As they both get older and busier back home, it does become harder and harder to find time to hang out. In Itinere, that's not a problem and they tend to hang out together a good deal more. He nods at Sam's question. "Yeah. I don't have anything else planned." Sam's question about Castiel's humanity stumps Dean. "Uh...I don't know. I haven't ever asked him. I'm not even sure if you can wish for that sort of thing." Now that the question is out there though, Dean is considering it. Maybe he should ask Cas if he wished to be human or if he even wants to be human. He knows Cas seems to enjoy his human periods (with a few exceptions like the peeing) but he's never asked him specifically if he'd wanted to be human, only if he'd had a good time when he'd returned from Lucy's. He nods a little more certain. "Yeah. Guess I probably should." His brow furrows a bit. "I didn't think Lucy really did relationships, but it's not like I've gotten into that conversation with her." What he wants to say is Lucy sleeps around a lot, but he's also not entirely sure that's true lately. In fact, he's not seen Lucy with anyone besides Cas in a while.
When they get around to talking about the permanence of their relationship, she'll ask him about it because her immortality will come up. It'll be something to reassure her (and him).
At least finding out she's a demon and lacking a pulse will set his mind to ease about that.
John and Mary had agreed they'd wanted a traditional family with him going to work and her staying at home to rais the kids. Things are different here. He's got more time to change the pace of things and the kids are capable of cooking their own meals (Dean even makes a good deal of all of their meals). Mary is easily the best part of Itinere. Yes, he likes getting to know the boys outside of hunting, but he's not sure he'd want to do all of this without her. He'd been okay with his death and even his destination. He likes her hair a little shorter, which something he didn't think he'd ever say, but accidentally grabbing Ruby's ass thinking it was Mary had been damn disturbing. It's sexy on Mary (but then, most things are).
He doesn't have to coax much. She opens her hand to take his easily and his words bring an obvious understanding to her expression. "That makes sense. So maybe they were hunting both of them and this person wanted the other to know that they'd been there once they got caught." Okay, so it's bleak, but kind of sweet as well. Sam's question about the picture shakes Ruby out of that bleak thought. "Yes," she confirms and takes her own phone out (the lock screen is a selfie of Ruby and older Sam). She unlocks it with her thumbprint, flicks open the camera and leans in to take a couple of pictures, one without the flash and the other with it then shows it to Sam. "Good enough?" Taking pictures is something she's very good at doing with her phone. She takes a lot of them.
"Okay, we'll stop off there once we're done here. See what we can find and take it back to the bunker," Dean answers. Of course, if Sam wants to browse, he should probably just take Ruby there. Dean has been in the bookstore, but he doesn't enjoy wandering around it the way Sam does.
Dean scoffs at that. "The Indiana twins have very fond memories of me and I of them," he assures Sam. Probably not the answer he wanted.
It's something that's been felt since Sam was on his own to finish school and Dean was off helping their father hunt. In Itinere, there are some nights Sam brings the beer and other nights he does one better for Dean's health and brings along wieners to roast outside on the fire. "I'll hold you to that." Don't get him wrong; Sam trusts Dean, but he has seen plans not work out before. About Castiel, Sam can't ask him himself right now, so sorry about that Dean. "Oh. I guess... I guess I can ask him later what is new with him." Sam looks almost disappointed by Dean's answer but nonetheless accepting. It's more than likely if Dean doesn't ask those questions, Sam will. There's a lot he would love to know about the angel experience and the conversion experience from one being to another (in this case angel to human and back). "We should go see what they're up to," he decides (or helpfully injects). What Lucy is up to is of interest to him too.
He'll teach her everything that comes to mind. Though, technology changes all the time, it switches formats. The best thing he can tell her is to back memories up on every new format whilst keeping the old just in case. For example, it's for reasons like that he could find pictures of himself in College on social media if he wanted.
Well, something to that effect. There's always one thing or another to worry about it seems. At least whatever road they go down, Sam sincerely loves Ruby at the end of it.
Mary had worked in a record shop before they had the kids and had loved it, but not as much as the days she was home with little Dean and baby Sam when he came along. Things move at a different pace here. The best thing is John of course, but the time there have too. Heaven is a good destination for all, but the thing Mary likes most about Itinere is that it isn't just their spirits together reliving old memories. Here, they're flesh and blood, and above all new memories can be formed. She never thought she would cut her hair either, but it's lighter on her shoulders, easier to take care of, and most of all, no has had anything bad to say, least of John whose opinion matters the most to her. (No, and they don't need repeats of what happened with her son and husband and mistaken blonde identities.)
His lip twitches at the corner when her palm open up to his and splays his fingers widely to accept hers. In some ways, her obvious understanding about what he said makes him think about them. As a couple they're building a language all of their own (more or less). He's only certain because like now, she makes it easy to hold hands with her. Sometimes, it's because he gets clues about what she wants when she looks at him in a certain way. Mostly, he can't help look at it in the romantic way when she shares that one possibility of two people trying to escape prosecution. "They're not here anymore, so maybe they got out. Maybe they found each other again." He is wistful about the image, but not yet forgetting there are special circumstances behind why they were imprisoned in a technological fortress. He can't know which side he should be supportive of. Sam lets Ruby take the pictures and swipes through them with his finger when she shows them to him. One is only blurry, but it's okay because there's two more that satisfy their purpose. "Yeah. Great job." He wants to be nothing that supportive of her efforts.
"You don't know the Indiana twins." Sam is still remotely unconvinced, but it is more than he needed to know.
There have been a lot of times that their plans haven't worked out for a variety of reasons, but Dean was invested in spending time with Sam. He has wanted a normal life for so long, and a normal life includes spending time with his brother doing normal things like having a beer or roasting hotdogs over a fire. He's not going to waste those things. It's okay. Dean should be a better best friend. "Yeah," Dean nods. "I bet he'll tell you. With Cas, you just have to ask direct questions. He doesn't always talk a lot." It's something Dean forgets himself. His brows lift. "Lucy and Cas? She's probably at the bar. If he's not there, I bet he'll meet us. Want to eat there for dinner tonight?"
Oh Sam. Ruby still has to learn to trust and believe that he won't want more for his future than she can give, but she has no doubt about her feelings for Sam. She knows she wants to spend as much of the rest of her life as possible with him.
John does cherish the chance to make new memories with Mary and the boys. It's something he never thought he'd get and there's no place he'd rather be, heaven included. It's a good look on her, but so is the way she looks when she's happy like this. (No one wants that)
He's not wrong. They are developing their own language both in the form of code (fries) as well as in looks and things not quite said. Sam would think it was romantic (which is one of the things Ruby loves about him). She hesitates then says "Maybe." Wouldn't that be nice? Ruby certainly isn't going to harsh on his idea of a happy ending for the two hypothetical prisoners.
Dean snorts. "The Indiana twins are the main reason for the best night of my life."
If all their plans can start to work out because of Itinere, things won't be a waste any longer. Things have already started to turn around. On a scale of one to ten, ten is how Sam thought Dean would rate the beer or hotdogs. Well, neither Cas or Sam would say Dean is a bad friend. Somethings are just easily overlooked. Of course a light bulb comes on in Sam's head. "Think you should ask him. You know him better than I do." It's not that Sam doesn't think they made a connection. Dean's just right about how Cas doesn't talk a lot if you don't ask him questions or to join in on the fun. "Yeah, of course. I mean, I'd like to see here and it'd save us the trouble of thinking about what's for dinner." Even the dog knows the Winchesters find dinner every night difficult to meal plan.
Hopefully, in time she can see Sam intends to find a way to weave what he always wanted into what she is willing and able to give him, if she stays. It'd very likely he'd give her the rest of his days.
SYS, LOL, etc. Some of it isn't as great as other code, but the most romantic they have are the looks and things not quite said. Theoretically, it could be them, but most likely, it is only a fairy tale like so many others that he dreams of in his head. Her hesitation snaps him out of it a little, having him realize it's a little silly. "Yeah. Maybe." Both his cheeks go a little red. Ruby isn't ruining anything to bring his head back to reality. "Why don't head back now? Mom and Dad are waiting."
Sam doesn't have to think, he just knows that's too much information. "You're disgusting."
When they come out of the tunnel, Mary and John are waiting as if it's all they'd been doing. Mary finds herself looking at Sam to see that not one more strand of hair is out of place and Dean too. She's been quiet not to judge the relationship over the age gap. "Anything exciting?" she asks.
Sam's first to offer an answer. "Well, the tunnel is. But there's these indestructible cells down at the end, that looks like they used to host prisoners. I couldn't count how many just by standing there." He hates to be the one to have to say that.
Itinere still has it's mishaps and emergencies, but most of their plans should work out. Dean doesn't understand how anyone could rate beer and hot dogs as less than a ten; it's unAmerican. Dean gives him a look. "You do realize I still don't do chick flick moments, right? I'll ask him though." Mostly because he ought to be a better friend and ask Cas not only what he's doing with his free time but he ought to ask what's important in Cas's life too. Dean nods. "I bet mom and dad will go for it." Or Mary and John will consider it a chance to have a night alone to themselves. Either way, dinner at the Houndstooth is a go.
