09x23 - Chase the Ace - Part Two: Shield
Episode number: 09x23 of Season 9 Fan Fiction (S9FF)
Title: Chase the Ace
Subtitle: Shield
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word Count: 2,224
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language, violence
Dean knocked on the door several times, and a middle-aged woman finally answered, clearly annoyed.
"Is Jesse home?" Dean asked preemptively.
"How do you know my son?" Jill asked.
"We, uh, met him a while back," Sam offered.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Dean," Cas said finally approaching after his initial sweep of the property. "Sulfur."
"Damn it," Dean said to Cas, ignoring Jill.
"My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean, and this is Castiel," Sam said quickly. "Can we come in?"
"No," she said.
"Look, we know Jesse, and we promised him we'd check up on you, that sort of thing, and we're worried about him," Dean said. "So can we come in?"
"Why would I let three strange men enter my house?" Jill asked, gesturing with her off hand. She had a long, deep cut along the edge of her palm.
Cas prevented Dean and Sam from speaking; he reached out and used the palm of his hand to heal hers. She gasped and examined her hand closely.
"We're here to help you and your son, Mrs. Turner," Castiel said quietly. "But we can't do that unless you let us."
"Just so you know," she said dangerously, "I have a gun and won't hesitate to shoot you."
"Right," Sam said, leading the way in.
Clayton returned home five minutes after his wife called him. It took twenty minutes for them to explain everything about Jesse's sudden attendance at the unknown boarding school, and then they wasted ten more with apologies.
"Okay, so, here it goes," Dean said. "That boarding school? Complete lie."
"Dean!" Sam interjected.
"They deserve to know," Dean continued. "And that kidnapping story? Also a lie."
"What?" Clayton said. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Castiel tightened his jaw. "These two men saved your child's life over four years ago, and they also saved his soul. That's who they are."
"What... what is he talking about?"
"Your son is special," Sam said. "He's not completely human."
"You're lying."
"He's not, and you know it," Dean said. "Four years ago, he split because his presence put your lives in danger. When the danger was over, he came home. Now the danger is back."
The ensuing conversation was uncomfortable and punctuated by outbursts by one Turner or the other. Neither seemed willing to accept the idea that the supernatural existed, let alone that their son could be a part of it. Sam and Dean slipped in the standard tests throughout the ordeal: holy water, salt, silver, and even brass. They both knew it was unnecessary, given that Castiel was there with them, but it made the argument go by faster.
"Normally, people not believing us is a good thing," Dean said. "Because most people with their normal lives, they don't need crazy crap like this. But we can't just leave you now that we know you're in danger. So you have two options."
"Dean, stop."
"Sammy, we don't have time," Dean insisted. He turned back to the Turners. "The first option, you come with us and we set you up somewhere safe till the danger passes."
"And the second option?" Clayton asked.
Sam opted to speak this time. "We take you somewhere safe till we can find Jesse. Then he can explain things to you."
"This isn't just about you," Dean said.
"He's right," Castiel pointed out. "If the forces at work are desperate enough to target you, it puts your son at risk, too. And not just his life."
"What is that suppose to mean?" Jill insisted.
"One of the reasons Jesse called us for help a few months ago," Sam began, "was that his powers were coming back. He was afraid what would happen to him. That he'd go dark side or something."
"Jesse's a good kid," Clayton said. "He'd never do that."
"It's not about good or bad," Sam said. "It's easy to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, or do the right thing the wrong way... very easy. Once you're down that rabbit hole, you can get stuck there."
"Do you know where our son is?" Jill asked.
"No," Sam said. "And honestly, it's probably better that way. But we already know that demons are watching you."
"Right. How's that even possible?" Clayton asked. "Your tea leaves tell you that?"
"No, but the sulfur deposits found around your property were fairly telling," Castiel snapped. "And I also found a slippery substance associated with shape shifters shedding skin."
