What is to Come
By: Ridley C. James & Tidia
Summary: T.S. Eliot once said that a life burns in every moment. The Winchesters are about to discover how true that is as they face losing not only the battle between good an evil, but risk the one thing that means the most to them-Brotherhood.
Notes: We are to the final tale in our Pentalogy. This is Sam's chapter, but we believe it reflects the story of The Brotherhood. In the time line this picks up after episode 5.20 and we have tweaked the ending. In our AU, the season finale did not take place as in Kripke land. There are only slight spoilers. Thank you to all our readers, and those who have commented and took the time to share the last four years with us! This one is for you.
Brotherhood*SNSNSNSNSN*Brotherhood
SAM
If the family were a container, it would be a nest, an enduring nest, loosely woven, expansive, and open. If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable—each segment distinct. If the family were a boat, it would be a canoe that makes no progress unless everyone paddles. If the family were a sport, it would be baseball: a long, slow, nonviolent game that is never over until the last out. If the family were a building, it would be an old but solid structure that contains human history, and appeals to those who see the carved moldings under all the plaster, the wide plank floors under the linoleum, the possibilities.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Sam skipped another rock across the silver water. The moon was full, providing enough light that he could easily track Boo as the dog splashed into the pond to chase after the bouncing pebble. Boo had followed Sam on his midnight stroll from the farmhouse, insisting on providing company, though Sam had wanted none. Sam craved fresh air and space, something he'd been denied cramped up in the Impala with Caleb and Dean. Their combined guilt was palpable, practically a fourth invisible entity along for the ride.
Benjamin Mosley's funeral had been awful, wore on them. The former Advisor was another casualty in the long line of people that had died due to their involvement with the Winchesters.
The ride from South Carolina where the old man had lived added to the exhaustion and the emotional toll. Sam felt bad they returned to the farm right after the morning funeral service, as The Triad their action would be frowned upon, but in light of what was going on around them it was excusable and understandable. As it was, there weren't many hunters to notice. Hunting took priority over grieving, and Benjamin's long absence from their circle was evident in the amount of civilians in attendance. Those of The Brotherhood in attendance were there in deference to Missouri, rather than out of obligation to a fallen brother.
Joshua and Carolyn had left early, but their excuse of finalizing their impending wedding was more polite and believable than Caleb's sudden headache. The Knight was unwilling to spend anymore time in Missouri's presence than necessary, despite Mackland's efforts to speed his son's forgiveness of the former Advisor.
Sam hadn't liked Benjamin Mosley, but he cared for Missouri. He hated she was suffering the loss of her father, in spite of how she had handled the situation with them and Joshua. He took solace she was in the capable hands of Esme and Mackland. They would offer more comfort than Dean, Sam and Caleb could, considering she blamed them for playing a part in her father's murder. She hadn't come out and said as much. ,Sam sensed her feelings with ease, which meant she wasn't trying to hide them, but broadcasting loud and clear.
Sam knew she was justified. They may not have pulled the trigger, but they might have well used red paint to draw a bull's eye on his chest. For Sam, working with Malachi Harris had been a mistake, a gross repeat of his error with Ruby.
Sam's knees were weak under the weight of what had transpired the last few days. He dropped the remaining stones he was holding much to Boo's disappointment and sat on the ground. A headache had picked up tempo behind his eyes, the intensity leaving him dizzy. Maybe he, like Caleb, was feeling the psychic backwash of the mayhem taking place around them. Sam could feel a trickle of sweat making its way from his brow, down the side of his neck. Boo shook water from his coat, showering Sam with cold, fishy water. Despite the smell, the dousing was refreshing in the unusually warm night.
Sam reached out and rubbed Boo's head, not minding when the dog curled its damp body next to his legs. The spring night was alive with frogs and cicadas, the stars peppering the sky in rare form. Sam's vision blurred as he searched for his favorite constellation, the thumping in his head kicking up a notch. He lay back in the grass, closing his eyes for a moment. The couple of beers he'd shared with Caleb weren't sitting well on his empty stomach, or he was more exhausted than he thought.
