Women of Letters: Thank you so much for your support thus far! As a reminder, this story started before both BATB and SPN resumed so there will be some different themes (as you can tell) but we will implement some of the new stuff as well! :)
Chapter 3
~Supernatural~
Dean and Sam hadn't had time to relax in a long while. Although they were planning to take a small break from the hunting business, they couldn't turn down an opportunity to help a new friend. Sure, they might not know a lot about Vincent or his best friend, JT, but they seem like genuine guys.
"Damn, V!" JT exclaimed as he looked around Catherine Chandler's apartment, "Your girl has some pretty nice digs! You've been holding out on me!"
"I have to agree with Four Eyes. This place is pretty cozy!" Dean added. Without paying attention to the rest of the group, Dean gave himself a little Tour de la Catherine. As he took three steps into the apartment, he noted the small kitchen. It had a mini chalkboard with a grocery list, several spices sitting against the backsplash, a little, silver refrigerator facing the inside of the apartment and a nice island-counter to complement the rustic design.
He then walked onward and noticed the large family room with a couch facing the TV along the grey wall. "Oooh! A balcony!" Dean exclaimed to himself. "Niiiice." Not wanting to cause attention to himself, he decides against checking out the balcony. The last thing he wanted was for the other guys to realize what his whole reasoning behind his self-guided tour. He noted the small laundry machine set to his left and a closet door beyond that. "And now, onto the underwear drawer..." he smirked.
Just as he was about to venture into the small hallway leading to Catherine's bedroom, a strong, solid object instantly appeared in front of him, scaring the bejeezus out of him. "DUDE! NOT COOL!" Dean shouted as he jumped backwards, hair pricking up his neck.
"That's funny," the fake door darkly chuckled, "I was thinking the exact same thing about you."
"Take it easy there," Dean held up his hands in defense. "I'm not the bad guy here." If Vincent was anyone else, Dean would simply lie and tell him he was looking for the bathroom. However, this was not the case. Vincent, first and foremost, was a good lie detector and Dean wouldn't risk his life on trying to lie to him-especially when Vincent is a considerable ally. Dean took a few steps backwards and tried to keep his composure.
Unbeknownst to Vincent, Dean wasn't really freaked out from his sudden arrival; the hairs on his body are standing up because Vincent really wasn't looking like Vincent at the moment. He had unintentionally beasted-out due to his instincts to protect Catherine, causing Dean to be on guard. "Uhhh," he called out to the men behind him, "JT, how do you turn the Beast off?"
"Play nice and be a good little boy?" JT shrugged. "Dunno...Cat's the only one capable of taming him. Once he's in this state, you either have to wait until he calms down himself or you tranq him. Unfortunately, the tranq gun is back home and, with his whole 2.0 system, three darts usually do the trick." As Dean kept walking backwards, his feet kicked the sofa and he fell against it. Sam, on the other hand, decided to stay out of this ordeal, believing Vincent wouldn't really hurt Dean. JT sighed, shook his head, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Hi, Cat? -Yeah, I'm going to put you on speakerphone. -Why? V is a little...hyped up and we need your voice as an off-button substitute. -No. He hasn't eaten anyone yet. -Well hurry up then! We don't have all day and Vincent looks super pissed! -No, I don't care if you go to the ladies' restroom or the locker room! Just get to a location ASAP! -What? I don't know? He has a look of...evil in his eyes and is freaking us out! -Don't tell me that! Tell V!" JT pressed a button on his phone and bravely walked up to Vincent. "Nice boy. That's right, listen to your ringmaster."
"Vincent, you need to calm down." Everyone heard Catherine say through the speaker.
"It's not workiiiing!" JT sang as he took a step back but leaned the phone closer. He had to prepare for a fast getaway if his best friend was going to try and rip his arm off.
"Vincent!" Catherine shouted.
"You've caught his attention!" Dean hollered. "Now tell him it's nappy time!"