"That means monsters and demons are stalking you guys, waiting to get to Jesse," Dean said flatly. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Of course, the Turners were civil and kind people, so they completely refused to go anywhere with the three crazy men who tried to convince them that their son was part-demon.
The Winchesters had anticipated such a reaction and made a contingency plan. Benny Lafitte had cleared out of the Badlands Cabin weeks ago, and it made the perfect hideaway from the supernatural world. It was far enough off the beaten path that getting back to civilization from the cabin itself would be nearly impossible without a map or GPS of the immediate area. In short, it was a good place to hold humans captive to protect them from Therion and Lucifer alike.
So, once Clayton and Jill threated to call the police if Dean, Sam, and Castiel didn't leave their house immediately, Cas put them both into a deep sleep and teleported them to the cabin. The brothers stayed behind and packed up some clothing and a few other personal effects for the Turners, and Sam took almost an hour hiding Clayton's car and removing its plates and tags. This way, anyone who came looking would assume they went on vacation or split town, at least for the first week or so.
As tempting as it was for Castiel to zap back and pick them up, the Badlands Cabin was only an eight-hour drive, and the less supernatural attention they drew to the general area, the better. So the brothers left the Turner residence in the Impala, heading north.
Neither Clayton nor Jill mentioned Lockhart. If they had, Sam would've insisted on taking care of the dog, and the brothers would've discovered that the beloved pet was, in fact, a skinwalker.
Thus, Lockhart immediately reported the abduction to Randy, the neighbor who baked. Randy also was responsible for the skin deposits around the Turner property, as he shifted into various members of the Ridgeway family to cover his spying. Lockhart's activities also alerted Bob Gilmer, or more correctly, Riper, the demon who possessed him.
So, while the Winchesters drove off thinking they made a clean getaway, they had actually sent up the clearest alarm in all the supernatural world. Their first mistake was Lockhart; the second was not disconnecting the landline.
Gabriel wasn't terribly happy with the arrangement, but after spending time with Jesse, he decided he liked the kid. The archangel secretly wished he'd met him outside of an assignment, outside of work, back in his trickster days. Jesse would be a hell of a trainee.
Instead, Gabriel was guiding this kid through a purification scheme. He hated his brother for killing him, of course, but for some reason, he hated him more for putting Jesse through all this. Lucifer's presence on the Earth, outside of the cage, set the cambion's power off the rails, driving Jesse into this self-imposed exile.
Everything was going as planned, until something jolted Gabriel's system. Jill and Clayton Turner dropped off his radar, and he couldn't find them.
Jesse didn't notice, but it wouldn't take long for him to realize that something was wrong. The archangel assumed that the Winchesters were somehow involved. At least, that was his best hope, since anyone else who could disappear the Turners would definitely be after Jesse, and not in a good way.
"Jesse!" Gabriel called out. "Come on, kiddo, where are you?"
"I'm in the garden, like you asked!" Jesse called back. "Obviously!"
Ah, teenagers... Gabriel thought to himself as he made his way to the garden.
"Right, keep at it, I'm running a quick errand," Gabriel said.
"What's up?" Jesse asked, standing from his labor.
"Just some old knuckleheads nearby," Gabriel replied. "I owe them a little visit, and things are slow here, so..."
Then the archangel vanished. Jesse returned to pruning the garden, which was supposed to be therapeutic but was mostly boring. He could only hope that Gabriel was off to prepare some kind of elaborate prank.
"I don't care," Blaze insisted. "I need someone who can blend in. Not draw attention, and Mosey isn't going to cut it. What about Brook?"
"Brook isn't very subtle, but we could send her with Ames. They should temper each other nicely," the attendant witch replied.
"Fine, send them. They're on a recon mission, remind them," Blaze replied. "We cannot make a mistake. If anything happens to the parents, the blame must fall to Therion's forces, you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am. Hourly reports."
Blaze disconnected the line and turned back to her master, Paimon, who seemed less than pleased.
"We're ready," she reported.
