Unexpected Destinies Chapter 156
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,450
Summary: Bobby wonders at the relationship between Dean and his archangels and learns more about what his betrayal did to Dean.
PRESENT
It was early morning yet so the only sound disturbing Bobby's contemplation as he sat outside on the back porch with his first cup of coffee of the day was the song of whatever the local birds were. He was sure that Karen would have been able to identify them from that alone, but to him they were just birds. So long as they didn't try to attack him or make off with any of his stuff then he was perfectly happy to just let them be and ignore them, especially when there was a far more puzzling event to capture his attention.
Bobby had just come out here to enjoy the dawn and have his coffee in peace, but as soon as his eyes had fallen on that spot further in the yard, he'd been unable not to recall the scene that he'd observed there from this very spot yesterday. Things had been a little tense in the house ever since Sam and Dean's argument two days ago, so he'd come outside to escape it all for a little while only to find that Dean was already outside with one of his archangels. Even now despite all of the time that he'd had to get used to that concept, he still couldn't quite think that without pausing. Dean and his archangels. It sounded like some line out of cheesy movie or TV show. Like Charlie's angels.
Even so, Bobby had found himself completely unable to look away. He tried to comfort himself with the thought that if it had been Castiel with Dean that he'd have given the two some privacy, but he knew that would have had nothing to do with a lack of curiosity and everything to do with the fact that seeing the dark bruise at the base of Dean's throat upon the boy's return to the house hours after storming out was already far too much information. Even without Dean's radical shift in mood, he'd have known exactly what the boy had gotten up to with Castiel from that alone and while he was happy that the angel had once again been able to be there for the boy when he himself couldn't be, he really didn't have to know that.
Since it had been Raphael with Dean instead of Castiel, though, he'd had no such reason to get back up and go back inside. Despite some lingering guilt, Bobby was glad that he'd stayed to watch. Not only was Raphael the biggest unknown as far as the three archangels were concerned (since only Dean and Castiel had interacted with him before this whole mess), but he was also the most antagonistic and potentially the most volatile. He recalled well what Dean had mentioned about his and Castiel's meeting with the archangel as well as the fact that Raphael was the one who'd killed Castiel for interfering with the start of the Apocalypse. It was hard to reconcile all of that with the trust and friendship that both Dean and Castiel gave the archangel now.
Before yesterday Bobby wouldn't have been quite sure how to classify the relationship between Dean and Raphael, for although he'd seen them together on a few occasions, he'd never really seen them interact all that much before. That might have tempted him to place them in the 'allies only' category, but all of that had changed yesterday afternoon. At first the two had simply seemed to be talking to each other, their body language- well, rather Dean's body language- had been calm and relaxed, a little more intimate perhaps than he'd have expected from them, but then he was talking about an angel here. He could only all too well recall all of Dean's complaints at the start of the boy's acquaintance with Castiel of the angel's complete and utter lack of understanding of either personal space or privacy, so he wasn't too surprised to see that Raphael failed to respect either of them as well. As for Dean's seemingly easy acceptance of it all, well the boy had been spending significant amounts of time with angels for the past few years, so he figured that Dean had just gotten used to it all.
He'd just been getting bored of watching them, when things had changed and Bobby had found himself fascinated despite himself. It had started with what looked like the end of their conversation and his eyes had just been drifting away from them when Dean had jumped and yelped loud enough for the sound to carry all the way over to him. He had to admit that he'd sat up a bit straighter in his chair at that, afraid that Raphael had done something to Dean, but though the boy's posture had changed to a more defensive one, he knew Dean well enough to know that it wasn't a belligerent one. What happened next was one of the most bizarre things that he'd witnessed in a good long while.
Dean had suddenly launched himself forwards, towards Raphael, but the archangel had clearly been expecting it and easily avoided the attack, even without resorting to his angelic powers. What had really interested Bobby was that the boy hadn't gone for center mass as would have made the most sense, but instead Dean had almost been aiming next to the archangel, which hadn't made any sense to him at first. It was only after watching the two dance around each other like this for a few minutes, Raphael with a huge smile on his face and laughing every time that Dean jumped and yelped, that he got it. The boy was going after Raphael's wings.