She will see that. Ruby has no intention of going anywhere.
Not all code has to be great to be effective. Personally, Ruby likes those little 'romantic' things as well. They seem far more intimate and personal than the others. There's nothing wrong with fairytales as long as reality doesn't get completely left behind. Besides, as Sam well knows, real fairytales are dark, grim and don't always have a happy ending. Dean nods and they start back down the tunnel toward the main room.
"Not what Kara and Kendra told me," Dean jokes with Sam. Yeah, he might have just said a different name now than when he first named them. To be honest, he can't really remember their names...yep, he probably is disgusting.
Of course, that's all they've been doing! How dare anyone think anything else. No, unlike the parents, Ruby and Sam were good on their little side trip. Of course, they had a Dean shaped chaperone. Maybe Dean should have stayed here with the parents.
"There was blood," Ruby adds, less concerned about adding that detail. "Not a lot though."
John's brow furrows at that information. "Maybe we ought to find out a little more information about this place before we go poking around in it."
None recently, thankfully. Neither have there been any emergencies since Sammy was switched in. Sam is set on watching his weight bodily health, that's how. On a good day, Sam would rate them an eight. He ignores the look. "Yeah... Still is better if you're the one that asks him." Because Dean's been saying no click flick moments since as far as he can remember and the words have lost their meaning. Sam obviously likes that idea. "Let me ask them." Doubt they could say no to his face, but either way they're welcome to cut the evening short.
Well, it's a good thing Sam wouldn't be able to leave reality too far behind due to his upbringing. Of course if there's any happy ending to be had in their dark fairy tale, he would hope it would be him with her no matter what age he was. Sam sticks close to Ruby's side when they had back. Honestly, it's a relief because he has the most vivid imagination and the cells give him a bad sense.
"Dean, I'm not listening anymore," Sam exclaims! Lucky for Dean, he can't place the names are most likely subconsciously borrowed from Super Girl and the former Slayer in Buffy.
Yes, the good behavior is key to unlocking more trust. Maybe when Sam and Ruby are married they will have less eyes on them and will no longer require chaperones nor invite questions. So sorry that Dean is in the middle of this. He ought to spent his time with Carmen.
Ruby is being honest, though. Sam shifts his attention to her, nodding at that detail to confirm. "Something was written, but I couldn't read it."
That's something else Sam hoped it wouldn't come to, but he understands it's for the better. "Later it might be possible to look up who ran this place in the library." Because Sam is aware Itinere has a knack of keeping records of life stories there too.
Dean hopes the emergencies stay away. He's had enough of those to last far more than his lifetime. Yes, Sam likes kale (because he's a weirdo). Everyone knows, especially Dean. He will ask Cas about Lucy and where he stands with the blonde. Dean smirks and shakes his head because he's right. There's no way John or Mary could say no to Sam at this age.
His age doesn't bother Ruby. He will always be younger than she is so his age doesn't concern her much. Yes, in some ways she misses older Sam, but no matter what age he is, he's still Her Sam. That's all that really matters.
"Hey, you asked," Dean reminds him. Yeah, yeah. At least he has good taste in hot chicks.
Ruby would hope they'd have fewer eyes on them when/if they're married, but ultimately Sam's opinion matters the most, with some weight given to Dean, Mary and John. Dean doesn't mind being in the middle of it. Honestly, he has a lot to work out in his own head regarding Carmen. It's good for him to have some time with his family to remember what really matters to him because it reminds him of what he can have if he'll get out of his own way.
"I think getting out of here is a good idea," John says, even more certain after Ruby's comment about the blood. "We need to know what ot expect next time we come looking around." Which is also an agreement to check out the bookshop once they all get piled back into the Impala.
They all deserve to have a degree of normal after all they've been through or will be through. Kale isn't so bad. Maybe Dean should try it like Sam keeps insisting he does before he passes judgement. Swear to God, it wouldn't hurt. Dean doesn't know it yet but the angel may have an interesting answer. Well, obviously he knows neither of their parents would say yes to him or he wouldn't have offered as ecstatically. But what's less obvious is that it's the first time he gets to set something up for all them and he can't leave anything to chance.
That's some sound logic if there ever was any. Sammy just needs to catch on to that first.
"I didn't ask you to tell me everything!" Once again proving he is a poor liar who is, in fact, still listening.
Honestly, the way things are going, by the time Sam proposes to her, all eyes on them should be more relaxed. Call it a feeling, he just knows it will come to pass. If family is what Dean needs to be around and watch before he can get out of his own way for Carmen, then all the best to him. Sam would like to see him happy no matter what form it takes. Of course he still doesn't expect he'll be the one to marry and start a family first.
John doesn't need to say that twice. For once, he and Sam do agree on something and the bookshop is on a shortlist of magic words that has him move for the exit ahead of everyone else. "Ruby has pictures of the writing." That's a place to start, right? Once they're back in the Impala, Sam slides back into the middle. He holds the door open for Ruby at the library then wanders to the same area as last time where he found the Supernatural novels. On a table, a comic he never seen before waits for him and upon closer inspection he can tell it's what they're looking for. "Hey, I think I found something," he calls to anyone within earshot.
They're all basking in the normality. It's kale. Everyone knows that it sucks! That's one of it's defining properties: green, leafy, gross. It'll be a good conversation. Oh, Sammy. How can anyone say no to him with that sort of context?
Oh, Dean knows that Sam, particularly at that age, is always listening. He will spare everyone the gory details.
Dean has had a lot of years to develop a stack of issues that include commitment issues, believing he doesn't deserve good things as well as trust issues. Itinere is helping to heal some of those issues because it's given him so much. Fortunately, (?) Carmen has some issues as well because of the alternate universes, but they'll both get there with a little time. Sam definitely is the more likely one to be the first to get married.
That is a place to start. There's bound to be a language translation dictionary of the languages from Star Trek. He's definitely in the right area. Dean is the closest to Sam when he says he found something. Ruby had wandered off a little and picked up a couple of novels, but she makes her way over there to see what he found.
"What's up, Kiddo?" Dean asks as he leans in to look at the book.
John is in the paranormal section when Sam says something so it takes him a moment to get over there, but he wanders in after Ruby and Dean, interested to see what Sam has found.
One of these days Sam ought to change the perception his family has of kale by learning new recipes they would enjoy. Fortunately, he enjoys dinner being easy with them when there is more selection at the table. That's a good question. But maybe the question should be: Has anybody ever said no to him before?
Dean is his big brother, so of course, it's harder for him not to listen to him. Sam's learned his best critical thinking skills that way.
Never once has Sam seen Dean as undeserving. In fact, due to Dean being the one to raise him, he holds his brother in high regard and hopes many great things will happen for him because all he's done. Carmen has the Winchesters and whatever she needs, Sam is always willing to lend a hand to her. He doesn't know that yet. About being marred first. It's still up in the air.
Wish magic has it's benefits whether Sam realizes he used it or not. Star Trek is next on the list, of course. Sam can wait for them all to gather anyway because he tabs the page of interest then continues to flip through the comic book to give them something more concrete.
He flips back to the page when Dean leans over to look then over to another. "This is the first thing I noticed." The pages show the man known as Wells standing on one page and in a wheel chair cutting the ribbon to the lab in the next. "I think that's supposed to be Wells. He definitely comes off as the evil genius."
Sam shows Ruby, then John and Mary again when they come over. He taps on the image of the building. "It's the spitting image of where we just were."
Lucy will help him figure out how to sneak it into things. Honestly, if he'd ask her, she'd make some things with kale snuck into them and bring them to family dinners. She likes to cook and feed the people she cares about. Oh, John has probably said it a few thousand times, but it's much easier to say yes here. Things are safer in Itinere. More importantly, John wants to be able to tell Sammy yes here.
That's a little scary, but it seems to turn out well for him (which Ruby thinks has more to do with who Sam is at his core than anything).
Sam has a unique perspective on Dean. As Carmen accepts Dean and gets more homesick, she'll come to rely on the Winchesters more. Neither does anyone else and some of the Winchesters will be a little leary of Sam getting married (to Ruby) first.
Wish magic is amazing. The Winchesters use it conservatively but Lucy uses it nearly every day and thinks it's one of the best things about Itinere.
Dean's brow furrows and he frowns. "And we're pretty sure he's more Lex Luther than Professor X?" Yes, Dan has pop culture knowledge.
Ruby takes a look at the page Sam shows her then picks up another one of the books to leaf through it. "Definitely," John agrees, examining the image carefully. "I'd like to find another source of information. Not everything you read here is fact." He's read some of the Supernatural novels and knows that some things are definitely embellished to say the least.
Yeah, Lucy and him could potentially work together to cook sneaky dishes for everybody. Surely sometime he will think to ask her about joining him to cook with him. She's such a big part of their family already that he knows already how great of a cook she is already. Well, John is not just anybody (and probably one of the few people immune to his trademark puppy dog eyes). Safety is exponentially more certain in Itinere. There are no demons keeping an eye on him, save for one. What's interesting is that Sam prefers hearing yes too.
