40 drabbles
Rating: G - R
Characters: Ensemble
Warnings: Some squick, spoilers through S1-S6
Word Count: 100 x 40
Summary: Song inspired drabbles. The songs were chosen in an arbitrary manner of my own devising. The focus is on secondary or minor characters, Sam and Dean mentioned only in passing. They can be read as linked or not and are set within the canon.
Notes: I actually wrote 45 but I rejected the five worst on the grounds that I only meant to write 20. Set during or before S1-S5 but spoilers up to S6. Not meant to be read in any particular order, I arranged them alphabetically by artist. Seemed as reasonable as any other method. I have not written any Spn fic before, feel free to criticize my music as well as my writing.
~
1. Pardon me (I've got someone to kill) - Andre Williams
I know I'll surely die for what I'm about to do / but it don't matter I'm a dead man anyhow
~
Standing on the edge of a New York skyscraper Castiel is vaguely aware of what he must look like to any of the people below. They don't know the fall would barely even faze him, nor would they realise that what he is actually considering is far more dangerous.
Disobedience.
The end is so close, and he already has so much blood on his hands, would it even matter? Could he even make a difference?
In his heart he knows the answer. But he also knows he has to try it anyway. It's the only right thing he can do.
~
2. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
come on baby in our dreams / we can live on misbehaviour
~
No one was more surprised than Andy when people actually started to do what he said. The first thing he did (once he was done freaking out) was scam himself a hot chocolate.
'I can make them do anything!' He thought, taking a sip. 'Oh man, what should I do?'
He mulled it over a while, but then he knew exactly what to do.
"Miss?" He gestured over the barista, who smiled warmly at him. "Actually, can I get cream on this? And a muffin? Free of charge?"
She didn't seem fazed at all.
"Sure," she said. "Coming right up."
~
3. The curse - Audioslave
and as you're laughing at this fool tonight / let me rid myself of any line that I might choose to trip you up
~
Gabriel knew he was fucked from the moment he looked at Sam's pissy face and saw something raw and familiar there. He loved his brothers, he did. Enough to run rather than fight. But humans... they were just too adorable! Sad little sacks of meat running around on funny little legs with their monkey faces and crude ideas. And freedom. Terrifying freedom. Free to fuck up and be forgiven for it. Free to dream of the stars lying on their backs in the gutter.
'It's up to you now, kids,' he thought as his wings faded and burned into ash.
~
4. Oh boy - Buddy Holly
the world can see / that you / were meant / for me
~
Early morning, another unremarkable room in another unremarkable hotel. Lucifer threads delicate fingers through Sam's. Stealing a kiss is nothing with the dead girlfriend's face, and he thrills at how easily Sam trusts him. Adores him.
Sam. The younger brother. The rebel with a cause. So familiar it would have choked the breath out of him had been the type for breathing. It's Sam's anger that pleases him the most. This vessel is surely the most perfect reflection of his own rage. As perfect as a human could be, anyway. There might be something to this destiny thing after all.
~
5. White - Charlotte Hatherley
swim into the abyss and the infinite / you’re the only decoration that I need
~
Adam thinks he feels something like feathers brush his face as his breath stutters out of him in little puffs of ecstasy.
'Don't worry', it's less like a voice and more like fingers combing platitudes through his mind, 'Everything is fine. We forgive you for your brother's blasphemy. Aren't you grateful?'
He nods; a conditioned response.
'Good, good. Clever boy.'
His reward comes as a blankness of mind, detachment from the impossible agony of the presence of two of gods mightiest creations. Free from seeing what is being done with his hands.
He can't even hear Sam screaming any more.
~
6. 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago
wanting just to stay awake / wondering how much I can take
~
He's spiraling the drain now, he knows it. Seeing things, terrible things, Nick pulls his knees up to his chest and sobs until his eyes are red and puffy. He hadn't cried like that even when they were putting his wife and little girl into the ground. Hadn't known what to feel at the time, couldn't feel anything but numb.
He can't go to bed, doesn't want to smell her scent or see her face even in his dreams. He doesn't think he could bear it. Instead he sits, cross-legged on the kitchen lino until he passes out from exhaustion.
~
7. Preaching the end of the world - Chris Cornell
but we could be together as they blow it all away / and we can share in every moment as it breaks
~
Getting an angel drunk is no easy task but Jo is determined. If she's going to hell she's going to earn it, damn it. Her smiles come loose and easy now. There's something freeing about knowing she is about to die. She makes Castiel take off his heavy coat and by the end of the night she's sitting in his lap.
Her mother can frown all she likes, It's the final countdown. She can sit in a pretty boy's lap if she wants. At least with him she can be certain he won't get any ideas if she passes out.
~
8. Runaway - Del Shannon
yes and I wonder / a-where she will stay-ay / my little runaway
~
Ellen's eyes crinkle at the corners as she reads Jo's latest postcard. It's a smile but a pained one. They grow up so fast. One day they're crying their eyes out at scraped knees and the next they're out in the big bad world chasing the monster they used to think was under the bed.
She takes a second to put The Face on. The hunters here want their beer and she really needs to think about anything other than the fact that the last person she loved and let out of her sight came back in a pine box.
~
9. King of the kerb - Echobelly
sugar smile savvy / the king of the kerb / keeps the order in this part of the town
~
Sitting on a pile of skulls (mainly for effect, it took him a bloody long time to find that many) Crowley addresses his new subjects with barely a concealed smirk. Had he tried this an hour ago they would have been trying to rip his face off by now, for fear of what their God might do if he discovered they had not even tried. Now, with said God locked up tight like a bug in a rug, they were more worried about what Crowley might do. Contemptible morons. Apparently they don't even remember that they hate and outnumber him.
~
10. The killing moon - Echo and the bunnymen
too late to beg you or cancel it / though I know it must be the killing time / unwillingly mine
~
Fond yellow eyes gaze down on Andy's crib.
"You may not be the favourite, baby boy, but you surely are cute as a button." Azazel tilts his head to the side, considering. "Don't think that means I don't love you, mind. Favourite or not you are all my sons and daughters."