Boo's incessant yelps sent minute shock waves of agony through his skull. He registered the cold, damp ground beneath him, his hands fisting in dew-covered grass. Had he fallen asleep? The warm touch that settled on his forehead was unexpected, forcing him to push his way through the mental fog and open his eyes. His sudden intake of breath was loud to his ears, but the barking thankfully stopped.
"Take it easy, are you okay?"
"What?" Sam blinked. There was a young man with short, dark blond hair, a baseball hat set backwards, hovering above him. Worried green eyes met his.
"Can you hear me? Max, get Ben."
"What's going on?" Sam made it to sitting with the stranger's help.
"You tell me. You didn't come back to the farm then Athos started barking. I came looking for you."
"Athos?" Sam could see the familiar pond beyond them, lapping water and the chirping of crickets deafening to his pounding head. There was a small campfire crackling nearby, tossing burning embers into the air. Sam didn't remember building a fire. "Who are you?"
The hold on his shoulders tightened. "Your brother."
"You're not my brother." Sam shook off the grip, scrambling to his knees. He made a sweep of the area, noting the long dock jutting into the water, strands of twinkling lights strung along its rails. The pond didn't have a dock, but Pastor Jim's old boat was moored there, along with another newer model, and a couple of canoes. "Where the hell am I?"
"Who are you?" The guy moved with Sam, his voice insistent, but gentle with concern. "Are you Samuel?"
"Yes." Sam stood, backing towards the tree line that would give him access to the path to the farmhouse. A whine drew his attention to the dog he assumed was Boo. A large Golden Retriever greeted him instead. "How do you know that?"
"I'm Jonathan Winchester, JT."
"JT?" It had to be some sort of bizarre dream. Worse, the angels were messing with him. Another man stepped from the shadows, increasing Sam's confusion. Him, Sam recognized.
"What's happened?"
"Joshua?"
"Yes."
"I think the spell might have worked after all," JT said. "He was just coming to when I got here."
Sam was more confused. He narrowed his gaze as his Advisor inclined his head, moving into the light. The posture and stance were the same, and Sam recognized the distrustful look in Joshua's blue eyes. Everything else was different. Joshua's hair was more white than blond, his face reflecting an age closer to that of Pastor Jim's when he died, rather than the much younger Joshua Sam had seen earlier in the day at Benjamin Mosley's funeral. "Why do you look older? What happened?"
"How does he know your name?" JT turned to look at Joshua. "Is it James trying to get through to us?"
"What the hell is going on?" Sam demanded. "Who's James?"
"The medium channeling your spirit," Joshua said as if that should explain everything. He pointed at Sam. "In your time such a person might have been known as a medicine man or a conjurer-one with the ability to give a voice to the dead."
"What do you mean in my time?" Sam frowned, knowing if a distortion in time was involved; the work of angels must be at hand. "Did I die again? But why are you here? And these people?"
The sound of pounding feet tearing through the woods behind them stole any chance for this older Joshua to reply. Sam turned so his back was to the fire, just as two other men emerged from the trail leading to the farmhouse.
"Is Jimmy alright?" The taller one stepped next to JT. He looked close in age to the blond, early twenties, but his hair was lighter, longer and pulled into a low ponytail.
"Maybe. He knew Joshua's name."
"James?" The other guy moved towards Sam. He was older than the other two strangers, dark brown hair cropped short with a slight beard that looked more the result of days without the luxury of shaving than a grooming choice. "Can you hear me?"
Sam inched back, the fire hot against his legs. The whole situation was spiraling out of control. He searched out Joshua for some sort of explanation to the madness. "Joshua?"
"Ben, give him a moment," Joshua said, stepping nearer to Sam.
"I'm a doctor." Ben ignored Joshua's command, coming closer to Sam. "I just want to make sure you're alright, that my brother is alright. Your-his nose- is bleeding. You don't look well. Just let me check you out."
Sam reached up and touched his face, noting the sticky wetness under his nose. "I'm not your brother." Sam's thoughts went to Dean, wishing his brother and Caleb would suddenly appear from the forest as well. "You're not touching me."