Well, he doesn't fall for the dumbest things anymore. That's the opposite of scary, right? He never would have broke his arm or ended up back on the road with Dean if Dean didn't have the ability to make him listen. It is who he is at his core. People he cares about are the easiest to listen to.
Sam only grow up with Dean. Sam will be the first to welcome Carmen into their functionally nonfunctional family when the time comes. Weariness wouldn't be the worst thing to come out of Sam informing them when he is ready to propose to his blonde dream girl.
Maybe Lucy should use less of it. She has metaphorical angel on her shoulder that could do almost anything wish magic can with his habitual habit of popping up where ever he is asked to be or not.
But who hasn't watched Superman (1978) or the Xmen cartoons. Both the boys grew up watching those and playing make believe as one superhero or another (recall why Sam broke his arm.) "Well, uh, I'm not sure. Maybe 75% sure. Professor X doesn't have evil thoughts at the beginning of his arc, when he opens his home to students." Sam looks back to the pages and flips back to the start to read it carefully.
Ruby has the right idea. Sam's attentions flickers to her because it's hard not to be tickled by the fact they're doing the same thing. John isn't wrong about that though. About the source of information being unreliable. Sam considers the options for a moment and comes up visibly short. "Where else should we look?" Because as the Supernatural books had proved, the only information out there sometimes is all but unreliable.
Lucy is so grateful that the Winchesters have taken her in as family. She doesn't function well alone and when Jill disappeared, she was lost. Maybe she'll mention to Sam about making dinner sometime for them all. He can suggest something healthier than what they're accustomed to. Fortunately for everyone, the one that's keeping an eye on him is good at keeping him safe.
Well, it's a good thing he ended up back on the road, at least as far as Ruby is concerned. She's aware it's selfish and that Sam would be safer if he were living his normal lawyer life instead of a hunter's life, but she's okay with being selfish. The people you care about are usually the ones that have your best interests at heart so it's good to listen to them.
Lucy should make less use of the wish magic. She'll start praying to Cas for that latte in bed instead of wishing for it (if she hasn't already). At least with Lucy, he doesn't have to ask. Sure, he could pop in at awkward moments, but she'll be okay with it if he is. Privacy and modesty are a myth for Lucy.
"I don't know. Inviting hot, high school girls to stay at his house...," Dean says as he considers the information in the book.
They have a lot more in common than one might first assume. She's well aware that research is a good place to start. Dean considers Sam's question a moment. "We might be able to get our hands on the old resident files. We'd need to be able to hack into their network files though." While an older Sam could do that, Dean knows this Sam probably isn't capable of that yet.
The Winchesters can relate to not functioning well alone. Except it has nothing to do with that. The reason Lucy became apart of their family is because she is likable all on her own and no one Winchester feels more sympathy for her than the next person who lost somebody. She earned her place in their hearts. Sam would be humbled and tell her yes to such an offer. Naturally, they could cook the best for both worlds. After all, some members of their family are easier to appease by giving them their way (ie it's been harder to say no when Mary shares some of Dean's preferences). Did he ever Ruby that he likes her focus on him?
Well, for some time at least, Sam isn't sure the life of the lawyer would be for him anymore. Of course right now, at this age, he's just dreaming what his options are. Whatever they may end up being, his desire to help people will always remain. There's no knowing for certain he would have been left alone to go to Harvard anyway. Dean and Ruby are a big part of why he is still even around if you look at key points of his life.
It would certainly ease Castiel's concern for her if she did both of these things. Though, he may have to learn how to make a latter first. Some unfortunate soul, after all, doesn't deserve having their latte spirited away. Fortunately(?), Cas is getting better at asking permission to enter. Dean and Carmen have a few stories to tell. He now has the idea to knock or text before he enters most of the time.
"Yeah, after he turns it into a school. He doesn't think about girls 24/7 like you," Sam counters. He'll go down defending Professor X's character.
Sam has noticed that. An attractive trait is a girl that know the value of research. Unfortunately, this Sam hasn't even technically gotten his first laptop. Libraries have computers though, right. He looks over his shoulder a moment to be sure then asks any one of them, "Any one of you able to hack the system? We can use the computers in here." The best of his capabilities is web searches, if they want to try searching Wells on Yahoo.
Lucy understands that. Sometimes it's better to make little changes and let them have their way most of the time. He has told Ruby that and it's only made her more blatant about her focus on him.
It's hard to go back to normal when you know the monsters under the bed are real. Ruby gets that. She'd lived it for a little while long ago when she was human. She'd had all that power and she'd found out demons were real. Normal life was a lot harder. That desire to help people is the thing that John thought saved Sam from the future Azazel had planned for him. Dean is the other thing that saved him. John is still hedging his thoughts on Ruby, but he can't deny that she makes Sam happy and he's been told by Dean and by Sam that Ruby saved them both a few times both back home and here.
He could always pop into the coffee store and order one for her before he pops into her bedroom. Yes, Castiel's sudden appearance had been startling and inconvenient particularly the first couple of times he'd shown up. After the third or fourth time, Carmen had handled it much better and told him unless there was blood, come back in 45 minutes. It's good for everyone that isn't Lucy if Castiel learns to text or knock before entering a room.
"Well yeah, not after he's old, bald and paralyzed," Dean counters back. Yes, he knows he can get a rise out of Sam this way. His brow furrows a little. "Wait, was he born old, bald and paralyzed? Is that part of his superpower?"
"I can play music and cat videos," Ruby offers, which won't help them at all. Dean snorts. "I can't even get porn sites to play without the computer freezing." John puts his hands up. "Don't look at me. There's nothing even as advanced as the phones here back home."
"So, we're stuck with old fashioned book research," Ruby says. She rolls her eyes and stands up. "I'll go look back in the stacks and see if I can find something that looks more non-fiction."
That's a good way to put it. Lucy is like a little-big sister whom happens to be older than Sam. Her affectionate attacks to his person just so happen to be the part he is most receptive to.
Funny how true that works. There was a time when he was about nine that he sniffled about going to sleep when the monsters could get him, and now there is a time where the trouble in sleeping would lie in if Ruby wasn't next to him in his bed. He's grateful for the life he has here. It is his hope that eventually all can resemble the normal he has always pictured. Monsters are just par for the course now. Maybe Sam will eventually figure out how to best channel his desire to help people in Itinere as well.
A while ago Lucy did teach Castiel that things made from scratch mean much more than anything else. It wouldn't even occur to him order a drink for her anymore. Yes, he's committed. Yes, it was understood when Carmen told him 45 minutes. She ought to know he came back exactly 45 minutes later. Lucy is free to undo the work that has been done to make him better about entering a room if it suits her needs.
"Shut up. You don't know know anything anyway or you wouldn't question if baldness is his superpower." Getting a rise out of Sam isn't the hardest thing to do. Professor X is a fiction role model of his. "He lost his hair at a young age when he was growing into his powers. His spine was broken later in the battle against the Shadow King." Mary shoots John a side glance because the boys may as well be talking in a foreign language.
Mary shrugs at her turn. "I just found out how to use the internet." Sam scratches his cheek then the corner of his ear to push some misplaced strands of hair back. "Unless we know anybody else who can help?" Sam looks at Ruby particularly all the while he has no clue he would normally be the right person for the job.
He stands up rather hurriedly when Ruby does too. "I'll go with you!" Even he realizes how eager that came off after he says it and hesitates before making up an excuse. "...To help. Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?"
Lucy likes the idea of being a little sister, even if she is older. Sam is the only one who gets those affectionate attacks from Ruby and they're usually when no one else is around because god forbid anyone realizes she's not the stone-cold bitch that she seems to be.
Oh, Cas. It's no wonder Lucy is very much in like with him. Carmen knows now that Castiel is very punctual. The next time Lucy gets a text or Cas knocks, she'll tell him that he doesn't have to do that; he can just come in. Mixed signals much?
Dean grins, barely stifling a chuckle at the rise he'd successfully gotten out of Sam. "Good to know, Geek Boy," Dean chirps, but he's still flipping through the comic books. "How did I forget Rogue was so hot," he says mostly to himself. John shrugs at Mary's look. "Don't' ask me. I just gave them money to buy the comic books."
Dean thinks about it a second and shakes his head. "As much as I love her, Lucy doesn't strike me as a computer whiz. We could ask Carm. She's never mentioned being a secret hacker though." Carmen might know her way around a computer, but probably not to the proficiency that they'd need. It'll be an issue they'll have to shelve until the older version of Sam comes back.
Ruby looks back over her shoulder, flipping her hair as she does when Sam declares he'll stay with her. A cat's got the milk grin slips over her lips and she holds out her hand, slowing a little but not stopping. "That's what I hear," she tells him.
John sighs and rubs a hand over the back of his neck. "I don't know whether to worry about that or be charmed by it," he says almost as an aside then looks back to the comic books. "So we'll research and stay out of the lab until we know more. Maybe we can find some techno-babble spell that'll get us into the database. I miss when everything was in a file cabinet in a basement somewhere." Little does John know that if he wished for that exact thing, he might get it.