With that revelation everything had fallen into place for Bobby. The archangel was teasing the boy somehow and Dean was doing his utmost best to retaliate, but it just wasn't working, much to the boy's consternation and Raphael's endless amusement. The longer it had gone on, the more worked up Dean had gotten and he'd recognized well the way the boy's eyes had narrowed and the finger pointed at the archangel, no doubt promising retribution as he'd often witnessed Dean do in the past with Sam whenever the younger Winchester had pulled one over on his big brother.
The comparison had stunned Bobby and if he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes, then he'd never have believed it. But there it had been, plain to see for all who'd bothered to look. In the end Raphael had said something before he'd vanished, leaving Dean to scream "Coward!" at the sky along with something else that had sounded suspiciously like a threat to pluck the archangel bald and he'd been unable not to laugh at that. Despite the frustration and promised violence, there had been something surprisingly light and almost carefree in Dean's voice that he hadn't heard in far too long.
He didn't think that the boy had spotted him and given the contemplative look that had settled onto Dean's face shortly afterwards, Bobby hadn't felt it right to interfere, so he'd quietly gotten up and gone back inside. Now he couldn't help but think about it all again and wonder about what it all meant. Yeah, sure, it clearly had been a light hearted moment between the two, but it was the type of connection between Dean and Raphael that it implied which captured his full attention now. If he'd wanted to, he could almost have fooled himself into believing that it was a scene which had taken place years ago between Sam and Dean, it had just been that brotherly. Not to mention the fact that he'd practically never seen Dean form that kind of relationship with anyone else, even as a child.
It was a conundrum that Bobby couldn't help but pick at. It also brought up some very interesting questions as well. After Dean had stormed out the other day, he'd had a right go at Sam, completely unable to believe the stupid idjit's actions. Although most of what Sam had spouted in his defense had been total bullshit, the boy had mentioned one interesting fact and that had been what Sam had witnessed transpiring between his brother and Michael. He hadn't quite known what to make of the fact that Dean had apparently allowed Michael such a proprietary touch, but now he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't because of the exact same reason that the boy had been so downright playful with Raphael, not that he expected Dean to see his actions in that manner. No, Dean had probably seen it a righteous indignation for whatever it was that the archangel had been doing to him.
Idjit boy.
The sound of the door opening behind him pulled Bobby out of his contemplation.
"I thought I heard someone moving about down here," Samuel said. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Just need less sleep these days," Bobby replied, turning to look at the other man. "Well, you look like hell."
"Thank you, that's just what I wanted to hear."
"Did you sleep at all?"
"No, I was up all night reading."
"Oh? Anything good."
Instead of replying, Samuel handed over the three books that he held. Bobby frowned as he accepted them and then grimaced as he recognized the style of the cover art. A quick glance at the author's name confirmed his suspicion. Carver Edlund.
"These the next three books in the series?" Bobby asked.
"Yes. Feel free to read them, though I'll warn you now, Castiel wasn't at all exaggerating about the state he found Dean in when he returned to Earth."
"No, I never suspected that he was. Lord knows I love that boy but he has the world's worst coping mechanisms, if they can even be called that as the only thing he doesn't do is cope in any way shape or form."
"So I've learned," Samuel replied dryly. "Just an extra caution, I know that Dean's forgiven you now, but at the time... well..."
Bobby snorted. "You trying to warn me that my feelings will be hurt?"
"Knowing you hurt someone and seeing what it did to them are two very different things. Especially since my eldest grandson seems completely incapable of doing anything by half."
"He simply doesn't see the point."
Despite the forced levity of the reply, Bobby's stomach was suddenly in knots. Just the mere thought of how he'd hurt Dean was enough to pain him even now, but to actually have it all spelled out for him in black and white... Well he honestly wasn't sure if he could handle that, especially knowing what the boy had done in the past when betrayed by someone that Dean had trusted. He tightened his grip on the books though as reading them would be his penance.
If there was one thing that Robert Steven Singer was not, it was a coward and he'd damn well own up to his own idjit mistakes and see the consequences thereof, no matter how much it might hurt him to do so.
