Theme Prompt - Stars

The stars cast a cold light through the windows of the barn. Dean stood there, staring at the flask in his hand. A virgin? Where the hell is he supposed to find one of those? As he stood contemplating, the winged shadow stood and moved toward him. Gabriel's concerned face is highlighted, the stars picking out the planes of his face and sparks from his wings.

"Dean," Gabriel said quietly. "We should go back inside. Talk to Sam and Bobby." Dean said nothing, only pocketed the flask and stalked out of the barn. Gabriel disappeared and reappeared back in the bedroom he shared with Sam. He shook the younger hunter awake and they walked downstairs.

Bobby looked up from yet another dusty old book as Dean walked in. He closed the book with a yawn, wondering what happened with Zachariah. Dean moved into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the table. He filled a glass and tipped it back, pouring the whole thing down his throat. Dean coughed and poured another shot, taking the bottle with him to the couch. He gave Sam a nod as the younger hunter and archangel walked into the room.

"Talked to Zachariah," Dean said. "He told me a couple stories and how to save Cas. Said I have to complete challenges." Sam tilted his head to the side, eyes full of compassion. He was curious what stories an angel could tell, but decided to shelve his curiousity for the moment.

"What stories? And what challenges did that bastard say?" Bobby asked. Dean recounted the myths quickly, shooting Sam a dark look when he tried to interrupt. Gabriel looked up at Sam and nodded, silently telling the hunter that he would explain the myths later. Bobby was silent for a moment as he thought. Moving quickly, the old hunter grabbed a few books from his shelves and sat down again. A tense silence filled the room as Bobby flipped through the pages, muttering to himself.

"Got ya now," Bobby finally said, triumphantly. He pointed to a passage in a slim book and Dean walked to the desk to look at it.

"I knew I heard that story about gaming Death before," Bobby continued. "And it says here that Death is bound by the game. If you win, you get what you want. Zachariah was telling the truth about you getting Cas back if you win." Dean ran a hand through his hair, the whiskey forgotten in his other hand. Hope flared through him, a tenuous shifty thing.

"He also said the tasks are almost impossible, Bobby," Dean said. "And he may be right. The first one is a bitch." Dean grabbed the little glass flask Zachariah had created. He waved it at the older hunter and said, "I gotta fill this with the tears of a virgin. Last time we met a virgin, Lilith skinned her." Remembering the alcohol, Dean took a slug of it to burn away the guilt. It was partially his fault that the girl had been killed. He didn't even need to turn to see the puppy eyes Sam was making at him.

"Did Zachariah say you had to do this on your own, ya idjit?" Bobby asked, sarcasm spiking his words.

"No, he didn't," Gabriel answered for Dean. "He gets the help of one person for each task." He looked down at Sam still sitting on the couch and smiled. The younger hunter had a comically confused look on his face.

"I was curious while you were sleeping," the archangel explained. "So I eavesdropped on Zachy and big bro here." Dean turned to glare at the archangel, still kind of annoyed that he hadn't gotten the privacy he wanted. Sam just shook his head and crossed his arms.

"And how often do you leave while I'm sleeping?" Sam asked, a dangerous undertone to his words. Gabriel sighed, snapped his fingers, and held out a three musketeers bar for Sam.

"I don't often," he said. "Only when its important." Sam still wore his bitchface, but he took the candy bar from Gabriel and bit into it. The archangel grinned at him and created a large lollipop. Which he proceeded to suck on. Noisily and graphically. Dean make a choking sound in his throat and turned to Bobby.

"Now that that chick flick moment is over," Dean said. "I need to find a virgin and convince her to cry for me. Know any handy ones?" Bobby thought for a moment, his hand tapping the book in front of him. A light entered his eyes and he smiled up at Dean.

