SPNJ2 Christmas exchange for freakgeeknation
Title: Winter Wonderland
Characters: Sam, Dean, Castiel
Genre: Adventure/action
Category: Gen, with some flirting.
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1700
Spoilers: Nothing really, but it's thought to take place between 6x12 and 6x13.
Summary: It's Christmas, so naturally Sam and Dean are in trouble.
Notes: Merry Christmas freakgeeknation! I hope you like it. I tried to fit on Cas being endearingly weird, and friends at least maybe starting to turn into something more. I'm a bit of a Sam/Cas fan myself!
"Do you think that we'll ever have a Christmas without a random selection from Winter solstice gods through the ages, the bloodthirsty edition?"
Sam made a struggle against the ropes that held his arms securely against his body, then relaxed with a defeated sigh. "No", he said. "But I wish fewer of them liked to tie their victims upside down from ancient trees forty feet in the air in the middle of forests."
"Fewer?"
"Yeah, as in none. I'm almost as worried about getting out of these ropes as not getting out of them."
"Look at the bright side; at least it's snowed a lot. It could break our fall, at least a little. And Cas will soon be back with both information and a way to get rid of this fucker."
"We hope. We thought the lore we had from the start was legit, remember?"
"Yeah, but who could have known that it was a monster just posing as a god? Even the worshipers fell for it."
"We should have known, Dean! Worshipers are supposed to take stuff on faith."
"Quit bitching, at least it sticks to a schedule. Cas will get us out before it gets back at sunset."
"I wish Bobby was here."
"Yeah? I- did you hear that?"
From a distance a faint but ominous sound of voices chanting something unintelligible accompanied with the sound of horns could be heard. The forest distorted the sound, making it hard to determine both how far off they were, and their numbers.
"Do you think they'll release us before sacrificing us?" asked Dean. "Maybe we'll get a chance to take them down"?
"Not very likely. They'll probably lower us enough to cut our throats open and bleed us out, possibly in or on something. Going from the lore on human sacrifice, winter solstice in particular, blood is used for consecration as well as pure sacrifice, and though few real eyewitness accounts remain-"
"Yeah, I get it. Cas! Get your ass here, or we're fucked!"
"It's not that kind of sacrifice, Dean."
"Cas! Thank god, get us out before that crazy ass cult get their butching on!"
"Did you find out anything?" asked Sam.
"And no zapping! Just float us down to the ground. Gently".
"I did, Sam. It's not a god, but a creature that feeds on the "life force" of living things. A vampire if you will, but not in the modern sense of blood-drinker", Castiel answered as he started to untie the ropes around Dean (If you drop me, Cas, I swear I will haunt you until the end of time).
"Yeah, I've seen hints in several sources that vampirism can take a lot of different forms", Sam said thoughtfully. "Some even resemble what we'd think of as ghouls or revenants, and in different countries-"
"I know you're a geek, Sam, but do you think you could wait until not hanging upside down from a tree? First we get down, then we kill it, then you and Cas can have your own private fan convention."
"I'll take Dean down first, then come back for you, Sam."
"You can just zap me down if that's easier. I won't have any, uh, bowel problems."
"I know. You have a very healthy lower intestine."
"…Thank you. Dean, stop sniggering."
Before long they were all moving away from the tree, in the direction of where they'd left the car before they'd been captured.
"So how do we kill it?" asked Dean when they reached the roadside. "Do we have the tools with us, or do we have to get something special?" He opened the trunk and looked inside. Everything was as they'd left it.
"You most likely have what's needed", said Castiel. "Killing vampires of any kind seems to come down to cutting their heads off. One can also impale their hearts with stakes made of various materials and there was some confusing information about citrus fruit, but in the end cutting the head off still seems necessary, so I don't understand the point of going through all that trouble.
"Yeah, if it's a vampire we know how to deal with it", said Dean and took out a broad-bladed machete.
Sam nodded. "But what about the worshipers?"
"They're human. You shouldn't kill them."
"We weren't going to! Said Dean. "But they'll try to stop us. How can we get the vampire without interference?"
"One of us should act as bait", said Sam. "Lure the worshipers while the other two go for the vampire. I can do it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Whatever I did during the past year left me in great condition."
"He really is in excellent condition", Cas interjected.
"Yes, thank you for your input, Cas, now would you quit with the disturbing compliments for my brother?"