"Which one is first?" Bobby asked.
"Unexpected Destinies," Samuel replied. "Give me your mug, I'll get you some more coffee. You'll need it."
That wasn't ominous at all. Bobby handed across his now empty cup and put aside the two books that he didn't need. For a few moments he couldn't do anything but look at the cover of Unexpected Destinies. He had the misfortune of having seen enough of the this particular artist's so called work to be able to recognize that the figure on the cover was supposed to be Dean, but it wasn't the boy as he was used to seeing him through this artist's eyes. Instead of being unnaturally free of flaws, this Dean looked like death warmed over and was surrounded by empty beer and liquor bottles.
Afraid that he'd lose his nerve after all, Bobby flipped the book open and forced himself to start reading.
/
Against all reasonable expectations, that evening turned out to be a pleasant one for most of those staying at the Campbell compound. Smart woman that she was, Gwen had gone out and bought booze, greasy burgers and fries. The effect of those simple pleasures was electrifying and Bobby had already raised a glass to her. He was sure that the fact that they were all present, the rest of them acting as a buffer between Sam and Dean, helped, but he was sure that the alcohol and food were the biggest reasons for the lack of tension.
"There's pie for later," Gwen stated as they settled into various couches and chairs in the living room.
"Pie?" Dean inquired immediately, perking up from where he'd slumped back in the aptly name love seat with Castiel.
"You're not serious," Samuel muttered before turning to look at him. "Please tell me that he's not serious."
"Dean always has room for pie," Bobby explained.
"Dude, it's pie!" Dean exclaimed before turning his attention back towards Gwen. "What kind is it?"
"One's rhubarb-"
"Ew!" Sam cried out, pulling a face. "Rhubarb, uh."
"- and the other's blueberry. They were part of the store's seasonal selection and on offer."
"Mm, I'll have a piece of each," Dean stated.
"They already knew that," Castiel responded with a smile.
"See if I share any with you now."
"I am sure that your cousin will permit me have my own piece should I so desire."
"So do I normally, doesn't stop you from stealing from my plate half the time."
"My teeth," Bobby complained.
"You okay?" Gwen asked, concerned.
"No, the sweetness is giving me cavities."
A few seconds of silence then: "Hey!" Dean protested, throwing a pillow at him.
Bobby batted the projectile aside easily and Sam quickly appropriated it as his own. "I just call 'em as I see 'em."
In truth Bobby had hardly been able to force the words out of his mouth, almost afraid that doing so would shatter the illusion and instead of the seemingly carefree and relaxed Dean he'd be left with the broken shell of a man that he'd been reading about most of the day. As it was he'd already drawn more than one concerned or puzzled look from the boy and he knew that if he didn't start acting more normal and quick that he'd be subjected to a mother hen routine, Dean Winchester style and he just didn't think that he could cope with that right now. Not with all that he'd put the boy through.
Sure, intellectually Bobby had known that he'd hurt Dean deeply but- just as he'd feared- reading about it brought the reality of just what he'd done home in a way that merely knowing about it never could. The worst thing was that, as bad of an author as Chuck Shurley was, the guy still managed to evoke scenes that he couldn't help but picture with crystal perfect clarity. That probably had more to do with his personal knowledge of Dean than any hint of skill on Shurley's part, but it still left him with stuff that was sure would haunt his dreams for weeks to come.
"So how about we take the rest of tonight off?" Samuel suggested. "You know, take a break. Well, unless there's anything that we need to prepare for tomorrow?"
"No," Castiel replied. "Tomorrow's part of the spell requires no special preparation. All that Sam must do is ingest a potion we will prepare and then recite a few lines."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"This is the bit about me recanting my permission and desire to be Lucifer's vessel, isn't it?" Sam inquired.
"Yes, precisely."
"Okay, so let's do something relaxing tonight," Samuel stated.
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Bobby inquired.
"I don't know, a movie?"
Dean laughed. "Good luck finding something we have that everyone wants to watch."
"I don't know, we've got Inception and I for one have not seen it yet," Gwen stated.
"Inception? Is that the dream one? Where they break into people's minds while they're sleeping?" Sam asked.
