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Gabriel closed the cupboard and turned around. On the kitchen table there was a large selection of sweets that took up the entire table. “This will be a big challenge even for me,” Gabe said with a grin. There was a laugh from an invisible audience. The door on the right, leading outdoors opened. Castiel entered the room. Applause.
“What’s new, Cas?” “Nothing,” Castiel said. “Just the end of the world.” Castiel looked at the non-exiting camera, then at the table. “That will a challenge even for you,” he stated. The audience laugh again. “That’s what I said,” Gabriel replied. Speaking of which, have you done the research yet?” Castiel asked. “Research?” Gabe asked. He almost choked on a piece of candy.
“Yes,” Castiel said with an accusatory look. “Research. Michael, Lucifer, ringing any bells?” “Yes, of course,” Gabriel hurried to say. In the next moment the door of the left side opened. A woman only waring a bikini appeared in the door. “Gabe,” she purred. “Let’s continue our research.” “Gabe,” Castiel growled. Gabriel looked caught at the camera before saying: “So of a bitch.”
A few days ago…
“I might have found something,” Gabe said. “A lead on the Colt?” Cas asked. “No,” Gabe admitted. "But I thought, now that we don't have a lead on the Colt and Sam is still looking for God, we could take on a normal case again." Gabe put a piece of candy in his mouth. “One day that candy will kill you,” Cas sighed, but flopped down at the table next to his big brother. “So, what is it?”
“A bear attack,” Gabriel said. “Doesn’t sound like a case for us,” Castiel replied. “Hold your horsed, little bro,” Gabriel said grinning. “There is more. The bear followed its victim home into the bedroom and then bit the head of. Which bear does this?” “Good point,” Castiel agreed. “Let’s check it out.”
While Castiel was still busy in bathroom, Gabriel was sitting his bed. Apparently, he was channel surfing, but somehow it had been the same voices for a few minutes. “What are you watching?” Castiel asked, as he left the bathroom. “Doctor Sexy M.D.” was the reply. Castiel glanced at the screen, where a doctor's series was flashing. “I thought you were channel surfing,” he said. “I was,” Gabriel defended himself, before turning of the tv. “Can we go?”
“I don’t know, can you?” Castiel asked. He was wondering if he should tease his brother for this series, like Gabe would have done if things were the other way around. He decided against it. “I’ve been done for ages,” Gabriel claimed. Before they left the motel room, Gabe grabbed a lollipop, which Cas acknowledged with a shake of his head.
When they arrived at the police station, FBI badges in hand, asking to speak with the responsible officer, the sheriff was quite amazed. “Since then, is the FBI interested in bear attacks?” he asked. “Are you sure it was a bear, though?” Gabriel asked. The older of the brothers leaned casually against the counter. Again or still, Cas wasn't sure, he was sucking on a lollipop, which gave him a not particularly serious demeanor. The sheriff seemed to believe it anyway.
“What else could it have been?” The sheriff asked. “The family lives far out there, with salmon runs and therefore bears,” said the sheriff, who did not doubt the brothers, but did doubt the purpose of their presence. Does it often happen here that bears follow people into their bedrooms and then bite their heads off?” Cas asked, tilting his head. The sheriff didn't seem to have a good answer to that, but Cas hadn't expected that either.
“What does the wife of the victim say?” Gabriel wanted to know. “She saw everything, right?” “Good Katie Randolf is in shock,” the sheriff tried to refute the statement. “Did she specifically say bear?” Gabe asked. Silence. “No?” Silence. “I thought so,” he said. "We'd like to talk to her ourselves." The sheriff led the two of them to the conference room, where the victim's wife was waiting.
“So, you were there when you husband was attacked by this…” Gabriel started, but Katie interrupted him. “Bear. I’m sure it was bear.” “A bear? A bear followed your husband into the bedroom? Are you sure?” Gabriel asked, which earned him a evil eye from his brother. “Yes, I’m sure it was a bear,” Mrs. Randolf explained, but sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“I see it clearly in my mind.” “Sure, Mrs. Randolf,” Castiel said now. “Please tell us everything you remember. Every little detail could be important.” “You wouldn’t believe me,” said Mrs. Randolf. “Try it,” Gabe said, grinning. “It was… was… the Hulk,” the woman said. She looked at the brothers wide eyed. “The incredible Hulk.” “Ruffalo or Norton?” Gabriel asked. He seemed genuinely interested, the way he leaned forward. “Oh, those movies were awful,” said Mrs. Randolf. “The tv Hulk.”