"He's not five!" Catherine argued but JT mumbled, "Not hellpiiiing!"
"Vincent, focus on my voice!" she called out. "Focus on me and only me. There's no one in the room but us, all right? Remember the time you freaked out in the basement of Iris's apartment? Remember how I calmed you down? Focus on that feeling."
"How about the time he almost impaled me with his claws during his remepisodes?" JT interjected.
"You want my help or not?" Catherine's voice directed towards JT as Vincent looked at his best friend in confusion.
"Carry on." JT gulped.
As the three men heard Catherine sigh, she continued to say, "Vincent, I can't come home because I have a lot of work to do today so you need to calm down. Think about...the fire escape...and our times on the roof." Catherine continued to try to soothe her boyfriend and eventually, Vincent's face relaxed and his fangs and claws disappeared.
"Thank God." JT and Dean muttered together as Sam finally approached them.
"Found the tranq gun in the Impala!" he lied as he hustled up to them. "What did I miss?" Sam really didn't just go to the Impala to fetch the tranq gun. No. He had it the entire time. He had brought it with him just for precaution but decided to see how Vincent's situation would pan out. He wanted to understand what would bring Vincent back to his senses so he opted on not tranquing the beast unless it was absolutely needed.
"You're a little late, Sammy." Dean sighed and slumped onto the couch, relieved his body was still intact.
As Sam, JT and Vincent gathered around the kitchen counter to start their discussion concerning Muirfield, Dean was in serious need of beer. Or pie, if it's available. Anything to keep him from jumping out of his skin every time he sees Vincent move. He inhaled deeply and started rummaging through Cat's cabinets, hoping to find something to calm his nerves.
"Dean," Vincent said as he approached the hungry Winchester, "I just want...to erm...apologize for earlier. That was totally unintentional on my part but sometimes it likes to make an appearance without my permission."
Dean slowly turned around and looked up at Vincent. "No...it's cool, man. Now I know who not to piss off on a regular basis. You don't have to worry about me trying to go behind your back again." Dean's eyes widened as he surrendered himself. "Trust me, you did look a little creepy in the woods last night but...when the light was shining on you? Man, I've seen a lot of freaky things but you would definitely make me shit my pants if I was on your bad side." He heard Vincent chuckle as he turned around to continue looking in the cabinets. "By the way, Vincent, does your girlfriend have any pie?"
"Beats me." Vincent shrugged, glad everything was okay between him and Dean. "Just because she's my girlfriend doesn't mean I live here."
"Could have fooled me," JT murmured purposely loud enough for his super-hearing best friend. "For as much time you spend over here, I'm surprised you don't know where anything is."
"Well...We don't exactly go through the cabinets while I'm over here, if you know what I mean." Vincent smirked and Dean couldn't help but smile.
"You go, man," Dean congratulated Vincent but kept his distance. The older Winchester brother could definitely feel that this was the beginnings of a new bromance...even if Vincent's beastier side tried to eat him earlier. "By the way...since you're not sure...is there some way...for you to...you know, sniff some out?"
"Really, Dean?" Sam gave his brother a stern look.
"What?" Dean shrugged his shoulders, trying to look innocent. "I'm hungry!"
"Don't worry," Vincent laughed as he opened one of the cabinet drawers. "I'm sure Catherine has something in her cabinets or in her fridge. Will a beer suffice until she comes home?"
"Hell yeah!" Dean exclaimed, definitely needing something to take off the edge. As he grabbed the beer bottle from Vincent, he added, "She better have some pie though. That's all I'm saying."
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother and leaned on the counter. "So, Muirfield?" he said bringing the group back to topic. "Who are they and what exactly did they do to you?"
"Well, they're not something you want to mess with, that's for sure." Vincent replied as he walked over to Catherine's recliner to sit down. JT, Dean and Sam followed suit and sat down on the couch as they waited for Vincent to continue. "First thing's first, I wasn't always like this."
