#paloma and turner are older than her

[skyhawkstragedy]

does this make Cory the first HG to be born AFTER BBUS premiered?

[tigerlilynoh]

Job & Family DS:Aftermath - Dean & the Agents

Words: 2,964 Spoiler warning:  Contains spoilers for the end of Job & Family.

10/02/2011

Dean was sitting alone in a booth at one of his favorite diners.  He'd ordered his lunch and was skimming through the newspaper, trying to find the local interest stories after reading several disheartening pieces like speculation on Japan’s forced evacuation of Hachijō-jima island.  In general he tried to pay attention to what was happening in the world, but with so many small scale events he had to focus most of his attention on things that hit closer to home.  He was just about to give up and turn to the comics section when two men nearly middle aged men in official looking suits slid into the booth across from him.  

“Fellas, I don't know what you're-”

“I'm Agent Reyes,”  The older of the two introduced himself, then nodded to his partner.  “and this is Agent Barcelos.”

“We need to have a word with you, Mr. Winchester.”

“If you really are FBI, then show me your badges.”  Dean said skeptically.  Despite not having impersonated a fed in over a year, he was pretty sure he could spot a fake badge.

“We aren't FBI.”  

The agents pulled their badges out of their coat pockets and pushed they across the table.  Dean’s stomach dropped as soon as he saw the badges.  In the almost two years since the power plant incident, he’d never had an encounter with the Department of Extranatural & Planar Affairs.  The fledgling agency was tasked with monitoring all things related to the supernatural within the United States.  He'd tried like hell to stay off their radar, yet they'd finally figured out who he was.  For the briefest of moments he’d considered trying to throw his coffee in their faces and making a run for it, but he quelled the fight & flight responses.

“Okay, you've made your point.”  Dean said quietly as he pushed the badges back toward the agents.  He came to that diner so often he knew all the servers’ names and how their kids were doing.  One of the last things he wanted was for word to get out that he'd been questioned by DEPA- the agents were counting on it.  “What do you want?”

“We just have a few questions.”  Reyes said as they put their badges away.

“I'm not sure I have any answers.”  Dean replied coldly.

“That's not a very cooperative tone.”  Barcelos nodded to the impala.  “If we were to search your car we wouldn't happen to find any unregistered weapons or artifacts, would we?”

“I'm retired.  Anything I still have is just for self-defense.”

“People like you do have a lot of enemies.”  Barcelos managed to turn the agreement into a threat.

“You're a law abiding civilian now.”  Reyes commented ambiguously as he pulled a small tablet from his jacket and began scrolling through something.  “You work as an automotive mechanic at Five Star Repair & Body.  You rent a room from Leroy McCollum-”

“Former hunter.”  Barcelos interjected.

“But you spend most nights with your boyfriend, a Giang Vo- I believe you call him Jeremy.”  Reyes paused a beat to let the numerous unspoken threats sink in.  “We'd just like to have a nice little chat and let you get back to your quiet little life.”

“Have you had any recent contact with angels?”  Barcelos pressed.

“No.”

“Think hard about how you want the next few minutes to go.”  Reyes cautioned.  “We know you've had contact with angels before.  We have witnesses that have placed you with a... Castiel on multiple occasions.”

“I haven't seen Castiel in months.  He used to come to me for advice on human customs, but as far as I know he hasn't been of Earth for a long time.”  Dean lied, then anchored it with some truth.  “He took some promotion or something based on Heaven.”

“What's the position?”

“He didn't tell me.”  Another lie.

“Where’d you get the scar?”  Barcelos pointed at the cut across Dean's forehead.

“I got mugged.”

“And you didn't report it to the police?”  Reyes candidly baited him.  They all knew he didn't want to risk unnecessary interactions with law enforcement.

“I don't want to be a bother.”  

“If you're friends with an angel, why not get it healed.”  Reyes took another jab at him, trying to break free some details.

“I like the way it looks.”  Yet another lie.  Seeing the scar was one of his triggers- reminding him of Dee, making him worry about the uncertain future, & stirring up feelings of guilt for lying to Jeremy about it.

“Where's your brother?”  Barcelos tried to blindside him.

“He’s dead.”  

Dean didn't have to pretend to feel hurt & anger at answering questions about Sam.  These were some of the people that could be most dangerous and least open minded to the actual situation.  The idea that they were interested in Sam was legitimately upsetting.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Heaven sent one of their angels down, Castiel, to let me know- next of kin and all, that one of the rogue angels killed him.”  There had been hundreds of humans killed by angels in the week or so leading up to the sixty fifth seal breaking.  It wasn't a completely far fetched story.

“What do you know about the Indian Point One incident?”  

