Chapter 3: Wednesday's Child is full of woe - part 2
John Winchester lived and died having known love, loss, revenge and regret. He knew that neither his sons nor fellow hunters would remember him as a caring man. As complicated and co-dependant as the relationship between the three Winchesters was, at its heart, was a simple philosophy. You did whatever it takes to protect your family.
When he made a deal with Azazel to save Dean’s life, it was to protect his family. When he told Dean to save Sam, keep him from making the wrong choices or kill him. It was to protect Sam. It was that simple. It was that difficult. Azazel made good on his deal and John went to Hell.
In the years of hell torture that followed, John derived a certain amount of satisfaction denying his torturers their goal. To break his will, destroy his soul and have him join their ranks. It drove the demon hordes near insane. John was fine with that, he’d fought these bastards above ground and he didn’t see any reason to stop fighting them in Hell. There was something karmic about the situation.
Not that resisting the temptation to get off the rack, to start torturing other souls himself, was easy. Sometimes he wanted too but he would hear a whispered voice pleading with him to resist. Soft and feminine he began to believe that Mary was with him and he listened. As years turned to decades, John realised that ‘Mary’ was gently allowing him access to the machinations of hell.
When Azazel’s plan came to fruition and the gates of hell opened, John Winchester ripped himself free from his hell bonds and fought his way out of Hell. In spirit he helped his boys kill Azazel fulfilling his vendetta against the demon responsible for Mary’s death and the blood secret of his youngest son. There was a look of true acceptance between the three Winchesters and then John felt himself pulled away into a white mist.
For a long time he walked aimlessly, lost amongst the mist. From time to time, he would see shadows and assumed them to be other lost souls. He figured this must be limbo. Part of him was thankful, it wasn’t hell, but the hunter in him doubted anything good could come of this mist world. When the concept of time had completely left him, he felt himself again pulled towards something. That something turned out to be a hospital room.
A ghost and an angel enter the room
There was a woman patient and another woman sitting in the corner reading. He closed his eyes, expecting to find himself back in hell, yet the room was still there when he opened them again. The woman in the corner smiled and spoke.
“Hello John, my name is Ariel. I am an archangel of the Lord.”
“That so, this is heaven?” John asked sceptically.
“More or less,” replied the archangel enigmatically. John was about to ask what the hell that meant when the woman in the bed woke up screaming. John watched as the so-called archangel took the woman’s hands leant over to whisper something then kissed her forehead.
“I don’t want, I’m scared. That last dream was so real. Please, don’t make me go to sleep. It was so real, so real,” The woman said before drifting back into a deep sleep.
John opened his mouth to speak but the room changed to a forest setting.
The woman, who’d been lying in the hospital bed minutes ago, now seemed to be resting with her back against the wall of a ruined cabin by a lake writing in a journal. “Go speak with her and you will begin to understand.” The archangel said to him.
It didn’t take John long to work out the mystery patient was the voice he’d heard in hell. The voice encouraging him to resist the demons and to learn hell’s inner workings so he could break free when the opportunity arose. Fury took over and he stormed back to the angel and punched her hard in the face breaking his hand. John cursed, wondered how you hurt an angel and in frustration punched her again breaking his other hand.
“You are some piece of work. Calling yourself an archangel of the Lord, I’ve killed monsters with more compassion than you. I know that woman. She helped me escape hell. You sent her there.” he spat the words out.
“It was necessary. Soon, she will return to hell to help your son Dean and then Sam. Then she will live on earth to help an angel regain his memory and faith.” Ariel said healing his hands.
“Bullshit! My sons will never go to Hell. Dean wouldn’t be that stupid and he’d kill Sam before letting him make a crossroads deal.” John all but shouted.
“Both your sons idolise you, John Winchester. Of course they’ll look at a crossroads deal, if it’s the only way to save each other. You have already set that example. Dean already sold his soul to save Sam.” Ariel said irritably, a sudden chill descending upon the forest setting.
