Brothers in Nightvale

"Nothing is coincidence. There's no such thing as chance, or Fate. It's all an illusion. But sometimes... in those true, rare moments... something happens that was not supposed to happen.

"Welcome... to Nightvale."

}{

Sam was the first to wake up, which was not uncommon. What was uncommon, however, was the noise that woke him up. He didn't remember setting the alarm, but maybe Dean did? Also, it was almost noon. Sam never woke up this late; he liked to get a jog in before Dean woke up. Although, Sam wasn't sure if he really wanted to go for a jog in this town...

That radio host, Cecil, was talking again. Did he ever shut up? At least the sun rose quietly... Sam thought.

Dean was snoring loudly on the bed, and Sam threw a pillow at him. "Dude, get up," he called. When his brother didn't stir, the taller Winchester huffed and whopped his brother on the head.

"Kelly Clarkson!" Dean yelled, sitting up straight and stifling a yawn.

Sam smirked as he grabbed his laptop and sat back down on his bed, leaning against the head board. "Sleep well?" he asked.

His brother groaned in response, and Sam took that as a 'no.'

"Please tell me I was not the only one who saw those weird flashing lights?" Dean cocked an eyebrow, and stood up, heading towards the mini fridge. "I mean, between the annoying sound of a setting sun and freakin' lights above Arby's over there, I'm just about ready to hit the road, man. Let these weirdos handle it themselves."

Sam was tempted to agree and book it out of town, but he knew better; they couldn't abandon a job, even if they didn't quite get what the job was.

"I guess we could call Bobby," the younger suggested. "See if he knows anything about this place."

Dean shrugged. "Seems like a good idea as any." He took a swig out of his beer and trudged to the bathroom. "Let me know what he says."

}{

"Hello listeners.

"Our guests are still here, or so I've heard. Their Impala is sitting front of the old motel in Old Nightvale, but I have not seen them.

"What is their purpose? What brought them here? Why hasn't Carlos reblogged my wood carving of Khoshekh?

"All good questions, with the answers unknown."

}{

"What do you mean you're in Nightvale?" Bobby demanded through the speaker. "Haven't you boys heard what goes on down there?"

"That's... why we're here, Bobby," Sam said, looking confused.

"Hunters avoid that place for a reason. The folks down there can't live without all that supernatural crap going on," Bobby explained. "They've got an invisible clock towers that moves. If you took someone out of that town, I think they'd go on a rampage."

"Invisible clock tower?" Dean repeated, glancing out the window. "This town just gets weirder and weirder, man."

"I'm surprised you boys even found that place," Bobby sighed. "I've heard a lot of hunters going after it, and most never do."

"Most?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The ones that do don't come back."

There was silence.

"How do you know they found the place then?" Dean asked, trying to block the memory of the killer librarian from his mind.

"They called, like you boys. You two best get out of there as soon as you can."

"Alright Bobby...," Sam sighed. "We'll leave in a few hours."

}{

"Lauren, the new station manager, has told me her plans to hire the two mysterious brothers for a new position here at the radio station.

"She says they would be perfect for the desk job she has lined up, though, I'm not really sure what desk job could possibly be available. I told her they didn't really strike me as 'desk job' workers, and would be better suited as an intern, but she was insistent.

"So to Sam and Dean: good luck. (Trust me; you'll need it.)"

}{

Because it was so late when the Winchesters woke up, there weren't any options for breakfast. They would have to skip straight to lunch, which Dean really wasn't complaining about.

"Big Rico's Pizza," he read, as the elder brother pulled into the parking lot. "Can't go wrong with pizza, huh Sammy?"

Sam chuckled and rolled his eyes, but agreed. They had had nothing but burgers it seemed since they hit the road. And since there weren't many other options except for Arby's (that they didn't want to go to because of the mysterious lights) and a couple other nicer looker restaurants (that they new they couldn't afford, even with the stolen credit cards), it looked like Big Rico's was their only option.

When they walked in, the only small group there fell silent. Sam recognized them as the scientists outside the house that 'didn't exist,' according to that Cecil guy.

Dean raised his eyebrows at his brother and sat down at a table for two, close to the door. It went unspoken, but the brothers knew it was in case they needed a quick get away.

A man with a large belly and dark mustache came and took their order, avoiding their eyes the whole time. He quickly left, saying their pizza would be out shortly.

Sam and Dean shared curious looks, but said nothing about it.

"So Bobby wants us to just leave," Dean said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "Cas said the town sat on a 'supernatural rift' of some sort. And they want us to leave?"

Sam shrugged. "It doesn't make sense. These people... it's like they don't notice. Or care."

"Excuse me."

The brothers looked up to see a man with dark skin and darker hair. His hair looked soft, and it hung in soft curls right above his brown eyes that hid behind black glasses.

Sam and Dean stiffened slightly, and Sam could see his brother was fighting the urge to grab his gun. This entire town had them both on edge, and being approached by strangers wasn't helping.

