CHAPTER FORTY: Shit Stirrers Part One
Sam and Dean watched with bewildered expressions as they witnessed Castiel slowly unbuttoning his shirt and pulling out his angel blade. With no hesitation, Cas began to carve something in his chest, looking like a Greek symbol the boys had never seen before.
As if just noticing the strange looks he was receiving, the angel looked up and squinted. "What is wrong?" He asked, looking around Bobby's living room for any potential danger.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Dean blurted out as Castiel fixed his shirt and put away his knife.
The angel's brows furrowed in aggravation. "It is warding sigils against my kind. I blatantly defied Heaven, I am now wanted thanks to you." He answered a little bitterly as he took a step towards the two demons. Without any warning, he placed a palm on each of their chests. Sam and Dean both backed up once the weird sensation was over, glaring at the angel for an explanation. "I just carved Enochian symbols into yours ribs; this way the angels will be unable to locate you." He said simply, meeting the boys violated gazes as they rubbed their chests protectively.
Sam just shook his head, still not sure how he felt about having Castiel join their team before he squeezed his eyes shut. "So, wait. Doesn't that mean you won't be able to find us either?"
Cas looked extremely troubled as he digested the information, not having thought of that before. "I suppose you are correct."
Dean smirked, amusement in his tone as he clapped the angel on the shoulder. "Guess we're gonna have to get you a cell phone." He joked as Jo came barreling down the stairs with a manila folder in her hand.
She glanced warily at Castiel before turning her attention to the two Winchester's. "Have any of you seen the others?" She asked, gripping the folder tighter when she saw Dean glance at it curiously.
"Um, Ellen and Bobby went on a food run and our parents," Sam paused, actually not knowing and not wanting to know where they had run off to. "Anyways, can we help you with something?" He offered, noting the folder with a nod.
The blonde hunter looked uncertain; debating with herself before Dean quickly snatched the folder from her. "Hey! Give it back!" She demanded, trying to reach where the eldest demon was holding it out of her arm's length. Jo jumped to try and grab it but with no success as he tossed it to Sam who caught it with ease. Just as the young hunter went to tackle him, he disappeared and reappeared at the other side of the room, looking through the contents of the folder.
"It's a case." He said with a hint of excitement in his tone as he eyed Dean expectantly.
The eldest Winchester rushed over, reading over the contents of the newspaper article as Jo stood next to Castiel with a scowl and crossed arms. "Dean, I don't think-" She began, only to be cut off by his intense glare.
"Jo, I'm fine. A case would be good for me. Right, Cas?" He asked, a smug grin tugging at his lips.
The angel looked defiant as he spoke, prepared for an argument. "I feel it would be unwise to go on a hunt in your current situation."
Dean scoffed before realizing Castiel was serious, his plan to have the angel support his claim backfiring. "You're joking? Guys, come on I'm fine!"
Sam shot him a wary look before returning to the articles, trying to gauge how involved this case would be. He read the first headline before rereading it and setting the folder on Bobby's cluttered desk. "What the hell is this?" He asked finally, at a loss.
Jo rolled her eyes, walking over to him and snagging the papers away. "There have been a series of strange drownings, one was in the shower, another in the bathtub. No one can explain it." She said, glancing up at Dean. "A hunter by the name Gordon Walker sent me the information."
She saw Dean's face scrunch into one of realization and pride before shooting Sam a look. "Remember him? That punk ass hunter who tried to ambush us outside a bar right outside Indiana a few years back?"
The youngest Winchester nodded, recalling that night. "That was when people started dying after we made deals with them." He added, not forgetting how they had never figured out what that had been; only that it stopped just as suddenly as it had started.
Castiel stepped forward, growing tired of the conversation. "Dean, I would advise you let the hunter's and Sam handle this. The Mark-"
"I don't give two shits about the Mark." The eldest demon shot back, not liking being told what to do. "Cas, I'm going. This is what I need to get back to normal." He finished, his tone softer as he locked eyes with the angel.
With obvious reluctance, Cas nodded which caused Dean to grin widely. "But, I am going to accompany you all." He continued, raining on the demon's parade.