Sam would have once also said she was a little too touchy feely, but Lucy has been better about that for a while. She is still the type to fit his image of a little sister. Nobody has told him yet that Ruby and Dean are very much a like, thank God Jesus. Sam is probably the only one that knows the extent of the facade she puts on too.
Because he learns quickly from their discussions. Did she not want him to be punctual? Yes, it very much will send him mixed signals the next time he doesn't come in before asking and she informs him that he can just come in.
It doesn't escape his notice that Dean is being a jerk, and Sam knows nothing he can say will change that so he gives him this look of being so done with him. He takes the comic book right from under Dean. "You can go look in the newspaper archives." He appoints Dean that job should he be willing to take it or not. It might be the hardest job he can think of. Okay, Mary won't ask. But in it, John shares a small fact that brings her smile to widen. She knows he did good for the boys when he could.
Sam doesn't hide his disappointment from being visible, but is not discouraged by the thought of finding answers the hard way. They've always managed to do it and it was just the three of them then. The five of them together makes anything seem possible. "Okay. So that's a fate no. If you're not sure then I don't think we should bother Carmen or Lucy with this. We can do this ourselves. Like we always do." He really does have faith. He really does think they just need to find the right place to look.
Sam is pretty sure time stands still for a moment when Ruby's ringlets bounce as a result, but then it speeds right up again the further she gets from the table. "Yeah. Me too." He's not thinking how he just said what he agreed to. He pushes the chair more away from him to have it noisily scratch across the floor and stumbles, finds his balance to move around the table to follow behind her at a brisk pace.
Sam is gone. Mary and Dean are still left standing there with John though. She rubs her palm up and down John's arm because there are really no words to tell him to let their youngest find out for himself and their youngest should be fine. Mary considers his second unspoken question with more thought. "Don't suppose there is anyone around here that we can ask?," she offers, clearly uncertain, but looking around at the same time for signs of someone that worked there that could(n't) have possibly slipped their notice.
Lucy got warned by Ruby and Lucy respects significant others. When Sam is older, he can probably see the similarities himself. He is definitely the only one that sees that side of Ruby. Others can probably see it to an extent when they watch Sam and Ruby together, but they probably don't realize what a cuddle bug she can be.
Well, punctuality is a good quality to have. Carmen won't tell him otherwise, but Lucy can (and will) teach Cas to enjoy life a little more and sometimes that means not being punctual or popping in unannounced.
Yeah, Dean knows that look. It's familiar no matter what age Sam is. Dean gives him a thumbs up. He will actually comb through the network archives and see what he can find about Wells, STAR Labs, and Cisco that he missed the first time around. John tried to be a good dad; he just wasn't always capable of it.
At Sam's words, Dean reaches over and ruffles Sam's hair with a grin. "Bitch." It's said very affectionately. Dean has faith too. If Sam wants to find out more about the lab, they'll find out more about the lab.
Don't worry, Sammy. Dean will catch the chair before it hits the ground and set it back up. It doesn't take long for Ruby and Sam to get lost in the stacks. "So do we go to the science section or the graphic art section or the history section?" she asks. Honestly, they might find books about Wells and his world in any of the sections or all of them. Th partially sentient bookshop isn't always the easiest to navigate, but it is always interesting.
John is starting to accept that. "As a matter of fact," Dean says as he moves toward the counter and rings a bell there. "Gracie?" Dean had thought at one time that Gracie was the blonde in the bookshop that Sam had been talking about (he'd hoped for it as well). A few seconds later, there's a soft thud of footsteps coming down the stairs in the back. A pretty blonde in a hoodie and a pair of cut off shorts comes through the swinging door with a smile. "Dean Winchester, I don't see you in here very often."
Hopefully without too many veiled threats, but that's something Sam is still helping her with. When Sam is older, he may see the similarities but also denies anything that too similar. Some of the best evenings they've had together is because she is as much of a cuddlier as he is.
Lucy will have to explain the logic behind that one to him. She could start with how he would be spontaneous if he did not pop in unannounced.
Thumbs up go a long way in cooling off Sam. He doesn't imagine Dean will have trouble finding anything if there is anything either. Mary can only go by what she's seen of John in Itinere, but he is very capable. She will always lend her ear, if he needs it. There is also the comics left on the table for anybody still interested in looking at the glimmer of info they might offer.
Oops? Sammy is always leaving Dean to pick up his messes, but the chair tipping over is completely accidental. It doesn't take him long to be right behind Ruby. "Science," Sam guesses. "We want to increase the chances of finding out the most about STARS Labs and this Wells guy, so I think that's the best to start. What do you think?" Because of course her opinion matters to him. Maybe the partially sentient bookshop will play nice.
Mary's eyes follow Dean and she twists herself around as he moves back toward the counter. It does not surprise her, really, that he would know the bookshop attendant. Of all of them, she is aware Dean has been in Itinere the longest. She doesn't want to be the one to interrupt their little reunion and she doesn't have to. Upstairs, leaning over the rail emerges another figure. Tall, dark, obnoxious handsome. "Welcome. You all couldn't have come at a better time," Damon says, not at all sarcastically. He'd mostly like to remind Gracie he's sticking around. Maybe he's still on his best behavior.
Oh, Sam. He should know by now that she doesn't do veiled. They were pretty straight-forward threats and bless Lucy, she's still around.
Her logic might not be like anyone else's logic, but she'll be happy to explain it to him. Mostly, Lucy wants Cas to do what h wants to do, but she also really hopes he wants to spend time with her.
Mary is good to John. Dean will flip through the comic books a little, but he's not really digging into the information. He's thinking forward to other resources. He'll probably get out and talk to people to see if anyone knows more than they do right now about the lab.
It's not that big a mess. Dean doesn't mind in this case "I think Science is a good place to start," Ruby agrees. She takes her free hand and runs it along the shoulder height shelf. She keeps her attention on Sam as they walk along the stacks. She stops in front of the 600s, right where the science and mathematics books are. "We should check the 700s next. It's the Technology section."
Dean knows a lot of people in Itinere, but he's not close to many. It might surprise Mary and John that Gracie is closer to an older Sam than Dean. They exchange the usual pleasantries while Mary and John look on. Sam (the older version) would be thrilled Damon is here (not). Dean likes the guy alright. "It's one of my best qualities," Dean responds. He doesn't miss the sarcasm. It's impossible to miss the bright smile on Gracie's face when Damon joins them. She leans into him, pressing her shoulder against his arm. "The nerds are off wandering around in the shelves," Dean waves his hand in the direction that Sam and Ruby walked off in. He introduces Mary and John to Damon and Gracie.
"I'll have to go say hi to Sam," Gracie says.
"Yeah. He's 18 right now but he'll probably remember you from when he was here when he was younger," Dean warns her.
He does, but at times he does hope she can be a little nicer to others. Bambi is a movie they watched once or twice. He had hope maybe a message in the movie would get through to her. He once had a conversation with her on why it is important to try. Maybe Sam has something to do with Lucy sticking around because he never once told her she couldn't. The conversation Cas and Lucy had semi-recently hopefully lets her know that it's what he wants to do.
John is a good husband and deserves it. It's probably a good call to leave the comics alone because the information to gleam from it is very little, though the next page or two would have shared that Wells wrote a book the library might have. Chances are they will find it anyway. No, but Sam ought to pay attention more to what he leaves behind. He's one unfortunate afternoon away from receiving a ticket for littering a gum wrapper or failing to make his bed yet again.
Ruby clearly knows the sections better than he'd expect which has Sammy light up, smile showing his off pearly whites. "So you've been in this section before," he tries to make conversation. He will piece together in time that this was the place his future self took her to explain technology among other things. "What part of science or math interests you? I like it all. If I have to say what I'm into most, recently it's the discoveries in RNA-sequencing." All his talking though and he still manages to maintain some balance to follow her and scan the books opposite to her side. Every once in a while, he'll pull one out to see the cover and if it's closer to what they're looking for.
Unfortunate would be one word for Dean not being close to many people in Itinere, though now it is less of a concern to anybody. He has family. Carmen. It would surprise Mary at least a little bit to know Gracie is closer to Sam than Dean, but only because Ruby seems to be the light of his life. It's a compliment that Dean introduces her as his mom as it's one of the few first times it's happened. Damon has no problem with Dean either. "Yes. Very interesting. What brings you here?" Damon concedes. Lately the value of customer service has been taught to him. He was actually wondering the same thing. Mostly he wonders where Ruby is because she's always near Sam. "I hate to be the one that brings it up, but I'd double check that your brother didn't piss off the Wicked Witch of Time. It's like there's another version of him running around by the end of the week."
Damon may be the only one tired of seeing Sam but Gracie is always welcomed to say hi to him. He would remember her.
Oops? She'd gotten mad that hunters had killed Bambi's mom. That wasn't the message? She understands that's important to try with people that are important to Sam. When Ruby threatened Lucy, it was incredibly obvious to Lucy that Ruby was just in love. Besides, at that point, Lucy already considered Ruby a friend. Sam is a big part of why Lucy stuck around. Dean is as well. For a while, Dean was a connection to Jill. Now, all of the Winchesters have become family, including Ruby.
