Fic: Souls of the Forgotten Chapter 6/10
Title: Souls of the Forgotten
Fandoms: Supernatural/Torchwood/The Avengers/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Tony/Sam, Jack/Ianto, Castiel/Dean, Clint/Coulson, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Bruce/Steve, Kevin Tran, Nick Fury, Linda Tran, Kevin Tran, Benny/Darcy, the Doctor, Rory/Amy and Balthazar/Tosh
Summary: Sam watched Dean and Castiel disappear right before his eyes; with the loss of Bobby he wasn't sure how he would survive or even how to begin to find a way to rescue them. Help comes in the most unlikely fashion when SHIELD suddenly offers to try and help Sam find the mysterious Doctor. Knowing they have their own agenda, Sam is desperate and accepts their offer any way.
Meanwhile, Dean and Castiel find themselves struggling to survive in a living nightmare. For them, aid comes from a most unlikely pair of people: a fellow trapped soul, Ianto Jones and the vampire, Benny. Together the four of them must find a way to survive in their hellish prison but also find a way home.
One year later they are rescued but during that time much has changed for the brothers; is for better or worse? And how will they handle the biggest changes in their lives?
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, Torchwood or the Avengers
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Art by: Viviantanner
Chapter 6
An explosion rocked the building and echoed through the halls, giving Sam plenty of reason to sigh with resignation as he calmly entered Tony’s lab. Mindful of his surroundings, Sam carefully picked his way through all the glass that littered the ground as he waved his hand in front of his face, dispersing the acrid smoke that the vents hadn’t sucked out yet.
Whipping off his safety goggles, an act which left him looking like a reverse Panda bear, Tony grinned wildly as he meet Sam’s disapproving glare. “Oh, come on! I haven’t blown up anything in nearly a week!” he pointed out proudly. “Even you have to admit that I was past due.”
Even though he found Tony’s exhilaration charming and sexy, Sam just slowly shook his head. "I had to fall for a child," he muttered under his breath. Reaching for a clean cloth, Sam began to gently wipe the soot and grim from Tony’s mad scientist’s face.
For the first two months of his time working with SHIELD, Sam Winchester had focused so much of his energy on finding his brother and Castiel that he didn't have any time for socializing. He was actually quite surprised to discover how happy he was to have Linda and Kevin in his life as friends and a new family; as far as he was concerned, they were all he needed. However, he hadn't counted on Darcy Lewis.
The determined young woman had made it her mission in life to make Sam an equal part of the team and had methodically sought him out at every opportunity. She refused to let him simply drift unnoticed and overlooked among the other agents. After several uncomfortable and on one occasion, embarrassing situations, Sam quickly learned it was impossible to say no to Darcy and he’d gracefully given in to her efforts.
After Steve and Bruce had gotten together - all it had taken was an encounter with General Ross on one of his ridiculous attempts to get SHIELD to hand Hulk over to him - Steve had snapped. He’d told the General in a very polite but unmistakably forceful way exactly where he could shove his personnel transfer request. If memory served, the words “…where the sun don’t shine…” had been used, as well as “…you’ll get your hands on Bruce over my dead body…” The look in Steve's eyes had everyone taking a step back as with a glare on his face that challenged anyone to interfere, Steve had dragged a stunned yet titillated Bruce out of the meeting room with him.
With those two men finally together, Darcy found herself at loose ends and in dire need of someone else to focus on and to Sam's abject horror he became her newest project. As Darcy dragged him along on every team building exercise available, it didn't take long for Sam to realise that she was playing matchmaker for him and Tony. It was actually amusing for the team to watch her progress as she and Clint were less than subtle in their attempts to get them together.
After failed attempt number twenty-six, Clint and Darcy were beginning to get desperate and in a last ditch effort to create a romantic connection, the conniving duo had locked them in Tony's lab. Late one night, working swiftly but stealthily, they prepared the room with soft music, champagne and strawberries, and gourmet chocolates, and on a more practical note, plenty of bottled water, energy bars and protein shakes. Darcy’s final touch was the addition of a soft futon and half-a-dozen cushions while Clint discretely included a box containing plenty of lube and condoms.
Several hours later, she and Clint stood arm-in-arm in the doorway, surveying their handiwork with smug satisfaction. “Well, if they can resist this little love nest, then there’s not a romantic bone in their bodies!”
The final step in their plan was the promise of keeping Tony from blowing up his lab for at least a week to bribe JARVIS into temporarily changing Tony's passwords, thus effectively trapping the soon-to-be lovebirds until Darcy was satisfied that her Cupid mission was a thorough success. Between them she had lured Sam and Clint, Tony, to the lab and once the men were inside, they’d gleefully slammed the door and high-fived each other.
