At the Council Library

[stilljustandrew]

Sam's been here before, a couple of years ago.

Very little has changed; it still has the timeless feel of most libraries, the central rotunda still vast and hushed and reverent.

Comments

[stilljustandrew]

"Y'okay?"

Andrew's trying to maneuver his own stack onto the table without mashing his own fingers.

[gavemea_45]

"Yeah," he says, with a quick sideways grin. "Just heavy, that's all."

[stilljustandrew]

"And we didn't drop any this time," he says with satisfaction, scooting his stack of books further onto the table and prudently separating it into two shorter stacks.

"Okay, where do you want to start?"

[gavemea_45]

"Can't see that it makes that much difference," Sam returns, dryly. "Start at the top and work our way down?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Sounds good."

Andrew tugs the topmost book off his own stack. "I'll bookmark the pages that look like they might be relevant, and we can copy them for you to take with when you leave?"

[gavemea_45]

"That should work."

Sam reaches for the first book in his pile, and keeps his focus on it as he adds, deliberately casual,

"I really appreciate this, by the way. Just so you know."

[stilljustandrew]

He glances up, with a small smile.

"Anytime, man. It's not a problem."

[gavemea_45]

"Still."

It's more of one than Andrew knows, given that Sam's trying to do this without Dean finding out about it, but it's not like Sam can tell him that.

(And to be honest, he'd a lot rather find a solution here than have to depend on Ruby. Even if she did help in that last fight, and even though she does seem to know what she's talking about...)

He shakes his head as if to drive away the errant thoughts, then opens the first book and starts to read.

[stilljustandrew]

Quiet descends.

They don't have the entire library to themselves, nor even this section the entire afternoon. People pass through from time to time, wandering idly or searching the shelves intently or putting books away, politely ignoring the two seated at the table with their work piled around them.

As usually happens when he's got his teeth into a piece of research, Andrew loses track of time. He's got no idea how long it's been when he raises his head, blinking, and rubs his lower back with one hand.

[gavemea_45]

Sam doesn't appear to have noticed Andrew's movement. He's got one elbow propped on the table and is leaning his head against his hand, fingers tangled in his own hair as he stares down at the book in front of him.

He hasn't turned a page in a while, though; he's lost in his own thoughts.

[stilljustandrew]

He looks pretty tightly focused. Andrew decides not to interrupt.

"Mr. Wells?" says a quiet voice at his shoulder: young, female, very diffident. "Do you have both copies of Erhardt's Bindings here? Ms. Harkness w --"

She breaks off in a gasp, taking an involuntary step backward as both men look up.

And she's staring at Sam, eyes round with horrified recognition.

[gavemea_45]

Sam looks surprised at her reaction, and glances sideways at Andrew.

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew looks just as surprised, and a touch alarmed.

[sunnydalealum]

Beth backs away another step, looking back and forth between them. She swallows, visibly, and looks to be on the point of turning to run -- but speaks first.

It's Andrew she's speaking to, though her eyes stay fixed on Sam. "He's with Wolfram & Hart."

[gavemea_45]

"I'm what?" Sam blurts out.

[stilljustandrew]

"What?" Bewildered. "No he's not, what are you ...?"

[sunnydalealum]

Beth's voice is shaking. "He was there, him and a partner, from another branch office -- the day of the battle for the Scythe, he was there, I saw him."

[gavemea_45]

That's all it takes; the realization hits him like a blow, and Sam's jaw drops.

"Oh my god, you were one of them. At the ritual, one of the, the zhirelin -- " Sam breaks off there and turns to Andrew.

"My 'partner' - she means Dean, when we, uh, infiltrated..."

Realizing that he doesn't know if Andrew's part in that is public knowledge, Sam leaves it at that. He turns back to the girl and says, carefully, trying to reassure,

"You're right. You're absolutely right. I was there. But I'm not with Wolfram and Hart. We were there to stop them."

[sunnydalealum]

You were one of them; she flinches at that, but she's listening.

Again she looks to Andrew, and back to Sam. "You were the one who said what the ritual was going to do." Low, and still wary. "Or started to."

[gavemea_45]

"Yeah," he says, quietly. "Yeah. That was me."

A beat.

"I'm Sam, by the way. Sam Winchester. The other guy -- my 'partner'? That was my brother Dean."

[sunnydalealum]

A long beat.

"Hi," she says finally, her body language still a little wary but no longer poised to flee.

"I'm Beth. Lehrer."

[gavemea_45]

I know that name. How do I-- wait, that's--

"Hi," Sam returns, automatically, his mind reeling suddenly. "Nice to meet you."

He glances to Andrew.

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew nods, looking sober and a touch uneasy: yeah, you got it right.

"Sam and his brother are freelance demon hunters," he says to Beth. "They were helping us out in the assault to get the Scythe back. It's partly thanks to them that didn't go any worse than it did."

To Sam: "Beth's been working here on parole for the past couple weeks."

[sunnydalealum]

"Sort of volunteer community service," she says, determinedly calm.

[gavemea_45]

"Until the... er, project is ready?"

He looks the question back and forth between them, but it's mostly directed to Andrew.