The man didn't wait for a reply before he pulled up a chair and sat down, sticking out his hand. "My name is Carlos. I'm a scientist here, examining all the... phenomenons... here in Nightvale."

Dean snorted, and Sam glared at him before shaking Carlos' hand. "I'm Sam, and this is my brother Dean."

Carlos smiled kindly, and glanced at the radio while Cecil's voice rolled out for them to hear.

"Carlos... perfect, perfect Carlos... my boyfriend, Carlos took me on a romantic dinner date last night..."

The scientist blushed slightly, ignoring the knowing looks sent his way. Sam and Dean blinked, looking shocked.

"Cecil is... he says whatever comes to mind," Carlos explained, his blush still evident. "You shouldn't let it bother you. The whole town just takes some getting used to."

Sam laughed slightly. "How long have you been here?" he asked, trying to block out the radio.

"I came here about two years ago," Carlos shrugged, and jabbed a thumb back towards the other scientists. "Originally, the plan was to stay only a few months, but... well, you've seen the librarians."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, they're real great. Helped us find everything we needed."

There was an awkward silence that wasn't really silence, due to Cecil's broadcast.

"...and he forgot the cheesecake! Listeners, I have never seen a person as perfect as Carlos blush like that..."

"And, uh... your boyfriend?" Dean asked, cocking an eyebrow. "How long has he lived here?"

"Almost everyone in town has been here their whole lives," Carlos told them, but shifted in his seat. "But, sometimes there are... newcomers. Not like us, where we came here willingly, but... sometimes people just kind of find themselves here."

"Find themselves here?" Sam repeated.

"That's how you both came here as well, right?" Carlos looked genuine, with his eyebrows raised. He adjusted his glasses slightly, waiting for an answer.

"Um... no." Dean narrowed his eyes, and waited until their waiter placed their food down on the table and left. "We came here on a, uh, job."

"You meant to come here? It wasn't an accident?" Carlos pulled out a notepad and pen. "What kind of job are you working on?"

"Um..." Sam and Dean shared a looked, confused and slightly more anxious to hit the road.

"It was a perfect date, listeners."

}{

"I've received a call from Steve Carlsburg, listeners. He told me he spotted Carlos speaking with the two brothers, Sam and Dean, to which I replied that was perfectly fine.

"They're just talking, after all. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm not worried about the younger ones nearly perfect hair.

"Anyway... Steve Carlsburg called because he thinks the brothers are 'hunting' some supernatural beings. Whatever, Steve. Everyone knows that supernatural beings are under the protection of the US government. They're an endangered species, hunting them is illegal.

"I just- I can't. I will not speak about Steve Carlsburg for the rest of the show. I just can't."

}{

Sam and Dean didn't even finish their meal before they were out the door, and sitting in the Impala. The scientist had asked way too many personal questions, and to put it frank, it freaked the brothers out.

They sat in silence for a moment until the flapping of wings broke it. Immediately, the brother turned around to face the angel in a trench coat, who was giving a small, awkward smile.

"Where the hell have you been?" Dean demanded.

"Josie needed help-"

"You could've warned us about the psycho librarians, you know!" Dean interrupted. "Or the crazy people in this town. Bobby says it's nearly impossible to leave this place - when were you going to tell us that?"

"I apologize," Castiel nodded, looking calm. "But you seemed determined to help Nightvale, so I did not want to stop you."

"Mayor Pamela Winchell called an emergency press conference today. She told the reporters that if anyone saw a three headed polar bear wandering the streets, it wasn't there, and didn't exist. When report-"

"And this!" Dean exclaimed, hitting the radio until it turned off. "This Cecil guy is driving me nuts. Is this just some joke? Is this some comedy radio talk show or something?"

"Uh... Dean?"

"What Sam?"

Sam pointed out the window, looking shocked. "Isn't the three headed polar bear Cecil just mentioned?"

Dean looked, and gave a loud, obnoxious groan. Sure enough, a giant polar bear with three heads was crossing the street. Amazingly, it avoided the cars that didn't even slow down for it, and everyone walking by blatantly ignored it.

"Well, if there's one thing you Winchesters will like about this town," Cas started, leaning forward, also staring at the polar bear, "it's one of their rules: 'Say nothing, and drink to forget.'"

"I'm not gonna be sober for a week," Dean muttered, and threw the car into reverse. They swerved out of the parking lot, and raced down the road, leaving Sam to wonder where they were going.

"Dean," he warned, when his brother got too close to a pedestrian.

"Relax, Sammy," his brother grumbled.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked, glancing back at the angle, who shrugged.

"We're gonna pay that radio host a visit."

}{

"Teeth. Claws. Scales and fur.

"The deadly beast chases you. You run down streets, swerving around corners, tripping over your untied shoelaces. You should really learn to tie your shoes. Didn't you know that could be the reason for your death?

"The monster is running, and quickly catching ground. Any second now, and it will catch you, and rip at your limbs. And then it happens.