"This gun says differently. You know all about guns, right? This one isn't like your six shooter, but trust me when I say it can get the job done." Ponytail was pointing a gun at him. "Let the doctor check on our friend."
"Max." JT pulled the hat off; Sam made out the Red Sox insignia.
"What? You want to wrestle him into submission, JT? We're wasting time. Time the Triad doesn't have."
"Triad?" Sam looked at the men facing him. His gaze went from their faces to their hands. They were all wearing identical silver bands. They were hunters.
"You remember your Triad, Samuel? Your Guardian and Knight?" Joshua moved beside Ben, the doctor. "Daniel and Cole?"
Sam licked his lips, wondering if this was some kind of test, like a password. "Dean and Caleb."
"What did you say?"
"You heard me, Josh." Sam was growing tired of the games. "I said Dean Winchester and Caleb Reaves are Guardian and Knight of my Triad. You know that because you're our Advisor, at least younger you is. What did you do? Where are my brother and Caleb?"
"Oh my God," Joshua reached for Sam's arm, his weathered face paling, but becoming more animated as realization dawned. "Sam?"
"Yes." Sam smiled, a wash of relief flooding over him as this Joshua, aged or not, seemed to finally recognize him for who he was. "Who did you think I was?"
"Samuel Colt." Joshua let him go, looking as if he might collapse. "I was expecting Samuel Colt."
"Dad?" Max lowered the gun, placing a hand on Joshua's shoulder.
"Dad?" Sam looked from Joshua to the younger man by his side. Some of the puzzle started to click together in a way that had Sam's stomach knotting. Max was Joshua's son. He moved his gaze back to JT. Jonathan Winchester. The features were there. Sam's chest tightened at the idea that this man could be his son.
"Uncle Sam?" Ben's touched startled him from his thoughts. "Is that really you?"
Sam moved his gaze to the dark haired doctor. Dean's Lisa had a son named Ben. "You're Ben Braeden?"
"It's Ben Winchester- for a long time now." He gave a small smile and Sam could see the little boy he had met.
"You're Dean's son."
"Yes."
"Oh my God." Sam ran his hand through his hair, his eyes going back to JT. "Then you're…"
"I'm JT. Dean's my dad, too." He twisted the Red Sox hat in his hands, then as if catching the nervous habit, placed it back on his head.
Sam could see it now. How he'd missed it from the beginning was the big question. JT looked just like Dean. Sam felt the sudden need to sit down. "What's going on?"
"Here, sit." Ben took one arm, guided him to an Adirondack chair by the fire. The Golden Retriever followed them over, sitting by Sam's chair with a contented sigh. "Let me check you over."
"If Sam's here, then where the hell is Jimmy?" Max asked, kicking the ground, causing some dirt to spray forward. "He usually manages to keep control when he channels."
"That's a very good question." Ben looked at JT. "I told you these spells never work."
"Who's Jimmy?" Everyone was staring at Sam, including the dog.
"Our brother, James Murphy. He doesn't like Jimmy."
"There's another one?" Sam's head swam; he lowered it between his legs, hoping to fight the sudden urge to throw up.
"Yes, you're in his body."
Sam lifted his head enough to look at his hands. They looked similar; he studied as much of this body as he could. The clothes he was wearing looked like they could have come from Joshua's closet, most definitely not out of Sam's duffel. He patted a hand over his face. It felt different, his hair was shorter. It was like the Gary incident all over, except these people knew a body swap had taken place. Such was the state of his life that swapping bodies with another person from the future paled in comparison to the stranger possibility of his brother having children. "Dean has three kids?"
"Yes. Are you sure James isn't in there with you? Can you check?" JT adjusted his hat.
"Check?" Sam looked at JT. "No one's here but me. If this is anything like the last time this happened to me, then James should be in my body."
"That's not what we expected. James is a medium, and we thought he would channel Samuel Colt, but the spell didn't appear to work." Joshua was holding the Vangelo. He brought it to his chest with a sigh. "Such has been the case with some of the more powerful spells."