It had taken three days of forced togetherness before Tony and Sam had realised the futility of resistance and had succumbed to the inevitable. During that time, there were multiple threats of retaliation, including Sam swearing he would sic the ever frightening Linda on them and Tony promising that wherever they went the single most annoying song he could find would follow them endlessly.
Darcy had cheerful called back that if Tony even thought of doing that Natasha would skin him alive while Kevin, the real traitor in Sam's opinion, calmly informed Sam that his mom was backing Darcy up one hundred and ten percent. Apparently, even she was tired of watching him making gooey, love-sick moon eyes at Tony. Incredibly flustered, blushing crimson and sputtering profusely, Sam had firmly denied ever doing such a thing, while Tony had merely leaned against the counter grinning in amusement at him.
Finally, and only to just shut everyone up, Sam kissed Tony, expecting that to be the end of all the nonsense and matchmaking, only to discover that it wasn't over, not by a long shot. Never in Sam's life, not even with Jess, did a kiss ever feel so right; that single act left him feeling so compete and so content that he was speechless. From the way Tony fervently returned the kiss Sam could tell that he felt the same way. That new-found knowledge led to them staggering in a full-in lip lock over to the futon, which they fell onto in a tangle of arms and legs.
In fact, they had been so involved in kissing and caressing one another that they never noticed when the door to the lab unlocked. Later, according to their teammates - the traitors! - Tony and Sam had informed them that they didn't even notice the box of goodies that Clint had left for them, and which ended up being so useful that it was empty by the end of their confinement.
Blissfully unaware that the door was unlocked and that they could leave any time they wanted, Sam and Tony spent the weekend comfortably ensconced in their makeshift love nest, happily learning every inch of each other's bodies. When Monday morning rolled around, Sam was greeted to a very smug looking Darcy from whom he gratefully accepted the cup of steaming hot coffee. Between sips he thanked her several times and told her that he would never doubt her again.
That had been four months ago and despite the fact that his brother and dear friend were still missing Sam was as happy as he could be and a big part of that was having Tony in his life.
Crossing the distance between them, Tony pulled Sam into a tender, comforting kiss; he hated seeing the haunted look in his lover's eyes. Sam did his best to keep his despair under wraps, but he couldn’t fool the man who loved him. Tony knew how much his boyfriend missed his brother just as he knew that each failure at finding them was slowly killing the hope within Sam. Tony watched the light in Sam’s eyes die a little more each time and he was at a loss as to how to make things any better.
Tony had no good memories of his childhood or of what it was like to be part of a family who loved one another and who cared about each other’s welfare, but he was learning again with Sam. Pepper and the Avengers were becoming family to him as well and in his heart, he knew that he would do everything in his power to keep them safe. As he grew closer to his new family, becoming more and more involved in their lives and understanding what made each of them tick, Tony discovered that he couldn't even begin to fathom the kind of pain Sam was going through. It was obvious to them all, but especially to Tony, that the longer Sam was apart from his brother and his angel, the more the young hunter died a little more inside.
For now, all Tony had to offer Sam was a pair of strong arms to hold him and his deep and abiding love. "We will get them back, I promise you," Tony vowed once he broke the kiss. He pulled away from Sam just enough so he could look his boyfriend in the eye. “I promise, Sam.”
Sighing tremulously, Sam rested his head on Tony's shoulder, not wanting him to see the tears in his eyes. "I know you guys are doing everything you possibly can, really, I do. It's just not easy to keep hope alive any more. Each day that goes by and we’re no closer to find them now than we started and it…” his voice was choked with unshed tears and caught in his throat. Tony’s arms tightened around him, giving him the strength to go on. “…it just kills me..." Sam trailed off, needing a moment to calm himself, and then he took a shuddering breath before continuing, "…to know that we may never… never find them."
It was a truth Sam didn’t want to accept but it just might be a fate he simply couldn’t change.
Tony could feel Sam trembling with emotion and it made him feel so helpless when all he had to offer were words. "Hey now, come on! You've got some of the greatest minds including my own brilliant self working on this and I promise you we will find a way to rescue them. Please, sweetheart, please don't lose hope, not yet." In his heart, Tony knew that if push came to shove, he was prepared to rip apart the very heavens themselves to find Sam's family.
Smiling gratefully, Sam planted a huge kiss on Tony’s lips, looped his arms around his lover’s waist and snuggled deeper into his hold. "I won't, I promise, because while there’s a never-ending terror in my soul of what they could be suffering, you give me the strength and the hope to get through each day. I don’t think I couldn’t make it without you."
