Dean/Cas Big Bang 2016: Sky's the Limit Part 2

[felicia_angel]

The news of Jessica Moore’s death hits the community hard, in a way that few other events might. Gabriel leaves early to go and do something, and Castiel begins to wonder if it’s linked to the Midnight Channel. Gabriel only tells him that he’d managed to stay up and see it, and the hint that he was the one who found the body only worries Castiel all the more. The whole thing, the hint that the deaths were connected to the place they’d accidentally fallen into, and the strange thing he’d summoned...
Persona...Quirinus Siscia.
He touches his chest, feeling the flutter of his heartbeat as he waits with the borrowed umbrella, stopping when he spots Meg walking up instead. She appears upset over something, and upon seeing the umbrella, her dark eyes only grow more worried when she looks at him.
“We have to talk,” she tells him, as serious as the fog and gloom hanging over everyone’s head. He let out a breath and finally nods, following her towards Junes, noting how silent the streets were beginning to turn. He should’ve known better than to think that Dean would appear on such a somber and depressing day, but he’d hoped for it, if only so he could have some happy spot to it.
“If it’s who I think you’re waiting for, he’s not coming.”
Castiel frowns at her in confusion. “Why do you think that?”
Meg lets out a sigh, motioning him to follow. “I know that umbrella. Guy who owns it...got a reputation. His dad or brother says jump, Dean doesn’t even bother asking how high, he just goes until they says stop.”
Castiel is quiet as he considers before finally asking, “What about his mother?”
Silence as they walk. “Their mom died years ago. Supposedly it was a house fire, but...” more silence, “There isn’t a lot to do in this town, and gossip comes up everywhere. Last I heard the brother was trying to convince his girl to leave town with him when they graduate. It’s getting more rumors starting, but everyone knows that even if the kid wants to leave, he could either make a spectacle of the whole thing or drag Dean along with him. Dad won’t allow for both.” She seems to waiting to hear something from Castiel about the information dump she’d relayed to him. “So you trying to hold out for Dean for any reason? Not about to happen. Dean’s dad isn’t keen on him having a life outside of work or them, and now his brother is gonna milk the death of his girl for all it’s worth. Dean’s not gonna show up again. They’re not giving him up to anyone else.”
“Even so,” Castiel finally says, “that’s between him and me, Meg. I’m not going to ask him to do anything besides be himself, and from the sound of it, he does need friends.”
Meg snorts. “Sure, why not? He needs ‘friends’. I’m sure you and him will be ‘friends’ in no time.”
He glares at her as they reach Biggersons and go in through an Employee Only side door. The store is empty, many people inside to mourn the sudden death, and so no one is around at the electronics department. Meg waves to the huge TV that they’d fallen through the day before, looking at Castiel expectantly. “Let’s just go and see what we can do. I don’t want to be stuck there all damned day again.”
-The old downtown area was the same build and feel as the first apartment complex they’d gone to, and while Meg holds onto the golf club as a way to potentially drive off any and all Shadows that approaches them, the dog-creature held back, looking far more fearful and young than it should. With the glasses on, Castiel could now see that the dog was more a hybrid wolf-tiger, the dark areas stripes and it’s face pushed in a bit, like it wasn’t sure if it had a snout like a wolf or one like a tiger, back teeth sticking out whenever it shut its jaw, its ears the same type as a tiger’s but with the twitches Castiel would associate with a dog. The green eyes still remind him of someone, but Castiel can’t put his finger on who. It was like the atmosphere made connecting ideas harder, and it was only with the benefit of hindsight that they could put the clues together. It reminds him of the posters they’d seen, that it was only when it was staring them in the face that they realized what it was.
The wolf-tiger thing had introduced itself as Tramp, which apparently Meg thought was hilarious, and had lead them to the location where Jess had been before her death. Still, despite what should be a fearsome manner, Tramp stays a bit away from the duo, his fur already upright as it listens and sniffs for signs of the Shadows. It’s beyond obvious that Tramp’s afraid of this place and of the Shadows, Castiel can only assume because he was not quite a Shadow, or at least, not one like the other they’d encountered thus far, who appear to have no real form beyond blobs and masks.