"The Dewey Decimal system has been around since the late 1800s. I've been a lot of libraries in my life," she tells him, almost letting slip that she's a lot older than she looks. Instead, she focuses on his next question. His commentary about the RNA sequencing. "I have no idea what that is," she admits, giving him a slightly dazed look. She recovers a little to go back and answer his questions. "Natural sciences. Botony, Biology, Chemistry." They're all a little lik witchcraft and while she knows far more about witchcraft than sh does about any of the natural sciences, she sees how those go hand in hand with witchcraft. While Sam is pulling books out, Ruby is still watching him, leaning a little against the bookshelf.
It had taken Dean a while to settle into Itinere because h wasn't used to staying anywhere long term. Ruby is the light of Sam's life, but he does have other people in his life, and Ruby respects that. Of course, Dean introduces them as his Mom and Dad. He's never had the chance to introduce anyone except Carmen to his Mom so it's still a big deal.
Okay, so Damon wants to get down to business. Dean watches Gracie and Damon together. He didn't realize they were together, but it's pretty obvious even with this brief, subtle interaction that they're more than friends and co-workers. "You know the lab on the outside of town. STAR labs. We're looking for more information about it."
Dean smirks at Damon's words. "I'll see if there's a curse we've got to break," he responds.
Unfortunately, superheroes aren't Gracie's specialty so she can't offer any insight, but she moves to the laptop and starts searching in the database for keywords like STAR Labs. "Some guy named Harrison Wells owns it in a city named Central City. Let me see what I can pull up."
Well, no and yes. Her anger at the hunters showed a side of her that surprised him a little. And he understood that. When he was little, he couldn't bring himself to shoot Bambi's mother either. The point he was trying to get across to her and still tries is that trying with everybody is important. That would make some sense. Sam is guilty of wanting to get to know Lucy and Castiel for the same reason as the two of them are close to his brother. That's kind of the same thing, no?
He nods and smiles wider because nothing in her words suggest to him that she is older than she looks. Instead, it suggests she's a library nerd like him. "That's right. I forget the order sometimes because some of the schools I've been to use their own completely made up one." He's happy to explain the latest discoveries in RNA sequencing. The hardest thing for him is to keep it short and use some layman terms to describe it so she can follow and maybe see why it's exciting. He stops eventually his interest really is where her interest lies. "I studied a little biology and chemistry, but maybe you can show me a little botany sometime." He just wants an excuse to continue hanging out with her. He continues to pull out books to peak at the covers until his peripheral vision catches on to her looking at him.
"Found something?" he just assumes to begin with, but he can see she's not holding anything so it becomes clear what it is. Him.
Itinere bless them with many gifts. Time and patience might been the price Dean had to pay for it. Of course Damon wants to get down to business. The sooner they do, the everybody can leave. He has nothing to contribute about STAR labs and he looks to Gracie on this one.
While they follow her behind her to the laptop, he offers more of his humble opinion. "70/30 sure there's always a curse." To some extent, he still isn't convinced Itinere isn't a sick joke either. In the last few months, though, it's become one thing that he minds less and less everyday. Rather purposely, he brushes up against Gracie from behind and plays a little with her hair. Nothing about a Harrison Wells strikes him as a concern of his.
Well, she could sympathize with Bambi's mom. She' still working on learning that. It's definitely the same thing. At least Sam wouldn't hold it against Lucy if that's why she became friends with the Winchesters initially.
Nothing suggests that now, but once he knows, it's likely that this conversation will be one of those little signs. She is a library nerd. Listening to Sam explain RNA sequencing is actually really hot. She listens to him and fights the urge to grab him by the shirt and kiss him. She nods a little at his suggestion of spending more time together. "Sure. Botany. Anytime," she assures him then gives into that urge and reaches out to grab a handful of his shirt and pulls him to her, leaning in to press her lips against his, her free arm winding around his neck, fingers creeping into the hair at the back of his neck.
Yes, Sam. She's found something.
Time and patience isn't the hardest price to pay, particularly when the reward is so worth it. Do enlighten them Damon about why he wants them to go away.
"Well...you're not wrong," Dean admits. John is positive it's some sort of sick joke and the rug is going to be jerked out from underneath him one day. Until that moment, he's going to enjoy every single thing that Itinere has to offer. Dean once thought that about this place. Now he's not sure if it's a reward, a hiding place or an escape. No matter which one it is, he's decided to take what he can get out of it. Gracie can't help the giddy smile that slips across her lips when Damon brushes up against her. She doesn't move away from him but tilts her head a bit into his touch like a cat while attempting to keep at least part of her attention on what she's doing. "We've got a biography about him in the biography section over there and a book about particle acceleration in the 500s. At least that's where they should be. The lab has been here a while though. It's been empty most of the time that I've been here."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 11:57 pm (UTC)When they get around to talking about the permanence of their relationship, she'll ask him about it because her immortality will come up. It'll be something to reassure her (and him).
At least finding out she's a demon and lacking a pulse will set his mind to ease about that.
John and Mary had agreed they'd wanted a traditional family with him going to work and her staying at home to rais the kids. Things are different here. He's got more time to change the pace of things and the kids are capable of cooking their own meals (Dean even makes a good deal of all of their meals). Mary is easily the best part of Itinere. Yes, he likes getting to know the boys outside of hunting, but he's not sure he'd want to do all of this without her. He'd been okay with his death and even his destination. He likes her hair a little shorter, which something he didn't think he'd ever say, but accidentally grabbing Ruby's ass thinking it was Mary had been damn disturbing. It's sexy on Mary (but then, most things are).
He doesn't have to coax much. She opens her hand to take his easily and his words bring an obvious understanding to her expression. "That makes sense. So maybe they were hunting both of them and this person wanted the other to know that they'd been there once they got caught." Okay, so it's bleak, but kind of sweet as well. Sam's question about the picture shakes Ruby out of that bleak thought. "Yes," she confirms and takes her own phone out (the lock screen is a selfie of Ruby and older Sam). She unlocks it with her thumbprint, flicks open the camera and leans in to take a couple of pictures, one without the flash and the other with it then shows it to Sam. "Good enough?" Taking pictures is something she's very good at doing with her phone. She takes a lot of them.
"Okay, we'll stop off there once we're done here. See what we can find and take it back to the bunker," Dean answers. Of course, if Sam wants to browse, he should probably just take Ruby there. Dean has been in the bookstore, but he doesn't enjoy wandering around it the way Sam does.
Dean scoffs at that. "The Indiana twins have very fond memories of me and I of them," he assures Sam. Probably not the answer he wanted.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-26 03:51 am (UTC)He'll teach her everything that comes to mind. Though, technology changes all the time, it switches formats. The best thing he can tell her is to back memories up on every new format whilst keeping the old just in case.
For example, it's for reasons like that he could find pictures of himself in College on social media if he wanted.Well, something to that effect. There's always one thing or another to worry about it seems. At least whatever road they go down, Sam sincerely loves Ruby at the end of it.
Mary had worked in a record shop before they had the kids and had loved it, but not as much as the days she was home with little Dean and baby Sam when he came along. Things move at a different pace here. The best thing is John of course, but the time there have too. Heaven is a good destination for all, but the thing Mary likes most about Itinere is that it isn't just their spirits together reliving old memories. Here, they're flesh and blood, and above all new memories can be formed. She never thought she would cut her hair either, but it's lighter on her shoulders, easier to take care of, and most of all, no has had anything bad to say, least of John whose opinion matters the most to her. (No, and they don't need repeats of what happened with her son and husband and mistaken blonde identities.)
His lip twitches at the corner when her palm open up to his and splays his fingers widely to accept hers. In some ways, her obvious understanding about what he said makes him think about them. As a couple they're building a language all of their own (more or less). He's only certain because like now, she makes it easy to hold hands with her. Sometimes, it's because he gets clues about what she wants when she looks at him in a certain way. Mostly, he can't help look at it in the romantic way when she shares that one possibility of two people trying to escape prosecution. "They're not here anymore, so maybe they got out. Maybe they found each other again." He is wistful about the image, but not yet forgetting there are special circumstances behind why they were imprisoned in a technological fortress. He can't know which side he should be supportive of. Sam lets Ruby take the pictures and swipes through them with his finger when she shows them to him. One is only blurry, but it's okay because there's two more that satisfy their purpose. "Yeah. Great job." He wants to be nothing that supportive of her efforts.
"You don't know the Indiana twins." Sam is still remotely unconvinced, but it is more than he needed to know.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-27 01:47 am (UTC)Oh Sam. Ruby still has to learn to trust and believe that he won't want more for his future than she can give, but she has no doubt about her feelings for Sam. She knows she wants to spend as much of the rest of her life as possible with him.
John does cherish the chance to make new memories with Mary and the boys. It's something he never thought he'd get and there's no place he'd rather be, heaven included. It's a good look on her, but so is the way she looks when she's happy like this. (No one wants that)
He's not wrong. They are developing their own language both in the form of code (fries) as well as in looks and things not quite said. Sam would think it was romantic (which is one of the things Ruby loves about him). She hesitates then says "Maybe." Wouldn't that be nice? Ruby certainly isn't going to harsh on his idea of a happy ending for the two hypothetical prisoners.
