It was nothing more than a slight pressure against his arm, fabric bunching up whisper quiet against his skin, but Dean felt the change. One moment there was only Terpsichore, her tiny heart beating a fragile hope into Dean's that loving her might be enough, and in the next moment, Dean was reminded of everything he'd lost, the empty spaces in him rushing in with sudden, bright and unlooked for hope.
Dean's hand flew up, finding his brother's shoulder in an instant, same as he'd have found it blind and in the dark. "Sammy."
Before Dean had even spoken, John knew something had suddenly changed in the front room of the hut. Sunlight streamed in between the window cover’s slats as it always did, indistinct yet vivid all at once, creating an elongated pattern on the floor. The air was slightly heavy, moisture making its home among them. These things remained unchanged, and yet something had been different in the blink of an eye. John felt it and, lowering the pocket knife he’d been using to whittle a set of blocks for Terpsichore, turned.
And there Sam was, looking different and somehow just as John expected he might on his return trip to the island.
Raising his eyes to his youngest, he said plainly, “Hello, Sam.”
Having raised no fool, John dropped the knife on the ground and kicked it toward him.
A knife -- a normal, everyday pocket knife -- wouldn't do any kind of good against anything the Winchesters usually faced, let alone Lucifer risen from the depths of hell, but Sam took it anyway. Snatching it up without letting go of Dean, his grip only tightening in a kind of heartbroken fear, Sam wielded the small blade like the weapon it could be and faced down this overgrown demon wearing the face of his father.
"Get the hell out of him," he demanded, scared as hell and still trembling finely under the weight of what he'd just done, but sure in this. "If this is paying me back, you're seriously messing up right now."
Dean didn't have long to choose, just a few seconds to position himself between Sam and Cori, one arm flung wide to draw Sam's attention away from John.
It only to an instant to catalog the changes - longer hair, broader shoulders, circles beneath his eyes and a pallor to Sam's skin he hadn't seen since his last bout with the flu.
"He's real," he said, a note of near pleading in his voice. There was no way of knowing what Sam had seen, what'd he'd do with that knife, and if Dean had dared to chance a look away he'd have given his father a look that said, You have got to be kidding me.
Dean held both hands out in front of him. "Take it easy, he's not a demon. There's nothing to fight here."
Dean stepped through the door into the world outside and instantly felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders. Sam was back, in this world, the right world, with his family and with Jess. Things would be okay again.
He tried to keep that in mind when he turned around and was confronted all over again by the growing catalog changes in his brother. Sam still looked tensed for a fight, something wild in his eyes that Dean had never seen before. Dean ran his hands through his hair and said the first thing he thought of. "You hurt?"
Fresh air. Good air. Not the kind of stuff they got in the cities, but also better, cleaner than what they breathed in criss-crossing the wide open spaces of the country. It felt good going down, but it didn't help the tension in Sam's frame or his mind.
He shook his head curtly. "She didn't even try," he said. "Not--" When Sam thought of Lilith, it was hard not to think of Dean, the sickeningly childish trill of that first body of Ruby's, the snaps and growls without a shape. But he looked at Dean and thought of those things, and realized Dean had never lived them. His jaw went a little slack as he tried to pick his words. "How much has Cas told you?"
"Plenty," said Dean. The things Dean knew were incomplete, and Dean had let them stay that way, building one last, fragile refuge in his ignorance. He sensed now, that was all about to end.
He didn't particularly want it to. "You went with Ruby," he said flatly. The why of it was inconceivable, but Dean would wait for the how. "You were using your powers. You were going to fight Lilith, and the angels wouldn't let me help you. But Cas, he sent me to you, right before he came here. We didn't know what happened after that."
"Wouldn't let you?" Sam repeated incredulously, his eyebrows arching. But the words had burned just hearing them, and Sam didn't want to repeat them in the here and now if he could help it. So he shook his head, dismissing it as best he could.
"Right," he said sharply with a bitter hit. "And Bobby? Pam? Ellen and Jess? Do they all know what was going on, too?
