Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Adam, hey, calm-” Dean breaks off, listening. “Dude, they’re not gonna-” More listening. “Yeah, okay. We’ll be right there, alright? Just hang tight.”

Sam can hear their young half-brother’s panicked ‘hurry’ break off as Dean hangs up the phone.

“He’s in jail. We gotta go bail him out.” Dean groans.

“Dean, no. We can’t go to the police station. They only got a side view that time you messed up but someone could still identify you off that.”

“And I’d deserve it for getting myself caught on camera,” Dean replies with a roll of his eyes.

“But I don’t deserve two brothers in jail instead of one. Look, why don’t we just send a defense attorney to bail him out?”

“We’re not just gonna trust some public defender with Adam’s freedom.” Dean frowns, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Of course not, Dean. We’ve got money; we’ll hire the best there is. And we’ll make sure they know to keep our family out of it and either get the charges dropped, or get Adam charged as a minor. I think I know just who to call, too. Jo said this guy’s really good. Somehow, he convinced the DA all the evidence they had was circumstantial and at least three other people could have done it, when they had her dead to rights. She never even got charged.” Sam grins, pulling a business card from his wallet.

“Hey, I wanna meet this guy before we let him near Adam. Need to look him in the eyes to know if I can trust him,” Dean grumbles as Sam punches the number into his phone.

“Dean, that ‘look him in the eyes’ thing is bull shit. I don’t know how you’re still alive and not locked up believing in that mumbo-jumbo.” Rolling his eyes, Sam hits dial and holds the phone to his ear.

“Hey, reading body language is science, not voodoo or whatever.”

Sam just holds a finger up in response, hushing his brother as a cheerful voice greets him.

“Novak and Novak; you got problems, we got solutions. How can I help you?”

“Um, yes. I was hoping to talk with Gabriel Novak, if he’s available?”

“You’re talkin’ to him.”

“Oh. Okay. Um, my friend J-”

“Woah, hold on there. Don’t need to know any names. Not until you’re an official client. Just tell me what the problem is and if there are any past charges or convictions that will affect your case.”

“It’s not my case. This is for my little brother. He’s seventeen and a good kid, so we don’t want this on his record. We’re not sure on the details, but were hoping you could go bail him out then meet us somewhere quiet to go over everything?”

“And you can’t bail him out yourself because…? You know what? Nevermind that. Who’s we? No names, just; relative, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, coworker?”

“My older brother. Boyfriend? Are you saying I sound gay?”

“Are you saying gay people sound different than straight people?”

“What?” Sam huffed. “No, you’re the one who said- Look, nevermind that. Are you interested or not?”

“Very,” the jovial voice replied immediately and Sam felt his face heat.

“I meant my brother’s case.”

“Oh, that. Well, don’t know what it is yet, but if it means getting to meet you in person, I’m all over it!”

“I’m starting to think maybe I should find a different lawyer.” Sam groans.

“Hey, if you don’t want the best, go ahead. But just so you know, as much as I enjoy the ear candy and will probably love the eye candy, I am a professional. I won’t do more than flirt while we’re working together. And when it comes to discretion, you couldn’t be in better hands. So, whaddya say?”

“I say if you’re the best then prove it. Get our brother out of jail. Today.”

“I can go one better than that. You and Mister Older Brother can meet me and little bro at The Sugar Shack in two hours. Gonna need little bro’s name first though.”

“It’s Adam. Adam Milligan. He’s at the-” Sam raises an eyebrow at Dean, who holds up seven fingers “-seventh precinct.”

“Got it. Sugar Shack. Two hours. Don’t be late,” the lawyer summarizes before hanging up, presumably to start on getting their brother released.

Sam stares at his phone for a few minutes, shakes his head and fills Dean in on the parts he hadn’t overheard. Then the only thing left to do is wait.

Though he has his doubts, Sam really hopes this lawyer is as good as Jo says. Dean and Sam have been raised as assassins from the time they could hold a knife, but Adam is the illegitimate result of a work-related one night stand. Their dad doesn’t know he exists and the brothers want it to stay that way. They may be stuck with a life spent working from the shadows but that doesn’t mean Adam has to join them. Sure, the kid’s a bit bitter and messed up right now but that’s normal teenage shit, especially after learning his origin story.

A few years ago his mom had told him about the stranger who’d fathered him and Adam had started digging around. Some of his internet searches tripped a few alerts so John sent Sam and Dean to investigate and eliminate the threat. What they found, however, was Adam. After a thorough check of his story and an off-books DNA comparison by their friend Ash, they told him they were his brothers but said Dad was dead. Because, as far as John’s concerned, blood is family and family is in the business, and damned if they were going to curse Adam to this life.

*****

“Son of a bitch, I think I’m getting second-hand cavities just sittin’ here,” Dean grumbles from across the booth.

“The look on the barista's face when you asked for ‘plain, black, normal-ass coffee’ was priceless.” Sam chuckles.

“Yeah, what the hell? This’s s’posed to be a coffee place, isn’t it?”

“Actually, it’s a café et patisserie,” the voice Sam had heard over the phone earlier replies, and Sam turns to see a man with dark blond hair and vibrant, honey-brown eyes, dwarfed by Adam on one side and a guy almost as tall, with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes, on the other.

“A what?” Dean asks from the other side of the booth.

“A fancy coffee shop and bakery. Gabe just enjoys sounding pretentious,” the dark-haired man replies in a gravelly voice.

“Says the consummate sesquipedalian,” the shorter man retorts.

“I never said I wasn’t and you’re just proving my point.”

“Cassie, you’re scaring the new clients and we haven’t even been introduced. Adam says you two are Sam and Dean?” he asks with a raised eyebrow, nodding at each in turn and guessing right on which is which. “I’m Gabriel and this is my private investigator and littlest brother, Castiel.”

“I’m almost half a foot taller than you,” Castiel points out.

“Four inches is closer to a quarter foot than a half. Besides, you know I meant age.”

“Then you should have said ‘youngest’, not ‘littlest’.”

“Wow, you two really are brothers,” Sam chuckles, and Gabriel’s focus shifts from Cas to Sam in half a heartbeat.

“Sam, you must be the one I spoke with on the phone this morning,” the attorney grins, voice turned as honey as his eyes.

“Is my voice that recognizable?”

“Gabriel has a bit of a voice fetish. Wouldn’t shut up about you earlier,” comments a light, British accent, the owner of which is walking toward them in a chef’s hat and apron, drying his hands on a dishtowel.

“Aaand this would be our older brother Balthazar, owner of this fine establishment,” Gabe grins.

“Not to mention receiver of complaints about the aisle being blocked. Maybe you should take this back to your office?” the thin blond suggests and the phrase ‘never trust a skinny cook’ flits through the back of Sam’s mind, though the place is busy and customers appear happy with their baked goods.

“Sure, Balth. Can you send Cassie and me some lunch and coffee?”

“I suppose I can manage that. I’ll even throw in refills for your guests and the cherry galettes that just came out of the oven.”

“Have I told you lately that you’re my favorite brother?” Gabriel grins.

“Hey, an hour ago you said I was your favorite brother,” Castiel frowns.

“Then you’re both my favorite brother?” Gabe shrugs as he heads toward a door at the back left of the café.

“Gabriel, that’s not how ‘favorite’ works.”

“Geeze, Cassie, lighten up, would ya? You and Balth are both amazing at what you do and I love and appreciate the two of you equally, more than any of our other brothers. Now can you please not take everything so literally?”

“Not really, no,” Castiel deadpans, though the corner of his mouth twitches up in amusement.

Gabe just rolls his eyes as he holds the door open for his clients, Dean mumbling something about ‘the Fonz’ and ‘better not be a bathroom’ as he goes past.

The office has no windows, the outside wall on the left covered with floor to ceiling bookshelves and the back wall covered with framed awards, newspaper articles, and a magna cum laude diploma from Harvard Law. On its right-hand side is a solid, inward-opening door, deadbolted and sporting a heavy-duty barrel bolt for good measure.

Couches line the remaining two walls, a reproduction of Raphael’s painting ‘Cherubs’ hanging above the sofa directly to the right, and one of Da Vinci's ‘The Annunciation’ above the other, flanked by smaller renaissance angel paintings that Sam isn’t familiar with. Thanking the art history elective he took in college, Sam wonders if there’s some angel theme or joke in their family. The Annunciation features the archangel Gabriel speaking with Mary, so its presence is obvious, but the other angel paintings don’t seem to correlate to the angels Gabriel and his siblings are named after.

In front of the back wall is a large, antique, mahogany desk with a leather covered wood chair behind it and two wingback chairs in front. A smaller desk and chair in similar color and style are positioned at a right angle, in front of the wall of books.

Adam and Sam take the two chairs, Dean sitting on the arm of the sofa beside the door. Gabriel and Castiel sit behind their respective desks, Gabe propping his shoes on the antique mahogany. The legs of his dark suit pants slide up a bit, revealing black socks beneath… covered in pictures of corgi dogs. Sam grins at the bit of whimsy in the otherwise formal attire, thinking how appropriate it seems on him, though he doesn’t really even know the guy.

“So, Adam, like I said when we met, your bros hired me to represent you. I know you told me the story earlier but do you mind going over it again now, for them to hear? You don’t have to; they hired me, but you’re my client so it’s up to you if, when, and what you want them to know,” Gabe says, holding up a finger as Balthazar knocks on the door, bringing in their drinks and food on a rolling cart. Castiel locks the door behind him when he leaves, then sets about handing out chilled sandwiches as well as hot drinks and individually sized french cherry pies. Dean digs into his pastry the second the private investigator hands him a fork, hissing in cooling air around the hot bite and moaning in pleasure when it’s finally cool enough to chew and swallow.

“You guys aren’t going to tell my mom, are you?” Adam asks before digging into his food like he hasn’t eaten all day. Which, considering he’s been in lockup since three thirty in the morning, he may not have.

“Nah, she’s got enough to worry about between the long shifts at the hospital and keeping up the apartment. You know, you could help a bit more,” Dean replies.

Adam swallows the huge bite in his mouth, washing it down with near-scalding hazelnut coffee. “Hey, I have my own shit to take care of. Besides, she does that for herself, not me. I doubt she cares what I do or don’t do.”

“Adam, she’s your mother. Of course she cares,” Sam insists.

“She only kept me as a reminder of your dad.” Adam frowns, setting his already-emptied plate on the desk and crossing his arms over his chest.

“She barely knew Dad. They had a one-night-stand eighteen years ago that was never anything for either of them, though your mom got you as an unexpected benefit,” Sam argues, shaking his head. They’ve had similar conversations before and they always go the same. Nothing Sam says can change Adam’s mind about his mom’s feelings toward him.

“Not to interrupt the warm fuzzies here but I’m on the clock, and not as a family counselor. Adam? Gonna tell your brothers what went down?” Gabe interjects.

Adam sighs. “Fine. This all still confidential?”

“Cassie and I won’t breathe a word. Legally, we can’t. Your brothers don’t have that legal requirement, so it’s between you and them whether you trust them to keep quiet about it or not.”

“Hey, we won’t tell a soul, Adam,” Sam says.

“Yeah, man, believe me. Me and Sammy? We know how to keep secrets.” Dean winks at Adam, ignoring the warning glare Sam gives him and going back to his pie.

Gabriel’s eyebrows raise at the comment and he and Cassie exchange a glance before the Winchesters and Adam turn back toward them.

“Fine. I was out with friends and we were just goofing around when one said she knew a house that was empty for the night, so we moved the party there. We got into the liquor cabinet and raided the cupboards, got the beds a bit messy, might’ve been some minor, accidental damage, but not by me. There were only six of us there and it’s not like we were trying to do anything bad. We just wanted to party, you know?”