"Yep."
"Not really one I'd thought that you'd go for," Dean said.
Gwen shrugged. "It looks interesting and if all else fails then I'll still have plenty of eye candy to enjoy."
"Eye candy?" Castiel questioned with a frown and a head tilt.
"Someone hot that you like to look at," Gwen explained. "Vicarious enjoyment."
Because he was watching the two so closely, Bobby caught the way Dean's eyes flashed towards his angel, almost as if the boy was afraid that Castiel would say something embarrassing (and he could well imagine what give the way those two just looked at each other sometimes). The angel, however, merely looked thoughtful before nodding once.
"I see," Castiel stated evenly.
"No objections then?" Gwen asked, looking at him and Samuel.
"Like I'd recognize a movie from its title," Bobby huffed. "But I'll give it a go."
"It sounds implausible, but that's never stopped Hollywood, so sure," Samuel replied.
"Great, I'll go get it," Sam said, getting up.
"I need another beer," Dean announced. "Anyone else want anything?"
"I'll have a whiskey," Bobby responded, carefully watching Castiel as he said so.
He'd caught the archangel's displeased reaction when Sam had offered to get his brother one yesterday in what he figured was the boy's way of trying to make up in the typical Winchester way of not actually addressing the issue and now he understood why. Throughout dinner he'd been keenly aware of Dean's beer bottle and had therefore noticed that the boy was the only one of them who hadn't had a second one yet. He hadn't gotten so far into the new books yet that he knew what had happened to halt Dean's excessive drinking, but he didn't need to read it to know who was responsible for it.
It wasn't until Castiel turned to meet his gaze that Bobby realized that he'd been staring and he hastily looked away. Sam had already returned with the DVD and both he and Gwen were in front of the TV, trying to figure out how the system worked as neither of them had used it before. Samuel was sitting in his armchair, looking quite pleased with himself and he couldn't help but wonder if that would remain so once the film began. Though he didn't know anything about it, Sam's brief description of it was more than enough to make him wonder if it wouldn't be far too sci-fi for the resurrected hunter to be able to follow given the huge gaps in Samuel's knowledge that still remained when it came to technology.
"Hey, Gwen?" Dean called from the kitchen.
"Yeah?" Gwen replied absently.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that the Smirnoff Ice is yours, right?"
Bobby's eyebrows rose at the question even as both Gwen and Sam turned around to stare in surprise and no little shock in the direction of the kitchen. He could more than understand their reaction. After all, what? There was no way that Dean could be interested in a mixed vodka drink, especially not such a sweet one.
"Uh, yeah," Gwen confirmed. "Why?"
"Mind if I pour a glass?"
"I thought you were gonna have another beer."
"Huh? Oh, it's not for me, it's for Cas. I'm pretty sure that he'll like it."
Almost as if they'd practiced it, all three of them turned as one to look at the angel who now looked intrigued.
"Is it similar to a sex on the beach or a blowjob?" Castiel inquired.
The laughter from the kitchen easily smothered Bobby's sputtering and for that he was glad. He could honestly say that he'd never expected to hear the angel say those things and for it to happen so unexpectedly had caught him completely off-guard.
"Kinda, I think," Dean replied. "Gwen?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Great."
Bobby felt like he was an outsider, watching both his own meat suit as well as the rest of the room when Dean came back, carrying the three drinks. He automatically accepted his own but couldn't help but watch in fascination as Castiel sipped his Smirnoff Ice before smiling and approving of it.
Apparently angels liked vodka, who knew?
By then Sam had figured out the DVD player as the usual opening warnings had started but Bobby couldn't help but glance back at the love seat and he frowned when he witnessed Dean holding his hands in midair, making strange gestures even as the boy looked at the TV. "Uh, Dean?" he questioned.
"Huh?" Dean asked before seeing what he was looking at. "Oh, I'm just grooming one of Cas' wings."
A.N.: A big thanks to everyone who sent me locations. You guys rock! Some of them won't work because of some of the things I want to do, but I didn't want to mention too much as it would spoil things and I didn't want to limit myself or inadvertantly make you think a location wasn't possible when it might still be.