Dean snorts. "The Indiana twins are the main reason for the best night of my life."
no subject
Date: 2020-02-27 04:14 am (UTC)Hopefully, in time she can see Sam intends to find a way to weave what he always wanted into what she is willing and able to give him, if she stays. It'd very likely he'd give her the rest of his days.
SYS, LOL, etc. Some of it isn't as great as other code, but the most romantic they have are the looks and things not quite said. Theoretically, it could be them, but most likely, it is only a fairy tale like so many others that he dreams of in his head. Her hesitation snaps him out of it a little, having him realize it's a little silly. "Yeah. Maybe." Both his cheeks go a little red. Ruby isn't ruining anything to bring his head back to reality. "Why don't head back now? Mom and Dad are waiting."
Sam doesn't have to think, he just knows that's too much information. "You're disgusting."
When they come out of the tunnel, Mary and John are waiting as if it's all they'd been doing. Mary finds herself looking at Sam to see that not one more strand of hair is out of place and Dean too. She's been quiet not to judge the relationship over the age gap. "Anything exciting?" she asks.
Sam's first to offer an answer. "Well, the tunnel is. But there's these indestructible cells down at the end, that looks like they used to host prisoners. I couldn't count how many just by standing there." He hates to be the one to have to say that.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-28 01:13 am (UTC)She will see that. Ruby has no intention of going anywhere.
Not all code has to be great to be effective. Personally, Ruby likes those little 'romantic' things as well. They seem far more intimate and personal than the others. There's nothing wrong with fairytales as long as reality doesn't get completely left behind. Besides, as Sam well knows, real fairytales are dark, grim and don't always have a happy ending. Dean nods and they start back down the tunnel toward the main room.
"Not what Kara and Kendra told me," Dean jokes with Sam. Yeah, he might have just said a different name now than when he first named them. To be honest, he can't really remember their names...yep, he probably is disgusting.
Of course, that's all they've been doing! How dare anyone think anything else. No, unlike the parents, Ruby and Sam were good on their little side trip. Of course, they had a Dean shaped chaperone. Maybe Dean should have stayed here with the parents.
"There was blood," Ruby adds, less concerned about adding that detail. "Not a lot though."
John's brow furrows at that information. "Maybe we ought to find out a little more information about this place before we go poking around in it."
no subject
Date: 2020-02-28 04:01 am (UTC)weightbodily health, that's how. On a good day, Sam would rate them an eight. He ignores the look. "Yeah... Still is better if you're the one that asks him." Because Dean's been saying no click flick moments since as far as he can remember and the words have lost their meaning. Sam obviously likes that idea. "Let me ask them." Doubt they could say no to his face, but either way they're welcome to cut the evening short.Well, it's a good thing Sam wouldn't be able to leave reality too far behind due to his upbringing. Of course if there's any happy ending to be had in their dark fairy tale, he would hope it would be him with her no matter what age he was. Sam sticks close to Ruby's side when they had back. Honestly, it's a relief because he has the most vivid imagination and the cells give him a bad sense.
"Dean, I'm not listening anymore," Sam exclaims! Lucky for Dean, he can't place the names are most likely subconsciously borrowed from Super Girl and the former Slayer in Buffy.
Yes, the good behavior is key to unlocking more trust. Maybe when Sam and Ruby are married they will have less eyes on them and will no longer require chaperones nor invite questions. So sorry that Dean is in the middle of this. He ought to spent his time with Carmen.
Ruby is being honest, though. Sam shifts his attention to her, nodding at that detail to confirm. "Something was written, but I couldn't read it."
That's something else Sam hoped it wouldn't come to, but he understands it's for the better. "Later it might be possible to look up who ran this place in the library." Because Sam is aware Itinere has a knack of keeping records of life stories there too.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-29 06:24 am (UTC)His age doesn't bother Ruby. He will always be younger than she is so his age doesn't concern her much. Yes, in some ways she misses older Sam, but no matter what age he is, he's still Her Sam. That's all that really matters.
"Hey, you asked," Dean reminds him. Yeah, yeah. At least he has good taste in hot chicks.
Ruby would hope they'd have fewer eyes on them when/if they're married, but ultimately Sam's opinion matters the most, with some weight given to Dean, Mary and John. Dean doesn't mind being in the middle of it. Honestly, he has a lot to work out in his own head regarding Carmen. It's good for him to have some time with his family to remember what really matters to him because it reminds him of what he can have if he'll get out of his own way.
"I think getting out of here is a good idea," John says, even more certain after Ruby's comment about the blood. "We need to know what ot expect next time we come looking around." Which is also an agreement to check out the bookshop once they all get piled back into the Impala.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-29 07:41 am (UTC)That's some sound logic if there ever was any. Sammy just needs to catch on to that first.
"I didn't ask you to tell me everything!" Once again proving he is a poor liar who is, in fact, still listening.
Honestly, the way things are going, by the time Sam proposes to her, all eyes on them should be more relaxed. Call it a feeling, he just knows it will come to pass. If family is what Dean needs to be around and watch before he can get out of his own way for Carmen, then all the best to him. Sam would like to see him happy no matter what form it takes. Of course he still doesn't expect he'll be the one to marry and start a family first.
John doesn't need to say that twice. For once, he and Sam do agree on something and the bookshop is on a shortlist of magic words that has him move for the exit ahead of everyone else. "Ruby has pictures of the writing." That's a place to start, right? Once they're back in the Impala, Sam slides back into the middle. He holds the door open for Ruby at the library then wanders to the same area as last time where he found the Supernatural novels. On a table, a comic he never seen before waits for him and upon closer inspection he can tell it's what they're looking for. "Hey, I think I found something," he calls to anyone within earshot.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-02 02:21 am (UTC)Oh, Dean knows that Sam, particularly at that age, is always listening. He will spare everyone the gory details.
Dean has had a lot of years to develop a stack of issues that include commitment issues, believing he doesn't deserve good things as well as trust issues. Itinere is helping to heal some of those issues because it's given him so much. Fortunately, (?) Carmen has some issues as well because of the alternate universes, but they'll both get there with a little time. Sam definitely is the more likely one to be the first to get married.
That is a place to start. There's bound to be a language translation dictionary of the languages from Star Trek. He's definitely in the right area. Dean is the closest to Sam when he says he found something. Ruby had wandered off a little and picked up a couple of novels, but she makes her way over there to see what he found.
"What's up, Kiddo?" Dean asks as he leans in to look at the book.
John is in the paranormal section when Sam says something so it takes him a moment to get over there, but he wanders in after Ruby and Dean, interested to see what Sam has found.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-02 03:50 am (UTC)Dean is his big brother, so of course, it's harder for him not to listen to him. Sam's learned his best critical thinking skills that way.
Never once has Sam seen Dean as undeserving. In fact, due to Dean being the one to raise him, he holds his brother in high regard and hopes many great things will happen for him because all he's done. Carmen has the Winchesters and whatever she needs, Sam is always willing to lend a hand to her. He doesn't know that yet. About being marred first. It's still up in the air.
Wish magic has it's benefits whether Sam realizes he used it or not. Star Trek is next on the list, of course. Sam can wait for them all to gather anyway because he tabs the page of interest then continues to flip through the comic book to give them something more concrete.
He flips back to the page when Dean leans over to look then over to another. "This is the first thing I noticed." The pages show the man known as Wells standing on one page and in a wheel chair cutting the ribbon to the lab in the next. "I think that's supposed to be Wells. He definitely comes off as the evil genius."
Sam shows Ruby, then John and Mary again when they come over. He taps on the image of the building. "It's the spitting image of where we just were."
no subject
Date: 2020-03-03 12:08 am (UTC)That's a little scary, but it seems to turn out well for him (which Ruby thinks has more to do with who Sam is at his core than anything).
Sam has a unique perspective on Dean. As Carmen accepts Dean and gets more homesick, she'll come to rely on the Winchesters more. Neither does anyone else and some of the Winchesters will be a little leary of Sam getting married (to Ruby) first.
Wish magic is amazing. The Winchesters use it conservatively but Lucy uses it nearly every day and thinks it's one of the best things about Itinere.
Dean's brow furrows and he frowns. "And we're pretty sure he's more Lex Luther than Professor X?" Yes, Dan has pop culture knowledge.
Ruby takes a look at the page Sam shows her then picks up another one of the books to leaf through it. "Definitely," John agrees, examining the image carefully. "I'd like to find another source of information. Not everything you read here is fact." He's read some of the Supernatural novels and knows that some things are definitely embellished to say the least.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-03 03:53 am (UTC)Well, he doesn't fall for the dumbest things anymore. That's the opposite of scary, right? He never would have broke his arm or ended up back on the road with Dean if Dean didn't have the ability to make him listen. It is who he is at his core. People he cares about are the easiest to listen to.
Sam only grow up with Dean. Sam will be the first to welcome Carmen into their functionally nonfunctional family when the time comes. Weariness wouldn't be the worst thing to come out of Sam informing them when he is ready to propose to his blonde dream girl.