"I may just know one," Bobby said. "Hang on. Let me make a call." Bobby walked into his kitchen and grabbed the phone to his regular landline. Closing the doors, Bobby sat down and dialed the number. All Dean, Sam, and Gabriel could hear was the muttering of Bobby's voice. A few minutes later, Bobby walked back into the library and grabbed his coat.

"Get your asses moving, ya idjits," Bobby growled. "We got a drive ahead of us." The other three grabbed coats as well and headed to their cars. Dean took one look at the kissy faces Sam and Gabriel were trading and tossed the keys to the Impala at Sam.

"You guys take Baby," Dean said. "I'm gonna drive with Bobby so I don't have to watch you guys undress each other with your eyes."

"And we like watching you and Castiel do it?" Gabriel snarked back. He had finished his lollipop and was worrying a Jolly Rancher in his mouth. Gabriel suddenly smirked, catching a thought from Sam.

"Well, Sammy, if you wanna come get my Jolly Rancher, why don't ya?" Gabriel asked. Sam blushed a deep red but didn't look as if he wasn't going to. Dean groaned and hurried after Bobby. He's gonna need to decontaminate Baby after this trip, he's pretty sure.

Bobby led the way, driving to the interstate and heading south. While they drove, Dean stared out the window, lost in thought. Flask, Zachariah, Cas, Gabriel and Sammy, poor Baby, Cas, what about the Apocalypse, a virgin, really?, Cas, Cas, Cas. Dean's thoughts just circled around and around, flitting like butterflies. Images of Castiel crowded his mind, nice ones vying with imagined scenes of Cas bleeding and broken. Dean had majored in torture down in the pit and knew the stresses a body could be put to. How far it could be taken before it broke. How far it could taken again.

"Kid, I don't have enough money for your thoughts," Bobby said quietly. "But you gotta try to relax. You'll be no good to Cas if you keel over with muscle spasms." Dean looked down at his hands. They were clenched around his thighs, his fingers digging into the muscle. His right foot was starting to twitch a little bit, anxious for blood that was not making it down his legs. Dean forcibly made himself relax and turned on the radio.

Faith of the Heart blasted from the speakers for a few moments before Dean shut the radio off.

"Jeez, Bobby, grow a pair," Dean griped at the older hunter. Bobby just grunted and kept his eyes on the road. Dean sank back into his thoughts, Cas always at the forefront. He rested his head against the glass of his window and just stared.

A few hours later, they pulled up to a house in a slightly rundown neighborhood. The houses here were all older styles, many with patched and peeling paint. Trees drooped over lawns and the street, morosely shedding drying leaves. A dog barked at the cars as they parked.

Bobby got out first and walked up to the door. Giving it a few firm knocks, he stepped back and waited. A young woman answered the door, a little blond baby on her hip. Another child was behind her, a little boy with brown hair and gray eyes.

"Bobby, as I live and breathe," the woman said happily. "Come on in." She opened the door wide and stepped back, both her children eyeing Bobby and Dean. Dean was happy to notice that Sam and Gabriel stayed back in the car.

'No sense corrupting little children,' Dean thought. 'Though definitely gonna steam-clean Baby later.' Dean stepped in after Bobby and took in the cluttered living room. A couch slightly too big for the room sat against one wall, covered in a blanket and stuffed animals. More toys lay strewn about the room and a cartoon about penguins was on the TV.

"Ashley, good to see you," Bobby replied to the woman, reaching out to shake her free hand. The little boy smiled at Bobby and rushed to hug his legs. Bobby tousled the boy's hair then looked down at Ashley, his eyes going serious.

"Ok, not a social call," Ashley said sadly. "Let me put Anya down for her nap and we'll talk." She walked into the back of the house, cooing to Anya. A few minutes later, Ashley was back, carrying a baby monitor. Setting it on the coffee table, Ashley looked at Bobby and said, "Ok, talk."

"Well, we have a bit of a problem," Bobby started. "Dean here is trying to rescue a friend of his. Unfortunately, the mooks that have him are playing games. They want Dean here to do some tasks in order to rescue his friend." Ashley just nodded at a few places and waited expectantly for Bobby to continue.