"W-who are you?" The tiniest most fragile voice peeps up from behind him. "What are you doing in my house?"
She sounds terrified. 'You should be...' he thinks sadly.
"So sorry sweetheart." He turns to see her trembling in her nightgown, eyes wide. "But I can't stand being interrupted."
~
11. Hocus Pocus - Focus
aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah!
~
The angels huddle together in the light. They want nothing more than to follow His Plan but they no longer know what that is and there is no-one left to tell them.
Cosmic shivers pass through them in waves. They bounce fear off one another like an unfathomable Newton's cradle.
It starts quietly. One of the younger angels compulsively stutters the words out under his breath. Then they are all doing it, and the volume raises until the whole of reality is shaking under the strain of containing it; they sing words of praise for their Father, who isn't listening.
~
12. Evil and a heathen - Franz Ferdinand
your teeth are black with wine / as you place those lips on mine
~
The first time Meg feels the presence of her god she falls to her knees and weeps.
"You... are... so beautiful... my lord..." she breathes, eyes averted.
"Please, my child. There is no need to be nervous." His expression is kind. He lays his hand on her head, and though his proximity burns at her she basks in it. She presses her tear-streaked cheek into his palm. "I am not like my father. I am here to guide you."
She gasps and keens as he pets her. His love is agony, her smile genuine; this is what she died for.
~
13. Push it - Garbage
I want to see you happy / I want to see you shine / don't worry baby
~
Nine-hundred years and Patrick still doesn't know how to deal with death. Or rejection. He strokes Lia's hair from her face. His easy Irish charm doesn't seem to be helping him here and he doesn't quite know how to deal with that either. It's disarming, and intoxicating. He can't keep away.
"What if I knew a way to keep you alive forever?" He asks. "Keep you young and pretty for all of time?"
It takes him three tries for her to realise he's serious. It's not until she sees the years fall away from her eyes that she believes him.
~
14. Bad to the bone - George Thorogood and the Destroyers
I'll make a rich woman beg / I'll make a good woman steal / I'll make an old woman blush / and make a young girl squeal
~
Lilith wriggles impatiently, her gaze locked on Crowley, a seductive slant curving her perfect cupid lips as he twists his hands inside her ribcage; fingers closing around her still-beating heart.
She laughs, high and clear sounding every bit like the barely-legal catholic schoolgirl she was inhabiting as his head bends so that he can lap the blood from her bones. She's even wearing the uniform, short skirt, the whole deal.
"Want to hear her scream again?" she chimes and flexes as he hums his assent, unwilling to remove his mouth from her chest. "Virgins scream the best, don't you think?"
~
15. Start wearing purple - Gogol Bordello
all your sanity and wits they will all vanish / I promise / it's just a matter of time
~
FBI Agent Victor Henricksen knew the truth for all of one night. It was a fact he had plenty of time to ponder in heaven. He had been so sure that the Winchesters were monsters, when the real monsters had been under his nose the whole time. What if that were true of more of the supposedly 'bad guys' he put away? How many of those were secret heroes?
In life there was nothing but his oath; to protect and serve. Now, in heaven, he spends most of his time laughing his ass off. It was either that or cry.
~
16. Shot shot - Gomez
he found a good reason / do it for the money / what's wrong with that
~
Kissing fourteen year old Abby was a little sleazy, even for an utter bastard like Crowley. He let her off lightly with a chaste peck on the lips.
"So. That's that then, love. What will you do with all that money?" He wonders aloud.
"None of your business, dickhead," she snarls and Crowley raises his hands in surrender.
"Fair enough, not like I care anyway. I got what I wanted, you got what you wanted. All square. Ta ta."
His leaving didn't make her feel any better. Even as she started making plans for her new life as Bela Talbot.
~
17. Stylo - Gorillaz
push up / overload / legendary heavy glow / sunshine / thunder roll / keep it all together
~
Despite her bravado in the face of permanent blindness Pamela can't seem to do anything about the nightmares. If they are nightmares. It's so hard to tell. They're more intense than anything, and though she wakes up screaming it's not in pain or terror. She starts avoiding sleep and self-medicating herself into oblivion but she's not fool enough to think that a permanent solution.
When she meets with the Winchesters she doesn't let them see how much their new best friend unnerves her. Won't admit even to herself she's not sure whether she wants to run or take another look.
~
18. One pure thought - Hot Chip
what is it I don't remember / made my being so much better
~
Every now and again Chuck thinks he feels some... thing. It's like lying on the ground on a clear day and seeing nothing but sky and for just a second forgetting that he won't fall. It's like reaching for something he can't see on the highest shelf and only just being able to sense it with his fingertips, not nearly enough to get a decent grip or idea of exactly what it is he's touching.
He wonders if it has anything to do with the terrible things he knows, or the growing sense of guilt with every word he writes.
~
19. My prayer - Ink Spots
my prayer is to linger with you / at the end of the day / in a dream that's divine
~
Castiel watches Dean closely. Keeps careful tabs even when they are apart.
It's a weakness and he knows it. He worries that it's because he's hardwired to the role of servant, to look for command from anywhere. The good little soldier.
But he wants more than that from Dean. Wants so badly for when this is all over them to walk together as friends, as comrades, as brothers. He would lose everything for it. If Dean decided he was going to walk into Hell and back then Castiel would walk in front as his shield. That's what friends do, right?
~
20. A gentle awakening - JD McPherson
the people on the city streets / the farmers on the plains / are walking in a lucid dream / while the sky is set aflame
~
Out of all the Reapers in Chicago only one set of eyes is on Dean. Tessa follows his car through the streets, drifts through walls and pedestrians, silent as the grave and more secret than a ghost. Her master is near she can feel him, and dean is headed directly in his path like a ridiculous compass that only points towards danger.
She wouldn't warn him even if she could. It's not her place. Even that aside she severely doubts he would turn around if he knew. Somehow she thinks he will survive the encounter. She just has that feeling.