“Lou Ferrigno?” Gabriel asked. Of course, the older Novak knew who the woman was talking about. Castiel suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Yeah, that one,” Katie said. The brothers looked at each other. Definitely a case for them then, because Hulk doesn't just run around out there killing people, he especially doesn't follow them into the bedroom. They continued the conversation so that it wasn't obvious that they hadn't just wanted to know what had really killed Mister Randolf.
Finally, Gabe declared the conversation over. The brothers went to the front of the police building. “You drive to the crime scene, and I’ll see what I can find out about the dead man,” he said. A bit confused Castiel caught the car keys Gabriel throw at him. But he didn’t protest. When Castiel drove up to the Randolfs' house, he was amazed. Where the front door had once been, there was a huge hole that looked very similar to the Hulk. So, the woman was telling the truth.
Castiel exited the car to look around, but with the first step there was a crunch under his shoe. It wasn't the crunching of pebbles, but the creasing of plastic. Castiel lifted his foot back into the car. There was a candy wrapper there. If Castiel didn't know better, he would say that his brother had been staying here for an extended period of time. There were more papers nearby. A lollipop packaging that says that the lollipop should taste like apple pie. Castiel had a guess who they were dealing with here.
Back in their room, Castiel found his brother hunched over the laptop. “Did you find something?” Castiel asked. “Our victim seems to have been a rather unpleasant person. Very short tempered,” Gabriel said. He turned to his brother. “What about you?” “I found a hulk-sized hole, in the place of the front door. And I found this,” Castiel said, while placing a hand of candy wrapper on the table. “A hothead killed by the biggest hothead in TV history, tons of apple pie flavored candy. I would say that's the trickster." Gabriel groaned.
“Makes sense,” Gabriel said. “It would suit him to kill people like that. So, what do we do now?" "We'll wait," says Castiel. “He always hits more than once. He'll look for another victim." Gabriel nodded. “Then you listen to the police radio, and I’ll take care of the wooden posts,” the older one decided. He stood up, grabbed a piece of candy that had been on the table, then went out to get the equipment and stakes from the car.
A short while later Castiel was siting and stared at the device they were using to listen to the police radio. Gabriel was sitting on the bed and constantly sharpen their wooden stakes. “If you keep carving like this, eventually we’ll run out of pegs,” Castiel said. Gabriel grumbled. Castiel was aware that Gabriel was just tense, since he hadn’t forgiven the trickster of the hundred deaths, even though it was Castiel who had suffered from it. While Castiel hadn’t forgiven the trickster either for being forced to watch his brother die over and over again, he al lest understood that it had all been a strange version of lesson.
“HQ, we have here a 1-8-7,” came suddenly a voice. Both brothers looked up. “Describe what’s going on,” demanded a female voice. Probably the lady from headquarters. “I really don’t know how to describe this,” the police officer explained. "Just send all available units to the old paper mill." The brothers looked at each other. “That could be him,” Castiel said. “That’s him,” Gabe claimed. On Gabe's face was a serious look instead of the mischievous grin he usually wore.
Sometime later the brothers drove up to the paper factory. No other car was in sight. Not a police officer in sight. “There's been a murder here, why isn't there anyone here?” Castiel asked, which was entirely justified. “This is definitely the trickster,” Gabriel announced. “They were all enchanted by him.” He cracked a joke. Castiel wasn't sure if his brother was covering up his own insecurities, as he often did, or if he was trying to lighten the situation. Normally Castiel could tell the difference, but only with Gabriel, who was already at the trunk. Castiel accepted the wooden stake and flashlight without comment. Gabriel slammed the trunk before the two entered the hall. “Let’s play a game,” Gabe said before pushing open the door with a nasty grin on his face.
Immediately after entering it was clear that something was wrong. Because the interior was not reminiscent of a paper factory, but of a hospital. The brothers no longer wore their own clothes, but instead wore doctor's coats. Two women walked past them. “Doctor” nod to Gabriel “Doctor” nod to Castiel. What was that? Confused Gabriel opened the door they had just come through. But behind the door was not the desolate surroundings of the hall, but a storage room in which two people were making out. Gabe quickly closed the door again.