The store is a smaller one with an apartment over the top, and one that Castiel recognizes as one of the local stores that sells things from Junes, while Meg frowns at the storefront. “Why the hell was she here? It’s just her family store, what’s so-” panicked, Meg runs in just as the voices start, whispering and buzzing. Tramp hides behind Castiel as the voices became more noticeable, louder, the words sounding harsh and criticizing, but hard to make out for Castiel. Meg, however, appeared to hear each word clearly.
“Meg?” Castiel asks, Meg gripping the golf club tightly, looking down as Castiel started to move towards her. She was shaking as a new voice spoke up, this one suddenly clear and sounding off, echoing in the small space.
Nothing I say matters when it’s the truth. That’s why I said I saw her steal that money.
Meg stiffens, looking up as the voice continues, starting to sound malicious. I lie, and I’m believed. So why not keep lying? It’s not like anyone will listen to her. Why can’t I keep lying so I can get away from this stupid place, just like Sam’ll get away? If I lie, at least then someone else is to blame, someone who deserves it!
“She...she was the one who...?”
“Oh boo hoo...poor me. Then again, I knew that already, didn’t I?” the distorted voice, as familiar as the one that had just spoken, gets both of them to look over as something walked out of the Shadows, its eyes pitch-black, but beyond that change, the thing is very obviously Meg. “I gotta give her credit for thinking of it. Dad left us a rep when he bailed, didn’t he? As bad as the Winchester asshole can be, and considered just as much of a thief, a whore, and a liar as we are. Which is not to say that those rumors are wrong, are they?”
Meg blinks, surprised and almost fearful as Castiel’s eyes narrow, and from behind him, Castiel hears Tramp start to let out a low, scared growl.
“Who...who are you?” Meg manages, her grip shifting on the golf club, as if ready to attack.
“I forget how stupid I am,” the thing that looked like Meg says with a harsh, cold laugh, “I’m you, dumb bitch. I’m the real you. The one that knows they aren’t really lying about us. The one that makes Daddy proud, that knows the real reason we’re here. Clarence is cute, yeah, but a new place to take from? A chance to say you’re a hero in something? Oh, I get wet just thinking about it.”
Meg is angry, gritting her teeth in a similar snarl that seems to come from Tramp. “Shut up. Whoever the hell you are, this is some stupid joke.”
“It ain’t a joke. I’m Daddy’s happy helper, the real you, and the one here for all the thrills, the one to show off what I really am!”
“FUCK YOU! YOU’RE NOT ME!”
The air changes, just like yesterday, seeming to grow heavier as the other Meg began to laugh hysterically. “That’s right. I’m me now. I’ll show you real power!” The aura of darkness around her began to charge as Tramp let out a yelp. “She’s changing! Cas, you gotta protect your friend!”
The fog clears quickly, both having backed up, the changed other Meg standing over the downed and frightened one who looks up at it, the club gone from her hands. The new thing is to a woman in leather, multiple hands coming from her back like a spider’s, all with huge, almost bear-like paws, as it darts to and from, as if daring them to attack. It’s hair is now blond with dark roots, hiding it’s face, but it’s still able to speak clearly as Castiel calls forth Quirinus.
“I am a Shadow...the True Self...”
-Castiel’s huge Persona fought the monstrous thing as Meg crouches next to Tramp, covering her ears as more and more of her life was played on screens above. Everyone’s voice spoke over the twisted, mocking version of her own, praising her father, her ability to act innocent, her attempt at ‘catching a unicorn’ when really she wasn’t worthy of it’s attention.
She hates it. Who was this bitch? Why was she going through this? Why didn’t Castiel just kill the fucker?
“Shadows and the people they come from are linked together,” Tramp is saying, like he read her mind, “all Shadows here come from people.”
“It’s not-!”
“She’s the side of yourself you want to deny because you think it’ll make people right.” Tramp tells her seriously, getting her to look into his huge, green, familiar eyes, “If you don’t accept her, what does that mean? That you don’t have those feelings, haven’t thought that of yourself or others before? She’s upset you didn’t acknowledge her, didn’t acknowledge your shared pain.”