"Well, the first task is that Dean has to fill this little glass flask with the tears of a virgin," Bobby said. "And I thought of you." Ashley laughed at that, a warm sound filling the living room.

"You mean Michael, don't you?" she asked. Bobby nodded and waved at the little boy who was peeking in from the kitchen. The boy waved back, a huge grin on his face.

"Let me talk to him," Ashley sighed. She got up and walked into the kitchen, leading Michael by laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Bobby, what the hell?" Dean asked sharply. Bobby just motioned to him to be quiet and listened to the quiet murmurs coming from the kitchen. Ashley and her son came back, Michael looking eerily somber.

"Mommy says you need my help," the little boy said. "But I have to watch a scary movie."

"Yes, buddy," Bobby said gently. "My friend here is trying to save a friend of his and you're the only one who can help. But we need you to cry a little bit." The boy nodded, his eyes firming in determination. Ashley changed the channel on the TV to a movie channel and now bloodcurdling screams rang through the living room.

Dean watched the TV a moment, recognizing Army of Darkness. He had seen the movie a hundred times and knew it all. He shifted a little to watch Michael, the boy sitting on the couch with his knees drawn up to his chest. Tears were prickling in his eyes and Dean couldn't help but feel like a dick. Handing the glass flask to Ashley, Dean left the room. He hated Zachariah with a burning passion, but now it felt like a supernova in his chest. To do that to a little boy.

After several minutes, Bobby found him in the kitchen, flask filled with a clear liquid. Dean took the flask and put it in his pocket. After making damn sure it was safe, he turned to Bobby.

"Kid ok?" Dean asked, his voice going gravelly.

"He will be. The penguins are back on and he's laughing. But Ashley wants us to go," Bobby replied. Dean nodded and walked out of the house. He almost screamed when he caught sight of Baby. The windows were all fogged up. Freakin' fogged! He jogged over to the car and rapped on the window.

"Damn it, guys," Dean said angrily. "Can't you behave for a few minutes and not have a Titanic moment?" The window rolled down and Sam stuck his head out, laughing his ass off. He and Gabriel were both fully clothed and enjoying some Hershey's bars.

"Gotcha," the archangel snorted. Dean just rolled his eyes and walked back to Bobby's car.

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Dean stood in the barn again, this time with Bobby behind him. He cast the summoning again and waited for Zachariah to show up. The smarmy dick did and summoned the same chair he had used last time. Zachariah sat down and steepled his fingers again.

"Eight hours," he said thoughtfully. "You giving up so soon? And here I thought you loved poor dear Castiel." Dean ground his teeth together and reminded himself that punching an angel hurt. No matter how much the bastard deserved it. He pulled the flask out of his pocket and tossed it at Zachariah.

"There you go," Dean said shortly. "Tears of a virgin. Bobby helped. Next task?" Zachariah eyes the flask a moment then opened it. He sniffed it and smiled.

"Scared tears," Zachariah said happily. "Some of my favorite kind. Well, this round goes to you. Castiel gets to live a little longer. Though whether he wants to is up for debate." Dean's vision went red at hearing that. He stalked forward into Zachariah's personal space and shoved his face in Zachariah's own.

"What the hell are you doing to Cas, you bastard?" Dean snarled. Zachariah just laughed and waved a hand. Dean slid back several feet, almost falling on his ass next to Bobby.

"Let's just say its not pleasant," the angel said. "Now, for your next task. There's a vampire nest in Springfield, Illinois. I want you to wipe them out. You have 4 days." With that, the angel disappeared and the chair followed. Dean grumbled to himself and looked at Bobby.

"He wants you to take out an entire nest?" Bobby asked disbelievingly. "On your own? You'll be food in five minutes."

"Maybe, maybe not," Dean replied. "He doesn't know I still got angel power on my side."