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saiilorstars · 5 years

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The Beginning of Everything

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: Female OC x 10th Doctor

(OC Face claim: Marjorie de Sousa)

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DISCLAIMER: This chapter's plotline is from Doctor Who's comic stories. Most of the dialogue is directly written from the comic. The plot is NOT mine.

Additionally, this chapter will introduce a permanent companion from the comics, Gabby, and her face claim will be Victoria Moroles! (Special shout out to those who helped me a while ago search for Gabby’s face claim!) (This is possibly my favorite chapter because of Gabby’s intro)

Ch. 14: Gabby Gonzalez

Chapter Summary: Renata is the one to propose they investigate the monsters attacking New York. She just doesn't know it'll lead her and the group to meet a young woman that will forever change their lives, especially Renata's.

The Doctor was honestly baffled right now. He'd been working on a new device meant to eventually upgrade his sonic when he'd heard the terrible screams from Renata. His first thought was that she was hurt, or that Donna was hurt, so he ran. He ran out of his workshop and down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. Coming into the console, however, he just saw Renata and Donna with really pale faces and, frankly, breathing hard as if they'd just ran for their lives.

"What - what is going on?"

Renata had the pinkest face he'd ever seen. Her hair was disheveled - probably the most since he'd ever met her - and her clothes were skewed. It was the same situation with Donna.

"What happened to you both?" the Doctor hurried up to the two women to inspect them upclose.

"There's a monster in New York City, that's what!" Donna shouted abruptly, startling back the Time Lord...until he realized something else.

"When did we land in New York?"

"Not the point!" huffed Renata, making the Doctor turn around to her. "We were just attacked by some creepy monster who turned out to be a human!"

"What?" the Doctor's blank face was, admittedly, adorable but Renata was more upset than she thought to pay him full attention.

She groaned and threw her hands into the air. "Gah! Just listen!"

Renata had really just wanted to show Donna some sights in New York now that they were there. She lived for a couple years in New York so she knew some places that might still be around. She also knew how to take the subway and so she brought Donna along for the ride, thinking it would be a nice experience too.

Donna wasn't really a fan of the crummy subway, but she wouldn't burst Renata's bubble. The blonde had finally seemed to get the idea that they could in fact be friends. Plus, it was kind of adorable. Renata was not the Doctor at all, but in her domain Renata could be just as good as the Doctor. Before coming to the subway, Renata had shown Donna a couple shops she swore were so great. They were family owned - big shocker - and sold handmade things. Things with sentimental value. Renata was so animated about the entire community. It was endearing.

So, Donna let her lead them to Subway to see Central Park. But on their ride in the sub, a commotion started.

There was a big monster - no doubt alien, though - that burst through the compartment ahead of them. People screamed, terrified, as the creature growled and snarled at them. It nearly attacked one young woman had Renata not pulled her - harshly, she'd add later - away.

"What is that thing?" the girl shrieked. "And why does it look like me!?"

It was then that Renata and Donna realized the woman was right. The creature was bigger, almost wolflike, but essentially wore the same clothes down to the yellow scarf just like the girl. The face was the same, along with the dark brunette hair.

"Oh, oh God she's right," Donna couldn't stop blinking. "But how'd that happen!?"

"I have no bloody idea!" Renata exclaimed. "How would I know that!?"

Donna threw her a look. "Because you're a Time Lady! The Doctor always knows!"

"Cos he's stupid smart and half the time he just gets lucky!" Renata frantically argued. She looked at the windows and saw the beginnings of the next stop. "Okay, we just gotta jump!"

"But that's what the Doctor did with me when we first met!" Donna almost laughed at the irony when Renata snapped at her to be serious.

"We can't jump!" the woman, who was still clinging to Renata's hand, fervently shook her head. "It'll just follow! And it could hurt others!"

Renata only paused to look at the woman in surprise. The woman was about to be eaten by a version of herself and she was thinking about others? That was refreshing.

"And that's the look the Doctor gets when he's fascinated by someone!"

Renata groaned loudly. "Donna!"

"Just saying!"

"Um, hello?" the woman pointed them at the incoming monster. "It's getting closer to us…"

Renata shook her head to get herself focused. "Right! Okay! It looks like you down to the same scarf - which mind you, could stand to be hemmed a little-"

Now it was Donna who groaned. "Not the time for Mum talk!"

"So, it looks like you, have the same faces you, and…" Renata looked between the two in question, racking her head for a quick solution, or at least a temporary solution that would guarantee their survival. "Okay!" she grabbed the woman by the shoulders and turned her around. "Do me a favor and don't look at it!"

"What!?"

"Don't look at it! Don't think about it!"

"But how am I going to do that!?"

"By jumping first!" Renata promptly pushed the woman towards the back of the compartment where the door would naturally open for them since it connected them to the next compartment of the train.

Donna scurried behind them before the creature could get them, but it was hot on their trail. Renata made the woman jump on the next stop's platform and then had Donna do the same. She barely made it herself but that also meant the creature had the same luck.

"It's still coming!" the woman had taken a peek after landing on the ground.

"I said don't look at it!" Renata snapped, making the woman flinch and quickly duck her head. "Now run!" She practically picked the woman up and shoved her forwards to start that run.

"Renata! That thing's getting too close!" Donna shrieked from behind. The creature was swinging its arms to to throw anything at them, whatever was in its reach.

"It's probably following her!" Renata deduced as the creature continued to look like the strange woman running in front of her.

"How do we stop it!?"

Renata had no bloody clue. The creature had to have been using some sort of psychic connection with the woman - no idea how it was doing that, but it was - so they needed to break it and then hopefully the creature would either disappear or revert back to its original shape. "Do you have a mirror!?" she suddenly shouted to the woman.

"Huh!?" the woman looked over her shoulder, almost regretting it because she'd gotten a glimpse of the nearing creature.

"A mirror! A compact mirror! You have one!?

The woman had no idea what Renata could possibly want with a compact mirror, but if it helped stop this creature from eating them…

"Here!" she tossed her mirror over her head, leaving Renata to jump and catch it.

Donna was utterly confused. "A mirror!?" she bellowed. "What the hell are you going to do with a m-"

Renata had stopped running all of a sudden and raised the compact mirror over her head. The creature got sight of its reflection and in two seconds flat it collapsed on the ground.

Both the woman and Donna skidded to a stop and turned around to see just a regular man lying on the ground.

"Hold on, so this creature was just a man? A regular, human man?" the Doctor scratched the side of his head. "Well that doesn't make sense."

"What usually does around you!?" Renata threw her hands in the air again.

"Oi, I wasn't even near this when it happened!"

"It had the ability to change this guy's entire appearance and styled it after that girl. I doubt it's the only one out there."

"So what you're saying is…?" a strange smile came to the Doctor's face all of a sudden, "...you want to go back and investigate?"

Renata looked away, clearly not wanting to admit it. "Don't start with me," she warned, but it was too late. The Doctor was smiling so widely, so smugly, Renata wanted to smack it off him.

"What's happening? What are we doing?" Donna's eyes flickered from one alien to the other. "Are we going back there? To get our faces eaten?"

"Well, first, we need to do a couple exams before we go on and investigate," the Doctor turned swiftly for the console, one finger raised in the air as he listed off the things they needed to do first.

To put it shortly, those small things took them an entire day. At least by then, they had somewhat of an idea about what they might be dealing with. Though honestly, if someone asked Renata, they really didn't have a clue yet. Even as the Doctor followed a trace of the same psychic ability of the creature to a random laundromat, Renata was sure he knew next to nothing about what was going on.

"You realize we're breaking in, right?" Renata groaned as the Doctor used the sonic to get them inside the laundromat. "This is a legitimate business that you are breaking into!"

"For good reasons, mind you," the Doctor tapped a knuckle against the odd metal helmet strapped to his head.

"There is never a good reason to break in!"

"Even less so when you look like a weirdo," Donna had to remark about the odd helmet. "Those wires look like something out of Frankenstein's story."

"Oi!" the Doctor threw both women looks for being so rude.

They walked into the laundromat and looked around for anything obvious that would stand out. But, it just looked like a regular laundromat.

"I'll go search in the backroom," the Doctor pointed at the shut door at the end of the room. "There's always things in the backrooms."

"Oh, Doctor, don't go touching stuff, alright?" But even as Renata warned him not to, she was already following him.

Donna smiled to herself and followed too. She wouldn't say it, but Renata and the Doctor tended to act like a married couple.

"There's nothing here," Renata sighed as she took in the rather crummy room full of supplies.

They then heard the front door opening, indicating someone had walked in.

"Is it the monster?" Donna whispered in fear.

The Doctor doubted a monster would just casually walk in like nothing. He still cautioned the two women to stay back while he went to go check it out first. Just as he'd gotten to the backroom door, someone opened it and swung a bat at him.

"Doctor!" Renata cried as the Doctor fell to the ground. She dashed forwards and dropped to his side. "Oh my God, Doctor, are you alright?"

"It's you," they heard Donna say.

Renata paused for a second to look up and see the same woman they'd ran into in the subway now standing in front of them with a bat tightly in her hands. "It is you."

"It's you," the woman blinked.

"Oh, we get it, it's all of you," the Doctor groaned and rubbed the side of his head. His helmet had fallen off but even then that whack really gave it to his head.

"Did you three break in?" the woman demanded. "A detective should know better!"

"A detective?" blinked Renata, quickly glancing back at Donna. "You think I'm a detect-"

"Well, how else would you have known how to take down that creature from yesterday?" the woman swung the bat so that its top was pressed against the ground. "But I don't get it, who's him?"

"Oh, sweetie, we're not-" Renata had began to say when the Doctor flashed his psychic paper at the woman.

"Special agents Doctor, Cartwright and Noble of UNIT!"

"UNIT?" repeated the woman, though didn't appear to be that confused. "You mean that organization that goes after extraterrestrials?"

"Yup! That's the one! And you are?"

The woman folded her arms and took a moment to study the three intruders. The ginger looked just as confused as she was while the blonde woman seemed more authoritative than the man who was far happier than what he should be. "Gabriella Gonzalez," she finally spoke after a minute of silence. "Gabby."

"Alright, Gabby," the Doctor said with a far wider smile than before, "So sorry about the whole breaking-in. Didn't mean to, we just sort of ended up here. We'll be on our way!" he picked up his helmet and swiftly yanked Renata by the arm. "Donna!"

Gabby was left blinking while the trio left in a hurry. "Hold on," she crinkled her nose. She ran out the laundromat and followed them down the sidewalk. "I don't know who you are!" she called after them. "Nor why you would break into my family's laundromat!"

"Really sorry about that!" Renata apologetically looked over her shoulder since the Doctor was still dragging her with him. "I try to keep him out of places with locks but he sort of does the opposite of what I say!"

"Hey!" went the man in question. "You wanted to investigate!"

"So investigate!" Gabby's choice of words stopped the pair and Donna. The two aliens turned around, wearing similar expressions...one that would be described (by Donna) as awed.

"What did you say?" the Doctor blinked.

Gabby seemed to exhale in annoyance. "I said to investigate! Have you taken a look at our streets lately?" she made a gesture at the sidewalk, making the trio realize there weren't a lot of people outside. Maybe just two or three. "Everyone's terrified lately because of these weird things that are happening. The only people out are those who need to work."

"What kind of weird things have been going on?" Renata had to ask, even surprising the Doctor since she hardly ever wanted to keep digging on these matters.

"Sometimes people's skin just start to, I don't know, bubble?" Gabby shook her head. "And then there's this feeling of dread. It's palpable in the air, can't you feel it?"

"I...I guess," Renata frowned.

"Keep investigating, please," Gabby pleaded. "You-" she pointed at Renata, "-weren't so scared yesterday when the monster attacked us. If someone can figure out what's going on, it has to be you."

"Oh c'mon," Donna stepped up to be next to Renata, "We gotta help, right?"

"Well of course!" the Doctor let Renata's arm go. "I've got somewhat of an idea. Do you believe in ghosts, Gabby?"

Gabby made a face at the question, but the Doctor motioned for her to follow along with them. "I don't...really know…"

"I sure don't," huffed Donna. "They can't be real!"

"Then how would you explain what you say yesterday?" challenged the Doctor. He was looking quite smug, indicating that he already knew exactly where he was going now. He was leading them down the sidewalk, towards the park where the TARDIS was waiting for them.

"I don't know," Gabby shrugged. "All I know is that it felt like that creature was reaching into my mind…"

"Probably how it connected to you," Renata muttered. "It's how it knew what you were thinking of, knew your fears…"

"So you fear yourself?" Donna said out of confusion since the creature had taken after Gabby's appearance.

"Oh don't start," the Doctor waved a hand at her. "The creature was in fact a non-corporeal being. A very powerful one judging by the traces it left."

"Non-corporeal…?" Gabby repeated, obviously not familiar with the term. It just looked like a monster, really.

"The creature wasn't really a creature. It was just inside the man's head and messing with yours," Renata explained in what she hoped was a better way than what the Doctor usually would give. "It projected a telepathic impression of your worst fear."

"Ah, so totally not local," Gabby pursed her lips together. "But then how'd they get to New York?"

"That's what we were trying to figure out back in the laundromat before you gave this-" the Doctor raised his helmet, "-a good whack. You've got some strong arms."

"Sorry," Gabby said quietly, even lowering her head in guilt.

"Don't worry," Donna gave the young woman a light nudge on the side. "I would've done the same thing if I found him like that too."

The Doctor deadpanned Donna, but felt even more offence when he heard Renata snicker. When Renata felt his gaze, she quickly stopped with wide eyes.

Eventually, the Doctor moved on and stopped just a few feet away from the TARDIS. He planted the helmet on Gabby's head, startling the woman since it was pretty heavy. "You damaged the ocular circuit but I've made some adjustments. You should be able to see the locals."

Gabby didn't understand what he was talking about but she soon got her answers when she looked ahead.

They were like ghosts. Silver, glowing creatures flying in the air with elongated arms.

"I call them pranavores," the Doctor said. "They're benign, harmless, invisible creatures that magnify empathic fields. They feed off the excess of positive emotions, like excitement."

"They feed off human emotion?"

"Empathy, mostly. It's an exchange. They're the archetypal good vibe. You give out, they give back."

"I want to see!" Donna exclaimed.

Gabby chuckled and took the helmet off so that Donna could take a turn. Donna was instantly fascinated by the glowing creatures. "You mean to tell me these things are always here? Just floating in the air?"

"Yes, Donna," the Doctor smiled. "But they're harmless."

"Well yeah but that doesn't mean they're not creepy!"

"Oh, they're part of this world, actually."

Now Gabby and Donna - even Renata - looked at the Doctor as if he were crazy.

"They're local?" Renata said quietly. "But...you mean Earth actually births these creatures?"

The Doctor's smile changed with her. It was like he was happier explaining to her and her curiosity. Perhaps it was due to the fact they spent the better half of their time bickering with each other. "You know all planets have them. Earth is no exception, Renée."

"I didn't know that," Renata's eyes looked up to the sky as if she could see the creatures. There were a lot of things she didn't know and it mostly stemmed from stubbornness. The Doctor had offered to teach her what he knew - which was probably everything - but she had refused with the reason being she wasn't interested and it didn't do her any good.

"Who are you?" Gabby's question drew the pair's attention to her. She was watching them with fascination, the growing smile on her face being natural with such a situation.

"Doctor, Renata and Donna," Donna had introduced them all while she busily gazed at the creatures. "Don't worry, you get used to the nonstop talk from the Doctor."

"Hey!" the Doctor scowled.

"And when you say 'other planets'..." Gabby scratched the top of her head, clearly still trying to make the connections. "You actually mean...like...space...and…"

"It's all out there, Gabby," Renata smiled at the woman. "Part of UNIT, right?"

"Aha…" but Gabby still didn't look like she completely understood. "So these creatures…"

"Ah! One just tried touching me!" Donna had swiftly took the helmet off her head, nearly tossing it in the air.

"Donna, it won't hurt you," the Doctor reminded her, but Donna didn't care.

"Here, spaceman," she promptly held the helmet for him to take. She was done with it.

The Doctor took it, rolling his eyes, but he then looked down at Renata. "Renée, would you like a try?"

Renata eyed the helmet with clear dislike. It was big, odd and - being honest - kind of ugly but Renata's expression suggested she was more curious than ever. The good thing was that the Doctor knew it, so he put the helmet on for her. She winced as the weight of the helmet settled on her, but once she opened her eyes and saw the creatures…

She was mesmerized.

They were beautiful. They were like silvery ghosts floating in the air. She had never seen anything more peaceful than this. They were minding their own business, going on about their lives…

She found it beautiful.

