospital first."
"Yeah, we're getting out of here." Dean nodded.
"Hey. Doctor." A man shouted getting his attention as we turned down the hall.
"Yeah." Dean said annoyed looking over to him.
"My wife needs that face transplant."
"Okay. You know what, pal? None of this is real, and your wife doesn't need jack squat. Okay?" Dean replied before storming away, Sam and I hot on his tail.
"Hey, Doctor." The man yelled once more, but before we could respond there was the distinct sound of a gun being shot. Dean suddenly grabs me by the shoulder, his eyes wide as he dropped to his knees.
"DEAN?! Dean!" I yelled as security tackled the man and knocked the gun loose from his hand.
"Real—it's real—" Dean groaned in pain.
"No no no, no no no no no—hey! We need a doctor!" I yelled frantically looking up to Sam. When I turned back around we were suddenly in an OR. Dean face down but awake on the table in front of us. Sam and I dressed in surgery gowns.
"Doctor." A woman says as she hands Sam a scalpel.
"What?" He replied confused, not accepting it.
"Uh. Dean, you okay?" I said bending over to look at his face.
"Yes. Sam. Do something. Come on." He sighed.
"I don't know how to use any of this crap."
"Figure it out."
Sam looked up to me in a panic. I shuffled back and forth on my feet.
"Okay. Um. I need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle, and a fifth of whiskey." I said nervously. No one moved, just staring at me. "STAT!" I yelled. Suddenly everyone scrambled.
I watched as Sam removed the bullet and sewed Dean's incision closed, I tried to keep an eye on every person in the room, trying to identify the Trickster once again.
Now I'm just fucking angry.
He shot Dean.
He has Judson.
He's fucking with me again…
"We okay? How's it looking?" Dean asked.
"Yep. You'll be fine." Sam nodded as he doused the closed incision with whiskey.
I looked down to the floor, trying to see if I could notice anything out of place on anyone's shoes since that's how Dean identified the guy the first time, but when I looked back up I started to hear clapping, suddenly things were slightly dark, until two doors opened in front of me. Revealing stage lights, bright colors and spinning signs. I walked forward, noticing I was now sporting a very short gold glitter dress that hugged my body in all the right ways. Heels to match and a sign in my hand as I approached a Japanese man standing between my brothers- who seemed to be locked into some contraption on either side of the stage set.
"Let's play Nutcracker!" The host yelled with heavy Japanese accent as I walked forward, noticing my sign had Japanese symbols I couldn't read.
"Fuck me…" I groaned, walking to stand next to Dean.
"What the fuck is this?" I growled between my teeth as I continued to smile at what I assume is a crowd behind the bright lights.
"I have no clue, but I don't like it." He said staring at the large metal ball on the bar in front of him- sitting right at nutsack level.
"Sam Winchester." The host says, standing next to Sam.
"What was the name of the demon you chose over your own siblings?" The host asked in japanese, I only knew this because I was reading the prompt monitor behind him. Sam was just lost.
"Oh fuck me." I rolled my eyes.
"Countdown." The host pointed to me as I began to drop the signs, the crowd counting in japanese.
"What?" Sam asked confused. "Uh, what am I supposed to say?"
He looked up to Dean.
"You think I know?" Dean asked with a ridiculous look on his face.
"Uh, I, I don't, I don't understand Japanese."
The host repeated the question, and part of me thought about helping- the other part kind of wanted to see what happened, he may just deserve it.
"Is he screwing with me? I, I, I can't speak Japanese."
"Ruby!" I yelled, but I waited too long. The clock hit a big 0 as the crowd booed.
"I'm sorry, Sam Winchester." The host said in english. Wait- what?
"Sorry? Sir? For what?" Sam asked, the host giggling.
"Em?" He asked me with slight fear. I shook my head back and forth with just as much confusion. Suddenly the pole in front of Sam with the large ball flew forward and smacked Sam straight in the crotch. The contraption holding his arms and legs in place so that he has no chance of protecting himself.
"Oooooh… that's gotta hurt." I mumbled to Dean as we watched Sam.
