Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (Phil and Rae). I'm not making any money, because this is too crazy to sell.
A/N: Just a little break from the ordinary (if any 'RAIC' story can be called that), thought the boys should get out there and meet new people.
Beta'd: By the indispensable Fireman Phil, whose patience with my neurotic self was above and beyond the call of betaing duty and whom came up with a good portion of the story.
Good writing
Serenity for all
Sincerely Rae Artemis
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Have Ideas, Will Travel
Rae lay on the bed, stereo blaring out Sweatshop Union, the laptop in front of her as her head bobbed in time to the music. She was just about to shut down her computer when, she decided to check her on a whim, hoping for a review, even though she had only updated her story a half an hour ago. She crossed her fingers and with eyes closed clicked on her mailbox.
"Please…" Rae opened her eyes to see a new message from Fireman Phil. "Yes, its Phil!" She opened his message and before she got halfway through dissolved into helpless laughter.
The message read:
Dear Rae
I have a serious question, do you and others really meet with the Winchesters the way you write about in 'Rae Artemis Is Crazy'? If you tell me 'no', how do I explain these two guys who just dropped into my house? Am I going crazy? I'm not even a writer for the love of it! I just like reading your stories.
Dean said something about you mentioning that I was looking for an idea and so he and Sam decided to drop by for a brain storming session. Please reply back as soon as you get this!
Best Regards
Phil
"Well, well, isn't that interesting." She muttered to herself smiling wickedly. Rae had in fact mentioned Phil to the boys and suggested they drop in for a chat, if only because it would break up the monotony of all the young girls whom they visited. It was then that she noticed the time on the message; she'd received it only five minutes before she'd checked her email. "Hmm, I wonder what they're doing?"
Rae began typing out a reassuring message to Phil, telling him to enjoy the brain storming session and reminding him that pizza and beer might be a good way to get ideas flowing. Grinning like the Cheshire cat she hit the send button, Rae then closed down the laptop and settled down to enjoy a Winchester free night.
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Dean was still a little weirded out by the method of travel they had to use when they went to people's houses. It was a little unnerving just appearing out of thin air. Anyhow they'd decided to drop by and see Phil and had materialized, for lack of a better term, outside a door from which they heard typing. Sam had pointed to his watch, which reflected local time, and they'd seen it was half past midnight and he was apparently on the computer.
"Well Rae did say he's a night owl." Sam had whispered to his brother. "Shall we say hi?"
Dean had smiled back, carefully opening the door stepping lightly into the room; he saw a figure at work at a computer. Dean studied the older man, as Sam looked over a few of the books on the bookcase at one end of the room. They were just past the doorframe when the floor let out a loud squeak, causing Sam to jump and Dean to stumble into him. The chair whipped around and they got their first look at one another.
"What the…Holy cow…what are you two doing here?" Phil stammered as he got up out of the chair. "So this is what going mad must feel like." Phil muttered to himself, quoting something Dean almost recognized.
"Are you really a fireman?" Dean asked. "I mean, no offence, you're not that tall."
"Well," Phil responded, "Ligonier is a 'small' town. Besides height has very little to do with fighting fires. We keep low to the floor when we enter a burning structure. I'll bet you didn't know that, did you?"
"See Sammy, another job where being freakishly tall like you would be a draw back rather than useful." Dean smirked at Sam who ignored his brother as usual.
Phil certainly didn't fit what Dean considered to be the usual fan fiction reader type they met up with, though to be truthful, he and Sam had been meeting mostly with writers rather than readers. It was easier to try and control the storylines that way. He'd heard about Phil from Rae, she'd mentioned him in glowing terms, which was one of the reasons Sam and he had dropped by.
"Pardon me for a moment guys, I just have to finish this review and then I'll be ready for insanity." He turned back to the keyboard and finished the review of carocali's story 'Hooray for Hollywood', trying to figure out if he was awake or having a 'Christmas Carol' moment. Just as ghosts had visited Scrooge, was he being visited by Winchesters?
"So hi, I'm Dean and this is my geeky brother Sam, but you probably already know that. We just thought we'd drop by and say hi. You come very highly recommended."
"Is that so?" Suddenly the last couple messages from Rae came to mind. She'd been hinting about sending some 'inspiration' to him and now the Winchesters were here.
"Are you okay? You look a little shocked." Sam asked him, unsure whether to walk towards him or stay where was.
"I'm…fine, I just need to send off an email. Please sit down and relax, this'll just take a moment." Phil felt somewhat giddy, he was thinking back to one of his messages to Rae, perhaps she really was transcribing actual conversations with these two. Maybe that's why it seemed so real, that or he was crazy and had been reading too much fan fiction if that was possible. He sent off an email to Rae, hoping for a speedy reply, if only to know for certain if he was crazy or not.
Sam was looking through the office's bookshelves with a gleam in his eye, while Dean sat in the chair in front of his wife's Mel's desk, watching his brother with amusement. Phil watched the little scene with a keen interest; it wasn't everyday this kind of thing happened. A dinging from his computer drew his attention back to it; the was a message from Rae:
Hi there Phil
I'm glad they finally showed up, been telling them how cool you are for a while now. The best way to keep them from killing each other and driving you nuts is pepperoni pizza and beer. Told them about your cool hockey idea, they thought was funny and liked it. Have fun.