Tony felt his breath hitch; no one had ever looked at him the way Sam was looking at him at that very moment; the pure trust shining in Sam’s eyes and the sheer sincerity of his words sent a surge of love throughout Tony’s chest, making his heart swell and making him feel like a king. Tony was so overcome with emotion that he was unable to find the words to let Sam know how much that meant to him but he could show him.
Sam moaned low in his throat as Tony devoured his mouth; tangling his hands into Tony's hair he returned that kiss with just as much passion as Tony was offering. And for that one special moment, Sam allowed all his worries and fears about never seeing Dean or Castiel again fade away as he focused completely on the man he was falling deeply in love with.
******
"Someone has got to talk to them; I can only take so many moping looks before I snap!" Benny muttered under his breath. He and Ianto watched as Castiel and Dean continued their awkward dance around one another; the first month it had been cute now, six months later, the vampire refused to be held responsible for his actions. If he had to witness one more longing look between the two of them, he was absolutely going to lose it!
Ianto raised an eyebrow and turned to face a scowling Benny with an unimpressed look on his face "And you think it should be up to me to play matchmaker," he pointed out.
Benny’s scowl faded and turned into a grin instantly as he clapped Ianto on the shoulder. "Well you have had experience dealing with emotionally stunted men who can't talk about their feelings. After all, before you ended up here you were one yourself," the vampire cheerfully reminded him. His grin widened and Ianto could see his fangs gleaming in the light.
Sighing deeply, Ianto looked back and forth between Castiel and Dean, wondering which of the two would be easier to talk to. As annoying as he could be on occasion, Ianto had to admit that Benny had a point; sometimes it was physically painful for Ianto to watch the two men pine after one another. They were both too scared to voice aloud what they truly wanted, and on the one hand, it was amusing - it was him and Jack all over again, dancing around one another but never daring to act.
Thinking back, he realised how much of the short time they’d had together he and Jack had actually wasted. They’d never bothered to just sit down even once and bloody talk about what they felt in their hearts. Then, it was too late to say anything, although Ianto had done his best to express the truth he’d carried in his heart since the day he’d met Captain Jack Harkness. ‘I love you.’
'I refuse to let Dean and Castiel suffer the same way Jack and I did, not if I can help it.' Straightening his shoulders and strengthening his resolve, Ianto climbed to his feet and moved to join Dean, who was sitting by the entrance ostensibly keeping a look out. Strange that, given the fact that the only thing he was really paying any attention to was Castiel. Trusting Benny to keep Castiel busy, Ianto wasted no time in getting to the point. "You do know that the only person who doesn't know you're in love with Castiel is the angel himself."
Hearing the truth laid out so clearly, Dean's shoulders slumped as Ianto came to sit beside him. "Yeah, I kinda figured out." The pain in his voice was obvious, especially to someone who shared the ache.
From his seat next to Dean Ianto looked up at the grey sky and not for the first time wished he could see Cardiff’s beautiful night sky full of stars. One of his fondest and dearest memories of his life before the 456 was one night shortly after Jack had returned from his trip with the Doctor. Jack had surprised him with a romantic rooftop picnic, and after they’d enjoyed a delicious meal of roasted chicken, potato salad and crisp white wine, they’d spent the rest of the night curled up together in one another’s arms.
Even today Ianto could close his eyes and hear Jack's soothing voice rumbling in his ear as he told the Welshman about all the wonders that were spread among the stars. The one thing about that night that had stuck with Ianto to this very day was Jack’s whispered promise when he thought his beloved young Welshman had fallen asleep, "Someday I will show you the stars, Yan, because a soul as beautiful and old as yours is deserves to be out there soaring through the Universe. I want to be the one who shows you sights and wonders beyond your wildest dreams. I want to be the man who makes all your dreams come true, Jones, Ianto Jones."
Tucking his precious memories back into his heart, Ianto turned to Dean. "My greatest regret with Jack is that I was never brave enough to tell him I love him and ask him how he truly felt about me. Then, it was too late to do anything but…” Ianto sighed as pain lanced through his heart. “Don't make the same mistake I did, Dean; don't let love slip through your fingers.” Again, Ianto had to stop for a moment, this time to swallow back the tears that clogged his throat.
“You okay?” Dean tried to remain casual. Even though he’d only known Ianto for a short time, he could see that the normally stoic man was struggling to contain himself.
Ruthlessly Ianto slammed his mask back into place. “Fight for your love, Dean, fight every single day because you will regret not having those moments to reflect upon later. Regret is a painful thing to live with; it can eat at your soul every day and it can ruin even your most wonderful memories with its sting of what could have been."