"Which is why I didn't want you doing this." Ben pressed his fingers along Sam's neck, watching the second hands of his watch.
JT looked to Joshua. "How are we going to get Jimmy back?"
"Dad?" Max prompted his father.
"Why did you bring me here?" Sam looked at Joshua. "Why were you trying to have James channel Samuel Colt?"
Joshua shook his head at the garnered attention. "Malachi Harris has put us in a very compromising position. We were hoping Samuel Colt would have some insight on the subject considering he knew Malachi best and created the gun that could kill anything."
"What about Dean and Caleb?" Sam asked. "In my time Malachi Harris just killed Benjamin Mosley. Then there's the whole apocalypse…" Sam stopped, staring at the boys again. "Wait, we survive? We win?"
"I think we shouldn't discuss exact details of the past," Joshua dismissed Sam's question. "It's probably better that we focus on the moment at hand."
"Meaning something very bad happens?" Sam demanded. He patted his current body, looking for any clues. He was surprised to feel a necklace around his neck, assumed it was Dean's amulet until he lifted it to see it was a silver dragon. It provided no clue, except he noticed one shining around JT's neck, visible with the first few buttons on his shirt open.
"Something very bad is taking place as we speak," Joshua replied.
"You all made it through together. You, Dad, and Uncle Caleb. That's the most important part," JT said. "Just like you all are going to make it through this. There is no other option." JT's head was lifted high with a voice of authority, the opposite of his laid back appearance.
Sam looked at his nephew, his chest tightening at the eerily familiar green eyes. "What kind of trouble are we in now?"
"Malachi Harris put you under some kind of spell." Max slid the gun into his holster worn visibly over his black t-shirt. Sam could see Caleb's influence.
"Spells can be broken."
"Not this one. It put the three of you in a comatose state," Ben explained, a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Nothing has worked to wake you up."
"Joshua?" Sam looked to his Advisor.
"This is like nothing I've seen. Alchemistic genius. It's as if Malachi used his very essence as the mercurial agent. The bind is unyielding." Joshua crossed his arms, the Vangelo kept close.
"What if you kill him?" Sam shifted away from Ben's medical scrutiny, making the connection with a strange pride that one of his nephews had become a doctor. It made him want to find out more instead of focusing on the problem at hand.
"Tell me how to do that and I'll jump right on it," Max shook his head, mimicking his father's crossed arms. "It's hard to kill a spirit when there's no body to burn."
"A spirit? Malachi Harris is a demon."
"He was a demon," Joshua said. "We killed him. I have no idea what he is now."
"We, as in my Triad, killed him?" Sam knew that was the general plan, but he, Dean and Caleb hadn't gotten to the logistics considering their first priority was to secure the last two rings of the horsemen.
"Yes," Joshua replied, ignoring his son's frustrated sigh. "After he killed Mosley, you, Dean and Caleb tracked him down and used The Colt."
"Then how is he here now?"
"That's a good question." Joshua ran a hand through his white hair. "He first showed up when the boys were teenagers, trapped by a poltergeist when they used a Triad spell to protect themselves. We assumed Malachi was drawn to the power. It was the first we were alerted that he wasn't destroyed, and the last we've seen of him until he showed up a couple of weeks ago."
"Why now? That doesn't make sense?" Sam fingered the dragon amulet around his neck.
"Joshua thinks it has to do with the Triad ceremony," JT answered. "Max, James and I are set to become the new Triad next week."
"Wow." Sam ran a hand down his mouth, overwhelmed by the giant leaps in understanding he was being forced to make. He was just getting used to being The Scholar, and now in this time he was abdicating the position. On the other hand, he could not be Lucifer and The Scholar. It was good news. "Just…wow."
"I believe Malachi made his move now because he had plans of his own for the positions. His ties to our Triad are the strongest, and our Triad has proven to be the most atypical." Joshua stepped closer to Sam. "I believe he intended to restore his former Triad in the boys' stead."
"Only we interrupted his private ceremony," Max said with an affirming glance to JT. "We got there in time to keep him from sealing the deal."
