Supernatural House Arrest (Supernatural Fanfic)

Chapter 136

Gabriel isn't around when Jack wakes up, and to say he's confused would be an understatement. He didn't realize his mentor had anywhere else to be or anything else to do. Is their training taking him away from whatever he'd rather be doing? He'd ask, but he's decently sure he wouldn't get a straight answer if he did.

Well, never mind that, then. If no one's here, he'll just look around until he can find them. He manifests a piece of paper and a pen into his hands and writes a quick note, just in case Gabriel comes looking for him here. It's just a quick, "You weren't here when I woke up so I went out" with a smiley face at the end, but it gets the point across. He leaves the note on his bed and wipes the pen out of existence.

Taking advantage of yet another skill he's learned recently, he teleports out of the garage and into the war room. The only two already in the room are Dean and Castiel, and Jack pauses in the doorway. He doesn't really like talking to the Sam, Dean, and Castiel of this dimension. They're so similar to the ones of his world, but so different, too, lacking all their shared experiences. It's just really weird to see them, and even weirder to interact with them.

Unfortunately, he hesitates too long, and Dean catches sight of him. Jack just gives him an awkward smile, not quite sure what to do. He can't just leave now, but he doesn't want to intrude, either. He's starting to wish he'd waited until Gabriel came back before he left the garage.

Castiel glances over his shoulder at him. "Jack, hi!"

"Um... hi."

"Where's Gabriel?" Dean asks. "Don't you guys usually come together?"

"I don't know," Jack admits. "He wasn't there when I woke up."

"Huh." Dean raises an eyebrow. "Because that's not weird."

"He couldn't have gone far," Castiel remarks. "We are stuck in the bunker, after all."

Dean snorts. "Unless Chuck decided to pull him because he didn't like that you're trying to out-power him or whatever."

"Oh." Jack frowns. He hopes not — he really likes Gabriel; he feels more like family than anyone else here at this point — but he doesn't want to say that. He's sure Gabriel would be happy to be out, at least. It would be selfish to wish otherwise, and he doesn't want them to think he's selfish.

"You definitely do seem more powerful," Castiel agrees, looking thoughtful. "I don't think that's Gabriel's doing, though. I think he's just helping you control it."

"Which I'm sure Chuck still sees as a threat," Dean says. "I'm just saying, you know, I don't see Chuck giving up that easily, and if taking Gabriel out of the equation is what it takes..."

Castiel must sense Jack's unease because he says, "Regardless, I'm sure Gabriel is okay."

"I hope so," Jack says. It would be bad enough if Gabriel was gone; if Chuck hurt him because he was helping Jack, he'd never forgive himself.

"Relax, kid," Dean says. "Have you met the guy? He doesn't know how not to be okay."

Jack cracks a smile at that. "I guess you have a point."

"'Course I do," Dean says confidently. "You know, you can come in. You don't have to lurk in the doorway."

It had been his wariness around Dean that had prevented him from doing it earlier, but if Dean thinks it's okay for him to come in, he'll definitely take the opportunity in stride. He doesn't get too close, giving them the choice to exclude him from their conversation at any time, but he gets close enough that he feels included.

"So, kid, how's the 'breaking us out' thing going?" Dean asks. "Got an ETA?"

Jack shakes his head. "I have no idea. I mean, I'm learning a lot, but I don't know what it's gonna take to overpower God Himself."

"Hopefully not much," Dean says, "because I am so bored."

"I know," Jack says. "I really am trying. I wanna get home as much as you wanna leave your home."

"We know that," Castiel says quickly. "And we're very grateful, aren't we, Dean?" He gives his boyfriend a pointed look.

Dean rolls his eyes. "Yes, we're very grateful. Thank you, Jack."

Jack bites back a laugh. "Don't thank me yet. I think there's still a ways to go."

"I don't know," Castiel says thoughtfully, looking him up and down. "I can feel your power, and it's been getting exponentially stronger every day. I think it's only a matter of days until you could overpower him; the issue then becomes learning to use your power in a way that works."

"You really think so?" Jack asks. He can feel his power growing, too -- he can always feel the difference when he wakes up in the morning -- but he didn't think he was that strong.

"I do," Castiel replies.

"Now we just gotta hope Gabriel gets his ass back here to help," Dean remarks. "Hell, at this point, I'd even accept Lucifer if that's what it takes."

"I, uh..." Castiel eyes him warily. "I don't know about that."

"You're, like, seven bazillion years old," Dean deadpans. "I'm sure a year or whatever in lockdown doesn't feel like much to you, but I am getting desperate."

Jack's not even two years old yet; if Dean thinks he has it bad, he should spend a day in Jack's shoes. It's exhausting.