Maybe Lucy should use less of it. She has metaphorical angel on her shoulder that could do almost anything wish magic can with his habitual habit of popping up where ever he is asked to be or not.
But who hasn't watched Superman (1978) or the Xmen cartoons. Both the boys grew up watching those and playing make believe as one superhero or another (recall why Sam broke his arm.) "Well, uh, I'm not sure. Maybe 75% sure. Professor X doesn't have evil thoughts at the beginning of his arc, when he opens his home to students." Sam looks back to the pages and flips back to the start to read it carefully.
Ruby has the right idea. Sam's attentions flickers to her because it's hard not to be tickled by the fact they're doing the same thing. John isn't wrong about that though. About the source of information being unreliable. Sam considers the options for a moment and comes up visibly short. "Where else should we look?" Because as the Supernatural books had proved, the only information out there sometimes is all but unreliable.
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Date: 2020-03-04 12:39 am (UTC)Well, it's a good thing he ended up back on the road, at least as far as Ruby is concerned. She's aware it's selfish and that Sam would be safer if he were living his normal lawyer life instead of a hunter's life, but she's okay with being selfish. The people you care about are usually the ones that have your best interests at heart so it's good to listen to them.
Lucy should make less use of the wish magic. She'll start praying to Cas for that latte in bed instead of wishing for it (if she hasn't already). At least with Lucy, he doesn't have to ask. Sure, he could pop in at awkward moments, but she'll be okay with it if he is. Privacy and modesty are a myth for Lucy.
"I don't know. Inviting hot, high school girls to stay at his house...," Dean says as he considers the information in the book.
They have a lot more in common than one might first assume. She's well aware that research is a good place to start. Dean considers Sam's question a moment. "We might be able to get our hands on the old resident files. We'd need to be able to hack into their network files though." While an older Sam could do that, Dean knows this Sam probably isn't capable of that yet.
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Date: 2020-03-04 02:24 am (UTC)Well, for some time at least, Sam isn't sure the life of the lawyer would be for him anymore. Of course right now, at this age, he's just dreaming what his options are. Whatever they may end up being, his desire to help people will always remain. There's no knowing for certain he would have been left alone to go to Harvard anyway. Dean and Ruby are a big part of why he is still even around if you look at key points of his life.
It would certainly ease Castiel's concern for her if she did both of these things. Though, he may have to learn how to make a latter first. Some unfortunate soul, after all, doesn't deserve having their latte spirited away. Fortunately(?), Cas is getting better at asking permission to enter. Dean and Carmen have a few stories to tell. He now has the idea to knock or text before he enters most of the time.
"Yeah, after he turns it into a school. He doesn't think about girls 24/7 like you," Sam counters. He'll go down defending Professor X's character.
Sam has noticed that. An attractive trait is a girl that know the value of research. Unfortunately, this Sam hasn't even technically gotten his first laptop. Libraries have computers though, right. He looks over his shoulder a moment to be sure then asks any one of them, "Any one of you able to hack the system? We can use the computers in here." The best of his capabilities is web searches, if they want to try searching Wells on Yahoo.
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Date: 2020-03-05 12:42 am (UTC)It's hard to go back to normal when you know the monsters under the bed are real. Ruby gets that. She'd lived it for a little while long ago when she was human. She'd had all that power and she'd found out demons were real. Normal life was a lot harder. That desire to help people is the thing that John thought saved Sam from the future Azazel had planned for him. Dean is the other thing that saved him. John is still hedging his thoughts on Ruby, but he can't deny that she makes Sam happy and he's been told by Dean and by Sam that Ruby saved them both a few times both back home and here.
He could always pop into the coffee store and order one for her before he pops into her bedroom. Yes, Castiel's sudden appearance had been startling and inconvenient particularly the first couple of times he'd shown up. After the third or fourth time, Carmen had handled it much better and told him unless there was blood, come back in 45 minutes. It's good for everyone that isn't Lucy if Castiel learns to text or knock before entering a room.
"Well yeah, not after he's old, bald and paralyzed," Dean counters back. Yes, he knows he can get a rise out of Sam this way. His brow furrows a little. "Wait, was he born old, bald and paralyzed? Is that part of his superpower?"
"I can play music and cat videos," Ruby offers, which won't help them at all. Dean snorts. "I can't even get porn sites to play without the computer freezing." John puts his hands up. "Don't look at me. There's nothing even as advanced as the phones here back home."
"So, we're stuck with old fashioned book research," Ruby says. She rolls her eyes and stands up. "I'll go look back in the stacks and see if I can find something that looks more non-fiction."
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Date: 2020-03-05 03:51 am (UTC)Funny how true that works. There was a time when he was about nine that he sniffled about going to sleep when the monsters could get him, and now there is a time where the trouble in sleeping would lie in if Ruby wasn't next to him in his bed. He's grateful for the life he has here. It is his hope that eventually all can resemble the normal he has always pictured. Monsters are just par for the course now. Maybe Sam will eventually figure out how to best channel his desire to help people in Itinere as well.
A while ago Lucy did teach Castiel that things made from scratch mean much more than anything else. It wouldn't even occur to him order a drink for her anymore. Yes, he's committed. Yes, it was understood when Carmen told him 45 minutes. She ought to know he came back exactly 45 minutes later. Lucy is free to undo the work that has been done to make him better about entering a room if it suits her needs.
"Shut up. You don't know know anything anyway or you wouldn't question if baldness is his superpower." Getting a rise out of Sam isn't the hardest thing to do. Professor X is a fiction role model of his. "He lost his hair at a young age when he was growing into his powers. His spine was broken later in the battle against the Shadow King." Mary shoots John a side glance because the boys may as well be talking in a foreign language.
Mary shrugs at her turn. "I just found out how to use the internet." Sam scratches his cheek then the corner of his ear to push some misplaced strands of hair back. "Unless we know anybody else who can help?" Sam looks at Ruby particularly all the while he has no clue he would normally be the right person for the job.
He stands up rather hurriedly when Ruby does too. "I'll go with you!" Even he realizes how eager that came off after he says it and hesitates before making up an excuse. "...To help. Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?"
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Date: 2020-03-06 01:19 am (UTC)Oh, Cas. It's no wonder Lucy is very much in like with him. Carmen knows now that Castiel is very punctual. The next time Lucy gets a text or Cas knocks, she'll tell him that he doesn't have to do that; he can just come in. Mixed signals much?
Dean grins, barely stifling a chuckle at the rise he'd successfully gotten out of Sam. "Good to know, Geek Boy," Dean chirps, but he's still flipping through the comic books. "How did I forget Rogue was so hot," he says mostly to himself. John shrugs at Mary's look. "Don't' ask me. I just gave them money to buy the comic books."
Dean thinks about it a second and shakes his head. "As much as I love her, Lucy doesn't strike me as a computer whiz. We could ask Carm. She's never mentioned being a secret hacker though." Carmen might know her way around a computer, but probably not to the proficiency that they'd need. It'll be an issue they'll have to shelve until the older version of Sam comes back.
Ruby looks back over her shoulder, flipping her hair as she does when Sam declares he'll stay with her. A cat's got the milk grin slips over her lips and she holds out her hand, slowing a little but not stopping. "That's what I hear," she tells him.
John sighs and rubs a hand over the back of his neck. "I don't know whether to worry about that or be charmed by it," he says almost as an aside then looks back to the comic books. "So we'll research and stay out of the lab until we know more. Maybe we can find some techno-babble spell that'll get us into the database. I miss when everything was in a file cabinet in a basement somewhere." Little does John know that if he wished for that exact thing, he might get it.
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Date: 2020-03-06 04:16 am (UTC)GodJesus. Sam is probably the only one that knows the extent of the facade she puts on too.Because he learns quickly from their discussions. Did she not want him to be punctual? Yes, it very much will send him mixed signals the next time he doesn't come in before asking and she informs him that he can just come in.
It doesn't escape his notice that Dean is being a jerk, and Sam knows nothing he can say will change that so he gives him this look of being so done with him. He takes the comic book right from under Dean. "You can go look in the newspaper archives." He appoints Dean that job should he be willing to take it or not. It might be the hardest job he can think of. Okay, Mary won't ask. But in it, John shares a small fact that brings her smile to widen. She knows he did good for the boys when he could.
Sam doesn't hide his disappointment from being visible, but is not discouraged by the thought of finding answers the hard way. They've always managed to do it and it was just the three of them then. The five of them together makes anything seem possible. "Okay. So that's a fate no. If you're not sure then I don't think we should bother Carmen or Lucy with this. We can do this ourselves. Like we always do." He really does have faith. He really does think they just need to find the right place to look.
Sam is pretty sure time stands still for a moment when Ruby's ringlets bounce as a result, but then it speeds right up again the further she gets from the table. "Yeah. Me too." He's not thinking how he just said what he agreed to. He pushes the chair more away from him to have it noisily scratch across the floor and stumbles, finds his balance to move around the table to follow behind her at a brisk pace.