After a moment of groaning, Dean let it go and allowed Jo to fill them all in on the case.
….
Because Cas wasn't the only one who wanted to keep an extra close eye on Dean, Mary and John decided to go with the boys and Jo. Let's just say, it led to one interesting car ride.
Since John, Mary or Sam didn't feel comfortable with sitting next to Castiel, Dean and Jo got shoved to the backseat of the Impala with the angel smashed in the middle.
"Dude, what is your problem?" The eldest demon finally asked after he had had enough of Castiel's squirming.
With a huff of frustration, the angel gave Dean a pointed look. "I have never experienced riding in a motor vehicle before. It's too slow." He paused, trying to find the best word. "Confining." He finally said, wiggling his butt in the seat to get more comfortable.
John snickered from the driver's seat, glancing at the distraught angel. "It's over a day's drive to Massachusetts, you might want to get use to it real quick."
Mary shook her head, sitting in between Sam and her husband. "Don't worry, we will stop half way through for the night." She reassured when she noticed Castiel's horrified look.
He seemed to relax some, clasping his hands in front of him while he let his thoughts drift before he noticed Jo was staring at him. "May I help you?" The angel asked with a hint of attitude.
Jo considered how to go about her question. "So, demons and angels don't actually look like their vessels right? I mean, like demons look like ugly monsters don't they?" She ignored the collective 'Heys!" that rang from the three demons in the car while Castiel answered.
"Correct, we all have true forms. Mine is precisely the size of the Chrysler building. Mary's isn't as repulsive as some demons I have encountered." He said, Mary shooting him a quick smirk over her shoulder. "Dean's and Sam's… are similar yet different. Although I feel Dean's may have been altered once he was in Hell."
The eldest demon stiffened as Sam turned around to meet the angel's intense gaze. "What do you mean?"
Dean elbowed Cas in the ribs before he could respond. Sitting up in his seat, the middle Winchester, tapped John's shoulder. "Feel like stopping for a bite? I'm starving."
….
"Do you think it was a good idea to stick Cas with the girls?" Dean asked as he unlocked their motel room door, the distinct smell of mildew coming from somewhere around them.
Sam chuckled as they walked in, not feeling bad for the angel in the slightest. "He'll be fine. The worse Mom and Jo will do is braid his hair." He flipped the light switch, the dim lighting coming on after a few moments of flickering before moving to the table.
John joined the boys at the falling apart table, plopping down heavily in one of the rickety chairs. "As long as we're not stuck with him, we're fine."
The eldest demon thought about defending the angel but decided against it. The poor bastard defied all he knew for one guy, the least he could do was stick up for him. "He's not that bad." He added off-handedly, not paying attention to the weird looks he was receiving.
Clearing his throat, Sam stood up and grabbed his coat. "I'm gonna go grab a coke."The youngest Winchester quickly left the room, making his way to the back of the building.
He glanced around him, making sure he was completely alone before pulling out a silver flask from his jacket pocket. He unscrewed the cap as the night air nipped at his exposed ears, about to take a swig when he felt a rush of wind against his back. Turning around slowly, he felt his stomach drop when he met Castiel's judgmental gaze.
"Castiel, I can explain-" Sam started, only to be cut off.
"Sam, this is a dangerous path to be on." The angel warned as he took a brief moment to gesture towards the container, taking a threatening step forward. "This habit needs to stop."
The youngest Winchester stood up straighter with defiance. "Or what?" He asked, his tone cocky and unfazed by the angelic being before him as the thirst he felt for the crimson liquid in his hands grew more insistent.
Castiel tilted his head with amusement and pity for Sam. "What do you think, boy? If you do not stop this on your own, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. God does not want you doing this."
"In case you didn't notice, I have my own God." With pure black eyes targetted towards the angel, Sam made his way back to the motel room, not in the mood to be lectured.
"I thought you were getting a coke?" John asked, turning his head from the TV to face his son from his position on the couch.
The demon paused as he glanced between his father and brother, his excuse having totally left his mind. "I uh, drank it out there. I needed the fresh air."