"Lucifer will accelerate our plan," Paimon said. "He hasn't given the orders yet, but we must prepare for it. That includes recovering the rest of the artifacts and dragging out the rest of our forces."
Blaze didn't like the sound of that, as it almost certainly required the use of more reapers, and she despised them. They weren't fond of her, either, now that she thought on it...
"Get additional reports from all the covens," Paimon instructed. "We'll start there."
"Castiel," a cool voice said. "Bro."
Cas turned to see Adam Milligan staring back at him. "Adam? But, no, you - "
"It's Gabe, you whack," Gabriel replied. "Now, please tell me what you did to the Turners."
"I branded their ribs."
"Fantastic, and which of the two idiots gave you that idea?" Gabriel asked. Castiel bristled, but before he could respond, the archangel added, "Chill out. Not here to fight."
"The Winchesters just received word that Therion and Lucifer are desperate enough to try to use Jesse Turner as a weapon," Cas replied. "His parents leave him vulnerable."
"Which, incidentally, was why I was watching over them!" Gabriel retorted. "Come on, I know you guys aren't all into the hand holding stuff, but I'm not actually an idiot. I cover my bases. I've gotten more than one over on the Winchesters, you think I can't handle SOBs like Ther the spider and Lucy?"
"Lucifer killed you," Cas pointed out.
"Aaand when last I checked, he killed you, too," Gabriel replied. "So did Raphael. Looks like both of us are still around, so don't see your point."
"The Winchesters moved the Turners to safety."
"Put them back!"
Cas squared up. "There were clear signs of demonic activity and shapeshifters all around the Turner house," Cas replied.
"Peeping Toms," Gabriel dismissed.
"Until they're ordered to do otherwise!"
"This isn't your business, Cas," Gabriel said. "You need to let me do my job. And the trio of plague and destruction that you're part of? Yeah, you all need to leave it alone before things go south, like they always do with you knuckleheads."
The tense moment was dispersed when something distracted Gabriel. "Jesse's calling me. I gotta go."
The Turner's didn't take well to captivity, and it took more than a little convincing to prevent them from wandering the badlands just to escape.
"You'll die if you go out there alone," Sam said. "I promise you, this is only temporary."
"You keep saying that," Jill said. "But you've essentially kidnapped us."
Dean had stepped out of the cabin because he couldn't stand another round of "please let us go" and "no idiots you'll die." Castiel appeared abruptly, causing Dean to jerk in surprise.
"Damn it, Cas!" Dean exclaimed.
"Gabriel has just been to see me."
"Gabriel?" Dean repeated. "Wait, what - "
"He is displeased that we have intervened," Cas interrupted. "He has been watching over them."
"Did you tell him he was doing a crappy job?" Dean asked.
"More or less."
"And?"
"Jesse summoned him away, apparently," Castiel said.
"Why did he go to you?" Dean asked.
"Because he cannot find you," Cas said. "Or Jesse's parents. I added sigils to their ribs, like yours."
"Cas, if Gabe can just drop in on you," Dean began, "how do you know he won't just phone Heaven and tell them where you are?"
"Because it's Gabriel," Castiel said. "He may be tiresome, but he is loyal."
"Loyal?" Dean repeated in disbelief.
"Dean, this is serious. Either Gabriel knew about the demons and monsters around the Turners and let them alone for a reason, or they are far more powerful than we assumed."
"If he knew about them, why didn't he smite them?" Dean asked.
"I don't know," Castiel replied.
"Cas, we got a house full of flight risks," Dean said. "Can you, I dunno, contact Gabe, fill him in?"
"No," Cas replied. "I can't find him."
"What?"
"The cambion is powerful and can hide from angels and demons alike," Castiel explained. "And those with him are also hidden, including archangels, apparently." He said these last words with a hint of annoyance.
"Awesome, so what next?"
