Fic: This Weak and Idle Theme (Gentles Do Not Reprehend) - Act I (SPN, Dean/Castiel, PG-13)
Title: This Weak and Idle Theme (Gentles, Do Not Reprehend)
Author: anoradh
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Dean/Castiel, unrequited OFC/Dean
Warnings: see master post
Spoilers: see master post
Word Count: ~1825
Author's Notes: see master post
Disclaimer: see master post
Master Post
Act I. Scene I.
A forest glade.
[Enter OBERON and PUCK]
OBERON
Didst thou see where the intruder fell after thy charm hit it, good Robin?
PUCK
Ay, my lord. Methinks he fell in the eastern glade, near the great fir tree.
OBERON
What manner of being was it, didst thou see? It flew like the owl that soars on mighty wings, sailing upon the strong arms of the night air, carried forward by swift, silent winds; yet it wore the shape of a mortal man. No such being have I ever witnessed afore this night. Almost methought it carried the marks of the celestials.
PUCK
My lord, so did I.
OBERON
But what would an angel with us spirits and fairies? Our kind is fey and of the earth; we have no business with mortals’ heavens, yet this celestial did appear to seek us out. I fear that this does not bode well. Therefore I charge thee, good Robin, to find him and by such means as thou deemest fit ensure that no more doth he disturb our nightly revelry.
PUCK
Worry not, king of shadows. Ere the first cock crows, it shall be done.
OBERON
See to it that thou dost not fail.
[Exit.]
PUCK
A being of heaven brought down to earth? This holds a promise of sport and mirth.
Mortals are fools of natural disposition; to fool an angel seems a worthier mission.
For spying on revels of shadows and night, an offence by no means deemed slight,
His serving sentence I pronounce to be that misty shadows shall cloud his memory.
His mind thus dazzled and beguiled, his heart’s true passion shall be his guide.
[Exit.]
*****
Act I. Scene II.
The U.S. Forest Service - MEL's workplace.
"So..."
Officer Mel Davies sat down on the edge of her desk and looked down at the two men sitting before her. They were both undeniably attractive, being tall, handsome and confident, and clearly aware of it. The older man was giving her a roguishly charming grin that she felt sure had most women eating out of his hand. He had not stopped flirting with her since her boss had assigned them to her care. She was glad of the reasons that kept her impervious to his advances, because without them, she feared she would have had some difficulties remaining professional.
As for his partner, he seemed mostly amused by the older man’s attitude. He was lounging comfortably on his chair, a small smile playing on his lips and his large eyes kind and alert. Anyone who saw them would have sworn that they were the very picture of easy honesty, with absolutely nothing to hide. Unfortunately for them, Mel knew better. For now, however, she was interested in learning their reasons for being here and revealing what she already knew was not likely to serve that purpose, so she had decided to play along for a while.
"Agents Morrison and Manzarek", she said, once again looking down at the undoubtedly fake FBI badges that she still held. "Would you be so kind as to go over it with me again? What brings you to this part of the country?"
The older man, who had identified himself as Agent Morrison and who apparently acted as the mouthpiece of the duo, leaned forward slightly, still with that impish grin on his face.
"Please", he said easily, "it’s Dean."
Mel bowed her head in assent. That’s the first true thing you’ve said since you walked in, she thought. He continued,
"As we told you earlier, we have reason to believe that the little boy, Billy Roberts, who was kidnapped a week ago in Clark County, may be kept hidden in one of the forests nearby. We are here to search around to see if we can’t find him and his kidnappers."
"And what makes you believe that the kidnappers are hiding in our forests?"
The men exchanged brief glances, the only time they had betrayed any form of hesitancy.
"We are unable to go into that, m’am." This time it was the younger man who spoke and his face was suddenly serious. "All we can tell you is that we have reason to believe that this kidnapping is linked to a series of kidnappings that have occurred in other states all over the country and each time, the perpetrators have taken to the woods. If you would only give us the tools we requested and perhaps help us determine in which part they would be most likely to take refuge, we will be out of your hair in no time. We are not requesting your assistance in the search at this point. However, as I am sure you are aware, time is of the essence here. If we do not find them quickly, they will be gone and we will back where we started. Poor Billy Roberts may then be lost for good!"