"Was it a refreshing coke?" Dean grumbled into the pillow he was currently lying on top of.
"Shut up." Sam replied with cynically before claiming the other bed, knowing their father already had dibbs on the couch. Although, after seeing the black mold in the sink, he thought he'd be better off sleeping in the car.
…
Gordon Walker made his way down the crowded streets of Saint Louis, his impatience with people increasing as slow walkers seemed bent on moving in front of him. With the FBI headquarters finally coming in sight, Gordon felt himself instantly start to relax as he made his way into the warm, monstrous building.
He signed in at the front desk, the clerk saying that Henriksen was expecting him and to just go on up. He located the elevator and got on, pushing the button for the fifteenth and top floor. He glanced suspiciously at the lanky kid next to him who was wearing a plaid shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap. Why the hell a kid dressed like that was in a place like this was beyond the experienced hunter, but he paid no mind when he got off on the tenth floor, leaving Gordon alone.
The rest of the ride was silent besides the soft ding signaling he had arrived at his destination. Stepping off and smoothing his suit jacket, he followed the narrow hallway to the very end to the door marked as 'Special Agent Victor Henriksen.' Just as he was about to knock, a goofy looking teen rushed over to him, pushing up a pair of huge glasses. Gordon noted his name was Greg, although he knew he wouldn't care to remember it.
"Excuse me sir, can I help you?" The secretary stammered, seeming as though he was about to piss his pants as he eyed the tall, easily-irritable man up and down.
Gordon narrowed his gaze, shoving his hands in his pockets. "He's expecting me. Gordon Walker." He introduced himself, not bothering to offer a hand.
Greg rushed over to his small desk, rifling through papers before he found the one he was looking for. He scanned it, brushing some loose hairs from his eyes before he nodded. "You can go on in, you're here to work on the Winchester case right?" He asked, unable to stop his curiosity.
Gordon chuckled under his breath, wondering to himself how much this kid knew. "Yeah, we're hopin' to put a stop to them soon." With a forced smile, the hunter knocked on the door before letting himself in.
"You're late." Victor said the second the door was shut, barely glancing up from what he was working on on his computer. He closed his laptop promptly before gesturing to one of the seats in front of his massive desk. "Please, sit. I have things to do so let's wrap this up quick."
Gordon pulled out a small envelope from his jacket pocket and slid it across the desk to the agent. "I dropped a dime to a hunter by the name Jo Harvelle about a case in Massachusetts, word around town is that she's been hangin' out with the Winchester's." He began, something tugging at the back of his mind. "Your secretary, how much does he know?"
Victor looked up from the contents of the envelope which had information about everyone who had been seen with Sam and Dean recently. "Greg? He knows. He was the one who brought me the case originally. He knew that they were asking people for their souls but thought they were just crazy at first. Then he happened upon a file in my drawer labeled 'demons' and I had no choice but to fill him in."
Gordon couldn't help but think that maybe that had been purposeful, having a file labeled as such with a secretary around. But, he decided not to push it, knowing Henriksen was the type to get angry fast. Not that he wasn't the type himself.
"So, they'll be in Massachusetts then?" Victor asked, breaking Gordon from his internal rambling.
Gordon nodded, wiping at his chin as he leaned back in his chair. "Should be. I'm headin' that way as soon as we're done here."
Henriksen considered him for a moment before he picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Cancel all my meetings for the next two days and get our unit ready." He talked into the receiver with haste, meeting the hunter's excited gaze. "We're leaving for Massachusetts in an hour." With a cocky grin, Victor stood up and shook Gordon's hand.
…
Thankfully for all the members of the party, the rest of the trip went by without a hitch, Cas even beginning to hum along to some of the Metallica that had been playing.
Once arriving in the small town of Sea Pines, they immediately set out to find their witnesses.
Dean, Cas and John set out to talk to the aunt of one of the deceased while Jo, Mary, and Sam went to talk to the brother of the man who died in the bathtub.
"But I don't understand." An elderly, elegant looking lady began, sitting down in a super expansive chair in her super expansive mansion. "I already went over all this with the other detectives." She explained, eyeing Dean up and down before her hungry eyes landed on Castiel.