"Yeah, we kinda figured that." Dean said casually.
"Before involving myself with Muirfield, I used to be a resident doctor at St. Benjamin's Hospital. I had a pretty good life and thought I had everything I wanted. However, all of that changed when the Twin Towers were struck on 9/11." Vincent paused to collect his thoughts. "My brothers were in the towers when they fell and their bodies were never recovered."
Dean knew exactly how dreadful Vincent must have felt because, based on experience, losing a brother was never easy. The many times he had lost or even though he lost Sam had been dark times. He would try to find ways to move on, but he never would succeed. He always ended up finding a way to bring his brother back. As Dean looked at Sam, he knew his brother was thinking the same thing.
"So...for a long time, I was in a dark place." Vincent added even though Sam and Dean could tell he was uncomfortable with sharing his past.
"We know how that feels." Sam comforted his new friend as Dean nodded.
"You guys have no idea how lucky you are." Vincent said to the brothers seriously. Contrary to Vincent's believe, Sam and Dean knew exactly how lucky they are...but that was a conversation for a different day. "Anyway," the ex-soldier continued, "I eventually enlisted into the army, thinking it was the best decision to avenge their deaths. However, I had no idea what I had signed up for. They called themselves Muirfield-this large group of scientists and military officials-who presented this appealing idea that they could make us stronger, faster and...better. No one knows what they injected into us but whatever cocktail they came up with; it seemed to have worked but there were side effects. Major side effects."
"So...this Muirfield...they created a bunch of Super Hulks?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrow.
"You could say that…" Vincent laughed but his cheerful expression did not last very long, "but, as far as I know, I'm the only one still alive...from that platoon. The others were destroyed along with Project Muirfield. That's why I've been in hiding for about ten years until they managed to capture me again."
Dean nodded his head once. "I see…"
Sam looked at Vincent, still curious about him. "So that file we found in the NYPD database… the Ashley Webber Case… Why were you the leading suspect?"
"It wasn't on purpose, believe me." Vincent said. "I was going for a late night drive to clear my head when I saw a woman collapse. Naturally, because I used to be a doctor, I pulled over and tried to help her. After I gave her CPR, she managed to come to but later, when Catherine came barging into my home, I find out she didn't make it. Apparently, when I gave Ashley CPR, I accidentally left a fingerprint on one of her buttons...and the rest is history." Vincent leaned backwards and placed his hands behind his head.
"That makes sense," Sam said as he stood.
Confused, Dean looked as if he was trying to figure out an algorithm. "What I don't get is how Dorky McDorkson fits into the picture," he said as he jerked his thumb in JT's direction.
"First off," JT grunted, "I'm still here. Second, that's not important. What is important is...well...uhhhh...what was the purpose for this unplanned meeting again?" JT rubbed his head awkwardly.
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sam and I needed to be filled in," he began. "We can assume that Muirfield is making more creatures like your friend, Batman here. If we're going to understand how Muirfield works so we can take them down before they have crazy killing machines that me and Sammy are going to have to put down, we need to know everything you and the manimal know and how you both fit into the equation. Got it Robin?"
Sam cleared his throat. "Basically what Dean means is, we need to know what you know, and know that we can trust you both," Sam said quickly before throwing his brother a look.
"Because I didn't want to endanger anyone else in my immediate family, I knew JT was my only option." Vincent replied but before he could continue, JT cut in.
"Gee...thanks, man." JT rolled his eyes, "Glad I'm the one you chose to endanger."
"What I mean to say, JT, is that you were the only one I could trust." Vincent reworded himself. "So, I found JT and have been mooching off of him ever since." Vincent gave his best friend a genuine smile, grateful for everything JT has ever done for him.