~
21. Immigrant song - Led Zeppelin
how soft your fields so green / can whisper tales of gore
~
Sweet sanguine wine dribbles down Loki's chin and over his naked chest as his nubile sacrifice gasps and writhes against him. He won't kill her, although she's expecting it she doesn't deserve it. She does, however, deserve a damn good seeing to. And afterwards he'll find her father to have a nice long chat about the nature of sacrifice and give him a good seeing to as well. The man will be lucky to find his spleen after the great trickster god is done with him.
Their crops will grow lush and fertile this year regardless. A deal's a deal.
~
22. Promises promises - Madness
I'll promise you a life it only takes a tick / all the fruits of life carry you aboard my ship
~
"Stay with me."
Anna levels an incredulous look at Gabriel.
"Why would I do that?" she asks, smoothing a hand down her newly resurrected body. He tilts his head to the side, gives her his most charming smile.
"Why wouldn't you do that? I got everything you could want. Sex, booze... cake?" He conjures a sumptuous looking slice of chocolate cake with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.
"That's a nice offer. But there is a war going on," she says.
He looks disappointed in her. "A war that nobody is going to win."
She shrugs.
"I have to try."
~
23. Breathe in the air - Pink Floyd
run / rabbit run / dig that hole / forget the sun / and when at last the work is done / don't sit down it's time to dig another one
~
Morons and idiots as far as the eye can see. Between hitting the books, manning the phones, hiding the bodies and playing babysitter to all the gun toting man-babies in the state Bobby Singer is lucky he hasn't had a complete mental breakdown by now. Or a stroke.
Running around on wheels ain't exactly a piece of cake either. That doesn't matter to the world, not when people are counting on him to pull them out of the fire.
Shovel in hand he buries what's left of his wife for the second time. And then he gets back to work.
~
24. Monkey gone to heaven - The Pixies
everything is gonna burn / we'll all take turns / I'll get mine too
~
The waiting is the worst part, and by worst he means most boring. All that enochian is making his eyes water too.
Alastair remembers licking the sweat from Dean's neck. Remembers Dean swiping for him with the razor. Remembers the fire in his eyes. Remembers it fondly.
Now it is his turn to lie strung up on the rack. Well, his turn again. He's not a masochist, doesn't enjoy the pain, but he does appreciate the artistry of a job well done. He wonders if they'll use knives. He can't hide his elation at seeing Dean's face. Doesn't even try.
~
25. Pierrot the clown - Placebo
leave me bleeding on the bed / see you right back here tomorrow for the next round
~
The two brightest stars in the sky are twining together, grace and love and sparks and feathers flying in every direction. It's the last pure memory Gabriel has of Lucifer, because moments later he's pinning the holy messenger to the earth and growling in his ear.
"You must join me, little brother."
Gabriel punches with all his might and laughs it off. He's heard it before and he always says 'no'. He's not getting involved.
"I won't ask you again," Lucifer says, petulant.
"Yes you will," Gabriel replies, but he hasn't yet learned to hide the pain with a smile.
~
26. A kind of magic - Queen
one flash of light that shows the way / no mortal man can win this day
~
The Winchesters were the hardest to find, not surprising since they were the most heavily guarded. Not now though, every angel is lined up to watch the prize fight and Ash slipped them out no problem. For better or worse he now has everyone in the Roadhouse and a live feed of the action projected on the wall.
The hunters look grim, they've not much hope. Friends and family stand around looking nervous but making small talk like there's nothing wrong.
Mary and John are the only ones who don't look terrified.
"They're our boys," Mary says. "They won't fail."
~
27. It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine) - R.E.M.
you / vitriolic / patriotic / slam / fight / bright light / feeling pretty psyched
~
Lucifer whistles as he waits. Sam is coming. He's coming. It's unstoppable. Everything is unfolding in front of him and he's dreamed of this moment for every second of every day of every year of every eon spent in that detestable cage.
He shadowboxes with his reflection, feels Nick's consciousness (what's left of it) reel at the absurdity of the gesture. He smiles, a genuine reflex, and thinks that actually he is rather fond of these cockroaches. They're funny, if nothing else. He feels happy for them that soon they'll be out of their misery. The least he could do.
~
28. Up jumped the devil - Roy Brown
well up jumped the devil / in a brand new Cadillac
~
Elderly hands pinch at the stem of a white rose.
Lucifer walks through the gardens with a placid smile on his face.
"Even flowers must die, I suppose," he says, eyes playful.
Death ignores him in favour of continuing to prune the bush in silence. Being beholden doesn't obligate him to conversation. He tries not to flinch at the fingers sliding through the hair at the nape of his neck.
"You're angry," Lucifer says. "I get that."
"What do you want?" Death clips, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
Lucifer's smile widens.
"Can I borrow your car?"
~
29. This town ain't big enough for the both of us - Sparks
the rain is pouring on the foreign town / the bullets cannot cut you down
~
"You have created an abomination, brother," speaks Michael, eyes bright with righteous fury.
Luficer merely watches him warily, body curled around the trembling black soul.
"Not created," he says. "Altered. Broken. I have proven how flawed these things are."
"If they are it is because He wished it so. You have betrayed us all, brother." Michael holds his noble head high. "Perhaps the broken one is you. Perhaps it is you who are flawed."
"I am as perfect as you, brother," Lucifer hisses. "And if you have come to kill me I will not fall so easily."
Thunder rolls above.
~
30. Stuck in the middle with you - Stealers Wheel
is it cool to go to sleep on the floor / 'cause I don't think that I can take anymore
~
The acrid smell of whisky fills Chuck's nostrils after the bottle finally slips from his slack fingers and the liquid spills onto the bathroom floor. Startling awake he winces at the pain in his neck from where his head has been bent awkwardly against the tap.
He doesn't remember why he climbed into the bath the night before, possibly in his inebriated state he had judged the bed to be too distant an adventure. Of course that begged the question of why he had been drinking in the bathroom in the first place.