"They're like giant butterflies, huh?" Gabby's voice pulled Renata back to the present. The blonde turned sideways and was able to see Gabby's knowing smile.

"Butterflies?" Renata repeated, letting the new name test itself as she said it again. "Butterflies? I'm not sure…" She turned her attention away and gasped when she saw a horrible darker gray creature - not at all like a butterfly - floating in the air. "Ah! Doctor, what the hell are those things!?"

"What?" frowned the Doctor since he couldn't see anything.

"They're attacking the Pranavores!"

"Oh! Oh keep an eye on them for me, will yah? I'll be back!" the Doctor rushed towards the TARDIS, disappearing as he said.

"What - Doctor!" Renata practically stomped a food like a child would. "What's me 'keeping an eye on it' supposed to do!?"

"He just went into that box?" Gabby tilted her head at the blue box, eyes wide as she wondered what could possibly be inside that tiny thing.

"Hold on!" the Doctor re-appeared but came up to Renata, snatched the helmet off her head and placed it on his own.

"Seriously!?" the blonde whirled around, her hair messy on top due to the helmet. She saw he'd brought something new this time, almost like a metal microphone that he attached its curly wire to the back of the helmet.

"What are you going to do, spaceman?" Donna watched him turn a knob on the helmet.

"Just talk and try to reason with them, of course," the Doctor smiled like an idiot would before he addressed the creatures. They really looked more like arachnids with glowing red eyes. "Hello! I'm the Doctor! Under the convention fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation, I request congress. You are warned that this world is protected. Please identify yourselves."

'Who dares disturb the silent hunt?' responded a gruff, slow voice.

"Are they talking now?" Renata assumed judging by the Doctor's expression. He seemed relieved which could only mean something in this crazed plan had gone right.

'Who dares breach the holy veil of quiet?'

"Sorry about your, uh, holy curtains," the Doctor paused but he wasn't really sure what that meant so he would skip asking the question, "They patterned or plain? My home furnishings are full of holes! Just want to have a little chat."

"Deliberately annoying them is a tactic, right?" Gabby whispered to Donna.

"Eh, it's a new thing every time," Donna admitted.

'You are substance. You have the inferior, crude density of flesh and yet I can sense your psychic communications. How dare you speak to us? You defile our sacred silence with your disgusting nose.'

The Doctor would ignore that hurtful comment about his nose due to the matter at hand. Though he might take a good look at his nose in the mirror lately. "Why are you here?" he demanded. "Where are you from?"

'The prey dares question the hunters? In our place of origin, the fleshkind also tried this and now they and everything they knew have been consumed! Your world is honored with being the second place - the new hunting grounds!'

"Oh dear, slight ego problem," the Doctor remarked.

"Oh, so maybe you might get along then," Renata blurted and earned herself a sharp glance from him in response. She blushed in embarrassment after realizing she hadn't said that in her mind like she planned to.

"You have committed acts of aggression upon residents of this planet, both psi-form and flesh, stop immediately or face the consequences!"

'All psi-forms are our prey! All flesh! This world is ours! You are ours! We will devour you!' one of the creature moved forwards, making the Doctor step back as he assumed he'd be attacked. Instead, each of the creatures latched onto the community workers in the park.

"What's happening?" Donna noticed how each of the workers yelped then progressively became more and more languid in their work. That couldn't be normal.

"What are they doing, Doctor?" Renata demanded. "What they say?"

"Well, first there's a telepathic attack-" the Doctor pulled half of the helmet off to see the transformation from both perspectives, "A magnification of a person's worst fear."

Because slowly, each of the humans' skins started bubbling like a hot soup. Afterwards, their bodies would elongate and their eyes would glow red.

"Then, if the person is susceptible, the Cerebravores use them as a Host to manifest physically."

"And thus we get the creatures," Renata blinked with wide eyes as she watched the humans turn into the Cerebravores. "That's what attacked on the subway. They feed on fear, then? Dark emotions?"

That did not settle right with her.

Because she was always scared…

Fearful…

"They turn people into their own worst fears?" Gabby blinked in horror.

"It looks like that but it's just a psychic projection," the Doctor explained, though it didn't make anything better. "Ingenious. They generate fear both inwardly to the Host and outwardly - visibly - to potential new Hosts."

"Whatever happens, I don't want to end up like that,' Donna meant that as a warning for the Doctor.

"Th-this is a lot to take in…" Gabby dug both her hands into her head, truly looking like she might just run away from it all.

"Hey," Renata turned to the young woman and walked up to her. She gently brought Gabby's hands back to her sides and offered Gabby a kind smile. "I understand, but right now...being in the loop...it's far better than being blissful. Plus, if you know then...you can help us put a stop to it."

Gabby felt like the warm smile on Renata's face was one of a mother's, like one that would lift your spirits after a bad day. Actually, that's the whole vibe Renata gave off right now. And after what she'd been through, Gabby could relish in it. "Okay," Gabby exhaled after a moment. She nodded to herself, willing herself to be brave and do something extraordinary for once in her life. "What do we do, then?"

Renata's smile widened. She turned back to the Doctor, meeting the man's fond gaze. He'd watched her do what she did best: make someone feel better. And it was done in such a delicate way. A way that only she could do.

"Ahem, what are we going to do, exactly?" Donna was no fool. She'd seen the little exchange between the aliens and almost scoffed at herself for not getting it sooner. But right now wasn't the time to make fun of them. She could say that for a later time. Right now, it was time to get rid of those ugly invisible monsters.

"Well," the Doctor cleared his throat when he realized he'd dozed off about Renata. That was definitely an error. "It would definitely help if we could pinpoint where these creatures are getting through. That's why we were at the laundromat," he looked at Gabby. "Thought I'd detected an interdimensional flaw in the psychosphere."

" The psycho what?" Gabby repeated in a weary manner. She was beginning to think this was a usual theme for this man.

"It's the place where the Cerebravores are from," Renata, once again, simplified it. Gabby was really thankful for that woman. "We thought the portal might be in your laundromat."

"Oh," Gabby's eyes suddenly widened. "Hold on, it might be. The night before last, I was in there with a friend and the washing machines started acting crazy. And I don't mean like the typical crazy, I mean like your typical swirling alien crazy. It was like a crazy spin cycle."

"They came... through the washing machines?" Donna looked, and sounded, rather unimpressed.

"Sorry, should we ask the villains for a better entrance next time?" Renata sent her a reprimanding glance, one that Donna rolled her eyes to.

"Of course," the Doctor brought a hand to his hair, now thinking more about the portals. "That's brilliant! Space time apertures in the local osychosphere attuned to the kinetic energy and rotary motion of washing machine drums! They've even got a decleration hydro-cushion and they'd only register fully when active!"

"I don't understand what he just said but do we go back to the laundromat now?" Gabby specifically looked at Renata, which was honestly surprising for the Time Lady. It was like Gabby was looking at her for directions when it really should've been the Doctor. He knew best.

"They could have come through car wheels, fans anything rotary but linked washing machines what have given them a more stable at entrance!" the Doctor took off to the presumed laundromat.

"That would be a yes," Renata told Gabby before following the Doctor.

~0~

The ran back to the laundromat was even creepier than leaving it. The streets were almost desolate and the only things that were on the street were more Cerebravores in the bodies of humans.

"How many of those Cerebravores do you think there are?" Gabby asked once they neared the laundromat. She would like to know how many they were going to encounter in that small building, how many she'd have to watch out for…

"Dunno," the Doctor admitted. "Could be a bridgehead squad, could be an invasion force. We'll know more if I can measure the power behind that interdimensional gateway."

"I know it's a dumb question to ask but...what would happen if those things actually got ahold of everyone?" Donna inquired next.

"There's no such thing as a 'dumb question'," Renata started off first, her warm smile back on her face.

"Well thanks for that-" Donna playfully rolled her eyes, "-but my question still stands. What would happen?"

"Well, once your reason and your hope are gone...what do you got?" the Doctor poked his head into the next street, the street where their destination would be. "If they gain a further foothold and spread, they'd bleed dry the intelligent beings first...but primates have the greatest emotional capacity…"

"So bad, very bad," Donna pursed her lips together. "Got it."

Gabby sure seemed to think so too. Her face had morphed into utter terror. A panic flashed across her eyes as she realized she could be next on that list. "I don't - I don't want to die never having done anything!"

Renata turned to the woman and gently pulled her down the sidewalk since the Doctor had started the way again. "Gabriella, that's not going to happen."

Gabby didn't seem to be listening as she went on with her ramble, "I want to see things, go places and make things. I want to leave something behind, to contribute to be...to be remembered."

"She's having her first space mental breakdown," Donna's eyebrows rose together, genuinely surprised it would take only this to instigate it.

"Seriously, Donna?" the Doctor threw her a look from ahead.

"It's a real thing," she argued. "You think travelling with you doesn't leave something on us? Not to be rude or anything but this is a real part of being with you guys."

The Doctor wouldn't even attempt to argue there. It wasn't his intention to scar a lot of his companions. Things happened and he couldn't control them. But he did always have the best intentions.

"Okay, Gabriella, just calm down," Renata tried dealing with Gabby's meltdown as best she could given the circumstances. She didn't want Gabby to get too loud and attract unwanted attention, but she didn't want to shut Gabby down without dealing with the woman's fears.

"I don't want to be trapped," Gabby came to a sudden stop, almost as of something had taken ahold of her. "I want to be remembered…"

Renata stepped back from her, eyes searching for something invisible. "Doctor…" came her fear stricken call.

The Doctor turned around and saw Gabby standing there. He pulled his helmet back on and saw one of the Cerebravores behind her, one claw on her shoulder. "Oh no! You get away from her!"

"It's got her, hasn't it?" Renata exclaimed.

"What can we do?" Donna quickly asked. The girl looked so afraid and if that creature was manipulating her he'd get a piece of them alright.

"Fight it, Gabby! It's trying to get into your head!" the Doctor urgently said.

Gabby seemed to react and looked over her shoulder, but of course she couldn't see anything. "No! It's fear but it's my fear!" she clutched her head. She wouldn't let some monster devour her mind like she was nothing.

The Doctor grabbed the microphone from the helmet and brandished it at the Cerebravore. A golden energy jetted from it and hot the creature. It fell backwards, allowing Gabby to run from it. Of course in attacking it, it brought the unwanted attention on them. All the Cerebravores in their Hosts' bodies had heard the commotion and started wandering towards them.

"And run!" the Doctor gave the order before taking off. The three women ran after him, directly into the laundromat. Soon as everyone was inside, he sonicked the front door.

"You can't expect a simple deadbolt to keep all those creatures out, do you?" Renata eyed the doors with wear. It only took a massive collective hit from the other side. It was just glass after all.

"We'll work fast!" the Doctor hurried to the washing machines. "Gabby!" his call turned the woman around. "You saw come through these?" she nodded her head. "Can you get them going?"

Gabby had no idea what his plan could possibly entail but if it meant getting rid of all these creatures, she'd do anything. "Give me a moment!" she dashed for the nearest washing machine and pulled out loose change to put into each slot. When the others caught on, they helped her start the rest of the washers.

A few seconds later, the ground rumbled. The machines seemed to be turning faster and stronger...until a bright gold and purple energy started swirling into existence. The portal had been opened.

"That's been hiding in our washers?" Gabby's face fell in horror. How could she and her family miss that?

"Kind of pretty," Donna's remark earned herself quite a look from Gabby. "What? It does! Kinda spirally, stripey...candy…"

"Donna, that's not it at all," Renata laughed lightly. "It's a bridge from our world to the Cerebravores'. Not at all candy," she threw the ginger a sharp look for her poor choice of words.

"There's a power source at the other end that's keeping the portal artificially cloaked," the Doctor took a couple steps towards the portal, his head tilting as he examined it. "It's hitched itself to these washing machines. When they spin in formation, the combined tension dilates it, keeps it open. That's incredibly clever. Very stealthy."

"Do not compliment the enemy," Renata said with a sigh. "Feeds the ego."

The Doctor smile but it was hidden as he had his back to her.

"Now what, spaceman?" Donna stared into the void that seemed endless from their spot. "Do we have a plan now?"

"Oh yeah," the Doctor turned around all of a sudden and moved for his helmet that he left on top of one of the driers. "Use this in case there's any more telepathic attacks. Maybe take turns between you two." His warning went specifically to Donna and Gabby.

"That sounds like a goodbye," Gabby was smart as she picked it up. "Are you - are you going in there?" she nodded to the portal, growing more alarmed at the idea. She turned to Renata, almost seeming frantic. "Is he really going to go in there!?"

Renata wasn't at all surprised, just when they'd fought the Sontarans.

"Someone's got to stop them," the Doctor said, completely missing Renata mouth the same thing at the same time he said it.

She knew him far too well.

"I have to cross the bridge, see if I can shut down that power stores at the other end. No power, no bridge, no invasion!" the Doctor turned around and looked directly at Renata. He didn't want this to turn into another Sontaran incident. He didn't want to just leave her without explaining to her what would happen. "I have to go," he said, unintentionally quieter.

Renata couldn't help it and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least this time you're actually telling me straight-first."

"Yeah, I know the last time I royally screwed up-"

"-that's just it, you didn't," Renata sighed. She walked up to the Doctor, giving him one of her warm smiles he came to like so much. It actually relieved him of his fear that she'd lose it again. "I can't be mad when you have good intentions, especially when those intentions involve saving the damn world again. But I really hate you doing this, you know? And you expect me to be happy about it each time you decide to jump through God knows what."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed with a small nod. "Guess it's not that fair-"

"-yeah," Renata put her hands on his shoulders, the action quite surprising for him since she hardly touched him more than she needed to. He chalked it off to her way of being: super cautious. "So let's just do this the right way. While you're gone in that thing, what do you need me to do?"

A big grin came to the Doctor's face. He felt a little extra ping from his hearts - it stopped him for a second but seeing Renata's readiness pulled him right out. "Keep the Cerebravores out as long as you can and keep the machines going."

"Got it," Renata accepted the tasks with a firm nod. "Be careful. And get back in 5 minutes! That's your limit or I'm jumping in, you got that?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Of course."

Renata wanted to give him a hug but she thought that'd be too much. She let him go and stepped back. When the Doctor jumped into the portal, Renata turned around to Donna and Gabby. She was taking control, no matter how odd it felt taking control during an alien invasion.

"That was nice," remarked Donna, though that little knowing smile didn't make Renata happy one bit.

"Don't you even dare, Donna Noble," the Time Lady pointed a firm finger at the woman.

"I haven't said anything," Donna said ever-so-innocently, but her smile contradicted her greatly.

"I swear you humans are so frustrating!" Renata groaned and moved towards the drier where the Doctor left his helmet. She picked it up and was about to debate who to start first with when she noticed Gabby's gaze on the walls. She looked even more terrified, if it was possible. "Gabriella?"

"It's my friend Cindy," Gabby raised a finger to point at one Host body pressing their face against the glass. It was a young Asian woman, around Gabby's age, with long dark hair and matching eyes. Gabby slowly walked up to the wall, forgetting that it was the only thing barricading them from a horde of aliens. "She's my best friend and…"

But 'Cindy' snarled at her like a true monster, scaring the hell out of Gabby.

"Gabriella, do not look at her!" Renata sounded like a mother scolding their child, but really she was just preventing Gabby from following into Cindy's steps. She ran to the young woman and turned Gabby to her. She planted the helmet over Gabby's head and grabbed the woman's shoulders. "Donna! Let's barricade that wall!"

"On it!" Donna exclaimed and started looking for anything to put against the wall.

"Do not look at them, alright?" Renata brought Gabby away from the wall.

"Oh no! I forgot the back door!"

Renata's eyes widened and Donna froze at the same time. The two hurried towards the back door to barricade it as well. Renata's hands moved swiftly as she wrapped a chain around the handles meanwhile Donna brought a wooden bar to stick through the handles.

"I'm so stupid, how could I forget about the backdoor?" Gabby would have face-palmed had the helmet not been on her.

"Gabby, we're fine!" Donna wanted to point out that they were still indeed not Hosts, but Gabby clutched her head.

"Oh for goodness' sake," Renata strode back to Gabby and forced the young woman to look up at her. "You're not dying. We are here to help you but listen, being afraid? That's okay. What's important is you push through to quench those fears."

"But I don't know how to fight aliens!"

"Neither do I," Donna waved a hand from her place by the backdoor. "But these two-" she nodded at Renata, "-teach you so many things. Renata is right, it's okay to be scared but we gotta keep fighting."

"Because if we don't, then who will?" As Renata asked the question, she began to understand more about the Doctor than she ever had. They had the tools to put up a fight against creatures who would crush humans the first chance they got. If they didn't fight, then who would help the humans? The Shadow Proclamation hadn't proved itself to be useful since each time they got into trouble, the Doctor solved the problem while the organization was a no show.