Chapter 157
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,450
Summary: Bobby wonders at the relationship between Dean and his archangels and learns more about what his betrayal did to Dean.
PRESENT
It was early morning yet so the only sound disturbing Bobby's contemplation as he sat outside on the back porch with his first cup of coffee of the day was the song of whatever the local birds were. He was sure that Karen would have been able to identify them from that alone, but to him they were just birds. So long as they didn't try to attack him or make off with any of his stuff then he was perfectly happy to just let them be and ignore them, especially when there was a far more puzzling event to capture his attention.
Bobby had just come out here to enjoy the dawn and have his coffee in peace, but as soon as his eyes had fallen on that spot further in the yard, he'd been unable not to recall the scene that he'd observed there from this very spot yesterday. Things had been a little tense in the house ever since Sam and Dean's argument two days ago, so he'd come outside to escape it all for a little while only to find that Dean was already outside with one of his archangels. Even now despite all of the time that he'd had to get used to that concept, he still couldn't quite think that without pausing. Dean and his archangels. It sounded like some line out of cheesy movie or TV show. Like Charlie's angels.
Even so, Bobby had found himself completely unable to look away. He tried to comfort himself with the thought that if it had been Castiel with Dean that he'd have given the two some privacy, but he knew that would have had nothing to do with a lack of curiosity and everything to do with the fact that seeing the dark bruise at the base of Dean's throat upon the boy's return to the house hours after storming out was already far too much information. Even without Dean's radical shift in mood, he'd have known exactly what the boy had gotten up to with Castiel from that alone and while he was happy that the angel had once again been able to be there for the boy when he himself couldn't be, he really didn't have to know that.
Since it had been Raphael with Dean instead of Castiel, though, he'd had no such reason to get back up and go back inside. Despite some lingering guilt, Bobby was glad that he'd stayed to watch. Not only was Raphael the biggest unknown as far as the three archangels were concerned (since only Dean and Castiel had interacted with him before this whole mess), but he was also the most antagonistic and potentially the most volatile. He recalled well what Dean had mentioned about his and Castiel's meeting with the archangel as well as the fact that Raphael was the one who'd killed Castiel for interfering with the start of the Apocalypse. It was hard to reconcile all of that with the trust and friendship that both Dean and Castiel gave the archangel now.
Before yesterday Bobby wouldn't have been quite sure how to classify the relationship between Dean and Raphael, for although he'd seen them together on a few occasions, he'd never really seen them interact all that much before. That might have tempted him to place them in the 'allies only' category, but all of that had changed yesterday afternoon. At first the two had simply seemed to be talking to each other, their body language- well, rather Dean's body language- had been calm and relaxed, a little more intimate perhaps than he'd have expected from them, but then he was talking about an angel here. He could only all too well recall all of Dean's complaints at the start of the boy's acquaintance with Castiel of the angel's complete and utter lack of understanding of either personal space or privacy, so he wasn't too surprised to see that Raphael failed to respect either of them as well. As for Dean's seemingly easy acceptance of it all, well the boy had been spending significant amounts of time with angels for the past few years, so he figured that Dean had just gotten used to it all.
He'd just been getting bored of watching them, when things had changed and Bobby had found himself fascinated despite himself. It had started with what looked like the end of their conversation and his eyes had just been drifting away from them when Dean had jumped and yelped loud enough for the sound to carry all the way over to him. He had to admit that he'd sat up a bit straighter in his chair at that, afraid that Raphael had done something to Dean, but though the boy's posture had changed to a more defensive one, he knew Dean well enough to know that it wasn't a belligerent one. What happened next was one of the most bizarre things that he'd witnessed in a good long while.
Dean had suddenly launched himself forwards, towards Raphael, but the archangel had clearly been expecting it and easily avoided the attack, even without resorting to his angelic powers. What had really interested Bobby was that the boy hadn't gone for center mass as would have made the most sense, but instead Dean had almost been aiming next to the archangel, which hadn't made any sense to him at first. It was only after watching the two dance around each other like this for a few minutes, Raphael with a huge smile on his face and laughing every time that Dean jumped and yelped, that he got it. The boy was going after Raphael's wings.