The apocalypse was rapidly draining his reason.
~
31. Born to be wild - Steppenwolf
head out on the highway / lookin' for adventure / and whatever comes our way
~
Castiel sits awkwardly in the back of the Impala. He's pretty sure the Winchesters have forgotten he's here but they must be sleeping right now and he has no where else to go.
He takes this opportunity to really look at her. Interior, check. Seats, check. Buttons, pedals, dials meters... it all looks completely unnecessary. And yet for Sam and Dean the sum of these parts equals a little slice of freedom. For a moment Castiel wishes he could know what that was like. The freedom of instant relocation and the freedom of the open road are not the same.
~
32. Jeepster - T. Rex
your motivation is so sweet / your vibrations are all burning up my feet
~
Red Mustang, black suit. He twists the ring on his finger, buzzing with anticipation. Something was stirring, he can smell it in the dust on the breeze, and he smiles. All his shiny hungry teeth for the world to see.
"Bad moon rising, baby," he says to himself, climbing into his ride. He feels her eagerness too, feels her purr and tremble like a wild thing ready to lead the charge into battle just as she had in the days of old. He laughs wildly and she screeches with glee as they burn tire marks to the ground leaving town.
~
33. My favourite Game - The Cardigans
I had a vision I could turn you right / a stupid mission and a lethal fight
~
"Balthazar." Castiel doesn't seem surprised.
"What are you doing, Castiel?" Balthazar tries not to sound frantic but if anyone finds out he's been talking to one of the fallen... "Please come back with me. Come home before it's too late."
"I won't. Will you fight me?"
Balthazar is left slack jawed by the question. This is his friend? Castiel, the most loyal angel he has ever met.
"Of course not! But... I mean..." he's floundering. He thought he would ask Castiel to come and he would. Obviously his friend knows something he doesn't. Something to think about as he flees.
~
34. Going underground - The Jam
and the public wants what the public gets / but I don't get what this society wants / I'm going underground
~
Br'er Rabbit approached the cave sniffing cautiously. Whatever was inside was sobbing with such force that the ground was shaking.
"Who's there?" It started, arching it's wings out in a futile gesture of dominance. "My name is Gabriel, and I am an Angel of the Lord..."
Br'er Rabbit laughed to hear this.
"Not any more, boy!" He clipped, instinctively sensing the lie. The creature looked like a thing utterly destroyed, and Br'er took pity on it. "I can teach you to hide yourself," He offered.
The creature looked at him, expression intense, critical . Slowly, and barely perceptibly, it nodded.
(*Rabbits and Hares have been regarded as tricksters since ancient times. Br'er Rabbit, or Brother Rabbit, is an African/American slant on which Bugs Bunny is based.)
~
35. Steady as she goes - The Raconteurs
well here we go again / you've found yourself a friend that knows you well
~
There's plenty of time after Adam accepts possession for Michael to poke around in his head. There's not much else to do but wait.
He's a little startled by what he finds. Undying love for his mother, betrayal at the hands of his brothers, a thirst for vengeance; perhaps it is fate that he receive this vessel instead. They have much in common.
Adam even has... questions. He doubts the plan. But he is a good son. He would do anything for his mother. He would die for her. He would even kill for her. Michael can relate to that.
~
36. Ghost town - The Specials
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?
~
It's the same damn thing on every channel. Doom, gloom, hurricanes, earthquakes; all of the symptoms and none of the cause but Rufus knows well enough what's what. These are the end times and nobody is getting out alive.
He takes a sip of cheap bourbon. Not his usual but it was in the house and that saves him a trip to the corner store.
If he were only young again he'd put a stop to all this nonsense. Which is not to say he thinks he could stop it, but at least he'd fail with a little more dignity.
~
37. 12:51 - The Strokes
the world is shutting out / for us / we were tense for sure / but we was confident
~
A stripe of kisses feather down Kali's neck. She swore this would never happen again, mixing mythologies is a stupid business, but it's the sixties and everyone is doing it and it's been a long time since anyone really cared enough to check. Loki is a good lay, uncomplicated and knows all the right moves. She's stoned and naked and mesmerised by the sight of her fingers vanishing into his mouth.
"People don't believe like they used to," she complains. "All this hippie crap is giving me a headache."
His smile is sinful and makes her laugh like a maniac.
~
38. Whiskey in the jar - Thin Lizzy
I said stand or deliver or the devil he may take ya
~
"You can't stay in there forever Mrs..."
Blast, he's forgotten her name.
"Miss." He finishes decisively. Truth be told he could get rid of the salt line himself in a thousand different ways but he wants to see if his new pup can figure it out for itself. He has high hopes for this one.
Crowley has not been a crossroads demon for long. He was more interested in the dogs, he was killed by one after all, and he always did like to know what made things tick.
Growley snuffles at the door jamb and his master smiles. Bingo.
~
39. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's / and his hair was perfect
~
"Werewolf? Really?" Harry bites his lip, hesitant. "I mean we are the Ghostfacers, not the werewolf facers."
Ed doesn't even look around.
"There's something freaky about this guy, I know it. Look." He hands over the binoculars and hunches down behind the hedge.
"If it's full moon shouldn't he have changed already?"
"Maybe it doesn't work like that, I dunno man." Ed flips through the crumbling tome they got from some back-alley bookstore. "If we get actual footage of this guy wolfing out we are gonna be rich!"
Harry doesn't say anything but he's starting to doubt Ed's business plan.
~
40. Joker & the Thief - Wolfmother
always laughing in the midst of power / always living in the final hour / there is always sweet in the sour
~
Even in heaven Ash can't seem to switch off his outstanding brain. In fact finding ways to cheat the system is even more satisfying here since it's angels - angels - that he's screwing over. Formulae swim before his eyes in ways they never had on earth, he's making up his own symbols for concepts he's sure he would never have been able to conceive of when he was alive. He can help take down the whole operation from the inside.
"Dead but not gone, bitches," he says to his computer screen, absently scribbling a to-do list directly onto the bar's surface.