The Winchesters nodded in unison. When they caught themselves doing this, they looked at each other oddly as if this didn't happen on a daily basis. A little weirded out, Dean cleared his throat. "Right…So…Muirfield. What kind of fire-power do they have and where is their super-secret evil lair?" he asked, bringing the group to the elephant in the room.
JT slapped his head and grunted. "If we knew where they kept the goodies at, don't you think we would have stolen them by now? Honestly, how big is your brain, anyways?" he directed the last question towards Dean.
Dean was offended. He stood up and stared down JT. "Don't you dare insult my intelligence," he said in a threatening tone of voice.
JT rose to his feet and took a step towards Dean. "Oh yeah?! I bet you can't even spell the word: intelligence!"
"Watch it, pal! I may only have a GED, but I've got smarts in topics you wouldn't even dream of knowing or understanding," Dean rebutted.
"What? Did you specialize in Ghouls for Dummies? Emphasis on the dummies part?!" JT fired back.
Just as Dean was about to respond, Vincent and Sam yelled, "ENOUGH!"
"You're arguing isn't getting us anywhere!" Vincent growled, flashing his amber-colored eyes. "Honestly, do we have to put you two in time-out while Sam and I finish the conversation?!"
Dean looked at his feet, like a child being scolded by his parent. "No…" he muttered.
Ashamed of his rude behavior, JT sat down and twiddled his thumbs together. "Sorry..."
Sam looked at Vincent and then at the pair and sighed. "Anyway… where were we?" he said.
"We were on the topic of Muirfield and before the annoying Justin Timberlake voiced his thoughts," Vincent glared at JT, causing his best friend to shudder, "I was going to say: Muirfield is very powerful. They not only have highly trained combatants within their reach, they also have major computer tracking skills too. If you even try to Google their name, they'll know about it and will shut down every device you own. Believe me, they did it to my girlfriend's work computer once. They also have lots of resources at their aid and advanced technology. Trust me, Muirfield is a force to be reckoned with-and they will kill you if they believe you're a threat to their cause." Vincent said, warning the Winchesters of whom they're up against.
Sam looked at his brother. "What do you think? Should we proceed? Is it worth it?"
Dean definitely knew it would be worth it; taking out Muirfield would certainly save them trouble in the future. "Hell yeah it's worth it! We could use a new computer anyway," he said enthusiastically. "If we all work together…I think we can take these bastards down. Making homemade monsters-" he looked at Vincent. "No offense..."
"None taken," Vincent shrugged.
"-is the lowest thing a human being can do," Dean finished. "Sam and I have never ganked anyone who wasn't 100% human, but I'll do it if it means saving people."
"Great," Vincent said before turning his attention to the younger Winchester brother. "What about you, Sam?"
Sam nodded. "I'm in," he confirmed as he crossed his arms. Dean looked at his brother. From the way that Vincent and JT spoke about Muirfield, this was going to be the brothers' most difficult case yet. It was one thing to go up against the Supernatural but it was an entirely different thing to go plan combat against humans. In many situations, humans were just as bad as the Supernatural. It would take a lot more to get into their complicated minds because humans were more organized and seemingly more vengeful than any Demon the boys have faced. Humans were just as nasty, if not more, as most of the creatures they gone up against.
"So...let's get planning," Dean said as he clapped his hands together.
~Beauty and the Beast~
Meanwhile…at the Precinct
As ADA Gabe Lowan, the head of the 125th, left his office, he saw Catherine and Tess getting some late morning coffee. Agitated, he quickly walked over to them and asked, "Are you two busy at the moment?"
"What does it look like, Beast Man?" Tess snapped as she placed her coffee down on the table and folded her arms across her chest.
"That...you're not busy?" Gabe raised his brow.
"What do want, Gabe?" Catherine asked, slightly annoyed. Ever since Gabe betrayed her trust by kidnapping her and planning to kill Vincent, she couldn't allow herself to trust him again. The only reason she revived him was so he could help her find Vincent. Now that his purpose was over, she honestly wouldn't care if he got hit by a bus while crossing the street. In her eyes, he was dead to her. Hell would have to freeze over before she would ever place her life in his hands again.