<<< Previous Part:
Part One: Reality Check
Next Part: >>>
Part Three: Time and Again
Primary Post: 09x23 Chase the Ace
Primary Post: Season 9 Fan Fiction (S9FF)
Title: Chase the Ace
Subtitle: Shield
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word Count: 2,224
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language, violence
Dean knocked on the door several times, and a middle-aged woman finally answered, clearly annoyed.
"Is Jesse home?" Dean asked preemptively.
"How do you know my son?" Jill asked.
"We, uh, met him a while back," Sam offered.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Dean," Cas said finally approaching after his initial sweep of the property. "Sulfur."
"Damn it," Dean said to Cas, ignoring Jill.
"My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean, and this is Castiel," Sam said quickly. "Can we come in?"
"No," she said.
"Look, we know Jesse, and we promised him we'd check up on you, that sort of thing, and we're worried about him," Dean said. "So can we come in?"
"Why would I let three strange men enter my house?" Jill asked, gesturing with her off hand. She had a long, deep cut along the edge of her palm.
Cas prevented Dean and Sam from speaking; he reached out and used the palm of his hand to heal hers. She gasped and examined her hand closely.
"We're here to help you and your son, Mrs. Turner," Castiel said quietly. "But we can't do that unless you let us."
"Just so you know," she said dangerously, "I have a gun and won't hesitate to shoot you."
"Right," Sam said, leading the way in.
Clayton returned home five minutes after his wife called him. It took twenty minutes for them to explain everything about Jesse's sudden attendance at the unknown boarding school, and then they wasted ten more with apologies.
"Okay, so, here it goes," Dean said. "That boarding school? Complete lie."
"Dean!" Sam interjected.
"They deserve to know," Dean continued. "And that kidnapping story? Also a lie."
"What?" Clayton said. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Castiel tightened his jaw. "These two men saved your child's life over four years ago, and they also saved his soul. That's who they are."
"What... what is he talking about?"
"Your son is special," Sam said. "He's not completely human."
"You're lying."
"He's not, and you know it," Dean said. "Four years ago, he split because his presence put your lives in danger. When the danger was over, he came home. Now the danger is back."
The ensuing conversation was uncomfortable and punctuated by outbursts by one Turner or the other. Neither seemed willing to accept the idea that the supernatural existed, let alone that their son could be a part of it. Sam and Dean slipped in the standard tests throughout the ordeal: holy water, salt, silver, and even brass. They both knew it was unnecessary, given that Castiel was there with them, but it made the argument go by faster.
"Normally, people not believing us is a good thing," Dean said. "Because most people with their normal lives, they don't need crazy crap like this. But we can't just leave you now that we know you're in danger. So you have two options."
"Dean, stop."
"Sammy, we don't have time," Dean insisted. He turned back to the Turners. "The first option, you come with us and we set you up somewhere safe till the danger passes."
"And the second option?" Clayton asked.
Sam opted to speak this time. "We take you somewhere safe till we can find Jesse. Then he can explain things to you."
"This isn't just about you," Dean said.
"He's right," Castiel pointed out. "If the forces at work are desperate enough to target you, it puts your son at risk, too. And not just his life."
"What is that suppose to mean?" Jill insisted.
"One of the reasons Jesse called us for help a few months ago," Sam began, "was that his powers were coming back. He was afraid what would happen to him. That he'd go dark side or something."
"Jesse's a good kid," Clayton said. "He'd never do that."
"It's not about good or bad," Sam said. "It's easy to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, or do the right thing the wrong way... very easy. Once you're down that rabbit hole, you can get stuck there."
"Do you know where our son is?" Jill asked.
"No," Sam said. "And honestly, it's probably better that way. But we already know that demons are watching you."
"Right. How's that even possible?" Clayton asked. "Your tea leaves tell you that?"
"No, but the sulfur deposits found around your property were fairly telling," Castiel snapped. "And I also found a slippery substance associated with shape shifters shedding skin."
"That means monsters and demons are stalking you guys, waiting to get to Jesse," Dean said flatly. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Of course, the Turners were civil and kind people, so they completely refused to go anywhere with the three crazy men who tried to convince them that their son was part-demon.