“Adam, what were you-”

“You use protection when you were getting the beds ‘a bit messy’?” Dean interrupts Sam.

“Dean,” Sam and Adam groan together.

“Hey, it’s important. No glove, no love.”

“Yes, Dean, I used condoms. I can’t vouch for anyone else because I wasn’t in their room and sure as hell didn’t ask, but I am responsible. I’ve pretty much been raising myself since I was ten.” Adam scowls.

“It’s good that you used-” Sam grimaces “-protection. But Adam, why, if you’re so responsible, would you even do something like that. You had to know it’s illegal.”

“Yeah, but we didn’t think we’d get caught. We didn’t have the music cranked up or go around vandalizing the house or anything. And it was the middle of the night. How were we supposed to know one of the neighbors worked second shift? Or that the neighbor knew the homeowners were out of town and would be suspicious of the lights being on?”

Gabriel takes his feet off the desk as he sets his pie plate down and pulls his sandwich over. Chuckling, Sam shakes his head at the way he apparently eats dessert first, same as Dean. Cas seems to notice too, rolling his eyes. “So, that’s the story, and here’s the sitch,” Gabe explains. “Adam’s already been charged with breaking and entering, theft, and vandalism; nothing I can do about that. However, I managed to expedite his bail hearing and posted the 10k ordered by the judge. Aww, please, no applause necessary. Anywho, as long as Adam shows up for his court dates, no charge for that; I’ll get it back after the trial. Seems to me he’s a good kid who just messed up. The strategy for us is to get it to seem that way to the prosecutor, too, and convince them to charge Adam separately from the others and as a minor. We do that and I might be able to get him off with probation, community service, and paying for the damages. If he’s charged as a minor, the conviction will be scrubbed from his record as long as he doesn’t get in trouble while he’s on probation.”

“What kind of damages we talkin’ about?” Dean asks.

“There’s no way to prove how much they drank but they’re charging the kids for all the liquor missing from any bottles with their fingerprints, and apparently the homeowners had expensive tastes,” Gabe replies.

“But we didn’t drink from everything we touched. Some of the bottles we picked up, looked at, maybe smelled, and put back. And most of the bottles we did drink from were half empty when we started,” Adam adds in his defense.

“Which is logical, and something I’ll use to try to get the amount reduced. The homeowners are also claiming an expensive vase was broken-”

“I swear, I know I didn’t break it. And I didn’t hear anything break; never even saw the vase or heard anything about it until the cops started talking property damage after speaking with the homeowners.”

“Which,” Gabriel continues as though Adam hadn’t interrupted, “reeks of insurance fraud to me. Cassie’s gonna look into that because if we can prove they embellished the damages, that will help get the fine lowered or possibly eliminated altogether. Right now, they’re claiming over eighty-three thousand between the expensive alcohol and the broken vase. Split six ways, that’s still almost fourteen thousand each. And while Adam’s friends have parents who can pay that easily, Kate Milligan, RN, doesn’t have that kind of cash to spare. He got into the private school he attends with those other douche kids on scholarship. Now, I know you Winchesters have money, but nobody knows his relation to the Winchester family, right? ”

“I didn’t tell you Sam and Dean’s last name. Or about my scholarship at Adler Academy.” Adam frowns.

“That’s what Cassie’s for. And like I said, he’s just as good at his job as Balth is at his.” Gabriel smirks.

“Yeah, we want to be there for him through all this but not at the cost of exposing our connection,” Sam sighs in reply to Gabe’s question.

“That’s not surprising. I doubt he even knows what your father really does,” Castiel chimes in.

“What do you know about-” Dean starts, rising from the arm of the couch and reaching behind his back for the gun tucked into his pants in one swift, fluid movement. Sam jumps up too, blocking the line of sight between his older and younger brothers, holding a cautioning hand up to Dean.

“Woah, hold on there, Dean-O! Cassie, you too,” Gabriel cautions, on his feet at the same time as Sam. “Don’t worry. You’re paying; that makes you two as much our clients as Adam. We aren’t about to go spilling any secrets. To anybody,” Gabriel emphasizes, eyes darting to Adam, who is the only one still sitting. “Right, Cassie?”

“Of course,” Cas grumbles, scowling as his empty hand comes out from under his jacket where he’d probably reached for his gun in its shoulder holster. He sits back down, obviously ignoring Dean, whose hand is still behind his back, frozen in his aborted draw.

Sam suspects Castiel is actually on higher alert than before. The guy had moved faster than Sam’s eyes could track and would have had his gun out first if Gabriel hadn’t defused the situation. Considering Sam and Dean both have hair-trigger reflexes and highly trained observation skills, due to the ‘family business’ that they’ve been careful to keep Adam ignorant of, Sam finds himself even more impressed with the PI. And Gabriel seems to be just as talented in his own line of work. “Dean?” Sam asks pointedly, though the bitchface he gives from somewhere in the middle range of his repertoire suggests the question is more of an order.

Dean glares back, folding his arms over his chest and planting his ass back on the arm of the sofa. “I still wanna know what they think they know,” he grumbles, gaze sliding to his left and boring into Castiel.

“Is anyone going to fill me in? What did he mean, ‘what our father really does’? And why did he say ‘does’ instead of ‘did’?” Adam demands.

“Hoo, boy. Sorry, Sam. Cassie didn’t mean to spill any beans,” Gabriel apologizes on his brother’s behalf.

“Sorry, Adam, we just… didn’t want you to get hurt. And we didn’t want you to hate us just because Dad’s an ass. Truth is, he’s a two-bit con man with more luck than skill and he’d try to pull you into his cockamamie schemes if he knew about you.”

“If that’s true, why didn’t you just say so in the first place, Sam? Why lie to me?”

“We didn’t want to lie, Adam, but you have to know Dad wouldn’t like anyone knowing about his schemes. When you started looking for him, Dad got paranoid and made us find out who was poking around. But we told him it was just someone he went to high school with looking to reminisce or possibly hit him up for money, and that we chased the guy off. So, Dad doesn’t know about you and we can’t let him find out. Please, Adam, for your safety, don’t go looking again. Honestly, you’re better off not knowing him,” Sam replies, praying the curious kid won’t go getting himself killed.

Frowning, Adam huffs out a breath, his anger and indignation at being lied to whooshing out of him with the air, replaced by sorrow and disappointment. “You knew I wanted to meet him and you told me he was dead. How could you do that?”

“Kiddo, I gotta agree with Sam on this. You definitely don’t need to be associated with John Winchester, especially before the trial. As your lawyer and someone who gives a shit about you -and I do, even though we just met- I strongly recommend avoiding him; I’m not sure your case could survive the added guilt by association.”

Adam frowns. “I already have enough trouble with guilt by association. I’ll leave it; for now. But I really want to meet him eventually. I should have the opportunity to get to know our dad and decide for myself if he’s the type of person I want to associate with.”

Sam and Dean give each other a worried glance but let it slide, for the moment. “So, Gabriel, you were saying?” Sam prompts.

“What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Fines. We can play up the poor, single-parent family and paint the homeowners as greedy to try to get those reduced or eliminated, and help the judge be more sympathetic to our cause, and/or jury if we can’t get the case booted to juvie. Which I really think we can. If, for whatever reason, we’re stuck with Adam being tried as an adult, I’ll try my damnedest to get the charges reduced. Adam’s a good kid, and far too young to have a felony charge hanging over his head. Hell, honestly, his friends may be pricks but they don’t deserve the felony charge either. The DA’s just trying to show she’s not letting the rich get away with shit just ‘cause they have money.”

“Speakin’ of money, you haven’t said anything about your fee,” Dean points out.

“Yeah, about that. It would contradict our narrative of him being from a poor family for him to be able to pay my fee. Now, I can say I’m not charging Adam for my services; that’s the truth since he’s not the one paying, but I can’t say I’m representing him for free, or ‘pro bono’ as it were. That could cause some problems if anyone calls me out on the wording. The easiest thing would be to say I took Adam’s case to repay a favor.”

“What kinda favor?” Dean asks suspiciously.

“Hey, now, nothing nefarious.” Gabe winks. The Winchesters exchange a glance conveying mutual suspicion that the lawyer and his brother truly do know what their dad’s real job is, and that it’s a family business. “I was thinking along the lines of Sam agreeing to a date. Just dinner and a movie, nothing inappropriate,” he adds hastily as Sam draws breath to speak.

“You expect me to take your word on that? Because I’m definitely sensing ulterior motives. I’m not so sure being alone with you would be safe.”

Gabriel bursts out laughing and Castiel chuckles over in his desk, too. The lawyer is finding it much funnier though, doubled over behind his desk holding his stomach and wiping tears from his eyes. “You’re… you’re saying… saying you don’t know… if you would be safe with me?” he gasps between continuing bursts of mirth.

“It’s not that funny,” Sam huffs, rolling his eyes.

“Hellz yeah it is!” Gabriel replies, still wiping tears from his eyes and trying to suppress the occasional chuckle. “But if it’ll make you feel better, we can make it a double date; you and me, Cassie and Dean-O.”

Sam glances at his older brother, who shrugs, then turns back to Gabriel. “Fine, but only after Adam’s in the clear.”

“You’re going to make me wait that long? It could take months,” Gabe complains.

“Gives you more incentive for a quick and speedy trial, right?”

*****

“Where have you boys been?” John Winchester frowns as Sam and Dean sit down to dinner.

The glance Sam and Dean exchange is too quick and subtle for their dad to catch. “Scoping a possible target, sir,” Dean says, scooting his chair up to the table, placing his napkin over his lap, bowing his head and folding his hands together. Sam mirrors him as Mary Winchester enters, placing a large dish of ‘Winchester Surprise’ in the center of the table beside the salad bowl. Taking her own seat, the Matriarch says grace concluding with an ‘amen, let’s eat’, then grabbing the cheesy dish, spooning some onto her plate and passing it to her left.

“So, boys, what were you two up to today?” she asks, taking some salad and passing the bowl to her right, to Dean, who immediately hands it to Sam.

“Dean says they were doing recon,” John answers, taking two big spoonfuls of casserole and passing it on to Sam, who trades it for the salad bowl, adds a bit to his plate, and passes to Dean, who takes even more than John had.

“So you already found the darklisting for the bounty on Novaks?” Mary asks.

Sam steps on Dean’s foot when he drops his fork, warning him to keep his professional face on. “Yeah, just some preliminary work, checking to see if it was our kind of job,” Sam replies evenly. Dean had only said ‘possible target’. There have been several new listings over the past week; they could have been scoping out any one of them. The Novak listing must have come out today, because Sam hasn’t seen it yet. Was the mention of Novaks a random guess or had their parents seen them at The Sugar Shack? More importantly, had they seen Adam?

“And your findings?” Mary prompts.

“We’ll need to do further research into the family and businesses, but they seemed on the up-and-up,” Sam replies, shrugging.

“You know better than to make assumptions, boy,” John chastises.

“Dad, you’ve been teaching us to read body language since we were in diapers. It’s not making assumptions; they were open, honest, and charitable and their body language said they weren’t putting on an act or hiding anything,” Dean interjects in his brother’s defense.

“Dammit, Dean, I keep telling you not to let your emotions sway you. That’s why you gotta do the distance research first. News media, computers, underground contacts; forewarned is forearmed.”

“Sorry, sir. The opportunity to investigate and get ourselves in position came up and we took it. Wasn’t time for all that cra..err, research.”