"I would feel more comfortable if you and Vargas speak with me in my office. There's something we need to discuss but it's not something I want other people to hear. It concerns...well, I think it might concern 'M'." Gabe air-quoted.
"What doesn't, nowadays?" Tess rolled her eyes and threw her hands into the air. "Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't been caught yet."
After the three quietly made their way to Gabe's office, the ADA circled around to behind his desk and sat down as Catherine and Tess stood in front of him. "So what's this all about then?" Catherine asked, dryly.
For precaution, Gabe turns his monitor off and placed a file on his desk before sliding it towards them. As Catherine opened the folder, Gabe leaned back into his chair and steepled his fingers together. "Tell me what you think, ladies."
The file contained details on a newly opened case: pictures of dead, mutilated bodies were paper-clipped to various missing persons reports. Catherine read the first responder's report. At 7 A.M. two hikers discovered a trove of dead bodies littered throughout a clearing in the woods a few miles north of the city. Most of the bodies were in the early stages of decay and could be connected to a little over a dozen missing persons cases. There was also a fresh grave that appeared to have been covering an additional body—which could not be found. Lots of blood surrounded it. The bodies looked as if they had been mauled by some kind of dog.
"Wait," Catherine slid the report over to Tess and leaned against Gabe's desk, "I need to go and check up on something." Without a word, she walked to the other side of the office and pulled out her cellphone.
"What's with her?" Gabe shrugged.
"Beats me...but I bet you it has something to do with Vincent and those creeps she and I met this morning.
"What creeps?"
"Woah! Slow down! You said, what?"
Catherine pushed her bangs back and took a deep breath. "I said: Gabe just received a report claiming that a body was stolen sometime during the night. Please tell me your friends, Dean and Sam, didn't bury that hybrid anywhere near that body dump.."
"Uhhhh...hang on, let me check." Catherine waited for a few minutes as she heard yelling in the background, mostly JT and...Dean…. "Still there?"
"Yes."
"It appears Sam and Dean did bury the hybrid's body in the same clearing. Why? What's wrong?" Her boyfriend sounded frantic.
"Oh...nothing...Just...the body...well, it's missing." Catherine replied as she paced the floor.
"Do you think it somehow survived the kill?" Before Catherine could answer, she heard another voice, which sounded like Sam, shout: "No way that's possible! We sliced its head clean off! The only way he'd be walking around is if he was on a black horse and carrying a jack o lantern!"
"-Told you, V! These guys are jokes!" JT interjected.
"-Hey! We're professionals! Been at the business for all our lives." Dean cut in.
"Maybe professional ghost hunters but not killers! Most bodies are supposed to stay dead!" JT fired back.
"There's an easy explanation for this!" Dean replied as his voice seemed to get louder and louder. Next thing Catherine knew, Vincent was not on the other line anymore. "Hey sweet thing! Look, the most logical reasoning behind this unfortunate mishap is simple."
"What is it?" Catherine asked as she heard Vincent, JT and Sam join her.
"Duh! When a hybrid dies, it turns into a super zombie!" Catherine sighed. This was getting her nowhere. "OW! What the hell, Sammy?!"
"Sorry but Dean, you deserved it! You were being impractical...again!" Sam replied.
"You never know! We don't really know much about hybrids, so its possible! And you didn't have to throw a book at my head!"
"Bitch." Catherine heard Dean scoff.
"Jerk." the other brother retorted.
Catherine rubbed her left temple as she heard three annoying voices bicker back and forth. Soon, the noise faded and she heard her boyfriend's voice again. "Sorry about them….they're still...finding mutual ground."
"It's okay, Vincent. I understand." Catherine smiled. "I gotta get back to work, anyway. I'll see you tonight?"
"Yep."