Sam is gone. Mary and Dean are still left standing there with John though. She rubs her palm up and down John's arm because there are really no words to tell him to let their youngest find out for himself and their youngest should be fine. Mary considers his second unspoken question with more thought. "Don't suppose there is anyone around here that we can ask?," she offers, clearly uncertain, but looking around at the same time for signs of someone that worked there that could(n't) have possibly slipped their notice.
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Date: 2020-03-07 01:37 am (UTC)Well, punctuality is a good quality to have. Carmen won't tell him otherwise, but Lucy can (and will) teach Cas to enjoy life a little more and sometimes that means not being punctual or popping in unannounced.
Yeah, Dean knows that look. It's familiar no matter what age Sam is. Dean gives him a thumbs up. He will actually comb through the network archives and see what he can find about Wells, STAR Labs, and Cisco that he missed the first time around. John tried to be a good dad; he just wasn't always capable of it.
At Sam's words, Dean reaches over and ruffles Sam's hair with a grin. "Bitch." It's said very affectionately. Dean has faith too. If Sam wants to find out more about the lab, they'll find out more about the lab.
Don't worry, Sammy. Dean will catch the chair before it hits the ground and set it back up. It doesn't take long for Ruby and Sam to get lost in the stacks. "So do we go to the science section or the graphic art section or the history section?" she asks. Honestly, they might find books about Wells and his world in any of the sections or all of them. Th partially sentient bookshop isn't always the easiest to navigate, but it is always interesting.
John is starting to accept that. "As a matter of fact," Dean says as he moves toward the counter and rings a bell there. "Gracie?" Dean had thought at one time that Gracie was the blonde in the bookshop that Sam had been talking about (he'd hoped for it as well). A few seconds later, there's a soft thud of footsteps coming down the stairs in the back. A pretty blonde in a hoodie and a pair of cut off shorts comes through the swinging door with a smile. "Dean Winchester, I don't see you in here very often."
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Date: 2020-03-07 04:33 am (UTC)Lucy will have to explain the logic behind that one to him. She could start with how he would be spontaneous if he did not pop in unannounced.
Thumbs up go a long way in cooling off Sam. He doesn't imagine Dean will have trouble finding anything if there is anything either. Mary can only go by what she's seen of John in Itinere, but he is very capable. She will always lend her ear, if he needs it. There is also the comics left on the table for anybody still interested in looking at the glimmer of info they might offer.
Oops? Sammy is always leaving Dean to pick up his messes, but the chair tipping over is completely accidental. It doesn't take him long to be right behind Ruby. "Science," Sam guesses. "We want to increase the chances of finding out the most about STARS Labs and this Wells guy, so I think that's the best to start. What do you think?" Because of course her opinion matters to him. Maybe the partially sentient bookshop will play nice.
Mary's eyes follow Dean and she twists herself around as he moves back toward the counter. It does not surprise her, really, that he would know the bookshop attendant. Of all of them, she is aware Dean has been in Itinere the longest. She doesn't want to be the one to interrupt their little reunion and she doesn't have to. Upstairs, leaning over the rail emerges another figure. Tall, dark,
obnoxioushandsome. "Welcome. You all couldn't have come at a better time," Damon says, not at all sarcastically. He'd mostly like to remind Gracie he's sticking around. Maybe he's still on his best behavior.no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 07:05 am (UTC)John is a good husband and deserves it. It's probably a good call to leave the comics alone because the information to gleam from it is very little, though the next page or two would have shared that Wells wrote a book the library might have. Chances are they will find it anyway. No, but Sam ought to pay attention more to what he leaves behind. He's one unfortunate afternoon away from receiving a ticket for littering a gum wrapper or failing to make his bed yet again.
Ruby clearly knows the sections better than he'd expect which has Sammy light up, smile showing his off pearly whites. "So you've been in this section before," he tries to make conversation. He will piece together in time that this was the place his future self took her to explain technology among other things. "What part of science or math interests you? I like it all. If I have to say what I'm into most, recently it's the discoveries in RNA-sequencing." All his talking though and he still manages to maintain some balance to follow her and scan the books opposite to her side. Every once in a while, he'll pull one out to see the cover and if it's closer to what they're looking for.
Unfortunate would be one word for Dean not being close to many people in Itinere, though now it is less of a concern to anybody. He has family. Carmen. It would surprise Mary at least a little bit to know Gracie is closer to Sam than Dean, but only because Ruby seems to be the light of his life. It's a compliment that Dean introduces her as his mom as it's one of the few first times it's happened. Damon has no problem with Dean either. "Yes. Very interesting. What brings you here?" Damon concedes. Lately the value of customer service has been taught to him. He was actually wondering the same thing. Mostly he wonders where Ruby is because she's always near Sam. "I hate to be the one that brings it up, but I'd double check that your brother didn't piss off the Wicked Witch of Time. It's like there's another version of him running around by the end of the week."
Damon may be the only one tired of seeing Sam but Gracie is always welcomed to say hi to him. He would remember her.
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Date: 2020-03-08 10:08 pm (UTC)"The Dewey Decimal system has been around since the late 1800s. I've been a lot of libraries in my life," she tells him, almost letting slip that she's a lot older than she looks. Instead, she focuses on his next question. His commentary about the RNA sequencing. "I have no idea what that is," she admits, giving him a slightly dazed look. She recovers a little to go back and answer his questions. "Natural sciences. Botony, Biology, Chemistry." They're all a little lik witchcraft and while she knows far more about witchcraft than sh does about any of the natural sciences, she sees how those go hand in hand with witchcraft. While Sam is pulling books out, Ruby is still watching him, leaning a little against the bookshelf.
It had taken Dean a while to settle into Itinere because h wasn't used to staying anywhere long term. Ruby is the light of Sam's life, but he does have other people in his life, and Ruby respects that. Of course, Dean introduces them as his Mom and Dad. He's never had the chance to introduce anyone except Carmen to his Mom so it's still a big deal.
Okay, so Damon wants to get down to business. Dean watches Gracie and Damon together. He didn't realize they were together, but it's pretty obvious even with this brief, subtle interaction that they're more than friends and co-workers. "You know the lab on the outside of town. STAR labs. We're looking for more information about it."
Dean smirks at Damon's words. "I'll see if there's a curse we've got to break," he responds.
Unfortunately, superheroes aren't Gracie's specialty so she can't offer any insight, but she moves to the laptop and starts searching in the database for keywords like STAR Labs. "Some guy named Harrison Wells owns it in a city named Central City. Let me see what I can pull up."
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Date: 2020-03-09 02:46 am (UTC)He nods and smiles wider because nothing in her words suggest to him that she is older than she looks. Instead, it suggests she's a library nerd like him. "That's right. I forget the order sometimes because some of the schools I've been to use their own completely made up one." He's happy to explain the latest discoveries in RNA sequencing. The hardest thing for him is to keep it short and use some layman terms to describe it so she can follow and maybe see why it's exciting. He stops eventually his interest really is where her interest lies. "I studied a little biology and chemistry, but maybe you can show me a little botany sometime." He just wants an excuse to continue hanging out with her. He continues to pull out books to peak at the covers until his peripheral vision catches on to her looking at him.
"Found something?" he just assumes to begin with, but he can see she's not holding anything so it becomes clear what it is. Him.
Itinere bless them with many gifts. Time and patience might been the price Dean had to pay for it. Of course Damon wants to get down to business. The sooner they do, the everybody can leave. He has nothing to contribute about STAR labs and he looks to Gracie on this one.
While they follow her behind her to the laptop, he offers more of his humble opinion. "70/30 sure there's always a curse." To some extent, he still isn't convinced Itinere isn't a sick joke either. In the last few months, though, it's become one thing that he minds less and less everyday. Rather purposely, he brushes up against Gracie from behind and plays a little with her hair. Nothing about a Harrison Wells strikes him as a concern of his.
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Date: 2020-03-10 01:14 am (UTC)Nothing suggests that now, but once he knows, it's likely that this conversation will be one of those little signs. She is a library nerd. Listening to Sam explain RNA sequencing is actually really hot. She listens to him and fights the urge to grab him by the shirt and kiss him. She nods a little at his suggestion of spending more time together. "Sure. Botany. Anytime," she assures him then gives into that urge and reaches out to grab a handful of his shirt and pulls him to her, leaning in to press her lips against his, her free arm winding around his neck, fingers creeping into the hair at the back of his neck.
Yes, Sam. She's found something.
Time and patience isn't the hardest price to pay, particularly when the reward is so worth it. Do enlighten them Damon about why he wants them to go away.
"Well...you're not wrong," Dean admits. John is positive it's some sort of sick joke and the rug is going to be jerked out from underneath him one day. Until that moment, he's going to enjoy every single thing that Itinere has to offer. Dean once thought that about this place. Now he's not sure if it's a reward, a hiding place or an escape. No matter which one it is, he's decided to take what he can get out of it. Gracie can't help the giddy smile that slips across her lips when Damon brushes up against her. She doesn't move away from him but tilts her head a bit into his touch like a cat while attempting to keep at least part of her attention on what she's doing. "We've got a biography about him in the biography section over there and a book about particle acceleration in the 500s. At least that's where they should be. The lab has been here a while though. It's been empty most of the time that I've been here."
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