“Well, if you’d done your homework like we taught you, you’d know a large portion of the Novak family fortune has been going to fund political campaigns. Campaigns for candidates who want to repeal legalized gay marriage and cut spending on food and medical assistance for the poor. And the ones that have made it into office have also been lobbying in favor of bigger tax cuts for businesses, to ‘allow them to expand, providing more jobs’. The Novaks are old-money business tycoons who pay their employees minimum wage, overcharge for health care, and fire employees who miss work due to family emergencies. Does any of that sound open, honest, or charitable to you?” John demands.

“No, sir. But it also doesn’t sound like the men we met. Did you look into individual Novaks or just lump them all together?” Dean asks.

“They all benefit from the dirty business practices, that makes them all guilty. If they were good men, they wouldn’t use their shops to launder money. The person who posted the bounty included proof that they’ve been keeping two sets of books, making illegal deals, avoiding taxes, and using several family-owned businesses to cover up off-books monetary gains. That includes The Sugar Shack and Novak² Law. Still think they’re good guys?” John scowls.

Dean’s jaw clacks shut, not having a reply.

“Did you verify this client’s ‘proof’?” Sam asks, always more willing for a confrontation than Dean.

“Of course we did, honey,” Mary responds, stepping in before things can escalate between father and son. “Through several different sources. Especially the eldest son, Lucifer. He’s so deep in it you could probably smell him from miles away. But the younger brothers are easier to get to, and they’re definitely involved in the money laundering. The bounty is 20k for any and all Novaks with proof of kill. And it’s a very large family. We won’t be the only ones going after them. Which means we have to get there first.”

“Mom, you’ve always said we only take contracts on people who deserve to die. At least give us one night to satisfy our own consciences? If they really are crooks, Dean and I have an in; we’ll be able to get close.”

“And if they’re not?”

“Then we’ll warn them. At least if they know other hired guns may be after them they’ll be able to protect themselves. Go into hiding or somethin’,” Dean shrugs.

“Our job isn’t to-” John starts.

“One night then. Come tomorrow, we’re on the hunt,” Mary agrees, cutting her husband off.

“Thanks, Ma,” Dean says, putting his napkin over his empty plate before standing to kiss Mary’s right cheek, Sam going the other way around the table to kiss the left. Then both boys are off to the basement, their base of operations.

*****

“You’re awesome, Charlie…” Dean grins into the phone. “Yeah, definitely. Already got my costume ready and everything. Lookin’ forward to kicking some orc ass! Will do, and thanks again. You’re a lifesaver. Literally.”

“So, what’d she say?” Sam asks when Dean hangs up, closing his laptop and rubbing his eyes. It’s not just the late hour; he’s been staring at the computer screen since dinner, going through every online newspaper article he can find that mentions Novak.

“Charlie says everything the client posted in the want ad looks legit.”

“Can we at least wait until Gabriel gets Adam out of trouble before we take them out?”

“She said everything looks good. Never said the info is good. There’s no way to prove one way or the other but the way the illegal stuff is set up, it’s entirely possible the Novaks don’t even know they’re being used. After hacking into Balth’s system (which was way too easy, according to her), Charlie found a virus that redirected the reported bookkeeping which was then changed by a third party and filed. So the financial information Balthazar sent to the government was not the information received by the government. Gabriel’s computer was much harder to hack; Charlie said if it hadn’t had the same virus creating a small hole in security she wouldn’t have been able to get in at all. She has no idea how someone managed to get the virus onto the pc or how it stays hidden from av and malware removal programs. Charlie thinks it probably had to be uploaded directly into the computer, in person. So, the Novaks could have put it there themselves, just to cover their asses if they got caught. Or, the virus could’ve been planted by a third party who had access to their offices. Either way, we need more research before taking the job.”

“Great. Do you think Mom and Dad will go for that?” Sam asks.

“Mom will. And Dad will listen to Mom. Charlie hid the post for now too, until we can figure out who’s bad and who’s on the up and up.”

“There will still be people out there who’ve seen the post already and are going to go after them,” Sam points out.

“Which is why we’re going to be sticking close for now, making sure they don’t get offed before we finish investigating.”

“And we’ll be in position to act if necessary. Dean, does this mean you want me to flirt with that weirdo?”

“C’mon, he wasn’t that weird. Besides, he seems fun. I’m stuck with tall, dark, and broody. Who has zero interest in me. At least you’ve got a shot at getting some action.”

“With a lawyer? Dean, I’m not suicidal.”

“A defense lawyer, Sammy. Come on, he can get you off. Pun intended.” Dean smirks.

“Shut up, jerk.”

“Bitch.”

*****

“Sam? What a surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon.” Gabriel grins when the tall man enters his office after knocking.

“Yeah, sorry, I just wanted to talk for a few minutes, if you have time?”

After hanging up his coat, Gabe sits at his desk, nodding toward a chair. “Sure thing, no apologies necessary. I just got back from the courthouse and was about to have lunch. Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet.” Sam smiles, taking the offered seat.

“I’ll order something from ‘room service’” Gabriel says with a grin. “What would you like?”

“Chicken salad would be great?” Sam asks, not sure if The Sugar Shack would have anything healthy but he knows they at least have sandwiches because Gabriel and Castiel had them yesterday.

“Dressing?”

“Poppyseed,” Sam replies as Gabe pulls out his phone and calls Balthazar, putting in the order. “Where’s your brother today?” he asks, realizing the other desk is empty.

“In the kitchen, making us food.”

“Ha ha. I meant the other one, smart ass.”

“Cassie’s actually doing legwork for your brother’s case. And this morning I got us a court date for tomorrow. I’m hoping to get the whole case thrown out. After talking with the co-defendants’ lawyers, I’m not liking the way things are heading. Sounds like the others are trying to say everything was Adam’s fault. Hopefully, Cassie comes up with something we can use. Is that what you came by to talk about?”

“Well, I did want to discuss that, but no, I had something else on my mind.”

“Okay, shoot,” Gabe says, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up onto his antique desk, folding his hands behind his head.

“Actually, I’d prefer to wait until after our food is here and the door is locked. If that’s okay?”

“Sure, Sam. What should we do while we wait, then? Make out?” Gabe suggests, eyebrows wriggling.

Sam laughs. “Before we’ve even had our first date? I’m not that kind of boy.”

“Hey, a guy can dream, right?”

“I don’t get why you’d want one date in exchange for work you would normally get thousands of dollars for,” Sam comments, rolling his eyes.

“Tens of thousands, actually. And I’m pretty sure a date with you is worth it; especially if it leads to more.” Gabe smirks.

“More dates, or more than just a date?”

“Both.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up there. To be honest, you aren’t really my type.”

“Oh? So what’s your type then?”

Sam closes his eyes, leaning back in his chair and remembering his past girlfriends. “Smart, kind, likes to have fun, good sense of humor, vibrant eyes, soft, wavy blonde or brunette hair, kissable lips… not too tall; somewhere between 5’6” and 5’10”... and indestructible.” The last is added in remembrance of how many lovers he’s lost, and not in the breaking up way. His life just isn’t safe for the people he cares for unless they’re from his world too. And even then, they’re still at risk.

Gabriel gives him an understanding smile but a knock interrupts before he can say anything. Going to the door, he takes the cart from Balth, thanking him before slipping the bolt across to make sure they won’t get any unannounced visitors. That done, he lifts the cover off the food and hands the salad to Sam before grabbing his own turkey sandwich on whole grain honey bread with sweet onion dressing and spinach. Hey, if Sam’s going to eat healthy he may as well, too. At least, that was his thinking when he’d ordered. Now he’s not sure if the spinach was a good idea; Balth seems to have gone a bit overboard on the green.

Sitting back at his desk, Gabriel tucks his tie into his breast pocket in the hopes of not dripping dressing onto it and takes a bite as Sam prepares his salad. The spinach isn’t as bad as he’d feared. “So, Sam, about that list you just gave… I hit every point on it. And modesty was not on there, before you go saying anything.”

Sam laughs. “True, that’s not there, but indestructible is. And since no one’s ever going to fit that last criterion, I’m fine with staying single. It’s better not to let anyone get too close.”

“You’re worried about fallout from your job?” Gabriel asks, though it’s not really a question.

“From fixing cars?” Sam asks. They still haven’t confirmed if Gabe really knows about the Winchesters being assassins. He could just be fishing for information.

“The other job, Sam. The one that involves death and, sometimes, retaliation that could hit anyone you’re close to.”

“That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about today.”

“Wondering how much I know?” Gabe asks, brushing sandwich crumbs off his hands and popping a sweet potato fry into his mouth. Sam nods around a forkful of salad. “Relax; I don’t know any specific details. But Cassie ferreted out the true Winchester business, which has been in the family for generations. Your mom, though…” Gabe whistles. “Real life Romeo and Juliet there. The Campbells and Winchesters have been rivals for years, always fighting over jobs and arguing about ‘ethics’. Rumor has it, Winchesters won’t take a job unless the target deserves to die, while the Campbells will kill anything that moves if the price is right. No one from either family has ever been convicted of murder, though a few have come under suspicion here and there. And there’s no indication of whether you and Dean are involved, though your comments yesterday suggest that you are.”

“You know all that and still think you want to go on a date with me?” Sam asks when his mouth is empty, taking a few sips of coffee.

“More than one, but yeah. I got good vibes off you and your brothers. And I tend to have a sixth sense about people. I can tell when someone really wants to do me harm.”

“You know, some people will do you harm even if they don’t want to,” Sam points out.

“Are you talking about the bounty that popped up on the dark web yesterday? ‘Cause, like I said, I know Winchesters don’t go after anyone unless they deserve it and most of us don’t. There are a few the world might be better off without but for the most part, we’re all good eggs.” Gabriel shrugs.

“You really believe that,” Sam whispers, surprise letting the statement slip past his lips.

“Of course I do, Sam. It’s true. I mean, Luci’s always been a pain in the ass and his friends are shit. Mom’s not bad but not necessarily good, and a few cousins are annoying suckups, but even they’re not bad enough to deserve to be killed. Not that I’d mind too much if someone dropped a house on Zach or Luci.”

“Gabriel, have you looked into where your family money comes from?” Sam frowns.

“Some ancestor struck it rich in the California gold rush back in the 1850s. Since then it’s just been a matter of smart investing. And the estate keeps us kiddos in line. We all work for our living, though we had help paying for college and starting our businesses.”

Sam has never been as good at reading people as Dean but he isn’t seeing any signs of lying or evasion. Could Gabriel really not know? “How did you find out about the bounty?”

“Cassie came across it yesterday. When he was researching you, actually. It’s gone now, though. Don’t worry, we’re still on alert; we know even if the posting’s gone, there will be people who saw it and started after us right away. We’ve warned everyone, even Luci. There may be times I almost wish he was dead, but he’s still my brother.”

“What does Luci do?”

“He’s got a masters in accounting and another in world business. Lucifer’s actually the one who handles the investing and bookkeeping for the estate. I know he’s been growing the family money and all that, but he’s a bit obsessed with it. Every time we veto him closing the Novak foundation or stopping charity donations, he gets all pissy. But money isn’t meant to just endlessly grow; what would be the point of that? Sure, we don’t want to just give it all away. We have to make sure we have enough increase in revenues to pay employees of the family-owned companies competitive wages. And yeah, we need a buffer for emergencies and health care, taxes, things like that. But we want to make sure we’re helping the communities that support us, too. So, he’ll never get permission to stop our charitable works. Not that he’s a bad guy, mind you, just too obsessed with the numbers.”

“Does he do the books for the individually owned businesses, like Novak², or The Sugar Shack?”

“Nah, Cassie handles our stuff. Balth does the books for his café and Cas goes over his monthly report before he sends it in. Balthazar’s better in the kitchen than on a computer but he has a bookkeeping program that makes it easy. And Balth doesn’t make mistakes with the numbers; you know, it’s surprising how much math there is in cooking. Measurements and how many this in a that, and making recipes larger or smaller, it’s all a pain in the ass. Anyway, the only time Cassie’s ever caught a mistake from him was when he forgot to update his program so he didn’t have the new federal tax rate.”