~
Characters: Ensemble
Warnings: Some squick, spoilers through S1-S6
Word Count: 100 x 40
Summary: Song inspired drabbles. The songs were chosen in an arbitrary manner of my own devising. The focus is on secondary or minor characters, Sam and Dean mentioned only in passing. They can be read as linked or not and are set within the canon.
Notes: I actually wrote 45 but I rejected the five worst on the grounds that I only meant to write 20. Set during or before S1-S5 but spoilers up to S6. Not meant to be read in any particular order, I arranged them alphabetically by artist. Seemed as reasonable as any other method. I have not written any Spn fic before, feel free to criticize my music as well as my writing.
~
1. Pardon me (I've got someone to kill) - Andre Williams
I know I'll surely die for what I'm about to do / but it don't matter I'm a dead man anyhow
~
Standing on the edge of a New York skyscraper Castiel is vaguely aware of what he must look like to any of the people below. They don't know the fall would barely even faze him, nor would they realise that what he is actually considering is far more dangerous.
Disobedience.
The end is so close, and he already has so much blood on his hands, would it even matter? Could he even make a difference?
In his heart he knows the answer. But he also knows he has to try it anyway. It's the only right thing he can do.
~
2. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
come on baby in our dreams / we can live on misbehaviour
~
No one was more surprised than Andy when people actually started to do what he said. The first thing he did (once he was done freaking out) was scam himself a hot chocolate.
'I can make them do anything!' He thought, taking a sip. 'Oh man, what should I do?'
He mulled it over a while, but then he knew exactly what to do.
"Miss?" He gestured over the barista, who smiled warmly at him. "Actually, can I get cream on this? And a muffin? Free of charge?"
She didn't seem fazed at all.
"Sure," she said. "Coming right up."
~
3. The curse - Audioslave
and as you're laughing at this fool tonight / let me rid myself of any line that I might choose to trip you up
~
Gabriel knew he was fucked from the moment he looked at Sam's pissy face and saw something raw and familiar there. He loved his brothers, he did. Enough to run rather than fight. But humans... they were just too adorable! Sad little sacks of meat running around on funny little legs with their monkey faces and crude ideas. And freedom. Terrifying freedom. Free to fuck up and be forgiven for it. Free to dream of the stars lying on their backs in the gutter.
'It's up to you now, kids,' he thought as his wings faded and burned into ash.
~
4. Oh boy - Buddy Holly
the world can see / that you / were meant / for me
~
Early morning, another unremarkable room in another unremarkable hotel. Lucifer threads delicate fingers through Sam's. Stealing a kiss is nothing with the dead girlfriend's face, and he thrills at how easily Sam trusts him. Adores him.
Sam. The younger brother. The rebel with a cause. So familiar it would have choked the breath out of him had been the type for breathing. It's Sam's anger that pleases him the most. This vessel is surely the most perfect reflection of his own rage. As perfect as a human could be, anyway. There might be something to this destiny thing after all.
~
5. White - Charlotte Hatherley
swim into the abyss and the infinite / you’re the only decoration that I need
~
Adam thinks he feels something like feathers brush his face as his breath stutters out of him in little puffs of ecstasy.
'Don't worry', it's less like a voice and more like fingers combing platitudes through his mind, 'Everything is fine. We forgive you for your brother's blasphemy. Aren't you grateful?'
He nods; a conditioned response.
'Good, good. Clever boy.'
His reward comes as a blankness of mind, detachment from the impossible agony of the presence of two of gods mightiest creations. Free from seeing what is being done with his hands.
He can't even hear Sam screaming any more.
~
6. 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago
wanting just to stay awake / wondering how much I can take
~
He's spiraling the drain now, he knows it. Seeing things, terrible things, Nick pulls his knees up to his chest and sobs until his eyes are red and puffy. He hadn't cried like that even when they were putting his wife and little girl into the ground. Hadn't known what to feel at the time, couldn't feel anything but numb.
He can't go to bed, doesn't want to smell her scent or see her face even in his dreams. He doesn't think he could bear it. Instead he sits, cross-legged on the kitchen lino until he passes out from exhaustion.
~
7. Preaching the end of the world - Chris Cornell
but we could be together as they blow it all away / and we can share in every moment as it breaks
~
Getting an angel drunk is no easy task but Jo is determined. If she's going to hell she's going to earn it, damn it. Her smiles come loose and easy now. There's something freeing about knowing she is about to die. She makes Castiel take off his heavy coat and by the end of the night she's sitting in his lap.
Her mother can frown all she likes, It's the final countdown. She can sit in a pretty boy's lap if she wants. At least with him she can be certain he won't get any ideas if she passes out.
~
8. Runaway - Del Shannon
yes and I wonder / a-where she will stay-ay / my little runaway
~
Ellen's eyes crinkle at the corners as she reads Jo's latest postcard. It's a smile but a pained one. They grow up so fast. One day they're crying their eyes out at scraped knees and the next they're out in the big bad world chasing the monster they used to think was under the bed.
She takes a second to put The Face on. The hunters here want their beer and she really needs to think about anything other than the fact that the last person she loved and let out of her sight came back in a pine box.
~
9. King of the kerb - Echobelly
sugar smile savvy / the king of the kerb / keeps the order in this part of the town
~
Sitting on a pile of skulls (mainly for effect, it took him a bloody long time to find that many) Crowley addresses his new subjects with barely a concealed smirk. Had he tried this an hour ago they would have been trying to rip his face off by now, for fear of what their God might do if he discovered they had not even tried. Now, with said God locked up tight like a bug in a rug, they were more worried about what Crowley might do. Contemptible morons. Apparently they don't even remember that they hate and outnumber him.
~
10. The killing moon - Echo and the bunnymen
too late to beg you or cancel it / though I know it must be the killing time / unwillingly mine
~
Fond yellow eyes gaze down on Andy's crib.
"You may not be the favourite, baby boy, but you surely are cute as a button." Azazel tilts his head to the side, considering. "Don't think that means I don't love you, mind. Favourite or not you are all my sons and daughters."