"I don't really think they're disturbing. A little odd, maybe."
"Thank you, Sam."
"Okay, run off be bait, and don’t' get yourself killed. Just stop with the twisted flirting."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We need to find out where the vampire is first. I don't think he'll be with the worshipers; he'll want to show up at the time of sacrifice for maximum dramatic effect."
"So when the sacrifice doesn't take place, where does he go?" said Dean.
"He'll want to catch the sacrifice away from the worshipers in case of potentially coming off as less than invincible. Basically anywhere in the woods?"
"So you need someone to be bait for the vampire as well", said Castiel. "Very well, I can observe without being seen, and my bond to Dean makes it easier to know when he's in danger."
"You know, that really is a little creepy."
"I'm sorry, Sam. I promise I won't do anything without your or your brother's consent."
"Why does that sound so wrong?" Dean muttered.
"Anyway", said Sam, I think Cas is on the right track; I'll go for the worshipers, you try and lure the vampire, Cas keeps an eye out in case any of us needs help. He could be with his cult, we don't know for sure. Otherwise, just come get me when the vampire is taken care of. We can just leave the cult, they'll find their way home eventually."
"Works for me."
"Very well."
They went back into the forest together, listening carefully for signs of being followed. Soon they could hear echoing calls from the searching cult members, and split up.
Following the sounds, Sam noticed that he approached the tree where he and Dean had been waiting to be sacrificed. Hadn't they started the search yet? He sneaked closer and crouched down to listen.
Dean zigzagged his way back to the sacrifice tree, combing through the woods between it and the road. He heard the sounds of people in the distance, but otherwise the forest was quiet. He gripped his machete in his right hand, and scanned his surroundings thoroughly. Somewhere around here it would be hiding, waiting for him to lower his guard. It wouldn't stand a chance. He had his brother, and he had Castiel at his back.
Suddenly there it was, standing in the middle of the snow-covered forest path, grinning with black, pointy teeth. He was tall, taller than Dean, and moved with a predatory strength. He raised a hand as if to reach out and touch, and Dean saw long black talon-like fingernails, ready to draw blood or maybe slit open a neck or belly.
Dean grinned.
"I'm gonna cut your ugly-ass head off, fucking monster", he said, and charged.
The vampire hissed in anger, and narrowly avoided Dean's first strike. He lashed out with his claws, and they screeched along the blade of the machete. At the edge of his vision dean could see Cas appearing. Good. That meant Sam wasn't in danger.
"Do you really think a human can defeat a god?" said the vampire as it approached for another attack. "I've killed countless like you, powerless insects with delusions of grandeur."
"Cut the crap, we know you're no god."
"Anyone can be a god with enough power!"
"Yeah? Let's see if you're as easy to kill as the others!"
Again they rushed at each other, Dean going low and grazing the side of the vampire, drawing blood. It roared in anger, and backed a couple of steps. Dean followed. Then suddenly, a flash of steel, and the vampire's head flew in a wide arc, landing at Castiel's feet. Behind the toppling body stood Sam, bloodied machete in hand.
Dean sighed and sheathed his weapon. "Next time, let me have a little fun, okay?"
"Come on, it's Christmas! I want to get back to the motel, kick back and have some eggnog. I even bought you a present."
Dean lit up. "Really? Okay, if I like it, all is forgiven. But what happened to the cult?"
"Did you know that the sacrifice tree is rented to a real religious denomination every year?" Sam asked conversationally. "They sacrifice a pig, all perfectly legal, with a certified veterinarian attending. There were about two hundred of them. The vampire's cult had to go home; they were outnumbered ten to tone."
"You're not serious."
"Completely. And do you know what? I think a couple of them stayed for the pig sacrifice. Instant conversion!"
They looked at each other for a moment, and then they both broke out in quiet snickers.
"Let's go back and have a drink, then", Dean said eventually. "Coming, Cas?"
"Would you allow me to celebrate with you and your brother?"
"Why not? You've been hunting and committing more or less serious crime with us for a while now. You're practically family."
"Yeah, Cas, you're one of us now", said Sam.
"I'm honored."
"Hell, I'll even let you flirt awkwardly with Sam if you like. His expressions are hilarious."
"Dean!"
"Thank you, Dean", said Castiel solemnly.
"Merry Christmas."
Together they walked through the snowy, silent forest, the setting sun glittering like millions of diamonds on the untouched whiteness.