“How good is Cas with computers?”

“Cassie? Psh, he’s great. I don’t think there’s anything he can’t find out, unless it’s on an extra secure server.”

“Gabriel… do you think Lucifer would… nevermind.”

“Aww, come on, Sam. You can’t start a sentence and just drop it. What were you going to ask?”

Sam sighs, trying to figure out what he can say without tipping Gabriel off to what they’ve uncovered so far. “Do you think he would… help you guys make more money if he was the one doing the books?” he says, giving up on trying to rephrase his original question and going for something safer. Setting his fork on his empty plate, he wipes his mouth and puts the dishes and napkin on the rolling tray.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it. He’d definitely make us more money. But Balth and I, we aren’t interested in more money. And like I mentioned before, Luci’s not so big on charity; he’d want me to stop working for the Innocence Project. Would probably suggest selling leftover pastries the next day at a slightly reduced price instead of Balth dropping them at the soup kitchen on his way home every night, too. I’d never want him in charge of my finances and I don’t think Balthazar would either.”

“You work for the Innocence Project?” Sam asks, surprised. Their friend, Garth, had been framed by his fiance’s family because they didn’t want him to marry Bess. After a botched trial with a public defense attorney, the Innocence Project had cleared his name. He and Bess are currently married and happy, living on a pig farm.

“Sure do. Lots of people wind up with a bad lawyer or jury or judge, or just plain bad luck. They don’t deserve to rot in jail when they’re innocent.”

“What if they’re guilty?” Sam wonders aloud, surprised when he hears his own words.

“Everyone deserves fair representation. Besides, being guilty of a crime doesn’t necessarily make someone a bad person. There are always other things to look at. For example, just hypothetically, of course, say someone was a bad person; a murderer or rapist or swindler who took money from people who couldn’t afford to lose it. And then say someone wanted that person dead and was going to pay someone else to make that happen. If the person they paid investigated first, made sure the target really was a bad person, does that make the assassin a bad person? The contract was going to be fulfilled by someone, and at least that person made sure the target deserved it, right?” Gabriel gives Sam a pointed look and Sam blinks.

“Are you saying you would get said assassin off on a murder charge?”

“I’d do my damnedest. But what I’m really saying is that being an assassin doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person. There’s a hell of a lot of grey in the world, Sam.”

“Huh. No arguments there. So Lucifer’s never had access to your computer? Or Balthazar’s?”

“No way. He’s my brother and I love him, but I trust him about as far as I can throw him, which isn’t all that far.”

“What about without your knowledge? Could he have snuck in here? Or anyone else, for that matter?”

“Even if anyone could get access, Cassie’s got our system locked down tighter than Fort Knox. What’s with all the questions, Sam?”

“Sorry Gabe, just a few more, then I’ll explain. Has Lucifer, or anyone, been in your office without supervision?”

“Have you seen my security measures? I’m extra vigilant when it comes to my clients’ safety. There’s no way I would ever leave anyone in here alone, not even you. Heck, I’ve had someone try to get into my client files even while I was in the office. Believe me, I’m not about to trust anyone other than Cassie alone in here for any reason.”

“When was that?” Sam asks, leaning forward eagerly.

“What?”

“When someone tried to get into your files while you were in the room. When did that happen? Who was it?”

“Hell, I don’t know. It was over a year ago, at least. Luci and his friend, Az stopped by for lunch. Az slipped behind me and tried to get into the filing cabinets.”

“And what was Lucifer doing?” Sam prompts.

“He… I don’t know, my back was turned for a few minutes while I chewed Az out and threatened to put a cap in his ass if he didn’t back the hell away from the files. I thought Luci just sat in his chair.”

“That’s it!” Sam exclaims, tension draining from him for the first time since he entered the office, despite his excitement.

“What’s what?”

“Gabriel, do you mind if we bring a computer expert in to look over your system? You and Cas can both watch the whole time.”

“Sam, you aren’t making any sense. What’s with all the questions, and why do you want me to let someone on my computer?”

“Can I call Dean first? Need to clear it with him, then I’ll fill you in on everything.”

Gabriel sighs. “As long as you actually do tell me what’s going on, sometime before the curiosity kills me, sure.”

*****

Cassie frowns over the redhead's shoulder, brows scrunched up in his standard ‘why is this confusing me and how is this possible’ look. Charlie -Sam and Dean’s friend- has her laptop opened beside them and is switching from its keyboard to the desktop’s and back again, Castiel nodding as she explains things.

“Did you really think we put this virus on there ourselves? Sam, you wound me,” Gabriel pouts, looking up at the tall Winchester and fighting the urge to lick his lips.

Sam shakes his head. “I didn’t think you would do that but I had to make sure.”

“You could have saved a lot of time by just outright asking,” Gabe huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No offense, but if you had put the virus there yourselves, you would’ve just lied. I had to be careful of how much and what I said; we needed you to prove your innocence without knowing that was what you were doing. You are a defense attorney, after all,” Sam replies and though Gabe’s still hurt at the lack of trust, Sam makes a valid point.

“Well, all that aside, what do we do now? All us Novaks are on red alert but we can’t keep looking over our shoulders forever,” Gabriel asks.

“I’ve had to hide the ad three more times since last night, too. Oops, make that four. Whoever’s on their end is pretty frackin’ good,” Charlie adds.

“But you’re better, right, Charlie?” Dean grins.

“Hell yeah, bitches!” Charlie replies, fingers dancing over the keys. “They’re using too many proxy servers for me to backtrace them. That’d be pretty smart… if it didn’t give them away.”

“What do you mean?” Gabe asks.

“Hackers tend to be creatures of habit. We’ll stick with the same methods as long as possible until they’re burned. Every hack gets discovered eventually; nothing’s safe. But things like a proxy route? Each hacker has their own path and will continue to use the same one until it gets discovered, then they’ll switch to their backup and make up a new path to have waiting in the wings. This particular chain belongs to OjosAmarillos; pretty slick hacker, but totally working for the emperor. I’d love to blow up his Death Star but the closest I’ve been able to narrow down his location is a hundred-mile radius,” Charlie explains, punching in a few last keystrokes to bring up a map.

“Charlie, you’re a genius!” Dean enthuses, clapping the woman on the shoulder. He and Cassie are standing side by side behind her and Gabriel doesn’t miss the hint of jealousy that flits across his brother’s features. Interesting.

“Hey, Cassie, hasn’t Luci’s friend Az gone by the name ‘Yellow Eyes’ before?” Gabe asks.

“Azazel Knight, also known as Az, Demon, and Yellow Eyes. He’s been friends with Lucifer since kindergarten. Excels in computer programming and security. Graduated high school with a 4.0. Same grade for college; has a master’s in computer programming and a bachelor's in engineering,” Cas recites as though reading from a dossier.

“Is that important?” Dean asks.

“Dean, ojos amarillos is Spanish for yellow eyes,” Sam explains and Gabriel grins. He loves the smart ones. The mountain climbing is just frosting. Assuming he gets that far -and he’s sure going to try his damnedest.

“Exactly. Which means this hacker could be Azazel. Especially considering Luci has two properties within that zone, one here,” Gabriel says, pointing to the map without touching the screen, “and one here. If Azazel’s the one that posted the bounty, I bet he did it on Luci’s orders and will be at one of those places.”

“But the bounty was for all Novaks. That includes Lucifer, doesn’t it?” Sam points out.

“Yep, but if he put the hit out himself, he’ll be prepared to hole up until the rest of us are dead. Remember what I said earlier, Sam? about him wanting to shut down our charity foundation and stop charitable donations? He’ll never be able to as long as we’re alive, but-”

“Once everyone else is gone, he’ll have sole control of the family fortune, no approval required,” Sam finishes for Gabriel. “This is not good. Mom and Dad agreed to keep the Winchesters out of this hit but other families aren’t as moral as ours, and even those who are, if they went with a cursory search, you’d all look dirty.”

“Yeah, but we’re all taking steps to-” Gabriel is cut off by the sound of gunshots. Two sound from outside the back door but don’t do more than ping off the thick metal. Another two come from inside The Sugar Shack, followed by one more and the sound of panicking customers rushing the door. More noises outside the back door indicate someone is trying to get in, but Gabriel isn’t worried about that; his door is impregnable. What he is worried about is his brother. “Balth!” he calls, heading for the door.

Sam’s hand on his shoulder stops him, pulling the lawyer back and shoving a gun into his hands. “Stay here. Watch Charlie. Make sure whoever’s outside doesn’t get through that door,” Sam orders, following Dean and Castiel out into the restaurant without a second glance, his own gun held at the ready.

*****

Sam’s eyes dart around the coffee shop, assessing the situation quickly. The tail of Mom’s coat is briefly visible in the doorway as the door swings shut and Sam guesses she and Dad are going after whoever is trying to get into Gabe’s office through the back door. No customers are visible and Sam hopes they all ran, but someone is sure to have called the cops. Jo is on the other side of the service counter, crouched over a long form, one hand on her gun, the other on the injured man. On this side of the counter, a young man is bleeding on the lobby floor, gun kicked far from his reach, both hands pressed over what appears to be a through and through shoulder wound.

“Jo, how’s Balth? Is he-” Sam asks, worried.

“Kid can’t aim for shit. Novak’s ok, Kevin just winged him.”

“Kevin?” Castiel asks, frowning down at the shooter.

“Yeah, new to the game. He and his mom are a team. We gave them a few pointers last time they crossed our paths and messed up, but looks like they don’t know how to take good advice,” Dean replies.

Head tilting to one side, Castiel aims at the kid and cocks his gun.

“Woah, hold on there, Cas. Kid messed up, didn’t do his research. Nothing worth killing over, though mistakes in this line do tend to end in death. Let us handle this, ‘k?” Dean asks as the front doorbell rings.

“Kevin!” a woman’s voice shouts and Mary lets Linda Tran run to her boy as the sound of sirens becomes audible in the distance.

Sighing, Castiel uncocks his gun and puts it away, hopping over the counter to check on his brother. “You should all get out of here,” he comments, taking the place of Jo’s hand over Balth’s wound as they hear a small explosion from the back of the building.

“Really? Explosives?” Dean sighs at Linda, who has the sense to at least blush.

“I couldn’t get the damn door open,” she shrugs.

“No time to clean that one up; hope you didn’t leave any evidence in the bomb when you made it.”

“Looks like you’re in good hands,” Jo says, patting Balthazar’s uninjured shoulder as she turns away and starts to stand.

“Not as good as yours though.” Balth grins, grabbing the girl’s ass with the hand of his uninjured arm.

“Unless you want both arms damaged, you might want to move that hand.” Jo smirks, wriggling her ass against his hand teasingly.

“Definitely wouldn’t want that,” Balth teases, giving her a light pat before withdrawing his hand, then hissing when Cassie puts more pressure on his wound. “Not unless you plan to volunteer to lend a hand or two until I’m healed up.”

“Keep dreaming,” Jo laughs, hopping over the counter to help Linda pull Kevin up off the floor as Dean and Mary towel up the blood with bleach and John pulls their surveillance van around to the side door.

“Hey, Gabe, I’m coming in; don’t shoot me,” Sam calls through the office door before peeking his head in. Charlie’s still typing away on the computer but Gabriel is pacing, casting worried looks at the back door, which is still standing solid despite bombs, bullets, and whatever else Linda Tran threw at it. “Cops are coming. We need to get out of here. Balthazar is fine, just grazed; Castiel is looking after him. Charlie?”