The brothers turned around and started moving. Both of them had no idea what was going on. As soon as the brothers reached the counter, a woman in blue clothes came up to them. She gave Cas a slap in the face. The younger hunter had no idea what was going on. “You are a coward,” the lady announced. Another slap. “What?” Castiel asked. Gabriel seemed to be starting to like this. The question was whether it was because of the slap or because of the woman herself. "Seriously? Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” the woman got upset. "You're a coward, a brilliant coward." The woman turned around, then walked away. Castiel turned to his brother. He looked after the woman. You could see his enthusiasm. Did Gabriel have more knowledge than Castiel? The younger brother didn't have the slightest idea what was going on here.
“That was Doctor Piccolo,” Gabriel announced, as if Castiel should know this person. Gabriel saw his brother's confused look. "She's an incredibly sexy and successful doctor in..." Gabriel looked around before pointing to the writing hanging on the wall behind the counter. “Seattle Mercy Hospital.” The lettering actually identified this location as the hospital in question. Gabriel turned to Castiel. His eyes lit up with excitement. "Do you know something I don't know?" Castiel asked his brother. “That makes sense,” Gabriel stated. "What's wrong?" Castiel asked, having no idea what Gabe was talking about.
“We are in Doctor Sexy M.D. I mean, look at the doctor getup and the sexy interns. The “attack” on you. We’re definitely in Doctor Sexy M.D,” Gabriel said enthusiastic. “So much for channel surfing,” Castiel muttered. “You know this series.” “And if so,” said Gabriel as the two started moving again. At the next corner another woman nodded at him as if they actually belonged in this world. Cas was starting to hate it. Gabe, on the other hand, was excited about being part of a television show. “What’s going on here?” Castiel asked his brother. “I have no idea,” the older replied. “But I’m going to enjoy this.” “I'm serious, what's going on here?” Castiel asked, not liking the whole thing. "Relax Cassie," Gabriel advised. Castiel felt really uncomfortable here.
“Did you forget about the Trickster?” Castiel asked. “And if so,” said Gabriel, who seemed to completely ignore the fact that a supernatural being was responsible for the show and preferred to (once again) enjoy the attention. “You don’t care that we’re in some kind of TV land?” Castiel asked. “That Trickster put us on the TV program?” Gabriel rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Cassie, stop being such a nuisance,” he demanded. " If anything, this is an illusion." "You said it, we're in Doctor Sexy M.D," Castiel defended himself. Gabriel rolled his eyes again. “Even if this were real. TV Land is not TV Land. It’s sets and actors and technicians,” he said. He knocked on the wall. “This looks real.” The grin turned into an interested expression. "I'm trying to figure out what's going on here," Castiel defended himself. "Besides, why do you think this is real?" "Look around," Gabriel demanded. He stopped and looked at the woman who had just left the room next to them. “Gentlemen,” she said. “This is Doctor Wild,” Gabriel said as the doctor walked down the hall. “She’s a heart surgeon, but very arrogant.”
As she turned the corner, she revealed a man sitting on a hospital bed with a bathrobe over his hospital gown. “This is Jonny Drake,” Gabriel explained. “He’s not even alive anymore. He's a ghost." "What?" Castiel asked. They hunt the supernatural in their daily lives and his brother watched a show where there were ghosts. "He's just a fantasy from that lovely lady there," Gabriel said. A woman had approached the ghost. “Why?” Castiel asked. “That makes it more exciting,” Gabriel suggested. Castiel hadn't actually asked about the reason for the ghost on the show. Given Gabriel's enthusiasm, all that was needed was for him to jump up and down and the picture of a 5-year-old would be complete. Cas sighed silently.
Gabriel's attention was elsewhere again. He stared with wide eyes and his mouth half open at the doctor who was on his way to them. “That’s him,” Gabriel whispered, stunned. He slapped Castiel on the arm as if he didn't already have his little brother's attention. If this continued, Castiel would go crazy. “Who?” he asked annoyed. “Doctor Sexy,” Gabriel replied breathlessly. At least he stopped hitting Castiel. Doctor Sexy came to a stop in front of the Novkas. “Doctor,” he said to Castiel. “Doctor,” the one addressed replied, albeit a little irritated. “Doctor,” Doctor Sexy said to Gabriel. “Doctor,” he said. "Can you please explain to me why you defied my orders and didn't do the face transplant?" "The transplant..." Gabriel stuttered, then his eyes fell on the doctor's shoes.
In the blink of an eye, Gabe had the doctor pinned to the wall. His face, which had previously shown a mixture of enthusiasm and admiration, was now distorted with anger. “What are you doing?” asked the doctor. "Security." "I'm pretty sure the thing that makes Doctor Sexy sexy is his cowboy boots, not his tennis shoes," Gabriel growled. Castiel tried not to be too irritated that his brother knew this. "We know what you are." The man laughed, then the world around them froze. The doctor turned into the trickster. “But you’re not a fan,” Castiel grumbled. "Not the time for sarcasm, Cassie," Gabriel grumbled, not even taking his eyes off the trickster.