They were asking about the fight at the power plant.  He'd managed to dodge being questioned on that so far, but it made sense that it'd come up as soon as he was discovered.  As far as he knew there wasn't any evidence of him or Sam left at the scene, though in an attempt to find Sam during his imprisonment Sam’s photo had been released to the media.  Despite a lack of evidence connecting the events, the timing was suspicious and the DEPA was apparently running down their fresh lead no matter how tenuous.

“I saw it on the news.  It looks like you guys have a demon problem.”

“Speaking of demon problems, any idea why the angel killed your brother?”  Barcelos’ upper lip curled into almost a snarl as he spoke, hinting at some underlying hostility towards maybe demons- maybe Sam.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You know that he was a psychic, right?”  Reyes stated more than asking.

“He was working with demons.  He killed humans.”  Barcelos tagged in.  “Rumor is that he was supposed to be in charge of a demon army-”

“A lot like the army at Indian Point One-”

“I don't give a fuck who you people-”  Dean snapped, but the distinctive click of a gun being cocked stopped him.  One of the agents was aiming at him under the table.  Dean slowly placed his palms on the table top and took a deep breath.

“We just want to talk.  This doesn't have to become anything more than that.”  Reyes assured, but it was cold comfort until the gun was safetied & holstered.  “We’re investigating some very dangerous creatures and we will get the information we need.  You can politely answer a few more questions, or we can arrest you for unregistered hunting.  Minimum sentence is three years in the Black Box.”

The Black Box was the nickname for five different maximum security prisons that had recently been retrofitted to accommodate inmates & defend against attackers who were proficient with magic & interplanar travel.  On top of being a jail that actually might be able to hold him, there were two more serious concerns.  Rumor was that the prisoners weren't segregated, meaning that former hunters were intermixed with witches, werewolves, & any other creature that was deemed close enough to human to not be killed upon capture.  This meant that a significant number of “accidents” befell hunters on the inside.  The other concern was that it appeared prisoners were routinely interrogated for information on other potential violators.  He didn't doubt his ability to endure torture, but the experience would certainly reset his PTSD from Hell back to a devastating point.

“Do you have any idea how much leeway we have to investigate unregistered hunters?”  Reyes continued.  “We can take apart your work, your home.  You stay at your boyfriend’s apartment enough, we could search that.  Heck, we could take your boy into custody while he's at his job.”

“I don't know what Sam was into.  He went hunting after some demon and got into the demonic stuff while we weren't talking.”  Dean thought his sincere fear must've been coming through because the agents were looking particularly smug & satisfied.  “It freaked me out when he started getting into that stuff.  We got into a fight.  I don't know anything after that.”

“Are you familiar with angelic vessels?”

“What…”  The agents must've mistook his shock that the deeply personal & dangerous subject came up for simple confusion because they didn't immediately hammer him with follow up questions.  He decided to roll with the perception.  “Are those like demon meatsuits, but for angels?”

“Okay,”  Unenticed, Reyes turned to the next line of questioning.  “we’re going to run some names by you and you just tell us if any of them ring a bell.”

“Rufus Turner.”  That was too easy, they were testing him.

“Old hunting acquaintance.  We did maybe four jobs together.  I haven't seen or heard from him in years.”

“Jody Mills.”

“She’s a sheriff over in Sioux Falls.  A few years ago I helped her with a few local emergencies-”

“Monsters?”  Barcelos pushed for clarification.

“Yeah.  She treats me to dinner any time I'm in the area.”

“Do you go out there often?”

“I have a friend who lives out that way.”

“You mean Robert Singer?”  Reyes asked while scrolling further down whatever list he was reviewing.

“The hunter.”  Barcelos added.

“Retired hunter.”  Dean lied for what felt like the hundredth time.

“It's funny how everyone's retired.”  Barcelos muttered.

“That's what happens when you start sending people to Guantanamo.”  Dean shot back.

“Don't be funny, it's not going to help you right now.”  Reyes warned.  “How about Amy Pond?”

“From Dr. Who?”  Dean raised his hands apologetically.  “Not being funny.  Just- are you sure that's a real name?”

“Alright.”  Reyes made a note on the tablet.  “Paloma Martens?”

“Never heard of her.”

Reyes sighed, made a few notes on his tablet, then looked at his partner.  After a few thoughtful seconds the agents exchanged nods of moderate satisfaction.  Reyes was about to wrap it up, Dean just wasn't sure if it'd end with a threat or an arrest.

“I don't need to tell you how important it is that you be forthcoming with us- about things that happened in the past, things going on right now, things that you hear might happen.  You see the way the new system works, it's people like us doing our job that keeps it so that people like you can keep your 9-5 & your Friday date nights at the Bottleneck.”  Dean could hear the pistol being uncocked, then saw Barcelos shift as he holstered the gun.  Reyes pulled a business card out of his pocket and placed it on the table.  “If you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, give us a call.”