She may love him a bit more now.

"You think I can put up a fight?" Gabby's voice had gone soft.

"I know you can," Renata smiled at the woman. "So let's start by keeping those machines going, alright?"

Gabby nodded slowly. She took in a deep breath and helped keep change flowing through the washing machines.

'Hey you, my bright star…' she sung quietly as she helped, missing Renata's soft smile in the process. The more Gabby sang, the more comfortable she got. 'Shine on me, shiiine on me…'

After a while, Donna was the first one to admit their fight wasn't going to last forever. She saw the front door and its glass wall begin to crack. She had put as much furniture as she could there but it was just furniture in the end.

"Last quarter," Gabby held the coin for Renata to see.

The Time Lady was a bit discouraged, honestly, but she was not losing hope. "Put it in," she instructed Gabby.

Gabby swallowed hard and slipped the quarter into the last slot. She then turned to Renata and Donna, wondering how they were keeping up despite what was at stake. But suddenly, the portal started to rumble and out toppled the Doctor along with an even more frightening creatures.

"Doctor!" Renata was about to go forwards when the creatures barred her. She screamed and fell back, just as the Doctor landed opposite from her.

The creatures dangled from the ceilings, threatening anyone who wanted to come near them. The Doctor was awake, but he was in terrible pain. His telepathic abilities may not have been the best versus these creatures.

"Doctor!" Renata wanted to crawl forwards but one creature was adamant to keep her in place, though it was probably to devour her mind.

Donna was stuck in her place at the front door now with one creature coming towards. "Oh, dammit!"

Gabby looked at the helmet around her head and decided that the only one who save all of them was not her, but the Doctor. If she wanted to put up a fight then she had to be strategic right? And that meant being aware of each other's skills. Right now, the Doctor's skills were the ones needed.

She yanked off her helmet and rushed to the Doctor, ducking when one creature tried grabbing her. She slid to a stop next to the Doctor and planted the helmet on him. "There you go!"

Once the helmet was on him, the creatures disappeared. Renata was allowed off the ground and Donna was given way to the group.

"How come we could see them without the helmet?" Donna asked once the three women helped the Doctor get up from the ground.

"The portal did it, plus you were a hell of a lot scared right?," the Doctor groaned from his fall.

"Tell me you have something," Renata said.

"Of course, but right now let's go somewhere where we're not barricaded," he turned away and spotted a small corridor with staircase. "To the roof, I presume?"

Gabby nodded her head. "Yeah, it's to the roof. But what if the portal opens again?"

"We've closed it from the other side."

"We?" repeated Donna.

The Doctor's face turned grim, letting them make their own assumptions.

As they retreated to the top of the building, the Doctor explained the world he found on the other side. It was the home planet of the Cerebravores, or at least for these creatures. As it turned out, the Cerebravores were part of the Primavores but were weaponized for another species' war. Since the connection to their hive mind was removed, all they knew was to hunt.

"Once again war," Renata muttered as she looked out to the streets infested with Cerebravores. "We can't let this world fall prey to a foreign world, not this time."

The Doctor set a hand on her shoulder, knowing exactly what she meant. "We won't," he promised. "We need to get back to the TARDIS. I've got something that might help us inside."

"TAR-DIS?" Gabby repeated in confusion.

"Wait till you see it," Donna mused at the woman's possible reactions. That had to be funny to watch from the other end.

The group took the fire staircase down the building and made their way back to the blue box as quietly as possible. It was a relief being able to return to the box that could keep them safe from almost anything.

Being the last one in and therefore seeing three people just walk into one small box was flabbergasting for Gabby. "How are you all fitting in…" but she lost her words the moment she stepped inside and saw the large console room, "...inside…?"

Her eyes raked over the golden glow of the room. Her body turned in circles as she tried to take in the high ceiling, the second floor, the console…

"Careful there!" Renata caught Gabby as the latter had nearly fallen backwards. "Last thing we need is for you to get a concussion right now."

Gabby laughed happily - the first genuine happy laugh Renata and the others had heard since they met her - until something hit her. "Wait, this cannot be human." Her eyes widened as she kept thinking about it and soon her gaze landed on the trio by the console. "You three...you're not...you're not humans, are you?"

"I am," Donna stuck a hand in the air. "Very human, thank you very much. It's those two that aren't very local."

Renata seemed more worried than the Doctor, but then again Renata had spent a good part of her life in hiding amongst humans while the Doctor went gallivanting through the world without a care.

"So you're like the Cerebravores? Do you wear perceptual filters too?" Gabby looked Renata over then the Doctor.

The Doctor was hard at work with the helmet but he still had to answer, "If I had been, you would've knocked it for six when you belted me with that baseball bat."

Gabby made a face at the reminder. "Sorry," she felt the need to say again.

"We really do look like this," Renata said, though she wanted to laugh at the Doctor's words.

"So why are you helping us, then?" Gabby folded her arms, rather confused now that she thought about it more. "You're aliens, why would you want to help humans? It's not your problem."

"Let's just say I'm very fond of you," the Doctor shrugged, though that was a clear understatement.

"It's more like this is a home for him," Renata said, though there was a sad smile that Donna seemed to catch.

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, none the wiser.

"Are you two from the same place? The same species?"

"Yes," Renata nodded. "And let's not worry where we're from right now. Just know that we're going to do everything we can to help New York out."

"Pretty sure we can do it with this," the Doctor raised the helmet that now bore new additions. "I've altered it a bit so now it'll work as an empathic field amplifier. All we need now is an abundance of...good vibes to magnify and project it at the Cerebravores."

"Good vibes?" Donna didn't look very convinced of the new plan. "That's it?"

"Yup," the Doctor said with a usual goofy grin. "Any ideas?"

"Oh," Gabby raised a hand, but Renata told her she didn't need to do that so Gabby put the hand down and went ahead and explained. "Green-wood cemetery. There's a Day of the Dead celebration. If anyone's still around, that's where they'll be."

"It's the Day of the Dead?" Renata blinked.

"Aha! C'mon!" Gabby, rather excitedly now, led the way to the doors.

"Remind me again why we couldn't just take the TARDIS?" Donna voiced her thoughts midway through their run for the park.

"Because they'd detect the telepathic abilities of the TARDIS, why else?" Renata gave her a look that indicated it should've been obvious, but of course no one had actually explained to Donna the extent of the TARDIS' abilities.

"I think you two should just make a welcome packet or something," Donna remarked with a huff. Had it been another, less dangerous, time the Doctor and Renata would've laughed.

Gabby led them to a park where, as soon as they stepped onto mushy grass, they began to hear live music.

"Human beings," the Doctor mused from the hillside. They were gazing down a festival indeed, with everyone singing and dancing along to a mariachi. "Indomitable! Even in the face of certain tragedy, chaos all around…."

"Honestly, that's just kind of looks like you're tempting the fates," Renata folded her arms, not looking as happy as the Doctor. She didn't understand why these people would deliberately go outside when there was a clear danger.

"C'mon," Gabby insisted as she rushed down the hillside, completely ignoring Renata's warning that she might trip over her feet.

"Gabriella!" a young woman called almost immediately after the group had come over. She looked like Gabby, which led the others to presume they were sisters.

"Oh, Blanca…" Gabby blinked, suddenly aware that she had no explanation for her disappearance and much less an introduction of the travelers.

"We were so worried about you," an older woman - probably their mother - moved over to hug Gabby.

Gabby pulled away with a flushed face. "Right, right, I'm fine. Um…" she looked back at the group.

"Who are they?" Gabby's father eyed the group suspiciously since he'd never seen them before.

"We're Gabby's friends," the Doctor gave a wave but his presence was a bit troublesome considering he still had his helmet and was now carrying a metal, box-like object with him.

Renata cleared her throat and stepped forwards, hoping to ease the family's obvious concerns. "I'm Renata, this is Donna-" she gestured to the ginger who waved, "-and this is the Doctor. Don't mind his devices. He's a builder... engineer...of some sort…"

The Doctor just grinned. It was part of his life description.

"Miguel González," Gabby's father introduced himself, now looking a bit easier. "And my wife, Maria," he gestured to Gabby's mother.

"Since when are they your friends?" Blanca looked at the trio with the same degree of suspicion her father had.

Gabby frowned. "I have friends, you know." Blanca didn't seem so convinced.

"Um, Doctor…" came Donna's uncharacteristically shaky voice. "...I think the Cerebravores are here…"

The Doctor followed her gaze and saw the Cerebravores - in the humans' bodies - storming down on the festival. The Mariachi was just about to stop playing when the Doctor hurried over with a simple (maybe not so simple) request. "Listen to me, everyone. Whatever you do keep singing! Keep your spirits up! Don't give into the fear!"

The Mariachi band looked at him like was crazy, as well as most of the crowd.

"Just do it!" Gabby exclaimed. "He's the only one who can stop that! Sing!"

While Gabby sang to the tune the Mariachi had been playing, Renata moved towards the Doctor. "Whatever you're doing, it needs to be done now!"

"Right!" the Doctor turned to her and dumped the metal box into her arms. "I need you to box them in and keep them here." He started pulling the wires from the object to connect them.

"Okay, but is it going to be fast?" Renata didn't want to point out how quickly the Cerebravores were moving in on them.

"Of course!" the Doctor said a bit too fast. "Donna!" the ginger hurried to help put the wires in the right plugs, with his indication of course. While she did that, the Doctor reached for something inside his coat which happened to be a smaller metal device, resembling a controller, although there was a big red button in the center of it.

"One big red button - could you be more obvious?" Renata gave him such a scolding look that the Doctor had to laugh just for a second.

"C'MON!" Donna screamed, almost looking as if she was about to press the button herself.

"Right!" the Doctor raised the controller over his head and slammed his hand over the controller. As soon as he did that, a golden energy was released from it. It was like a pulse that extended to the depths of the city but it did eradicate the Cerebravores...and threw everyone to the ground in the process.

"Ah, my head," Donna was the first to react but had good reason to since she'd collided with a metal trash bin.

"Donna, are you alright?" Renata pushed herself up, ignoring a small cut on her left arm. She helped Donna stand up and quickly examined her for any surface injuries.

"And what about you, Gabby?" the Doctor offered the young woman a hand. Gabby seemed shaken but a bit...happy? Like maybe the happiness one would get after saving the city?

"Ah, yeah!" she laughed as she took his hand. She was pulled to her feet and looked out at the crowd of the festival. "Everyone's saved, then?"

The group followed her gaze and saw the crowd of Cerebravores were now humans again, all waking up from a terrible nightmare.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor grinned. "Let the party go on!"

"How do I explain this to my family, though?" Gabby scratched the top of her head as she stared at her family getting together to make sure they were alright. "We, um, we don't really see eye to eye."

"The truth would probably be the way to go," Renata offered. "Trust me."

"I don't...know…"

"Could just do it for you," Renata said after a moment then turned towards Gabby's family. "Excuse me?" she raised a finger and approached them. "Hi, just want to let you know that your daughter, Gabriella, just helped save the city. Please don't be upset with her. I think she's an exceptionally brave and resourceful woman."

Gabby was red in the face. She stared at Renata as if she couldn't believe the Time Lady would think that of her. It was even more when the Doctor and Donna joined in on her aid.

"Brilliant, she is!" the Doctor added. "Couldn't have done it without her!"

"Seriously!" Donna laughed.

"And very smart," Miguel truly surprised Gabby. He was smiling so genuinely too. "I think it's about high time you start following your heart. I know I've gotten in the way of that."

Gabby looked down. Her choice of career had always been the center of their arguments. She wanted to pursue an art career but her father wanted her at their restaurant. The same restaurant that Renata and Donna unknowingly visited for breakfast.

"Follow your dreams, my dear daughter." Miguel came forwards to put a hand on Gabby's shoulder. "Art school, design degrees, whatever you want. We'll find a way to make it work."

"Dad!" Gabby exclaimed and hugged her father tightly. He'd never acted like this before.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Renata raised a hand to brush some hair from her face.

"Renée, your arm," the Doctor noticed the cut on her arm but she shooed his hand away.

"It's a scratch, literally!"

"Okay, what did you do to my dad!?" Gabby came rushing up to them, really taking on the appearance of a child. "He's so different now!"

"Not us," the Doctor raised his free hand to indicate his honest. "Take a look at your personal fan club."

Before Gabby knew it, the helmet was plonked on her head, allowing her to see the swarm of benign Primavores in the sky. It was so ethereal, Gabby felt like she could watch them for ages.

"The Primavores might have affected your father's outlook a little," the Doctor explained to her. "I think you earned yourself a lifetime of good karma."

"Me?" Gabby raised a hand as if to touch one of the creatures. She gasped when her hand actually went through a tail, but it didn't hurt. In fact, she just felt a warm tinge on her skin.

"You earned it," Renata smiled softly at the woman. Even Donna had the same expression. "Your singing with the band, keeping the fear down...you were like a beacon."

"Really?" Gabby pulled the helmet off her head, allowing the trio to see her doubtful expression. "Everyone here was scared stupid. I thought 'no way was there enough goodwill to blast the Cerebravores' - not even with one of your space gizmos."

"You'd be surprised what he can actually do with those," Donna folded her arms. "Kind of shocking, I know, but it's the truth."

"Oi," the Doctor frowned at her.

"Thank you!" Gabby laughed and gave the trio a simultaneous hug.

When she pulled away, the group got requests from most of the crowd to stay for the rest of the festival. It was impossible to refuse.

"Are you sure you're okay, though?" the Doctor was still on Renata's arm after about an hour or so, much to her dismay.

She strolled down the path in the park, stopping by a couple stands to see what they offered. The cut the Doctor was so persistent about had already stopped bleeding so there was nothing to do about it. "If I repeat the answer for the 100th time, will that be the end of this?" she picked up a couple herbs tied together by the root and sniffed it. "Mint. These would be nice for a tea."

"I'm serious!" the Doctor exclaimed beside her.

She put the herbs back in their place and continued to walk. "So was I. It's just a cut, why are you exaggerating?"

"I just want to make sure that you're fine!"

"But I am. In what fits."

"What's that mean?"

Renata stopped walking and turned towards the live music. The mariachi was still going strong. "We're in a festival honoring the dead, Doctor. What do you think is wrong with that? With us being here?"

The Doctor nodded silently. He knew what she meant. They certainly had a lot of people to honor, with a few important ones amongst them. "I didn't think about it," be admitted, his voice quiet now. "But then again, I've trained myself not to think about it. Her." Renata side-glanced him, her lip now becoming her gum again. "Just the way it's been."

"We accustom ourselves to bury our loved ones in the deepest corner of our minds to avoid feeling the pain. But the truth is," Renata paused to sigh, "No matter how hard you try, the pain is still there. It'll always be there."

"Yeah," the Doctor exhaled, his hands finding their way into his coat's pockets. They watched the festival go on for a few silent minutes before the Doctor spoke again. "Maybe it's time we go home."

"Yeah," Renata agreed with a nod.

~0~

Gabby offered to walk with the trio back to the TARDIS after they told her it was time for them to go.

"This was one of the best day of the dead celebrations!" Donna exclaimed but paused for a moment to think. "Well, it was the first Day of the Dead celebration I ever went to but it's definitely really good."

Gabby chuckled at her. She liked Donna a lot.

"Your mother and grandmother are amazing cooks," Renata had to remark before they would part. "They definitely have the same style of your ancestors when they first started the restaurant."

"What - you were there when the restaurant first opened!?"

Renata nodded. "I had to accustom myself to eat human food and this place was amazing."

Gabby thought that was amazing. "Well, I'm sure my family would be open to showing you some recipes!"

"Oh yes!" Renata gasped with delight. "I could add that to my dinners."

"You make dinners in that thing?" Gabby pointed to the TARDIS they were nearing.

"She's not an 'it'," the Doctor frowned. "The TARDIS is a sentient box, you know. She's a she. And an endless box too."

"So you've got a kitchen in there?" Gabby stopped with the trio in front of the TARDIS and gave the box an odd look.

"And a swimming pool," Donna was happy to add.

"And a library," Renata gave Donna a pointed glance. "Could spend a few more hours in there than doing some irrelevant laps in a pool."

"I don't understand half your books!"

Renata rolled her eyes, which then made Donna huff.

Gabby looked between the two with an expression that could only be described as fascination. "So do you all live together? In that thi - the TARDIS?"

"Yeah," the Doctor smiled at Renata and Donna. "Kind of like one a little family." Now it was Renata's turn to smile. It had been automatic too which, when she caught herself, she blushed for and looked away.

"Do you...take more passengers?" Gabby started biting her lower lip like one Time Lady would often do.