“You’re getting better,” the trickster said. Mischief flashed in his green eyes. "I heard that you guys were in town, and I just couldn't resist playing a game with you." "That's a game for you?" Gabriel asked, but it was more of a growl. “Yes,” the trickster said, as if Gabriel were a toddler. "I'm the Trickster, in case you idiots have forgotten." "Let us out," Castiel demanded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother have a comment about "idiot" on the tip of his tongue. Luckily, Gabriel kept his mouth shut for once in his life. They shouldn’t mess with the trickster any further.
“Hmm,” the trickster said. "Maybe I'll let you out if you play along." The man smiled smugly. "What if we don't?" Castiel asked, even though he suspected he already knew the answer. “Then I’ll leave you here,” the trickster suggested. “800 channels and nothing is on.” Gabriel could have made his comment, it couldn’t have gotten worse. The trickster snapped his fingers. He dissolved and everyone around them started moving again.
The brothers had been walking around the hospital again for some time. Gabriel probably generously ignored their problem. He preferred to act as if he belonged in this world. Castiel finally couldn't take it anymore. “What does he mean by play along?” he asked. “Cas, don’t worry about it,” Gabriel said. "He'll show up again and if I see him again, I'll put the stake in his heart." "You want to kill him," Castiel asked. "Of course, Cassie," Gabriel said, as if it was the most logical thing in the world, which it kind of was for a hunter. "He's a monster." That was the most sensible thing Gabriel had said since they landed here. “He’s powerful,” Castiel pointed out. “And the apocalypse is raging out there.”
“Why should he care,” Gabriel asked. “Wait, do you want to ally yourself with this thing?” “I just want to talk,” Castiel said. "Life is all about fun for the Trickster, maybe he doesn't want the party to end." "That guy killed me over and over again," Gabriel reminded his brother. “I know,” Castiel said. “It’s not forgiven and forgotten, but we could use some help. The angels fight against us and the demons anyway. We could really use someone on our side. But first just talk.” Before Gabriel could reply, Doctor Piccolo was back. She wanted to slap Cas again, but the hunter held her wrist.
“Seriously,” he said annoyed. This world was really getting on his nerves. He just didn't understand what Gabe liked so much about it. “You’re a…” the doctor started. But Castiel didn't want to go through the whole thing again. “A brilliant coward,” he said. "I know. We've had that before. But I'm not a doctor." "Don't say that," the woman said. “You are the best neurosurgeon I know, and I know a few. It’s not your fault that the little one died on your table.” Then the doctor left again. “The best I know,” Gabriel mimicked the doctor. “You’re also the best I know. In having a dry spell.” He winked at Castiel. It was another one of those moments where Castiel wished he could go back to university where he didn't have to endure his brother's jokes 24/7.
Before Castiel could reply to this brother’s comment, a man approached the older. “You have to help my wife,” he pleaded with Gabriel. “My wife needs this face transplant.” “Listen to me,” said Castiel, who wasn't spoken to but just wanted to say, “Your wife doesn't need anything. None of this is real.” The Novaks moved on with decisive steps. One behind the other, because the food cart was blocking the way. They just didn't get very far. The man who had initially stood frozen had now drawn a weapon. He fired a single shot into Gabriel's back and hit.
With a strangled scream, he fell to the ground. “Very real,” he groaned. “Very, very real.” Horrified by himself since probably wanting to hurt Castiel, the man dropped the gun. Castiel immediately knelt next to his brother. "A doctor. We need a doctor here.” If Gabreil hadn't been in so much pain, he would have joked that it was usually Castiel who treated his wounds and, on the other hand, Castiel was just as much of a doctor as anyone else here.
A moment later, Gabriel was lying on an operating table. Face towards the floor and clearly conscious. However, he only saw the floor and shoes. Castiel stood next to his brother in his scrubs, somewhat overwhelmed. “Doctor?” asked the operating nurse. “I…uh,” Castiel stuttered eloquently. He had no idea what to do with tools the nurse offered him. "Cas, what are you doing?" Gabriel asked. “I have no idea what to do,” Castiel muttered. “Then come up with something,” Gabriel demanded. “Otherwise, I will bleed to death here on the table.”