"You trip. You fall. You hear the snarls from the beast, and you know: it's the end. You will die, all because of your shoelaces. And, because you didn't feed your dog.

"Petco: for all your pets needs!"

}{

The Impala tore into the parking lot of the radio station, jumping over the curb in Dean's haste. Sam could understand his brothers annoyance, but this was probably taking it a bit too far.

Cas was gripping the back of the seats, looking emotionless, but there was slight worry in his blue eyes.

They came to a screeching halt just outside the doors, and Dean was just able to turn off the ignition before scrambling out of the car, and marching to the doors. Sam sighed before calmly following after his brother, who was struggling to open the door.

"It's want blood."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Don't be a drama queen, dude, just-"

"No, it literally wants blood," Dean repeated, pointing at the small needle next to the door. "We can't get in unless we prick our fingers."

Sam was shocked to see that his brother was right. There were no door handles on the glass doors, and the inside lobby was empty save for a younger woman at a desk. She was staring at them, looking torn.

Sam knocked and smiled at her, but the girl only ran away. "Great," he huffed. "Now what do we do?"

"I hate to suggest this...," Dean turned to the angel who had stayed back, "but Cas, do you think you could zap us in there?"

Cas pulled a face that screamed 'really?' and stepped forward. Sam took a deep breath; he really hated this part.

}{

"Intern Katie has just told me that the two brothers are right outside the station, listeners. I think I might finally be able to meet them.

"Why didn't you let them in? Go, Katie! Hurry!

"This is it, listeners. We may be able to get an interview! How cool would that be? Oh, I can't wait to meet them. I feel like everyone in town has met them except me. Carlos sent a text earlier, and said they were very nice, so I bet their just brilliant.

"Oh, here they are! Hi, I'm Cecil, and you must be-"

"No, get off the air. Now."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me, Cecil. Get off the air before I blow your head off."

"Ha ha! Guns don't hurt people, silly. We are all immune to guns, remember? I mean, everyone's got bumper stickers- oh. Um, listeners, I now take you to the weather."

}{

The man in front of them was... shocking. His hair was white at the top, and his skin was tanned. He was wearing a purple suit with his sleeves pushed up to reveal his arms covered in tattoos. He had rectangular eye glasses over his dark eyes that seemed to be laughing with glee.

"Hello," he said again while music played in the background. His voice was deeper in person than on the radio, which seemed almost impossible to Sam, but it fit him.

"Listen, douche-wad, I wanna know how you know everything that happens in this town," Dean spat, holding the gun closer to the radio hosts' head.

Cecil looked confused, and not at all bothered by the gun pointed at him. "That's my job."

"Your job is follow every step we take?" Dean demanded. "'Cause that's all you've done ever since we showed up."

Cecil nodded, looking exciting. "I would like to know how you survived the librarians, though. The only others to survive the library was Tamika Flynn and the other children in part of the Summer Reading Program. They used knowledge to escape, but..."

He kept talking, and the brothers shared incredulous looks. Castiel had disappeared as soon as they zapped in the building, muttering about Josie, and Sam felt like it was just an excuse. Maybe the angel had already met Cecil and knew what a whack job he was.

"I'm going to punch him in the face," Dean sighed, and Sam was tempted to help him.

Instead, he turned to the man and stopped him from continuing his sentence. "Listen; we came here because we thought this town was... in danger. Is there any... unwanted presence?"

Cecil seemed to think for a moment. "Steve Carlsburg," he decided, saying the name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "That man keeps trying to make everyone think. You're not supposed to think. Our role is to follow what the city council tells us to do, and that man keeps trying to change our ways."

Sam blinked. "Right... well, um..."

"That's it," Dean huffed. "I'm following Bobby's advice, and I'm getting the hell out of here." The older brother stalked out the door, not even glancing back.

Sam gave a forced smile to Cecil, who grinned back enthusiastically.

"He seems very nice." He sounded sincere. There was no sarcasm in his voice, no joking smile. "So how long are you staying?"

Sam blinked. "Um... we were just on our way out."

The music was drawing to a close, and he really didn't want to stick around for the newscast.

"That's a shame," Cecil sighed. "You should both come back some day. Carlos and I would love to have you over for dinner." The man blushed as he said the scientists name. "Carlos is a great cook."

The music ended, and Cecil robotically turned back to his consul and began talking. Sam wasted no time in running out the door and chasing after his brother. Yes, they needed to get out of this town.

}{

"And so, listeners, as our duo leaves us, we are left with a sense of sorrow. It was nice, seeing the new faces in town. I know I will miss them.

"Before I head home to Carlos' amazing cooking, I leave you with these parting words:

"No one is lost forever. People will always make their way back, whether they want to or not. It is they way the greater life forms above us work. There is no way to get around it.

"So I have a feeling we will see the Winchester brothers again, in the future. When in the future is the only question.

"Stay tuned for the sounds of life ticking away as you sit on your chair, or bed. Listen as the world moves around you as you sit, listening to my voice.

"And as always: Goodnight, Nightvale. Goodnight."