"Nutcracker!" The host yelled again and the audience all cheered. It replays on a screen over our heads from multiple angles as Sam tries to breathe through the pain.
"You okay?" Dean asked, Sam turned to look at him. No words. Just the look…
Suddenly the lights on the doors behind us begin to flash like crazy and the music picks up.
"Oh now what?" Dean grumbles.
I watch as the doors fly open and Cas and Judson walk through them.
"Em!" He yelled to come to me.
"Cas?" Dean asked.
"Is this another trick?" Sam yelled as I paused before embracing Judson, suddenly unsure if its him. He looked up to me confused.
"It's me. Uh, what are you doing here?" Cas asked confused.
"Us? What are you doing here?" Dean replied. I held my distance from Judson, unsure of how to know who is really who in this 'game'.
"Looking for you. You've been missing for days! I woke up outside the warehouse and called him, we couldn't find you 3 anywhere." Judson said looking between us all.
"Well get us the hell out of here, then!" I argued looking between him and Cas. Cas nodded.
"Let's go." Cas nodded as He stepped forward to touch Sam and Dean, but then suddenly he vanishes. I turned just in time for Judson to grab my hand before he too disappears in a burst of static.
"JUDSON!" I yelled. Spinning back around to my brothers I felt like I was losing my mind. "What the FUCK!"
"No, no, no, no. Mr. Trickster does not like pretty-boy angels." The host said as he shook his head, the crowd booing again. Then he pulls out another card and stands beside Dean. I held my ground on his other side, looking up to Sam with worry. What the hell is this fucking game?!
"Dean Winchester." He says, then reverts back to Japanese, I looked up to the teleprompter to read the words in english. 'Would your Mother and Father still be alive... if your brother and sister were never born?'
"Hey! You can't fucki-" I started to shove him but suddenly my face had duct tape across my mouth and my hands were tied behind my back.
WHAT THE FUCK.
"Countdown!" The host called. I squeezed my hands, feeling the surge push down my arms as the rope snapped and I regained control, ripping off the tape. I moved to grab the host, but suddenly I caught sight of the Trickster standing on the other end of the stage, out of sight for most.
He winked and waved me over. I stalked towards him.
"Emily! No! Wait!" Sam yelled after me. But I wasn't stopping, and nothing could make me at this point.
"I've had it up to HERE with your little games!" I yelled approaching him.
"Listen here sugar pop." He said with a hint of anger behind it. "You three came around fucking with me, not the other way around. I suggest you keep your mouth shut, and PLAY ALONG. Or boyfriend won't be so lucky this time."
"You better not hurt him." I growled, squeezing my hands and resisting the urge to just kill him where he stood. I'm too afraid we'll be trapped here forever if I just killed him on a whim. He would certainly be cruel enough to protect himself with some sort of twisted shit like that.
"He's fine… as long as you keep playing the game." He winked before disappearing.
"In, uh, in Dr. Sexy I played a doctor. I operated." Sam yelled to Dean as I made my way back across the stage.
"So?"
"So I played the role the Trickster wanted me to play. Maybe we should just go along with it."
"Just do it Dean! Play along with this stupid fucking game." I growled.
"So just answer the question!" Sam shouted as the countdown was almost over.
"In Japanese?"
"Yeah!"
"I don't know Japanese!"
"Try!"
"Dammit!" Dean yelled, hitting the button. Suddenly speaking Japanese. Sam and I looked up to one another with shock as the crowd cheered his very unsure answer.
"Dean Winchester, Nutcracker champion!" The host yells.
"How did you do that?" Sam asked.
"I have no idea."
"So that's it. We play our roles, we survive."
"Yeah, but play our roles for how long? He said 24 hours, but Judson said it's been days… He just told me we have to keep playing." I sighed.
Dean forced a grin and waved to the crowd.
…..
…..
…..
"I've got genital herpes." A woman doing Yoga beside me I the park says proudly.
"Seriously?" Sam sighs.