“There isn’t time to get all my stuff packed up and the computers secured if I go with you. Besides, I’m here as a legitimately paid computer consultant. You guys go on.”

“What about the shooters?” Gabriel asks.

“We’ll take care of them. I’ll explain later, okay? Charlie, can you scrub any video surveillance in the area?”

“On it,” Charlie replies, fingers flying.

“Can you get the restaurant’s cameras from here, or should I-” Gabe starts.

“No need; got that too. Hurry up Sam. The cops are almost here, ambulance right behind them.”

Sam casts a last look at Gabriel before sprinting for the door on the other side of the café, outside of which everyone’s already in the van, just waiting on him.

*****

“Look, his brothers are here, right? They will vouch for us. My cousin Jo and Balth have been dating for months and she wants to see him. He’s not in intensive care, right?” Sam huffs, wrestling with frustration. Balthazar is safe with Castiel there but he and Gabe can’t be there around the clock and Jo can. Besides, Jo’s had medical training; she would be more likely to catch an assassin dressed as a doctor or nurse than any of the Novak brothers.

“I’m sorry, but the family has said no visitors,” the nurse replies sympathetically.

“If you could just go and get Gabriel, he’ll give us permission,” Sam tries to reason.

“If I go and get Gabriel, you’ll watch where I go and know what room he’s in, then you could try to sneak in on your own,” the nurse explains.

“We wouldn’t- Gabe!” he cries with relief, waving at the lawyer who seems to be on his way back from the cafeteria. “Gabe, can you please tell this nice nurse it’s okay for Jo to see her boyfriend? Just because she and Balth have only been together a few months doesn’t mean she’s not family, right?” he says, taking some of the food off Gabriel’s hands.

Gabe grins at Sam, his delight at seeing him again so soon leaving no room for hesitation over the story. “Sure. Sorry, Nurse Jones. Could you add Jo, Sam and Dean to the list? We’re not married yet, but close enough.”

“All of you?” the young woman chuckles, raising an eyebrow.

“Not all together,” Gabe laughs. “Jo’s with Balth, Sam’s my beau, and Dean’s Cassie’s.”

“I guess that makes more sense, though it’s not nearly as interesting,” the nurse giggles. “And please, call me Annie. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

Sam pulls up a (dorky) picture of Dean on his phone to show Nurse Annie, so she’ll know who he is. Not that Dean is planning on coming but more so that if anyone has overheard the conversation they can’t come in claiming to be him. Then they head off down the hall.

“Jo!” Balthazar exclaims lighting up as the visitors enter the room and patting the bed beside his hip on the uninjured side.

Sam closes the door after making sure he, Jo, and the three Novaks are the only ones in the room, then leans in close to Gabriel. “Have you swept the room for bugs?” he murmurs into Gabe’s ear, a barely audible, breathy whisper.

Jo rolls her eyes at Balth, smirking as she ignores the offered seat and leans her ass against the window sill instead. Peeking through the blinds to assess the room’s security from outside dangers, she checks vantage points for possible shooters.

Gabriel shivers at Sam’s warm breath and sweet voice in his ear, then pulls the taller man down to whisper back, lips intentionally brushing against his skin. “Yeah, Cassie checked as soon as we got here and has watched the doctors and nurses like a hawk the whole time. We’re clear.”

Sam steps back, frowning and rubbing a hand over his ear though it doesn’t hide the effect Gabriel managed to have on him. “If no one’s listening in, then you didn’t need to whisper.”

“Sure didn’t,” Gabe smirks, licking his lips.

Jo laughs from her spot on the windowsill and Balthazar joins in.

“So, to what do I owe the -delightful- pleasure?” Balth asks, grinning at Jo.

“The big oaf there and his brother got it into their heads they want you to keep breathing, so I’m here to make sure you do. And what’s the big idea winding up in the hospital over a little graze like that? You must be some kind of wuss,” Jo teases.

“I’ll have you know, I was perfectly content to leave after they’d stitched me up. Unfortunately, Cassie got it into his head that I’d be safer at the hospital, though why he thought that with the parade of people coming and going here, I’ve no idea. Regardless, he and Gabriel suggested there was a risk of infection since I’d been in the kitchen when shot. Apparently that was enough to convince those charlatans they call doctors to confine me to this dreadful room. At least Sam was kind enough to bring me a beautiful flower to alleviate the gloom.”

“Might want to watch out; that flower has thorns,” Sam warns with a shake of his head and a smile.

“C’est la vie. What’s life without a little pain to contrast the pleasure?” Balthazar grins, an expression Jo mirrors as she claims the spot on the bed he’d offered earlier.

“Don’t say you weren’t warned,” she chuckles, wriggling into a comfortable position, making sure their hips rub together in the process.

“Hey now, I’m injured,” Balthazar protests, though his good arm slips around Jo’s waist to pull her closer.

“Hey now, you can always be more injured,” Jo threatens with a wide grin. “Besides, I doubt injury would keep you from doing whatever you want.”

“So very true.”

“Okay you two, get a room,” Gabe groans, rolling his eyes though he’s smiling from ear to ear.

“I believe we are, in fact, currently in one,” Balthazar points out.

“Don’t worry, he’s not getting past flirting with me. At least, not while I’m on the clock. Once you’re all out of danger… we’ll see,” Jo assures, patting Balthazar’s thigh teasingly close to where the blankets are pooled over his cock.

“I thought your goal was to keep me alive, not kill me with sexual frustration,” Balth chuckles.

“Oh, sweetie, you won’t die from that. Besides, with any luck Sam and Dean will get this wrapped up quickly, then we can get out of here.”

“Speaking of which, Dean was hoping Castiel could join him and Charlie for a brainstorming session and, Gabriel, you have a case tomorrow that you have to prepare for, right?” Sam asks.

“Oh, right. Cassie got the goods. I just need to get organized and figure out the right angle to take. But I could do that here.”

“Wouldn’t you concentrate better somewhere else?”

“Not alone, I wouldn’t. Not after today,” Gabe shudders.

“Who said anything about alone? Until Novaks are off the hit lists, you’re with me. I figured we could take Castiel to Charlie’s -Dean will watch his back- and hole up there for the night.”

“And you’re going to stay with me? Does that include in bed?” Gabe grins eyebrows wriggling.

“You get the bed, I get the guard duty. Come on Castiel, let’s get out of here. Jo, behave.”

“Of course… for now.” Jo grins, eyes darting to the windows and door again, checking for vantage points and possible threats.

Rolling his eyes, Sam heads out, checking for danger, Gabriel and Castiel following along behind.

*****

“Your Honor, in light of this evidence, I move that the charges against my client be dropped,” Gabriel declares after stopping the video playback.

“What does the prosecution have to say?” Judge Mills asks.

“The prosecution objects, Your Honor. Regardless of the motives of his friends, Adam Milligan joined them in breaking into that house and trashing the place. He is old enough to be held responsible for his actions and should pay the consequences for his crime.”

“And you think those consequences should include quality time with a bunch of hardened criminals in prison? For a kid making a dumb mistake under the influence of so-called friends who, by their own online admissions, brought him along to be their fall-guy?” Judge Mills frowns.

“Your Honor, my office-”

“If I may, Your Honor, I’m sure we’re all well aware of the DA’s stance on wealth and privilege, however, that has no bearing on my client. Adam Milligan is from a lower middle class, single parent home. His mother is a nurse at St. Joe’s and the only reason Adam is even able to attend Adler Academy is the academic scholarship he earned. In fact, his lack of funds is probably why these losers planned to make him take the blame for everything. Also, I have evidence that the reported damages have been greatly exaggerated.”

“Alright, let’s see it,” Judge Jody says, motioning Gabe up to the bench.

Papers in hand, Gabriel heads up, describing each piece of evidence as he shows it. “Signed statement from a recognized authority on pottery authentication stating the shards from the broken vase are definitely from a reproduction. I also have printouts of the same reproduction available on amazon for 39.95 new and 14.99 used. Not even close to the reported value of the broken vase. In regards to the expensive liquor consumed by the defendants, I have a signed statement from one Alfie Pike, housekeeper to the Johnsons, stating he has seen them refill their expensive liquor bottles with cheaper versions. He has also included an estimate of the cost, including both cleaning supplies and his labor, of cleanup from the party. So, depending on how much alcohol the kids actually drank, the damages come to less than two hundred dollars at the very most. And considering the bottles they touched were all opened already and partially empty, not to mention my client and the other kids all said there were several bottles they looked at, smelled, and didn’t drink from, the actual amount is probably considerably less than the maximum value.

“Therefore, if the prosecution insists on pursuing this case, I move that the felony charges be dropped. This barely even qualifies as a misdemeanor; it was just a bunch of kids doing stupid kid stuff. If they’d had the party at someone’s own home rather than one belonging to friends of Miss Johnson’s mother, it never would have made it to court. The kids would have been given a stern warning and handed over to their parents for punishment.”

“Your Honor, the defendants have already been given warnings more than once,” the prosecution interjects. “Clearly that isn’t much of a deterrent for them.”

“My client has never received a warning. In fact, he’s never been in trouble with the law before at all.”

“Alright, thirty minutes while I slog through all this stuff. Court is in recess,” Judge Mills declares, tapping her gavel, gathering the papers as well as a copy of the videos Cas had pulled from social media showing the other kids bragging about their latest ‘prank’ on a scholarship flunkie, something they’ve apparently been doing for a while. There are other videos talking about things they’d done to get previous scholarship students expelled.

*****

“All rise,” the bailiff calls as the judge returns from her chambers. “Be seated.”

“Okay, the way I see it, this is just a case of kids being kids, the DA being overzealous, and homeowners being greedy. The defense’s motion to dismiss is granted.” Jody taps her gavel several times as the teens (except Adam, who just smiles and shakes Gabriel’s hand), erupt into cheers. “However, these tapes will be brought to your school administration’s attention. And keep in mind, the next time you find yourselves in my court you won’t be so lucky. Court is adjourned,” Jody concludes, banging her gavel. Everyone stands respectfully as she leaves, then there are hugs and congratulations all around.

Adam thanks Gabriel again, as his mother Kate leans over the railing and pulls her son into a big hug, happy and crying in between telling him how very grounded he is for the next forever. Though Adam had wanted to keep her in the dark, Gabe had pointed out that she’d find out anyway and it would be better for her to hear it from Adam than read it in a letter from the court; besides, having his mother there for him made him look more sympathetic, especially compared to his co-defendants who had no one but lawyers. Grinning, Gabriel gives mother and son passes he’d had Balthazar approve which grant them one free meal each per week, dine in only and they have to be together. That way, they’ll at least have dinner together once a week and hopefully their communication will improve. Maybe then Adam will straighten out. Along with the passes he gives them his sincere hope that Adam will learn from this and get himself back on the right path.

Outside the courthouse, Sam is waiting for Gabriel at the top of the stairs. Having been on edge the whole time the lawyer was out of his sight, he spent the time examining everyone who entered or exited the building (security would never let a gun or knife through but there are other ways to kill someone), and taking note of vantage points and suspicious vehicles. As soon as Gabe appears Sam is in front of him, blocking his smaller frame from most lines of sight and hurrying him to his waiting dodge charger.

“Woah there, where’s the fire, Sam?” Gabe asks, buckling up as Sam gets in the driver’s side.

“It’s too exposed here. I don’t like it,” Sam replies, shifting into gear and heading out of the parking lot quickly, though not enough to get a ticket. The car dings at him annoyingly until he’s on the main road and moving at a speed he feels safer with, at which point he takes the time to buckle in one-handed. “How did court go?”

Half amused, half questioning Sam’s sanity, Gabe just shakes his head at the assassin’s paranoia. “Went great. Best case scenario. Case was dismissed and Adam’s in the clear.”

