Notes: Okay, uber amounts of plot here, as well as some small hints as to where the story is going. I wonder if you can spot them...

ship. me: I just seem to be so horribly mean and rude! Dissin' on claims, making y'all wait for the mystery to be solved, making the boys fight...So terrible XD

leahelisabeth: I know, I'm terrible, but I promise I'll make it all better! Just wait till you figure out what they were fighting about! XD

Disclaimer: Look! Look at all the nothings I have! :D

CHAPTER 5

After reluctantly helping Bela out from the crate, Dean started to escort her to the dining area, where people were about to start gathering for dinner. He hated to ruin a moderately good meal, but if his crew was going to push and prod him with all of their needs, then he was going to get this done sooner so that they might stop pestering him. He just wanted to get this over with.

But he couldn't help but wish that he had waited a little bit longer so that Bela had more time in her little box. As it was right then, she was practically strutting her way through the ship beside Dean, making him cringe that she was so content to be back on his ship after all the trouble she had caused. He just hoped that his crew didn't shoot first and celebrate later when they saw her.

As it was, they entered the kitchen to Balthazar and Anna who were prepping dinner, and thankfully neither of them carried guns on them, otherwise Bela would for sure be dead.

Without waiting for Dean to say anything, Balthazar leapt from behind the counter and pounced on her with a growl that would have any dog standing proud of. His mind had gone completely blank the moment that he laid eyes on that demon in a woman's skin.

Because of her, he had betrayed his little brother by not listening to him, by ignoring his warnings and in the end, letting his little brother be poisoned into a stupor by this witch. He would never forget those frantic moments that Cassy lay still on the bed, not moving and not responding to anything they tried…not even Gabriel's healing could rouse him. He had truly thought that he had failed his brother and that as a result had doomed him.

Now the little whore was back and all he saw was red, jumping her without even a thought toward his own safety or his lack of weapon. All he could think of was removing the threat from the ship where his family was.

Dean had to admit that he might have paused a few moments purposely so that Balthazar could wail on her for a little bit longer before he finally wrenched the middle Novak off of her, which was a lot harder than he would have thought.

What he didn't consider at all was Anna picking up a knife from the counter and also trying to join the fray. It was only Bela's training and fast reflexes that let her keep her hand as Anna swiped the knife through the air, just missing slicing off the limb.

Now he had to hold back two snarling crew members as Bela scrambled to the other side of the room, clearly choosing the intelligent strategy of stepping out of the fire.

"Chill the fuck out, you two! She's with me!" Dean yelled at them, and they both stilled in his hands, but the anger didn't dissipate in the least.

"What do you mean, 'she's with you?' Are you out of your bloody mind?!" Balthazar shouted, his voice carrying far and Dean knew that soon the rest of his crew would be storming through the doors. He had to get this situation under control before his kitchen became a freaking brawl zone.

"Bela, stay the fuck over there. You two, just listen for a sec. She had a job for us—"

"I don't care if she has a bloody written apology and five hundred year old scotch! She tried to kill us!"

Even Anna was looking pissed off, her normally passive and calm features scrunched up in wrinkled distaste and anger, "Dean how could you let her back on the ship! She almost killed all of us, and poisoned you and Castiel!"

"I know that! I was there! Just…just hear her out. She might be able to help us…and help Cas," the Captain snarled.

And like that the spit and fire in Balthazar lessened and Dean had control, however temporary.

Like he had predicted, his crew had all dashed into the dining area, guns drawn not even a minute later, and it took another mad scramble to pull Gabriel off of Bela, his fists taking decent chunks of her hair along the way, but Dean really couldn't bring himself to care about that. She deserved far more than some misplaced strands of hair.

Since Anna was too busy glaring daggers at the visitor, it was Dean's responsibility to somehow get his crew settled and the execution postponed. He wasn't sure how he did it, just that it might have involved his face turning red from yelling, and a few shoves of his crew into chairs, and now each of his crew were settled…all on one side of the room, while Dean stood with Bela on the other side.