Desperately, Castiel thought about how he could help his brother. He could only think of one way. “I need whiskey…” Castiel quickly rattled off the list of items he would use if he and Gabriel were in some motel room right now. Nobody moved. “What are you waiting for?” Castiel snapped at the interns and nurses. There was immediate movement in the group. It didn't take long, and Castiel had the things he ordered. Without any assistance, he removed the bullet before stitching up the wound. With a sigh, Castiel placed the scissors and the rest of the thread on the tray next to him. Gabriel also knew at that moment that it was over.
Whether that was something good was another question, because suddenly he heard applause that got louder. His vision briefly blurred, then the two brothers found themselves in the studio of a game show. They each stood on a platform. Their feet were fastened to the ground and in front there was a ball attached to a pole. Individual calls from Nutcracker mingled with the applause. Then suddenly the door opened. A Japanese-looking man in a suit entered the studio. “Welcome to Nutcracker,” he announced. He punched the air. Unlike the boys, he seemed excited to be there.
It became quiet in the studio and the lights were dimmed. “Castiel Novak,” the moderator said. Castiel swallowed. Then there was something in Japanese that Castiel didn't understand a word of. A clock was ticking down in the corner. Castiel looked at his brother in panic, but Gabriel had just as much ideas as Castiel. “What?” Castiel asked the moderator. “I don’t speak Japanese.” The moderator read the question, presumably it was a question, again. But again, in Japanese, so Castiel didn't get a word. Time ran out with a negative noise. The lady standing nearby in devil's clothing clapped her hand over her mouth. Again, the moderator said something in Japanese, it ended with "April." While Castiel was still confused, the moderator continued: "I'm sorry, Castiel Novak." Castiel was panicking again. "Sorry?" he asked. “Sorry for what?” Instead of an answer, the ball shot up and hit Cas in the groin.
As Castiel let out a cry of pain, his hands instinctively slid down to protect that part of his body from further blows. Gabriel had clapped his hand over his mouth in horror. His gaze shifted nervously to the ball at the head of his pedestal. He seemed unsure whether he should laugh at his brother or worry himself. As replays of the blow to Cas's balls played on the screen, he slowly got his pain under control.
After enough replays of Castiel and Gabriel's reactions had been shown, the host stood next to the time display with one of the girls dressed as devils. Both rattled off sentences in Japanese that were probably meant to praise the chips. Their praises were interrupted by a dull throbbing. The light seemed to pulse. Then the door opened. Sam stumbled in. The otherwise orderly angel appeared distracted and confused. "Sam?" Gabriel asked worriedly. He had never been so happy to see the angel. "Are you another trick?" "No," Sam said. "I'm really here." "Why?" Gabriel asked. Sam rarely just showed up, especially since he was searching for God at the moment. “You've been missing for days,” said Sam, slowly gathering himself. “I was looking for you.” “Get us out of here,” Gabriel demanded. "Let's go," Sam said. He stretched out his arms to the two brothers. But before he could touch any of them, he vanished with a flicker.
“Sam,” the brothers called in unison. “What did you do to him?” Gabriel wanted to know. “No, no, no,” the moderator said. “Mister Trickster doesn’t like it when big angels get involved.” While the brothers stared at him in shock, the moderator continued with his program without a care in the world. “Gabriel Novak.” Gabriel stared at the moderator. He asked his question, again in Japanese. Gabriel looked desperately at his younger brother. But he just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t want to get a ball in the balls,” Gabriel complained. What was Castiel supposed to do? He could have done without the experience too.
The moment the clock jumped to zero, Gabriel hit the bazaar. A roar went through the crowd. The moderator's gaze darted back and forth between Gabriel and the time display, as if he couldn't decide whether the press had been in time. Then he fixated on the older hunter. He suddenly babbled something in Japanese. A brief back and forth between Gabriel and the moderator ensued, which sounded as if the moderator wanted to be sure that what Gabriel had said was his answer. Whatever Gabriel had said, it seemed to have been the correct answer, as the host announced, "Gabriel Novak, Nutcracker Champion."
“How did you do that?” Castiel asked after the host threw his cards in the air and confetti began to rain. “I have no idea,” Gabriel said as unobtrusively as possible and waved at the camera. While his brother more or less posed for the cameras, Castiel's mind was racing. “That’s what he meant by playing a game,” he said suddenly. “What do you mean,” Gabriel asked. "We got out of the medical show because I played a doctor, you participated as much as possible in this game show," Castiel explained. “If we play our roles, we’ll survive.” “All well and good,” said Gabriell "But how long can we survive this?" "I don't know," Castiel said. "But you said we were playing a game." Judging by Gabiel's face, that was one of the few things he regretted saying.