“That’s great, Gabriel! Thank you so much. I doubt he would have done anywhere close to as well with another lawyer,” Sam sighs, visibly relieved that his brother’s out of the frying pan, though still tense over Gabe’s safety.

“I’m not working for you anymore; call me Gabe. And he got what he deserved; no blemish on his record from a stupid kid stunt. So, when are we having our date?”

“Double date. Don’t forget, Dean and Castiel are coming too. And if you want me to enjoy the date, it should wait until after we get you and your family safe.”

Gabriel groans. “You’re killing me, Sams.”

“Hey, if you want me distracted and worrying about your safety the whole time, we can go right now,” Sam snarks.

“Point taken. Are we going back to your friend Charlie’s?”

“Yeah. Her place is defensible and has her system for strategizing. Is that alright?”

“Anywhere you’re at is fine with me.” Gabe grins, laughing at the eye roll he gets in reply.

*****

“Charlie, you sure about this? This isn’t really your normal type of-” Dean asks for the nth time.

“Yes, Dean, I’m sure. This ass has been giving hackers a bad name for ages and I want to make sure he’s taken down. Permanently. Besides, this isn’t something I can talk you or Sam through. It’s me or nobody; time to man up.”

“You do realize you’re-”

“Cas, buddy, you don’t wanna finish that sentence,” Dean warns before the P.I. can put his foot in his mouth. Or Charlie’s foot, if he’d finished calling her a woman.

They are in the Winchester’s surveillance van in the parking lot behind the building across the street from Lucifer’s pool hall, Get A Cue. Sam’s charger is parked beside the van.

“And you’re sure you’ll be able to get in through the hidden exit?”

“Yes, Dean. I double checked last night when I planted the camera at the secret exit after we found out this place used to be a speakeasy. Pulled the release, opened and closed the door, then came back to the van and checked the feed. No one came to check the door so I’m guessing there’s not an alarm on it. Lucifer probably doesn’t even know it opens from the outside; most don’t, but this one wanted patrons to be able to enter the bar without being seen.”

“I still don’t like this,” Dean grumbles, glaring at the monitors.

“Your opinion has been noted and overruled, Dean-O. Luci will be suspicious if Cassie and I aren’t together and Sam’s coming to keep us safe. Just because Luci’s holed up in the hidden speakeasy doesn’t mean there won’t be assassins in the pool hall waiting for him to show. Char’s using the back entrance which leads to a hallway that’s got private poker game rooms along both sides. Going by the area with the most electrical use, Az’s system should be in one of those rooms. We’ll keep Luci and Az busy while Charlie does her thing. Which leaves you, Deanie, to monitor our camera feeds and let Charlie know when Az is away from his system.”

“Easy for you to say, Gabe. You and Cas are going in together. Don’t have to sit and watch while your brother and best friend walk into danger without backup.”

“Dean, I will back your brother up,” Cas assures, placing a hand stiffly on Dean’s shoulder.

After staring into each other’s eyes for far longer than necessary, Dean claps a hand on Cas’s shoulder too, squeezing in appreciation. “Thanks, man. Sorry I’m being so whiny, I’m just not used to hanging back and running surveillance. I know you all know what you’re doing. ‘M just… worried,” Dean sighs, struggling to calm down. Coordinating is an even bigger job than doing the footwork and It’s up to him to make sure everything goes smoothly. “Right. You guys ready to get this show on the road?”

Giving various forms of assent, everyone exits the van, Sam heading right to lead Gabriel and Cas across the street to Get A Cue, keeping close watch for danger. Charlie goes left, then heads a block behind them where an old, cement structure sits, a sign reading ‘Private Property Do Not Enter’ almost hidden among the ivy covering the chain link fence it’s posted on.

There’s no audio from the small camera Charlie’s wearing, but Dean can almost hear the rustle of vines and creak of rusted hinges as he watches her hand push open the gate. The door of the cement building seems to open much more easily and, Dean suspects, quietly. Once inside, the camera pans past a long table surrounded by chairs, a small kitchenette, and doors one either end of the back wall. The one on the left leads to a powder room; on the right is a pantry. The wall between the doors is lined with file cabinets. Charlie waves at the camera she hid in the chain of the chandelier, which has a view through the glass of the pantry’s doors. Dean instructs Charlie to hide in the bathroom and wait for his signal, which she does.

Meanwhile, Sam, Gabe, and Cas are in the pool hall, Sam watching everyone in the room while Gabe talks to the bartender.

“Hey, Meg, where’s Luci?”

“Shoulda called first. He’s not here,” the brunette behind the counter snarks, leaning against the back counter, one ankle crossed over the other.

“I’m sure he’s not far. It’s important, Meg.”

“Fine,” she huffs, pushing off the counter and grabbing the receiver of an old rotary phone and putting a finger in the ‘nine’ hole, turning the dial then releasing. The phone clicks back to resting position and after a minute Lucifer must pick up because Meg starts talking. “Hey, boss, your brothers are here. No, just the Hardy boys. Yeah. They say it’s ‘important’. Okay.” Hanging up the phone, she gives Gabe a smile so insincere it’s more of a smirk. “Boss says he’ll be in his office in a few. You want a table while you wait, or…?”

“We’re good,” Gabe replies, heading for the back of the pool hall. Waiting to be shown into Luci’s office, they stand in the hallway between the bathroom doors, Sam facing the full room, Cas watching the back door and men’s room, Gabe in the middle watching the office door. When Meg finally comes over and opens the door, all three rush inside, then turn with a jump when it closes behind them. Az had been hidden behind the door when they entered and pushed it shut when they’d passed. Luci is seated at his opulent desk.

“Hey, little bro, littler bro,” Lucifer says, fingers of both hands splayed, fingertips pressed together, chin resting atop his joined thumbs. “I thought you two would be hiding out.”

“Believe me, we have been; at least as much as possible. But I needed to talk to your computer guy. Cassie’s good, but he’s got nothing on Az,” Gabriel replies.

“What do you need my ‘computer guy’ for?”

“Cassie thinks there’s a way to access the post putting a bounty on us, maybe alter it a bit. If we rescind the contract, or maybe lower the bounty amount, that should-”

Azazel comes around the desk to stand behind Lucifer, grin warm as sunshine on a summer day, eyes cold as the steel of a dagger below his somewhat blond bangs, brushed down today rather than slicked back. “Sorry, Gabriel. Can’t be done. You gotta know, with my boss and best friend in danger, I’ve tried everything I can think of. Only the original poster can alter the ad. I think the only thing to do is hide out in a panic room somewhere for the rest of your lives.”

“Your ‘boss and best friend’ is not ‘hiding out in a panic room’,” Cas points out, complete with air quotes.

“Who says I wasn’t? I was in hiding until you two showed up and dragged me out of my safe spot,” Luc points out. “And if you’re done with Az, I’d like to get back there, if you don’t mind.”

“Where is ‘there’? You didn’t go past us,” Gabe asks, playing for more time.

“Now Gabriel, if I told you where my secret fort is, it wouldn’t be secret and then what good would it be?”

“You know, not all of our relatives are able to hire personal bodyguards like Cassie and me. If you have a safe spot maybe you could harbor some of them?”

“I never said it was a large secret fort. Besides, no one’s asked me for help. And is that what the moose behind you is there for? Bodyguard? ‘Cause I gotta say, Az could’ve taken all three of you out when you came in, if I’d asked him to. Doesn’t look like you made a very smart choice there,” Luci smirks, calculating eyes roving up and down the tall assassin’s frame.

“Hey, Sam’s damn good at his job. We just weren’t expecting danger in your office.”

“And you should have been. After all, someone could have set traps in here aimed at me that got you instead. And wouldn’t that be a shame,” Luci points out.

Sam knows that, of course. But they’d all been a bit on edge being so exposed in the hallway and had wanted to get into the office as soon as possible. That doesn’t excuse the lack of caution though.

“But you were already in here and we wouldn’t have anything to fear from you, right?” Cas points out.

“Brother, you wound me. Of course you have nothing to fear from me,” Luc replies with mock hurt, holding up his hands and wiggling his fingers. “Clean hands, see?”

“So, if you weren’t worried about keeping your hands clean, then they should be afraid of you?” Sam asks pointedly, arms crossed over his stomach, finger tracing the hilt of the dagger on his belt, hidden under his thigh length green jacket.

Lucifer shrugs. “I don’t remember saying that. Az, did you hear me say that?”

“No, Lucifer, I’m quite certain those words never came out of your mouth. Looks like Mr. Winchester here is looking for a defamation lawsuit? But maybe he expects your brother to get him off if that happens. Or maybe he already is getting him off?”

“Az, really. Be nice,” Lucifer chides, though his grin is so wide it’s almost like he’s given up pretending to be nice to his brothers. But then, maybe he has.

“I never mentioned Sam’s last name,” Gabriel frowns, eyes darting between his older brother and Az.

Lucifer shrugs. “Hey, I gotta know who’s protecting my family, right? Not to mention who I’m allowing into my office. Oh, by the way, you know he’s a hitman, right? Not the smartest choice. And just so you know, Sam, you try to draw that knife you’ve been toying with, or any other weapon, and you’ll be dead before you hit the floor.”

“I wouldn’t waste a bullet on either of you,” Sam replies.

“Now who’s looking for a defamation lawsuit?” Gabriel adds.

“It’s not defamation of character when it’s true,” Azazel smirks. “I dug up all kinds of info on your boy-toy and his brother. Want me to tell you how many people he’s killed? Assassinated in cold blood just for a bit of the green stuff? Money is the root of all evil, after all.”

There’s a soft click from behind Az and he and Luci both turn to see part of the wall swinging inward. “What the- Az, didn’t you loc-”

“Sorry, Lucifer, I couldn’t stop them!” Meg’s voice calls from outside the office just as the door from the hallway bursts inward and uniformed police flood the room, weapons drawn. Gabe, Cas, and Sam, casually raise their hands, taking one step backward to stand with their backs to the wall, grinning at Az and Lucifer as they’re cuffed and read their rights.

*****

“Okay, Charlie, you’re clear,” Dean says as Sam, Gabe, and Cas turn in Lucifer’s office to see Az where he’s just closed the door behind them.

“Roger that, going silent,” Charlie replies, adjusting her fanny pack of supplies to make sure it won’t brush against the walls. Slipping into the pantry, she goes to the back and squats, finding the lever resting against the underside of the bottom shelf and pushing it down until it’s pressed to the wall. The back shelf swings out into a small hall that leads to stairs going down. Charlie moves swiftly, careful not to slip in the damp underground passageway which runs beneath the sewers. Before long, she reaches another door, this one with a knob. After a quick check for cameras, she enters and heads down the hallway, listening at each door. A system like Az’s will need lots of fans cooling it. When she hears said fans, she opens the door carefully, again checking for cameras, alarms, or booby traps. Az is just the kind of sicko who’d love Indiana Jonesing this bitch up. No traps though, just an alarm. Charlie pulls a small device from her pouch, setting it against the alarm where its digital display lights up, scrolling through numbers too quickly to read until it stops on 04090203. Of course. Lucifer’s birthday and Azazel’s. Punching the numbers in quickly, she steps inside and closes the door, then makes her way to his system. It’s impressive but Charlie isn’t intimidated. She’s been watching this bitch get away with murder, sometimes literally, for years and she sure as hell knows his style. Getting into his network might be hard for anyone else, but she isn’t just anyone.