Meg wants to argue, but with all that was playing on the screen, all that was being said...
The only one who knew all of that was her. If this meant she probably was as bad as Dean, at least they both had someone willing to help them, someone willing to fight for them, even against their own demons.
She couldn’t fully forgive Dean or herself just yet, but she had Clarence now, and he was willing to deal with her and all of this. Maybe that would mean he could help Dean as well, and someone would finally see Dean for what was really going on.
Meg just needed to save herself first.
She reaches over to scratch behind Tramp’s ear, standing and walking towards the battle as her Shadow screams at her. “You’re too weak! I’ll show them what we really are!”
“I don’t want that, and neither do you,” Meg points out, continuing to walk forward against the windstorm that blew around them, “I want Clarence because he’s seeing me at my ugliest and even if that ends up with me being just a friend, I’ll take it. But you know that already...because I was wrong. You are me. You’re the side I hate, the side that I was and that I can still be, but that doesn’t change that we’re the same.”
The Shadow falters, starting to look like something that was out of focus, as Castiel’s Persona landed a final hit, sending it to the ground, a cloud of dust and static covering it briefly before it changed back to looking like Meg. She slowly approached it and kneels, reaching out a hand to touch the shoulder of the downed thing that was her hated self, but one she couldn’t ignore anymore. “You’re me, and I’m you. I knew she’d lied, but I didn’t care, because at that point any attention was good attention. And some part of me did want to solve a murder of someone I once thought was my friend. But I can’t do that by lying to myself, now can I?”
The other Meg smiles before light forms around her, changing her from an attaching demon to something different - a huge woman with Greek-style clothing, her hair as dark as Meg’s, but huge bear-hands where her human ones should be, and what looked like wings on her shoes. The light condenses around it, changing into a card, as Castiel felt Quirinus returns to him. Tramp slowly walks over to Meg, seeing her take the card offered, this one showing a Moon on it.
“My Persona. Myself...”Meg lets out a sigh, nearly falling over, feeling exhausted. Castiel moves quickly to make sure she doesn’t fall over completely, and Tramp is next to her just as quickly, still working to soothe her.
“We didn’t find anything,” Meg mutters unhappily as Castiel and Tramp helps her stand, Tramp letting her lean heavily on him for support. Castiel helps, but he too looks almost worn out from the struggle.
Tramp is quiet before saying, “Let’s talk in my den-area. It’s safer, and strong Shadows will only attract other Shadows. I don’t think you want that to happen now, not when you just figured out your inner self.”
That sounded ominous, but the duo agrees quickly, Meg glancing over at Clarance to try to figure out what he thought. He’d seen the worst side of her, seen all of her dirty laundry, and...
“Everyone has something like that in their hearts,” he points out as they walk, as if reading her mind as easily as Tramp had, “that they can’t accept, or that they’re afraid others won’t accept. If we’d met years ago, you would have seen something entirely different, the first time we came here.”
She glances at him as they reach the ‘safe’ area. “Like?”
“Like my self-loathing at not being what my family wanted, my hatred of myself, my wish to have people to protect, who could rely on me. I am passed around to different relatives for a reason, Meg. Many of my family disapprove of me enjoying the company of both genders, but especially that I am romantically involved with my own, mostly.”
OH...
“So...?”
“You are still a wonderful person, Meg, and I agreed to come with you because I wanted to figure this out as well. But this time, I think we both can help each other while investigating. Why not be a team? We seem to complement each other very well.”
She isn’t sure if she wants more, but this way...it means she had a real friend, a real, not leaving no matter what friend, who won’t have an agenda, won’t be with her just because they heard she was easy. She wasn’t alone anymore, she didn’t have to worry about what others might say, and that means she can be honest with him again.