My eyes roll over to Sam and Dean playing basketball with a couple of guys on the court beside the grassy area we've taken for our yoga.
"Hey, you're the one who said play our roles." Dean smirked beside him before dribbling the ball.
"Yeah. Right." Sam sighed.
"Bro. Are you wearing athletic pants?" I said eyeballing Dean with an amused look.
"I've got genital herpes." Sam says through gritted teeth, causing me to damn near burst out laughing.
"I try to be responsible." The woman next to me says again.
"But now I take twice-daily Herpexia to reduce my chances of passing it on." Sam kept going.
"How do you even know the lines?" I giggled.
"I just do." He whisper yelled to me.
"Ask your doctor about using Herpexia." The woman beside me spoke up again.
Dean's voice began playing like a loud speaker all around us.
"Patients should always consult with a physician before using Herpexia. Possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, permanent erectile dysfunction, thoughts of suicide, and nausea."
"I am doing all I can to slightly lessen the spread of—of genital herpes. And that's a good thing." Sam smiled half assed before going back to the basketball game.
…..
…..
…..
"Uh, I am really, really, very sorry, but, uh, we've got some work to do." Sam said as he escorted the woman out of the kitchen set and through the prop door he and I had entered through to begin with.
"But we did do work! In depth." She smiled to Dean as she passed him. The laugh track kicked up again and Dean looked to me with a forced smile.
"How long do we have to keep doing this?" He asked with gritted teeth.
"I don't know." I hissed.
"Maybe forever?" Sam said softly. Laughing AGAIN. FUCK. "We might die in here."
More laughing…
"Okay how is that even funny?!" I spun around and asked breaking character.
Suddenly the door flies open again, Cas busts through looking a little worse for wear. The crowd applauses.
"You okay?" Dean asked him.
"I don't have much time."
"What happened? Where's Judson?" I asked.
"He's okay. I got out to get you, he wanted you safe first."
"Got out? From where?" Dean asked.
"Listen to me. Something is not right. This thing is much more powerful than it should be."
"What thing—the Trickster?"
"If it is a trickster."
My heart rate picked up again… what in the hell have we gotten into now.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
Before he could speak, Cas is flung backwards against the wall. His face hidden from us as the trickster- or whatever the fuck he is jumps through the door. The crowd applauding again.
"Hello!... Thank you. Thank you, ladies." The trickster jokes, then turns to Cas. "Hi, Castiel!"
Cas's eyes go wide as he looks at him, then he disappears once again in a burst of static.
"You know him?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Where did you just send him? Where is my boyfriend?!" I interrupted.
"Relax sugar bear, he'll live. ...Maybe."
More laugh track.
My shoulders tensed and I bit my lip hard enough to bleed as I looked up to Dean.
"All right, you know what? I am done with the monkey dance, okay? We get it." Dean growled placing a hand on my shoulder and pulling me away from the trickster and behind him.
"Yeah? Get what, hotshot?"
"Playing our roles, right? That's your game?"
"That's half the game."
"What's the other half?" Sam asked.
"Play your roles out there."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked confused.
"Oh, you know. Sam starring as Lucifer. Dean starring as Michael. The celebrity death match. Play your roles." He shrugged.
I stood in shock.
"You want us to say yes to those sons of bitches?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Hells yeah. Let's light this candle!"
"We do that, the world will end."
"Yeah? And whose fault is that? Who popped Lucifer out of the box? Hm? Look, it's started. You started it. It can't be stopped. So let's get it over with!"
Sam glared at him
"Heaven or hell, which side you on?" Dean asked.
"I'm not on either side."
"Yeah, right. You're grabbing ankle for Michael or Lucifer. Which one is it?"
"You listen to me, you arrogant dick. I don't work for either of those S.O.B.s. Believe me."
"Oh, you're somebody's bitch." Dean smirked realizing he was getting under his skin. His cocky smiled vanished as he grabbed Dean and slammed him into the wall.
"Don't you ever, ever presume to know what I am. Now listen very closely. Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna suck it up, accept your responsibilities, and play the roles that destiny has chosen for you."
