Michael's SUV pulled into the parking lot of Lucifer's restaurant. There are a few cars parked in the back already, his employees, and Michael parks beside Lucifer's red corvette, about the only thing Lucifer has ever indulged himself on, and they exit the vehicle. It's a bit crisp and windy that afternoon, and they each tuck themselves a bit further into their coats as they quickly cross the parking lot into Lucifer's restaurant. Michael opens the double mosaic glass doors for them and they file in.
"Thank God for heaters." Kali exclaims as she stands directly under a vent from the ceiling spewing warm air down. Gabriel chuckles, "Well, you wouldn't be so cold if you put on something more than your dress." He suggested, and all he achieved was a sideways glare from Kali.
Michael grinned and shook his head at the two and went further into the restaurant, walking past the hostess podium and turned a corner to make it on to the main dining floor. All the chairs and tables were deep shades of red, while the walls were hand painted to resemble burning coals. Fire seemed to be a repeating theme for Lucifer.
But in the very back, at a large booth, were all Lucifer's employees, and Lucifer himself sat backwards on a chair, facing them as he talked. Lucifer turned his head and smiled when he saw who it was that entered the restaurant. "Oh hey, don't mind us, we're just here for the early bird special." Gabriel spoke up.
A few of Lucifer's employees laughed quietly at his joke, and Lucifer only rolled his eyes, "What are you all doing here?" he asked, standing and approaching them with his arms crossed lazily.
"We decided to go window shopping for a bit, get out of the house for a while." Michael explained, and then he leaned forward, grabbed Lucifer's shoulder and pulled him a little closer so he could whisper in his ear. Castiel watched as Lucifer's expression went from slight confusion to realization to anger as Michael told him just a few sentences.
As Michael pulled away, he saw the look they exchanged between them, almost the same, and it almost looked like betrayal…
Lucifer then turned to his employees, "Okay, Azazel, you know what to do, Lilith, you begin prep. I'll be out for the rest of the day." Without even a sound of disapproval, the employees, all in unison exclaimed, "Yes, chef." It was almost militaristic in the way they obeyed him, but then again, Lucifer wouldn't have it any other way.
Lucifer then clapped his hands together once, "Break." And his chefs all stood and made their way out of the booth, talking amongst themselves and focused on the task at hand. They all went to the kitchen and Lucifer was free to talk openly once they were gone.
"What do you mean… Is Dad making changes to the Will?" he asked, his arms folding once again.
"It looks to be that way." Michael answered, his brows pensive as he tried to understand it himself.
"Well, at the very least he's kicking someone out of it… And I bet if we put our heads together we know who it'll be." Gabriel provided as he glanced between the three of them.
Lucifer nodded his head, "Uncle Metatron."
Michael quickly glanced over to Lucifer, "I would've said Aunt Naomi."
"Hey, it could be both." Gabriel suggested, and it seemed that answer sated the both of them because they went back into quiet contemplation.
Castiel sighed under his breath, the sickening feeling of guilt taking over him. He hoped this conversation would be over soon, because now he felt it was hotter than normal in the restaurant, and the collar of his shirt itched his neck and no matter how hard he scratched at it, it still itched and-
"Castiel?" Lucifer spoke, stepping over to him. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, his eyes worried.
Gabriel came over as well, "Hey, don't think because you moved away that Dads gonna take you out of the will…"
"Oh God, Castiel, he'd never do that." Lucifer reassured him, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. He wished he could take comfort in their words, as if that were his problem.
"I know, I know." He said, trying to shake them off.
"Come on, let's go somewhere already." Gabriel declared, "This place is stuffy." He joked, earning a jab in the rib from Lucifer's elbow.
After getting sympathetic looks from everyone, and a pat on the back, Castiel was relieved when they finally left the building. The cool November air helped to calm him down, and instead of rushing to the car like everyone else, he took joy in letting the wind wash over him. He watched as they all piled into the SUV, and was surprised when he saw Lucifer try and get into the passenger seat but then was redirected to sit in the back. Somebody had told him Castiel had been sitting there. He smiled softly and quickened his steps to the car.
Once they were all seated, buckled up and on the subject of things to do, Michael pulled them out of the parking lot and drove them toward down town, where many specialty shops speckled the streets, alluring the tourists that might come through on their way to California. There wasn't much in New Haven to get people to come, but they did see a lot of out-of-towners during their various festivals and events.
"Let's stop by Pio's, I want to see if they still have any of their summer wine." Kali spoke up, and because Michael was a gentlemen, the lady always got go first. So, they parked some place in the middle of most the shops and exited the car to walk the rest of the way. If they wanted to drop off some things that they may buy, the car wouldn't ever be too far away. Castiel had a feeling they'd be out shopping for quite some time, so he was glad he'd worn comfortable shoes.
After Dean's shift, he calls Sam and tells him to meet him at the bar near the grocery store. He didn't want to go home right away, and having the news of Ruby coming down only made it that much easier to go out for a drink. He hated that bitch, and she knew it. He wasn't just angry at how she treated him, or how nagging and whiney she can be, no. She burned all her bridges with Dean when Sam had his accident last year and she never came to the hospital.