"Well, I suppose," the Doctor went on, not understanding what Gabby was trying to say. "I mean, we could but…" And then he got it. "Oh," he blinked and quickly exchanged a look with Renata. She was just as surprised as he was.

Donna, however, had known straightaway what Gabby was trying to ask. "I thought it would take you a less time to ask." Gabby sheepishly smiled. "I asked the moment I saw him - well, the second time I bumped into him."

"You really want to come along with us?" Renata asked, making Gabby's smile falter a bit. The Time Lady didn't seem so eager to accept. "I thought your father said you could go to art school. What happened to that plan?"

"I'd like to, I would, but...I don't think any art school would teach me half the things you know."

Now Renata was utterly stunned. "You want me to teach you? Wait, hold on, you'd want to travel with us...for me?"

Gabby's face flushed. "Well, you seem to know a lot. Plus, you seem, I don't know, so eloquent and elegant."

"Are you sure you're talking about me?" Renata shook her head fervently. This had to be a mistake. If anyone wanted to travel in the TARDIS it'd be because of the Doctor. "He-" she pointed a finger at the Doctor, "-know things. I just tag along cos he kidnapped me."

The Doctor deadpanned her. "Are we really bringing that up right now?"

"It's the truth!"

"Look, I don't understand what that means but I mean what I say," Gabby went on even though the embarrassment was killing her. "I could learn so much from you and besides, time travelling? Doing more of this? I would love to. Can I please come?"

"Oh can we please take her?" Donna slung an arm over Gabby's shoulder. "I'd love to even the odds of Time Lords vs. humans here. It's only fair."

"She's not a pet," the Doctor playfully remarked. "And it's really fine with me. I like you, Gabby." Gabby beamed at his response. "Renée, what do you think?"

"I'm still...so confused!" Renata waved a hand. She'd need more time to process this.

"Why?" the trio asked with the same tone of confusion.

"Because I don't have anything to offer you," Renata told Gabby. "I don't know the things the Doctor knows. If you want a teacher, that's him and not me."

"Oh no, you are definitely a good teacher," the Doctor walked on over to her side. "You've taught me several things and that's an accomplishment." She playfully rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Renée," he put an arm around her waist, an action that made her flinch, "You have an aspiring art student begging for your attention-"

"-I don't think I'm actually begging," Gabby's remark flew over their heads.

"-and you are more than qualified to teach someone. You helped a foundation back then, remember? Helping is in your DNA."

"I've never taught a human before," Renata said through gritted teeth.

"It's just as easy! C'mon!"

"Please?" Gabby tried one more time before it was considered begging.

Renata couldn't take Gabby's overly hopeful face. It was touching, on some level, that someone would take such an interest in her like this. Someone actually wanted her help. Her. And to be honest, she actually really liked Gabby. She was kind of like one of the people she used to help back on Gallifrey. Teenagers who had no idea what to do with their lives in the Academy. Gabby was no child but Renata viewed her as a youngster.

Dammit. With a sigh, Renata. "Gabriella Gonzalez, you are more than welcome in the TARDIS."

As soon as the words left Renata's mouth, Gabby squealed and rushed up to the Time Lady for a tight hug. "Thank you!"

"Guess we should probably show you around, then," the Doctor backtracked to the TARDIS. He was excited for a new passenger, but even more so that Gabby would specifically be Renata's companion. He thought it'd be a good way to help Renata heal like he had. Humans had that knack of ability.

Hopefully Gabby Gonzalez would not be an exception.

#10th doctor #doctor who #ocappreciation #ocapp #dw imagines #10th doctor imagines #doctor who imagines #doctor who fanfics #10th doctor fanfics #10th doctor fics #doctor who fics #donna noble #gabby gonzalez #oc: Renata Cartwright #fic: the beginning of everything #noblecrescentedit

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foreverwayward · 5 years

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“Wayward Hearts” Season 3 Chapter 11: Time is On My Side

Summary: After the Devil’s Gate had been opened that fateful night in the graveyard, the hunters are forced to face a new war. Countless demons now run rampant, hungry for blood and power. It’ll take everything the three have to survive when darkness once again knocks on their door. But, with only a year before Dean’s deal comes due, Sam and Riley will stop at nothing to save him; to save their family.

Masterlist

Word Count: 7415

Content Warning: language and violence

DISCLAIMER: any words or phrases in bold in the story are not my own and are credited to the writers of Supernatural.

**GIFS ARE NOT MY OWN**

In an abandoned cabin, hidden away from the world, the fireplace roared. Its light danced across the walls and was the only illumination in the room, keeping the darkness outside at bay.

Screams of suffering went unheard as a demon cried out in agony. The possessed man was strapped to a chair in the center of a devil’s trap as holy water was thrown into his face. His flesh sizzled and steam seeped from the vessel’s skin and faded into the air.

Sam, Dean, and Riley stood in front of him unmoved. The hunters were going to get answers with the clock running out for Dean. As they had run out of ideas, they interrogated a lower level demon.

“You ready to talk?” Dean shouted into the creature’s burning face.

“I don't fucking know!” It thrashed against its restraints. “I don't know anything!”

With a mocking expression, he turned to his partners. “Oh, you hear that, guys? He doesn't know anything.”

Sam smirked as he replied, “yeah, I heard.”

“I'm telling you the truth!” it cried.

With a wry laugh and condescending smile, Riley took large strides to have herself eye to eye with the demon. “You guys,” she feigned. “He says he’s telling the truth. I guess we owe him an apology.”

“You’re so right, Rye.” Dean grabbed the monster’s face and forced holy water into its mouth before it garbled a deafening cry, “I'm gonna ask you one last time...who holds my fucking contract?!”

The demon went quiet, his head hanging in defeat. When he looked up, his eyes were an evil black as he smiled at the three. “Your mother. Yeah, she, uh--showed it to me right before I bent her over and fucked her ‘til she screamed.”

Riley took a step back as Dean moved into her spot and leaned in. “I want a name. Or else…”

“Or what? You're gonna squirt your holy water in both ends? Please. Brother, that's like a flea bite compared to what's coming to me if I tell you jack. Do what you want, the only thing I'm scared of is the demon holding your ticket.”

With a nod from Dean, Sam began to recite an exorcism. “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundusspiritus, omnis satanicapotestas, omnis incursioinfernalisadversarii…”

“Go ahead, send me back to Hell. 'Cause when you get there, I'll be waiting for you...with a few pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet with Dean Winchester.” The demon grew a sinister grin on his face and laughed.

“Should I?” Sam asked as he paused the ritual.

Listening intently to whatever might still remain inside the vessel, Riley sighed. “The guy he’s got locked in there didn’t make it. Get this evil son of a bitch out of here.”

“Okay,” Dean agreed. “Sam, send him someplace he can't hurt anyone else.”

“...omnis legio, omnis congregatio et sectadiabolica.” As Sam continued, the unholy shrieks of pain ripped from the demon, echoing into the night and going completely unheard.

------

Sam sat alone in the cabin’s main room as he made several phone calls. He was just like his brother, whenever he had sniffed out a possible case, Sam was like a dog with a bone.

Dirty and sweating, Dean came in as he wiped his brow and huffed in exhaustion.

As the younger brother ended his call, he sat down on a chair close behind him. “Bury the body?”

“Yeah. Looks like these demons ride 'em hard just for kicks these days.” Dean grabbed a beer from their cooler and popped it open. Taking a large swig, he crashed tiredly onto a beat-up couch.

The front door closed and Riley walked in with bags of takeout. She tossed the Impala’s keys over to Dean as she went to a nearby tabletop with their spoils. “Who’s hungry?”

“Oh, I’m fuckin’ starving. Waddya got?” Dean asked. Riley pulled out a wrapped burger from the bags and smirked as he grew excited. “If I haven’t told you yet today, I love you.”

Riley tossed the warm food to Dean he quickly unwrapped it. He moaned happily as he took a large bite.

Sam chuckled. “Should we leave you and your cheeseburger alone?”

“Hey, I think I could show this burger a good time.” Filling his mouth again, Dean watched Riley as she grabbed her own beer. She had found a large and worn cushion tossed to the side and sat cross-legged as she readied to eat her own meal. “What? You too good to sit next to me now?” he teased.

“Mm-mm,” Riley started with a mouthful. “You just kinda fucking stink right now.”

He paused dramatically. “That hurts my feelings.”

“Well, you’re hurting my nose.” She laughed to herself and took another bite. “So, what’d I miss?”

“Uh…” As Sam leaned back into his chair, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. “Not much. I was just about to tell Dean I think I found us a case.”

Riley appeared taken aback. “A case? Sam, we’re already on a case.”

“What? Whose?”

“Uh--Dean’s,” she answered incredulously. “We’re down to three weeks, Sam--three weeks.”

“Well, do you have a lead on Richard, or the Colt, or anything that can help us?”

She tensed as she downed more of the cold drink. Riley’s head fell as the bottle sat between her two hands, fiddling with it. “You know I don’t.”

Dean had remained silent as the two talked and he knew Riley was right. Time was not a luxury they had, but Sam wasn’t wrong. With nothing to go on, the hunters were left with countless questions and no answers.

As Dean’s phone rang, he dug into his pocket to pull it out. He looked at the caller ID before flipping it open. “Bobby.” Dean put the call on speaker and held it out for everyone to hear.

“Hey,” their old friend replied. “Think I finally got a lead on Richard.”

“I'm listening.”

“Rufus Turner.”

Sam, Dean, and Riley shrugged at each other not knowing the name. “Who's that? Like a Cleveland steamer?”

“He's a hunter, or he used to be. He’s practically a hermit now--does a little selling on the side. Anyway, I put the word out on Richard months ago. Rufus just called, said a guy got in touch, wanted to buy some things.”

“And he thinks it's Dick?”

“Stuffy British accent went by the name Charles Gardner.”

“He’s used that before. Well, it's kind of a sloppy move, isn't it--getting in contact with one of your old friends?”

“Friend? Haven't laid eyes on him in fifteen damn years. He's not the Christmas card type. I doubt he knows I know him. Canaan, Vermont.”

Riley called out from across the room. “You’re the best, Bobby!”

“One other thing. Take a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue.”

Slightly confused, Dean answered, “okay.” He hung up his phone and turned to the others.

“Come on. We’re going Dick hunting.” Dean stopped, almost appalled by what he had said. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”

“It’s for the best,” Riley retorted with a look of disgust as she got up to gather her things.

“What?” Sam appeared perplexed and his brow scrunched. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second.”

Dean grabbed his bag and turned down the fire that was still ablaze. “Come on. Get your stuff. The clock's ticking.”

“Look, I think we should check out the lead I have on this other case.”

“You insane?” Dean snarked as he turned back to his brother.

“Dean, there's no way he still has the Colt! That was months ago! He probably sold it the second he got it.”

“Well, then I'll kill the bastard. Win-win.”

As Riley threw their bag over her shoulder, she shrugged carelessly. “All in all, wouldn’t be a wasted trip.”

Sam sighed in exasperation. “Dean…”

“Sam,” his brother barked. “We're going!”

“No!”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because I may have found a way to save you!”

Dean’s eyes widened and his voice softened as Riley spun to look at Sam as well. “What? What are you talking about?”

“This case? I’m pretty sure it’s from Doc Benton...real-life doctor, lived in New Hampshire in the nineteenth century--brilliant and obsessed with alchemy, especially how to live forever. So, in 1816, Doc abandons his practice and…”

Riley stared back at him, puzzled. “Sam, what the hell are you talking about?”

“...and nobody hears from him for like 20 years, and all of sudden, people start showing up dead--or missing an organ, or a hand, or some other kind of part. The legend is that whatever he did to himself was actually working to keep him alive.”

“Wait, a minute…” Dean started. “Why does this sound familiar?”

“Because you heard about it when we were kids. Dad hunted this guy down and cut out his heart. Apparently, that didn’t quite do it. But, Dean, this--this is what's gonna save you.” There was nothing disingenuous about Sam’s plan. He truly believed that following the case would finally lead them to answers.

Dean’s brow hooked and he shared a look of disbelief. “What? Chasing some Frankenstein?”

“Chasing immortality.” Sam’s words had both of his partners staring back at him, startled at the idea. “Look, Benton can't die. We find out how he did it, we can do it to you. I mean, you have to die before you go to Hell, right? So, if you can never die, then…”

“Sam, stop!” Dean shouted angrily and the room went still. “You’re not helping! You forget that if I try to welch out on this deal, Riley dies. Guess what? Living forever--is welching.”

“Fine! Then, whatever the magic pill is, we’ll take it too!”

Riley could feel Sam’s sincerity and she leaned her face into her hand as she rubbed her temples. “Look, Sam...I know you wanna save Dean just as much as I do. But I think Bobby’s right. If we hunt down the demon that has Dean’s one-way ticket, then maybe we can stop it. I really think it’s gonna be our best shot.”

“Say you find the Colt, then what? None of us even know who holds the contract.”

Raising his voice again as he felt his frustration grow, Dean bit back at him. “Well, I'll shoot the goddamn hellhounds then before they slash me up. Now, you coming or not?””

“I'm staying here,” Sam said quietly, certain of his decision.

“No, you're not. 'Cause I'm not gonna let you wander out alone to find some organ-stealing freak.”

“You're not gonna let me? How are you gonna stop me?” As Sam went on, Dean appeared taken back again. “Look, man, we're trying to do the same thing here.”

“I know, but I'm going. So, if you wanna stay...stay.” Dean shook his head when Sam didn’t answer. He shrugged and took the duffel from Riley before hanging it on his shoulder.

“Come on,” he told her as they both went for the door. Sam didn’t move but they both hesitated before turning back to him. “Sammy, be careful.”

“You too.” He and Dean stared at each other for a long moment before Dean reached out for the doorknob and walked outside.

Riley’s eyes still sat on her brother lovingly. “I know you wanna save him, Sammy. You do what you think is right.”

As Riley left, closing the door behind her, Sam let out a long and drug out sigh.

------

After driving through the night, the Chevy rolled to a stop in front of an older home on a quiet suburban street. Its colors were tacky with a mix of dark red and light green. Angled tall steps led up to an elevated porch with massive weeds lined around it.

Riley and Dean shut their doors behind them as they headed up the walkway. As they reached the porch, they saw a handwritten sign that read: ‘No solicitors. That means you! No asking for directions. No selling ANYTHING!’

Under her breath, Riley muttered, “well, Rufus just sounds like a breath of fresh air.”

Dean chuckled as he rang the buzzer and banged on the metal security door. The hunters both turned to a sound and looked up to see a camera moving to focus in on them.

“What?” a harsh voice barked over the intercom.

Dean cleared his throat. “Hi, uh--Rufus?”

“Yeah...even if I am, the question is still the same. What?”

“Uh--I'm Dean Winchester. We’re friends of Bobby Singer's.”

“So?”

Riley shrugged as the two shared a look. “Hi, Rufus. I’m, uh--Riley Munroe. Listen, we heard from Bobby that the guy we’re looking for made contact with you. He’s British…”

“And so?”

“So...do you know where he is?”

“Yeah.”

“Awesome. Would you please tell us where we can find him?”

“No.”

“’Course not,” Dean muttered under his breath. “Look, Rufus, man…”

The two doors quickly flung open as an irritated man stood in the doorway. He was roughly Bobby’s age with dark skin, a full mustache, and short hair.

With the cereal bowl he was still working on in his hand, he studied the couple. “Look, let me point something out to you. You are knocking at my goddamn door, so don't ‘look, man’ me. I'm not your man.”

Realizing he may have stepped in it, Dean apologized with a nervous smile. “I'm sorry, sir.”

“Alright, let me tell you a little story. See, once upon a time, Bobby called me--asked me to call him if I got a whiff of this Richard Lewis. I got a whiff, I called, the end.”

“Okay, yeah, if you could just tell me where he is, I mean, that would be great.”

Rufus stopped as he stared back at the young hunter. “Dean Winchester, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Dean, do I look like I'm here to help you?”

“I'm gonna say...no?”

“Then get the fuck off my property.”

Riley tried to regain the man’s attention as he began to head back inside. “Listen, that’s totally fair. But, uh--” she reached into the bag on Dean’s shoulder and pulled out a tall box with the Johnny Walker label. “We have this scotch, and, uh--we weren’t sure if it was any good.”

As Rufus eyed the bottle of his favorite scotch, he looked back at the couple and smiled with a nod of approval.

------

Inside Rufus’ home, the three sat at his collapsible card table as they each nursed a glass of Johnny Walker. The bottle was already nearly empty as they finished pouring another round.

“Bottoms up,” Dean said gruffly as they all clinked their glasses together with a soft chuckle from Rufus.

“You know, I don't even bother drinking unless it's this stuff. Nectar of the Gods, I'm telling you.”