The demon shot the angel a look before clearing his throat. "Right, but uh, we're from the Sheriff's Department. Totally different department than the police department." He said awkwardly.
Thinking he best jump in, Cas addressed the woman. "So, Mrs. Case-"
The woman, whose first name was Gert, interrupted the angel. "Please, Ms. Case." She corrected, her intense gaze trained on him.
Castiel looked like a deer caught in headlights as Gert never broke eye contact with him. "Um, you were the one who found you niece no longer alive in the shower correct?" He said, unsympathetically.
Ms. Case seemed unfazed as she nodded. "Unfortunately, the police said she drowned. But you tell me, how do you drown in the shower?" She asked, exasperation in her tone.
"Did your niece mention anything out of the ordinary in the days before her death? Did she seem scared?" Dean tried to steer the conversation in the right direction, Gert turning to him with realization evident on her face.
"Wait a minute, you're working with Lugosi, aren't you?" She asked, smiling smugly.
Dean laughed, rolling with it. "You caught us. Lugosi and us, we're tight." He signified how close they were by crossing two of his fingers, holding them up so Gert could see.
Ms. Case shook her head. "Why didn't you say so? Lugosi has been a God send. But, I was under the impression the case had been solved?" She questioned, confused.
John shook his head, still feeling uncomfortable by the way Gert still kept her focus on Cas. "No, not yet. We still have some loose ends." He forced a sad smile, although she didn't see it because she was too busy making seductive faces towards the innocent angel. "We were talking about your niece."
"Well, yes. She did mention something quite strange, she said she saw a boat while she was on her evening jog. She said it was there one moment and gone the next. Lugosi said it might be a ghost ship." She said, addressing all her comments to Castiel.
Taken aback by the fact she knew of the supernatural, Dean faltered a bit before answering. "Could be."
Gert leaned forward, running a thin finger along Castiel's hand. "Let me know if you need anything else." She purred, her eyes drifting downwards. "Anything at all."
The demon, smirking broadly, clapped Cas on the shoulder before leading him out of the house, John following shortly behind with a disgusted yet amused look occupying his features.
….
"What a senile, old broad." John noted as they walked along the docks. He admired some of the ships that seemed to be abundant as they made their way to where they parked the Impala.
Dean nudged Cas with his elbow, pretending to whisper. "Hey, he's making fun of your girlfriend."
The angel looked puzzled, eyeing the demon quizzically. "I have never met that woman before in my entire existence, nor am I having any relations with her."
Dean groaned, forgetting the angel took everything literally. "So, who's this Lugosi? Another one of your hunter friends?" He glanced at John, figuring he would know.
The eldest Winchester pursed his lips. "Never heard of him, we can call Bobby once we're all together. Let's meet them back at the house."
…
"Lugosi? You're sure?" Bobby double checked, praying he had heard wrong. He nodded at Ellen who joined him at his kitchen table, setting down a fresh beer for him. He switched the phone to where it was on speaker phone, wanting to include the brunette hunter.
"Uh, yeah. That's what Gert said." Dean confirmed, noting Bobby's aggravated tone. "Why? Who is it?"
"No one good." He started. "Bela Talbot's her real name." He clarified, rubbing at his beard. "I've only crossed paths with her once or twice."
Mary's brows narrowed as she spoke up. "Is she a hunter? She told one of our witnesses that it could be a ghost ship."
Bobby scoffed, leaning back in his chair before taking a swig from his beer. "Pretty frickin' far from a hunter. But, she knows her way around the territory. Last I heard she was in the middle East somewhere."
"Well, I guess she's back." Jo said sarcastically, not liking the thought of someone messing up their case.
"That means seriously bad luck for you." Ellen chimed in. "I've only heard stories about her, but from what I've gathered, she ain't one to mess with."
"We'll be careful." Sam promised before they exchanged goodbyes, ending the conversation.
"So, we've gathered that it is a ghost ship." Dean recounted, standing up from the table of the abandoned house they were squatting at.