It was a good speech, earnest and pleading, designed to pull at her heartstrings and make her eager to help them in their search, but to Mel, it was all a bunch of lies. The idea that these two men were here to look for a missing boy was ludicrous, not to mention the claim that they would be able to find him in her forest. They may as well be telling her that the kidnappers were none other than the fairies that her grandmother used to warn her about when she was a child. For one thing, no kidnapper would be foolish enough to hide in the woods where she worked. Even someone as experienced with the great outdoors and as proficient at surviving in the wilderness as Mel herself would be unlikely to stay alive out there for long at this time of year. For another, the men sitting in front of her with suddenly serious and sincere faces were far more likely to be the boy’s kidnappers than his rescuers. After all, it would just be one more crime to add to their criminal record and not even the worst.
Dean and Sam Winchester. She had recognised them as soon as they walked in. Truth be told, she would recognise Dean’s green eyes anywhere, since they had haunted her dreams for most of her life. The image of them gazing intently into hers and coming ever closer as their owner leaned in for what would be her very first kiss was a memory she still secretly and guiltily cherished. He had never known what he had meant to her back then; had never known that he was her first. She had never told him, knowing that it would attach too much significance to what he only intended to be a brief fling. That she had succeeded in letting him keep it casual was proven by the fact that he did not recognise her now. She knew that she was only one of countless women who had been allowed a brief taste of the fantasy he afforded them.
Still, even with the knowledge that nothing more would come of it and even after he had left town, as quickly and as suddenly as he had appeared, she had kept her fantasies of him and for years, he had been the epitome of perfection against which she measured all other men. Naturally, compared to him, they all fell short. Having only known him for those few and wonderful weeks during which they had spent so many sweet, stolen moments together, hidden from the world, she had been left to construct her own image of his true personality and she had made him up to be an example of kindness, heroism and valour. She had placed him high upon a pedestal that could have competed with the tower of Babel in its hubristic aspiration and as is the case with most such constructions, when it had finally crumbled, the devastation had been more complete than she could ever have dreamed of in her worst nightmares.
At the beginning of her career, she had worked for the Milwaukee Police Department and, as fate would have it, she had been on duty the night that the City Bank had been held up in what had to be one of the oddest robberies in modern times. The call had come in that an unidentified, armed man had locked himself and a number of hostages in the bank. The police had responded in full force and surrounded the bank. They had all been absolutely baffled when one of the hostages had appeared, carrying a rifle, apparently having sided with the robber. Mel’s own astonishment had mingled with a sense of utter consternation when she had recognised the man of her dreams as being the one carrying the rifle.
After Sam and Dean had escaped, Mel had abused the privileges of her job and used her access to the database to look up their criminal records and learn more about the real Dean Winchester. It had not been pleasant reading. Credit card fraud, breaking and entering, grave desecration, even murder. The man she had idolised for so long had turned out to be an absolute monster, unconscionable and ruthless. It was all there in black and white and as pathetic as it made her, Mel had felt her whole world tumble down around her. She had resigned from the MPD the next week and had moved west to build herself a new existence, based on different dreams.
And now, when she had finally managed to put it all behind her and got over her disappointment and her heartbreak, here he was, back in her life, as beautiful and as unscrupulous as ever. Well, she would be damned if she let him fool her again. This was her chance to redeem and avenge herself. This time, he would not get away. She would discover what nefarious plans had brought him here and be sure to thwart them. He and his brother were going away for a very long time, just as soon as she had procured the evidence needed to put their guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. If that meant going into the forest with them, then so be it. She knew this area infinitely better than they did. She knew everything about them, while they knew nothing about her. She held all the cards. And when the time was right, she would play them.
"Very well, Agent Manzarek", she said. "I understand. Naturally, I would not want you to compromise the case by revealing too much. Still, as you say, time is of the essence and there is not a moment to lose. Therefore I think it would be better if I came with you as your guide. If you tell me what sort of area we are looking for, I’ll be sure to take you there."
She caught the brief expressions of consternation on their faces and had to suppress a triumphant smile. Before they had time to protest, she had risen and was walking towards the door, leaving them with no choice but to follow her.
Act II.
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