It took some doing, but Dean managed to set his feet in the opposite direction of his brother, trusting the island not to take him away again before he'd even seen Jess.
Christ. Jess. Dean had no idea how this was going to go for either of them. He paused on the porch for just a moment, then made himself open the front door to the hut. Naturally, everyone was inside, but Dean didn't look at anyone but Jess.
He walked right to her, kneeling where she sat at the table to speak in a hushed voice. "Jess. I need to talk to you."
Jess looked up from the notes she'd been making for her class, setting the pen down entirely when she saw the look on Dean's face. She didn't know what it meant, exactly, but he obviously hadn't come over here to talk to her about pie.
"What is it?" she said, as quietly as Dean had because if he didn't want anyone else to hear this then she wasn't going to bust his cover. "Is everything okay?"
Dean looked at her, mouth opening and closing around a bombshell he hadn't yet figured out how to frame. He took a deep breath, and then her hand, getting to his feet.
"Need you to come with me," he said. His fingers curled to touch her ring finger briefly, willing her to understand. "It's okay."
Jess didn't feel okay suddenly, she felt distinctly unsettled, but she trusted Dean absolutely and went with him without argument, leaving everything behind just exactly as it was and not even looking at anyone else.
"Dean?" she did say softly, though. But that was all she said, because she couldn't quite form the question she wanted to ask.
Comments 104
Dean's hand flew up, finding his brother's shoulder in an instant, same as he'd have found it blind and in the dark. "Sammy."
Reply
And there Sam was, looking different and somehow just as John expected he might on his return trip to the island.
Raising his eyes to his youngest, he said plainly, “Hello, Sam.”
Having raised no fool, John dropped the knife on the ground and kicked it toward him.
Reply
"Get the hell out of him," he demanded, scared as hell and still trembling finely under the weight of what he'd just done, but sure in this. "If this is paying me back, you're seriously messing up right now."
Reply
It only to an instant to catalog the changes - longer hair, broader shoulders, circles beneath his eyes and a pallor to Sam's skin he hadn't seen since his last bout with the flu.
"He's real," he said, a note of near pleading in his voice. There was no way of knowing what Sam had seen, what'd he'd do with that knife, and if Dean had dared to chance a look away he'd have given his father a look that said, You have got to be kidding me.
Dean held both hands out in front of him. "Take it easy, he's not a demon. There's nothing to fight here."
Reply
He tried to keep that in mind when he turned around and was confronted all over again by the growing catalog changes in his brother. Sam still looked tensed for a fight, something wild in his eyes that Dean had never seen before. Dean ran his hands through his hair and said the first thing he thought of. "You hurt?"
Reply
He shook his head curtly. "She didn't even try," he said. "Not--" When Sam thought of Lilith, it was hard not to think of Dean, the sickeningly childish trill of that first body of Ruby's, the snaps and growls without a shape. But he looked at Dean and thought of those things, and realized Dean had never lived them. His jaw went a little slack as he tried to pick his words. "How much has Cas told you?"
Reply
He didn't particularly want it to. "You went with Ruby," he said flatly. The why of it was inconceivable, but Dean would wait for the how. "You were using your powers. You were going to fight Lilith, and the angels wouldn't let me help you. But Cas, he sent me to you, right before he came here. We didn't know what happened after that."
Reply
"Right," he said sharply with a bitter hit. "And Bobby? Pam? Ellen and Jess? Do they all know what was going on, too?
Reply
Christ. Jess. Dean had no idea how this was going to go for either of them. He paused on the porch for just a moment, then made himself open the front door to the hut. Naturally, everyone was inside, but Dean didn't look at anyone but Jess.
He walked right to her, kneeling where she sat at the table to speak in a hushed voice. "Jess. I need to talk to you."
Reply
"What is it?" she said, as quietly as Dean had because if he didn't want anyone else to hear this then she wasn't going to bust his cover. "Is everything okay?"
Reply
"Need you to come with me," he said. His fingers curled to touch her ring finger briefly, willing her to understand. "It's okay."
Reply
"Dean?" she did say softly, though. But that was all she said, because she couldn't quite form the question she wanted to ask.
Reply
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