All head's turned to the door when they heard a persistent knocking. With cautious steps, Sam got up and approached the door, looking through the peep hole. He turned to face the others, shrugging before he opened the door.
"Quite the place for a couple of agents to be hanging out." A woman with long brown hair noted, barging her way into the run-down house as she eyed it distastefully. She looked at the group who were all staring at her, open-mouthed. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you all are hunters?"
John stood up, feeling for his gun that had a permanent residence in his waistband. "Who's asking?" He wondered, trying to seem tough.
A smug grin tugged at her lips as she took notice of Dean. "I'm the Lugosi Gert told you about."
The eldest demon stepped forward, crossing his arms. "Alright, Bela, can we help you with something?"
Her brows rose in astonishment, impressed they had figured out who she was. "I just wanted to thank you for messing up my arrangement with Gert. You all told her the case wasn't solved and now she's refusing to make payments." She revealed bitterly.
"That's because the case isn't solved." Jo spoke up, venom in her tone.
"She didn't know that." Bela clarified, looking like she was about to explode.
Castiel watched the exchange from where he was sitting in the corner of the room, learning as he listened. Although he couldn't shake the weird feeling the woman was giving off. Standing up, he made his way over to the group, Bela's gaze landing on him. "How did you find us? Not that I doubt your intelligence level, but we did not leave any clues behind as to our whereabouts."
Bela paused, considering her options. "I may have had a little help from a dear old friend." Castiel seemed to accept this but he could tell the others in the room felt uncomfortable that someone had been able to find them.
"I didn't just come however to chat. I need your help." Bela explained, earning bewildered looks from all around. "Since I now need to actually solve the case to continue receiving my money from Gert, I did a little digging."
She pulled out a small folder from her purse, plucking out a picture of the ship the deceased had seen before dying. Bela then explained what exactly what it was and where they had to go in order to put a stop to it.
"You want us to go to a party with you to steal a dead man's hand?" Dean asked with skepticism, not believing that was all she was planning. Something about this woman just gave him a bad feeling in his gut.
"Well, Gert wants to go and she made me promise to bring my sexy dark-haired, blue-eyed friend who I am assuming," She scanned the room, finding Cas. "Is you."
The angel, looking extremely uncomfortable, actually blushed as Bela went on, saying how it was necessary that she herself had a date.
"Alright, sweetheart. Why don't you wait outside while we talk and figure out if we actually trust you." Dean told her, a sly grin on his face.
With a small huff of impatience, Bela proceeded to wait outside, the whole situation un-ideal in her eyes.
Mary shook her head as soon as Bela was out of earshot. "Something about her and how she found us is off." She pointed out as Sam sat down at the computer and began hastily typing.
After a few moments, the youngest Winchester found what he had been looking for. "All the information she gave us checks out. The 37 year gaps between the deaths, the captain getting his hand cut off, all of it. Including, the location the hand is displayed at and the fact there's a party there tonight."
"So, it only makes sense that Cas goes with his cougar girlfriend, I go with Bela, and Sam and Jo go together. That way, we have enough of us there in case anything goes wrong."
John crossed his arms. "You're mom and I will stay here and go find the captains bones to salt and burn em'."
Sam glanced around the group, nodding in agreement. "Let's get suited up."
….
"What do you mean, you're stopping the payments?" Bela asked incredulously into her cell phone. As she listened to Gert's reply, she couldn't help but feel herself get more and more pissed off, clutching the phone tightly.
"Someone giving you trouble?" A rough voice questioned from behind her, causing her to turn around.
She quickly hung up, looking at the man expectantly. "Maybe. What's it to you?" She started warily.
"My name is Gordon Walker, and I happen to know what your problem is." He answered simply, taking a step towards her.
Her interest being peaked, she couldn't help herself from asking. "And what would that be?"
"What do you know about the Winchester brothers?"
….
TBC
I'll try to post the second half of this ASAP. Don't worry, plenty of action to come. Leave your thoughts if you feel like it, we haven't had a normal hunt in awhile. Do you guys think Dean will lose it? Will Gordon stir up so much crap there will be no going back? Let me know your predictions. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.