"What exactly IS my role?" I asked stepping around towards Dean and him hoping to pull his attention away from my brother. "Abso-fuckin-lutely no one seems to be able to tell me how or why I fit here, other than being some weapon. Is that my role? Is that where you think I belong? At his side?"
For a second his anger faltered. Almost a look of pity replacing it.
"My money is on you sweetheart. Whether it be for better or worse… You play a bigger role in this than you think, at least that's my opinion. It's not really written down for you the way it is for the two dumbasses over there."
"Then how do you expect me to keep playing this game?!" I asked honestly, for some reason feeling like I could have a real conversation with him.
"You just do. You have to."
"Please. Help me." I asked softly, for some reason part of me honestly felt like he was hearing my plea.
"Fine. You want to talk let's talk. Alone." He offered.
"Okay." I answered the same time as Dean spoke up.
"No way." He shook his head and reached out for me, putting himself between us.
"Dean. He won't hurt me." I said never breaking eye contact from the Trickster.
I can't tell you how I know it's true… I just do.
"No! No way. Sam! Help me here?!"
"Emily you can't trust him, we can't get separate-"
Before he could finish his words the Trickster snapped his fingers and they were gone. I looked around and He and I stood across from each other in a motel room- our motel room. The same one we were in when we came to town.
I looked over to the TV- watching my brothers walk around in some CSI Miami show.
"You're a real jackass." I sighed as I watched the TV for a minute or two longer.
"Yeah well. Comes with the gig."
"… What's your name?" I asked him as I sat back on the bed. He grabbed a chair and straddled it backwards, his arms hanging over the top.
"You've never cared to ask before."
"Liar. I asked when you were pretending to be a janitor."
"Okay- then what was it?"
I thought back… but couldn't remember.
"I thought so." He said smugly.
"You know more about me than a lot of people do apparently, so I think the least you owe me after torturing me over Dean's death is a name."
"Fine. Gabe." He rolled his eyes.
"Gabe." I nodded. "I was really betting on Richard."
"Just because I'm a dick, doesn't mean it's my name sweets." He smirked.
"Why did you look at me like that… like you felt bad."
He took a deep breath.
"Because I don't think this is fair to you. What's coming."
"What is that?"
"A choice."
"What choice?"
"Sweetheart." He said softly. "Your brothers are going to say yes. Eventually. Inevitably… its destiny. When that happens, you have to make a choice. You gonna fight with the angels, or you gonna fight with Luci. One way or another, you're gonna be the swing vote."
I sat and stared at him. Fear running in circles through my body.
"That pretty little head of yours isn't ready for all this. It's not fair to you, and for that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what they're doing to you. No one should have to choose between their brothers."
"I can't." I whispered as a tear slipped down my cheek.
"You will though."
"I already know what happens if I pick Sam." I mumbled. "I've seen it. I've seen… Me."
"Well, then maybe the choice won't be so hard."
"My experience with the angels isn't so pleasant either, they don't like me. They don't want me… there's no telling what they'll do to me if I go with them."
"Why anyone in the world wouldn't want you is a mystery to me."
"Stop flirting." I smirked slightly. He shrugged. "What if I choose myself?"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"What if… I choose neither of them. What if instead of being someone's weapon, I'm nothing. What if… what if I just don't exist anymore."
"Emily. Don't go there." His hand reached out to my chin and lifted my face to pull my eyes off of the floor and back to him. "You have too much fight in you to just give it up. I see that. You FEEL that, even if you don't want to."
"I don't wanna be a weapon." I said, feeling my eyes water once more. He reached up and wiped his thumb across my cheek to catch a stray tear.
"Then don't be sweetheart, but don't pick the easy way out."
"Is that even possible? To pick no side at all… to stand by and watch the world around me burn knowing that I did nothing?"
"Is it?" He challenged me.
"No." I sighed. "Neither of them care about this world. The people in it. They both expect death and destruction, it's just to what degree. Right?"
"Yeah. Bunch of dicks with wings."
"How do I stop them?"