They were calm for the moment, but he knew he had to start talking soon or risk the momentary calm breaking, but Sam was the first one who spoke up, blatant anger in his voice, "So…I'm guessing that this is what you and Cas were fighting about? Cause if it is, I'm thinking I'm going to take his side in this," he said crossly.

"You do that and keep acting like a scorned prom date while I'm the responsible Captain who needs to keep his crew fed and afloat And whatever Cas and I are...discussing is none of your business," Dean snapped back. Sam wasn't satisfied though, if this wasn't what they were fighting about...

Even Bobby, who usually backed Dean up in all his choices was looking a little on the skeptical side, "I know we're a bit on the desperate side of the spectrum, but ain't the reason we been turning down so many jobs is cause their too risky? Seems to me that this isn't just risky, it's basically sticking your head in the mouth of a lion."

"I hate to say it, but I'm thinking along the same lines as the preacher man. This screams stupid, Cap," Meg added.

At this point Dean was rubbing the bridge of his nose. He hadn't expected his crew to react any way different from this, but it didn't mean he was any less annoyed at them, "Would all of you just…hold your bladders for a moment?! Just listen to the job, and then tell me what you think," he said quietly, with a fierceness behind it that finally got the others to calm down for the moment.

They all turned their attention to Bela, who up until this point had been keeping quiet as to not poke the beast before Dean had tamed it. Now she cleared her throat and started, "The mark's name is Durran Haymer. Maybe one of the biggest collectors of Earth-That-Was artifacts in the 'verse. Guy's got a warehouse full of stuff, but his prize is sitting in his parlor—and antiquity of unspeakable value; The Mexican."

She paused for dramatic effect, but the crew didn't even bat an eye,

She sighed and continued, "The original hand-held laser pistol. One of only two known to still exist. The forerunner of all modern laser technology. Haymer got lucky, picked it up during the war for nothing."

"But it wasn't just luck, tell them," Dean demanded from behind.

She sighed again, this was the part that she had used to lure Dean even further in to the plan, "Haymer's Garrison. He was a bio-weapons expert during the war. He'd target neighborhoods with valuables, wipe out every living soul without ever damaging the good. He'd go in, take whatever he wanted."

During her little background, Dean kept his eyes trained on Sam, waiting for the realization to hit him. He saw the second that it hit Sam and the memories flooded his eyes. The tragic realization that men, just like Haymer, maybe even Haymer himself, were responsible for their mother's death. The raids that caused the fire that stole their mother from them were lit by them. Dean also saw the moment when Sam was on board, because his eyes lit up with a fire that matched his own. That was one crew member.

"He's living fat on a private estate on Bellerophon," Bela tossed some computer disks across the table where the crew was still keeping an almost comical distance from her, "I managed to get a hold of his schedule for the next 18 months, the layout of the estate grounds…as well as every security code for the place."

Sam and Bobby were the only ones who reached forward for the disks, so Dean jumped in to try and make the job more sweet to the other's ears, "Bela's got a notion that we can just walk in and take The Mexican right off the shelf."

Now, Gabriel had been sitting quietly for the last ten minutes, ever since Dean had hauled him off of Bela, and he was being patient even though he was fuming so hot inside that if someone put an egg on his arm, it would be over-hard in a matter of seconds.

But he couldn't sit back any longer, not with Cas hiding in the doorway, his eyes glaring through Bela's skull. He raised his hand in a sarcastic manner, waiting until Dean nodded at him to speak.

"I'm confused…." He started, but Bela cut him off.

"If you're asking yourself if I've got the security codes, why don't I just go in and grab it for myself…why do I even bother cutting you guys in?" she filled in, but Gabriel shook his head with a hysterical giggle.

"Ah, no! Actually…what was really confusing me was…what the hell you are doing on the ship!? Dean, what the hell are you thinking!?" he finished with a furious shout and his fist punching the table. The rest of the crew turned to both her and Dean, eyes demanding more of an answer than, she might provide them money.

Bela rolled her eyes at the attention, "Oh, please. Nobody died last time."

Gabriel ignored her and fixed his blazing golden eyes on Dean, "We're in space, how the fuck did she even get here?"