"Do you think Castiel feels the same way?" Dean hated the vulnerability that appeared in his voice. “Do you really think he loves me?”
A highly amused snort escaped Ianto's lips as the Welshman shook his head in wonder. ‘Did I ever sound that hopeless when I talked to Tosh about Jack?' "You really don't see the way Castiel looks at you? Good god, man, he defied Heaven and turned his back on them to save you! You can see it in his eyes plain as day every time he looks at you!" Ianto placed a gently encouraging hand on Dean's shoulder. "Just talk to him and you'll see that I'm right." Ianto knew he could offer all the advice in the world but it was up to Dean and/or Castiel to take the next step.
In truth Dean didn't want him and Castiel to end up like Ianto and Jack; he could see firsthand the lingering pain in Ianto's eyes whenever he talked about Jack and that was not a pain he ever wanted Cas to experience. Taking a deep breath Dean dared to glance at Ianto and he saw not the pain and loss he was expecting but the patience and understanding of a friend in the Welshman's eyes and he smiled, his mind made up. "Could you send Cas over here and then make sure you and Benny are busy at the other end of the cave?"
Ianto smiled at Dean and nodded his head. "I will. Good luck, my friend." 'May you have better luck than Jack and I did.' Ianto silently wished his friends all the luck in the world.
Castiel looked up as Ianto joined him and Benny with an ear-to-ear grin on his face and a worried look entered Castiel's eyes. Glancing over Ianto’s shoulder, he noticed that Dean seemed to be pacing the front of the cave, "Is Dean alright?" the angel asked, a sudden jolt of concern travelling down his spine.
Smiling as if he knew the biggest secret in the world, Ianto came to stand beside Benny. "He's just fine, Cas, but he does need to talk to you."
Frowning, the angel waiting for Ianto to continue but there was nothing else forthcoming. "Very well, I shall go talk to him." Castiel moved towards the cave’s opening trying not to look too anxious.
"They’re finally going to talk, aren't they?" Benny asked as he watched the two men huddle together. With his enhanced vampire hearing, he was looking forward to doing a little eavesdropping.
"Yep,” Ianto nodded his head. "You know, we should probably give them some space." Ianto snagged his friend by the shoulder and dragged the nosy vampire away.
His plan to listen in foiled Benny changed his tune. "I just hope they keep the noises down," he grumbled under his breath as he allowed Ianto to drag him further back into the cave.
Castiel came to stand beside Dean, "Ianto said you wished to talk to me?"
Dean took a deep breath, trying to still the trembling in his hands. 'Why is this so hard?' the displaced hunter couldn't help but wonder to himself. Walking into Hell, facing off against angels, hunting down demons, it all seemed so much easier than simply telling Castiel “I love you.” "Cas... I… well, it’s like this… you… damn it!" Frustrated by his inability to adequately voice his feelings Dean whirled away from the angel.
Confused and a little worried by his human's volatile outburst, Castiel watched Dean begin pacing again. "You know you can tell me anything. I am your friend."
"Is that all you feel for me? Friendship?" Dean asked coming to a sudden halt his eyes blazing with an emotion that threatened to consume both him and Castiel. "Because what I feel for you is a hell of a lot more than friendship and I need to know if I'm alone in this or not."
Castiel's brow furrowed together. "But you are not alone, Dean; you have Ianto, Benny and myself."
"Damn it, Cas!" Dean threw caution to the wind, grabbed the corners of Castiel's tattered coat and hauled the angel into a kiss that was...
…pure bliss.
After a moment of surprised hesitation, Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean and returned the kiss with everything he had. Nothing in his long life had ever felt more right than having Dean in his arms and it hit the angel like a bolt of lightning. Now he understood why he was willing to turn against his brothers and sisters: because they were no longer his family! No, Dean and Sam were his family and more importantly, Dean was his heart’s home.
Pulling away from his angel's oh-so-tempting mouth, Dean finally gave voice to his feelings, "I love you! I love you and I have for the longest time. I want you to know that being trapped here is a whole lot more bearable because I'm trapped here with you."
Struck to the core by his human’s declaration, Castiel wasted no time. "I love you as well, Dean.” A mischievous light entered the angel’s eyes. “Does this mean we shall share more kisses? Because I rather enjoy kissing you," he asked innocently, his eyes wide and his smile broad.
An answering grin spread itself across Dean's face as his eyes flashed brightly with wicked thoughts. "Oh yeah, kissing and a whole lot more," he promised before reclaiming Castiel's mouth kiss even more fiery than their first.