"Good. When I come home, I hope to find my apartment cleared out. That is, I hope everyone else is long gone because I plan on having you all to myself tonight." Catherine grinned wickedly.
"If it's anything like last night, I'll send everyone back to the Gentlemen's Guild an hour before you come home."
"I'll hold you to that promise, Keller." Catherine laughed. "But, really, I have to go. Tess and Gabe are giving me creepy looks."
"All right. Bye."
"Bye." Catherine said before ending the call. As she shoved her phone into her pocket, she returned to her coworkers. "We may have a problem...and I have a big feeling I know who took that body."
"Again," Gabe sighed, "why do you think Muirfield would have interest in just a body?"
"Gabe, that wasn't just any kind of body…." Catherine's voice faded.
"Stop being so cryptic!" Gabe exclaimed as he stood up and slammed his hands on his desk. "If there's something you haven't told us, Cat, I suggest you start talking. If Muirfield is involved, then I need to know why."
"First of all, don't tell me what to do. Remember? I was the one who brought you back to life so don't push my buttons, today. Second, I was getting there but I was trying to figure out how to tell you. Third: maybe it's best I keep this under wraps. How do I know you won't find a way to tip Muirfield off about what it is? I mean, I know they tried to kill you and all but it wouldn't be the first time you turned your back on me and my boyfriend." Catherine fired back, not wanting to take any more of Gabe's crap.
"Cat, that's a little out of line," Tess said. She placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder and added, "Look, I know you're pissed at the guy; believe me, I am too, but we still have a job here, remember? Save people first, ask questions later?" Tess understood what Catherine was going through but even she knew where lines must be drawn. "Was it another beast or something?"
Catherine sighed, knowing there was no way she could ever put other lives at risk.
"Oh no…" Tess bit her lip and pushed her hair back. "Please don't tell me that body was some kind of zombie…. Believe me, I've had enough of...weird...and your boyfriend is at the top of that hierarchy. Just tell me this...body...isn't something weirder than your creepy-fanged boyfriend."
Catherine pressed her lips together and tapped her foot as she tried to figure out the best way to tell her co-workers that there's a whole other side to weird out there.
"Would it be better if I talk to Vincent?" Gabe asked but instantly realized just how bad of an idea that really was. "Never mind...I get the feeling he still doesn't like me very much…."
"Cat?" Tess raised her eyebrow.
"Well," Catherine blew her bangs out of her face, "It certainly...does have fangs...among other things. Uhhh…" she inhaled a deep breath. "Have you two ever heard of hybrids before?"
~Supernatural~
"Did you try that one website?" Dean asked his brother. The boys had cleared out of Catherine's apartment because Vincent wanted to have alone time with her, so he sent them and JT back to the Gentlemen's Guild, where Mr. Beastie and the Science Nerd lived. The boys had moved out of the run-down hotel and with Vincent's permission (much to JT's dismay), the Winchesters infiltrated the Gentlemen's Guild. Dean and Sam had set up their mobile research station at the bar and were currently researching every bit of information they could find on hybrids… which wasn't much. Dean placed his empty plate down on the counter and licked his blue jelly-smothered lips to hid the evidence of his refrigerator raid away from JT. The last thing he wanted was for Mr. Tum-Tum to find out he had eaten the last slice of blueberry pie. That was an argument waiting to happen.
"Yes, Dean… I checked every website I've saved in my favorites bar," Sam said as pushed his hair out of his face.
Dean sighed. "Damn…You think we could contact Ezekiel? He might know something."
Sam shook his head. "I'm not going there again Dean…It was weird… Sharing my body with him…Just seeing him in another vessel and talking to him would bring back all of that weirdness…" He clicked around on the web page he was on. "Call Cas."