It only takes minutes for Charlie to get in and a few minutes more to get past his hidden partition and into the good stuff. Then she’s copying files into a folder, those detailing the illegal doings of OjosAmarillos as well as the ones regarding Lucifer’s crooked business dealings -after making sure the files implicate Luc and exonerate the rest of the Novak family, even if that requires a bit of tweaking or adjusting. As she’s double checking what to send and what to delete, Charlie comes across a file on the Winchesters. Definitely delete. Make sure the dates files were created, changed and last accessed are all correct (and not today), double check file sizes to make sure there’s no hidden… oh, hello there, what’s this? Not time to check every pixel for whatever data’s hidden in the picture of a wolf with glowing yellow eyes… pop in picscan thumb drive… yep, there it is. Ok, what are you hiding, yellow eyes? Oh. Oh fuck. Not good not good not good not good. Grab empty thumb drive, copy data, delete delete delete, remove all traces she was here, one last drive with her deletesafe program to scrub the trash bin fifteen times, file zipped and sent to the cops with a handy dandy little map, and nothing to do but wait for ds to finish its work.

“Hey, Charlie,” Dean’s voice interrupts from her earpiece, “sounds like Az dug up some kinda info on Sam and me. Think you could wipe that while you’re in there?” Unlike Charlie’s, Sam’s camera is in his fake glasses and includes a mic so Dean heard the whole conversation in Lucifer’s office while his eyes went back and forth between the video feeds.

Giving a thumbs up in front of the camera she’s wearing, Charlie watches the progress bar on her ds program as it inches toward complete, finally pulling the drive out and jumping up when it’s done. Making sure everything is how she found it, she double checks to make sure she hasn’t left behind any drives or red hairs. Just as she’s heading out, leaving the security disarmed, Dean speaks again.

“How are the cops gonna find the system? Don’t they need that to convict?”

With another thumbs up, she heads into the speakeasy which has a lever below the bar that opens the hidden wall-door. Grabbing a marker, she writes on the medical glove covering her left hand; TELL ME WHEN, then holds the message in view of the camera.

“Will do, Charlie. Just make sure you’re ready to run as soon as you open it; gotta get outta there before anyone goes through the open door.”

It isn’t long before several cop cars are pulling up in front of the pool hall and Dean is telling Charlie to go. She pops the door open, dashing down the hall before anyone would have a chance to see her and slipping out the door at the end. She’s back in the van in time to see the cops questioning Sam, Cas, and Gabe.

“Nice job, Charlie.” Dean grins as they high five.

“Not so bad yourself. Think the cops are gonna keep them long? I’m supposed to be streaming Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey tonight. Not that I mind being late; this is definitely important, just, if I am going to be late I should probably-”

“Hey, no worries, Charlie; they’re already on their way out. I can drop you home in a few.”

“Awesome. Before that though, there’s something you need to see. All of you; Novaks too,” Charlie says, pulling out the thumb drive and waving it in the air.

By the time everyone else is back, Charlie has brought up the photo with the hidden file she’d found. The sight of the information has everyone speechless. Sam and Dean knew Lucifer had been buying politicians, thanks to their parents’ research, but they thought it was to get tax cuts and business deals. Apparently his machinations go much deeper than that. Lucifer had -no, has; with these kinds of connections, he’ll be out on a technicality in no time- plans for the American government that will have world-wide consequences.

“At least we know about it. And it will still be a few years before he has everything set up; that gives us time to thwart his plans.” Gabriel grimaces, trying to look on the bright side. “Yeah, this sucks, but it’s Friday night, and someone owes me a date. Can we maybe kick this one to the back burner? Even if it’s just until Monday? ‘Cause it’s been one hell of a week and I, for one, could use a break.”

“You want your date now?” Sam asks, eyes wide.

“I wanted it yesterday; that’s why I got Adam’s case handled so quickly. I wanted to wait until we’re out of danger, but that’s taken care of, right?”

“Definitely. I rescinded the contract using Az’s account then changed the password so he won’t get back in. Aaand I might have also suggested folks spread the word quickly because the cops found out about the bounty and are monitoring Novak family members, hoping to take out a few assassins.”

Gabe grins. “So, we’re good to go. Drop me and Cassie at home to spruce up, then you can pick us up for dinner at seven. And look up what movie you guys want to watch, anything starting around nine.”

“Woo hoo, go you,” Charlie grins, bumping Dean’s shoulder with her own. “Good thing I got that contract stuff cleared up, huh?”

“Dude, you’re awesome, Charlie.”

“I know. Hey, you’re still coming larping on Sunday, right? Don’t wear yourself out too much on your date,” Charlie jokes.

“No guarantees on that, but I’ll be there, no matter how much my ass is dragging,” Dean laughs.

*****

“You guys really like this kinda place?” Dean asks, looking nervously around the restaurant and fiddling with the tie Gabriel had told him to wear.

Gabe laughs. “Not at all, but Cassie is friends with the owner and the food is amazing. And it’s not just three specks of fancy stuff on a plate, either. Benny’s burgers are amazing and he makes a chicken fettuccini that’s phenomenal.”

“Benny?” Sam asks.

“Chef Lafitte, the owner. Cassie trained in the national guard with him and wound up co-signing for him to get this place. He learned to cook from his mom in Louisiana and picked up French recipes, along with those from many other European countries, spending summers with relatives in France with frequent trips all over Europe. His aunt travelled for business and often took Benny and his cousin Quentin along. Everywhere he went, Benny asked about various dishes and picked up cooking tips. His wife is Greek too, so he’s picked up lots of recipes from relatives on her side. So yeah, pretty much any european dish you want, he can make.”

After the wine arrives -beer for Dean and Cas- they order and quietly discuss politics while waiting for the food. They don’t want to darken their date with thoughts about what Lucifer’s up to but the topic creeps in, dancing around the peripheral of the conversation.

When the food arrives, Dean moans around his first bite, declaring the burger ‘almost as good’ as Ellen’s burgers at The Roadhouse, which is his way of saying better because he’d never admit anything is better than Ellen’s burgers. Cas has the same meal as Dean, a Benny Burger with cottage fries. Sam has the chicken fettuccini and Gabriel went with chicken marseilles, both with extra plates. They split their meals and trade half with each other so they get to enjoy both dishes. All in all, it’s a pleasant meal and Sam finds himself thinking that the ‘weirdo’ he’d been worried about having to flirt with just three days ago has grown on him. Quite a bit. After desert, Gabe insists on paying the bill and then they’re off to the movies.

Dean wants to see Captain Marvel, which Cas says sounds interesting even though he hasn’t seen any of the other MCU movies. Sam was really hoping to see the new How to Train Your Dragon movie, which Gabriel pounces on, insisting they have to see it. So, they wind up with each couple watching a different show, Dean and Cas taking their snacks and soda to Captain Marvel at 8:45, and Sam and Gabe settling in near the back of their theatre with popcorn, soda, and more snacks than Sam eats in a month, at 9:10 for their animated show.

By halfway through the movie, Sam looks down to see his hand twined in Gabriel’s and wonders when that happened. Watching the emotions play across his date’s face as Gabe munches his candy is every bit as enthralling as the movie, which is saying something because the movie’s amazing. It certainly holds Gabe’s unwavering attention, though he occasionally squeezes Sam’s hand or rubs their thumbs together.

“Good choice, Sam. That movie was great!” Gabe murmurs as the credits roll, wiping tears from his eyes and leaning over to plant a kiss on Sam’s cheek. Sam blushes. Gabriel grins, then takes his time gathering half-full candy cartons, folding them over, and stuffing them in his pockets. When the last credits end with no extra scene, they get rid of their trash and head out to the lobby to look for Dean and Cas. After several minutes of fruitless searching, Sam pulls out his phone to call his brother, only to see he has a text:

Smthng came up had to go cn u take cab

Rolling his eyes, Sam shows the message to Gabe, who laughs and calls a lyft. When they arrive at Gabe’s house, he looks over at Sam. “Would you like to come in for a bit? It doesn’t look like Cassie’s home. If he went home with your brother, you might want to wait a bit before…”

“Definitely don’t want to go home early,” Sam replies, nodding emphatically.

Grinning, Gabe takes Sam’s hand and helps him out of the car, paying the driver for the full ride even though they don’t have to stop by Sam’s now. Gabe’s house is in an affluent suburb where the houses are fairly large and have plenty of space between them, lawns sprinkled with trees and flowerbeds. Sam takes in the opulent porch, grey and blue fieldstone skirt and blue wood siding and whistles.

“Like it?” Gabe grins.

“It’s nice. Looks like a good neighborhood, too.”

“Yeah, we got a good deal on it since it needed a lot of work. Now, it’s my pride and joy. And just wait ‘til you see the pool and inground spa.”

“A spa?”

“Yep. You know, like a hot tub, but it’s inground and attached to the pool. It’s great at relieving tension and soothing sore muscles.”

“Are you trying to get me out of my clothes?” Sam chuckles.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind, but we do have spare trunks,” Gabe laughs as he shows Sam around the house. “Are you interested?”

“In the spa, or in wearing your shorts?”

“Either? Both? Whatever you want,” Gabe chuckles.

“To be honest, soaking in a hot tub sounds great, but I’m not sure we have the same idea of what that entails.”

Gabriel laughs again. “I promised no ulterior motives and I meant it. I’m happy just spending time with you, Sam. You’re not just a personified weapon in a hot bod; you’re smart and inquisitive and you laugh at my jokes. Even the corny ones.”

Sam laughs too, shaking his head. “Well, it’s nice to be seen as more than just a walking weapon.”

Opening the door to the guest room, Gabe nods toward the dresser. “Men’s swimwear is in the top drawer, largest on the left, smallest on the right. I’ll grab us a couple beers and meet you out back?”

“Sure,” Sam says, opening the drawer to look inside as Gabe wanders off.

After a quick stop in his room to put his own swimwear on, black bermuda style trunks with sharks running on their back fins, chasing each other all over the cotton, Gabe stops by the kitchen for the promised beers, then heads outside. On the way, he turns the sound system on, keeping the volume low in deference to the late hour and the neighbors, though none of them are close. Seeing Sam waiting for him beside the spa wearing sea green trunks with thin white stripes over just the left hip, Gabriel grins, handing him a bottle.

“Those look great on you,” he comments as he moves toward the spa.

“Yours look good too.” Sam smiles, appreciative eyes taking in the body that’s been covered by suits since they met. “Hold on a sec,” he adds, stopping Gabe before he can get in. Sam grabs the rubber handled metal pool skimmer and touches it to the water of the spa, and then the pool too, just to make sure.

“What was that for?”

“Just making sure it wasn’t booby trapped to electrocute you. The hit has been called off and your house has been given the all clear. But out here didn’t get checked. I should look the yard over before we get in, just to make sure.”

“Checked? Sam, what are you talking about?”

“Mom and Dad checked the Sugar Shack and your office, plus the house here and Balth’s apartment, after Charlie called the hit off. They felt bad for not digging deep enough when they first investigated you. Besides, they don’t want us or Jo becoming collateral damage.”

“Jo? You think something’s going on between her and Balth?”

Sam laughed. “Jo ignores people she doesn’t like. The more attention she gives someone, the more she likes them, and Balth definitely got more from her on their first meeting than anyone I’ve ever seen her with. So yeah, if Balthazar’s interested, I think they’ll be spending a lot more time together. I should warn you though, no matter how good his pie is, if your brother hurts Jo, there won’t be much left after she’s through with him and Dean and I will be in line after she’s done .”

“Noted. I’ll be sure to warn him. I take it the same goes for Cassie and me if we hurt you or Dean?”

“Damn straight.” Sam grins as he goes to the fuse box and flips a few switches after he’s done walking the grass, Gabe trailing cautiously behind him.

“Am not!” Gabe laughs, and Sam joins in. “What’s up with the electricity?”