The next moment the game show disappeared, and the brothers found themselves on a basketball court. “This is ridiculous,” said Gabriel. He looked up at the basket. In addition to the two brothers, there were two other people on the field. They were already playing basketball. “Play your role,” Castiel demanded. “The height is ridiculous,” Gabe said. But then started chasing the ball.
Castiel felt the moment the camera focused on him. The words he had to say popped into his head as he felt compelled to jog toward the camera. He grimaced. Gabriel jogged over to him. “You said it yourself, we have to play our roles,” he said, then pretended to return to the game. Castiel took a deep breath. “I have genital herpes,” he forced himself to say. Gabriel had stayed close to him. The older man was now fighting not to burst out laughing. Because hearing Castiel, who often had the emotionality of a stone, say something like that and seeing the younger man struggling to keep his composure made it really hard for Gabriel not to laugh. The next part of Castiel's text popped into his head. "Now I take Herpexia twice a day to stop the spread." Castiel would really like to know what was shown between the shots that showed him, because just watching or talking these parts of the commercial was strange. Well, the whole commercial was crazy.
As if on command, Gabriel's voice came from the background, you could still hear him struggling not to laugh. “Patients should always consult a doctor before using Herpexia. The following side effects can occur, headaches, diarrhea, permanent erectile dysfunction, suicidal thoughts and nausea.” The next lines of text revealed themselves to Castiel. “I'm really doing everything I can to stop the spread of genital herpes, and that's a good thing.” He turned around, chased the ball away from his brother and pocketed it. Gabriel stopped running and couldn't stop laughing now.
A flicker later, the two brothers found themselves in a sitcom while the voiceover announced: “Now we continue with Supernatural.”
“Son of a bitch,” Gabriel said, feeling like he had said it before in this situation. There was a large number of sweets on the table in front of him. Castiel was standing next to the table with his arms on his hips and at the other end of the room was a good-looking lady in a bikini. Castiel started to escort the lady off the set. “We have work to do,” he explained. “But we worked,” the woman objected. "All night." Gabriel had the decency to look embarrassed. Castiel escorted the woman to the set, then returned to his brother.
Before he could say anything, however, the door flew open and Sam stormed in. The audience applauded nicely. He looked even wilder than last time. “Sam,” Gabriel said, relieved. “I don’t have much time,” Sam said. “How did you escape?” Castiel asked. Sam didn't even answer the question. “That thing is far too powerful to be a trickster,” the angel explained. "This level of magic is more of a..." Sam didn't get to finish his sentence. Because the door flew open again. Enter Trickster. He just gave the angel a gag made of adhesive tape.
The audience literally went crazy when the main character of the show appeared. The trickster grinned at the audience. When they finally calmed down, the trickster looked at the angel and grinned at him. "Heiya Sammy." Sam's look reflected a mixture of disbelief and horror. With a wave of his hand, Sam was gone. “What did you do to him?” Gabriel asked. “Nothing will happen to him,” said the trickster. “Or will it?” The trickster wiggled his eyebrows. Castiel could practically see his brother's anger boiling up.
"We did our part," the younger hunter declared, trying to stop Gabriel from doing something stupid. "We've played our roles, let us go." "Hmm," the trickster said as if he was thinking about it. "I'm not sure if you've understood the lesson yet." "What lesson?" Gabriel asked venomously. "How hard is it to be someone you're not?" "You've been funnier before, Gabriel. But no. It’s about playing your roles,” said the trickster. "Out there in the real world." "Whose bitch are you?" Gabriel asked. "Michael's or Lucifer's?" "I'm nobody's bitch," the Trickster growled. He grabbed Gabriel by the collar and pushed him against the wall. "Then why do you want the apocalypse to happen?" Castiel asked.
“I want it to be over,” Trickster growled. "You know they're going to destroy the world, right?" Castiel asked. “I want it to be over,” the trickster repeated. “Therefore, you will now behave and play the roles that fate has chosen for you. The Apocalypse: Gabriel starring as Michael, Castiel as Lucifer. But since you're not capable yet, you'll have to stay here." "It's better to stay here until the end of days than be part of the apocalypse," says Gabriel.