The End
Characters: Sam, Dean, Castiel
Genre: Adventure/action
Category: Gen, with some flirting.
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1700
Spoilers: Nothing really, but it's thought to take place between 6x12 and 6x13.
Summary: It's Christmas, so naturally Sam and Dean are in trouble.
Notes: Merry Christmas freakgeeknation! I hope you like it. I tried to fit on Cas being endearingly weird, and friends at least maybe starting to turn into something more. I'm a bit of a Sam/Cas fan myself!
"Do you think that we'll ever have a Christmas without a random selection from Winter solstice gods through the ages, the bloodthirsty edition?"
Sam made a struggle against the ropes that held his arms securely against his body, then relaxed with a defeated sigh. "No", he said. "But I wish fewer of them liked to tie their victims upside down from ancient trees forty feet in the air in the middle of forests."
"Fewer?"
"Yeah, as in none. I'm almost as worried about getting out of these ropes as not getting out of them."
"Look at the bright side; at least it's snowed a lot. It could break our fall, at least a little. And Cas will soon be back with both information and a way to get rid of this fucker."
"We hope. We thought the lore we had from the start was legit, remember?"
"Yeah, but who could have known that it was a monster just posing as a god? Even the worshipers fell for it."
"We should have known, Dean! Worshipers are supposed to take stuff on faith."
"Quit bitching, at least it sticks to a schedule. Cas will get us out before it gets back at sunset."
"I wish Bobby was here."
"Yeah? I- did you hear that?"
From a distance a faint but ominous sound of voices chanting something unintelligible accompanied with the sound of horns could be heard. The forest distorted the sound, making it hard to determine both how far off they were, and their numbers.
"Do you think they'll release us before sacrificing us?" asked Dean. "Maybe we'll get a chance to take them down"?
"Not very likely. They'll probably lower us enough to cut our throats open and bleed us out, possibly in or on something. Going from the lore on human sacrifice, winter solstice in particular, blood is used for consecration as well as pure sacrifice, and though few real eyewitness accounts remain-"
"Yeah, I get it. Cas! Get your ass here, or we're fucked!"
"It's not that kind of sacrifice, Dean."
"Cas! Thank god, get us out before that crazy ass cult get their butching on!"
"Did you find out anything?" asked Sam.
"And no zapping! Just float us down to the ground. Gently".
"I did, Sam. It's not a god, but a creature that feeds on the "life force" of living things. A vampire if you will, but not in the modern sense of blood-drinker", Castiel answered as he started to untie the ropes around Dean (If you drop me, Cas, I swear I will haunt you until the end of time).
"Yeah, I've seen hints in several sources that vampirism can take a lot of different forms", Sam said thoughtfully. "Some even resemble what we'd think of as ghouls or revenants, and in different countries-"
"I know you're a geek, Sam, but do you think you could wait until not hanging upside down from a tree? First we get down, then we kill it, then you and Cas can have your own private fan convention."
"I'll take Dean down first, then come back for you, Sam."
"You can just zap me down if that's easier. I won't have any, uh, bowel problems."
"I know. You have a very healthy lower intestine."
"…Thank you. Dean, stop sniggering."
Before long they were all moving away from the tree, in the direction of where they'd left the car before they'd been captured.
"So how do we kill it?" asked Dean when they reached the roadside. "Do we have the tools with us, or do we have to get something special?" He opened the trunk and looked inside. Everything was as they'd left it.
"You most likely have what's needed", said Castiel. "Killing vampires of any kind seems to come down to cutting their heads off. One can also impale their hearts with stakes made of various materials and there was some confusing information about citrus fruit, but in the end cutting the head off still seems necessary, so I don't understand the point of going through all that trouble.
"Yeah, if it's a vampire we know how to deal with it", said Dean and took out a broad-bladed machete.
Sam nodded. "But what about the worshipers?"
"They're human. You shouldn't kill them."
"We weren't going to! Said Dean. "But they'll try to stop us. How can we get the vampire without interference?"
"One of us should act as bait", said Sam. "Lure the worshipers while the other two go for the vampire. I can do it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Whatever I did during the past year left me in great condition."
"He really is in excellent condition", Cas interjected.
"Yes, thank you for your input, Cas, now would you quit with the disturbing compliments for my brother?"
"I don't really think they're disturbing. A little odd, maybe."