"W-who are you?" The tiniest most fragile voice peeps up from behind him. "What are you doing in my house?"
She sounds terrified. 'You should be...' he thinks sadly.
"So sorry sweetheart." He turns to see her trembling in her nightgown, eyes wide. "But I can't stand being interrupted."
~
11. Hocus Pocus - Focus
aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah!
~
The angels huddle together in the light. They want nothing more than to follow His Plan but they no longer know what that is and there is no-one left to tell them.
Cosmic shivers pass through them in waves. They bounce fear off one another like an unfathomable Newton's cradle.
It starts quietly. One of the younger angels compulsively stutters the words out under his breath. Then they are all doing it, and the volume raises until the whole of reality is shaking under the strain of containing it; they sing words of praise for their Father, who isn't listening.
~
12. Evil and a heathen - Franz Ferdinand
your teeth are black with wine / as you place those lips on mine
~
The first time Meg feels the presence of her god she falls to her knees and weeps.
"You... are... so beautiful... my lord..." she breathes, eyes averted.
"Please, my child. There is no need to be nervous." His expression is kind. He lays his hand on her head, and though his proximity burns at her she basks in it. She presses her tear-streaked cheek into his palm. "I am not like my father. I am here to guide you."
She gasps and keens as he pets her. His love is agony, her smile genuine; this is what she died for.
~
13. Push it - Garbage
I want to see you happy / I want to see you shine / don't worry baby
~
Nine-hundred years and Patrick still doesn't know how to deal with death. Or rejection. He strokes Lia's hair from her face. His easy Irish charm doesn't seem to be helping him here and he doesn't quite know how to deal with that either. It's disarming, and intoxicating. He can't keep away.
"What if I knew a way to keep you alive forever?" He asks. "Keep you young and pretty for all of time?"
It takes him three tries for her to realise he's serious. It's not until she sees the years fall away from her eyes that she believes him.
~
14. Bad to the bone - George Thorogood and the Destroyers
I'll make a rich woman beg / I'll make a good woman steal / I'll make an old woman blush / and make a young girl squeal
~
Lilith wriggles impatiently, her gaze locked on Crowley, a seductive slant curving her perfect cupid lips as he twists his hands inside her ribcage; fingers closing around her still-beating heart.
She laughs, high and clear sounding every bit like the barely-legal catholic schoolgirl she was inhabiting as his head bends so that he can lap the blood from her bones. She's even wearing the uniform, short skirt, the whole deal.
"Want to hear her scream again?" she chimes and flexes as he hums his assent, unwilling to remove his mouth from her chest. "Virgins scream the best, don't you think?"
~
15. Start wearing purple - Gogol Bordello
all your sanity and wits they will all vanish / I promise / it's just a matter of time
~
FBI Agent Victor Henricksen knew the truth for all of one night. It was a fact he had plenty of time to ponder in heaven. He had been so sure that the Winchesters were monsters, when the real monsters had been under his nose the whole time. What if that were true of more of the supposedly 'bad guys' he put away? How many of those were secret heroes?
In life there was nothing but his oath; to protect and serve. Now, in heaven, he spends most of his time laughing his ass off. It was either that or cry.
~
16. Shot shot - Gomez
he found a good reason / do it for the money / what's wrong with that
~
Kissing fourteen year old Abby was a little sleazy, even for an utter bastard like Crowley. He let her off lightly with a chaste peck on the lips.
"So. That's that then, love. What will you do with all that money?" He wonders aloud.
"None of your business, dickhead," she snarls and Crowley raises his hands in surrender.
"Fair enough, not like I care anyway. I got what I wanted, you got what you wanted. All square. Ta ta."
His leaving didn't make her feel any better. Even as she started making plans for her new life as Bela Talbot.
~
17. Stylo - Gorillaz
push up / overload / legendary heavy glow / sunshine / thunder roll / keep it all together
~
Despite her bravado in the face of permanent blindness Pamela can't seem to do anything about the nightmares. If they are nightmares. It's so hard to tell. They're more intense than anything, and though she wakes up screaming it's not in pain or terror. She starts avoiding sleep and self-medicating herself into oblivion but she's not fool enough to think that a permanent solution.
When she meets with the Winchesters she doesn't let them see how much their new best friend unnerves her. Won't admit even to herself she's not sure whether she wants to run or take another look.
~
18. One pure thought - Hot Chip
what is it I don't remember / made my being so much better
~
Every now and again Chuck thinks he feels some... thing. It's like lying on the ground on a clear day and seeing nothing but sky and for just a second forgetting that he won't fall. It's like reaching for something he can't see on the highest shelf and only just being able to sense it with his fingertips, not nearly enough to get a decent grip or idea of exactly what it is he's touching.
He wonders if it has anything to do with the terrible things he knows, or the growing sense of guilt with every word he writes.
~
19. My prayer - Ink Spots
my prayer is to linger with you / at the end of the day / in a dream that's divine
~
Castiel watches Dean closely. Keeps careful tabs even when they are apart.
It's a weakness and he knows it. He worries that it's because he's hardwired to the role of servant, to look for command from anywhere. The good little soldier.
But he wants more than that from Dean. Wants so badly for when this is all over them to walk together as friends, as comrades, as brothers. He would lose everything for it. If Dean decided he was going to walk into Hell and back then Castiel would walk in front as his shield. That's what friends do, right?
~
20. A gentle awakening - JD McPherson
the people on the city streets / the farmers on the plains / are walking in a lucid dream / while the sky is set aflame
~
Out of all the Reapers in Chicago only one set of eyes is on Dean. Tessa follows his car through the streets, drifts through walls and pedestrians, silent as the grave and more secret than a ghost. Her master is near she can feel him, and dean is headed directly in his path like a ridiculous compass that only points towards danger.
She wouldn't warn him even if she could. It's not her place. Even that aside she severely doubts he would turn around if he knew. Somehow she thinks he will survive the encounter. She just has that feeling.