She exhaled slowly and continued, “You must understand, John Winchester. Michael and Lucifer seek to begin the Apocalypse. This is happening as we speak. It is written that your sons will be the vessels for both archangels. Dean for Michael and Sam for Lucifer, this will happen.”
“The hell it will. God will not use my family as pawns in your heavenly pissing match. That will never happen and as I’m not in heaven and certainly not in hell, you can run back to daddy and tell the bastard he’ll have to deal with one hell of a vengeful spirit if he wants my boys.” John stood face to face with Ariel, fury and determination in his eyes and voice.
“God is not in heaven.” Ariel said softly holding his gaze.
“What do you mean God’s not in heaven? Who’s running the show? ”John asked, genuinely shaken by the angel’s revelation.
“Michael. He wants the apocalypse to proceed as written. There are others who wish it for their own personal gain and Lucifer’s minions want their master freed and the destruction of all God created. Corruption is rife throughout heaven and hell. The assistance I give to your sons is merely to give them the strength to choose their own destinies and not be mindlessly manipulated by my brothers.” Ariel said.
“As opposed to being mindlessly manipulated by yourself.” John noted ironically.
“If that is what you wish to believe. The angel I mentioned, he is my younger brother. He helps your sons choose their own destiny.” Ariel answered with just a hint of a smile.
“Why do you need my help?” John asked at last.
“You asked earlier if this was heaven” Ariel reminded him
“You answered more or less, so which is it?” John countered.
“More her heaven, less yours,” Ariel explained calmly. “I can control how and when Wednesday fulfils God’s will. What I cannot do is give her a semblance of life. Without which she would surely go insane. If that happened, I would have failed in my duty to God and your sons will not have a chance against Michael and Lucifer’s plans. In this I need your help. While I rest, you will help Wednesday lead a ‘normal life’.”
There was a long pause in which John looked from Ariel to the woman before finally asking the angel “If I help you does that mean I can see Mary? She is here in heaven?”
“Yes. Regardless of what happens here, God has forgiven you your sins. You may enter heaven.” Ariel promised.
For a long time John said nothing. Then, taking a deep breath, John did something he never did in life. He took a leap of faith.
part 3
When he made a deal with Azazel to save Dean’s life, it was to protect his family. When he told Dean to save Sam, keep him from making the wrong choices or kill him. It was to protect Sam. It was that simple. It was that difficult. Azazel made good on his deal and John went to Hell.
In the years of hell torture that followed, John derived a certain amount of satisfaction denying his torturers their goal. To break his will, destroy his soul and have him join their ranks. It drove the demon hordes near insane. John was fine with that, he’d fought these bastards above ground and he didn’t see any reason to stop fighting them in Hell. There was something karmic about the situation.
Not that resisting the temptation to get off the rack, to start torturing other souls himself, was easy. Sometimes he wanted too but he would hear a whispered voice pleading with him to resist. Soft and feminine he began to believe that Mary was with him and he listened. As years turned to decades, John realised that ‘Mary’ was gently allowing him access to the machinations of hell.
When Azazel’s plan came to fruition and the gates of hell opened, John Winchester ripped himself free from his hell bonds and fought his way out of Hell. In spirit he helped his boys kill Azazel fulfilling his vendetta against the demon responsible for Mary’s death and the blood secret of his youngest son. There was a look of true acceptance between the three Winchesters and then John felt himself pulled away into a white mist.
For a long time he walked aimlessly, lost amongst the mist. From time to time, he would see shadows and assumed them to be other lost souls. He figured this must be limbo. Part of him was thankful, it wasn’t hell, but the hunter in him doubted anything good could come of this mist world. When the concept of time had completely left him, he felt himself again pulled towards something. That something turned out to be a hospital room.
A ghost and an angel enter the room
There was a woman patient and another woman sitting in the corner reading. He closed his eyes, expecting to find himself back in hell, yet the room was still there when he opened them again. The woman in the corner smiled and spoke.
“Hello John, my name is Ariel. I am an archangel of the Lord.”