With that revelation everything had fallen into place for Bobby. The archangel was teasing the boy somehow and Dean was doing his utmost best to retaliate, but it just wasn't working, much to the boy's consternation and Raphael's endless amusement. The longer it had gone on, the more worked up Dean had gotten and he'd recognized well the way the boy's eyes had narrowed and the finger pointed at the archangel, no doubt promising retribution as he'd often witnessed Dean do in the past with Sam whenever the younger Winchester had pulled one over on his big brother.
The comparison had stunned Bobby and if he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes, then he'd never have believed it. But there it had been, plain to see for all who'd bothered to look. In the end Raphael had said something before he'd vanished, leaving Dean to scream "Coward!" at the sky along with something else that had sounded suspiciously like a threat to pluck the archangel bald and he'd been unable not to laugh at that. Despite the frustration and promised violence, there had been something surprisingly light and almost carefree in Dean's voice that he hadn't heard in far too long.
He didn't think that the boy had spotted him and given the contemplative look that had settled onto Dean's face shortly afterwards, Bobby hadn't felt it right to interfere, so he'd quietly gotten up and gone back inside. Now he couldn't help but think about it all again and wonder about what it all meant. Yeah, sure, it clearly had been a light hearted moment between the two, but it was the type of connection between Dean and Raphael that it implied which captured his full attention now. If he'd wanted to, he could almost have fooled himself into believing that it was a scene which had taken place years ago between Sam and Dean, it had just been that brotherly. Not to mention the fact that he'd practically never seen Dean form that kind of relationship with anyone else, even as a child.
It was a conundrum that Bobby couldn't help but pick at. It also brought up some very interesting questions as well. After Dean had stormed out the other day, he'd had a right go at Sam, completely unable to believe the stupid idjit's actions. Although most of what Sam had spouted in his defense had been total bullshit, the boy had mentioned one interesting fact and that had been what Sam had witnessed transpiring between his brother and Michael. He hadn't quite known what to make of the fact that Dean had apparently allowed Michael such a proprietary touch, but now he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't because of the exact same reason that the boy had been so downright playful with Raphael, not that he expected Dean to see his actions in that manner. No, Dean had probably seen it a righteous indignation for whatever it was that the archangel had been doing to him.
Idjit boy.
The sound of the door opening behind him pulled Bobby out of his contemplation.
"I thought I heard someone moving about down here," Samuel said. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Just need less sleep these days," Bobby replied, turning to look at the other man. "Well, you look like hell."
"Thank you, that's just what I wanted to hear."
"Did you sleep at all?"
"No, I was up all night reading."
"Oh? Anything good."
Instead of replying, Samuel handed over the three books that he held. Bobby frowned as he accepted them and then grimaced as he recognized the style of the cover art. A quick glance at the author's name confirmed his suspicion. Carver Edlund.
"These the next three books in the series?" Bobby asked.
"Yes. Feel free to read them, though I'll warn you now, Castiel wasn't at all exaggerating about the state he found Dean in when he returned to Earth."
"No, I never suspected that he was. Lord knows I love that boy but he has the world's worst coping mechanisms, if they can even be called that as the only thing he doesn't do is cope in any way shape or form."
"So I've learned," Samuel replied dryly. "Just an extra caution, I know that Dean's forgiven you now, but at the time... well..."
Bobby snorted. "You trying to warn me that my feelings will be hurt?"
"Knowing you hurt someone and seeing what it did to them are two very different things. Especially since my eldest grandson seems completely incapable of doing anything by half."
"He simply doesn't see the point."
Despite the forced levity of the reply, Bobby's stomach was suddenly in knots. Just the mere thought of how he'd hurt Dean was enough to pain him even now, but to actually have it all spelled out for him in black and white... Well he honestly wasn't sure if he could handle that, especially knowing what the boy had done in the past when betrayed by someone that Dean had trusted. He tightened his grip on the books though as reading them would be his penance.
If there was one thing that Robert Steven Singer was not, it was a coward and he'd damn well own up to his own idjit mistakes and see the consequences thereof, no matter how much it might hurt him to do so.