It had been raining heavily that night, and even though Dean pleaded with Sam to stay for the night, Sam insisted, saying he had a test he needed to be up early for. He'd been visiting for the weekend and he left that Sunday night. Dean told him to give him a call, or a text when he got home safe.
Except, Dean didn't get a call from Sam when he was supposed to get home. In fact, it was hours later that he got a call from the hospital in Boise. Someone hadn't realized how far over the yellow line they were in the pitch black night and the heavy sheets of rain. They nicked each other and it was enough to send Sam's tiny car tumbling down the road. Witnesses said Sam tumbled at least three times before it came to a stop, thankfully right side up. Firemen tore him out of the wreckage and an ambulance drove him the twenty minutes it would take to get him to the hospital from that point.
Dean was contacted as closest of kin and told the situation. Sam was sedated to access the extent of his injuries and that Dean should come so he'd see a familiar face when he woke. It didn't take Dean long at all to get there from his small apartment in northern New Haven. Their Dad was off at a convention somewhere, he didn't say, so calling him to come down was impossible, though he did tell him the situation on the drive over. Thankfully the rain had died out enough that the trip was easy for him.
When he finally got there he was taken to his brother's room and was informed he was still asleep, but that he should be coming out of it himself and not to try and wake him. The doctor told him that other than his broken left forearm, some gashes here and there, that Sam had escaped the accident relatively unscathed.
Then he asked about who all was on the list of who to contact, because he could have sworn Sam had put Ruby on the list as well. When he was told that she'd also been contacted and got no reply, Dean called her himself.
It took him three tries to get her on the phone, and when he did, there was loud music and she was practically screaming to be able to talk to him. Eventually she made her way to some place more secluded and Dean was able to hear her better, though Dean didn't exactly want to hear what she had to say.
First, he avoided the fact that she was at a night club while Dean and the hospital tried to contact her, and she didn't answer. Dean told her the situation on Sam, how he was still asleep but bound to wake up any minute, and had a broken arm. He asked how soon she could be there and her reply was what really lit a fire under him.
She said if he was fine then she didn't see the point in her coming. Dean tried to tell himself that maybe she was drunk, but she sounded completely coherent. He tried to wrap his head around why, of all people, why she wouldn't want to come see Sam.
Dean began yelling and Ruby only yelled back, and the argument wasn't getting anywhere, until Ruby hung up on him.
Fifteen minutes later, Sam woke up and Ruby was nowhere to be seen, and she never showed up that night.
That's the number one reason Dean hates her guts, and no matter how many times she says she's sorry, Dean knows she's lying. She's heartless, she uses Sam, and she even makes him cheat on her tests for her. There is no way he's letting that bitch step foot in his house, let alone sleep in it.
He needs to have at least one drink before he goes home.
He's seated at the bar when he hears the doors open, so he glances behind himself and sees Sam walk in. "Sammy." He called out, waving his hand a bit to get his attention. Once Sam notices him, he comes over and takes a seat next to his brother. Sam sighs, looking blankly ahead of him, "She said she's on her way here at eight. Don't ask me why." He told him, dreary.
Dean lifted his beer and took a swig, then set it back down. There was only a small moment of silence before he spoke up, "Are you even excited to see her? Because, you know, you two are a couple, and that usually means that at least one of you should be happy to see one another." He asked.
Sam made a face, "Can we not talk about this now…" he sighed, slouching on the stool.
"When can we?" Dean challenged, "When she's here, in the same room as us? Because I don't care, just give me a time and date, Sam. I will clear my schedule."
"Listen, I have told you enough times that I don't care what you think of her. She has her moments, okay?" Sam defended his girlfriend, though it seemed almost halfhearted.
"Well they must be few and far between." Dean concluded, taking a long drink from his beer.
"Why are we here, Dean? To argue in public?" Sam turned on his stool to face his older brother, annoyed.
"Because you and I need a drink, and I'd like to do that while we still have our privacy." He told him, then motioned for the bartender, "Get my brother here a beer." He told him, and soon enough, a beer was planted in front of Sam.
Sam grimaced at Dean, "Why do we have to drink in a bar?" he asked, then took a look around at the people there. Tonight was slow, on account of the cold chill in the air and the prediction of rain later. But there were a few patrons out, eating, drinking, and chatting it up.
"Because I like this place, okay?" Dean concluded, his response annoyed and tired.
Sam's brows furrowed, "Why have you stopped going to Ellen's place?" Usually that's where they all went out and had drinks, with Bobby, Rufus, and Benny.
Dean sighed, "Oh God, that's right. I didn't tell you." He glanced at Sam before taking an even longer drink from his beer.
"What? What happened?" Sam asked, worried it was something bad.