“Nothing, as far as I can tell. The sprinklers have been rigged though. I shut off the fuze to the sprinkler pump, now I’m just making sure the labels on the box haven’t been switched. And they haven’t. Now, how about that relaxing soak?”

“It’s kind of scary to think about how many ways there are to kill a person,” Gabe says, settling in on one side of the spa so that Sam can choose between sitting beside or across from him.

Sam sinks into the water beside Gabriel, close enough that his arm brushes against Gabe’s as he takes a swig of his beer. “So, what’s this music? I don’t listen to classical, but I could swear I’ve heard this somewhere before.”

“It’s classical music from the Looney Toons cartoons. This one is…” Gabriel listens a few seconds and grins, “What’s Opera, Doc. If it had the lyrics I’m sure you would have recognized it right away.”

“Is that the one where Bugs dresses like a female viking and Elmer Fudd gets all hot for him until his helmet with the blonde braids falls off and he gets pissed?”

“Yeah, and starts singing ‘kill the wabbit’. Then he actually does kill Bugs and gets all sad and carries his body off into the sunset with the ‘return my love’ music playing in the background,” Gabe chuckles.

“Wait, he dies? I don’t remember that.”

“Well, he’s ‘dead’ but the view pans in on his face near the end and his head pops up and looks at the audience and says ‘well, what do you expect in an opera, a happy ending?’. So Bugs wasn’t dead, just the Brunhilda character he was playing. They didn’t want to traumatize kids.”

“Yeah, that makes more sense. I’m sure if Bugs had died I would have been upset over that. Damn, it’s been years since I’ve watched cartoons.”

“Blasphemy! I find you guilty of adulting in the first degree. I sentence you to cartoon marathons every Saturday afternoon for the rest of your life! Or the next six months, whichever comes sooner,” Gabriel laughs.

“Are you saying the rest of my life might be a shorter sentence than six months?”

“You never know. My philosophy is enjoy life now because who knows what the future holds.”

“Is that why you eat so much candy without worrying about blood sugar?” Sam teases.

Gabriel shrugs. “I have a high metabolism and there’s no history of diabetes in my family. And I happen to like sweet things.”

“Oh?” Sam grins, taking another swallow of beer before stretching his arm out behind Gabe to set it on the patio. Then his arm sweeps forward to rest over the shorter man’s shoulders, pulling him a bit closer. “I’m kind of partial to sweet myself.”

Laughing, Gabriel looks up at Sam and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, that was just… so cheesy. And how am I supposed to be a gentleman if you don’t keep your hands to yourself?”

“Hey, you’re the only one who said anything about being a gentleman. You never asked me what I wanted,” Sam replies, tongue smoothing over his bottom lip as he gazes down at Gabe.

Swallowing hard, Gabe feels a twitch in his trunks as he drinks in the desire in Sam’s eyes. “What do you want?” he breathes.

“You,” Sam replies, leaning down to capture the smaller man’s lips.

With a small moan, Gabe arches into the kiss, turning on the spa’s bench as Sam’s arms tighten around him and straddling the taller man’s lap to bring their mouths in closer proximity. An eternity later, Sam breaks away to kiss across Gabriel’s jaw and down his throat, sucking at the juncture between neck and collar bone and drawing forth a continuous stream of gasps and moans as Gabriel’s head falls back, an offering of flesh. “Nnn, Sam, are you sure this is what you want? You haven’t drank much, but-”

“I’m not drunk and yes, I want this,” Sam interrupts, pulling back to look Gabe in the eye. “When we met, I thought you were a bit of a flake, especially after that first phone call, but over the past few days you’ve proven that first impressions only give a glimpse of a person. There’s a lot more to you than an incessant flirt with a sugar fixation. And I want to spend time seeing more of who you are. That is, if you want that?”

“Hells yeah, I want that. I was just so focused on getting you on a date with me I guess I never really pictured an after. Well, I mean I did, but the only thing that popped into my mind was you saying the date didn’t totally suck and maybe letting me get a kiss in before you walked off into the sunset, never to be seen again.”

“So, you thought I was just humoring you?” Sam asks, arching an eyebrow.

“Well, I did kind of bribe you into the date,” Gabe points out.

“True, but the date ended over an hour ago. If I didn’t want to be here, I would’ve gone home.”

“Except Cas is with Dean at your place right now.”

“Yeah, but we’ve got a whole cul de sac to the family. I could just go crash on Mom and Dad’s couch, or Aunt Ellen’s, Uncle Bobby’s. I accepted your invitation because I wanted to, not because I had to,” Sam assures, cupping Gabe’s face and running a thumb over his cheek.

“Really? And you’re not going to think I’m too easy if we make out on the first date? Because I’m not that kind of boy; I usually at least wait until after the first date.” Gabe grins.

“Like I said, the date ended an hour ago. And shouldn’t I be the one worrying about my virtue?”

Gabriel blinks in confusion, then his eyes widen in tandem with his grin. “Are you saying you want me to top?”

“Unless you don’t want to? I’m okay with either but you seem to like being in charge, so I kind of thought-”

“Oh, I want to. Definitely.” Gabe grins, rocking their hips to rub their growing arousals together under the hot water. “But most guys taller than me assume I’m a bottom and the ones who don’t assume usually get cold feet once I’m undressed and I wind up bottoming anyway.”

“Cold feet?” Sam asks.

“Some -most- guys think I’m a bit much to handle,” Gabe blushes, taking one of Sam’s hands from around his waist and placing it on his trunks, squeezing Sam’s fingers around his cock.

Slipping inside Gabe’s trunks for some skin to skin action, Sam strokes over the impressive girth, grinning at the thought of having it inside him. “I think I can handle you,” he smirks.

“At almost half-mast,” Gabe chuckles.

Sam licks his lips, looking down at the water covering them as though he could see through it and the cloth hiding Gabe’s cock from view. “That’s half?”

“Hey, don’t worry, Sam. I’m fine with bottoming. I’m used to it.”

“Fuck that.” Sam grins, pulling Gabe off his lap, tugging his trunks down, and setting him on the patio so only his calves remain in the water. “I’m going to get your cock rock hard and you’re going to show me you know how to use it.”

“Really?” Gabe gaped, gasping as Sam’s lips closed over the head of his cock, tongue flicking over the slit. “Holy shit, Sam, give a guy some warning,” he moans as Sam takes in more of his slowly growing cock, tongue teasing over the underside.

Sam only hums in response as he continues worshipping Gabe’s cock, groaning as the hot flesh firms beneath his lips, too much length for him to take in more than half now, though he’d been swallowing Gabe down almost to the base when he started. “Damn, Gabe, I think you’ve got the hottest cock I’ve ever seen.” Sam grins when he pulls off, sucking down the underside to swirl his tongue around Gabe’s balls before licking lower, tongue teasing over his perineum.

“Sam, that’s … fuck, so good. Need… need to get you ready; need to fuck you.” Gabe groans. Sam doesn’t stop until Gabe twines his hands in Sam’s soft locks and forcibly pulls him away.

Whimpering, Sam’s glazed eyes try to focus on Gabriel unable to comprehend why he was forced to stop.

“Lube.” Gabe grins, kissing Sam before jumping up to grab the bottle he keeps in the pool shed. Once he gets back he instructs Sam to sit on the edge of the spa. Popping the cap, he lubes his fingers, teasing one around Sam’s tight ring as he slides his lips over the taller man’s cock, taking him to the base as his finger pushes past the taut pucker and begins thrusting slowly in and out, eliciting the most delicious vocalizations of pleasure.

Torn between watching Gabe’s skilled mouth stretched around his cock and closing his eyes in pleasure, Sam decides to do neither, instead lowering himself backward onto the patio and staring at the stars, not sure if they’re in the sky or in his eyes. Okay, so it’s less a conscious decision and more the pleasure radiating through his body making him unable to remain upright.

Adding a second finger, Gabriel continues working Sam open, scissoring and stretching, thrusting and probing until he finds the spot that sends molten pleasure pulsing through the taller man. “That’s the spot, isn’t it. Feels good when I press here?” he croons, fingering over Sam’s prostate again.

Whimpering, Sam tries to thrust himself onto Gabe’s fingers, hands scrabbling against the patio tiles but finding nothing to grip.

“Speechless, huh?” Gabe chuckles as he adds a third finger.

Sam answers with more whimpers before finally finding his voice. “Gabe, need you. Want you inside,” he begs shamelessly, too lost in pleasure for thought beyond desire.

“Soon, Sam. But I have to make sure you’re ready first. Don’t worry though; I’ll give you what you need,” he promises, adding a fourth finger that has Sam moaning and begging. When satisfied with the give, Gabe slides his fingers out, chuckling at the taller man’s needy whimpers. “Turn over for me, Sam; kneel on the spa bench and brace yourself against the side.”

Sam complies, thighs braced against the edge as he lays his torso over the patio tiles.

The position offers a good angle, and Gabe licks his lips in anticipation. Slicking himself up, he massages Sam’s ass, pulling his cheeks apart as he lines up. Tip of his huge cock teasing at Sam’s lubed and loosened entrance, Gabe rocks slightly, teasingly, as he drinks in Sam’s moans. When Sam’s no longer able to take it, the shorter man finally relents, pushing in with one slow, smooth thrust until he bottoms out.

“Holy fuck, Gabe, you’re amazing,” Sam moans, his tight heat twitching around the thick, hard length buried deep in his ass.

Trembling at the pleasure of tight muscles gripping his cock, Gabe runs his hands up and down Sam’s back and sides. Staying still is a struggle but he manages, waiting until Sam is the one moving, rocking against Gabe, before matching his thrusts. Knowing his cock’s a bit big to take, Gabe tries to go slowly, carefully, but Sam isn’t cooperating, thrusting hard back onto the thick length impaling him and loving every second of it. Voice joining Sam’s in a chorus of pleasure, Gabe lets him set the pace, hands roaming heated flesh as the spa’s water laps around their thighs and sloshes out onto the patio.

“Shit! Sam! Too good!” Gabe cries, reaching around to stroke Sam’s leaking cock, tight and fast, wrist flicking on the upstroke. So close he could lose it at any second, Gabe struggles to hold back, wanting Sam to come first. “Sam, babe, hurry. Need you to come for me,” he begs, feeling his balls begin to tighten.

“Fuck! Gabe!” Sam cries, throwing his head back and thrusting hard onto Gabe’s cock, Sam spills his shuddering release over the patio tiles. Sam’s thrust, combined with the way his muscles clench around Gabe’s thick cock, sends him over the edge too and he cries out to the night as he fills Sam with wave after wave of the proof of his pleasure.

“Shit,” Gabe groans, realizing he forgot to put a condom on. Sam’s going to kill him. Literally; and no one will ever find the body, because he’s good at his job.

“Gabe,” Sam says casually, looking back over his shoulder at the shorter man still balls deep in his ass, “did you just come inside me?”

“Shit,” he repeats, trying to remember if his will is up to date. “I… Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I wasn’t thinking and-”

“And you’re going to do that again as soon as we’ve both recovered. Preferably somewhere dryer. And softer.”

“You’re not mad?” Gabe asks as his cock finally softens enough to slip free of Sam’s hole.

“I would be… if it hadn’t felt so phenomenal. I never knew the difference going bare because I’ve never skipped the condom before, but… fuck. We definitely gotta do that again. Tonight.”

“As many times as you want, Sam. Come on, let’s get dried off, then we can head for my bed and make out under the covers until our batteries are recharged,” Gabe grins, climbing out and grabbing a towel to drape over Sam’s shoulder. Wrapping a second towel around his own waist, Gabe takes Sam by the hand, fingers twining together as he leads his lover to his bed.

Sam may be the assassin but Gabe has a feeling both their ‘daggers’ will be seeing a lot of use tonight.