"She hitched," Dean responded sourly.

"I don't recall pulling over!" Gabriel hissed back.

"Look, the point is, there's more than one of us here who wouldn't mind sticking it to a chiang-bao hoe-tze duh, Garrison bastard. (monkey raping) Besides that, this isn't a wobbly headed doll caper. This could pull us out of our rut and get us what we so desperately need. Or did you forget that Cas needs some more medicine?" Dean reminded him with a snarl, and finally Gabriel's ire dimmed a bit, Balthazar's right along with it. They were indeed still concerned about that, and supposedly if this job went well and it helped….

The two older Novaks picked up two more of the computer disks and started looking them over, glowers still on their faces. That made three.

Chuck, who up to this point had been quiet, slowly raised his hand, following Gabriel's example of questions in this odd plotting session, "Okay, um, I have a question…If she's got the security codes, why doesn't she just go in and grab it for herself-why cut us in?" he asked obligningly.

For a moment, everyone one in the room sends him an 'are you kidding me' look before turning to Bela to answer the mechanic.

"Good point!" she said sarcastically, "Getting through the door and putting our hands on The Mexican is easy. Getting out with it…that's the tricky part. And if what I've been hearing about you guys in the criminal gossip, you have a spectacular talent for getting out of rough places."

"I'm guessing this piece is tagged and coded. The second that it passes through the door…alarms, security…feds…," Bobby mused out loud, making sure that Dean had considered that this could be damned risky.

But Dean knew this well enough, and if it weren't for both Sam and Anna accusing him of being too soft, he probably would have let Bela keep on walking, but now it kinda felt like he had something to prove.

"It is risky. It isn't a one-woman operation. To do this right I'm going to need—"

"Reckless morons…"

Everyone turned to Cas who was still standing in the doorway where he had just cut off Bela mid sentence. He may have been half cast in shadow, but they could all see his eyes that seemed to glow with some untold power. They only half noticed the lights flicker in the background.

"I prefer to call them partners," Bela called to him deadpan.

"Dupes then. You will all be partnered dupes if you trust her. And if you don't like 'reckless', I could use 'insouciant', maybe," Cas muttered darkly. All of the crew could almost feel the hair stand on end as the room seemed to fill with static. Dean felt it to and jumped in, his own voice holding no softness or give when he spoke to Cas.

"That may be so. It's not like we're criminal masterminds who were able to get you in and out of a core hospital, or pulled off a good many heists before you even got here. Lord knows that I wasn't able to keep a healthy and happy crew before the rest of you got here. So, unless you and your brothers have got another magnificent heist plan stuffed under your pillow scribbled in crayon, I suggest we hear this out," Dean said sternly.

Around the room jaws hung open as they listened to the Captain speak so harshly to the other man. Never had they heard him be so cross and maybe even a little mean to the troubled young man, but to his own credit, Cas didn't even flinch. And Bela…well she actually looked like she was enjoying the spectacle.

She smirked at the young man and sauntered closer, hooking her fingers into the collar of his coat and fixing the rumples there, "See there, hon? Only thing you gotta do if you want be rich and pay for your little happy pills…is get over it. Now why don't you go made some pasta art like a good little crazy man," she finished with a pat to his head.

Tilting his head slowly to the side, Cas roamed his eyes over her searchingly before he looked up and met her eyes, "Hmm, okay," he said quietly, but then like a lightning strike, Cas hauls off and slugs Bela in the mouth, making the criminal fall down hard on her ass, a small trickled of blood coming down from her lips.

Nobody offers to help her up.

But Cas didn't smile in satisfaction, or even quirk a grin. Instead he looked to Dean with some odd twinkle in his gaze before dropping his eyes.

"Nee mun doh shr sagwa," Cas hissed as he turned to leave the room very quickly, almost tripping over his own feet in retreat. (Idiots, all of you)

Dean's eyes followed him out of the room, and Sam could have sworn that Dean's lips quirked up into a half smile, but it might have just been the flickering lights playing tricks on his eyes.

Hmmmmm, and the lovebirds continue to fight! Hang in there babies!