"But not before he hurt you, Uncle Caleb and Dad," JT finished. "We screwed up."
"I'm sure you did the best you could." Sam recognized the look on JT's face. He had seen it on his brother's far too often. No one did self-recrimination like the Winchesters.
"It wasn't enough," JT said, taking off the hat once more, bending the brim.
"I guess some things never change." Sam rubbed his neck, frustrated that history truly did appear to repeat itself. They were cursed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Max took a step, placing himself between JT and Sam.
"Max, I do not like that tone," Joshua reprimanded his son. This was a novelty for Sam to see Joshua being a parent of a grown man. "This is Sam Winchester."
"Not the Sam Winchester I know." Max returned to folding his arms over his chest with a scowl.
"Let me guess-your son is the next Knight?" The body he was in was probably the next Scholar, which left JT as the next Guardian.
"Yes."
Sam found some amusement in the situation. First, Dean had sons, three of them, and now Joshua had raised Caleb's successor. That had to be ironically painful for their Advisor. "God, I'm lucky I did not have children."
"You have Mary, our cousin," JT said, a hint of dimple flashing. "Sorry, but Dad says having one daughter is worse than a house full of boys."
"I have a daughter?" Sam's throat constricted, his heart picking up pace again. Did that mean he was married? After what happened with Jess and Madison, his unsure fate, Sam didn't imagine that would be an option for him.
"What happened to not telling him too much?" Ben placed a hand on Sam's knee. "It's okay, Uncle Sam. Just take a couple of deep breaths. Mary's safe."
Joshua knelt beside him. "You said you came from the time when Benjamin Mosley had recently been murdered?"
Sam tried to move past the most recent revelation. He never intended to have children, terrified of passing along a demonic heritage. He couldn't imagine what would have changed his mind. "Yes. Last week."
"That means Jimmy will be in danger," JT said. "We have to get him back here. Now."
"Why? What happens?" Sam's dismay at his future was suddenly overrun by concerns with his present. "How are you going to send me back?"
"That could be a problem. The spell we used was cast on James. It will have to be reversed on James." Joshua rubbed his chin.
"Does James know that?" Ben seemed content Sam was physically fine. He turned his gaze on Joshua. "Will the you in the past even know how to do that?"
"Jimmy will figure it out," Max said with a glance to JT. "So will Dad."
Sam stood, noticing that this body was tall, but not as tall as JT. He wondered if James was the younger brother, if JT's reactions were an indication, he would guess yes. Sam recognized older brother protective mode anywhere. Dean would appreciate the younger brother being shorter this time around. "Dean and Caleb are going to freak out. There's no telling what they might do when they realize I'm gone."
"We need a way of communicating with Jimmy," JT said, pacing a few steps.
"Again, he will have to communicate with us," Joshua said, placing himself in JT's path.
"How do you expect him to communicate with us? And if he does, we can't answer him back." Ben looked from Joshua to Sam to JT.
"No offense, Dad, but that plan sucks," Max placed a hand on his forehead.
"I have to agree with your son." Sam gestured with his head towards Max.
Joshua sighed. He was being placed in an awkward position. "There's not a lot else we can do."
"Why?" Sam asked, missing the action that usually happened in The Triad.
"What is taking place now has not happened in the time where James is. Theoretically, this situation does not exist yet. Nothing we do to intervene will reach him," Joshua explained
"The time continuum won't allow it." Sam had loved Back to the Future as a kid. Only now did he appreciate the frustration Michael J. Fox's character endured. "But what James does in the future could affect us."
"Yes," Joshua confirmed, his eyes roaming to the future Triad.
"That's freaking scary," Max wiped his hand down his face. "The farm might end up as a spread of condos, or worse, the planet could literally go to Hell in a hand basket."
"Max." JT said softly.
Sam realized Max might have inherited Joshua's ability to say the worst thing with the best of intentions. His stomach twisted at the implications. They didn't want James in his body. "What aren't you telling me?"