“Mm…” Riley started as she seethed through her next sip. “I’m enjoying the change. Most of Dean’s whiskey tends to come in the form of a plastic jug.” As she shot him a look, the three hunters laughed. “Alright, so back to business. Richard was here…”

“He wanted to buy a couple of things, which is gonna take me some time to round up.”

Anxious for answers, Dean jumped into the conversation. “Where is he now?”

Rufus watched Dean closely for a moment and Riley could feel his skepticism. “You got three weeks left. Why are you wasting your time chasing after that English asshat in a suit?”

Now suspicious of Rufus, the couple shared a glance. “How do you know about that?”

“Because I know things.” The older man leaned in intensely. “I know a lot of things about a lot of people. And I know ain't no goddamn peashooter gonna save you.”

Riley and Dean grew more anxious as they continued to drink, desperate to calm their nerves. “What makes you so sure?” Dean questioned coolly.

“‘Cause that's the job, kid. Even if you manage to scrape out of this one, there's just gonna be something else down the road. Folks like us...there ain't no happy ending. We all got it coming.”

“Well, ain't you a bucket of sunshine?”

The room went quiet and Riley couldn’t contain the hold her abilities had on her. Her constant state of anxiety had made it nearly impossible to control her gifts and the thoughts of others had her feeling like she was drowning.

Knowing she needed a minute to calm down, Riley tossed back the last of her drink. “Rufus, you mind if I, uh--use your bathroom?”

Without a word, he motioned toward the hallway as if telling her to find her own way. Riley nodded gratefully and walked away trying to contain her urge to cry.

Rufus and Dean refocused on each other and the older hunter shook his head softly. “It was a mistake getting so close to someone the way you are with her.”

Dean thought to himself as the corner of his lip barely curled up in a gentle smile. “Nothing with Riley has been a mistake, that much I can tell you.”

“Even selling your soul for her?”

“...I’d have given more to get her back if I had to.”

With a scoff and chortle of disbelief, Rufus poured more scotch into his glass. “Love has got you by the balls, boy. It’s gonna end up costing you everything.”

“Well,” Dean replied as he swirled the liquid in his hand. “Some things are worth everything.”

“It’ll never work out with her. I'm what you've got to look forward to if you survive.” Rufus smirked as he raised his glass to Dean once more. “But you won't.”

Riley’s back leaned into the wall as she listened in. Her eyes were shut and a tear freed itself to run down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and straightened herself up before walking back in to join the others.

As she sat down, Riley ran a hand through her hair and exhaled a hard breath. “So, Richard…”

Clearly quite drunk, Rufus began to slur his words; his eyes looked heavy and tired. “Hotel Canaan. Room 39. But watch your back.”

“I’m not worried about it. We can handle Richard.”

“Oh, don't be so sure about that. There are things that you don't know about him.”

“And I’m assuming that’s because you ‘know things’.”

With a look of superiority, Rufus took another sip. “Yep.” Riley and Dean waited as the older hunter took his time and drug on. “Lifted his prints, he burnt them off. Probably years ago.”

Dean nodded, not surprised with what Rufus had told them. “Yeah, so you're right where we are.”

“Nope.” Again, he stopped the pace of the conversation and waited before going on. “You do his ear?”

“...Sorry?” Dean asked, wondering if he had heard him correctly.

“You do his ear?”

“Hey, man, I'll try anything once, but I don't know. That sounds uncomfortable. I mean, to be honest, he’s not really my type either.”

“Ears are as unique to humans as fingerprints.”

“No kidding.”

“Of course, that don't fly in the courts over here, but in England, they're all over it. A friend of a friend...of a friend, faxed me ten pages of confidential files within a day. All I had to send him was one clean shot off the security camera.” Rufus stood from his seat and walked across the room to his cluttered desk. He grabbed a thick folder stuffed with paperwork and handed it to Dean. “The so-called Richard Lewis.”

------

Crickets chirped loudly through the woods as Sam pushed open an old and squeaky door to a lost cabin in the Pennsylvania forest.

Armed with his flashlight and desperate for answers, the large hunter stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and peered around the main room. Dust filled the air and danced in front of his light. It smelled of dampness and worn wood; curtains torn to shreds still barely clutching to the windows.

Sam walked through the room examining everything that caught his eye. He flipped through pages of antique books he found lying around and crouched to rifle through the small drawers of a desk. When he found nothing, he stood back up only to notice a leather journal with a strange symbol carved into the front.

Knowing he needed to be in and out as quickly as possible, Sam tucked the book into his jacket and moved on.

A large door sat prominently in the middle of the floor. Sam gripped the metal handle and lifted it open as its rusted hinges screeched. Steep steps disappeared into the darkness below him and they creaked under the hunter’s weight as he slowly descended into the cellar.

Cobwebs hung from anything they could cling to and twinkled in the beam of the flashlight. It then bounced off what appeared to be a work station of sorts. Glass bottles, assorted tools, and other odds and ends for Sam thought to be for dissection lined the wooden countertops. Shelves were stuffed to the brim with medical antiquity jars filled with disgusting fluids and papers strung about the walls.

As Sam worked through the dark room, his light landed on a man’s body lying on an old operating table. He moved closer and reached out a hand to check the stranger’s pulse only to feel the cold touch of the man’s skin. How long he had been dead was unclear, but his body was clearly opened and sewn back together before it was crudely covered in a blood-stained sheet.

The sound of gentle tapping caught Sam’s attention and he turned in its direction. It was coming from behind tattered curtains tucked away in the back. He eased his way closer trying to remain as quiet as possible to get a closer look.

Once inside, he found a woman strapped to another operating table. She was a young and beautiful brunette in a white top and blue jeans. Her arms had been stretched out beside her where pieces of skin had been removed. A collection of maggots crawled across the open wounds as the girl remained unconscious.

As Sam leaned in to place his fingers on the pulse point of her neck, the woman gasped and her eyes sprung open.

Violently startled by the girl’s immediate awakening, Sam jumped.

The desperate and terrified woman whimpered and cried as she came to, shaking and fighting against her restraints.

“Shh! Shh! Shh!” Sam repeated softly as he tried to comfort her. “It's okay. I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you. I'm gonna help you.”

With a swift glance around him, the hunter found a large sheet and began to wrap the destroyed flesh on her arms. She sobbed as his touch reminded her of the blinding pain.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” He continued to shush her as he gingerly tended to her wounds.

The sound of a creaking door opening echoed through the house and the woman’s heart began to race out of control. She tried with all she had to stay silent only for her fear took over as she mewled soft but high pitched squeals.

With no other option, Sam covered the girl’s mouth.

As they looked up, a shadow blocked the light out as shoes stomped across the wooden boards. Dust fell at their movement and fluttered down onto them. Sam kept his hand in place to silence the weeping woman while his free hand moved swiftly to free her.

A small window of the cellar caught Sam’s eye and he carried the wounded woman to the wall before lifting her up and out. He softly grunted as he scrambled up behind her and picked her up into his arms once again.

Sam rushed through the woods back to his rental car as the trembling girl clung around his neck.

Once at the car, he placed her in the passenger seat as she groaned in pain. Sam ran around to the driver’s set and pulled the door closed behind him in a hurry.

As he turned the ignition, the car sprung to life. But before he could shift into gear, the glass beside him shattered as the cold hand of Doc Benton reached out for him.

The girl began to scream and backed herself into her side of the car as she shook.

The doctor looked like something out of an old horror movie. His complexion was practically grey with hair that gave the same hue. There were stitches across his face where pieces of skin had been strung together to recreate his face; wrinkles of the dead tissue were prominently indented. The trail of sutures traveled down his neck and underneath his 19th century tattered clothing. His eyes were dead, with one nearly completely white with an expressionless appearance. Doc Benton was a perfect blend of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster.

Benton took hold of Sam’s head and his fingers laced into his hair before slamming him against the wheel multiple times.

As he fought off the decrepit man, Sam wildly shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas pedal. The car roared backward as the doctor tried to hold on before he was flipped onto the hood of the car. He rolled off and hit the dirt ground with Sam’s headlights fixated on him.

Once he doctor began to pull himself up, Sam stared him down as he met Benton’s dead eyes. He threw the car into drive with his teeth gritted and rammed into the creature.

The doc was pulled underneath the small SUV and was crushed by the weight of the wheels. His body made an audible crunching sound as the vehicle bumped over him before Sam sped away with the rescued woman down the dirt road.

Unmoved by the events, Doc Benton stood to his feet once again. His neck was snapped, his head hanging at an obscene angle.

The doctor watched the car disappear into the night as he effortlessly snapped his spine back into place.

------

The hotel door opened to a dark room with the hall light barely able to illuminate inside. Richard stepped in as he closed it behind him and pocketed his keys.

Before he was able to turn around, he was charged at from the darkness and pinned to the wall. There stood a wrathful Dean Winchester with his arm against his throat, his gun pointed at Richard’s face.

“Where's the Colt?” Dean snarled.

Trying to appear calm even as he was threatened, Lewis calmly replied, “Dean. Good to see you, old friend.”

“No extra words.”

“It's long gone, across the world by now.”

“You're lying.” Grabbing the briefcase in Richard’s hand, Dean tossed it onto the bed.

“I'll call the buyer. Speak Farsi?”

From the shadows, Riley sauntered toward the two with her gun aimed and ready.

“Riley, so good to see you.” As Lewis’ words were spoken, Dean leaned his weight into his throat, causing him to choke ever so slightly.

“Dean…” When he looked over to her, Riley nodded for him to step away. She walked to Richard still standing at the wall as he rubbed the tender muscles at his neck. Her eyes met his and she grabbed his jacket pulling him close.

Richard chuckled under his breath with a look of excitement. “Ooh, there’s the firecracker I remember…”

Quickly frisking him to check for a weapon, Riley took hold of the gun she had found on his waist and held it up.

“Don’t fuckin’ flatter yourself.” She reached across him and flicked on the lights as Dean went to search the briefcase. “Don’t...move…” Riley seethed as she backed away to aid her boyfriend, leaving Richard standing against the wall.

“I told you I don't have it.”

“Oh, yeah,” Dean snarked. “I'm definitely gonna take your word for it.” He turned his back and dumped the contents of the case onto the bed coming up empty-handed.

Riley rifled through the drawers as Richard slid along the wall toward the door.

As he turned to his partner, Dean scratched his nose signaling for Riley to listen. “This shitbag telling the truth?”

All she could do was shrug before speaking back to him telepathically. “I can’t tell. I can’t get in his head. He’s scared as hell, I can tell you that much.”

“Good. He fuckin’ should be.”

When Richard tried to inch away, a gunshot was fired and Lewis grunted at the shock of the bullet missing his head by inches, going clear through the door. He froze and looked back at Dean who stood with his gun still aimed. The hunter was serious with his threats and Richard knew it.

“Don't fuckin’ move.”

Lewis’ breath had quickened and his brow creased with anger. “It's gone. Get on a plane if you must. Track down the buyer--you might catch up to him eventually.”

While Riley bounced her attention back and forth between Richard and her search for the Colt, she watched as Dean marched toward him aggressively. Once in front of Lewis, Dean pointed his weapon to his rival’s forehead and his face twitched with wrath.

Twitching a little with nerves, Richard asked, “Are you going to kill me?”

“Oh, yeah,” Dean answered with a coy smile.

“You're not the cold-blooded type.”

“You mean like you? That's true. See, I couldn't imagine killing my parents.”

Flabbergasted, but attempting to regather himself, Richard kept his face deadpanned. “I don't know what you're talking--”

“Yes, you do,” Dean interrupted firmly. “You were, what, 17? Folks died in some shady car accident. Police suspected a slashed brake line, but it was all too crispy to tell. Cut to little Richard--oh, I'm sorry, David...inheriting millions.”

Riley looked Richard in the eyes, seeing how taken back he was. “That’s your real name, isn’t it? David?”

With a sigh of defeat, Richard conceded. “How did you even…”

“Doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Grabbing Richard’s hand in an attempt to connect and read his thoughts, Riley was suddenly met with flashes of memories. It was like watching a movie in fast-forward. She saw moments in time of Richard’s childhood and the unending bruises, cuts, and broken bones through the years.

One moment in particular slowed down as a teenage Lewis laid helpless on the floor, crying and shaking after taking a terrible beating. His father’s footsteps retreated out of the room leaving Richard alone in agony.

As Riley released her hold on him, she was thrust back into the present and blinked rapidly trying to regain her composure. Richard glared at her skeptically, unsure of what had just happened. “They hurt you, didn’t they?”

“What?”

“You made a deal to be free of them--to be free of what you’d been put through your entire life.”

The emotions in Richard shifted and Riley could feel it all. His hard swallow of pain rang through her no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

With a tone Riley had never heard before, Richard’s voice went softer. “You don’t know anything about it. They were lovely people, and I killed them--and I got rich. I can't be bothered to give a damn. Just like I don't care what happens to your Neanderthal boyfriend.”

Again, Dean pushed him roughly against the door with his arm shoved into his throat as the hunter’s jaw clenched. He stared Lewis down for a long and tense minute before growling, “you make me fuckin’ sick.”

“Likewise, Winchester.”

Dean took a step back and held up his gun with a smirk. There was no doubt that Dean wanted the man dead and Richard closed his eyes as he braced for the gunshot.

“Dean…” Riley whispered into his mind. She looked up above the door and his eyes followed hers. A strand of woven herbs was dislodged from the ledge above the door.

Taking a moment to think, Dean stared him down. When nothing happened, Richard opened his eyes and Dean dropped his pistol to his side.

“You're not worth it.” The Winchester grabbed Lewis’ arm and shoved him off to the side before opening the door and leaving.

Riley stopped and her focus went back to Richard. “I’m sorry about what happened to you.” Her eyes welled and her jaw ticked in anger. “But I’ll never forgive you for what your selfishness is about to cost me. Goodbye, Richard.”

As she too disappeared and shut the door behind her, Lewis lifted his hand that had a scrap of paper that he uncrumpled to look at. It was a motel receipt for ‘The Erie’ that he had pick-pocketed from Dean, showing its address and the number of the room rented.

Reaching into his pocket, Richard took out his phone and quickly began to dial. When someone on the other line answered, he told them, “it worked. They found me. No, Sam wasn't with them. But I know where they are.”

------

Baby roared down the highway through the night as Riley made a call while Dean drove on. She put it on speakerphone as the line rang before Sam picked up.

“Riley, you guys get the Colt?”

“What do you think?” Dean asked, utterly frustrated.

“So, does that mean Richard is, uh…”

“No, no--he deserves to die a dozen times over, but I couldn't do it.” Looking over to Riley, Dean was hit with a wave of realization that while still without the Colt, they had no chance of saving him.

As his glance went between the road and the woman beside him, Dean nodded as he clenched his lips. “I’m really screwed, guys.”

Riley sighed. “Dean, don’t talk like that.”

“Sam, you were right. Dick was a goose chase. The Colt’s gone, and this time, I’m really fucked.”

As Riley rested her elbow against the door, she put her forehead into her hand trying to control herself until Sam jumped back in. “Maybe not. Look, Dean, I found Benton's cabin.”

“You okay? Was he there?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No.”

With a look of uncertainty, Riley asked, “no? Why not?”

“Guys, please just listen for a second. I found his lab book, and it has the formula.”

“You’re talking about his zombie formula?”

Sam sighed in exasperation. “It’s not a zombie formula.”

“Let me guess,” Dean started as he resituated in his seat. “I got to drink blood out of a baby's skull?”

“No, that's the thing. It's not black magic. There's no blood sacrifice or anything. It's just science, Dean. Very, very extremely weird science, but…”

Again the couple shared a glance as a small flicker of hope rushed through them.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean said as he fumbled over his words. “What are--what are you saying? You think…”

“Dean, I think it might be doable. I mean, I know we've hit a shit ton of walls, but I--I think this formula--I think it might be it. This could save you.”

“Okay, so, this formula…”

“Well, I mean, look--we're not in the clear yet. There are still things that I don't get…” Before Sam could finish his sentence, the sound of garbled grunts and a struggle came through the line.

“Sam?” Riley asked with worry.

With fear and panic in his eyes when he didn’t answer, Dean called out, “Sammy!”

------

Strapped to a wooden operating table in Doc Benton’s damp cellar, Sam’s eyes were wide as they were taped to stay open. His heart was racing and his attempts to free himself were useless against the restraints at his forehead, wrists, waist, and feet.

“You can relax. It's all gonna be okay,” Benton told the hunter as he softly tapped his arm. “Ain't nothing gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Sammy. Your chances of coming out of this procedure alive? Very, very high.”

“How do you know my name?”