The Winchesters had anticipated such a reaction and made a contingency plan. Benny Lafitte had cleared out of the Badlands Cabin weeks ago, and it made the perfect hideaway from the supernatural world. It was far enough off the beaten path that getting back to civilization from the cabin itself would be nearly impossible without a map or GPS of the immediate area. In short, it was a good place to hold humans captive to protect them from Therion and Lucifer alike.
So, once Clayton and Jill threated to call the police if Dean, Sam, and Castiel didn't leave their house immediately, Cas put them both into a deep sleep and teleported them to the cabin. The brothers stayed behind and packed up some clothing and a few other personal effects for the Turners, and Sam took almost an hour hiding Clayton's car and removing its plates and tags. This way, anyone who came looking would assume they went on vacation or split town, at least for the first week or so.
As tempting as it was for Castiel to zap back and pick them up, the Badlands Cabin was only an eight-hour drive, and the less supernatural attention they drew to the general area, the better. So the brothers left the Turner residence in the Impala, heading north.
Neither Clayton nor Jill mentioned Lockhart. If they had, Sam would've insisted on taking care of the dog, and the brothers would've discovered that the beloved pet was, in fact, a skinwalker.
Thus, Lockhart immediately reported the abduction to Randy, the neighbor who baked. Randy also was responsible for the skin deposits around the Turner property, as he shifted into various members of the Ridgeway family to cover his spying. Lockhart's activities also alerted Bob Gilmer, or more correctly, Riper, the demon who possessed him.
So, while the Winchesters drove off thinking they made a clean getaway, they had actually sent up the clearest alarm in all the supernatural world. Their first mistake was Lockhart; the second was not disconnecting the landline.
Gabriel wasn't terribly happy with the arrangement, but after spending time with Jesse, he decided he liked the kid. The archangel secretly wished he'd met him outside of an assignment, outside of work, back in his trickster days. Jesse would be a hell of a trainee.
Instead, Gabriel was guiding this kid through a purification scheme. He hated his brother for killing him, of course, but for some reason, he hated him more for putting Jesse through all this. Lucifer's presence on the Earth, outside of the cage, set the cambion's power off the rails, driving Jesse into this self-imposed exile.
Everything was going as planned, until something jolted Gabriel's system. Jill and Clayton Turner dropped off his radar, and he couldn't find them.
Jesse didn't notice, but it wouldn't take long for him to realize that something was wrong. The archangel assumed that the Winchesters were somehow involved. At least, that was his best hope, since anyone else who could disappear the Turners would definitely be after Jesse, and not in a good way.
"Jesse!" Gabriel called out. "Come on, kiddo, where are you?"
"I'm in the garden, like you asked!" Jesse called back. "Obviously!"
Ah, teenagers... Gabriel thought to himself as he made his way to the garden.
"Right, keep at it, I'm running a quick errand," Gabriel said.
"What's up?" Jesse asked, standing from his labor.
"Just some old knuckleheads nearby," Gabriel replied. "I owe them a little visit, and things are slow here, so..."
Then the archangel vanished. Jesse returned to pruning the garden, which was supposed to be therapeutic but was mostly boring. He could only hope that Gabriel was off to prepare some kind of elaborate prank.
"I don't care," Blaze insisted. "I need someone who can blend in. Not draw attention, and Mosey isn't going to cut it. What about Brook?"
"Brook isn't very subtle, but we could send her with Ames. They should temper each other nicely," the attendant witch replied.
"Fine, send them. They're on a recon mission, remind them," Blaze replied. "We cannot make a mistake. If anything happens to the parents, the blame must fall to Therion's forces, you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am. Hourly reports."
Blaze disconnected the line and turned back to her master, Paimon, who seemed less than pleased.
"We're ready," she reported.
"Lucifer will accelerate our plan," Paimon said. "He hasn't given the orders yet, but we must prepare for it. That includes recovering the rest of the artifacts and dragging out the rest of our forces."