"You can't." He sighed exasperated. "That's the whole point of this game. You just have to play along. Just rolling with the punches till you see the answers in front of you. That's all I got for you, babe."
"… Why do you like me so much?"
"Because you're strong. You're smart. You have a sense of humor, and… you have a kind heart. One that you wrap in barb wire and put concrete walls around, but its in there. I can feel it. I like you because you're unlike any other person on this planet, Emily. You matter. You're a part of this, maybe the biggest part of it all. The dicks with wings think its all about them, but. I know that the real battle isn't theirs. It's yours."
"I don't want it." I whispered.
"None of us ever do."
"I'll stop it." I said with a new determination, even if my breath shook as the words came out.
He chuckled and gave me a sideways grin.
"Part of me hopes you do, sweetheart."
"And the other part?"
"The other part knows you can't. It just hopes that you make the right choice."
"Which is?"
"Play your role. The answer will find you."
He stood and reached out his hand to me, I took it and stood in front of him. He bent down and kissed my cheek softly. I let my eyes close for only a moment, hearing the snap of his fingers.
"Oh crap. I don't think we killed the Trickster." Sam's voice caused me to rip open my eyes, now sitting in the impala as I look over to Dean.
"AH! Shit!" He jumps. "You scared the hell out of me!"
"Emily! Where the hell have you been?" Sam's voice came through the radio again.
"Sam?! Are… Are you, IN the car?!"
"No. YOU are in the car… I AM the car." He said confused.
"What the fuck…" I whispered as I looked up to Dean. He reached over and pulled me towards him.
"You can't be disappearing with dick squad tricksters anytime you want." He growled as he swung his arm around me. "I thought you were a goner."
"I told you he wouldn't hurt me." I said crossing my arms.
"What happened?" Sam asked.
"We… talked." I said looking down at my hands in my lap.
"And?!" Dean pushed.
"He cares. In his own twisted way." I shrugged, not feeling like breaking down the details just yet.
"Well I got a twisted way for you- we staked the bastard and it didn't work. So what. Another trick?"
"I don't know. Maybe the stake didn't work because it's not a trickster?" Sam asked.
Suddenly the wheels in my head started to spin.
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"You heard Cas. He said this thing was too powerful to be a trickster."
"And did you notice the way he looked at Cas? Almost like he knew him." I asked with a pointed glance.
"And how pissed he got when you brought up Michael and Lucifer." Sam added.
"The conversation we just had… the way he spoke about the angels. Called them dicks with wings, apologized for what they're doing to me." I nodded.
"Son of a bitch." Dean whispered, making eye contact with me as it hit him, both of us coming to the same conclusion.
"What?" Sam asked, unable to see the unspoken message.
"I think I know what we're dealing with." Dean said as he pulled over to the side of the road and we jumped out, running around to the drunk. Dean digging through the bags.
"Dean?" Sam says awkwardly.
"What?"
"That, uh, feels really uncomfortable."
"Oh gross…" I said walking away with an eye roll. Dean sighed and shut the trunk once he finally had what we needed.
"Ow" Sam groaned as it closed. "You sure this is gonna work?"
"No, but I have no other ideas."
"Dean." I said softly. "Just… don't hurt him."
"Really?!" He asked shocked and almost irritated. "What the hell just happened between you two?"
"I'll explain it all later, I promise. But, please don't kill him." I said softly.
He narrowed his eyes at me slightly, but shook his head once in reluctant agreeance.
"Thank you." I said squeezing his arm and walking back towards the hood, watching as Dean got everything in place.
"All right, you son of a bitch! Uncle! We'll do it!" Dean yelled up to the sky. No response.
"Should I honk?" Sam asked.
I nearly snorted.
"Wow. Sam. Get a load of the rims on you." Gabe said coming from behind us.
"Eat me."
"Okay, boys. Ready to go quietly?" He asked looking up to Dean, barely glancing over at me.
"Whoa whoa whoa, not so fast. Nobody's going anywhere until Sam has opposable thumbs." Dean argued.