The doctor held a metal scooping tool to an open flame and ensured that it had been entirely warmed. “Oh, I know. You think I'm some kind of monster, don't you? Well, I got to tell you, I have never done one thing that I did not have to do. This whole eternal-life thing is very high-maintenance. If something goes bad, like my eyes here--” he told Sam as he leaned over to show off his faded dead eyes. Benton’s cold fingers traced Sam’s forehead as he admired the hazel eyes staring back at him. “You got to replace them. And sometimes things get damaged, like when your father cut out my heart. Now, that--that was very inconvenient. So, I'm sure that you can understand all the joy I felt when I read all about myself here in his journal.” Holding up John’s hunter’s journal, the doctor flipped to a specific page and flashed it in front of the trapped Winchester. “Kind of makes this whole thing just feel like some kind of family reunion, don't it? Well, I guess it's about time that we get this thing started.”

Tossing the journal off to the side, Doc Benton brought the scooper close to Sam’s open eyes. He began to position the tool to remove them completely. The hunter trembled and grunted as he still tried to get free.

Three loud shots rang out as Benton was shot from behind. He turned to see Dean with his gun still raised, though he grew nervous seeing that his attack appeared to have done nothing.

“Shoot all you want.” The doctor approached Dean who let loose two more rounds.

Grabbing him, Benton threw Dean into the wall causing him to crash against assorted items and glass. He groaned at the impact before falling to the ground. As the half-dead man grew close to Dean once more, he leaned down and hovered over him.

A small grunt came from behind him as Riley thrust her blade into the doctor’s back. It went clear through and pierced his heart. He stood erect again and laughed.

“A knife? What part of immortality do you not understand? Pity about the heart, though. It was a brand-new one.”

“Glad to hear it,” Riley retorted while softly panting. “Guess that means it’s gonna be pumping really strong…” She held up a bottle of chloroform with a mischievous expression as Benton began to wobble. “I mean, now this junk is gonna spread through your entire body. You see, Dean and I picked up your little bottle upstairs. A little dip of the knife and...presto.”

With a look of shock as he began to lose consciousness, the monster collapsed to the floor with a moan.

------

Doc Benton’s cries for release came from the freshly dug hole in the ground. Inside, was a refrigerator strapped shut by heavy metal chains. They clanged against the porcelain as the doctor tried to escape.

“No! No! Don't! Stop it! I can help you! No!”

Riley tossed Benton’s book into the hole to disappear along with the monstrous man. “Should’ve been in the ground a long time ago. Better late than never, I guess.”

“Dean...” Sam said softly as his family turned to face him. “We need that formula. I mean, we're talking hell in three weeks, or needing a new pancreas in like half a century.”

“Yeah, well--you can't exactly get those at a Kwik-E-Mart,” Dean countered.

“It's not perfect, but it buys us more time to think of something better. We just need time, Dean. I mean, please, just--just think about it.”

Staying silent, Riley closed her eyes as Sam’s emotions swelled over her like a tidal wave. She could feel his desperation and undying love for Dean. It didn’t matter what the cost, Sam was ready to pay that price to save his brother. And as much as Riley felt the same, she knew Dean too well; there was no way we would ever agree to an existence like Doctor Benton’s.

“...no. What he is, isn't living. Look, this is simple to me, okay? Black or white; human, not human. See, what the Doc is is a fuckin’ monster. I can't do it. I would rather go to Hell.” With one last look into the deep ditch where Benton continued to plead for his freedom, Dean took hold of a shovel. “Enjoy forever in there, Doc.”

As the three hunters began to fill the hole with the freshly dug soil, the muffled screams continued.

“Let me out! I can save you! No. Don't!” The Doc wailed as he was slowly planted in the Earth.

------

The Eerie was a cheap motel that barely had enough business to stay afloat. Its neon lights had random letters flickering as their bulbs died.

On the second floor, Richard’s ridiculously priced shoes tapped against the cheap concrete flooring. He picked the lock of the door and opened it with ease.

As he stepped inside, he drew a gun from his coat and quietly entered. He raised his pistol and pointed it toward the two beds in front of him.

Richard fired three shots through a silencer into the bodies lying under the covers; two in one bed and one in the other.

He moved closer and turned on the bedside lamp. The clock beside the bed showed it was 11:56 PM and he swiftly pulled back the covers. As he did, he revealed a sex doll slowly deflating. When Lewis checked the other bed, two more dolls continued to lose the air that hissed as it seeped out.

Disoriented and clearly in a state of urgency, Richard’s eyes darted across the room. His attention was stolen by the loud ringing that came from the phone on the nightstand.

Picking it up, he put it to his ear.

“Hiya, Dick,” Dean snarked from the other end of the line. “Here's a fun fact you may not know. I felt your hand in my pocket when you swiped that motel receipt.”

With desperation in his voice, Richard replied, “you don't understand.”

“Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly. See, Rye and I noticed something interesting in your hotel room--something tucked above the door. An herb, Devil's shoestring? There's only one use for that--holding hellhounds at bay.”

As Dean went on, Richard sat on the edge of the bed as he began to accept his fate. His eyes grew red as they filled with tears and he swallowed the massive lump in his throat, threatening his air.

“So, you know what we did? We went back and took another look at your folks' obit. Turns out they died ten years ago...today. You didn't kill them. A demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't you, Dick? And it's come due. Is that why you stole the Colt, huh? Try to wiggle out of your deal--our gun for your soul?”

“...yes.”

Riley could be heard sighing as she interjected. “It wasn’t enough though, was it? Taking the Colt?”

“They changed the deal. They wanted me to kill Sam...and you, Riley.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. But you’d think you’d know by now Richard, demons aren’t exactly trustworthy partners, are they? ...and it’s almost midnight.”

“Riley, I’m out of time and I’m out of options,” Lewis choked out with a broken voice. “I need your help. I know I don’t deserve it.”

“Do you deserve our help? No, you don’t. But the saddest part of all of this? If you would have just told us you needed help, we could have used the Colt and saved you from this mess.”

“I know and saved Dean as well. I know about his deal. The demon that holds it--she holds mine too. She said she holds every deal.”

“Who’s she?”

“Her name's Lilith.”

“Lilith?” Dean scoffed incredulously. “Why should I believe you?”

“You shouldn't, but it's the truth.”

“This can't help you, Dick--not now. Why you telling me this?”

Richard paused as a tear fell down his face. “Because just maybe you can kill the bitch.”

The line went quiet as the hunters were lost in thought. It was Dean that broke the silence. “I'll see you in Hell.”

Dean hung up and Richard was left alone in the motel room as he listened to the deafening dial tone coming from the phone.

The receiver clicked as he hung up and the old clock flipped as midnight made its deadly appearance. Beads of sweat poured from Lewis’ face as deep howling came from the distance. He stood to look out the window, pale with fear.

Closer vicious growls came from behind him and hot panting breath blew through his hair. Lewis inhaled a sharp breath as his eyes squeezed shut.

His time was up, and the pits of Hell were waiting.

------

S3 Finale Prequel: Just for Tonight

Wayward Hearts Tag List: @waywardmoeyy @00slayer @adoptdontshoppets @arctusluna @salt-n-burn-em-all @nerd-in-a-galaxy-far-away @becs-bunker @squirrelnotsam @fandommaniacx @death-unbecomes-you @themoonandotherslikeit @x-waywardaf-x @flamencodiva @aaspiringhero @gemini0410 @love-nakamura @klinenovakwinchester @cemmia @deans-baby-momma @paintballkid711 @da5haexowin @a-manduhhhhh @winchestergirl82 @spnbaby-67 @sandycub @bunnybaby121115 @erins-culinary-service @lauravic @moonxdance @knights0fkylo @panicatthewestwing @screechingartisancashbailiff @wiredandwayward @the-children-of-the-stars @rosey1981 @mylovelydame21 @titty-teetee @walkingchemicalfire

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sunlightdances · 6 years

Text

Stay Here Til Sunrise

Title: Stay Here Til Sunrise Author: Katie @sunlightdances Warnings/genre: Swearing, mild descriptions of injuries. A little bit of angst, but mostly fluff. Prompt: @sixtysevenandwhiskey asked for “Try not to look at it” and “Shut up and let me help you” Summary: “You’re making a mental checklist of everything you need to do when you finally stop somewhere - the first thing being calling Sam to let him know his brother got his arm broken trying to be a goddamn hero again, followed closely by getting to a bathroom where Dean can’t see you as you try to calm the fuck down.” Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and only newly certified in first aid, so please excuse my bad descriptions of emergency medical treatments. I did a fair amount of research + used what I remember the doctor doing when I had a similar experience as the reader, but it’s probably still not super accurate. Sorry!

“I want you to know that I’m only taking a little bit of pleasure out of driving this car, due to the circumstances,” you say in a rush, throwing the Impala into drive and peeling down the road, Dean in the passenger seat next to you.

“Great. Glad to hear it,” He replies through grit teeth. “Jesus Christ this hurts.”

“Yeah, join the club,” you mutter, your hand throbbing where you’ve got a large slash that won’t stop bleeding. You’re a little surprised you’re sound of mind enough to drive. You’re also sort of worried that you can’t feel some of your fingers on your right hand, but you decide to worry about that later.

He’s quiet for a few seconds, screwing his eyes shut and breathing out heavy through his nose. “Hey,” he says when he sees one of the signs on the highway, “No. No hospitals.”

“Are you out of your mind?” You ask incredulously, trying not to look at his arm that he’s favoring, holding it tight against his chest. “I can’t fix that for you. You need a doctor.”

You know he knows you’re right, if his silence is any indication. He also could have just passed out from the pain. It’s a toss up. You’re making a mental checklist of everything you need to do when you finally stop somewhere - the first thing being calling Sam to let him know his brother got his arm broken trying to be a goddamn hero again, followed closely by getting to a bathroom where Dean can’t see you as you try to calm the fuck down.

It was too close. It’s always too close with the Winchesters. God, you could just kill Dean for throwing himself in front of you like that. If he hadn’t moved at the last second, the spirit you were hunting could have broken his neck instead of his arm, and you’re so angry at him for making you imagine what could have happened.

“My arm isn’t broken,” he protests. “It’s my shoulder. Just need you to pop it back in place and then I can stitch you up.”

“I’ve never done that before,” you admit quietly, not wanting to seem weak. You want Sam and Dean to trust you, even though you’re relatively new at this.

“I’ll talk you through it.” He’s quiet for a minute. “For fuck’s sake, pull over. I need this over with and you’re bleeding all over my damn car.”

You do as he says, pulling over down a two-track, hoping you won’t attract any attention this far out of town. You ignore the way your hands are shaking and hope he does too. You fumble with the seat belt before you can get out of the car, rushing over to the passenger side to help Dean out.

“I got it, I got it.” He says, trying to shrug you off, but you don’t let him, pulling him out of the car with his good arm.

Once he’s standing there, you watch as his eyes grow more and more concerned. You’re embarrassed to realize there are tears rolling down your face, the adrenaline from the hunt and all the other emotions from the day plus your injury catching up to you. “Hey, hey. None of that.” Dean murmurs, extending his hand towards you like he wants to reach for you.

“I can’t do this,” you say, eyeing his arm.

“Sure you can. Just try not to look at it.”

You snort. “Yeah. Good idea, genius.”

He smirks. “There’s that smile. Come on - the sooner you help me, the sooner I can help you.”

“Just… don’t let me hurt you. It already looks awful, I couldn’t stand it if I--”

“You won’t hurt me. Well, not much.” He grins. “Come on. You’re going to put your left hand, here,” he puts your hand on his bicep, “And you’re going to hold my wrist, here,” he gestures for your other hand. “As quick and as firm as you can, push up and in.”

“Dean--”

“Look, just… quick as you can, okay? Easy. You can do this.” His eyes are so earnest, so… sure. He’s got nothing but trust for you, and you don’t want to let him down.

“Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He smiles again. “Count of three.”

You nod. Dean counts, and after ‘three’, he sucks in a deep breath and you do just as he told you, trying not to look as you jolt his shoulder back into place. He lets out a sharp groan, his opposite hand going to grip his shoulder, his hand landing on top of yours. “Son of a bitch,” he says through grit teeth.

“Dean?”

He’s shaking his head. “Fine, you did fine. It’s just-- it hurts. I’ll be okay. Thank you.”

“Nothing to it,” you joke, cracking a smile.

Dean rotates his shoulder a few times, tentatively, and then he’s moving, opening the trunk with one hand. He digs around for a few seconds before he pulls out a battered first aid kit. “Let’s see that hand.” He’s so, so gentle as he takes your hand. “Okay, any numbness?”

You’re quiet, and he frowns. “Sweetheart, you have to be honest with me, okay? Can you feel this?” He squeezes the tips of your fingers hard, and you flinch a little, the sensation causing your cut to burn. “Good. That’s a good sign.”

“They are a little numb… tingly.” You tell him.

“Open your hand as wide as you can and then close into a fist. If everything’s okay, it should hurt like a motherfucker.” He grins.

“Dean--”

“Hey.” He ducks down a little bit to meet your eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“You know I do.”

Something flashes in his eyes quickly before a tiny smile shows up on his lips, and for a minute you’re struck by how you don’t remember ever being with him like this before. It’s always jokes and sarcasm and cursing. This is more… intimate.

“Then do me a favor, yeah? Just… shut up and let me help you, would you?” The words are without heat, and you can’t help but laugh.

Once you curl your hand up and release it, you’re crying again, but Dean doesn’t say anything. He frowns. “We really should stop somewhere with a real bathroom and some light so you don’t end up looking like Frankenstein’s monster.” His lips quirk up.

“Nerd.”

He looks offended. “Just for that, I’m not buying you any pizza.”

You drive to the nearest motel. Your hand throbs, but you’re ignoring it, just trying to get you two somewhere in one piece. Dean goes into the office with a fake smile and a fake credit card to get you a room, and comes back out looking more tired than you can ever remember seeing him.

“Come on,” he says, “I need a drink and a bed, and you need stitches.”

Inside, Dean helps you wash your hand carefully, the soap stinging as it brings fresh tears to your eyes. “I don’t know why I’m crying so much.”

Dean raises an eyebrow as he pats your palm dry. “Long day.”

Back in the main area of the room, you both sit on the edge of the bed and he wordlessly hands you a bottle of whiskey he fished from somewhere in the Impala. He cracks open the top as you hold onto the bottle, and then take a long swig.

The burn is pleasant, replacing the tingling in your fingers with warmth.

“This is going to hurt a bit,” he says, pulling a needle and thread out of the first aid kit. He starts slowly, but the tug and pinch of it has you wincing. “Talk to me. It’ll keep your mind off it.”

“Talk about what?”

“I don’t know. Anything. Your favorite cereal, I don’t care.”

You snort. “Can we talk about why you jumped in front of me like that?”

A small pause in his stitches.

You continue, “Because if you hadn’t, your shoulder would be fine.”

He stops, his eyes meeting yours. “You had a knife thrown at you by something we couldn’t see. What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and wait for the next one to hit you?”

“I don’t know, I just… I don’t like that you took a hit like that for me.”

His hands still. “Look, that’s the deal you make when you hunt with me and Sam, okay? I’m not--” He stops himself, looking like he’s debating if he should say what he’s thinking. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you if I can help it.”

He goes back to his task, concentrating so hard his tongue pokes out of the corner of his mouth as he works. You’re both quiet, and you’re hoping you haven’t totally stuck your foot in it. It’s not like you don’t like that Dean was there to watch your back. He’s right - the same knife that slashed you when it was ripped out of your hands by some ghost and then chucked at you could have killed you if he hadn’t been there. But you want him to think you’re capable. You don’t want to be a damsel in distress, no matter if Dean’s the one playing the White Knight.

“There-” he says, “All set. Let me get you a bandaid.” He stands, rummaging around in the first aid kit until he comes up with a small package, handing it to you. “A big bandage would be better to keep this clean, but it’s all we’ve got.”

“It’s fine. Thanks, Dean.” You say, still feeling uncomfortable after your short conversation.

A few hours and a large pizza later, you’re both full, a little drunk, and comfortable in the large bed, your shoulder knocking against his as you struggle to turn onto your side to look at him.

“You need help over there?” He asks, amused.

“Hand hurts,” you mumble, leaning into him a little more than you would if you were totally sober.

“Let me see,” he says, taking your hand and peeling back the bandaid. You can’t get over how gentle his touch is. For someone who’s normally so rough around the edges, he touches you like you’re something precious, and it has your heart beating double time in your chest. “I think you’ll live,” he murmurs, and you’re suddenly so aware of how close you are to him, your head swimming a little as you subtly inhale the scent of him.

It happens so quickly, you’re not sure who initiates it, but the next thing you know, Dean’s got a large hand on the side of your face, barely touching you as his lips brush yours once, and then twice as he exhales and deepens the kiss. He deepens it quickly, making you practically melt into him before he pulls back, breathing heavily.