Dean looked away from his brother. "I don't know how to contact him, Sam. You know I can't pray to him anymore. I've done that plenty of times just out of habit, even though I know it won't work. He doesn't have a cell phone that I know of and we've tried calling the phone we left at the bunker and he didn't answer that. So I'm out of options with that one, Sammy. What if he forgot to eat and is laying in an alley somewhere starving to death? Or what if he doesn't know how to pee and got some sort of kidney infection?" Dean gulped. "Or what if the other Angels got to him?"
"Dean. Calm down," Sam said. "I'm sure Castiel is fine. We need to concentrate on one thing at a time. And right now that's this missing hybrid."
Dean nodded, moved behind his brother and stared at the computer screen.
As the brothers focused their attention to the laptop in front of them, JT lightly hummed to himself as he walked towards the fridge for an afternoon snack. After opening the red fridge's door, he gasped. His blueberry pie was missing! Knowing Vincent would never touch his favorite dessert, JT grunted, turned his head and saw a green, ceramic plate filled with tiny crumbs sitting on the counter. Angry, he slammed the fridge shut and marched over to the brothers. "Which one of you did it?!"
Dean looked at his empty plate and then at JT. Sam looked at Dean and then went back to his work on the computer. Dean sighed. "It was me… I'm sorry….but… I couldn't help it…" he confessed.
JT balled his fingers into fat fists like a little child and shouted, "Dude! Who gave you permission to eat my stuff!? I surely didn't!"
"Vincent said we could crash here and help ourselves to whatever you guys have in the fridge and cabinets," Dean said as he crossed his arms.
"Typical." JT rolled his eyes in disgust with his very own best friend, "You let a guy mooch off of you for ten years and this is how he repays you. You do know, by the way, that slice you stuffed your mouth with was the VERY LAST PIECE OF THE PIE!"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Dude...there was only one piece…it was very lonely, so I put it out of its misery." When Sam heard his brother reply to JT, he inhaled a deep breath and rolled his eyes, deciding it was best for the two unfriends to get it all out of their systems.
JT walked back to the counter, picked up Dean's used plate and added, "Not only did you eat my favorite, custom-made pie, you didn't even clean your dish! Honestly, were you born with a shortage of dopamine?!"
"I'm helping my brother research Hybrids," Dean said as he pointed to the various books on the bar and Sam's laptop. "Does it look like I've got time to clean a dish right now? I'm not Harry Potter. I can't just wave a wand while I'm working on something else to clean a dish I don't have time for. That's what the house elves are for," Dean smirked. He narrowed his eyebrows. "Do I even want to know what the hell you just called me?"
"It's basic terminology. You have a smart phone don't you? Look it up." JT smirked.
"Actually I don't. I have what we normal people call a burner phone, you know… because I prefer not to have the same number for a long time. Besides all of that touch screen nonsense has me beat…" Dean said matter of factly.
Sam looked up at Dean. "Really, Dean?"
Dean shrugged. "I'm old fashioned what can I say…?"
"Anyway, back to the main reason I'm pissed off at you, you need to replace my pie." JT folded his arms and stared Dean Winchester down.
Dean rolled his eyes. "It's just pie. I'm not going to replace it."
"Yeah you are because I spent HOURS looking for that pie! It was practically the only one I found within a 20 mile radius!" JT exaggerated, hoping Dean would fall for his verbal trap.
Dean shook his head. "Really now? This is New York City. You can't tell me that that was the only one left. Go get it yourself."
"That's not the point!" JT fumed. "I had to pay an arm and a leg for that stuff! You're buying me a new pie!"
"Again. It's just pie! It was lonely. From our previous conversations, you should know by now that you can't leave pie alone around me!"
Sam looked up yet again. "It's kinda true…" he said then turned his attention back to the computer.
JT glared at Sam, not thrilled that the brother who actually seemed like he had a brain was defending the pie-eater! "If you like pie so much, go drag your ass out of here and take your shitty car to the nearest market and buy yourself a pie of your choosing as well as a blueberry pie for me!"