"What's the difference? Satan's going to ride his ass one way or another."
"Seriously?" I asked crossing my arms. He rolled his eyes at me and then snapped his fingers, Sam climbing out of the car behind him and walking to stand beside me.
"Happy?"
"Tell me one thing. Why didn't the stake kill you?" Dean asked.
"I am the Trickster."
"Or maybe you're not." Sam said lifting the lighter and throwing it down on the ground, a ring of fire springing up all around him. "Maybe you've always been an angel."
"A what? Somebody slip a mickey in your power shake, kid?"
"I'll tell you what. You just jump out of the holy fire and we'll call it our mistake." Dean says with a grin.
Gabe's eyes fell down to me. I looked at him with no smirk or glare, but instead an understanding.
"He promised me he won't kill you… time to come clean." I said.
His smirk fell from his face with annoyance, then with another burst of static our surroundings disappeared and there we were standing in a dark and dingy warehouse, light peeking in through all the windows.
I spun around.
"JUDSON!" I said rushing to him where he was tied to a pole not far from us. "Hey baby, I got you." I said cutting the ropes and pulling him to stand, removing the rag from his mouth.
"Asshole." He growled at Gabe as we walked forward.
"Well played, kids. Well played. Where'd you get the holy oil?"
"Well, you might say we pulled it out of Sam's ass." Dean smiled.
"Where'd I screw up?"
"You didn't. Nobody gets the jump on Cas like you did." Sam said.
"Mostly it was the way you talked about Armageddon." I added. "Call it personal experience, but nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family. Feels like they have to apologize for them."
"So which one are you? Grumpy, Sneezy, or Douchey?" Judson asked.
"He's Gabriel." I answered for him. "Right? The archangel?"
"Guilty." He smiled to me slightly.
"Okay, Gabriel. How does an archangel become a trickster?" Dean asked.
"My own private witness protection. I skipped out of heaven, had a face transplant, carved out my own little corner of the world. Till you three screwed it all up."
"What did Daddy say when you ran off and joined the pagans?"
"Daddy doesn't say anything about anything."
"Then what happened? Why'd you ditch?" Sam asked.
"Do you blame him? I mean, his brothers are heavyweight douchenozzles." Dean chuckled.
"Shut your cakehole. You don't know anything about my family. I love my father, my brothers. Love them. But watching them turn on each other? Tear at each other's throats? I couldn't bear it! Okay? So I left. And now it's happening all over again."
"That's why you said it's not fair." I whispered, catching his eyes before he pulled them away from me. "You don't want to put me through the same thing."
"No. No one deserves that." He answered.
"Then help us stop it." Judson urged him.
"It can't be stopped."
"You wanna see the end of the world?"
"I want it to be over! I have to sit back and watch my own brothers kill each other thanks to you two! Heaven, hell, I don't care who wins, I just want it to be over."
"Gabe. It doesn't have to be like that." I said stepping forward, Judson reaching out for me but I pulled away slightly. None of them may trust him… but he won't hurt me. I know that.
"Don't get too close there care-bear." Gabe warned. "Lucifer is an angel, you'll be trapped on this side of the fire if you're not careful."
"Gabe please. There's gotta be something. Some way. Any way… you said the answer would find me, well what if this is it? What if you're my answer."
He shook his head and laughed at my naïve comment.
"You do not know my family. What you guys call the apocalypse, I used to call Sunday dinner. That's why there's no stopping this, because this isn't about a war. It's about two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other. Everyone else getting caught in the middle. You'd think you three be able to relate."
"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.
"You sorry sons of bitches. Why do you think you two are the vessels? Think about it. Michael, the big brother, loyal to an absent father, and Lucifer, the little brother, rebellious of Daddy's plan. You were born to this, boys. It's your destiny! It was always you! As it is in heaven, so it must be on earth. One brother has to kill the other."
"What the hell are you saying?" Dean asked frustrated.
"Why do you think I've always taken such an interest in you? Because from the moment Dad flipped on the lights around here, we knew it was all gonna end with you. Always."