~
21. Immigrant song - Led Zeppelin
how soft your fields so green / can whisper tales of gore
~
Sweet sanguine wine dribbles down Loki's chin and over his naked chest as his nubile sacrifice gasps and writhes against him. He won't kill her, although she's expecting it she doesn't deserve it. She does, however, deserve a damn good seeing to. And afterwards he'll find her father to have a nice long chat about the nature of sacrifice and give him a good seeing to as well. The man will be lucky to find his spleen after the great trickster god is done with him.
Their crops will grow lush and fertile this year regardless. A deal's a deal.
~
22. Promises promises - Madness
I'll promise you a life it only takes a tick / all the fruits of life carry you aboard my ship
~
"Stay with me."
Anna levels an incredulous look at Gabriel.
"Why would I do that?" she asks, smoothing a hand down her newly resurrected body. He tilts his head to the side, gives her his most charming smile.
"Why wouldn't you do that? I got everything you could want. Sex, booze... cake?" He conjures a sumptuous looking slice of chocolate cake with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.
"That's a nice offer. But there is a war going on," she says.
He looks disappointed in her. "A war that nobody is going to win."
She shrugs.
"I have to try."
~
23. Breathe in the air - Pink Floyd
run / rabbit run / dig that hole / forget the sun / and when at last the work is done / don't sit down it's time to dig another one
~
Morons and idiots as far as the eye can see. Between hitting the books, manning the phones, hiding the bodies and playing babysitter to all the gun toting man-babies in the state Bobby Singer is lucky he hasn't had a complete mental breakdown by now. Or a stroke.
Running around on wheels ain't exactly a piece of cake either. That doesn't matter to the world, not when people are counting on him to pull them out of the fire.
Shovel in hand he buries what's left of his wife for the second time. And then he gets back to work.
~
24. Monkey gone to heaven - The Pixies
everything is gonna burn / we'll all take turns / I'll get mine too
~
The waiting is the worst part, and by worst he means most boring. All that enochian is making his eyes water too.
Alastair remembers licking the sweat from Dean's neck. Remembers Dean swiping for him with the razor. Remembers the fire in his eyes. Remembers it fondly.
Now it is his turn to lie strung up on the rack. Well, his turn again. He's not a masochist, doesn't enjoy the pain, but he does appreciate the artistry of a job well done. He wonders if they'll use knives. He can't hide his elation at seeing Dean's face. Doesn't even try.
~
25. Pierrot the clown - Placebo
leave me bleeding on the bed / see you right back here tomorrow for the next round
~
The two brightest stars in the sky are twining together, grace and love and sparks and feathers flying in every direction. It's the last pure memory Gabriel has of Lucifer, because moments later he's pinning the holy messenger to the earth and growling in his ear.
"You must join me, little brother."
Gabriel punches with all his might and laughs it off. He's heard it before and he always says 'no'. He's not getting involved.
"I won't ask you again," Lucifer says, petulant.
"Yes you will," Gabriel replies, but he hasn't yet learned to hide the pain with a smile.
~
26. A kind of magic - Queen
one flash of light that shows the way / no mortal man can win this day
~
The Winchesters were the hardest to find, not surprising since they were the most heavily guarded. Not now though, every angel is lined up to watch the prize fight and Ash slipped them out no problem. For better or worse he now has everyone in the Roadhouse and a live feed of the action projected on the wall.
The hunters look grim, they've not much hope. Friends and family stand around looking nervous but making small talk like there's nothing wrong.
Mary and John are the only ones who don't look terrified.
"They're our boys," Mary says. "They won't fail."
~
27. It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine) - R.E.M.
you / vitriolic / patriotic / slam / fight / bright light / feeling pretty psyched
~
Lucifer whistles as he waits. Sam is coming. He's coming. It's unstoppable. Everything is unfolding in front of him and he's dreamed of this moment for every second of every day of every year of every eon spent in that detestable cage.
He shadowboxes with his reflection, feels Nick's consciousness (what's left of it) reel at the absurdity of the gesture. He smiles, a genuine reflex, and thinks that actually he is rather fond of these cockroaches. They're funny, if nothing else. He feels happy for them that soon they'll be out of their misery. The least he could do.
~
28. Up jumped the devil - Roy Brown
well up jumped the devil / in a brand new Cadillac
~
Elderly hands pinch at the stem of a white rose.
Lucifer walks through the gardens with a placid smile on his face.
"Even flowers must die, I suppose," he says, eyes playful.
Death ignores him in favour of continuing to prune the bush in silence. Being beholden doesn't obligate him to conversation. He tries not to flinch at the fingers sliding through the hair at the nape of his neck.
"You're angry," Lucifer says. "I get that."
"What do you want?" Death clips, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
Lucifer's smile widens.
"Can I borrow your car?"
~
29. This town ain't big enough for the both of us - Sparks
the rain is pouring on the foreign town / the bullets cannot cut you down
~
"You have created an abomination, brother," speaks Michael, eyes bright with righteous fury.
Luficer merely watches him warily, body curled around the trembling black soul.
"Not created," he says. "Altered. Broken. I have proven how flawed these things are."
"If they are it is because He wished it so. You have betrayed us all, brother." Michael holds his noble head high. "Perhaps the broken one is you. Perhaps it is you who are flawed."
"I am as perfect as you, brother," Lucifer hisses. "And if you have come to kill me I will not fall so easily."
Thunder rolls above.
~
30. Stuck in the middle with you - Stealers Wheel
is it cool to go to sleep on the floor / 'cause I don't think that I can take anymore
~
The acrid smell of whisky fills Chuck's nostrils after the bottle finally slips from his slack fingers and the liquid spills onto the bathroom floor. Startling awake he winces at the pain in his neck from where his head has been bent awkwardly against the tap.
He doesn't remember why he climbed into the bath the night before, possibly in his inebriated state he had judged the bed to be too distant an adventure. Of course that begged the question of why he had been drinking in the bathroom in the first place.