It took all of Dean’s self control to not immediately leave the diner as soon as they left.  He tried to eat some of his meal, but he'd completely lost his appetite.  They were undoubtedly watching him, hoping that he'd run off to go warn the others and accidentally lead the agents to new targets.  After paying for his food, he calmly drove to the garage that he worked at, then spent the next ten hours systematically inspecting every inch of the impala looking for mundane or magical tracking or listening devices.  

After confirming that his car was clean he walked the block to where he was renting a room.  He didn't actually sleep there except for on rare occasions, it was just to help conceal the existence of the bunker.  Once he was in the bedroom with the door closed he once again searched for any sort of spying device.  As with the car it hadn't been tampered with.

Dean shoved the mess he'd made on the bed onto the floor, then laid down.  He wasn't sure what to do.  His natural impulse was to pack up the impala and run- go back to living on the road.  The thought made him want to throw up.  Shitty motels, bad food, long nights hustling pool, losing his handful of local friends, leaving Jeremy.  If he left the DEPA agents would almost certainly tell Jeremy about him- they'd probably threaten Jeremy trying to find him.  

He pulled the pillow down in front of his face and cried for a few minutes.  After collecting himself he prayed to Castiel, who appeared in the bedroom a minute later.

“Something’s wrong.”  Castiel said as soon as he saw the trashed room and Dean's pink eyes.

“I need you to go let the others know that the DEPA contacted with me.  I don't know how closely they're keeping track of me, but I can't call the family on my normal phone or any of that stuff.”

While he explained the situation, Dean grabbed a duffel bag from the closest.  He pulled up the floorboards under his desk, then started collecting his hidden stash of weapons & books.  After emptying the compartment in the floor, he dug through his nightstand looking for any charms he had.  He tossed all of the charms into the duffel except for the dreamless sleep charm he used to as part of his PTSD treatment.  Last, he yanked the sheet off his bed in order to reach a hole he'd cut into the side of his mattress.  He pulled out the envelope of recent photos of his family.  All of the pictures containing Sam, Dylaniel, Ruby, Kay, or his niece or nephews went into the duffel.

“I can take you to the camp.”  Castiel offered.

“I can't go- if I disappear now they’ll think I ran for it.  I won't be able to come back.”  Dean explained.

“I can at least acquire a new phone for you.”

“Thanks.”  Dean handed Castiel the duffel of incriminating objects.  “Also my car is at the shop.  Can you teleport in there real quick and clear out all of my hunting gear?  Take it back to the bunker or to the camp.”

“Of course.”

“Can you ask the gang to try to find out how bad this is?”  Depending on how closely he was being monitored he wouldn't be able to drive to the bunker or visit his family.  “And I told the agents Sam's dead- I think they were looking for him.  I don't know if they believed me.  And tell Bobby he's on their list of knowns along with Rufus- they're checking on Jody too.  And some alias Amy Pond and Paloma Martins or Martens or something- they might be some of Bobby's.”

“Are you okay?”  Castiel asked after physically stopping Dean's anxious pacing.

“No.”  

Dean walked back to the garage, picked up his newly contraband-free car, then drove to Jeremy's apartment.  As soon as he got inside the door, Dean hugged Jeremy tightly, trying to find some stability.

“It's almost 3.  What's wrong?”  Jeremy asked, hugging him back while rubbing his bleary eyes.

“Some guys threatened me- they were cops.”  He felt a morbid gratitude that Jeremy been manhandled by a cop a few years earlier and was naturally inclined to distrust them.  Half the time the news came on there was some story that would reinforce his perception that most of them were bullies.

“Did something happen?  Do you need a lawyer?”  

Jeremy let go of Dean for a moment to check for anything akin to a black eye.  Dean exhaled an emotionally exhausted sigh of mild amusement.  Jeremy did love trying to save his troublemaker of a boyfriend- that was probably the only reason he was as patient with Dean as he was.

“Nothing happened.  I don't need a lawyer.”  Dean rubbed his face.  “I'm just rattled.”

“Come on.”  Jeremy led Dean to the bed.  They climbed in with Dean still fully clothed and just held each other.  The thought of losing everything, especially moments like that made Dean cling to Jeremy while struggling to not cry again.  Jeremy started running his fingers through Dean's hair to help comfort him.  “You can stay with me as long as you need.”

“You aren't scared of harboring a fugitive?”  Dean joked weakly.

“Please, I've known for months about you evading your taxes- wait, you aren't wearing one of those ankle tracking devices, are you?  Do I need to do a strip search just to be safe?”  Jeremy playfully reached for Dean's belt.