"Which one is first?" Bobby asked.
"Unexpected Destinies," Samuel replied. "Give me your mug, I'll get you some more coffee. You'll need it."
That wasn't ominous at all. Bobby handed across his now empty cup and put aside the two books that he didn't need. For a few moments he couldn't do anything but look at the cover of Unexpected Destinies. He had the misfortune of having seen enough of the this particular artist's so called work to be able to recognize that the figure on the cover was supposed to be Dean, but it wasn't the boy as he was used to seeing him through this artist's eyes. Instead of being unnaturally free of flaws, this Dean looked like death warmed over and was surrounded by empty beer and liquor bottles.
Afraid that he'd lose his nerve after all, Bobby flipped the book open and forced himself to start reading.
/
Against all reasonable expectations, that evening turned out to be a pleasant one for most of those staying at the Campbell compound. Smart woman that she was, Gwen had gone out and bought booze, greasy burgers and fries. The effect of those simple pleasures was electrifying and Bobby had already raised a glass to her. He was sure that the fact that they were all present, the rest of them acting as a buffer between Sam and Dean, helped, but he was sure that the alcohol and food were the biggest reasons for the lack of tension.
"There's pie for later," Gwen stated as they settled into various couches and chairs in the living room.
"Pie?" Dean inquired immediately, perking up from where he'd slumped back in the aptly name love seat with Castiel.
"You're not serious," Samuel muttered before turning to look at him. "Please tell me that he's not serious."
"Dean always has room for pie," Bobby explained.
"Dude, it's pie!" Dean exclaimed before turning his attention back towards Gwen. "What kind is it?"
"One's rhubarb-"
"Ew!" Sam cried out, pulling a face. "Rhubarb, uh."
"- and the other's blueberry. They were part of the store's seasonal selection and on offer."
"Mm, I'll have a piece of each," Dean stated.
"They already knew that," Castiel responded with a smile.
"See if I share any with you now."
"I am sure that your cousin will permit me have my own piece should I so desire."
"So do I normally, doesn't stop you from stealing from my plate half the time."
"My teeth," Bobby complained.
"You okay?" Gwen asked, concerned.
"No, the sweetness is giving me cavities."
A few seconds of silence then: "Hey!" Dean protested, throwing a pillow at him.
Bobby batted the projectile aside easily and Sam quickly appropriated it as his own. "I just call 'em as I see 'em."
In truth Bobby had hardly been able to force the words out of his mouth, almost afraid that doing so would shatter the illusion and instead of the seemingly carefree and relaxed Dean he'd be left with the broken shell of a man that he'd been reading about most of the day. As it was he'd already drawn more than one concerned or puzzled look from the boy and he knew that if he didn't start acting more normal and quick that he'd be subjected to a mother hen routine, Dean Winchester style and he just didn't think that he could cope with that right now. Not with all that he'd put the boy through.
Sure, intellectually Bobby had known that he'd hurt Dean deeply but- just as he'd feared- reading about it brought the reality of just what he'd done home in a way that merely knowing about it never could. The worst thing was that, as bad of an author as Chuck Shurley was, the guy still managed to evoke scenes that he couldn't help but picture with crystal perfect clarity. That probably had more to do with his personal knowledge of Dean than any hint of skill on Shurley's part, but it still left him with stuff that was sure would haunt his dreams for weeks to come.
"So how about we take the rest of tonight off?" Samuel suggested. "You know, take a break. Well, unless there's anything that we need to prepare for tomorrow?"
"No," Castiel replied. "Tomorrow's part of the spell requires no special preparation. All that Sam must do is ingest a potion we will prepare and then recite a few lines."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"This is the bit about me recanting my permission and desire to be Lucifer's vessel, isn't it?" Sam inquired.
"Yes, precisely."
"Okay, so let's do something relaxing tonight," Samuel stated.
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Bobby inquired.
"I don't know, a movie?"
Dean laughed. "Good luck finding something we have that everyone wants to watch."
"I don't know, we've got Inception and I for one have not seen it yet," Gwen stated.
"Inception? Is that the dream one? Where they break into people's minds while they're sleeping?" Sam asked.