His eyes are still closed, brows furrowed, and you know what he’s going to do.

“We’re drunk.” He whispers.

“I know,” you say sadly. “Doesn’t mean--”

“Just--” his hand is back on the side of your face, “Don’t say anything. Not right now. It’ll keep.”

You’re a little hurt, trying to figure out if this is a rejection, but you’re so tired and your hand is throbbing. You’re not sure you could stay awake to press him on this even if you really wanted to.

“Fine,” you mutter, rolling over onto your side, facing the wall.

You can practically feel Dean’s eyes boring into the back of your head as he struggles to get comfortable, but soon his breathing evens out and you let your own eyes slip shut, too.

“Sweetheart, wake up.” A hand shakes your shoulder, and you jolt awake, propping yourself up with your bad hand before you realize what you’re doing. You yelp in pain, and Dean’s there, his concerned face the first thing you see when you remember where you are. “Easy, easy.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s the middle of the night. You were having a nightmare.”

You rub your good hand over your face, trying to wake yourself up. Somehow you’re in the middle of the bed, Dean basically having no room at all. “Sorry,” you mumble, “Your shoulder?”

He shrugs. “Hurts. I’m okay. Are you…?”

“Fine.”

It’s dark in the room, but you can just make out his face, his green eyes full of worry and… regret? It’s hard to tell. The air is thick with awkwardness and you just want to go back to bed and sleep off what’s sure to turn into a massive hangover by morning.

“Look, about earlier…”

“You really don’t have to do that.” You tell him quickly.

“I don’t regret it.”

You’re a little stunned. Not what you expected him to say.

“I just… you’re too important for me to mess this up by doing something when we’re drunk, or coming off a hard hunt, and I…” he trails off, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I just-- I don’t want you to think I regret it. That’s all.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

He smiles weakly. “You wanted to know why I would jump in front of you like that.” He shakes his head. “Seeing you in trouble like that… it scared the shit out of me.” He leans over to brush your hair out of your face. “I guess I sorta like you, kiddo.”

You grin. “Sort of, huh?”

He rolls his eyes. “It’s two in the morning. Cut me some slack.”

“Nah, you like that I keep you on your toes.”

A smile. “Yeah. I do. Go back to sleep. We’re not getting out of this bed until sunrise.”

“Sounds good to me. Really good.”

A kiss to your forehead that leaves you feeling warm all over is the last thing you feel before you drift off to sleep, Dean’s hand in your good one.

#dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #spn reader insert #sixtysevenandwhiskey

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werdegasts · 5 years

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Okay, hit me with a dream cast for a classic horror movie! Any horror movie, pre-existing or not, hit me with those casting choices!

skfnshndb ok, mandatory disclaimer though that i’m a fool in a man’s shoes. nevertheless! here are some things sorta resembling dreamcasts

doctor x: but with glenda farrell in lee tracy’s role. IDEALLY ideally still with the romance subplot but i’d so take a version where they power-of-friendship thru it all too. also, if i was recasting the xavier institute doctors, john carradine and oskar homolka in there somewhere

dracula: you know what. we need a round table discussion on who should’ve played lucy’s suitors if they’d stayed in

frankenstein: george e. stone as “'victor moritz”’ (that name choice remains baffling). justification: i really like his scenes with mae clarke in ‘the front page’ (as earl and molly; >> their hgf actors imo!) in ‘the front page’, also he’s great (and almost unrecognisable) in ‘the vampire bat’. maybe, instead of an ersatz-clerval & spare love interest for elizabeth, 'victor’ could be an ernest/william(/justine) composite younger relative chara, probably meeting the latters’ fates.

kathleen burke in a 40s noir-horror. she could & should have played fab leads; 'murders in the zoo’ is more than proof of that!! as for actual dreamcasting, maybe as thea in ‘isle of the dead’ (my favourite of the less-praised rko-lewton movies, at least atm). i think if the ensemble cast were a little better balanced, the horror of thea’s situation should have been a centerpiece. her experience and pherides’ compliment and comment on one another. she’s threatened by the weight of others’ suspicions of her, a hostile micro-society; his standing & standards for himself create a trap of his own making, literalised when he imposes the quarantine in which they’re then forced together. you can see the same thread elsewhere, fulfilled to varying extents. stone and merriam in ‘the ghost ship’, and sims and nell bowen in ‘bedlam’ are prob the strongest examples, but i find thea most interesting because like irina (in cat people, not curse)/jacqueline/clo-clo, she too is classified as threat, mired in death, source or contaminant of ancestral supernatural destruction. and she…survives? (wow, tangent. i should’ve made a diff post for this)

son of frankenstein: of all the almost-happened castings to choose from, i really wonder about peter lorre’s version of wolf von frankenstein. & then if they’d had basil rathbone for gof, instead of inventing ludwig. vaguely related: basil rathbone should’ve played a lead in one of the corman/poe movies - he’s great in the 'the facts in the case of m valdemar’ section of 'tales of terror’

dracula’s daughter: feat. a flashback prologue & bela! probably made a few years earlier. as for dreamcasting; lil dagover, in a world where she stayed in hollywood after 'the woman from monte carlo’ in '32, as marya’s mother/mentor/ ❔ ❔

non-preexisting

here’s my galaxy brain take: universal DOCTOR FAUSTUS adaptation, as a bela lugosi and boris karloff collab (lbr, secretly this dwells in the hearts of all ‘the black cat’ (and ‘the raven’) stans). leaning towards boris as faustus and bela as mephistopheles but the reverse would also SLAP. since time and audience expectations are a flat circle the play already has the exact kind of irrelevant comic relief characters you would expect - so like. wallace ford as wagner. zita johann (hedy lamarr??) is there as helen of troy for all of 5 seconds and she glares at everyone then leaves. ideal

hashtag premake: VAL LEWTON’S CORALINE

i have one whole suggestion for a Modern Remake, naturally feat 0 casting ideas: 'the black room’, but gregor and anton are women. possibly gregor has a whole elizabeth bathory thing going on - if so, both of them eventually die by drowning instead of stabbing. lots about Doubles Fear + performance and violence of beauty + mirror images (true/false/same/different/self/voyeur) + treatment of disability etc

#MESS #reel talk #OH ALSO egr should've done Horror Movies horror movies.#the hole in the wall and night has a thousand eyes are VERY good adjacent content but nevertheless

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bippityboppitybabe · 6 years

Text

Good Fortune (Part III)

Summary: A regency-era romance, loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice. Peter Parker, the prodigy of Lord Stark, meets the reader at a country ball.

Pairing: Human!Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 1924

Author’s Note: Last part! I can hardly believe this is real!! Thank you guys so much for reading, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank you enough. Hope you all have enjoyed :)

Disclaimer: Obviously I don’t own Pride and Prejudice, nor the photos that I used to make the aesthetic. Credit belongs to Jane Austen and the photographers.

Part One ● Part Two ● Part Three

Miss. Y/L/N,

The trip to London was wholly uninteresting, the Barton siblings, while kind and considerate, don’t make the most interesting travel companions. I failed to convince them to stop at various towns and attractions, and so I managed to finish your suggested book. I found it very interesting, although I doubt the realism of the subject matter. A man, hiding his wife from all civilization? It seems barbaric, at the very least cruel. May I suggest the novel Frankenstein, if you are unable to secure a copy I would happily send mine.

I hope things are still well, and give your family my thanks once more for their hospitality. I cannot express my gratitude for not only the board, but also the delicious breakfast your mother orchestrated. In related news, I was glad to hear Doctor Stephen gave Miss. Watson a good prognosis-- there is word in London she may be joining her Aunt here in London next season.

It’s raining here, as it often does, but I don’t find it nearly as charming as in the country.

Cordially,

Mr. Peter Parker

Dear Mr. Parker,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, and the weather has improved since we last spoke. I hear sometimes the sun breaks through in London-- perhaps the light is more special because it is so precious. Everything remains calm here; my dear sister, Miss. Rose Y/L/N, continues to charm every person who walks in her path. My parents have decided to send her to London for the season with Miss. Watson... perhaps you will see each other. My brother remains as dedicated as always, he’s begun following my father on his duties to prepare for his inheritance of the property. My mother and father remain in good health, and were most disappointed that you were never able to come around for dinner; I’m sure the invitation stands if you find yourself in the county. Miss. Watson continues to recover from her injury, but is in good spirit and remains in good health otherwise.

Things in the county have slowed down considerably with the changing of the seasons, many families opt to stay within their properties during the cold weather-- and even then they remain within the home to stay warm. I fear my own family with attack each other unless we have a day with nicer weather sometime soon.

The book you recommended was very thoughtful, I can certainly say I’ve never read a book like it. I feel it has several layers-- at the top, the story of a man and the monster he created… but as you delve further perhaps the Dr. Frankenstein represents the folly of man and the mess we are creating? Either way, I devoured the book within a night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you once again for sending your personal copy, but I’m afraid you may never get it back.

Well, I’m afraid I rambled so much I’ve run out of paper. Again, I hope this letter finds you in good health and I pray you have pleasant weather (and interesting company) in the coming months.

Respectfully,

Miss. Y/L/N

Dear Miss. Y/L/N,

I must insist you call me Peter. Thank you for sending your recipe for lemon-poppy scones-- I’ve forwarded it to my Aunt and I’m sure I’ll be hearing your praises soon enough. I also received your new recommendation, but I’m afraid I haven’t yet finished it; although I can say I quite like the Mr. Darcy character. But are all mothers the same as Mrs. Bennett? I find it… difficult to believe.

As for the weather, I can’t say it improved much. It’s still rainy, London still smells, and I find myself longing for the freshness of the countryside once again. While I am no doubt charmed by life in the city, and I enjoy having everything conveniently available, there is something to be said about simplicity and the comforts of a home. I’m hoping to make my way back during the springtime, perhaps you’d be willing to meet.

There were a few warm days last week, I hope your family took advantage of the weather and your spirits have improved. I understand the depression that often falls on a house during winter, as my Aunt and Uncle’s house were no exception. I remember going nearly insane when I was a child-- so much so, my Aunt would often send me outside on meaningless missions for the sole purpose of relieving herself from my presence.

I’m currently putting together the house for a visit from Lord and Lady Stark; they are visiting their London home for the holidays, and they have graciously agreed to host my Aunt May for the remainder of the season. It’s been nearly a year since I last saw her, and I find myself in desperate need of her familiar company. The anniversary of my Uncle Ben’s death is approaching, and I am realizing now, more than ever, how important family is.

I hope your family has an enjoyable holiday season, and please call me Peter.

Fondly,

Peter

Dear Mr. Peter,

You give too much; I’m afraid the gift I sent you will not hold a light to the beautiful collection you sent me. I’ve been attempting to savor each book, but I fear I will have read each of them several times before spring if I continue at my current rate.

I extend my deepest condolences concerning your Uncle-- loss of a loved one stings more sharply during the holidays. It’s as though the joy and celebration reminds you that they will not be joining you. I’m very glad you had the opportunity to spend time with your Aunt, you were right when you said family is important. Even though mine may drive me to insanity, I would do anything for them.

You’ll be pleased to hear Miss. Watson has made a full recovery from her injury, it will take some work but I predict she will regain her full range of movement in the wrist. She’s terribly excited to be doing the season in London, and I do hope you’ll look out for her.

If you are able to visit the county during the spring, please do let me know. I would love to share my favorite springtime spots with you. Although, I would not be surprised if your duties increased as the weather improved. I also imagine Lord Stark will ask for your companionship during the season-- while I do not have all the details of your relationship, I can sense he is quite fond of you.

As for your name, I find myself only able to compromise, Mr. Peter-- perhaps one day I will brave enough to call you by your Christian name.

With affection,

Miss. Y/N

Dear Miss. Y/N,

Many thanks for the pressed flowers you sent, they were a much needed reminder of the warmer days to come. My Aunt May gives you her regards, she loved the scone recipe and has requested any cake recipes you may have in your repertoire.

I’m pleased to say I’ll be visiting in the coming weeks, please await my upcoming invitation. I find myself quite anxious to see you again, Miss. Y/N.

Yours,

Peter

Clutching the piece of paper in your hands, you reached down and pulled the edges of your skirt higher-- attempting to keep the hem out of the dewy grass. Behind you, the sky was just beginning to turn blue in the morning light. You took a deep breath, pausing at the top of the hill and looking down at the house below you.

It was silly, but you were unable to stay away. Mary had sent word that her brother saw Lord Brighton house being opened, as well as the arrival of several carriages. So, under the guise of flower collecting, you made your way to the property-- just to see if the rumor was true. You had no intention of approaching the property, and you knew how to stay out of sight.

“He’s here.” You whispered to yourself, unable to stop the smile as you watched people moving quickly around the property. “He’s actually here.”

You tucked Mary’s letter in your pocket, taking in the house for a moment longer before turning around-- almost skipping as you walked through the field of wildflowers. You laughed, spinning in a circle and clutching your heart.

Over the past 10 months, you and Mr. Peter had continued a steady correspondence-- each letter longer and more detailed than the last. You were positive your family knew about the letters, but, blessedly, it appeared your father had intervened on your behalf; your mother and sister granting you privacy as you quietly began courting.

Somewhere along the way, it became obvious the two of you were serious-- but you couldn’t bring yourself to travel to London and visit him. You were afraid the bubble would pop, and Mr. Peter would turn out to be like all the other men who lived in the city. However, his last letter promised his impending visit… and you held the secret hope in your heart that he wouldn’t leave without you by his side.

“Surely you weren’t planning on leaving without at least saying hello.”

It felt as if every part of your body skipped a beat-- not just your heart. Your mind, your lungs, your blood… it all stopped. Turning slowly, you watched as a familiar figure appeared over the crest of the hill where you were just standing.

“Peter!” You yelled, unable to stop yourself as you ran towards the man-- laughing with joy as you fell into his arms. He wrapped his arms around you, spinning you until your feet left the ground; his own laughter joining yours. “Oh, Peter. I heard you were here and I couldn’t wait a moment longer… I had to see for myself.”

“Y/N,” He whispered, setting you down gently on the ground as his eyes searched your face. “You’re even more wondrous than I remember.”

You smiled up at him, his eyes softening as he looked at you. “And you are more surprising than ever, Peter. What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

He swiped a thumb across your cheek, wiping away a tear you didn’t feel falling. “I couldn’t wait to see you a moment longer, Y/N. I had to ask.”

Your heart fluttered painfully, beating so fast you feared you would fly. “Ask me what, Peter?”

“My love, my heart, and my soul-- they all belong to you. Every heartbeat, every thought, every breath… you have consumed me, Y/N. In every way shape and form, I am yours. Become my wife, Y/N. Marry me.”

For a moment, you couldn’t speak. Slowly, you reached a hand up to cup his cheek. Standing on your tiptoes, you hovered your lips over his, “Yes. A million times yes.”

Peter leaned into your lips, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you close to him. The two of you pulled away, smiling at each other like fools.

“You have made me the happiest man.” He whispered, bringing his hands to cup your face. “I promise you the world and a life of joy, Y/N”

Covering his hand in yours, you felt as if you could float away from your joy. “Don’t you make promises you can’t keep, Mr. Parker.”

He smiled, touching his forehead to yours. “Never.”

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davidcarner · 7 years

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Chuck and Sarah vs The Breakup Ch 7, Beautiful With You

A/N: I didn't realized I hadn't updated this one in awhile, so I began to work on it, and then I realized why…Jill. It's such a shame, I like Jordana Brewster, but this character….yeah. So I'm condensing Fat Lady and Gravitron into one, just to get it over with. I'm beginning to realize I'm really about to leave cannon completely with the changes I've made because obviously there's no Prague, no Shaw, no Hannah, none of that stuff. Bryce's return should be fun….hehehe…okay, on with this chapter before Mojo01 hunts me down. He needs his laugh quota. Today's chapter title is inspired by Halestorm. Ch 7, Beautiful With You

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, or Halestorm, but I do own a guitar…that I can't play…I am beautiful with you…You want me for myself…Look at me like no one else…

Sarah smiled at Ellie as she leaned up against the counter at Carmichael Solutions.

"If you look any happier you might explode," Ellie said. Sarah just beamed. John started into the kitchen when he saw Ellie and paused. "Any more bugs in my house, John?" she asked. John shook his head and scampered off.

"Five bucks says he send Morgan in here to get his coffee," Sarah said.

"Perhaps I should talk with him," Ellie said. Sarah laughed.

"He's not happy with Chuck and I right now," Sarah said, a grin on her face. Ellie perked up. Sarah looked around to make sure Chuck was nowhere nearby. "The last mission, we thought we were poisoned, so we jumped in the shower to wash off whatever we could."