Blaze didn't like the sound of that, as it almost certainly required the use of more reapers, and she despised them. They weren't fond of her, either, now that she thought on it...
"Get additional reports from all the covens," Paimon instructed. "We'll start there."
"Castiel," a cool voice said. "Bro."
Cas turned to see Adam Milligan staring back at him. "Adam? But, no, you - "
"It's Gabe, you whack," Gabriel replied. "Now, please tell me what you did to the Turners."
"I branded their ribs."
"Fantastic, and which of the two idiots gave you that idea?" Gabriel asked. Castiel bristled, but before he could respond, the archangel added, "Chill out. Not here to fight."
"The Winchesters just received word that Therion and Lucifer are desperate enough to try to use Jesse Turner as a weapon," Cas replied. "His parents leave him vulnerable."
"Which, incidentally, was why I was watching over them!" Gabriel retorted. "Come on, I know you guys aren't all into the hand holding stuff, but I'm not actually an idiot. I cover my bases. I've gotten more than one over on the Winchesters, you think I can't handle SOBs like Ther the spider and Lucy?"
"Lucifer killed you," Cas pointed out.
"Aaand when last I checked, he killed you, too," Gabriel replied. "So did Raphael. Looks like both of us are still around, so don't see your point."
"The Winchesters moved the Turners to safety."
"Put them back!"
Cas squared up. "There were clear signs of demonic activity and shapeshifters all around the Turner house," Cas replied.
"Peeping Toms," Gabriel dismissed.
"Until they're ordered to do otherwise!"
"This isn't your business, Cas," Gabriel said. "You need to let me do my job. And the trio of plague and destruction that you're part of? Yeah, you all need to leave it alone before things go south, like they always do with you knuckleheads."
The tense moment was dispersed when something distracted Gabriel. "Jesse's calling me. I gotta go."
The Turner's didn't take well to captivity, and it took more than a little convincing to prevent them from wandering the badlands just to escape.
"You'll die if you go out there alone," Sam said. "I promise you, this is only temporary."
"You keep saying that," Jill said. "But you've essentially kidnapped us."
Dean had stepped out of the cabin because he couldn't stand another round of "please let us go" and "no idiots you'll die." Castiel appeared abruptly, causing Dean to jerk in surprise.
"Damn it, Cas!" Dean exclaimed.
"Gabriel has just been to see me."
"Gabriel?" Dean repeated. "Wait, what - "
"He is displeased that we have intervened," Cas interrupted. "He has been watching over them."
"Did you tell him he was doing a crappy job?" Dean asked.
"More or less."
"And?"
"Jesse summoned him away, apparently," Castiel said.
"Why did he go to you?" Dean asked.
"Because he cannot find you," Cas said. "Or Jesse's parents. I added sigils to their ribs, like yours."
"Cas, if Gabe can just drop in on you," Dean began, "how do you know he won't just phone Heaven and tell them where you are?"
"Because it's Gabriel," Castiel said. "He may be tiresome, but he is loyal."
"Loyal?" Dean repeated in disbelief.
"Dean, this is serious. Either Gabriel knew about the demons and monsters around the Turners and let them alone for a reason, or they are far more powerful than we assumed."
"If he knew about them, why didn't he smite them?" Dean asked.
"I don't know," Castiel replied.
"Cas, we got a house full of flight risks," Dean said. "Can you, I dunno, contact Gabe, fill him in?"
"No," Cas replied. "I can't find him."
"What?"
"The cambion is powerful and can hide from angels and demons alike," Castiel explained. "And those with him are also hidden, including archangels, apparently." He said these last words with a hint of annoyance.
"Awesome, so what next?"
<<< Previous Part:
Part One: Reality Check
Next Part: >>>
Part Three: Time and Again
Primary Post: 09x23 Chase the Ace
Primary Post: Season 9 Fan Fiction (S9FF)