"All that matters now is dealing with the situation at hand the best way we can." Joshua gestured towards the path behind them. "And of course finding a way to stop what Malachi has planned."
"The spells always work out the way they do for a reason," JT said. "Dad says Triad Power isn't faulty, it just has a mind of its own. Sometimes it knows better than we do."
"It's as temperamental as a woman," Max huffed.
"What possible benefit could come from James being in the past or Uncle Sam being here?" Ben moved closer to his younger brother. "Dad wouldn't want either of them put in jeopardy."
"Dad's not here," JT's voice was deep with unquestionable authority.
"Guys," Sam held up his hands. It was an odd sensation being in a different body, like wearing a new pair of shoes that weren't quite right. He felt awkward and constrained. "How about we just focus on the situation we can control. If JT's right, and the magic worked the way it was supposed to, then maybe destroying Malachi will switch James and me back."
"That's a highly unlikely result," Joshua said, then caught himself, "but I do believe pursuing it may be our most prudent recourse at the moment."
Sam clapped his hands together, feeling as though they were making some headway. "You said we killed Malachi. Did we burn his body?"
Joshua nodded. "He was inside the mansion when it went up."
Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Mansion?" He could not think of a situation where they would burn a mansion with Malachi in it.
"The Barnwell Mansion."
"The Barnwell Mansion in Cooperstown, New York? The Barnwell Mansion where you and Caroline are getting married in two weeks?" Sam rubbed his head, getting more confused. He didn't dare ask if Carolyn was Max's mother.
"That never happened."
"I'm sorry." Sam ran a hand over his mouth. "How did Carolyn take that?"
"She still agreed to marry me." Joshua pinched the bridge of his nose. "She rallied in light of the fact we almost lost much more than a venue."
Sam didn't want to know. He was buying into JT's justification they all survived. "If Malachi's returned as a spirit, there must have been something left of him."
"I promise you there were no remains. He was dead before the building came down."
"Maybe you missed something? Did they rebuild?"
"Eventually, with a substantial donation from the Ames Fund. It's a museum now."
"Mac?" The mention of Mac's name had Sam realizing the former Scholar's absence for the first time. "Is he here?"
There was a long silence, the foreboding kind that never prefaced a happy reply. Ben was the one to answer. The grief in his voice was raw and pain filled. "We lost him a couple of months ago. He went peacefully in his sleep."
Sam felt the sharp pang of loss; even if in his reality it was decades away. "Bobby?"
"I think we should…" Joshua started, taking a step towards the house.
"No, Josh." Sam reached out to his Advisor. "I want to know. I need to know."
"Bobby is gone." Joshua's face hardened. "My grandmother, my mother, all gone. Time can be almost as cruel a villain as tragedy."
"We won't lose anyone else," JT said, corralling everyone to force them towards the house. "You, Dad and Caleb are coming out of this alive. This isn't over by a long shot."
Sam agreed wholeheartedly with his nephew. If this was a future, and they were all happy, then they needed to save it. "Then I guess we should go to Cooperstown. It's the last place Malachi was seen."
"I'm not leaving Dad." Ben stopped walking.
"You should stay," JT reached to touch his brother's shoulder. "I'll have Micah increase the security detail just in case."
"What about Lisa, your mom?" Sam asked, wondering if she would be with Dean.
JT squeezed his brother's shoulder as Ben answered. "My mom died a while ago. Juliet is JT and Jimmy's mom."
"Juliet and Mom are away at a spa courtesy of Dad," Max bumped his father's arm. "They left before this happened, and we figure everything will be back to normal before they come home."
Sam had a lump in his throat at Ben's loss. "Can I see them?" Sam whispered, following Ben's line of sight. The prospect of being near his brother too tempting, even if it was a version of Dean he had no clue about.
"I don't think that would be wise," Joshua said, his voice husky with emotion.
Sam turned back to Joshua, an argument already stirring on his tongue. The look on his friend's face, his friend's aged face, specifically had him changing his mind. It was probably best to leave some things to his imagination. "When do we leave?"
Brotherhood*SNSNSNSNSN*Brotherhood