Secrets and Camera Flashes

Chapter 44

For the final chapter necessary to wrap up the pre-Christmas fun, Castiel and Charlie are having a very fun phone call. That may sound sarcastic until you realize the phone call is about secret admirers and Wayward Sisters, but surprise! It's still sarcasm. They're heading to Jo's soon, and he is stressed.

"Okay, spill the beans," Castiel says, trying to distract himself from his impending doom. "Who's been leaving the Star Wars stuff?"

"So, her name is Dorothy," Charlie says with a small giggle. "She works with the tech people so I don't see her much, but she comes in every now and then to fix up computers and she is a badass. Full on, 'will rip your face off if you talk shit' badass. Supposedly Harry caught her slip a Hermione bobblehead on my desk a few days ago when she thought no one was looking."

"That's awesome!" Castiel says, though he is a little wary of Charlie hanging out with a "will rip your face off" badass. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"Of course not!" Charlie shrieks. "She's hot! I'm me! You know I can't function in front of hot girls!"

Well, Christmas with Jo is certainly going to be interesting, then, isn't it?

"Clearly she's already into you if she's buying you nerd stuff," Castiel says. "You could stand in front of her and do nothing and she'd probably think you're adorable."

"But I don't want to be adorable!" Charlie whines. "I want to be cool! Girls like Dorothy aren't looking for adorable!"

"If you think you're gonna have to pretend to be cooler than you are to make sure she still likes you, maybe you should just give up on this fantasy now," Castiel remarks. "You can't pretend to be cool forever."

"Maybe not, but I can at least pretend to be cool long enough to get laid," Charlie says. "The last time I got lucky was at that pro-choice rally a few months ago. Months."

Castiel rolls his eyes. "Oh, yes. 'If you can't score at a reproductive rights function, then you simply cannot score.'"

"Holding on to my words of wisdom, I see?" Charlie says teasingly. "Oh, and I have to ask. What's happening with the Wayward Sisters thing?"

"They sent me the first couple scripts a week or so ago," Castiel tells her. "No audition, no questions, nothing."

"Who're you playing?" Charlie asks. "Do you know yet? Do you have any idea whatsoever?"

"I am playing Satan," Castiel tells her. "Because apparently I have been typecast as an angel."

"At least you're a badass angel and not just an awkward angel," Charlie says. "That's gotta count for something, right?"

"I mean, yeah, in theory," Castiel says. "But I kinda want to get some fight scenes, and from what I've read so far, I'm just kinda making sarcastic remarks and using the Force or whatever."

"Ooh, you never get sarcastic characters," Charlie says. "Maybe you're being un-typecast."

"I don't know. Maybe," Castiel says. "I hope so. Maybe I'll get to the level of versatile that someone somewhere will consider me for some badass fighter dude."

"You've already got the low, gravelly voice down," Charlie says. "That's half of what you need for it, anyway."

"Touché," Castiel says. "Tou-freaking-ché."