"Thank you, Sam."
"Okay, run off be bait, and don’t' get yourself killed. Just stop with the twisted flirting."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We need to find out where the vampire is first. I don't think he'll be with the worshipers; he'll want to show up at the time of sacrifice for maximum dramatic effect."
"So when the sacrifice doesn't take place, where does he go?" said Dean.
"He'll want to catch the sacrifice away from the worshipers in case of potentially coming off as less than invincible. Basically anywhere in the woods?"
"So you need someone to be bait for the vampire as well", said Castiel. "Very well, I can observe without being seen, and my bond to Dean makes it easier to know when he's in danger."
"You know, that really is a little creepy."
"I'm sorry, Sam. I promise I won't do anything without your or your brother's consent."
"Why does that sound so wrong?" Dean muttered.
"Anyway", said Sam, I think Cas is on the right track; I'll go for the worshipers, you try and lure the vampire, Cas keeps an eye out in case any of us needs help. He could be with his cult, we don't know for sure. Otherwise, just come get me when the vampire is taken care of. We can just leave the cult, they'll find their way home eventually."
"Works for me."
"Very well."
They went back into the forest together, listening carefully for signs of being followed. Soon they could hear echoing calls from the searching cult members, and split up.
Following the sounds, Sam noticed that he approached the tree where he and Dean had been waiting to be sacrificed. Hadn't they started the search yet? He sneaked closer and crouched down to listen.
Dean zigzagged his way back to the sacrifice tree, combing through the woods between it and the road. He heard the sounds of people in the distance, but otherwise the forest was quiet. He gripped his machete in his right hand, and scanned his surroundings thoroughly. Somewhere around here it would be hiding, waiting for him to lower his guard. It wouldn't stand a chance. He had his brother, and he had Castiel at his back.
Suddenly there it was, standing in the middle of the snow-covered forest path, grinning with black, pointy teeth. He was tall, taller than Dean, and moved with a predatory strength. He raised a hand as if to reach out and touch, and Dean saw long black talon-like fingernails, ready to draw blood or maybe slit open a neck or belly.
Dean grinned.
"I'm gonna cut your ugly-ass head off, fucking monster", he said, and charged.
The vampire hissed in anger, and narrowly avoided Dean's first strike. He lashed out with his claws, and they screeched along the blade of the machete. At the edge of his vision dean could see Cas appearing. Good. That meant Sam wasn't in danger.
"Do you really think a human can defeat a god?" said the vampire as it approached for another attack. "I've killed countless like you, powerless insects with delusions of grandeur."
"Cut the crap, we know you're no god."
"Anyone can be a god with enough power!"
"Yeah? Let's see if you're as easy to kill as the others!"
Again they rushed at each other, Dean going low and grazing the side of the vampire, drawing blood. It roared in anger, and backed a couple of steps. Dean followed. Then suddenly, a flash of steel, and the vampire's head flew in a wide arc, landing at Castiel's feet. Behind the toppling body stood Sam, bloodied machete in hand.
Dean sighed and sheathed his weapon. "Next time, let me have a little fun, okay?"
"Come on, it's Christmas! I want to get back to the motel, kick back and have some eggnog. I even bought you a present."
Dean lit up. "Really? Okay, if I like it, all is forgiven. But what happened to the cult?"
"Did you know that the sacrifice tree is rented to a real religious denomination every year?" Sam asked conversationally. "They sacrifice a pig, all perfectly legal, with a certified veterinarian attending. There were about two hundred of them. The vampire's cult had to go home; they were outnumbered ten to tone."
"You're not serious."
"Completely. And do you know what? I think a couple of them stayed for the pig sacrifice. Instant conversion!"
They looked at each other for a moment, and then they both broke out in quiet snickers.
"Let's go back and have a drink, then", Dean said eventually. "Coming, Cas?"
"Would you allow me to celebrate with you and your brother?"
"Why not? You've been hunting and committing more or less serious crime with us for a while now. You're practically family."
"Yeah, Cas, you're one of us now", said Sam.
"I'm honored."
"Hell, I'll even let you flirt awkwardly with Sam if you like. His expressions are hilarious."
"Dean!"
"Thank you, Dean", said Castiel solemnly.
"Merry Christmas."
Together they walked through the snowy, silent forest, the setting sun glittering like millions of diamonds on the untouched whiteness.
The End