"Those brothers didn't have me."
"You sweetheart? You're certainly a twist in the story, but even you can't stop this. Your brothers will say, yes. Your choice is coming."
I looked to him sadly, pulling my gaze away finally and stepping back, Judson's hand slipping into mine.
"No. That's not gonna happen." Dean told him matter of factly.
"I'm sorry. But it is. Guys. I wish this were a TV show. Easy answers, endings wrapped up in a bow..." He paused looking back at me. "Just like we said sweetheart, I wish it were different. But this is real, and it's gonna end bloody for all of us. That's just how it's gotta be."
The room around us was still. Everyone taking the time to process his grim predictions.
"So. Now what? We stare at each other for the rest of eternity?" Gabe asked after the long pause.
"Well, first of all, you're gonna bring Cas back from wherever you stashed him." Dean crossed his arms.
"Oh am I?"
"Yeah. Or we're going to dunk you in some holy oil and deep-fry ourselves an archangel."
"So dramatic…" He sighed with a snap of his fingers. Cas appearing before us, leaning on Dean for support.
"Cas, you okay?" Judson asked.
"I'm fine. Hello, Gabriel."
"Hey, bro. How's the search for Daddy going? Let me guess. Awful."
Cas only glares in response.
"Okay, we're out of here. Come on." Dean said nodding for us to follow him out to the car.
"Uh. Okay. Guys?" Gabe called out behind us. "So, so what? Huh? You're just gonna, you're gonna leave me here forever?"
Dean stopped at the door and turned back. I waited with him as everyone kept walking.
"No. We're not, 'cause we don't screw with people the way you do. And for the record? This isn't about some prize fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family." Dean answered before pulling the fire alarm, setting off the sprinklers and putting out the fire that trapped him.
"Don't say I never did anything for you." I smiled to him, he smiled back.
"You know. I may not have wings anymore, but I do hear when I'm called. Incase… you need me."
"Emergencies only, right?"
"Ya know. End of the world or something." He shrugged.
"I hope you're wrong." I said before leaving with one last smile.
…..
…..
…..
"All that stuff he was spouting in there, you think it was the truth?" Dean asked as we drove down the road in the dark. I sat between him and Sam in the front seat as Judson dozed in the back. Exhausted after being tied up for days.
"I don't know. I hope not." Sam sighed.
"He believes it's the truth… doesn't mean it is." I shrugged.
"You ready to tell us about your little one on one time with the holly dick wad?"
"He's not the worst angel we've faced." I said slightly defensive.
"Emily, you practically hated him. Was TERRIFIED of him just days ago. What could he have possibly said to you to change your mind? I mean. He killed Dean and made you watch it 1000 times over." Sam scoffed.
"I remember that Sam." I said stiffly. He sighed and reached out, putting his arm over my shoulders.
"I'm sorry. I don't trust him still."
"I know you don't. None of us should really… but he cares about what happens to me in all of this. There's a common ground factor at play here, and I think that blinds him. He only sees what happened to him, and he's worried it will happen to me. Maybe that's why he's so sure it can't be stopped. He's projecting."
"Em. He's still not the good guy here. Just. Don't forget that okay?" Dean said softly.
"He's not the bad guy either." I said with a half smile.
"Okay." He sighed. "You're gonna have to spill."
"He just told me what he told the two of you essentially… that it was destiny and you would both say yes eventually. He just. Said that I'd have to choose what side I was fighting on when that time came."
"Kiddo, that's not true." Sam said softly.
"It can't be… because I can't do it." I confessed in a whisper.
"We'll find a way. We'll figure it out." Dean said, pushing confidence into his bravado.
"We have to." I shrugged. "I have to."
"He told you that it comes down to you, didn't he?"
"Why do you say that?" I asked looking up to him curiously. How did he know the words?
"Because Dad said something like that… that it would come down to you."
I reached out and grabbed both of them by the hand, linking our fingers together on either side of myself.
"I just told him the same thing I'm telling the two of you right now. I'm not choosing between my brothers… and I'm nobody's fucking weapon."