The trickster snapped his fingers and the environment changed. Now the brothers found themselves at a crime scene in the dead of night. The yellow police tape fluttered in front of them, behind it lay the body. Castiel pulled Gabe slightly away from the forensics. “We’re in one of those shitty cop shows,” Gabriel growled. He tore his sunglasses off his nose. “And I wear sunglasses at night. I don’t see shit. Do you know who wears sunglasses at night? Untalented idiots.” Castiel said nothing, just took off his glasses too. Apparently, Gabriel had had enough of these shows by now. “But I look cool with it,” said Gabriel, who had put the glasses back on. Maybe, no, almost certainly, Gabriel had the wrong job.
“Can we just concentrate on getting out of here?” Castiel asked. “Do you see that sweet tooth over there?” He pointed at the coroner, who had a lollipop in his mouth. But Gabriel didn't even listen to him. “We could be like Holmes and Watson,” he said. “Although I’d rather not. Holmes is so humorless. I'd rather have a funny cop show." "Gabe, are you even listening to me?" Castiel asked annoyed. No reaction. “Gabriel,” Castiel growled. This had the desired effect. “What?” asked the older hunter. “The coroner, the lollipop,” Castiel summarized. “Do you think that’s him?” Gabriel asked. Castiel nodded. "Well then. Showtime.” Castiel also put his sunglasses back on, then the brothers returned to the body.
“Ah, the inspectors,” the coroner said. “What do we have here?” Castiel asked. “A body,” the coroner suggested. “Jackpot, I’d say,” Gabriel said, then left. Castiel fought the urge to shake his head. He crouched down next to the corpse. “Cause of death?” he asked. “Suffocated,” said the coroner. “Otherwise, the bullet would have killed him.” The man points to the victim's lower abdomen, where a sizable blood stain had formed. Castiel pulled a pen out of nowhere and lifted the victim's shirt. “Jackpot I would say,” he repeated his brother’s words.
The coroner had an irritated look on his face as he straightened up. The fake investigator did the same. But unlike the coroner, Castiel had spotted his brother, who was now ramming the wooden stake into the man's heart. Everyone now focused on Gabriel and his victim, who first fell to his knees and then fell to the side, dead. “Jackpot?” Gabriel asked. A little to Castiel's right, one of the forensic scientists started laughing. He turned into the trickster. “I got the wrong guy,” he explained with a grin. “Oh, is that so?” Castiel asked. The younger of the brothers had also armed himself and was now standing behind the trickster. He accurately drove the wooden stake into his heart.
The trickster's eyes widened. He looked in disbelief at the blood stain that spread across his chest. “Jackpot,” Castiel said. He looked at Gabriel, who gave both thumbs up in confirmation. The trickster fell to his knees, then fell further until he laid dead on the floor. The surroundings flickered once or twice, then the two hunters found themselves in the paper mill , which they probably hadn't left the entire time. “Let’s go to the motel,” Gabriel said. "I need some sleep." HIs stomach growled. "And we'll get something to eat on the way." Castiel didn't object to anything.
The next morning, Gabriel stood in front of the mirror and asked, "What did that asshole do to Sam?" No answer. "Cas?" Castiel's bed had been empty, how could it be that he didn't respond to Gabriel? "That's not funny, Cassie." No response "Castiel?" Gabriel asked again. “This is not the time for a prank.” No reaction. Damned. Gabriel dug around for his cell phone and car keys. On the way out he called his brother.
“This is Castiel Novak’s mailbox. If you can't reach me, call my brother or leave a message." "Damn it, Cas," Gabriel cursed. He hung up. Frustrated, Gabriel slammed the car door behind him. “Gabriel?” came Castiel’s voice. "Cas?" Gabriel asked. "Where are you?" "I don't know," Castiel said. Gabriel’s eyes fell on the radio, which lit up to match Castiel's sentences. Cas also seemed to understand what was going on. "I don't think we killed the trickster." Gabriel didn't say anything, just stepped on the accelerator. "Do you have any plan?" He asked. “We drove a wooden stake into his heart, and it didn’t kill him.”
"Do you remember Sam saying that thing was too powerful to be a trickster?" Castiel asked. “Fuck,” Gabriel said. "I have a guess as to what we're dealing with." "Do you have a plan?" Castiel asked. “Actually, I have,” Gabriel said. “But that only works if I’m right.”
Shortly afterwards, Gabriel was parking in front of a hall. He got out to dig in the trunk. “This feels strange,” Castiel announced. “Pull yourself together, Cassie,” Gabriel demanded. He took the holy oil from the trunk. After making a circle on the floor with the oil, he put it back in the trunk. He slammed it shut forcefully. Castiel acknowledged this with an “Ouch”. “You’re too ass sensitive,” Gabriel grinned. “Just call,” Castiel demanded, having definitely heard too many sayings like this from his brother in his life.