The apocalypse was rapidly draining his reason.
~
31. Born to be wild - Steppenwolf
head out on the highway / lookin' for adventure / and whatever comes our way
~
Castiel sits awkwardly in the back of the Impala. He's pretty sure the Winchesters have forgotten he's here but they must be sleeping right now and he has no where else to go.
He takes this opportunity to really look at her. Interior, check. Seats, check. Buttons, pedals, dials meters... it all looks completely unnecessary. And yet for Sam and Dean the sum of these parts equals a little slice of freedom. For a moment Castiel wishes he could know what that was like. The freedom of instant relocation and the freedom of the open road are not the same.
~
32. Jeepster - T. Rex
your motivation is so sweet / your vibrations are all burning up my feet
~
Red Mustang, black suit. He twists the ring on his finger, buzzing with anticipation. Something was stirring, he can smell it in the dust on the breeze, and he smiles. All his shiny hungry teeth for the world to see.
"Bad moon rising, baby," he says to himself, climbing into his ride. He feels her eagerness too, feels her purr and tremble like a wild thing ready to lead the charge into battle just as she had in the days of old. He laughs wildly and she screeches with glee as they burn tire marks to the ground leaving town.
~
33. My favourite Game - The Cardigans
I had a vision I could turn you right / a stupid mission and a lethal fight
~
"Balthazar." Castiel doesn't seem surprised.
"What are you doing, Castiel?" Balthazar tries not to sound frantic but if anyone finds out he's been talking to one of the fallen... "Please come back with me. Come home before it's too late."
"I won't. Will you fight me?"
Balthazar is left slack jawed by the question. This is his friend? Castiel, the most loyal angel he has ever met.
"Of course not! But... I mean..." he's floundering. He thought he would ask Castiel to come and he would. Obviously his friend knows something he doesn't. Something to think about as he flees.
~
34. Going underground - The Jam
and the public wants what the public gets / but I don't get what this society wants / I'm going underground
~
Br'er Rabbit approached the cave sniffing cautiously. Whatever was inside was sobbing with such force that the ground was shaking.
"Who's there?" It started, arching it's wings out in a futile gesture of dominance. "My name is Gabriel, and I am an Angel of the Lord..."
Br'er Rabbit laughed to hear this.
"Not any more, boy!" He clipped, instinctively sensing the lie. The creature looked like a thing utterly destroyed, and Br'er took pity on it. "I can teach you to hide yourself," He offered.
The creature looked at him, expression intense, critical . Slowly, and barely perceptibly, it nodded.
(*Rabbits and Hares have been regarded as tricksters since ancient times. Br'er Rabbit, or Brother Rabbit, is an African/American slant on which Bugs Bunny is based.)
~
35. Steady as she goes - The Raconteurs
well here we go again / you've found yourself a friend that knows you well
~
There's plenty of time after Adam accepts possession for Michael to poke around in his head. There's not much else to do but wait.
He's a little startled by what he finds. Undying love for his mother, betrayal at the hands of his brothers, a thirst for vengeance; perhaps it is fate that he receive this vessel instead. They have much in common.
Adam even has... questions. He doubts the plan. But he is a good son. He would do anything for his mother. He would die for her. He would even kill for her. Michael can relate to that.
~
36. Ghost town - The Specials
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?
~
It's the same damn thing on every channel. Doom, gloom, hurricanes, earthquakes; all of the symptoms and none of the cause but Rufus knows well enough what's what. These are the end times and nobody is getting out alive.
He takes a sip of cheap bourbon. Not his usual but it was in the house and that saves him a trip to the corner store.
If he were only young again he'd put a stop to all this nonsense. Which is not to say he thinks he could stop it, but at least he'd fail with a little more dignity.
~
37. 12:51 - The Strokes
the world is shutting out / for us / we were tense for sure / but we was confident
~
A stripe of kisses feather down Kali's neck. She swore this would never happen again, mixing mythologies is a stupid business, but it's the sixties and everyone is doing it and it's been a long time since anyone really cared enough to check. Loki is a good lay, uncomplicated and knows all the right moves. She's stoned and naked and mesmerised by the sight of her fingers vanishing into his mouth.
"People don't believe like they used to," she complains. "All this hippie crap is giving me a headache."
His smile is sinful and makes her laugh like a maniac.
~
38. Whiskey in the jar - Thin Lizzy
I said stand or deliver or the devil he may take ya
~
"You can't stay in there forever Mrs..."
Blast, he's forgotten her name.
"Miss." He finishes decisively. Truth be told he could get rid of the salt line himself in a thousand different ways but he wants to see if his new pup can figure it out for itself. He has high hopes for this one.
Crowley has not been a crossroads demon for long. He was more interested in the dogs, he was killed by one after all, and he always did like to know what made things tick.
Growley snuffles at the door jamb and his master smiles. Bingo.
~
39. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's / and his hair was perfect
~
"Werewolf? Really?" Harry bites his lip, hesitant. "I mean we are the Ghostfacers, not the werewolf facers."
Ed doesn't even look around.
"There's something freaky about this guy, I know it. Look." He hands over the binoculars and hunches down behind the hedge.
"If it's full moon shouldn't he have changed already?"
"Maybe it doesn't work like that, I dunno man." Ed flips through the crumbling tome they got from some back-alley bookstore. "If we get actual footage of this guy wolfing out we are gonna be rich!"
Harry doesn't say anything but he's starting to doubt Ed's business plan.
~
40. Joker & the Thief - Wolfmother
always laughing in the midst of power / always living in the final hour / there is always sweet in the sour
~
Even in heaven Ash can't seem to switch off his outstanding brain. In fact finding ways to cheat the system is even more satisfying here since it's angels - angels - that he's screwing over. Formulae swim before his eyes in ways they never had on earth, he's making up his own symbols for concepts he's sure he would never have been able to conceive of when he was alive. He can help take down the whole operation from the inside.
"Dead but not gone, bitches," he says to his computer screen, absently scribbling a to-do list directly onto the bar's surface.
~