"Just…" Dean glanced down, rubbing the pad of his thumb over a callous on his pointer finger. "Jo's been getting all…" Dean grimaced as he made a grabbing motion with his hands, then glanced at Sam in hopes that he got the message off of that alone. When Sam only shook his head, Dean continued with, "She's just at that age… where older men…" He sighed, running both his hands through his hair, frustrated.
"Oh…." Sam finally got it, and a wide grin spread across his face as he began to chuckle, "Is she crushing on you?" he poked at Dean's side, making him squirm away from the touch.
"Yesss…" he groaned as he still stared at the bar top.
Now Sam laughed in earnest, his eyes watering for a moment, "Oh my God, I wish I could've been there." He commented.
"Pipe down, you lunatic." Dean groaned at him, not at all amused at his own misfortunes. He'd known Jo since she was just a little girl, and her and Ellen had been a friend of the family since she started going out with Bobby some years ago. He'd always thought of her as a sister, and now that she's gone through puberty, things have been a little weird between them. Just to dissuade the creepy vibes, Dean has stopped frequenting the bar, knowing that that was the main hang out of Jo and her other teenage friends before the night really kicked off, and all the minors had to go home.
Ellen had said she'd talk to Jo about it, but he wasn't going to take any chances by popping up there any time soon.
Dean remembered the look in her eye after she'd grabbed his ass on one of those nights, and he shuddered.
It was around four when the five of them had got done with all their shopping, and deiced to stop by one of their favorite local bars for a drink, maybe get an appetizer and then head back home. Thankfully for Castiel, conversation had never gone back to how Zachariah was spending most the day there at their house, talking with their father about his will, and the possibilities of what that might intel.
As they all piled in, they found a table big enough for them all and sat at it, talking about what drinks they might want to get. For Michael and Lucifer it was a simple beer, while Gabriel opted to get a milkshake instead, and Kali asked for a few shots of Fireball.
Castiel sat quietly with his soda, keeping mostly to himself while he listened to the others conversations. Every once and a while he'd be asked his opinion on topics, but other than that, he was like a church mouse.
He took a slow sip from his glass, glancing around the bar, bored out of his mind and wishing sorely he could go home and just write. He even thought about maybe calling Balthazar again, letting him know the whole truth and pleading for his forgiveness. He was thinking about going to the SUV and tinkering with the old fashioned stationary he found at one of the shops when his eyes landed on a familiar face sitting at the bar. It was the man from the other day, the one he'd given his ones to…
He gasped but then choked on his soda, and spit it across the table. His brothers and Kali exclaimed, backing away from Castiel, but Kali gave him hard pats on the back to help clear his throat.
"What was that about sweetie?" she asked, concerned. The others were gathering napkins to clean up the mess.
"I just…" he coughed, his face turning red, "It went down the wrong pipe." He mumbled, then took a hesitant glance up to see if the man had heard the commotion at his table and almost died when he saw the man was staring back at him.
His eyes went wide, quickly looking away, looking anywhere but at the man, and grabbed a clean napkin to wipe the soda off his mouth and clean it off his trench coat. Unfortunately, because of its tan color, there was a very visible stain down the front. As he fussed over that with a napkin, Gabriel had followed Castiel's line of sight to the bar. He then grinned as he realized what had happened.
"No, see Godzilla has a ray beam he spits out of his mouth. What do aliens have? A tractor beam. There is no way-" "Dean, aliens could be so far advanced that yea, they have a tractor beam, but there is no way they don't have some kind of weapon on their ship-" "See, there's the problem with this argument, we don't know what aliens have, they could have nothing at all, but we do know that Godzilla-" "Godzilla is a giant slow lizard. Aliens could fly circles around that guy."
As Dean and Sam argued over who would win in a fight, Aliens or Godzilla, they didn't notice how a large group of five came into the bar. It was only until the sound of somebody choking and the whole group freaking out did they ever look over.
When Dean made eye contact with the man who'd choked, he recognized him from the other day. "Oh my God, Sam…"
"What?" he asked, taking a sip from his beer as he glanced at the crowd.
"That guy, the one he spewed… I asked him for five ones the other day." He told him.
Sam then glanced back at Dean, "Was that what you had to do when you left the store?"
"Yes, now shut up." He swatted his arm, "He looked like he was a deer caught in headlights, and he had to go through his friend's wallet to get them." He pointed out the guy who'd accompanied him the other day covertly, "That guy. You think they're brothers?" he asked, glancing over every other second, but making sure not to get caught.
"How should I know, Dean? Why don't you go over and ask." Sam drank the last of what was in his bottle in one gulp then asked the bartender for another.
Dean smirked, remembering the almost frightened look on his face. He wondered what that had been about, why he looked the way he did when he spoke to him. He then tried to come up with a good enough reason to go over there other than to thank him for the money exchange.
Then he began to wonder why he even wanted to go over there in the first place.
Dean stared at the neck of his bottle, making dents in the neck sticker with his thumb nail. What would he do when he got over there? Did he want to know what had caused such a reaction in the guy, or was there more to this…
But he didn't get much time to think about it, because someone from that table called his name.