That did it. "Hey! Don't you dare dis Baby! Leave her out of this!" Dean said, really beginning to feel the tension.
"You seriously name your car?" JT twitched. It's like he's talking to a greaser! "What decade are you from?"
Dean clenched his fist. "What? A guy can't name his car?"
"It is a little weird, Dean," Sam said, this time without looking up from his computer screen.
"Thank you!" JT threw his hands up into the air. "Anyway, Dean, you stole my pie. I want a new one and you're going to get it if you want to continue quartering my home! So get your unindustrious ass out of here and replace my blueberry pie!" JT was tired of arguing with this man. He had more important things to do but until this guy can eat a big spoonful of priority, JT won't be able to get anything done.
Dean scowled. "Fine, dammit! If it'll shut you up! Now go eat your TUMS, you Nerd Turd." With that Dean turned on his heel and left the building. A few seconds later, the engine of the Impala could be heard rumbling to life.
Sam looked at JT. "Sorry about him… He's really touchy about pie."
"That makes two of us." JT replied.
"So…" Sam's voice faded as his eyes peered over to JT's computer system in the center of the bar. He stood up and walked over to the cluster of techy-heaven and lightly touched one of the monitors. "What's all this for?"
"That," JT said and quickly raced over to the computer lab to brush Sam's hand off of his expensive equipment, "was used for facial recognition software to help me find Vincent. Though, after recent events, I'm pretty sure my software was phony. Anyhoo, regardless, I have one rule."
"Name it." Sam crossed his arms.
"Don't touch my stuff." JT said plainly. "If you want something done, just ask."
"Sounds good." Sam nodded even though he was internally devastated that he couldn't play around with the system. "I have got to upgrade my laptop."
~Beauty & the Beast~
~The Next Morning~
"You guys actually live out of this thing?!" JT raised his eyebrow as slipped into the Impala. "How old is anyway?"
Dean smiled, happy to talk about Baby. "She's a 1967 Chevy Impala. She's got a V8 327 4 barrel engine, with 275 bhp horsepower and a 3 speed auto transmission, leather seating, great mileage... but buying gas for her is hard on the wallet...Previously owned by John Winchester, my old man," Dean said proudly.
Sam cleared his throat to catch Dean's attention. Dean looked at him. "Our old man…" he added. Sam nodded with a smile.
"Don't ask to drive… he won't let you…" Sam said quietly to Vincent and JT as Dean inspected the Impala for scratches.
"Seems like we can agree on something." JT said. "I wouldn't drive this thing even if my great aunt Betsy was having a heart attack."
Sam quietly chuckled at JT's remark before opening the front passenger door and slipping into his seat.
"Uhhh, JT?" Vincent interjected in a somewhat quiet voice, "you don't have a great aunt Betsy…"
"Shhhh! They don't have to know that!" JT whispered loudly to his best friend before finding his way inside the vehicle. As Vincent was about to touch the car's handle, Dean coughed and beat him to the chase.
"Allow me."
"I think I can open a car door, Dean." Vincent chuckled lightly.
"Yeah, well, you know...just precaution and stuff. Baby...well, she and I have history and she's...very fragile." Dean caressed Baby's dark hood.
Sam leaned over to the driver's side and knocked on the window causing Dean to jump. Dean looked at his brother who pointed to the steering wheel hinting that they should stop wasting time and get a move on. Dean smiled awkwardly and opened his door. "Just...ah… feel free to get in…. Gently," he said as he sat down in the low seat and closed the door before turning the car on.
Vincent rolled his eyes and as he placed his hand on the handle, he could sense Dean watching his every move. Slowly, he opened the door and scooted inside.
"Now," Dean said, "Baby is not a tank, Captain America. So just...just handle her with care. Like I said, she's fragile."
"Dean," Sam interjected, "Just shut up and drive."
When Vincent gently closed the door, Dean put the car in gear and drove off towards the crime scene.
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