“Dean and I were friends, a little while ago. We both have messed-up lives, like you could see,” she admits, “and we were friends. But...his brother didn’t approve, so his Dad didn’t approve. Dean had to drop me, and he did at their say-so.” She does her best to try to say the rest, not realizing how upset she still is by what had happened. “He was my first real friend, and because of what his brother and dad said, he stopped being that. After...what my dad did...I didn’t know if I could trust again. Even if I want to, I couldn’t think of allowing myself to be hurt like that again.”
Castiel is silent at the admission, at the trust, and finally says, “The family that I’m with here doesn’t disapprove of my lifestyle or choices, and they’ll never disapprove of my friends, no matter what their past.”
She isn’t crying, it’s the fog, even if now she can see a bit better now. Screw it, she is crying and needs to get it out before they got back to the real world. Accepting her Shadow or not, she had a reputation to uphold out there. In here, it was just Clarence and Tramp, and she could cry in front of them. They won’t tell anyone.
Tramp looks at them as Meg begins to calm before letting out a breath. “I think that what we saw is what killed the people on your side.”
The two look at him in surprise. Way to get her to focus, she’s bringing the puppy-tiger-thing a treat when she sees him next. “What do you mean?”
“Your Shadow, when it got out of control, it stirred up a lot of the other Shadows nearby. I think if you’d been here on your own, it would’ve killed you. I think that happened to the others.”
Meg suddenly grasps it. The Shadow wanted her dead after she’d denied it, and if weaker ones flocked around strong ones, they’d probably attack the same person the stronger Shadow was angry with. When they got here, Tramp had said that the weather was opposite here to their world, but the moment the fog lifted, the Shadows suddenly decided to go all-out on anything and anyone around them. That meant…
“Jess and that reporter...they denied their Shadows too. And that killed them?”
“I know Shadows are born from people, from their other selves. If what we saw was true, then if a person confronts their Shadow and denies it multiple times, it goes berserk. If they’re here when it happens, and don’t have anyone to protect them, then it would come to pass that they die.” Tramp looks sad and a bit scared, “It’s creepy enough when the fog lifts, but the last two times, I…,” it shudders and lets out a sound, like a whimper, “it was scarier.”
Meg feels herself shiver as she considers the ramifications of what just happened and what could have happened, if she’d been alone and unable to accept the truth of the matter. If she’d been here without Tramp or Castiel to help her or offer their emotional support, simply being reminded of what she saw as her weaknesses...
I’m not just what the Shadow said, or what I want myself to be. I’m me, and I want to figure this out. Not just for the fame, but because of what happened, because whoever is doing this is ruining TWO worlds, not just one. I accepted my Shadow, and I’m not about to turn my back on that part of me again. It’s ugly and has hate, but it’s me, and I have to acknowledge it as such.
Tramp glances at the two, and for the first time, as it looked at Castiel, its tail wagged happily instead of being perpetually stuck between its legs. “But you both have Personas now. You can figure this out, and...and maybe even save the people who come here!”
Meg realizes what he was saying as she also saw Castiel smile, the two looking over as Castiel says, his tone determined, “Saving people sounds like something we can do.”
-Dean walks Sam to school after Dad talked to him, convincing Sam that he had to at least try to go. Sam doesn’t want to - he wants to be in his room researching, wants to know why Jess had to die. He can’t think of a reason, can’t think of who would be sick enough to kill her. He just knows that she’s dead, and didn’t deserve it.
He’s angry at Dean right now anyway, because Dean had spent all that time at work instead of helping him out, like Dad was doing. Dad had even taken time off work to make sure Sam was ok, but Dean hadn’t even tried to get that time off. Not that Sam thought Dean cared anyway - Dean was probably glad that Jess was gone, because now Sam could stay in this dead-end town like Dean was going to, if he ever did anything right.
That’s why Dad was always yelling at Dean, why Sam was kinda surprised he was even still enrolled in school. It wasn’t like Dean was actually acing any courses, or going to them. Hell, Sam was pretty sure he’d failed all of his classes, and now he was working for Singer of all people? Did he really think Dad was happy about that? But Dean never thought about that - it was why it took Dad screaming at him for Dean to even drop that thieving bitch Meg as a friend. Dean didn’t think, he was just stupid and slow, and it took Sam and Dad to teach him how to do the right freakin’ thing.