"Makes total sense," Ellie said.

"Chuck took off all his clothes," Sarah began and Ellie's smile lit up. "I asked him last night why, and he said he didn't know he shouldn't. He thought he was doing the right thing, I've seen him naked, so, what the heck."

"Again, perfect sense," Ellie said.

"So, Chuck's thinking we're going to die, he's naked, washing me all over, and…" Sarah trailed off.

"And Bob's your uncle," Chuck said, walking in. "Really you have to tell my sister?" Chuck asked.

"I am the physician of this team," Ellie said.

"Co," Chuck said. "And don't you deal more with brains."

"We both know you weren't using your brain right then," she said. Chuck blinked and went back to his coffee. "Casey walked in?" Ellie asked Sarah. She nodded.

"Yes, he got to see my backside, and yelled something about brain bleach," Chuck said. Ellie was crying she was laughing so hard. "But, it gets worse. My diabolical, sexy girlfriend convinced Beckman that Morgan has to be protected, so he's moving in with Casey. That should also help keep Jill from trying to sleep with him, I hope."

"She's bad news," Ellie said.

"Speaking of protection," Sarah began, and Chuck and Ellie both looked at her a little wide-eyed. "Not like that," she said. "Ellie, I need you to look into seeing about getting Chuck some physical skills loaded into the Intersect. He's not going in the field, but if he could protect himself…" Sarah trailed off. Ellie was nodding.

"That makes sense," Ellie agreed, thinking. "Plus, I want to see you flash while you're hooked up so I can scan your brainwaves. I want to make sure there is no damage and make sure it's as smooth as possible. What about physical training? Knowing how is no good if the muscles can't keep up."

"I'm going to be working with him on that part," Sarah said. "We're going to train and spar. Plus I may get Devon to help us. Part of me thinks we should have opened a gym, but I guess Mr. Computer nerd over here would look out of place."

"Hey, the nerd has feelings," Chuck said.

"We're all quite aware," Ellie replied. Morgan came in to get coffee, and Ellie and Sarah began to laugh. "Hey, why don't you come down to the lab and I run some baseline sequences on you?" Chuck shrugged and followed Ellie. He jumped when something hit his backside.

"Sarah, careful," Chuck said.

"Your sister is aware of what we're doing," Sarah said, smiling.

"Not that, you don't want to damage the Intersect," Chuck said. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Chuck, the Intersect is not in your ass," Sarah said, smirking.

"It would explain a lot if it was," Casey said, walking by.

"How does he do that?" Chuck asked.

}o{

Chuck found himself hooked up to a bunch of machines with multiple nodes sticking out of him.

"Did I tell you I once had a dream that you were a modern day Frankenstein?" Chuck said.

"You do mean the doctor, and not Frankenstein's monster?" Sarah replied.

"You know how much I love it when you talk literary nerd to me," Chuck said. Sarah played with the curls that were available to her.

"You mentioned a Fibonacci sequence earlier, what exactly is that?" Sarah asked.

"Tsk, tsk, did you sleep during those classes at Harvard?" Chuck asked.

"I may have been saving the world with the CAT Squad," she said. Chuck flashed. "He's flashing, Ellie!" she yelled.

"Wow!" came Ellie's response watching the monitors.

"Wow!" Chuck said, looking at her. She gave him a wink and leaned down.

"I have that suit at home," she whispered. Chuck's eyes glazed over.

"Sarah, easy," Ellie called. "And don't tell me you didn't do anything, his prefrontal cortex just shut down."

"Sorry, Ellie, I was just playing with my Chuck," she said, grinning.

"Sarah," she said warningly. "Now I know how Chuck feels around me and Devon," she muttered.

}o{

"So it was fruit punch?" Jill asked.

"Rootin' Raspberry flavored Hi-C to be exact," Ellie said, still not comfortable with Jill being there. "I had it run on the mass spectrometer just to be safe."

"Guy is very paranoid and always has crazy ways to even open emails," Jill explained. Chuck was looking at the box.

"High C as in a music?" Chuck asked, looking at the box. Casey cocked his head to the side, and let out a perfect note. The box opened.

"That is so impressive, dude," Morgan said. He turned to Jill. "Isn't that impressive?" She just shook her head, looking at him. Morgan had turned back to Casey. "Why don't you sing in the shower?"

"I do, I just haven't since you moved in," Casey said, shrugging. Morgan shook his head.

"No, no, no, John. You don't cage that heavenly voice on my account," Morgan said. Jill leaned in toward Sarah.

"Should I be worried?" she asked. Sarah shrugged.

"I would have said no, but now…" Sarah trailed off. "Don't let Ellie become single is the one thing I can tell you." Jill leaned away. "I hate this assignment," Jill thought to herself.

}o{

"I don't like this," Chuck said to Sarah.

"I'm not crazy about you doing all you did today," Sarah said. Chuck nodded.

"They had my little buddy, Sarah," Chuck began. After they had found the USB, Morgan and Jill were captured. Chuck called Sarah, with a plan, and she had approved it. The trade happened with no bloodshed and the assassin was captured. Jill asked Morgan to go out with her, and Morgan, having no good reason not to, did. Casey put a tracker on Morgan. Chuck didn't even want to know where it was.

"I know," Sarah replied. "I just didn't like it. I'm just glad you trusted me to tell me."

"I'm glad you listened," he said. Sarah smiled at him.

"Always, Chuck, always." She started to kiss him, when Casey groaned.

"Do you two have to break in everyplace you are together with your bodily fluids?" Casey asked.

"I'm pretty sure it was in the new agreement Sarah and I signed," Chuck said.

"Common spy problems, Casey," Sarah said. Casey grunted, and then grunted again. The second one got Chuck's attention. He looked up, saw Jill was Fulcrum, then saw her codename, Sandstorm, and flashed. Sarah looked at him, he nodded, and they all dashed out of the room without a word said.

}o{

"Don't worry, Jill, it happens to a lot of people," Morgan said. "Everyone just thinks it's easy, but then they try it, and they're so wrong."

"But I can dance!" Jill retorted, hating this assignment.

"But as we can see you can't Dance, Dance Revolution can you," he said smiling. Jill just stared at him. "Yeah, let me go get some ice for that ankle you twisted." Jill waved him off, and was stunned when Chuck crashed into Morgan.

"You're okay!" Chuck said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Morgan replied, confused. Chuck looked over at Jill.

"Oh, Jill was the one hurt," Chuck said, thinking fast. Casey and Sarah ran up behind Chuck, looking worried. "Calm down, guys," he said turning to them. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah, she only sprained her ankle," Morgan said slowly, trying to figure out what was going on. Sarah looked like she could cry and grabbed Morgan in her best Ellie simulated hug she could muster. When she let go, she looked as thought she was wiping tears from her face.

"But, how did they know I was hurt?" Jill asked.

"Well, you know Casey, he's worried about his little buddy," Chuck said. "You know, the way you broke my heart, he wants to be nearby. The big guy is worried." Casey wanted to throw up in his mouth, but he quickly gave Morgan a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he said, and shot Chuck a death glare where only Sarah and Chuck could see it.

"I can't save you from this," Sarah whispered.

"Totally worth dying for," Chuck whispered back. Casey let Morgan go, and walked off.

"I've got to get some ice," Morgan said, and Chuck walked away with him. When they were out of earshot for Chuck, he pulled out a phone. "This is Jill's phone, it got a text." Chuck looked at it, it said Have you heard from Uncle Tobias? – Mom, and he flashed. The flash let him read the code, Meet Leader, Urgent.

"Jill is Fulcrum," Chuck said, shaking his head.

"We know," Morgan replied.

"No, she's been confirmed," Chuck explained.

"Thank God, there was no way I was sleeping with her, man how did you stand her all those months," Morgan asked. Chuck gave him a look. "Sorry, bro," he said, realizing that was a bit of a shot. "Now I can get out of here." Chuck just looked at him. "NO, Chuck, no!" Chuck gave a tight smile. "You're lucky you're my best friend."

"Sarah said we get a Call of Duty night," Chuck offered. Morgan thought.

"Chance of dying by an enemy organization, or a Call of Duty night," Morgan said.

"On the big TV?"

"Sold!"

}o{

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked Chuck. They were in their apartment, after Jill had been taken back to her place. Morgan was with Casey, talking about the best way to prune a bonsai tree.

"You mean am I okay, that my former girlfriend works for a terrorist organization and my best friend is having to fake date her, while the tree of us just sit here and watch?" Chuck asked. Sarah gave him a tight smile. "No, I'm not, but you're here with me, and I know you'll watch him, just like you would me. So, that means he's safe." Sarah just stared at him, and Chuck was looking around again. "I swear you don't move anything, so I'm not 100% sure that noise is coming from you."

"Bartowski," she said, making Chuck's eyes go wide. "I'm going to need you to lock it in so I can focus." Chuck gulped. "Unless you can tell me something to stop…this…you need to stay quiet."

"Once this is over, you're going to owe Morgan several Call of Duty night," Chuck said.

"That's a start," she said.

"No, you don't understand, all four of us," Chuck said. Sarah blinked several times.

"You mean, Casey and I have to join you?" she asked. Chuck waited for the explosion, but what happened he wasn't expecting. "You mean," she said, laughing. "I get to watch you and Morgan constantly kill Casey in the game, while you go on about one of your sandwich debates?" Sarah was laughing so hard she was having trouble breathing. She had been sitting on the arm of the couch beside Chuck, but with that, she fell onto the couch, her head on his shoulder, guffawing. Chuck heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he yelled. Sarah was slapping his leg, while still laughing. Morgan walked in and he saw her. He held you his hand. Chuck leaned forward, Sarah fell behind him, still laughing. Chuck stood, pulled out his wallet and handed Morgan twenty bucks. "I still don't know how you got this right and I didn't."

"Simple," Morgan said. "In the past she has asked me to talk with you about sandwiches to keep you busy. I didn't know why, but at the time she was near tears laughing. Now I understand." Chuck turned to look at her, impressed with her deviousness.

"You are absolutely evil," Chuck said with a grin. Sarah, with tears streaming down her face and still laughing just nodded.

"Wait til April Fool's Day!" she said.

"I feel like your great romance with Casey is over," Chuck said. Sarah snorted and rolled her eyes. Morgan looked confused, so Chuck explained it to him. After he was done, Morgan was laughing, and then remembered why he was there.

"I just came to warn you, Ellie just burst into mine and John's apartment," Morgan said. Chuck looked confused. "The very Awesomes are coming." Chuck groaned. "Something about a cleaning team to your sister's apartment?" Chuck began to laugh.

"Does Ellie realize that you can't just misappropriate a cleaning team like that, and that's not really what one is for?" Sarah asked, sobering up. Chuck looked at her.

"You think John wants to cross Ellie, especially given the past few weeks?" Chuck asked. Sarah smiled.

"This assignment has turned out better than I thought," Sarah said.

"She also told John he needed to have them come up with a perfectly cooked Turkey, or he wasn't invited to Thanksgiving," Morgan said. "Casey tried to get her to uninvite me, but she said I was dealing with Jill, so there was no way." He paused and got a faraway look in his eye. "She still wants me."

"Buddy, you realize her future in-laws are coming," Chuck said. Morgan waved his hand.

"Minor details, Buddy, minor details," Morgan said going away to his Ellie happy place again.

"Doesn't that bother you a little knowing he's thinking of your sister like that?" Sarah asked softly. Chuck turned, gave her a look, and walked away. "I'm sorry," she called after him.

}o{

"I feel like this is all I ask you on this mission, but are you okay?" Sarah asked Chuck. Chuck ran his hand through his hair.

"You mean my ex-girlfriend trying to give us the slip and taking Morgan on a Farris Wheel ride the way I did her back at Stanford and then tried to hand her over to Leader, nah…all good," Chuck said.

"Two things, one, good work on figuring out where Morgan and Jill were, two, I know your all good's and that's not an all good," Sarah said. "Chuck, you wouldn't be you if this didn't bother you." Chuck turned to her.

"This is hard, because of what we are," he began. Sarah nodded and Chuck took a deep breath. "Her and I are so over, in fact, I'm not sure we ever were, because I may have been nothing more to her than a mission." Sarah pressed her lips together in silent agreement. "It still bothers me, and that bothers me. I am with the greatest woman I ever met, and yet this woman who has done nothing but cause me pain…." He looked up at her. "You deserve better than this, and I'm sorry."

"Wait, you're apologizing over how Jill is making you feel?" Sarah asked, stunned.

"Yeah, you don't deserve…Sarah? Not again!" Chuck said, hearing the low growl.

"Bartowski, you are hurting and you're worried about me!" she said, slowly walking toward her. Chuck started rolling back in his chair, but the wheel caught on something. He looked down, and by the time he looked back up, she had managed to straddle him. He gulped. "I've got something to make you forget her," she said as sultrily as she could. A minute later a door opened and Ellie walked in.

"Hey, Sarah, Oh! Excuse me!" she said. Sarah shot off her lap, and straightened her clothes. Chuck sat there, his mind gone. "What did he do?"

"He's worried about how it hurts me for him to be upset during this Jill mission," Sarah said. Ellie shook her head.

"Casey and Morgan have a location," she said. "You will be at Thanksgiving, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," Sarah said, grabbing Chuck's hand, pulling him up, and leading him off. Ellie just watched them go, and headed into the room with Jill.

}o{

"Chuck, you need to watch this," Sarah said, bringing up the footage while they were gone. They both watched as Jill, hooked to a lie detector test, told Ellie, that she did love Chuck, that what they had was real, and that she didn't cheat on Chuck with Bryce. Sarah stood there quietly.

"It doesn't matter," Chuck said shrugging.

"I mean she could fool the test, that's true," Sarah said. Chuck turned to her, smiling.

"No, it doesn't matter, I'm with the woman of my dreams, the woman of my future, and the woman I want to spend the rest of my days with," he said, grinning, and putting his hand to his ear. "I swear I-" Sarah pounced. Ellie and John walked in five minutes later.

"Chuck," John began. "Oh what the fresh hell, my eyes!" John screamed.

"I need brain bleach!" Ellie screamed as she and John ran out of the room together.

}o{

"Good work, Sarah," Beckman said during their debriefing. "This could have gone horribly wrong at many points." Sarah nodded in agreement.

"Without the relationship of trust and honesty he and I have been working on…" Sarah shook her head and looked away for a minute. "He could have let her go, hell, General, most civilians like him would have."

"Did you ever see a moment where you thought he would?" Beckman asked. Sarah shook her head. "Then I think it's time to take this to the next level." Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Obviously, it would be best if you didn't do seductions any longer, I believe it would impact Chuck negatively, plus it would affect his ability to access the Intersect," she said with a smile. Sarah gave a tight smile and nodded. "You need another female member, and I'm not sure which way to go. There are two candidates, but only one is currently available."

"Is it Carina?" Sarah asked, wincing. "She's my friend, General, but she's…"

"Unreliable?" Beckman offered. Sarah nodded. "No, Sarah, we won't be using her right now. She is unavailable, instead we are going to try a different agent, and she WILL report to you, have no doubt. Agent Alex Forrest will be joining the team. Let's not tell her about the Intersect until you are sure she can be read in with few problems." Sarah nodded. "Happy Thanksgiving, Sarah." And with that the screen went blank. Sarah left her apartment and made her way over to Ellie and Devon's.

"Where's the Very Awesomes?" Sarah asked.

"Couldn't make it," Chuck answered. "Instead we got to add Lester and Jeff."

"Oh, goody," she said. Chuck gave her a light shoulder bump and she chuckled. "We're getting a new member to help with missions, specifically ones that would negatively affect our asset and his special skill." Chuck grinned and pointed toward his head. She smiled and nodded. "Keep that special skill to your self right now, until she's read in." Chuck nodded. "Chuck, seriously, thank you, that mission could have gone wrong so many ways."

"Sarah, thank you, for being there with me every step of the way, because without you…I probably done something stupid," Chuck admitted. Sarah smiled.

"I'm really liking my new permanent assignment," she said.

"I hear the asset is enjoying it himself," Chuck said. He turned to her. "I despise you, Sarah Walker." She gave him a quick kiss.

"I despise you," she replied.

"Break it up, you two," Casey grumbled as he walked by.

"He's jealous," Chuck loud whispered to Sarah. "I heard him tell Morgan he's never been happier with a building in his life." Sarah shook her head.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Nerd." Sarah said, shoulder bumping him.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Sarah," Chuck said, kissing her forehead and pulling her close.

A/N: …Does it make it weak if you're needing someone I'm not hold back and I know what I want…Til next time!

#Chuck #Sarah #Charah #Chuck and Sarah vs The Break Up #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff

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