“That so, this is heaven?” John asked sceptically.
“More or less,” replied the archangel enigmatically. John was about to ask what the hell that meant when the woman in the bed woke up screaming. John watched as the so-called archangel took the woman’s hands leant over to whisper something then kissed her forehead.
“I don’t want, I’m scared. That last dream was so real. Please, don’t make me go to sleep. It was so real, so real,” The woman said before drifting back into a deep sleep.
John opened his mouth to speak but the room changed to a forest setting.
The woman, who’d been lying in the hospital bed minutes ago, now seemed to be resting with her back against the wall of a ruined cabin by a lake writing in a journal. “Go speak with her and you will begin to understand.” The archangel said to him.
It didn’t take John long to work out the mystery patient was the voice he’d heard in hell. The voice encouraging him to resist the demons and to learn hell’s inner workings so he could break free when the opportunity arose. Fury took over and he stormed back to the angel and punched her hard in the face breaking his hand. John cursed, wondered how you hurt an angel and in frustration punched her again breaking his other hand.
“You are some piece of work. Calling yourself an archangel of the Lord, I’ve killed monsters with more compassion than you. I know that woman. She helped me escape hell. You sent her there.” he spat the words out.
“It was necessary. Soon, she will return to hell to help your son Dean and then Sam. Then she will live on earth to help an angel regain his memory and faith.” Ariel said healing his hands.
“Bullshit! My sons will never go to Hell. Dean wouldn’t be that stupid and he’d kill Sam before letting him make a crossroads deal.” John all but shouted.
“Both your sons idolise you, John Winchester. Of course they’ll look at a crossroads deal, if it’s the only way to save each other. You have already set that example. Dean already sold his soul to save Sam.” Ariel said irritably, a sudden chill descending upon the forest setting.
She exhaled slowly and continued, “You must understand, John Winchester. Michael and Lucifer seek to begin the Apocalypse. This is happening as we speak. It is written that your sons will be the vessels for both archangels. Dean for Michael and Sam for Lucifer, this will happen.”
“The hell it will. God will not use my family as pawns in your heavenly pissing match. That will never happen and as I’m not in heaven and certainly not in hell, you can run back to daddy and tell the bastard he’ll have to deal with one hell of a vengeful spirit if he wants my boys.” John stood face to face with Ariel, fury and determination in his eyes and voice.
“God is not in heaven.” Ariel said softly holding his gaze.
“What do you mean God’s not in heaven? Who’s running the show? ”John asked, genuinely shaken by the angel’s revelation.
“Michael. He wants the apocalypse to proceed as written. There are others who wish it for their own personal gain and Lucifer’s minions want their master freed and the destruction of all God created. Corruption is rife throughout heaven and hell. The assistance I give to your sons is merely to give them the strength to choose their own destinies and not be mindlessly manipulated by my brothers.” Ariel said.
“As opposed to being mindlessly manipulated by yourself.” John noted ironically.
“If that is what you wish to believe. The angel I mentioned, he is my younger brother. He helps your sons choose their own destiny.” Ariel answered with just a hint of a smile.
“Why do you need my help?” John asked at last.
“You asked earlier if this was heaven” Ariel reminded him
“You answered more or less, so which is it?” John countered.
“More her heaven, less yours,” Ariel explained calmly. “I can control how and when Wednesday fulfils God’s will. What I cannot do is give her a semblance of life. Without which she would surely go insane. If that happened, I would have failed in my duty to God and your sons will not have a chance against Michael and Lucifer’s plans. In this I need your help. While I rest, you will help Wednesday lead a ‘normal life’.”
There was a long pause in which John looked from Ariel to the woman before finally asking the angel “If I help you does that mean I can see Mary? She is here in heaven?”
“Yes. Regardless of what happens here, God has forgiven you your sins. You may enter heaven.” Ariel promised.
For a long time John said nothing. Then, taking a deep breath, John did something he never did in life. He took a leap of faith.
part 3