Gabriel stepped in front of the car. Then he shouted, “Hey bastard, we give up. You win.” A moment later the Trickster appeared. He was standing exactly where Gabriel wanted him: in the circle of holy oil. “So, you understand?” asked the Trickster. "We'll talk about that when Cas has two legs again," Gabriel explained. “Spoilsport,” grumbled the trickster. He snapped his fingers and Castiel got out of the car.
Gabriel had rarely seen his brother this angry. “So, I’ll ask again,” said the Trickster. "You've learned your lesson?" "I don't know," Gabriel said. “Have you learned yours? You shouldn’t underestimate us.” Gabriel lit his lighter before throwing it into the oil. This immediately caught fire and formed a circle impenetrable for an angel. “Interesting,” said the trickster. “Holy oil? Where did you get that from?”
“Let’s just say we got it out of Cas’s ass,” Gabriel said, grinning. “Judging by the look on your face, you're not happy that we have holy oil. Could it be because you were never a trickster, but always an angel?” The trickster snorted. "I'm an angel?" "If not, prove it and just jump over the circle," Gabriel demanded. "Hop." The trickster and the older hunter stared at each other for a few seconds, then the trickster clapped his hands.
The three of them stood in the mill where it all started. “Well played, boys,” the trickster said. Castiel gave him a venomous look. "Who are you?" "The Angel of TV," Gabriel joked. The trickster sighed. "Deaniel, called Dean," he explained. “Deaniel?” Castiel asked incredulously. "The Archangel?" "Guilty as charged," Dean said. "What did you do to Sam?" Gabriel asked. He was less interested in the fact that he had an archangel in front of him, and more so in the question of what had happened to his personal guardian angel. Almost bored, Dean snapped. Sam appeared next to Gabriel. The normally neutral expression had given way to a mixture of anger and disbelief.
"Dean?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe who he had in front of him, which was probably the case. "How's the search for daddy going, Sammy?" Dean asked. "Bad, I suppose." Sam stepped forward so he was standing between the archangel and the humans. “But you’re not exactly good help either,” he said. “What should I do?” asked Dean. "Dad's pissed off and I'm hardly fit to take on Michael." "That's not what I mean," Sam said. One got the feeling that these two angels were linked more than others. “You left, before Dad, before Lucifer fell. You went into hiding.”
"With good reason, Samuel," Dean growled, making Sam flinch. “I couldn’t stand the arguments anymore. I tried to reason with Michael and Lucifer for the sake of everyone, which always ended badly for me. I could not take it anymore. I disappeared when Dad ran away, and everything fell apart. I did what we all should have done. I took care of Dad's creations. I left and don't regret it for a moment. The thing I regret is not taking you with me, Sammy.”
Dean's gaze slid over Sam's shoulder to the two hunters who were watching the spectacle in disbelief. “What you call the apocalypse is Sunday dinner to me. The last Sunday dinner forever. I just want it to be over. I'm tired of watching my brothers fight. Because the apocalypse is exactly that: the story of two brothers who loved one another and betrayed one another. Think about why you are the perfect shells.” Sam turned to the hunters.
“Gabriel: the older brother who protects his brother and does whatever Daddy wants to win his favor because the younger one is preferred. And Castiel: the younger brother, who is completely unaware of how his big brother suffers from him thinking for himself until he cuts off all connections and falls out of favor with his father. The soldier and the rebel, that's you are and that's exactly what Michael and Lucifer were. We always knew it would end with you.”
Silence. Neither brother knew what to say. Sam also seemed surprised by the archangel's outburst. Then he lowered his head. Sam was the first to move. Without looking back at Dean, he headed for the exit. Castiel gave Dean a disappointed look, then turned around and followed Sam. Gabriel was right behind his brother.
At the exit he turned back to the archangel. "You will always wonder how things would have turned out if you had helped us and you hadn't hidden yourself in fear of your brothers," Gabriel said. “Are you going to lock me up for eternity now?” Dean asked, still not coming out of the circle. “No, because I’m not an inhuman,” Gabriel said. He pulled the fire alarm lever, and the sprinkler system came to life. "Don't say I never did anything for you," Gabriel said, then left. He left behind a slowly drenching angel standing in a circle of slowly dying holy fire. The door closed with a loud bang.