"Yep."
"Not really one I'd thought that you'd go for," Dean said.
Gwen shrugged. "It looks interesting and if all else fails then I'll still have plenty of eye candy to enjoy."
"Eye candy?" Castiel questioned with a frown and a head tilt.
"Someone hot that you like to look at," Gwen explained. "Vicarious enjoyment."
Because he was watching the two so closely, Bobby caught the way Dean's eyes flashed towards his angel, almost as if the boy was afraid that Castiel would say something embarrassing (and he could well imagine what give the way those two just looked at each other sometimes). The angel, however, merely looked thoughtful before nodding once.
"I see," Castiel stated evenly.
"No objections then?" Gwen asked, looking at him and Samuel.
"Like I'd recognize a movie from its title," Bobby huffed. "But I'll give it a go."
"It sounds implausible, but that's never stopped Hollywood, so sure," Samuel replied.
"Great, I'll go get it," Sam said, getting up.
"I need another beer," Dean announced. "Anyone else want anything?"
"I'll have a whiskey," Bobby responded, carefully watching Castiel as he said so.
He'd caught the archangel's displeased reaction when Sam had offered to get his brother one yesterday in what he figured was the boy's way of trying to make up in the typical Winchester way of not actually addressing the issue and now he understood why. Throughout dinner he'd been keenly aware of Dean's beer bottle and had therefore noticed that the boy was the only one of them who hadn't had a second one yet. He hadn't gotten so far into the new books yet that he knew what had happened to halt Dean's excessive drinking, but he didn't need to read it to know who was responsible for it.
It wasn't until Castiel turned to meet his gaze that Bobby realized that he'd been staring and he hastily looked away. Sam had already returned with the DVD and both he and Gwen were in front of the TV, trying to figure out how the system worked as neither of them had used it before. Samuel was sitting in his armchair, looking quite pleased with himself and he couldn't help but wonder if that would remain so once the film began. Though he didn't know anything about it, Sam's brief description of it was more than enough to make him wonder if it wouldn't be far too sci-fi for the resurrected hunter to be able to follow given the huge gaps in Samuel's knowledge that still remained when it came to technology.
"Hey, Gwen?" Dean called from the kitchen.
"Yeah?" Gwen replied absently.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that the Smirnoff Ice is yours, right?"
Bobby's eyebrows rose at the question even as both Gwen and Sam turned around to stare in surprise and no little shock in the direction of the kitchen. He could more than understand their reaction. After all, what? There was no way that Dean could be interested in a mixed vodka drink, especially not such a sweet one.
"Uh, yeah," Gwen confirmed. "Why?"
"Mind if I pour a glass?"
"I thought you were gonna have another beer."
"Huh? Oh, it's not for me, it's for Cas. I'm pretty sure that he'll like it."
Almost as if they'd practiced it, all three of them turned as one to look at the angel who now looked intrigued.
"Is it similar to a sex on the beach or a blowjob?" Castiel inquired.
The laughter from the kitchen easily smothered Bobby's sputtering and for that he was glad. He could honestly say that he'd never expected to hear the angel say those things and for it to happen so unexpectedly had caught him completely off-guard.
"Kinda, I think," Dean replied. "Gwen?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Great."
Bobby felt like he was an outsider, watching both his own meat suit as well as the rest of the room when Dean came back, carrying the three drinks. He automatically accepted his own but couldn't help but watch in fascination as Castiel sipped his Smirnoff Ice before smiling and approving of it.
Apparently angels liked vodka, who knew?
By then Sam had figured out the DVD player as the usual opening warnings had started but Bobby couldn't help but glance back at the love seat and he frowned when he witnessed Dean holding his hands in midair, making strange gestures even as the boy looked at the TV. "Uh, Dean?" he questioned.
"Huh?" Dean asked before seeing what he was looking at. "Oh, I'm just grooming one of Cas' wings."
A.N.: A big thanks to everyone who sent me locations. You guys rock! Some of them won't work because of some of the things I want to do, but I didn't want to mention too much as it would spoil things and I didn't want to limit myself or inadvertantly make you think a location wasn't possible when it might still be.
Chapter 157