As they walk, a guy about Dean’s age and holding an umbrella (even though there wasn’t supposed to be rain) comes up to them. He was dressed up in the uniform from that charter school that Sam had desperately wanted to get into, but that Dean had bombed that before the year started. Sam frowns as Dean blinks in surprise and gives the other teen a smile. “Hey Cas. I’m sorry, just...”
“I understand,” the guy, Cas, says with a smile of his own as he glances at Sam and then back to Dean. “Your brother?”
“Yeah, this is Sammy.”
“It’s SAM,” Sam growls out to Dean, wondering how often he had to repeat that to Dean just to get it through his thick skull. He smiles at the other teen, curious about the uniform and who he was. “Hi. You go to Yasoinaba? How is it? I heard it’s really good.”
“It’s a school,” the other teen says with a shrug, “I only go there because my family goes there. I’m Castiel, by the way.”
Sam frowns at the name, remembering something that Jess had said while they’d been at Biggersons, the day before she’d.... “You’re Gabriel’s friend, aren’t you?”
“Gabriel goes to the same school as I do,” Castiel explains as they walk, “I’m not sure what I’d consider him. I only know him through my cousin Hannah.”
“He’s an asshole,” Sam mutters as they walk, “He keeps saying he only picks on ‘stuck up’ people when really he picks on people to make himself feel better about the fact that he’s an asshole.”
“Sammy, language,” Dean says, sounding upset, “and Gabriel just has a messed up sense of humor.”
“It’s SAM, and it’s not like he’s your friend, Dean, not the way he talks about you.”
Dean shrugs again, which only pisses Sam off. Doesn’t Dean care that people talking about him like that will affect Sam’s chances to get out of this hellhole?
“It’s not personal, he talks about everyone that way.”
Sam lets out a defeated sigh, shaking his head. His brother was such an idiot. “Whatever. I gotta go before I’m late.” He glances up at Castiel. “It was nice to meet you. Stay away from Gabriel.”
Castiel says nothing, watching Sam go with all the obvious annoyance of someone who won’t take free and good advice. Sam decides he doesn’t care. Whoever that guy was, he’d be out of Dean’s life before the end of the month. Dean couldn’t keep friends by himself, and Sam wasn’t about to help him out with that guy.
-“He seems...nice?”
“He’s not usually such a pain, but...I mean, his girlfriend just died, and-.”
“Meg told me what happened,” Castiel says, seeing Dean stiffen.
“You talk to Meg?”
“Kali apparently appointed her as ‘Gabriel Watcher’ while he’s near Biggersons. Meg was not happy about the situation anymore than Gabriel was, but she seems to be recovering better than he is.”
Dean lets out a small laugh. “That’s good. She...she had it rough, she needs...friends. I mean, someone who’ll be by her side, not just...” he looks down, his good mood evaporating as they walk in silence for a few minutes. “Thanks. For returning the umbrella.”
“Dean,” Castiel says, getting Dean to look at him, “if you want, we can go and get something to eat this Sunday. That is, if you’re available.”
Dean looks surprised before he starts, “You...she didn’t...”
“She explained your history together, though it took some...coaxing. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to go to lunch with you.”
He looks at Castiel with some surprise before shaking his head, as if to clear it, and rubbing at something on his neck. “Yeah...yeah, if I can. I’ll see you...Sunday, then?”
Castiel gives him a smile before Dean shifts, noticing the time. “I...gotta go. Or we’ll be late for class. Sunday...see you at the shopping district, ok?”
“Very well. I’ll see you then.”
-Biggersons, the chain store that was opened six months ago, now boasts one of the youngest managers after a sudden attack by protesters. Gabriel Horne, the son of the current manager, is now running the store. Our own Gordon Walker went out to get an interview with the young man shortly after he started. He filed this special report.
“Mr. Horne, we hear you’re now the youngest manager for Biggersons, though you’re not the youngest for this town. How does that make you feel?”
“All we’ve had to say about this has already gone through our publicist. I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“But you must doing a great job if you’re able to put so many of our local stores out of business! What’s the secret to your success?”