Good writing
Serenity for all
Sincerely Rae Artemis
"So I'm not insane." He said quietly, to almost himself, half smiling.
"Nope, and why does everyone always sound half sad when they say that?" Dean asked, from behind Phil, reading the message. "Wow, she sent feeding instructions and everything." He commented sarcastically, chuckling remembering he and Rae's first meeting, rocky to say the least.
"Are you guys hungry?"
"Dangerous question to ask Dean." Sam called from the books. "Hey can I borrow this?" He asked holding up a copy of Hervey Allen's The City in the Dawn.
"Sure, if you promise to return it. It's been out of print for more than fifty years. You guys have a favourite kind of beer? I've got a couple brands in the fridge." Phil offered, shock disappearing and his manners coming back full strength.
"Beer." Dean answered, a gleam in his eyes.
"Follow me to the kitchen and we'll make a pizza and hang out a little. I've got pizza shells and lots of fresh veggies that I picked from the garden today. Dean, why don't you grab a couple of those beers from the refrigerator and Sam, you can start slicing some of these onions and peppers." Phil smiled, wondering what he was going to tell his wife Mel, when she returned from visiting her brother's family. "You won't believe what happened to me last night…".
"So what's your favourite hockey team Phil? Rae said something about the Calgary Flames but I just couldn't believe her, I mean the Penguins haven't had the best years recently but I think they're due for a comeback." Dean offered eagerly following Phil and the promise of food.
"You're right," Said Phil. "The new kids will be the key. Last year, it was Sidney Crosby from Canada and now this new fellow Evgeni Malkin from Russia is joining the team. Of course for me, the years when Mario Lemeiux was in his prime will always be the best. Do you guys have a favourite team?"
"Well I have to admit to being a fan of the Dallas Stars, though for the last cup after they got knocked out I was cheering for the Edmonton Oilers."
"Hockey's a bit too violent for me-"
"Yeah 'cause our lives are so passive." Dean muttered, rolling his eyes at Sam's distaste for one of the best sports.
"But I'm a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, they are a great team." Sam threw in his two cents then went back to the book in his hands.
"When he was younger, I honestly tried to teach him the noble game but Sammy boy is just not a natural on the ice, in fact he managed to almost kill himself on skates. So he's not really a fan, of course he's not that good a basketball either but likes that for some reason."
Sam ignored his brother, wandering along behind reading the book. Phil smiled so much his face hurt, reminding himself to send Rae a thank you email. It was going to be a memorable night one that no one, except for fanfic writers and some readers would ever believe.
With the pizza in the oven, a second round of beers for the boys opened, they settled down to wait, casual conversation comfortably flowing. Dean and Phil talked about cars, hockey while Sam asked Phil about his library and his job. Phil found himself enjoying the conversation, feeling somewhat paternal towards the two young heroes.
"Ding." The oven timer announced cheerfully.
"Finally, pizzas ready. Sam, plates are in the corner cupboard, if you could grab those. Dean, grab some napkins from the drawer would you? Thanks." Phil grabbed a pair of oven mitts off the counter and opened to oven door to reveal a perfectly cooked pizza.
"Looks good." Sam drooled, pushing Dean aside to get at the pizza. Dean smiled indulgently at his little brother. All three sat down to several slices of pizza apiece and were savouring the freshly cooked pizza.
"Wow this is great! You said the veggies were from your garden?" Dean asked biting down into a delicious piece of home cooked heaven.
"Yep, the vegetables do great out here, and it's nice to have a little patch to take care of." Phil beamed with pride.
"So Phil, you were saying-" Dean began only to be interrupted by a series of electronic alert tones and a cryptic message:
"Station 43: Vehicle accident with entrapment at the traffic light at routes 30 and 711. Police on scene request you expedite." Phil turned to Sam and Dean.
"Guys, I would love to stay and talk, but I've got to go."
"No problem Phil, just the price of being a hero, you never get to eat right Sam?" Sam rolled his eyes, but nodded, as his mouth was full of pizza. "Should we leave or…" Dean's voice trailed away and he looked longingly at the pizza on his plate.
"No, of course not. Just lock up when you boys leave, okay?"
"No problem. We'll get Scotty to beam us up when we've finished the dishes." Sam assured Phil who was on his way out the door. Phil waved goodbye and ran to his car, cursing his luck that the night the Winchesters visit he gets a call.
"There's dedication for you." Dean commented, watching the car pull out of the driveway. "Always on duty."
"At least we got to meet him, not to mention some good pizza and beer out of the deal." Sam leaned back in his chair.
"Maybe next time we drop by we'll get to hang out for longer. Maybe even get around to the whole brainstorming thing. I really like the idea of a hockey story." Dean replied clearing the table.
"Yeah, could be a pair of evil skates." Sam joked following, clearing his dishes following Dean's lead.
"Sure Sammy, those skates were evil." Dean rolled his eyes. "You want to wash or dry?"
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A/N2: The quote 'So this is what going mad feels like' is from Jaynestown, Firefly, said by Simon a couple times in that episode. If anyone caught that pat, yourself on the back.