“Thanks, but I'm a little too worn out for anything right now- I'm sorry.”

“Don't apologize.”  Jeremy wrapped his arms back around Dean, spooning him.  “Never apologize for telling me what's wrong.”

Dean opened his mouth, but hesitated.  As much as he wanted to tell Jeremy about everything that had gone on, it just felt like too much to ask of someone.  Jeremy was patient with his fuck ups, but knowing about the hunting & his family- especially with the DEPA potentially around.  Dean wanted to keep that mess as far away from Jeremy as possible.  Getting involved with that side of his life was a level of commitment Dean wasn't prepared to subject Jeremy to.

“Any chance you can go into work late tomorrow?”  Dean asked hopefully.  “I'll make you pancakes.”

“If you make them banana pecan pancakes I'll call in sick.”  Jeremy countered.

“Now who's the bad boy?”

“Still you.”

“Run away with me.”  Dean whispered, unsure if he was serious or not.

“I refuse to go on the lam for anything less that a felony.”  Jeremy kissed the back of Dean's neck.  “Get some sleep, everything's going to be okay.”

[skyhawkstragedy]

Also since I’m in Europe during finale night and not coming back to finish the drawings until well into October, imma give a rundown of what this season would look like as part of the Pokémon lore

All of them trained to be gym leaders but then there’s a special announcement that five of them will enter the League as the Elite Four and champion. (They end up being this season’s F5)

Paloma: Trained to be a gym leader but couldn’t find the right specialty since she seemed to be frantic with all of them 🙃 One day, she simply… disappeared. Some say she’s trying to break the simulation at the highest mountain.

Pooch: A Normal-type gym leader with a special but not so secret crush on Rock-type gym leader Joseph.

Ameerah: A Bug-type gym leader whose main motivation for choosing the type she has is that she wants to teach people to make the most out of the Pokémon they have.

Nicole & Daniel: Two hopefuls who mostly completed their training as Fighting and Poison type specialists respectively, but later defected and formed the sinister Team Old School. This team was meant to dismantle the changing status quo and ruin the reputations of the rest of the gym leaders.

Indy: A flowy Grass-type specialist who’s there for the vibes mostly. She has a passion for fashion and likes to give her quips on everything.

Jasmine: A Water-type gym leader who, similar to many before her, is ditzy and gives a lot of one-liners. She’s originally from the country which explains her quotes, and she loves food. Especially muffins.

Joseph: A Rock-type specialist who loves to work out and has more Pokémon than shirts. He’s seen by most as the eye candy of the hopefuls. He’s a chill individual who likes to float in the middle as to make himself believe that he can still improve further.

Kyle: A Ghost-type specialist with a love/envy relationship with Joseph. Similar to Valerie from Kalos, he’s a top influencer, mostly known as the thirst trap. He’s a tryhard, and he will do anything he can to make sure he comes out on top.

Also he’s in a situation ship with Alyssa but secretly he’s fighting for Taylor’s affection along with Joseph and Monte. I’m sorry I don’t make the rules 💅

Terrance: The old hag. A Ground-type specialist who acts like he’s too old for this shit. Why is he lumped in with a bunch of young people? Why is he the odd one out? This made him a bit bitter towards everyone.

Michael: A Fire-type specialist who can’t go anywhere without his precious Litten by his side. He’s known to be one of the most vicious competitors among the hopefuls. He sees Taylor as one of his best friends. Separately they may be Fire & Ice, but together they’re Sugar & Spice.

Alyssa: A ditzy, hopeless romantic. This Electric-type specialist aims to create sparks and find that special someone she can share them with. She believes that special someone is Kyle. He’s… way too much, but she’s into that for some reason.

Brittany: A Psychic-type specialist who has a knack for hypnotherapy. It’s kind of like a hobby to her. She’s a bit older than most of the hopefuls but that doesn’t stop her from conversing with them so she feels like she’s one with the pack.

Monte: A wild Steel-type specialist who wants to believe he’s the Jack of all trades. He works out frequently like Joseph and works on his internet following like Kyle. He’s Raihan from Galar with more facial hair.

Turner: Early into his training he chose the Dark type as a means to keep the balance. He thinks Dark type Pokémon are underutilized and he doesn’t want them or other hopefuls like him to fade into obscurity while stronger, more powerful types manage to steamroll. He’s sneaky, sleuthy, and a bit of a trickster. Jasmine will tell you all about that last bit.

Taylor: She’s the leading lady. The star of the show. Choosing Ice-type because it fit her last name, she wants to show the beauty of battling and that first impressions are always deceiving. She’s a pageant queen, first and foremost, and she carries herself with composure and poise, even at her most dire moments.