“What part of ‘I don’t have anything to say to you’ didn’t get through that thick skull of yours?”
“No need to be rude, Mr. Horne, we are film-.” “Which is illegal, since I didn’t give you permission and we already gave our statement to your tv station, who I’m sure would love to have more bad press after your only good reporter was found dead and the girl you freakin’ stalked to get an interview was also found dead. Now get the ***** out of here before I call the cops!”
There you have it. The new manager of Biggersons, as well as, we have recently found out, the witness who found the body of Miss Jessica Moore in the early hours. No word yet from police about these changes of events, but we will keep you updated as time goes on. We do know, however, that Mr. Carver Horne, the current manager of Biggersons, is also good friends with our own Gertrude Middleton, city council member and owner of Aquinas Inn, and Michael Aquinas, the current sheriff. As you all know, Mrs. Middleton is now under investigation regarding reports of the alleged sex scandal between councilman Campbell and Ms. Frank, our reporter whose death shocked the town a few days ago.
-Hannah sighs as she glances over the empty desk, Castiel frowning as he looks over at her during their break. Her phone is out, and he can guess who she’s attempting to text.
“He’s been busy after that incident with Kali and his father,” he wants to reassure her, but can tell it’s failing.
“That doesn’t stop me from worrying,” she tells him, glancing at Castiel before she asks quietly, “I...you know that Midnight Channel thing?”
Castiel nods slowly.
“Have you...tried it?”
“Why?”
“I...I saw Gabriel on it. I think. It looked like him, I knew that outfit he was wearing, and I’m worried. I don’t know why they left him in charge, he hates being left in charge ‘cause...well...”
“He’s no good?”
“No, he’s too good,” Charlie speaks up, coming over to Castiel and her friend as she tells him, “He’s good at reading people, he’s good at getting them to work, but he’s no good for it mentally. It drains him to the point that he starts getting angry at himself, and he lashes out at everyone. Kali was good to come back, but his dad put Gabe in charge and wouldn’t hear no for an answer. Not after what happened to put her out of work. He’s worried that it’ll happen again and Kali will really be hurt. But...I mean...”
Castiel looks at them a moment before saying, “If I tell you something...don’t freak out.”
-“I haven’t seen him, but I’m not surprised, after that interview,” Meg points out as they stand to make a wall between Castiel and the TV. “We got super-busy too, with some big promotion or something because of that interview. Fucking Walker and his dumb ass ‘gotcha’ interviews...”
“I’m surprised. I haven’t seen it this busy in a while, even when it first opened up,” Hannah points out, frowning at the two and waiting as Castiel moves and then glances at her. Charlie had decided against joining them, despite what Castiel had said, pointing out that she had to go and do some tutoring at the public school, but admitting she believed him. “I’m not going to freak out.”
He puts his hand in the TV, and Hannah draws in a breath, holding it as her eyes went wide in shock.
“oh.” is all the quiet response he gets from his cousin after that display. While she is pale and still wide-eyed, she doesn’t say much else.
“I like your cousin,” Meg says with a smirk that gets Hannah to glare at her. Castiel withdrew his hand when he hears Tramp’s voice on the other side.
“Hi, what’s going on? Is this a game?”
“Something’s come up on our side,” Castiel tells him seriously as Hannah squeaks at the sound, but manages to keep in any other form of panicking that might be visible. Castiel is almost concerned about what will happen when or if Hannah meets Tramp. “Anyone or anything on that side?”
There’s a pause before Tramp replies, “No, but...I think it might happen soon.”
“Why do you say that?” Castiel asks, his voice low.
“I dunno. Just...a feeling. Sorry.”
“Maybe it’s connected to what we saw?” Hannah asks, “I mean, if he’s still here but you said that they appear on the Midnight Channel while they’re...um...in the TV...”
“Who’s that? She’s smart.”
“My cousin, Hannah,” Castiel explains, “and she has a point. We should watch it again tonight.”
Meg nods before letting out a sigh. “I don’t like this.”
“Me neither...but we have to make sure we can keep him safe.”